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We have postponed the day of economic reckoning
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?
They are neither moral nor necessary. They reflect greed more than sound economic policy. We live in a real world, however, and this will be the price our congressional leaders exacted in order to keep tax levels for the middle class from rising in a period of economic distress.
There is a fine line between encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit and caring for the least of these, our brothers and sisters. We have not found that line yet. All this tax bill has done is to postpone the day of economic reckoning for this nation.
John Shelby Spong
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John Shelby Spong
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December 18, 2010; 5:43 PM ET
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Posted by: WmarkW | December 20, 2010 7:24 AM
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I'm not sure if this is exactly where Rev. Spong is going, but the question is not the right one. The real question is whether our spending is moral and our tax level is commensorate with it.
The answer to the latter is definitely "no." Congress has effected a compromise on the budget that effectively agrees to tax the people too young to vote.
The budgetary selfishness of the Baby Boom generation is bankrupting us and will get worse as they enter their prime government services consumption years.