Ep. 355 — The Deadly Irony of Price Controls | Fireside Chat

Well there everybody no no more everybody I'm changing my opening after 354 times I'm going to say ladies and gentlemen Because delta airlines will not say ladies and gentlemen so as to be inclusive Is that unbelievable? It started with the london tube or as americans would say subway Irene, this is a long time ago. They announced we're no longer saying ladies and gentlemen in our announcements on the london subway or tube Because it's not inclusive So there's a big question there whom Does it not include? There are ladies. There are gentlemen and there are and the answer is Those who are neither Do you know what percentage of any given population? is neither male nor female Is is one in a million Does that sound right? Yeah, it sounds right that would mean in america. There are about 330 people who think they're neither male nor female I mean who really think that I mean not not people who are making a statement So on that grounds on those grounds they announced at delta airlines, they will no longer be saying ladies and gentlemen It's really sad It's we've lost our minds the collective minds So hi there everybody Is that that's of course that's inclusive unless you don't think you're a body So in that case every body is not inclusive. It just occurred to me What if you don't identify as a body just as a spirit, let's say So nothing is inclusive. There will always be some outlier Well, hello dennis prager here with the fireside chat number three five five I was figuring out right before this that if you binge watched I'm sorry. It is not predictable where my mind will go. Okay, so I was I was figuring this out And math is not my strong suit. I'm not particularly weak in it, but it is certainly not a strength nevertheless so given that A fireside chat is a half hour And given that we've done we'll have done 350. So let's say 350 So that half of 350 Is 175 That means 175 hours of fireside chat So if you watch two hours a day, that would be four fireside chat. That's a lot So if you did two hours a day It would take you 85 hours That doesn't include Eating sleeping working going to the bathroom. Nothing. I mean just doing that Which is obviously not possible, but let's let's just say so what did I just say 85 hours so 85 hours wouldn't would uh at two hours a day, that would be 42 and a half days Of without without stopping so you could do it I'm, not saying this to intimidate you I think I think it's worth Binge-watching There's no episode that some great subjects were not addressed Not a compliment to me. I mean, maybe it is a compliment to me. That's not why i'm saying it But it's a statement of if it isn't Of some real importance the odds are it won't be addressed on a fireside chat. Okay Anyway, just thought you should know that because it is definitely worth Watching and then selecting some to send To some people who think when they hear my name Oh, it's just going to be political Overwhelmingly, I don't discuss politics on fireside chats overwhelmingly That's not what animates me politics but That doesn't mean that there aren't issues that are addressed in politics that are truly significant. Of course there are In fact, i'm going to do that right now It's going to be brief because I really want to take you have so many great questions and I want I want to Really address those but I can't resist this one that The a democratic party candidate in the united states of america many of you all live around the world is a woman named kamala harris and She announced just this past week That if she's president She will Control the prices of food in america Because the reason they're expensive is not that she and president biden spent trillions of dollars for no good reason and thereby created a terrible inflationary effect that didn't exist prior to their Ascending to office. No, not at all. It is because The grocery stores and food producers are gouging the public It's not that the prices are set by what it costs To produce and to ship and to stock and to sell and to package. No, not at all It's because all of a sudden for the first time in my lifetime maybe american history Food producers have decided to gouge the american public Just coinciding with the Printing of trillions of dollars to create much more inflation than we had but I I on a very serious note, this is a very Amazing thing even in the washington post, which is another left-wing newspaper Even there they had a a column that all this does is is Legitimize attacks on the democrats as being like communists Because that's exactly what communism does It sets the prices for food and that's part of the reason that people were so poor when the free market doesn't operate supply and demand making prices then you you will have uh a massive Devaluation of the economy of the society Not to mention a lack of freedom. Not by the way, why would anybody then produce food? If they can't make a profit, why would they produce it? Would you work for no money? Profit is salaries Think of the word profit as salary That's what it is if a I am Uh, I don't know I grow corn. I'm a farmer who grows corn If you set if the government sets a price Beyond which I can't sell my corn That means that i'm not being being given a wage To produce corn. I won't produce corn. That's all that will reduce it will just be uh an emptying of the shelves of grocery stores Because nobody will make a profit in selling it and they'll they'll they'll leave that business However, I will say I do feel justified For all those who have said and this is all over the world practically we have to have socialized medicine or as In america democrats would put it our form of socialists uh single payer Single payer so again, no free market in medicine because everybody has the right to have medical care and therefore the government Which means just your fellow citizen. There's those the government doesn't have a nickel the government takes money from people So the government will pay for your medical care. I have asked I think all of my adult life a a question that i've never gotten an answer to If government should pay for your medical care, why shouldn't it pay for your food? Food is even more important than medical care You you can go a much of a lifetime without medical care Because you're healthy, but you you can't go very long without food So if we're going to have the government pay for medical care, why shouldn't the government pay for food? Well now you have the answer the government will now Set the price of food, which means you will have much less food available to you. It's very scary It shows the temptation of Socialism and the the reason for that temptation is very simple. I've said this as well so many times People do most people do not yearn to be free Most people yearn to be taken care of And the two are not Livable together. They cannot live together If you're going to be taken care of you don't have freedom On a micro level isn't that obvious? What is the thing that people as they get older most fear? That they can't take care of themselves Right because it's so undignified to have others take care of you That is people's greatest fear, I mean obviously they They fear losing loved ones. I mean, but basically for themselves That's what they most fear that they can no longer take care of themselves And yet people vote all over the world for the party that will take care of them Why doesn't that rob you of the same dignity? That being taken care of when you reach a certain age robs you of Why if the government taking care of me, oh, that's that's beautiful but others taking care of me that's that's frightening Something to think about I would think so this is a A real movement a movement leftward in american history that has no parallel Okay thought I'd share that with you. And now we go to the video question of the week. Take it away Hi, mr. Prager, i'm riley delaney from northwest connecticut and my question for you is how do you think judaism and christianity? um differ theologically Are they what's their different messages and do they diverge or are they can more connected? I've often you've often talked about judaism and christianity and how You you you respect christians and how their theological beliefs, but how do you think? um christianity and judaism diverge and um And and what what different messages do they say? Thank you Don't thank me. Thank you Well riley, by the way, I got a kick out of the fact riley said He he didn't say the city. He's in probably it's a small city and I I appreciate that But he said i'm from northwestern connecticut. I have to admit I cracked up Connecticut for those of you unfamiliar with american states. It's quite small Northwestern connecticut From let's put it this way the distance between northwest connecticut and southeast. Connecticut is a few hours Yeah, it's probably maybe two hours Let's put it this way it you you can't do it Immediately, but you could walk it Let's put it that way I got a kick out of that northwest connecticut. All right. Anyway, thank you for listening. Thank you for sending in a question well he you've really touched such a a deep part of my thinking because as most people know I am a committed and God-centered torah-centered bible-centered jew and uh, I am also A big big fan of many christians And especially america's christians who have been quite different in many ways from european christians and and I I explain that to my fellow jews Who know about christian antisemitism in europe? And then they lump america's christians in with that Sad history and that's that's not fair America's christians made the most tolerant society that has ever been created And of course british christians of whom americans are like first cousins uh british christians abolished slavery Where else was slavery abolished at that time? So I have great respect for so many christians As christians are well aware um You have asked where they differ and this this I could do five fireside chats on this subject so in a nutshell and I didn't write down an answer. So it's these are spontaneous thoughts, but again It's not like I haven't thought about this all of my life I would say one of the biggest differences is the The centrality of works in judaism and the centrality of faith in christianity Now I want to make something very clear It's not like faith is not important to judaism and it's not like works are not important to christianity I'm talking just about the centrality and in a more direct way If the christian belief is that you are saved through faith specifically in jesus christ In judaism, you are saved by works. That's a big difference Catholicism is sort of in the middle because Faith alone has not been a catholic doctrine. Generally, there are sacraments for example Uh that that are critical uh But nevertheless having having said that and i'm a a big admirer by the way protestant christianity this was not a there was protestants who Abolished slavery's protestants who founded america. I Have a big big regard For the for what protestants have given And catholics and and others but especially uh protestants in this regard as I always say jews didn't found america Catholics didn't found america muslims didn't found america atheists didn't found america But christians not all of whom were or Believers in the christian trinity, but who were nevertheless in in many ways christians But this this is a big difference That's why jews While jews 2 000 years ago before the roman empire became christian in 325 Jews did proselytize, but it was never to save souls because That it is fundamental to judaism that all good people are saved good atheists good pagans Good certainly good christians good anybody And bad jews are not You're you're not saved by faith. You're saved by deed And so the christian responses I am i've so often been told is yeah, but nobody could have good enough deeds Okay, that's a christian belief that's not that's you asked what the difference is judaism and christianity so that uh, that is a a big a big difference on The sense again the centrality of works and the centrality of of faith Obviously, there's a difference on who on who is the messiah. Obviously christians believe that jesus is the messiah And jews believe that the messiah has not come yet I don't uh, I don't spend This is this shocks christians because they're very Christians are very messiah oriented And some some jews are as well but not all jews are I went to yeshiva that is Deeply orthodox religious school half the day in hebrew half the day in english Till I was 19 years of age, so i'm i'm really grounded I've written books on judaism and of course my my commentary on on the first five books of the bible the torah So i've i've been studying and teaching this all of my life So I I have been immersed in the study and teaching of judaism all of my life Do you know that in all of my years in yeshiva? This is as traditional jewish education as you can get I I don't think Two days were spent on the messiah uh We we studied obviously the bible studied The the talmud we studied hebrew. We studied aramaic but uh the messiah Basically for for believing jews and we believe in the messiah The question of who the messiah is does not ever Is not a jewish question. It's a christian question, but it's not a jewish question because The issue is not who is the messiah? the question is How will we know when the messiah has come and the jewish answer is the lion will lie with the lamb? The world will be a decent place uh jews will will return to their homeland and in in peace And there will be a transformed world And obviously Jesus came and yes, there was a transformation that took place in many people's hearts without question But the world still made war and torture and slavery and rape and and evil Continued as it did in the as it did before then so the the The traditional christian responses that there will be a second coming. I have no issue with that. I want to But but it's not that's not the jewish A view of the jew is jewish view is we'll know the messiah came because Of the changes that will have happened in the world so I want to make something clear though more important to me than what are the differences But that's what you asked and I i've honestly tried to give you some answers the the issue for me is not What is your theology? Of any religion including my own The issue for me is What type of person does your religion produce? a very common christian question is you know we should seek the truth and that will when we discover Religious truth Then that's what matters and it obviously for a christian. The answer is christianity But that's that's not my question and i'm not sure it's a jewish question Obviously judaism cares about truth but I don't use the term truth and religion together as christians do because true the truth truth as I understand it is verifiable I can verify that george washington was the first american president. I can prove it I can't prove That god gave moses the ten commandments I believe it emphatically I I believe it 100 But I never say That's the truth That's the belief If religion is about truth, then why do we use the term faith? right I don't believe I am talking into a camera now. I know i'm talking into a camera now It's not a matter of faith that i'm speaking to you. It's a matter of knowledge but faith exists that's One believes that jesus is the messiah is the son of god as part of the the trinity one believes if one is a jew that That god created the world christians believe that too Obviously and that god gave moses the the commandment ten commandments christians believe that too They should I mean we do after all we're the only two religions on earth that share a bible There are no other two religions that share a bible like judaism and christianity Two-thirds of the christian bible is my bible Is is is the jews bible too? That's a big deal That's why I use the term judeo-christian. It's a perfectly legitimate term. I don't never say judeo-christian Theology I say judeo-christian values. No one says judeo-christian theology But we do say judeo-christian values and I have a a video at prager you up on on judeo-christian values, by the way so Christians are my allies In the deepest sense of bringing the world at at the very least to the ten commandments and obviously to the belief that it is god-based because If moses said do not murder do not steal Do not bear false witness, etc. Then who cares? If god said it then we should care that's why the declaration of independence of the united states of america says that We are we are all given inalienable rights by our creator That's right If the creator didn't give us our rights and people did men did Then it then they're Men can take them away, but if god gave them men cannot take them away so We have a lot in common and yes, theologically we differ which doesn't bother me in the least As I said, I judge everything secular or religious by the type of people the doctrine produces Leftism produces pretty awful people Liberalism often very very fine people But liberalism was very judeo-christian centered in the history of the united states, for example Leftism has always rejected it Okay, I hope that helps. Thank you for asking Prager united questions. So prager united. That's what helps keep What we do especially the fireside chat going and producing all the things we do for free Please join prager united at prager united.com Major major. They're really a whole host of benefits to you and obviously Benefits to prager you to keep us Producing what we do in touching lives So they get the first question after the video question each week. This is from matthew in des moines. Des moines, washington I looked it up. You looked it up. Okay, because usually it's iowa Hi dennis, I am a great fan of prager you and recently read your book on exodus, which I believe makes the case quite convincingly That the moral code of the god of the bible is universal and good Good, that's right. I hope you all read my Series called the rational bible the fourth volume is coming out this year I am in a same-sex marriage and we are soon welcoming our first child into the world through our partnership with the selfless surrogate We cannot wait to be parents and instill the same moral code in our child Though we are not a traditional family. We believe in the strength and overall goodness of the family unit When the right refers to the destruction of the family We commonly see fingers pointed at same-sex marriages as being part of that problem We believe divorce and fatherless families have degraded the family unit not marriages such as ours Do you have any thoughts on this thank you for encouraging people to do and be good I do have a number of thoughts on it. So you you will find this all of you Whether you're gay or straight we'll find we'll find this of interest I think My wife and I are godparents to a gay couple's two sons Now the traditional role of the godparent is should the the parents die The godparents take over the moral education of the children So they obviously think quite highly of the values that my wife and I hold But here's here's the kicker if you will We don't believe in same-sex marriage I I believe that Marriage should not have been redefined I I supported all rights that marriage marriage Marriages have be given to same-sex people but not marriage Rights. Yes, but the term marriage should be have been restricted to Uh a man and a woman that has been the definition for all of history Changing it was a revolution in human history. Some will say it was a wonderful revolution. I I understand why they say it but Uh I I believed then and I believe now That the changes it wrought are a big part of the reason for our chaos today With regard to what is a man and what is a woman? And i'll tell you why the biggest argument on behalf of same-sex marriage was Gender doesn't matter Only love does Gender doesn't matter. I knew and I wrote I wrote decades ago Was an exceedingly dangerous thing to say And now we are living the consequences Gender doesn't matter So we don't even say ladies and gentlemen anymore We allow men who say they're women to compete in women's sports Etc. Etc Gender does matter So I rejected that argument on behalf of same-sex marriage but Literally some of the finest humans my wife and I know Happen to be gay and in a relationship and actually married uh, which is a fact whether I Wanted it to happen or not. It is a fact they know exactly my position I know exactly that they're married and we adore each other To the point where one of those couples we are the godparents of their children And now an interesting point you raise is that people on the right say that this That same-sex marriage. What how did you put it is, uh, oh, yes The this is part of the destruction or a reason for the destruction of the family And you say it's divorce and fatherless families, well, I don't agree with them and I don't agree with you The the destruction of the family uh is a result of our no longer holding the the ideal of the traditional family Which was and is a father and a mother Uh raising their children a married father married father and mother the the threat same-sex marriage Well, it's obviously not the nuclear family as we know it that is correct But that that is not the reason for the decline of the nuclear family Uh, it is not the nuclear family as we know it, by the way another Same-sex couple that we are very close to Both the men say the ideal is the nuclear family They agree. The ideal is a mother and father married raising children But but these are two men who have no no attraction to women They they don't So you you can't really or it's very hard. Let's put it that way to build a family With somebody that you you don't want to be intimate with But they acknowledge that the ideal What has killed us is is more Left-wing heterosexuals have done much more damage to the nuclear family Than conservative gays like you Uh, that that's just a fact If you no longer hold it as an ideal The biggest threat to the nuclear family is that people aren't making families They're not marrying and they're not having children. That's the threat your argument that divorce Now i'm not i'm not saying this because i've been divorced. I don't I don't think that way Oh, I want to I want to defend my own activity The ideal is not the divorce just as the ideal is is a nuclear family. The ideal should be there anyway Divorce is has not is not what has killed the family. It is not making families to begin with it is not Devaluing families so the the largest number of men and women in the in the history of america percentage wise At age 40 have never been married than ever before age 40 vast numbers I I just heard or read in black life. It is almost half of uh Men, uh black men and black women in america at the age of 40 have never been married This is a this is a terror. That's that's the threat to the the biggest threat to the family is not making families And that should when as soon as I say it it becomes pretty pretty clear, right? That's the threat Young people don't think it's important to get married and they and why have children you you know Think of all the money it costs You don't have the freedom to eat out whenever you want or travel whenever you want This this is the this is the real threat We have outside of religious life. We have not taught the essential component of society is the nuclear family And we're paying we're paying a terrible price in loneliness depression and chaos What's our timing? Good. That's it All I got through was two questions And a video question or just no just the video too. Oh my god And I and I was so excited. Oh, i'm gonna get through all these questions Well, you asked some pretty heavy duty questions. Let's let's you know, it's not like You know, what's the capital of uh, texas? This was This was some pretty heavy stuff That's why it's worth binging We talk about really really heavy stuff So i'll take hopefully more questions next week and thanks for being with me. I'm dennis prager. See you next week