If the Tea Party changed the dialogue on cutting the deficit, the OWS people have done the same for income inequality. And with each new study, we see that income gap just widening and widening. It is really disgusting to see that the top 1% has seen their income go up by nearly 300% while the rest of us have barely seen movement, or have seen negative movement.
The difference between the left and right is that most people on the left actually care about the deficit too. We don't want to slash spending right now, and we absolutely want to raise taxes, but we want those deficits to come down too.
The right, however, doesn't care that a small plutocracy is forming with people with immense power and influence at the top. And they sure as hell don't care that people at the bottom are suffering. For any Republican, who votes with Paul Ryan and Ron Paul, to suggest otherwise is an exercise in self-deception.
3 comments:
I am quite worried about this inequality. I read a lot of history, and it seems that every time things get so out of balance, it is extremely difficult for that society to avoid serious disruptions if not outright collapse.
I have noticed even some conservatives are starting to worry, such as this from Rod Dreher:
...insane amounts of wealth sloshing around Wall Street has made the people who handle it and generate it morally unhinged. ... As Christians, we know, or we ought to know, from Scripture what great wealth can do to people.
Do we really believe that the God who said through the Prophet Isaiah, “What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor?” is satisfied to have his people remain indifferent to the Wall Street mandarins, or even to defend what they do?
That quote comes from the great Hebrew prophet Isaiah whom Jesus quoted as He started His ministry :
Isaiah 3
13 The Lord rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples. 14 The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and princes of his people: It is you who have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people, by grinding the face of the poor? says the Lord God of hosts.
It is my contention that a society that treats its poorest as we are starting to, and whose richest doesn't even have the same frame of reference to even be able to understand what happens with or to the poor is unstable at best, if not in danger of Divine Judgment!
Isaiah 10
1 Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, 2 to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey! 3 What will you do on the day of punishment, in the calamity that will come from far away? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth, 4 so as not to crouch among the prisoners or fall among the slain?
Ezekiel 22
27 Its officials within it are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain. 28 Its prophets have smeared whitewash on their behalf, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, "Thus says the Lord God," when the Lord has not spoken. 29 The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have extorted from the alien without redress.
As Mr. Dreher says: This won’t do
And one more thing... you will notice in the Scirptures that I posted, that God holds the LEADERS of the nation responsible for their laws, and how people are treated in society.
What I mean, is that God expects the Government of whatever time to make certain that society is just.
Just sayin...
Interesting, Monk. I googled this and found the Dreher piece. He bothers me often, perhaps just because is still a conservative and I am not--and I find his dismissive attitude about those in OWS off-putting, but this is a very thoughtful piece.
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