Hey, I told you I'd get this up here sometime. Please let me know what you think, if you have a chance to read or skim it! Just as a reminder, I wrote this for school. It was just supposed to be a speech to summarize the book.

Free Enterprise Economics in America Oral Summary

"To be born a free man is an accident; to live as one is a responsibility; to die free is an obligation." Author unknown. Many, many times I have heard that I live in a free country, free to make my own religious decisions, free to make my own judgments of value. And many times I have thought in return, "But how much longer will this freedom actually last in America?" The book Free Enterprise Economics in America explains that Americans' freedom will only last as long as we keep the government in it's rightful place as the defender of liberty, and not to allow it to become our dictator. This book defines and goes on to explain America's free enterprise system. It discusses Biblical truths that go into this system, historical examples, and in what ways the free enterprise system is being put into use in our society today. In this speech, I will define some of the most important terms which you will come across in a free enterprise system, sum up several verses from which free enterprise developed, and finally discuss one or two of the historical examples of free enterprise. 

The terms which I would like to talk about today are property, competition, and profit. Let's begin with a definition of property from Free Enterprise Economics in America. They define property as "an exclusive ownership right in something; that is, to own, control, enjoy, and even dispose of it as your very own without giving any explanation or reason to anyone else, even to the civil authority." Property includes not only your wealth or tangible items, but also your opinions, mind, and soul. One must have the correct understanding of property in order to understand their personal responsibility before God. As I will explain further in a few minutes, it is extremely important to maintain our responsibility before God. Without this, we would lose our religious freedom. Man would be controlled by outside influences without this God-given right. We will now move onto competition. Competition is defined as an "economic force at work in the free-market economy to assure that exchanges are indeed voluntary". Competition which is effective consists of two or three available options so that the buyer can decide which option suits his needs best. He may pick the lower priced item with less worth, or the higher priced item with more value, but in the end, all that matters is that he is able to decide. Finally, let us discuss profit. Profit, as the book states, may be "the most misunderstood word in our vocabulary!" It involves labor, risk, success, and sometimes failure. The risk comes in when a person recognizes a need for something in society. That person then may undertake the labor of designing the item, hiring and paying workers, and purchasing materials and marketing for the item. By the time all of this work is finished, the need may have been already fulfilled. This is the risk. However, entrepreneurs must often take this risk in order to provide for the needs of society and to gain profit. One would never make profit if they nervously sat by and watched, too afraid to begin any undertakings for the good of society. The driving force behind the risk of course, is profit. If the entrepreneur does decide to serve as a catalyst, create a solution, and if the offered solution proves itself worthy and needed, the entrepreneur then earns profit for his labor, risk and investment. Now that we have discussed these three important terms, I would like to move on to several Biblical statements from which the free enterprise system developed and by which it is supported.  

 The first verse which I would like to look into is Genesis 1:26, which states "...Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...". This shows us that at the heart of the matter, every man has a right to be free as we were all created in the image of God. Because we were made after God's own likeness, we have a right and a responsibility to make our own free decisions. God is able to make judgments of value; therefore, we also should always be allowed to make our own choices. If we did not protect our individual action our self-responsibility before God, would be stolen. Another biblical precept from which free enterprise was developed is "that man has a duty to maintain his freedom so that he can serve his Lord and Creator". It is our responsibility to save the most important freedom of all; that which allows us to serve the One True God. Without this right, we would all be turned into mere robots before God. Next, we should study the role of civil government in our lives.Psalm 72:1 says, "Give the king thy judgments, O God..." . In order to maintain our freedom correctly, the civil government must remain nothing more than a "protector of life and property and a punisher of those who physically harm or rob, steal, and cheat others." (Free Enterprise Economics). If Americans were to fear having too much liberty themselves, and ask the government to play a bigger role in their lives, then eventually the government would become "an arrogant and dictatorial regulator and master of the people, as well as a voracious redistributor of the people's wealth."(Free Enterprise Economics).  We absolutely cannot allow this to happen in our government. This is the ideal lead into the next part of this speech. That of the historical precedent. 

I could talk about many examples from the past where the government's role did blow out of proportion. But I won't. I believe that we can all clearly see the consequences of such a monstrous issue. Instead, I will now remind you of some of the past principles which have helped to make nations great. I will begin with the well-known story from the Bible about Moses and his father-in-law, Jethro. Jethro came to visit Moses and found him completely swamped with all of the people's various legal and spiritual complaints. Jethro was quick to develop a solution to the problem. He advised Moses to select certain men in the camp to hold positions over other men, and to advise their fellow Israelites in the way of the law and also in the way of God. Moses was still to be the highest authority over such matters, but this way, the smaller affairs could be handled by other men, leaving Moses with a much lighter burden. This system will be referred to as dividing the government into vertical spheres. When the governmental power is left undivided, and rests upon only one, it is difficult to prevent tyranny. This kind of system has what is called a horizontal basis. The next example I would like to look at, is that of our own Constitution. The Constitution of the United States was founded upon a vertical basis by the founding fathers. And these men were familiar with their Bible. They wrote this extremely important document with their view of God in mind. We can see examples of their faith throughout the Constitution. So we can see that the pyramid shown by this book is correct. The pyramid goes like this: Economic systems take root and are influenced by the political system of a country. The political system is also influenced, this time by it's people's philosophy. And finally, people's philosophy is a direct result of their view of God. Therefore, the way a governmental basis is determined and developed is ultimately created by the way man views God. 

We have now defined terms, studied verses, and looked at historical examples all revolving around the free enterprise system. We can see that this system rests upon property, competition and profit. The system is obviously supported by the Bible as well as historical stories in which the use of this system made nations great, including our own great nation, the United States of America. Through the book Free Enterprise Economics in America I was able to discover the answer to my question "how long will freedom last in America?". Our freedom will last as long as we are willing to work towards building up our free enterprise and as long as we keep the government in its rightful place. Freedom does not sustain itself. We must take the steps to maintain our freedom by educating ourselves on the definition of a free enterprise system, studying what the Bible has to say about it, and by searching history itself for great examples of the system coming into play and making nations great.

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Hope turned back to her work. "Wait a minute," Jedediah said, "I need someone to cook these rabbits up for me." He winked at her and she grinned back at him and then pretended to frown as she 'inspected' the rabbits. "Hmm," she said critically, "Rather bony," she said with a mock sigh, "But I suppose they'll have to do." Laughing, she snatched them away from him and took them into the kitchen. The kitchen was a small room with a dirt floor. There was a tiny pot bellied stove in one corner of the room, with a pan of water to wash dishes in. On the other side of the room was a wooden table with crude wooden benches on either side of it. Beside the kitchen and main room, there was only one other room, a bedroom where the Palmers slept. The orphans all slept curled up on the dirt floor of either the main room or the kitchen. They each had a blanket to sleep with. When arriving at the orphanage they were given a packet of one change of clothes, a blanket, and a slate and stub of chalk for the lessons which they did one day a week. The little orphanage itself was several miles away from any other cabins. It was half a day's trip to get to the town with the general store where the Palmers did their shopping once a month and attended church. Behind the cabin sat a shack with Mr. Palmer's tools and where anyone unfortunate enough to displease him, was taken for punishment. To the right of the cabin were mountains in the distance and woods. Hope loved-on rare occasion-to sit with her back to the trees and watch the sunrise. Back in the kitchen, Hope deftly skinned the rabbits. She brushed a lock of her long, dark hair out of her eyes as she added the rabbit to their usual thin broth. The addition of meat to their soup was somewhat rare and was considered a feast by the children. Hope went out the back door to her little vegetable and herb garden and plucked several small sprigs off of a plant. Back inside she chopped them into tiny pieces and added these also to the thin broth. They sent up a tantalizing scent and drew many children to the kitchen for a sniff, before being called back to their chores by Mrs. Palmer. That evening, when all the children were seated, Hope proudly ladled portions of her soup into their wooden bowls, giving Jedediah a considerable amount more. None of the children complained however, but were grateful for what they had. All of the sudden the door slammed open and Mr. Palmer stomped in, followed by Thomas. "Where's our supper?" Thomas growled. Hope rolled her eyes, but then smiled her brightest smile at Mr. Palmer and said, "Coming, just as soon as I can get it." Mrs. Palmer joined her husband and son in sitting on the tired-looking couch in the main room. Hope quickly ladled out their soup, adding a small piece of brown bread to each bowl. As she served it, she chattered on to them about how Jedediah had brought the rabbits back for her to add to it. "Hmph!" was all Thomas said. Mr. Palmer ignored her, and Mrs. Palmer attempted a weak smile though the results were unconvincing. Hope was not discouraged though, and watched as they each took their first bites. "Hardly enough meat for a grown man's meal," said Mr. Palmer. Hope frowned at this momentarily, but did not let it bother her for long. The three Palmers finished their meal in silence, and then Mr. Palmer stomped to the bedroom, closing and locking the door. Here, he had a bottle or two of whiskey stored away, for 'his own personal use'. Mrs. Palmer sighed and than went back to directing the children about their chores until dinner was cleaned up. Well, that's all I have time for now. Please let me know what you think. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to get the third 'chapter' out!

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*Five Months Earlier* Inside the cabin, boys and girls of all ages milled about, quietly doing their assigned chores. A frazzled, but stern looking woman stood in the midst of them, bouncing a baby on her hip and she delivered orders. The woman looked to be in her late-forties, and had streaks of gray throughout her otherwise, black hair. She appeared startled as the big boy slammed open the door, dragging in Hope still kicking and yelling at him wildly. "Thomas!" said the woman sharply, "Now you know that's not the way to treat a lady." "This ain't no lady Ma," Thomas whined, defensively, "This here's jest Hope!" Sighing wearily, the woman walked over to Hope, who was still being held by Thomas. "Release her Thomas!" said the woman, whose name was Mrs. Palmer. Thomas did so, reluctantly. Hope shoved him and stuck out her tongue glaring around fiercely. Mrs. Palmer reached out and took hold of Hope's arm gently at first, and then tightening it as she spoke. "Now Hope," she began "You know the rules well. You are not allowed to go outside unless I say so. You could be hurt or get lost. We wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?" "No ma'am" Hope said meekly. "Good," Mrs. Palmer began "But I just wanted to see the sunrise" Hope interrupted. Everyone in the room froze, and turned to watch the scene unfolding before them. " Hope," said Mrs. Palmer briskly, " While you are under my care, you will do what I tell you and nothing more. Is that understood?" "Yes ma'am" Hope replied softly. "Good" said Mrs. Palmer sharply, " Now to help you remember you will do not only your own chores today, but take care of Mandy's as well. She took ill with a fever. "Yes ma'am," Hope repeated, softly as before. Mrs. Palmer stepped back and surveyed her torn apron critically. "What happened to your apron?" she demanded. Hope's eyes regained their fierce glare as she turned and pointed to Thomas, saying," He ripped it, dragging me up onto that horse of his!" "Thomas, is that true?" Mrs. Palmer asked. "Yeah, Ma" he replied sullenly. "A big strong boy like you had to take out a horse to bring this little girl back? Especially after I told you not to?" Thomas said nothing, but stared at the floor, shuffling his feet a bit. " You will answer to your father tonight." his mother informed him, walking into the other room and closing the door. Thomas paled, certain that his father's belt was in store for him, but Hope placed her hands on her hips and grinned triumphantly. After a rather ferocious glance from Thomas, Hope lifted her chin and walked off to continue working on her chores. Fifteen year old Thomas was overly-large proportioned boy and enjoyed tormenting the younger children, especially Hope. Seven years ago, when Hope had first come to the orphanage, they had been playmates. She liked Thomas at first, but as the number of children grew, Hope played with another boy more and more often. His name was Jedediah. Three years older then Hope, Jedediah protected Hope. Hope began to feel closer to him because he, like her, was an orphan also and understood her situation and feelings better than Thomas ever could. Seeing Hope's affections turn to Jededian, Thomas grew jealous and made life as difficult for him as possible. This of course did not make Hope like him any better, but actually less. Hope was busy straightening up the room when Jedediah came in. At fourteen years old, he was tall and lean, with dark brown hair and eyes and had an always-ready soft smile. In his right hand he held two rabbits, trussed up. In his other had he held a well carved bow and across his back was slung a quiver of arrows. "Out sneaking 'round and hunting with that pitiful stick you call a weapon?" Thomas taunted. Thomas was of the opinion that all brave men should carry a gun, and nothing else. "He always comes back with more catch then you, you fat old-" Hope began, but Jedediah interrupted her gently, hushing her and ignoring Thomas' stinging remarks. Thomas' anger was aroused now though, and saying "Oh yeah?" to Hope, he grabbed the bow and tried to snap the wood. He grunted as he put all his pressure against it trying to break it over his knee. He was not rewarded. More humilitated than ever, he flung the bow to the ground and stomped outside, slamming the door. As soon as he was gone, the angry look on Hope's face was replaced by one of sorrow and meekness. She hurried to the place where the bow lay and gingerly picked it up, carefully handing it to Jedediah. "I'm so sorry Jedediah, I shouldn't have made him so angry!" He grinned ruefully inspecting the damage to the bow. "Oh, it's alright, just a few scratches and splinters. At least he didn't snap it." he reassured her with a comforting smile. She rewarded him with a sweet smile of her own and turned back to her work. * Well, there's the second "chapter". I didn't really divide this up while I was writing it, so it's kind've hard to know where to stop! I guess that's good for now. I'll try to post more soon! Please leave me a comment telling me what you think. I truly want your advice! -Christine

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Hope awoke from the dream to find herself shivering. For a moment she was frightened, not sure of where she was. But as she glanced around she was reassured to be in her own bed. "Was it really only a few months ago?" she wondered silently. A soft smile lit her face as a warn tongue licked her arm. "Alright Tagg," she said to the little terrier resting at her side, "I'll feed you in just a few minutes." Rising from bed, Hope went to her bureau and took out a simple blue linen dress. While changing out of her night-shift, she looked around her room again. It was decorated in many shades of yellow. The curtains were the bright yellow of a fresh, spring dandelion. The quilted bedspread on her bed was a softer shad, but no less cheerful. Her favorite part of the room, were two windows next to her bed. Out of them she could see far across the praires of Wisconsin. Minutes later, Hope skipped down the stairs, where she sat down with a piece of homemade bread spread with freshly churned butter. Careful not to forget about Tagg, she fed him pieces of dried meat from the pantry. After breakfast, she softly crept out to the porch, careful not to wake anyone else in the house. She sat down in an oak rocking chair and watched as the sun slowly began to rise. She looked out over the prairie and a smile once again touched her face as she thought back to a similar time. *Three year old Hope sat on the porch with her mother on her right and her father on her left. Placing a chubby hand in each of theirs, she delighted them with a smile. * This, one of Hope's few happy memories would always be cherished in her heart. Then, her smile turned to a frown as she thought of a time that was not as happy for her. *Hope tryed to pull herself from the older boy's grasp, but could not. He yanked her up by her arm onto his horse and galloped back towards the little cabin that served as her home. * Well, there's the first part. I actually have more written, but I think I'll see what you think of it and keep you in suspense before writing more;-) Please let me know what you think!

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