Latest / Beliefs, Ballots, And BullDawgs / September 30, 2026
Transcript
- Greg: What's up everybody? Welcome to the September 30th edition of Beliefs, Ballots, and Bulldogs. All right, dog fans, we got Vanderbilt coming to Athens Saturday for homecoming. And well, normally I'd be sitting here trying to convince us all that Georgia and Vanderbilt is actually interesting. Not this year, though. I don't have to convince you it's interesting because guess who's coming to Sanford Stadium on Saturday? One Jared Curtis. Jared, boy, do we remember you. For any of you who don't follow recruiting or may have missed this little soap opera. Jared Curtis was one of the best high school football players, one of the top-ranked quarterbacks in America, five-star kid. Georgia wanted him. And Georgia got him. Then we lost him, but then we got him again. And then right before signing day, old Mr. Curtis decided he'd rather stay home and play for Vanderbilt. All right. You know what though? That's all right. Seriously. This kid has every right to make that decision. It's his career, it's his life. If Vanderbilt's where he wanted to be, well, hey, good for him. I got no problem with it. But Jared, there is one tiny little consequence that we need to discuss. You were eventually going to have to come play in Athens. And guess what? That day is Saturday. And look, here's what makes this fun. no knock on the gate. Jared Curtis is good, like, like really good. Kid's got a ton of potential. Kirby said this week, he he's got tremendous talent. He's stronger and way more athletic than people realize. Got a great arm, good feel for the game. The only the only question ever was the the competition he played against in high school. So so this isn't some former recruit sitting on Vanderbilt's bench while Georgia fans boo him during warm-ups. No, he is their starting quarterback. He is their guy. And now he's the highest ranked Vanderbilt recruit to that they've ever signed. And he gets to walk into a stadium in Georgia. Well, we expected him to be suiting up in red and black and playing his ball for us. But now he's wearing the other team's jersey. Come on, this is what makes college football good. So can you imagine what that first snap is going to sound like? Homecoming for the Dogs, Sanford Stadium, that nasty Georgia defense across the line. And about 95,000 fans who happen to remember what happened last December when he flipped at the last minute. Welcome back, Jared. Hope you've been well, my man. By the way, Chris Cole would like a word. Raylan Wilson says hi. And look, here's the part that I actually find fascinating. I really don't blame Curtis for choosing Vanderbilt. In fact, I think it showed some confidence and some moxie for a kid to do that. Think about the choices he had. You can go to Georgia, compete for championships, play with five-star players everywhere around you, and essentially step right into one of the best programs in America. Or you can do what Jared did. You can stay close to home. You can go to Vanderbilt and and maybe build something special at a university like that. I don't know. Part of me kind of respects that approach. And you know, there's also something beautiful about college football providing immediate feedback on your life's choices. So Him rolling into Sanford Stadium nine months after making this decision is this is awesome. I I'm sure Kirby's gonna handle this professionally. He's gonna continue to just tell everybody that Jared's a tremendous player and a tremendous kid. And look, Georgia respects this guy. We wanted him. We're preparing for Vanderbilt as an entire team. Nameless, faceless opponent, like we always do. All that good stuff's true. But you just won't convince me that there aren't a few people inside that Georgia program and inside that Georgia locker room and inside Buttsmere. Who may not have had this game circled. And not because they don't like the kid or because they hate the kid, but because we're competitors and we have spent years recruiting this guy. We believed he was going to be a part of the future of our program. And then at the last minute, he chose somebody else. If you don't think the defensive players know that, you're wrong. I promise you they do. And look, Jared knows that they know, and that's what makes this Saturday so fascinating. Because look, there's only one way this really goes. For Curtis, that that goes well. If he plays well, he's gonna get booed. He's gonna hear it. And look, the first time we get pressure on him or force him into a bad play, the Sanford Stadium is gonna absolutely explode. Guess what? Then we find out something about that kid. Not whether or not he's talented. We already know that he is. We're about to find out how Jared Curtis handles a big moment because this might very well be one of the most hostile environments he's ever played in or ever will. And unlike most visiting quarterbacks, This one's a little more personal, not hateful, and certainly not even ugly, but personal, and there's a difference. So Saturday afternoon when Vanderbilt's offense trots onto the field for the first time, I'm gonna be watching number two, the quarterback that we dog fans thought might some day be running out of that tunnel in red and black and leading our dogs. But instead, this time he's standing on the other sideline, and well, I think it's perfectly acceptable to welcome him back to Athens. Politely, of course, we're all Christians. But nobody said we had to be quiet. So welcome to Sanford Stadium, Jared. Good luck to you. All right, guys. We talked about earlier with yesterday's episode. We're gonna start getting into some more political topics to try to really dig in and find out what scripture tells us. today's issue, we're gonna talk about the economy. We're gonna look at what makes a good economy. and we want to start as something almost everybody cares about. We all care about money, but we we live in a world where you look people can tell you the economy is strong. The people can tell you the economy is weak. You can show them the GDP, you can show the unemployment numbers, you can show the stock market. But eventually every one of us has to walk into the grocery store. We still have to make the mortgage payment. Somebody's still out there trying to buy their first home, which these days is a mountain to climb. Somebody's trying to raise their three kids. Somebody's trying to start a business. And somebody's looking at what came out of their paycheck and just wondering, where did it all go? So look, yes, the economy matters. And today I'm going to tell you what I believe about the economy. I am economically conservative. I am not hiding that. But remember the promise we made when we started this series. I am not interested in grabbing a political position and then digging through the Bible to try to find verses that make me look right. We're going the other direction. We are going to ask what does scripture teach? What principles does it establish? And where do those principles lead me and lead us economically? First and foremost, don't let politicians tell you what you're experiencing. There's a interesting thing about the economy, and that's that it can look really good on paper while somebody sitting at the kitchen table certainly doesn't feel particularly good about it. And the reverse can happen too. Right now the the Federal Reserve says economic activity is expanding at a solid pace. Unemployment hadn't changed a whole lot, but the Fed says inflation remains elevated. All of those things can be true at the same time. They're all numbers moving up and down. But this is where politics tends to get a little ridiculous for all of us. Whenever your side is in charge, they're showing you, hey, look at these numbers. Everything is great. But when the other side's in charge, those same numbers go, hey, the economy's a disaster. Come on, like I don't want to manipulate economic statistics to protect my political team. We need to be asking a much bigger question. We need to be figuring out what actually makes an economy good. And not merely asking, is the GDP growing, but asking ourselves, does this economy encourage people to work? Can people actually build something? Can families flourish? Can businesses grow? Can people keep a reasonable portion of what they earn? Does the system reward responsibility? Does it protect people from exploitation? Does it help people who genuinely cannot help themselves? Does it encourage independence or dependency? Those are economic questions. And I also think a lot of those are moral questions. Let's be very frank here. God created us to work. Start in the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 2, verse 15. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. Notice something very important here. This is before the fall. Work wasn't God's punishment for sin. God created human beings to produce, to build, to cultivate, to create, to solve problems, to take responsibility, to contribute to something. Yes, work provides income. But work provides something well beyond income for most people. Dignity, purpose, responsibility, the ability to look at something and say, I helped build that. I believe all those things matter. And that's one of the foundations of my economic worldview. Human beings generally flourish when they're given the opportunity and responsibility to provide for themselves and their family. And look, let's call up spade a spade. Personal responsibility is not cruelty. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, verse 10 says, If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. Look, be careful with that verse. Paul isn't say, he's not telling us if somebody can't work. He says, very specifically, is not willing. A person with a serious disability may need help. A recently widowed old lady may need help. A family facing a catastrophic situation certainly may need help. Somebody that unexpectedly loses their job may need help. Somebody dealing with circumstances completely beyond their control may need some help. And as Christians, we ought to be among the first people running to them to help. But scripture doesn't teach unwillingness to take responsibility as a virtue. And neither do I. I believe that adults who are capable of working should work. I believe that fathers should provide for their children. I believe choices should have consequences. I believe that saving money matters. I believe that debt matters. I believe that keeping your word matters. I believe that taking responsibility for yourself matters. And I don't think any of that is mean or cruel. I think responsibility is a big part of human dignity. The government cannot create character. The government can do things. The government very much should do things. Romans chapter 13 clearly recognizes legitimate civil authority. The government protects citizens, maintains order, administers justice, enforces laws. There are legitimate arguments about exactly how large that role should become, but there's something government cannot manufacture character. The government can't make you responsible. The government can't make you a good father. The government certainly can't make you work hard. It can't make you save. It can't make you generous. It can't make you wise. And whenever we start asking the government to solve problems that fundamentally require human character, we're asking the government to do something that it cannot do and was not ever meant to do. Sometimes we don't need another government program. Sometimes the answer really is as simple as: get up, go to work, keep your word, take care of your children, stop spending money you don't have, quit blaming everybody else for your problems. Make a better decision tomorrow than you made yesterday. Now, look, that's not going to qualify as an entire economic policy, but no economic policy works particularly well without people doing those things. Am I right? Let's be let's call another thing out. Government money isn't magic money. Here's something else I think we all need to understand. When politicians say that the government will pay for something, look, government doesn't have some secret orchard where dollar bills grow on trees. Government spending ultimately requires economic resources, taxes, borrowing, or other my other methods of financing government activity. Some government spending is obviously necessary, but that doesn't mean government spending has no cost. In Proverbs chapter 22, verse 7, we're told the borrower is a slave of the lender. Now let's be intellectually honest here. Solomon wasn't writing about the United States Treasury, and we shouldn't pretend that he was. But the principle is still very much worth considering. Debt has consequences. We all understand that in our homes. If you continuously spend more than you make, eventually you've got a problem. Businesses understand it, churches understand it, families understand it. And I don't believe fiscal irresponsibility magically becomes responsible simply because it's happening in Washington, D.C. Stewardship should matter there too. So let's talk about taxes. Everybody's favorite subject, right? Jesus acknowledged taxes. Paul acknowledged taxes. Romans 13 7 says, pay to all what is owed to them, taxes to whom taxes are owed. So I can't tell you that the Bible says taxation is theft. That's just too simplistic. The government has legitimate responsibilities, and those responsibilities sometimes cost money. But Scripture acknowledging taxation doesn't tell us exactly how much the government should take, who the government should be taking it from. Or what the government should spend that money on. Those are political judgments. And look, here's mine. I generally believe people should be allowed to keep more of what they earn than currently is what's happening. I believe families generally understand their own needs better than distant bureaucracies. I believe allowing people to retain the rewards of productive work encourages more productive work. I believe investment creates businesses. Businesses create jobs. Entrepreneurs create things that we never had before. Competition can be key in producing innovation. And I believe that concentrated government power deserves scrutiny, just like concentrated private power does. That's my political conclusion. I'm not going to pretend like there's a Bible verse containing the correct marginal tax rate. There isn't. Biblical princes principles still inform the judgment. So we talk about people who need help. This is where I think as as conservatives, sometimes we back ourselves into a corner. Because look, it if everything we say becomes, well, everybody should just work and take care of themselves. Good luck, y'all. We've missed an enormous portion of scripture here. God cares deeply about the poor. Proverbs 19, 17. Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord. James confronts believers who who see people without basic necessities and do and and they do nothing. Jesus repeatedly teaches us to be generous. So Christian economics can't just be simply, hey, I got mine, you figure yours out. I I reject that notion completely. But I also don't believe that compassion requires us to abandon wisdom. Sometimes compassion means buying somebody groceries. Sometimes it means paying their electric bill. Sometimes it means helping them find a job. Sometimes it means teaching them how to manage their money better. Sometimes it means helping somebody with a disability maintain a lifestyle for the rest of their life. And sometimes compassion means refusing to continue to finance a behavior destroying somebody. The question shouldn't simply be, what can I give this person? The better question needs to be, what does this person actually need? If you're going to help somebody, it should actually help them. And this is a very important position for me politically. I I believe society should absolutely have ways of helping people who genuinely cannot carry the burdens themselves. Children, people with severe disabilities, the elderly, family that's facing some catastrophic circumstances, people that are just temporarily knocked down by life. A civilized society should not simply step over those people and keep moving. And as Christians, we certainly shouldn't. But whenever reasonably possible, I believe that any assistance we give should help capable people move back towards independence. The goal shouldn't be merely maintaining somebody in an era of dependency. The goal should be helping to restore them to being independent. Work, responsibility, purpose, independence, and dignity. Galatians chapter six gives us a fascinating balance for this. In verse two, it says, Bear another's burdens. But then in verse five, it says, For each will have to bear his own load. Which is it? It's both. Carry your load, but when your neighbor encounters a burden that's too heavy for them to carry alone, help. That's not cruelty, and that's not dependency. That's community. We also need to get something straight about wealth. Making money isn't inherently immoral. Profit isn't immoral. Owning a business doesn't make you an immoral person. Being wealthy is not inherently immoral. Abraham possessed enormous wealth. Job was wealthy. Lydia was a businesswoman. The Proverbs 31 woman buys property and conducts business. The question isn't simply how much money do you have? The question is what has money done for you? Do you pay people fairly? Are you honest? Do you exploit your workers? Do you cheat your customers? Do you worship that prophet? Or are you generous? Do you recognize that ultimately everything you possess belongs to God and comes from God? I believe economic freedom can create tremendous opportunity, but economic freedom can also become idolatry if we allow money to become our God. Christians should be capable of defending prosperity without worshiping wealth. We need to talk a little bit about envy because we live in a world where some people have more than others. And here is a very uncomfortable biblical truth. Someone having more than you does not automatically mean that some sort of injustice must have occurred. The tenth commandment tells us to not covet. And that is a difficult thing, especially in a political culture that's constantly encouraging us to stare at what somebody else has. He has more than me. She has more than me. That company has more. That billionaire has more. Great. How did they get it? That's the important question. If somebody became wealthy through fraud, deal with the fraud. If they exploited their workers, deal with the exploitation. If government corruption unfairly enriched somebody, then we need to isolate, identify, and deal with the corruption. If laws were broken, then we should enforce the laws. But that person has more money than I do is not by itself evidence that an injustice might have occurred. Equality before God does not mean that every person will have an equal bank account. We've got to get that straight. And conservatives don't get a free pass. Let me make my own side a little bit uncomfortable here. If we want lower taxes, but we're never going to be generous, we've got a problem. If I want government out of charity, but I'm personally unwilling to help anybody, I've got a problem. If I preach personal responsibility, While drowning in unnecessary debt because I refuse to control my own spending, well, I've got a problem. If I preach family values but neglect my family because I'm obsessed with making more money, I've got a problem. If I defend capitalism because I think it'll make me richer and couldn't care less about what happens to anybody around me, well, that's not biblical economics. That's just pure selfishness. And here's something that conservatives all need to remember. A smaller government Requires bigger citizens, requires responsible families, strong churches, generous communities, neighbors who actually help neighbors, people who don't immediately ask the government to solve every difficult problem that enters their life. You cannot remove responsibility from the government and then refuse to accept responsibility yourself. That's not conservative. That's not conservatism. That's just laziness with a different level of administrator. So what should good economic policy encourage? When I evaluate an economic idea, these are the kinds of questions that I like to ask myself. Does it encourage work? Does it encourage and reward productivity? Does it allow people to build and own things? Does it encourage entrepreneurship? Does it protect property? Does it encourage responsibility? Does it help preserve opportunity? Does it discourage destructive dependency? Does it protect people from being exploited? Does it leave room for family, church, and community? Does it spend responsibly? Does it recognize that government itself requires some limits? Those principles help maintain why I believe that economic conservatism is the right way. Not because wealthy people are always good, clearly they're not. Not because corporations are always trustworthy, they're not. And not because every poor person created his own circumstances. Sometimes that's just not true. And it's not because any political party, even mine, has perfected economics. None of them have. I I'm trying to reason from principles here. Principles of work, responsibility, ownership, stewardship, generosity, justice, freedom, consequences. Those are the ideas that I consistently see throughout scripture. So look, listen carefully here during an election season. You are going to hear a lot about the economy, the job numbers, the inflation reports, taxes, wages, housing, government spending. Healthcare, the debt, everybody's gonna have numbers, everybody's gonna have charts, everybody's gonna tell you everything good that happened because of what they've done, and they're gonna tell you everything bad that happened because of somebody else. Don't stop at the slogan, go deeper and ask better questions. What does this policy reward? What does this policy encourage? Who's paying for this? What happens five years from now? Does this policy create more opportunity? Or does this policy create dependency? Does it protect people or does it distort incentives? Does it increase responsibility? Or does it simply transfer responsibility to somebody else? Those questions matter a whole lot more to me than the letter beside somebody's name. Ultimately, we all have to realize that the economy isn't a chart. The economy isn't the stock market. It's not the GDP. It's not an unemployment number. All of those measurements matter. But underneath every one of those measurements are human beings going to work, starting businesses, hiring people, raising children, buying houses, saving for the future, investing in things, taking risks, making mistakes, creating things, providing for families, helping neighbors. That's the economy. Millions of people making millions of decisions. And I simply believe that good economic policy should give those people as much reasonable freedom as possible to To build, to create, and to flourish while maintaining justice and helping those who genuinely cannot carry their burdens alone. Look, that's where I land. And yes, I am a conservative, and I'm not hiding that. But remember what this entire series is supposed to be about. The question isn't merely, is Greg conservative? You already know the answer. The question is, can I help defend the principles underneath what I believe? I believe I can. And that's what we're trying to do in these episodes. So in closing, I believe work is good. I believe responsibility matters. I believe freedom matters. I believe the ability to own things matters. I believe debt matters. I believe government spending matters. I believe incentives matter. I believe that generosity matters. And I absolutely believe that the poor and the less fortunate matter. But I also believe that an economy that separates compassion from responsibility will eventually damage both. We need to help people who need help. Absolutely. But we also need to expect capable people to carry their load, protect people from exploitation, and protect their ability to build something for themselves. Be generous and be responsible. Those aren't opposing sides. They belong together. But before we demand all of these things from Washington, maybe we ought to start demanding them all from ourselves. We can't demand personal responsibility from society if we refuse to practice it individually. We can't demand fiscal responsibility from the government if we're living recklessly ourselves. Don't complain about those who are dependent on the government dime while expecting everybody else to solve your problems. Don't preach work while being lazy. Don't preach family while neglecting yours. Don't preach generosity if you refuse to give. And the next time a politician stands in front of a micro home, a microphone and promises you something for free, remember one of the oldest lessons in economics. Somebody's paying for it. Nothing's free. The question is never gonna be whether there's a qua a cost. The question is simply who's gonna carry it. So yes, I want an economy that helps people, but I also want an economy that expects something from people. Work, responsibility, stewardship, generosity, integrity, freedom with consequences, compassion with wisdom. And because I don't believe the goal should be building a country where the government takes responsibility for more and more of our lives. I believe the goal should be building people. capable of taking responsibility of their own lives. Get in your Bibles. Say your prayers. Work hard. Take responsibility. Be generous when you can and tell the truth. And no matter what, never let money become your God, whether you're trying to earn it from work or whether you're trying to get it from Washington. God bless.