John Stonestreet – Page 29

Legalized Pot: A Gateway Drug to Corruption

Oct 10, 2022John StonestreetMarijuanaMarijuana

*Above: Authorities in Oregon seize thousands of pounds illicit marijuana intended for the black market.*

When California legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, politicians promised that one outcome would be to reduce the out-of-control black market of weed sales. That didn’t happen. Last month, the LA Times reported on rampant corruption inside the state’s now four-year-old pot industry—lobbyists paying politicians to vote for more lenient regulations, marijuana advocates threatening regulators, and politicians demanding bribes for granting licenses to grow and sell.  

Lots of cultural benefits are promised by advocates of legalizing recreational marijuana. Instead, it de-motivates workers and production, makes traffic conditions more deadly, and threatens family stability. Kids are less likely to stay in school, and users are more likely to move on to harder drugs. And, at least in California, it corrupts government officials. 

Don’t be surprised if this report out of California is ignored, or explained away. Don’t buy it. The data is in, and legalizing marijuana never delivers what is promised.

Who’s the Enemy When It Comes to Unborn Children?

Oct 5, 2022John StonestreetAbortionAbortion, Life, Pro-life, Sanctity of Human Life

Last week, politician Stacey Abrams claimed, “There is no such thing as a heartbeat at six weeks…. It is a manufactured sound designed to convince people that men have the right to take control of a woman’s body.”

When detractors disagreed on Twitter, the response from pro-abortion advocates was that the heart isn’t fully developed yet. It’s just “cardiac activity.” Of course, “cardiac activity” means a beating activity in a developing heart. And just tell a new mom that the beating she heard was “manufactured,” and see what she thinks.

About the same time, scientists revealed that babies can taste and smell in the womb: 4D ultrasounds revealed babies frowning at the taste of kale and smiling at the sweet taste of carrots.

Even in the womb, babies are developing likes and dislikes because they’re human. Abrams is wrong: Fetal development is no conspiracy of men to control women. Politically convenient talking points cannot deny the reality and truth of humanity in the womb.

A Lack of Productivity Could Point to a Lack of Meaning

Oct 4, 2022John StonestreetEconomicsChristianity, Economics, Economy

“In the first quarter of 2022,”  The Wall Street Journal reported, “U.S. worker productivity fell in the steepest drop in 74 years.”

That statistic speaks not just to how much work is getting done these days, but how much workers think their work matters.

According to one expert, prosperity for the whole country depends on worker productivity.  And in a world where many struggle with the meaning of it all, many also struggle to find true meaning and significance in their work. 

There are two ways to miss the meaning of work: one way is to idolize a job, thinking it will fulfill us completely. The other is to reduce work to something we all must suffer through with minimal effort.

Christians have the unique perspective that our work is a way of participating with God in His creation, working toward the flourishing of everything and everyone else. Articulating and living that truth can make a big difference.