America's Debt Crisis, Part Two
For the first time, I wrote a post last week that I regretted. Meaning, I hope everybody who read it will be sure to read this next one. Not that I think that what I wrote was wrong, but rather I'm not sure it was right. I'm talking about whether or not the government should be actively involved in the welfare business, as some of you may have guessed. On one hand, Jesus did assign the job to individuals in Matthew 25 (where he says those who feed the poor and cl0the the naked do it as if to him). What Jesus didn't say however was how we carry out that message of "living love"--personally, or though charities, or through the government. Actually, does it matter? So long as his work is being done, who cares how?
Which brings me to my coverage of the liberal view of government and the debt crisis, as I see them. Raw capitalism, the economic system under which our country is based theoretically, is harsh in its impact. I mentioned last week that our founders intended ours to be a land of equal opportunity, not equality. Liberalism tries to equal the odds of that happening. Its weakness is that it reaches too far and ends up striving too much for equality--not a good thing for growing strong individuals. Yet the liberal view is needed because many conservative advocates don't grasp that not all children get a fair chance at life in our "free" country. Children from disadvantaged homes usually, but not always, have a much harder time. Those from dysfunctional homes have all they can do to survive and learn somehow how to function well. Some citizens are disabled, cannot take care of themselves adequately, and have no one to assist them. So when a conservative talks about "picking ourselves up by the bootstraps," what they don't see is that for some, those bootstraps are made of lead. To compete in the marketplace of life is going to be a harder job for them, if they can manage it at all. So, if they are to gain equal opportunity, there must be a system in place somewhere to move them along to that point.
Furthermore, under a system of raw capitalism some of those who are fortunate enough to acquire massive amounts of money and influence will use it to further enrich and empower themselves, to the point of enslaving the masses rather than sharing these blessings from God with them. These people feel they have earned their wealth and somehow deserve it, whereas we people of God know, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all" (Ecc. 9:11 NIV). Not familiar with these words? I wasn't for many years, but aren't they lovely? They speak volumes about people's destiny in life.
It is only through fair and honest elections and a free impartial press that we can right these wrongs that greed supported by misused freedom bring. Labor unions have been the saving counterpart for our society during the 20th century. For a long time the Democratic Party supported the labor unions and spoke for the masses, which brought genuine prosperity to this nation's middle class. But more recently unions too have succumbed to the temptations that unbridled power brings. Now, and especially this year, we have come to a point of reckoning, with both parties.
These are momentous times, my friends. Don't you feel it, too? Polls says that both political parties together have only an 18% approval rating from the general public. It will be interesting to see where the near future takes our country. Will our representatives in D.C. continue to follow the will of their special interests and spend their precious time playing partisan political games? Did the protest early this year in Madison and other states and the severe reaction to the stupid debt crisis wake them up? Will they finally turn back to listen to their people once again? Today's election results may be a clue.
Still loving both parties, faulty as they are,
Margaret
Which brings me to my coverage of the liberal view of government and the debt crisis, as I see them. Raw capitalism, the economic system under which our country is based theoretically, is harsh in its impact. I mentioned last week that our founders intended ours to be a land of equal opportunity, not equality. Liberalism tries to equal the odds of that happening. Its weakness is that it reaches too far and ends up striving too much for equality--not a good thing for growing strong individuals. Yet the liberal view is needed because many conservative advocates don't grasp that not all children get a fair chance at life in our "free" country. Children from disadvantaged homes usually, but not always, have a much harder time. Those from dysfunctional homes have all they can do to survive and learn somehow how to function well. Some citizens are disabled, cannot take care of themselves adequately, and have no one to assist them. So when a conservative talks about "picking ourselves up by the bootstraps," what they don't see is that for some, those bootstraps are made of lead. To compete in the marketplace of life is going to be a harder job for them, if they can manage it at all. So, if they are to gain equal opportunity, there must be a system in place somewhere to move them along to that point.
Furthermore, under a system of raw capitalism some of those who are fortunate enough to acquire massive amounts of money and influence will use it to further enrich and empower themselves, to the point of enslaving the masses rather than sharing these blessings from God with them. These people feel they have earned their wealth and somehow deserve it, whereas we people of God know, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all" (Ecc. 9:11 NIV). Not familiar with these words? I wasn't for many years, but aren't they lovely? They speak volumes about people's destiny in life.
It is only through fair and honest elections and a free impartial press that we can right these wrongs that greed supported by misused freedom bring. Labor unions have been the saving counterpart for our society during the 20th century. For a long time the Democratic Party supported the labor unions and spoke for the masses, which brought genuine prosperity to this nation's middle class. But more recently unions too have succumbed to the temptations that unbridled power brings. Now, and especially this year, we have come to a point of reckoning, with both parties.
These are momentous times, my friends. Don't you feel it, too? Polls says that both political parties together have only an 18% approval rating from the general public. It will be interesting to see where the near future takes our country. Will our representatives in D.C. continue to follow the will of their special interests and spend their precious time playing partisan political games? Did the protest early this year in Madison and other states and the severe reaction to the stupid debt crisis wake them up? Will they finally turn back to listen to their people once again? Today's election results may be a clue.
Still loving both parties, faulty as they are,
Margaret
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