Can Early Child Development Strengthen the Economy?

Social scientists say that nature and nurture are both critical in the rearing of children. They recognize that genes have a certain amount of influence in the person that a child becomes. For example, a child who inherits athletic ability in their genes is more likely to become a good athlete than a child who did not. In the same way, a child who inherits musical ability will more than likely have greater musical success than those who do not.

Although genes are influential, nurture is also powerful. A child whose parents encourage participation in sports and help them to develop athletic skills can excel in sports even though it does not come naturally. The same is true with music. Whereas genes are inherited from parents without anything that parent or child can do about them, there are actions and environmental things that parents can do, such as reading to children from the time they are born and giving them lots of experiences, such as going to a park to play.

Middle class and wealthy parents usually have the time and money to invest in providing a healthy nurturing experience for their children. However, lower class parents as well as those living in poverty do not.

James J. Heckman, a Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago as well as a Nobel Laureate in Economics and an expert in the economics of human development, authored an interesting paper about early childhood development titled “The Heckman Equation – Invest in early childhood development: Reduce deficits, strengthen the economy.” 

The highest rate of return in early childhood development comes from investing as early as possible, from birth through age five, in disadvantaged families. Starting at age three or four is too little too late, as it fails to recognize that skills beget skills in a complementary and dynamic way. Efforts should focus on the first years for the greatest efficiency and effectiveness. The best investment is in quality early childhood development from birth to five for disadvantaged children and their families.

Heckman gave the following counsel about why it is important to invest in early childhood development for disadvantaged children and their families.

·         Those seeking to reduce deficits and strengthen the economy should make significant investments in early childhood education….

·         Early childhood development drives success in school and life….

·         Investing in early childhood education for at-risk children is an effective strategy for reducing social costs….

·         Investing in early childhood education is a cost-effective strategy for promoting economic growth….

Heckman shared the following principles “to make efficient and effective public investments that reduce deficits and strengthen the economy.”

·         Investing in early childhood education is a cost-effective strategy – even during a budget crisis.

·         Prioritize investment in quality early childhood education for at-risk children.

·         Develop cognitive AND character skills early. Invest in the “whole child.”

·         Provide developmental resources to children AND their families.

·         Invest, develop and sustain to produce gain.

Heckman concluded his paper: “Early childhood education is an efficient and effective investment for economic and workforce development. The earlier the investment, the greater the return on investment.”

Star Parker authored an article about Heckman’s counsel on early childhood development. She then noted that the Trump administration is trying to solve the housing crisis in the United States.

According to Newsweek, one of the actions being taken is to target immigrant families being served by Section 8. “‘Illegal aliens’ – foreign-born individuals without legal authorization or permission to stay in the U.S. – would not receive rental help over American citizens.” 

Another action that the Trump administration would like to take – according to Newsweek -- is to place “a two-year limit on assistance for beneficiaries [of Section 8 housing – helps low-income families, the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and veterans with housing in the private market], with the exception of the elderly and individuals with disabilities, to incentivize self-sufficiency among able-bodied recipients”

After sharing information about Section 8 housing, Parker shared the following information: 

A widely circulated recent video of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner captures Turner explaining to a reporter the rationale of the HUD introducing time limits to residence in government housing. He talks about a woman who is one of three generations in her family living in the same government housing project. Turner justifies a period of assistance from government but, he maintains, welfare should not be a lifestyle.

I agree that “welfare should not be a lifestyle.” No able-bodied adult should be on welfare for years. If they are capable of working and have no little children needing their care, then they should be working for their livelihood. Welfare should be a “hand up” and not a “hand out.” One way to decrease the likelihood of a future living on welfare is to “invest in early childhood development.”

Wise parents will ensure that their children receive adequate nurturing and education to allow them to grow into productive adults. A wise society will ensure that children from disadvantaged families will also receive adequate education. Such families will strengthen their communities, states, and nations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Has Biden Killed the Economy?

            One would think that a robust economy would be difficult to kill – unless it was done on purpose. The economic policies of President Joe Biden are just as bad or worse than his immigration policies and foreign policy. It seems that every single thing that he touches is damaged or destroyed.

            Elizabeth Hanke stated that Biden’s “Economic mismanagement has turned the labor market into mayhem with consequences far worse than what many Americans imagined.” Biden’s “greater government-imposed regulatory burdens and barriers to employment” are creating havoc with businesses. The companies cannot protect “workers from the impact of increased government presence,” and this condition leads to “worker frustrations.” 

The recent upsurge in union strikes and workers seeking unionization is problematic, but might be just a natural response to worker scarcity, lack of employment stability, and Biden’s overall mishandling of the economy.

The current state of the economy has made businesses vulnerable, forcing them to rely on – and expect more from – employees.

Worker organizing efforts generally indicate poor working conditions, issues with management, or the perception that workers are not adequately valued. The recent wave of union strikes over the past several weeks might be indicative of overall difficult working conditions in the U.S. economy and not necessarily attributable to management issues at individual firms.

            Problems exist in many parts of the economy, and most of them were caused by poor economic policy and mismanagement of the economy. The problems are in the form of “sharp increases in consumer prices, supply disruptions, and labor shortages that resulted in longer working hours.” All these problems lead to employee dissatisfaction, and worker dissatisfaction causes employees to look to unions for protection. Even private firms have limited “ability to provide stable working conditions and competitive salaries for their employees.”

            All these conditions are the result of incompetence in the Biden administration. The economy was recovering nicely from the problems of the pandemic until Biden started signed executive orders shutting down oil pipelines and other energy functions. Now Biden is mandating COVID-19 vaccinations that further hinder businesses. “Biden was ‘successful’ by implementing policies that reduce market freedom, reignite inflation, and threaten American workers.”

            If Biden would release the government stranglehold that it has on the free market and let it work as it should, workers would feel no need to strike or unionize. Biden’s has made the economy a disaster just as he has done in every other area of the nation.

Economy Is Still Bad

                The liberty principle for this Freedom Friday is the simple fact that we need a strong economy in order to be free.  Our economy is in the dumps and has been for more than four years, but our current leaders are doing nothing about it.  The economy is the “elephant in the room” that no politician wants to discuss because they can longer blame George W. Bush for it. 

                Even though politicians will not discuss the economy, American citizens continue to be concerned about it and express their concerns in poll after poll.  Participants in a recent poll by Fox News were asked what they considered to be the most important issue facing our nation.  The results of that poll show where the concerns of the people are:  economy (42 percent), deficit (17 percent), guns (5 percent), and immigration (4 percent).  The people express their concerns, but the politicians are not listening to them. 

The people want jobs in order to provide for their families, but the politicians are engulfed in discussions about an Internet sales tax bill and a “comprehensive” immigration bill that is nothing more than an offer for amnesty.  These two bills alone will destroy much of our freedom if they become law.  The Internet sales tax bill will enable politicians to collect taxes for all sales on the Internet and force businesses to collect those taxes without having any representation in the states that actually receive the money.  The amnesty bill will cost American taxpayers millions and millions of dollars as our government will have more and more people to entice into the entitlement programs meant to benefit American citizens.  Already our federal government is giving food stamps to illegal aliens and encouraging more “undocumented immigrants” to apply for them.

Conservative governments in some states, like South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin, are showing the nation that conservative principles such as limited government, lower taxes, and balanced budgets bring economic freedom.  These governments are offering economical solutions that benefit all their citizens.  Washington could learn a few things from these states, but the bureaucrats there do not seem to care.

Derrick Morgan at The Heritage Foundation discussed some ways that Washington could help our economy.  “Washington could do a number of things to improve the economy.  Here are three especially relevant now:  (1) reverse the New Year’s tax hikes that are already hurting economic growth, (2) take steps, even modest ones supported by both parties, to reduce the unfunded long-term obligations of entitlement programs and get us on a path to balance the budget in 10 years (because adding debt slows the economy), and (3) repeal, or at least delay, Obamacare, whose crushing mandates and costs are destroying jobs and trampling on the religious liberty of employers from Hobby Lobby to social service ministries to homeless shelters.

“If those sound too partisan, why not take an easy first step and approve the Keystone XL pipeline?  It would create thousands of well-paid jobs.  The President could act, but if he does not, then Congress should approve the pipeline and force the President to veto it.  During the Senate budget debate, an amendment from Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) supporting Keystone passed 62-37.”

                Our economy is hurting.  It is like a nightmare from which we cannot awaken because our politicians continue to refuse to listen to the people.  The liberals who are controlling the Senate and the White House have their agenda and have stopped doing the will of the people, and the RINOs are following in the footsteps of the Left.  We the people must awaken and take control of our country – while we still have one that we can recognize. 

Children

Have you ever considered that having a baby could be a matter of the national economy or even national security? It appears that the futures of nations worldwide will be determined by the people who are having children.

The Total Fertility Rates (TFR) is measured by children per female. According to Wikipedia, "The TFR is a synthetic rate, not based on the fertility of any real group of women, since this would involve waiting until they had completed childbearing. Nor is it based on counting up the total number of children actually born over their lifetime, but instead is based on the age-specific fertility rates of women in their `child-bearing years,' which in conventional international statistical usage is ages 15-44 or 15-49."

The TFR in nations all over the globe is dropping quickly. In the period just after World War II (1950-1955) the worldwide TFR was 4.92 children per female. By 2010, the TFR had dropped to 2.49. The TFR is expected to drop to 2.1 by 2035.

The TFR for the United States is 2-3 children per female, but it appears that our growth is positive only because of immigration. The plummeting birthrates create numerous and significant problems. The generous entitlement programs that were once pyramid-shaped have become inverted with more people receiving benefits than those paying into the system. Other countries are also experiencing serious problems because of the entitlement programs established in past years.

Economic problems are not the only signs of trouble ahead. It appears that the Muslim populations in European nations have higher TFR than native Europeans. This means that Muslims will soon be the majority ethnic groups in those nations and thus have added political power. There is sure to be more social and political unrest in those nations as the proportions of each group change.

The United States is not yet in that position, but we could soon have the same problems. We cannot continue to rely on immigration to maintain our population base. It appears that only those people who believe in families are having children, and the willingness to have children appears to be a religious issue. If the United States is to remain a Christian nation, then Christians must continue to have children.

I have always considered that the decision to have a child is between a man, his wife and God, and I still believe that no one else has the right to tell a couple when to have children or to stop having them. I just want to remind you that having a baby is important to the national economy as well as national security.

Progressive Movement

The progressive movement is destroying our freedoms and liberties. This movement started around the turn of last century and is very strong today. Progressives gave us the Federal Reserve. They brought redistribution of wealth through the progressive income tax. They brought us the League of Nations, then the United Nations. They brought in Prohibition to force people into better health by denying them alcohol. They brought in the idea that our Constitution is a flawed, living, breathing document and that our Founding Fathers were a bunch of rich racists.

Progressives today speak a different language. When they say "economic justice" they really mean "taking from the halves and giving to the have nots." When they speak of "social justice" they want "someone to step down so that someone else can have a turn." When then-Presidential Nominee Barack Obama said, "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America" he really meant that he was on the verge of "collapsing the state as we know it and rebooting it as a progressive utopia."

What most people call socialism, progressives call social justice. They seem to really believe that they are making things better. There have been numerous attempts by progressives to take over the government of the United States, and the modern-day progressives have learned from the earlier attempts to transform America. The speed with which government has taken over private industry in the past year shows that there was a plan in place long before the election was held.

Progressives now live by these rules: 1) No debate is allowed. People like Al Gore have said things like, "The discussion is over." They know that truth will prevail if it is allowed out in the open. Look what happened at the climate change conference in December. 2) This transformation cannot be conducted in the open. Health reform is a good example of this. The leaders of both the House and the Senate denied all proposals that were not part of their plan to take over our health care system. Obama and the other elected stooges are now meeting in secret to determine the future of Americans' health care. 3) They never let a good crisis go to waste. They are just waiting for something really bad to happen in order to take over our country.

Those people who are truly listening to the words of the progressives and watching their actions recognize that these rules are in place and are being used. The people who are basically responsible for the overwhelming and possible collapse of our economic system are Richard Cloward and Francis Fox Piven, authors of the Cloward-Piven strategy. They wrote about collapsing the economy and how to do it in an article they wrote in the 1960's called, "Mobilizing the Poor: How it Could Be Done." It was published in The Nation, under the title "The Weight of the Poor: A Strategy to End Poverty." Cloward and Piven were radical professors at Columbia in the 1960's. They believed in "change" and "social justice." They wrote a plan to put Saul Alinsky's social change for America into effect. Their plan was to overwhelm the system and cause capitalism to fail. To do this, they would overload the government bureaucracy and bring on economic collapse by impossible demands. In a ten-year period, from 1964 until 1974, the total number of people on welfare rose from 4.3 million to 10.8 million. New York City alone had 1 million welfare recipients in 1975 and declared bankruptcy.

More than twenty years later, Mayor Rudy Giuliani was still trying to deal with some of the problems. He referred to the Cloward and Piven strategy while describing the economic sabotage. He said, "This wasn't an accident; it wasn't an atmospheric thing; it wasn't supernatural. It was the result of policies, choices and a philosophy that was embraced in the 1960's and then enthusiastically endorsed in the City of New York." He went on to say, "This is the result of policies and programs designed to have the maximum number of people get on welfare" (Video Clip dated July 20, 1998).

Hard-working American taxpayers grew tired of providing money to able-bodied welfare recipients generation after generation, and welfare reform was begun. After the welfare reform bill was signed by Bill Clinton in 1996, millions of people were taken off the welfare rolls. Meanwhile, the progressives turned to other means to overwhelm the system. One way was to register all the dead-beats to vote. Bill Clinton signed the Motor Voter Bill into law in 1993 and invited Richard Cloward and his wife, Frances Fox Piven to the signing. Now they are working on a plan to provide amnesty to all undocumented workers who are in our country illegally.

Numerous Presidents of the United States have been progressives, including Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. John McCain is a progressive and would have taken us down the same path that Obama is taking us but at a slower pace. Obama's speed has caused many people, including myself, to wake up to what is happening.

Progressives have become part of the system of our national government. Hilary Clinton wrote her college thesis on Saul Alinsky and has proclaimed herself to be a "modern progressive." I encourage everyone to study and learn more about how progressivism started and where it wants to take our country. A good place to start is by listening to Glenn Beck interview Matthew Spalding, director of the Heritage Foundation's Center for American Studies. This interview explains a lot about progressivism.

Today I was listening to an address given by Ronald Reagan at the 1964 Republican National Convention. He was talking about Russia and the threat of communism, but I was shocked by how much his words apply to our nation right now. I really recommend that you listen to the entire speech. Here is just one quote from it: "This is the issue of the election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves."

The freedoms and liberties that we enjoy are being threatened right now. Our economic system is on the verge of collapse due to the massive national debt. Each American citizen - man, woman and child - now owes more than $340,000! Americans must wake up and realize what is happening or it will be too late to stop the progressive program before it destroys our nation.