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God's special concern for the poor
A deal President Obama struck with Republican leaders last week will extend tax cuts across the board including, controversially, to the richest Americans.
Some politicians argue that religious values should be reflected in the public square. Should this faith-based view of politics be applied to the economy? Jesus said, "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
In a time of economic turmoil and record poverty levels, are tax cuts for the wealthy moral?
At various times, on one issue or another, I have been critical of one or the other of the two major political parties. More often than not, I have been critical of both Democrats and Republicans and of both liberals and conservatives. With regard to extending the tax reduction on those making more than $250K, however, the Republicans seem to be in a morally dubious position. The most common rationale for extending the reduction is that to eliminate it will enable the wealthy to help small businesses and create jobs for the unemployed. This theory was espoused during the Nixon Administration, and was nicknamed the "trickle down theory."
Some opponents of extending the tax reduction for the wealthy claim that the recipients will simply use the money for their own luxuries or put it in the bank. I have no idea what they will do with it, but for almost half a century the trickle down theory has failed to do what its proponents claim. Had I not come the point that very few things surprise me anymore, support for this theory today would astonish me. But after a few decades, politicians of all stripes tend to reclaim old worn out ideas as though they were tried and true formulae.
Israelite prophets such as Amos strongly denounced the rich for having gained their wealth at the expense of the poor. In Luke's version of the beatitudes Jesus pronounced woe upon the rich, and several of his parables indicate God's judgment upon those who amass fortunes and pay no attention to the poor. On one occasion, Jesus said that it is more difficult for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God. (Scholars debate whether he meant the eye of a sewing needle or a narrow street in Jerusalem, but in either case, he was referring to the moral problem created by the amassing of wealth while ignoring the plight of the poor.
Neither the Old Testament nor the New Testaments assume that the way of life they describe for the people of God is to be legislated by nations other than Israel and the church. But they do assume that God judges nations on the basis of whether they maintain justice. Moreover, the literature of several cultures of the ancient world - such as the writings of Confucius, the Buddha, and various Mesopotamian prophets and sages - indicates that their gods held special concern for the poor and would judge the wealthy on the basis of their care for or negligence of the poor.
At other times and in other issues, the word of judgment in the U.S. easily might be spoken against the Democrats or various third parties. Today, however, that judgment must be pronounced against the Republicans for their refusal to pass legislation that would extend health aid to 9/11 first responders, extend financial relief for people who are unemployed through no fault of their own, or accomplish any other goals until the wealthiest of the wealthy are assured they will be able further to increase their wealth on the backs of the middle class and the poor. Such callousness and cynicism are never moral, and those who act in this manner must reckon with the kind of personal identity their actions reinforce.
By
Gene Davenport
|
December 15, 2010; 3:36 PM ET
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Posted by: darkasnight1234 | December 19, 2010 7:23 AM
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Warren and Billy I understand how it works. Benny Bernanke splained it to me over lunch. Only an 80/20 split?
I would like in on the next trade.
Posted by: Bubba20 | December 16, 2010 2:17 PM
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This begs the question on the hundreds of thousands of 501's and dot orgs. They are tax-free. This includes that minister in Fla. who wanted to burn the Koran and perhaps endanger the lives of our troops. It also includes the tax free church that pickets the funerals of our troops who died in the line of duty. I believe that if they had to pay taxes on their income they would not be able to survive. The flip side is the tax write-off for charitible donations.Would people continue to give if it was not a tax deduction? There is only one way to find out. Who has done the math on this? If both were elliminated, and all was taxed, what would be the total amount going into the treasury? How much would it help to pay down our existing debt?
Both the Old and The New Testaments are very clear about giving to help others. I think it is in Matt 6 where it says; " do your good deeds, help others, and then shut the hell up about it." How many need to grand-stand their act of giving Warren, Billy, Melinda, Hollywoody?
If the math has been done, I have been unable to find it.
The result is that We The People are paying for these tax free groups. We are paying even if we agree or disagree with what they stand for.
One may have different politcal and/or religious beliefs but one is still supporting them.
The bottom line is that even if the sum adds up to 4 Trillion dollars a year, there is not a law maker in America who would propose a bill to change it.
Last month, in my little town, there was a Federal Grant in the millions to do some type of raod safety work. I was amazed to read that 68 different non-profits has applied for this money. 68 in a small town plus.
There are many who create their own job and income by starting a 501. For most this is a second job.
The ones that I can get behind are the very few where people save their money, give up their day jobs, and get out and personally do the work to raise money for a cause they believe in. An example of this is the young man Paul LaBell who is doing Bikefree.org
The ones who sit in plush offices, drive cars owned by the charity, vacation at the charities compound on Long Island,or Cape Cod, in the summer, and then the charities island compounds in the winter. What are they giving up to grow their cause? No a da__ thing. In point of fact, they are growing fat and loving it.
Posted by: Bubba20 | December 16, 2010 1:25 PM
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Having been a child of two worlds naturally I attended Sunday School, but in the august company of such learned men and women I feel like a fool in stating that Jesus also said, "My God is a God of vengeance" and busted up the money-lenders boxes on the steps of the temple in Jerusalem - so does that mean you should just give-up earning interest and join the mid-eastern Muslims in their non-interest based financial models which only function properly if you have oil to export? Wouldn't that turn International financial models on their head? My point is simple, you do what you have to, only the Messiah can be without sin. lol.
I'll level with you, the U.S. government is dependent on the taxes it collects from the rich and the corporations, and your jobs come from those same rich people and those corporations, the entire American society is geared towards that - now they are a minority among America's 300 million people, so do you just run them out of town with the majority support? How will you eat? How will the U.S. government eat? lol.
You want the best roads, the best cars, the best houses, the best food, the best medicine, the best schools, the best entertainment etc. that the world has to offer - all of that costs money, and that money has to come from somewhere. If you don't give the guys who earn that money for your society a break so that they can earn that money for you and want the government to somehow manage to figure out other ways of getting that money then you just have to look at Europe right now and see what their governments have to do to make ends meet - they got riots in the streets over there, something America is trying to avoid. lol.
In America everybody is a direct taxpayer, whether you are a poor person or a rich corporation, now you could try indirect taxation through a goods & services tax (GST) or a value added tax (VAT) or just increase your sales tax - but that is a surefire way into becoming a Third World country (because thats what they do there).
Cheer up! Its Christmas! Let us professionals fix it in the New Year. If the mathematics of America's prosperity was so linear that economists could figure it out then Europe and the rest of the world could have just copied it and become superpowers by now. lol.