The Private Sector is Doing Fine

The end of democracy and defeat of the American Revolution will occur when government falls into the hands of the lending institutions and moneyed incorporations.  Thomas Jefferson

Earlier this month President Obama made the comment that “the private sector is doing fine”, for which the right has excoriated him.  Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney claims the President is “out of touch” with mainstream America.  I suppose it all depends on your definition of just who is the private sector. 

Is the private sector the company CEO’s or the workers that they exploit?  Working class Americans are struggling, but CEO’s and other corporate executives are living the good life and piling up the cash with impunity. All while the republican machine continues to vilify the working class and singing the praises of corporate greed.

When Governor Romney and his surrogates pontificate on the state of the economy we often hear about the “job killing” regulations and restrictions that President Obama has imposed on US business.  That claim is a bald-faced lie. 

Millions of American workers are unemployed or under employed, but corporate profits are at record highs.  Corporations are flush with cash, but that cash is going into the pockets of executives and stock holders, not for job creation or payroll increases for workers who may have experienced salary reductions or at best no salary increase for several years.  The web site Oregonstrongvoice.org reported last year (07/2011) that compensation for corporate CEO has increased 23% from 2010 through 2011.  The same article reports that the record profits are due to “reductions in wages and benefits”, and that labor compensation is at a 50-year low relative to US GDP and company sales.

Writing for MarketWatch, Rex Nutting reported in July 2011, that according to the US Commerce Department for the years 2008 – 2010 corporate profits were $343 billion higher than previously estimated, but that income for workers and families was $265 billion lower than estimated over the same period.   

Earlier this year, (April 4, 2012) Matt Krantz wrote in USA Today that US business interest reported a 6.7% profit growth, on average, for the first quarter of 2012.  It was the tenth consecutive period of profit growth with 81% of companies exceeding expectations.  Still the American worker is suffering.  The record profits for companies and the dire straits many workers are suffering are the result of unmitigated greed.  It seems the republicans and their backers have taken Gordon Gekko’s “greed is good” to a new level believing greed is godly. 

I say this because so many conservatives base their worldview and their politics on their interpretation of Christianity, and biblically speaking, they have that interpretation very wrong.

The Bible has much to say on greed and on how society should treat the poor and down trodden, those Jesus calls “the least of these”.  In the story of the Israeli exodus from Egypt God supplied daily food for His people in the form of Manna.  The people were instructed to gather what they needed for each day.  They were not to store the food up for long-term use, only enough to feed themselves and their families for that day.  In Leviticus 19 God instructs the Israelites on harvesting their crops, and when doing so they are not to pick the fields and vineyards clean, but are to leave some around the edges, and any crops that are dropped should be left for “the poor and the foreigners living among you”.  The Mosaic Law is replete with instructions on proper treatment of the poor and needy, all of which stand in stark contrast with the current mindset of the political right in America. 

Additionally, Jesus himself had much to say about the treatment of the poor and much of it directed at the religious leaders of his day.  However, one of his most scathing critiques, known as The Parable of the Rich Fool is recorded in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 12.

15Then he (Jesus) said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”  16Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’  20“But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’  21“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Let me be clear, there is no sin in being rich the sin lies in greed.  Storing up more than we can ever use in our lifetime is a sign of greed.  Today US corporations exceed the greediness of Midas.  Right wing ideology is driven by greed and a fear that someone is trying to take something away from them.  They begrudge the worker a fair days pay and decent benefits all in the name of profit.  Now that the United States Supreme Court has ruled that corporations are people, the influence of money in politics has no end.  If we choose to worship at the altar of profit to the detriment of our fellow citizens then we are indeed hastening the demise of our republic.

President Obama is not the one out of touch.  The vaunted “private sector” which the right trumpet as the savior of all things economic is doing quite well, record profits tell the story.  The ordinary people are the ones suffering unjustly at the hand of corporate greed.  Allowing republican ideology in its current form to occupy the halls of government will only exacerbate our economic malady.

Tea Parties and Red Coats

Dressed in the garb of the Minute Man angry citizens march on Town Hall meetings, but they wear the wrong uniform. They should be sporting the Red Coats of the British Army. They stand as sentries of the old guard; ready to relive the Boston Massacre, brandishing weapons against their fellow citizens. Nothing could be more offensive to the American ideal than to retain power under the force of arms.

One of the things I hold dear about America is our dislike of bullies, of those who would assert their will on those less powerful. The Founders called it the “tyranny of the majority”. The popularity of an idea does not give it moral authority.

All citizens of this great nation deserve access to affordable quality health care. Health care that is not dependent on your employer’s bottom line. Health care that is undeniable if you or a family member contracts a catastrophic illness. Many of today’s insurance policies ration care through annual and life time limits on benefits.

The CEO’s and major stockholders of insurance companies are no different from any other Yankee-Slicker on Wall Street. Health care should be a non-profit business. It is immoral to amass riches upon the sickness and misery of others.

Many on the conservative right claim to be Christian men and women, wrapped in the flag with a cross in one hand and carrying Mr. Colt’s great equalizer in the other. They despise liberals and moderates as godless heathens bent on destroying the founding principles of America. They are ignorant of both their politics and their theology. Conceived in the womb of The Enlightenment, nurtured on the milk of classic liberalism, America burst forth from the pangs of revolution. Liberalism, not conservatism, gave us our freedom.

As for the theology, allow me to relate a story from the founder of Christianity. Luke’s Gospel tells the story of The Good Samaritan, prefaced by a lawyer asking Jesus about the requirements for inheriting eternal life, which we know as “The Great Commandment”. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself”. Jesus affirms that the lawyer has answered correctly, but the lawyer is not satisfied, so he asks “And who is my neighbor”?

Jesus then tells the story. A traveler is robbed, beaten, and left naked and half-dead on the side of the road. A Priest passes by but ignores the man. A Levite does likewise, both spiritual leaders in the community. A Samaritan, hated and despised by the Jews, sees the victim and had compassion on him. He tended his wounds, placed him on his own beast, and continued on the journey towards Jericho where he found a roadside inn and continued to nurse the man. The next morning the Samaritan went to the innkeeper, paid him for tending to the wounded fellow, and instructed the innkeeper to provide for him and if he spent more than he had provided, the Samaritan would repay him on his return trip.

Jesus then asked, “…which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among thieves?” The lawyer answered that the one who showed mercy was the neighbor. Jesus said, “Go and do likewise”.

It is time for progressives, liberals, and moderates, to go and do likewise. Let the angry right pass by on the other side of the health care debate. Let them leave their neighbor bloodied and bruised in the ditch. Let their indifference for their fellow citizens expose the moral depravity of their soul. We must not let them define the debate with lies and fear mongering. We cannot allow them to intimidate with assault rifles and Hitler posters.

Those who oppose health care reform will never be ready to embrace change. Change is the fear they cannot face, the fear that drives them to bring weapons to Town Hall meetings, the fear that labels all things progressive as “socialist” and the fear that would demonize their friends and neighbors if they held a contrary opinion.

Now is the time for Americans to love their neighbors as they love themselves. Now is the time for health care for every citizen of this great nation. No American should ever again file bankruptcy due to medical bills. Parents should never again have to wonder how they would pay for treatment for a catastrophic illness for their child. No senior citizen should ever again have to decide between food and medicine. As Dr. King said, “if not now, when?”

Ye Cannot Serve Two Masters

The Conflict Between the Religious Right and the Teachings of Jesus

Many on the religious right believe the Republican Party is God’s party, and the Democratic Party represents the agenda of Beelzebub and his earthly minions. How is it that the followers of Jesus, can in His name, stand in opposition of so many of the tenets He commanded His disciples to obey?

Republican politics has usurped much of the Christian church. The question today is this. Who will win the war for the heart and soul of the church, the conservative republican rightwing sect, or those who want to follow the teachings of Jesus?

A recent article by Adelle Banks, found on the web at beliefnet.com, reports that two dozen conservative Christian organizations are uniting to bring pressure to bear on politics through a new group called Freedom Federation. They oppose abortion, gay rights, and pornography while supporting religious freedom, smaller government, and the right to own firearms (Banks 2009).

Barrett Duke, vice president for public policy and research for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, wrote in the Baptist Press on July 10, of his group’s opposition to the Affordable Health Choices Act, simply because it contains a public option, in other words government health care. Duke’s fear is that the public option is an “immediate and long-term threat to pro-life values”. Whether or not we approve of abortion, it is the law of the land, and not likely to change anytime soon. Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior documented that young women who have attended religious schools have abortions at a higher rate than their public school counter parts (Adamczyk, 2009). Duke and his cohorts at the Southern Baptist Convention might do better to address their concerns to their followers before trying to impose their belief system on the rest of America.

Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that many evangelicals do not know or simply do not understand the ethics of Jesus. Erin Roach, writing for the Baptist Press on June 1, reported that many professing Christians suffer from spiritual immaturity. Roach cites a Barna Group survey that detailed some interesting facts about many evangelicals. Barna reported that most Christians believe following the doctrines of the Bible indicates spiritual maturity, but when asked to identify specifically what that meant they were unable to articulate their position. Additionally, when Barna asked 600 pastors participating in the study to list biblical references to spiritual maturity, only two percent, that is 12 out of 600, cited Galatians 5:22, which cites love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness, as fruits of the spirit.

The Associated Press reported last month that the Hartford Institute for Religion Research surveyed approximately 25,000 people who attend “megachurches”, those Protestant churches whose weekly attendance is 2,000 or more. The report found that ninety-eight percent of those polled considered themselves committed followers of Jesus. Sixty-two percent purported to experiencing significant spiritual growth within the past year. Yet, nearly forty-five percent never volunteer to help their fellow humans, and as many as thirty-two percent give no money towards the needs of the ministry.

A rereading of the Gospels might be in order for the evangelical right, an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus warns, “No servant can serve two masters; for he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon” (Luke 16:13 NKJV). The religious right should stop serving the mammon of political power, and get back to the Gospel commands of feeding the poor, clothing the naked, comforting the sick, taking in the stranger, and visiting the prisoner, else on the great day of judgment they may hear the haunting words of Jesus, “I tell you I do not know you, …. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity” (Luke 13:27 NKJV).

For those who say America cannot afford to practice a social gospel, and take care of “the least of these” with dignity and respect, I remind them again of the words of Jesus, “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12: 48 NKJV). For those who say we are a Christian nation, it is time to put that belief into action.

Evangelicals and Gay Rights

After the 2004 election, I begin to wonder how the Republican Party came to be in control of the Christian Church. It was not a hostile takeover, but a slow gradual usurpation of power and leadership. The groundwork, laid by Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, led to the coronation of George W. Bush as Prophet, Priest, and President of these States United.


In the spirit of full disclosure, I will admit that I am a reforming member of the evangelical right. I am an ordained deacon in the Southern Baptist Church and a former Sunday School teacher. I was registered as a Republican voter from 1992 until after the 2008 Florida Presidential Primary, and had voted the party line in every election, even before officially becoming a Republican. I was a Reagan Democrat, conservative, southern, white, and sure that God supported my viewpoints.


Now, well into my middle age, I have evolved to the point that I have begun to question everything I used to believe. I am not sure that God cares about our politics, but I do believe He cares about our actions. I cannot understand how evangelical Christians have become so angry, so mean, and so devoid of the joy that Christ says we are supposed to experience in Him. I also do not understand how we can pick a few scriptures to hold to as “gospel truth” and completely ignore other verses that do not fit our worldview.


My example today is homosexuality. This, along with abortion, is the issue that most evangelicals choose to take a public stand on. Not only is the evangelical right opposed to gay rights and abortion, they insist that others agree with their view or suffer the tortures of the damned. Personally, as a man, I have never had an abortion, and I have been happily married to a woman for thirty years.


With the election of Barack Obama and a Democratic takeover of congress, the evangelical right is frothing at the mouth; fearing wild-eyed liberals bent on destroying our moral fiber will soon overrun the nation. The favorite cry of the right concerning homosexual activity is Leviticus 18:22, where God says that it is an abomination for a man to lay with a man. In our English language abomination is defined as worthy of disgust or hatred according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. However, Leviticus 20:13 says male homosexuality was worthy of death, but the God of the Hebrews was not immune to handing down death sentences. Adultery, being a medium (a physic), cursing or striking your Father or Mother, or working on the Sabbath, all carried the death penalty. Many of us would never imagine cursing or hitting one of our parents, although we might find it in extraordinarily bad taste, it hardly carries the weight of a death penalty. Christians today certainly do not have a problem with working on the Sabbath, and apparently, many of us do not really think adultery is such a big deal either.


It is also an Old Testament abomination to eat pork or shellfish, or for a woman to wear men’s garments. I guess all of those women wearing pantsuits to church are in the same league with the gay and lesbian members of society; after all, they are all an abomination to God. We cannot continue to interpret the Bible as the literal Word of God, it must be read in the context of the culture in which it was written and read.


It is time for Christians to adopt a more Christ-like persona. Jesus was a religious and social radical, advocating that we love our enemies and bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who would use and persecute us (Matthew 5: 44). Jesus did not rail against the oppressive Roman government, but regularly took the Jewish religious leaders to the metaphorical wood shed for tongue lashings where hypocrite was one of the nicest thing he called them. More often He called them such things as “whitewashed tombs…full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). The time for Christians to be more Christ-like has come. Jesus did not discriminate against those on the fringes of society, He embraced them. He was a friend of sinners. Fishermen, prostitutes, and tax collectors made up his inner circle, those not welcomed to the inner circle of religious activity. To be a disciple of Christ means to follow the teachings of Jesus, it is time Christians attend to “the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith” (Matthew 23:23).