About Rod D. Martin
Praise for Rod D. Martin
Book Rod to Speak
Politics & Economics
Technology & Markets
Faith & Culture
by Rod D. Martin
May 18, 2013
Several commenters have replied to my piece concerning the Pope’s attack on capitalism. The strongest of these point out the tendency of some capitalist economies (particularly ours, of late) toward monopolies, government enterprises, and a general “bigness” that colludes with government.
My response is that all these things constitute a perversion of capitalism, not its essence. Capitalism is about every individual being able at any time, with a better idea and a whole lot of work, to completely disrupt the status quo. Sure, IBM may be big today, but an Apple or Microsoft can always knock it off tomorrow. The more free a particular market truly is, the more you see this: Facebook wiped out MySpace in a year. And you may be certain that none of those MySpace employees went into a breadline.
No, we are both Christian and capitalist, which means we are conservatives, not libertarians. The libertarians would have you believe in anarchy (Rothbard, or worse, Spooner) and other such foolishness. Adam Smith and Adam Ferguson well understood that that is a recipe for fascism and/or feudalism (though they did not know the former term). And that’s what these critics are really decrying: the tendency of large enterprises to use their wealth and power to buy politicians and collude with government to obstruct the market, to block and destroy their competitors, and to centralize all power in a few hands.
This is no different from the mercantilism that Smith and Ferguson opposed and that was dominant in England at the time of our Revolution (and part of why America revolted). This is (as I said) feudalism in a sense — government chopping up its territory into fiefs run by one or another de facto or de jure public utility — and fascism in modern practice. It is, indeed, what Obama is doing to the auto industry and to health care, though he’s hardly the first to head us down that path.
None of that is what we properly call capitalism. All of that is a perversion of capitalism. And it’s relatively easy to solve, with a proper legal system that busts up monopolies and punishes conspiracies to restrain trade. But it’s very difficult to properly enforce those laws when government itself gets too big, because it necessarily begins dominating business and colluding on its own, and its sheer size attracts more corruption from without; and this was precisely what our Founders sought to avoid by creating a government of precise, limited, delegated powers.
It would be easy to criticize capitalism because of the ways people twist it. But I would strongly urge against that. It is the nature of fallen, sinful man to pervert all things whatsoever, so why should an economic system be any different? Do not decry the system: decry the perversion, and fix it. Every option other than that — as the Pope’s own Argentina demonstrates more than most places on Earth — guarantees failure; but the past two centuries show how very much success is possible, even when capitalism is imperfectly implemented. It is, as I wrote, the societal level application of the Golden Rule.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
