Comment on I'll pay you tonight when my check hits. by sdgathman

Parent Post: I'll pay you tonight when my check hits.

sdgathman · 6/17/2026, 4:06:15 PM · permalink

The Law of Moses distinguishes between loans to fellow Israelites and foreigners.  For the latter, usury (interest) is allowed.  For the former case - you know the debtor personally.   You know their true need (unlike a govt), and the loan is essentially a gift.  But when/if the debtor succeeds - then they experience tremendous fulfillment is paying it back.  And the unexpected cash flow is a blessing to you as well.  
  
I loaned money to a friend for a business startup.  It failed (as most startups do), and I cancelled the debt.  Years later, he succeeded, and I was in a cash flow crunch - unbeknownst to him.  He was so happy to present me with a check for the amount plus interest to cover inflation.  It was exactly what I needed.  
  
We hear from conservatives that "socialism always fails".  What they mean is that national socialism always fails - because bureaucrats have no clue what your true needs are, and are happy to dish out other people's money to scammers (see Somali Pirates in America - or California "hospice" care).  It is instructive to note when socialism has worked throughout history.  The early Church.  Monasteries and Convents.  Kibbutz in Israel.  Mennonite Brethren communes.  Oneida commune (until jealously from wipe swapping made them convert the commune to a business so they could live separately).  Hippy communes.  Etc.   What do they have in common?  Small numbers.  Less than 150 people by my estimate.  The members all know each other personally, so they know the needs of members without price feed back.  And they know the gifts of members without advertising.  
  
It is also instructive to note when small communes fail.  Plymouth Rock, Jamestown, Oleanna.   In Plymouth Rock, we know from letters that the colonists \*thought\* they were working as hard as they could.  But they were starving to death.   They admitted that when they were super tired, they would take a rest - figuring "someone else" would pick up the slack.  Result: starvation and death.  The social pressure was there - but insufficient to motivate the heroic effort needed to survive in a new, unfamiliar, and untamed world.  So their leader canceled the commune, and made each family responsible for their own.  
  
In Jamestown, the colonists were rich lords unfamiliar with hard work.   The colony was an adventure.  Insufficient motivation.  The solution was the same: cancel the commune aspect.   In Oleanna, the organizers created unrealistic expectations.  Even though the colony was not in a wilderness, but surrounded by civilization - it failed.  "In Oleanna land is free.  The wheat and corn just plant themselves.  The cows give milk 10 times a day, while on your bed you rest yourself."  Etc.  Obviously exaggerated, but still created unrealistic expectations.

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sdgathman · 6/17/2026, 7:35:30 PM · permalink

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