Economics and Religion

   Politics and religion don't mix, it has long been said. And when economic policy takes on the trappings of a religious fervor, that too is a dangerous mix.
   Politics and economics are inextricably linked, both having been born and matured ever since the body politic began working on how to make use of what resources are available.
   However, when followers and believers convince themselves that theirs alone is the orthodox, or "right way" to utilize resources, then those who hold alternate beliefs become by definition unorthodox, heretics, and infidels, since they do not share the same views as the dominant group.
   In that sense, a heretic is simply a person who disagrees with Establishment wisdom.
   Copernicus taught that the Earth revolved around the Sun, contrary to church doctrine that the Earth was the center of the universe. And when Galileo picked up on that theory and incorporated it into his teachings, church leaders accused him of heresy and threatened him with excommunication.
   So it is with politics and economics. Those who disagree with the basic beliefs of those in power are labeled heretics, and therefore to be ignored at best and persecuted at worst. However, as Galileo is reputed to have said -- quietly, out of hearing range of the clergy -- after he was forced to recant his teaching, "Nevertheless, it (the Earth) moves."
   Consider this: Politics is about getting elected. Government is about getting things done. And economics is about how and what to do with whatever is available. Adding religious fervor to the mix, and a refusal to even acknowledge that there may be alternatives that are also good, and the result can have consequences unacceptable in any society, especially a democracy.