Is High School Football a Public Good?

It's that time of year again ... time to consider who should pay for private goods ... because the community doesn't pay, your neighbors do ... Jim


Article published at Mises.org

Is High School Football a Public Good?
By Jim Fedako

Most of us would never think of asking our neighbors to foot a personal bill. We accept responsibility for car and roof repairs as ours alone. In addition, we don't bang on the door across the street in order to demand a contribution towards our children's figure skating lessons, taekwondo classes, etc. That which is consumed or used by our families is to be paid from our pockets — the definition of personal responsibility.


Now let's change the situation slightly. Instead of a figure skating lesson — the realm of the private good, consider the local public high school football team — the realm of the supposed public good.[1] The technical definition of a public good — a good that is nonexcludable, nonrivalrous, subject to free riders, and hence will only be provided by government through coerced tax dollars — has been corrupted in the modern lexicon to mean anything that is perceived to benefit society in general, no matter how specious the benefit argument.

Based on the technical definition, football is not a public good as teams are excludable and rivalrous since each team is limited to 11 players on the field without penalty. But no one really applies the technical definition to derive public goods. For if they did, the concept of public goods would disappear from economic textbooks and from debates over the need for government interventions in the market.

Instead, the collectivist definition — the vacuous, yet now standard, definition — applies the general welfare argument to elevate football from a private activity to that of a public good. The argument goes something along these lines: football is beneficial because it prepares boys for adulthood, keeps them off the streets after school, and provides them with a place where they can excel.

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Is Christian Social Justice Christian?

Of course not. But, I'll let Laurence M. Vance explain.

The Myth of the Just Price
Laurence M. Vance
3/31/2008

But here is Robert L. White, a Christian, in Biblical Economics: Economic Myths versus Biblical Values, published just a couple of years ago:

The working of the market economy over the last 20 years has resulted in increasing inequalities, persistent poverty, chronic unemployment, and more persons without health insurance.[49]

These increasing inequalities are "far beyond what could be considered fair and just according to historical standards."[50]White holds master's degrees in economics and divinity, and has worked as both a pastor and an economist. He was actually one of those 4,800 government economists I mentioned previously. I hope that White's Gospel preaching was more biblical
than his economic pronouncements. Here is some more of White's "biblical economics":

If some have too much and others have too little, the answer from the Bible is that nobody should have too much and nobody should have too little. Everyone should have enough.[51]

There is enough to go around so long as each of us takes only what each person needs.[52]

The concept of fairness is that people are obligated to give back in proportion to what they have received.[53]

Social justice requires that a just society be characterized by a continual improvement in the prospects of the least advantaged.[54]

There is no theoretical or empirical reason to expect all of society's economic objectives to be met systematically by the market. In other words, justice, equity, and fairness cannot be assumed to occur automatically, and therefore need to be intentional goals and objectives in the realm of public policy.[55]

According to White, the free-market economy is an "idol."[56] There is a cultural war waging "between the prevailing 'free-market' ideology and biblical values."[57] Today's "prevailing economic ideology" promotes "greed and consumerism over the common good."[58] The lesson we are supposed to receive from Jesus' feeding of the multitudes is that "if bread is broken and shared, there will be enough for all."[59] Because he believes that "the rich have been getting richer and the poor poorer,"[60] White deplores reductions in tax rates.[61] He rightly decries increased defense spending, but only because it diverts the funding of social programs.[62] He favors national health care and environmentalism.[63] He is also very concerned about global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.[64] In short, he rejects laissez-faire in favor of government intervention.

White, of course, is not alone. When noted Christian economist Donald Hay proposed eight biblical principles relating to contemporary economic life, he not only specifically excluded private property rights,[65] he also stated that "the government should not hesitate to use the traditional tax and transfer mechanisms to ensure that those without the means to acquire the basic necessities of life are provided for."[66] But White is typical. His trinity is the state, the earth, and social justice. He is a statist through and through.

read the whole article here.

Quotes to Consider

From FreedomWatch:

We (our government) meddle... People don't like to be meddled with. We tell them what to do, what to think, don't run, don't walk. We're in their homes and in their heads, and we haven't the right. We're meddlesome.

~ Joss Whedon's Serenity

From The Future of Freedom Foundation:

Where in the Constitution does it say that Congress may interfere in the internal affairs of a private baseball league or its players? How exactly have these vainglorious congressional publicity hounds come by the idea that their jurisdiction has no limits?
— Robert Higgs, “There's a Time and a Place for a Beanball” [March 3, 2008]

Pension: pay given to a state hireling for treason to his country.
— Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language [1755]

Division of Labor

Thanks to fellow bloggers RonMcK at Blessed Economist and Steve Scott at From the Pew for doing the heavy lifting on Christian issues, especially their research on biblical insights into economics.

These two bloggers make it tough to write on Christian topics as they grab hold of their subjects with vigor and polish. Excellent writing. Check them out when you get the chance, you'll learn something and really enjoy yourself.

Note: In addition, Blessed Economist has an excellent blogroll that links to many other interesting and informative sites. One site of note is KingdomWatcher's series on Christian Economics.

The Tenth and Servitude

In 1 Samuel, the Bible records the warning of God as spoken through Samuel: And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. (8:15) He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall be his servants. (8:17)

God was warning Israel about the evils of a king, yet the Israelites persisted. In the end, God allowed them a king, along with the king's requisite taxes -- servitude. Centuries later, the American patriots demanded an end to the king's tax and revolted.

In his book, For Good and Evil: The Impact of Taxes on the Course of History, Charles Adams writes that the tenth is historically considered to be the most a population will grant its rulers for any extended period of time. Anything greater sparks rebellion. However, we currently allow multiples of the tenth to be taken by the DC kings and their state and local minions.

Don't you think its time to rethink our current situation in light of the Bible and the founding ideals of this nation? Don't you think its time to revolt once more?

I believe that it's time, as do many others. The Ron Paul movement is just beginning to gain steam. Add to it the income tax revolt in Massachusetts and the likely one here in Ohio, and we appear to be saying "enough is enough!"

As noted by Adams, prosperity only occurs when a nation reduces taxes and allows free trade. Taxation destroys both the economy and the nation. It's a simply truth, yet, like the Israelites, we have been turning our backs on it. Time to change.

Vote Ron Paul.