I'm watching the war in congress - or should I say the ongoing war. It is shameless the greed mongering the prostituting the GOP congressmen are doing on behalf of 1% of the population without serious consideration of the 99%. Whether you are GOP, DNC, independent, socialist, monarchist, or whatever... this is about our future and our children's future!
23.5% of all wealth is garnered by the top 1% of the nation's population... SO, 3 million make 23.5% of the income in the USA. They make more than the bottom 50%... stop and think about that: 1% (3M) makes more than 50% (150M). They 150M are dismissed as lazy, not working and should have studied harder... Making it worse - the top This ignores that most, with the rarest of exceptions played over and over as the norm by the GOP, do climb up and achieve from nothing... but ALMOST ALL wealth is begotten from wealth, privilege and access, launching and preparation not possible for the majority of people. In simplest terms, the rich get richer and keep it - hence, they are rich. This 150M is not lazy... sure there are some scammers. We all know this. BUT I have neighbors without medical insurance, who are not getting care because they can't afford 1/3 of their pay check for insurance!
On the other hand, the President (as you know, member of the DNC) has whored himself to the GOP who is not yet in control in congress to not just extend tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, but has so lavishly courted the GOP and given them this extravagant inheritance tax break that baffles even the GOP itself! He did this to get the extended unemployment support for those unemployed due to the greed that caused this GLOBAL meltdown - BY AMERICAN WALL STREET... the top 1% who run the markets, by the way...
I'm floored because this arrangement by the President further deepens the national debt, without taking in ANY money to pay for it... SO the tax cuts cost money, the unemployment costs money. The GOP says we can't afford the unemployment, but they are silent on the lack of affordability of the tax cuts... Now on the verge of breaking the nation... 40¢ on every tax dollar simply services interest on our debt-which by the way, we are not paying any of the principle! In thirty years we've gone from creditor state to indebted state - the most debt in history and there is not will at all to deal with this debt, because we are spending so far beyond out means and there is not will to live within our means, much less live within our means and actually pay off this debt! Trickle down does not worked - never has. ONLY the ratio of how rich the rich are getting has increased!
The elimination of the inheritance tax will benefit (over $1Trillion over ten years) to 1/3 of 1%! ! ! We don't care if people do not have access to health care. We're not talking about illegals (a whole separate issue). We're not talking about that tiny % who don't want to work. We're talking about 1/3 of the nation without health care!
So, I am gobsmacked at the President for kissing up and giving in to this, and beyond irritated at the GOP for it's greed and prostitution to people who will not even miss the taxes, or see their lifestyles change at all... not one meal out, not one holiday, not a home purchase, not determine if their kid goes to an Ivy League School, or has to leave his/her private elite prep school, or they have to sell their house, or miss going to the doctor, or not go shop to entertain themselves from their boring meaningless shallow lives, not "not" buy the new boat... You see - they can - it comes down to heart condition.
I heard FOX NEWS reporting that 5% pay 50% of the taxes and how unfair it is. Yet those 5% enjoy their affluence on the backs of people who work for them, most at much lower wages, who wrestle to pay the bills, who wait on and serve them... The news anchor defiantly reporting "objectively" how unfair it is...Because it's "MINE"...
The bottom line is the condition of the heart. In the godless nation we live in, in our secular and pluralistic society, built on the bed rock of "me"... yea, I know, this is not what we've been taught in our schools... but it is... from the Greek philosophers to the Enlightenment, to the 60's revolution, to the postmodern "my own thing"... it's about me...hence the tea party. It's about "mine" and doing what I want with it. It's about freedom of the individual, which is more than freedom of conscience, but freedom of greed, freedom of hedonism, freedom from responsibility, morality, ethics, caring and denying the Biblical mandates, as well as denial of the fruit of the Spirit.
How will the GOP fund the tax breaks, the elimination of the inheritance tax? Decrease medicare for elders, money for education, decrease in social security and make the working people work longer in life.
We keep Exxon Mobile the profitable company in history - and they pay -$0- in taxes! Where is Paul Revere when we need him!?
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Side Note: I'm recording a new rewrite of a song... sign up for the CD: It's to the tune of "I'm in the Lord's Army"....
Chorus:
I'm in the Tea Party!
I'm in the Tea Party!
I don't care what you need, cause it's all about me!
It's all mine and I worked for it,
Studied hard at my privileged school,
Had my mom reading to me.
And it's all about me!
Chorus
My dad got me my new position, introduced me to the CEO.
My mom helped me make my investments,
They bought me my new home, and my import car,
And now, I'm in the tea party!
Chorus
I don't care if you work two jobs
Can't afford health insurance,
Fear not making your mortgage
I don't care if you serve me,
Cause, I'm in the Tea Party.
Chorus x2
Stay tuned for more lovely tunes of delusion! Now, back to our program...
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This mindset ignores the concept of vocation, as in station, calling, sent by God. It ignores community, mutual dependence, or caring for each other. It ignores that other people matter... and places their value if they are like me (rich), like me (not in need), like me (producing more - as in money). So the person who gives themselves away serving (be it teachers, police, nurses, firemen, postal workers, UPS driver, telephone operator, etc) is a hired hand doing their menial task who should be glad I acknowledge their presence.
This is a sad day because so many people who call themselves Christians never stop and evaluate if the issues at hand are right-wrong, Godly, Biblical or reflect the character of Christ. I seem to recall a call to give it all away to the poor and follow Him, and that is harder than passing through the eye of a needle.... There is no fruit of the spirit, or gratefulness for the blessings they are garnering... The ratio of wealth of this top 1% has tripled since the 1970's! Trickle down does not work! The middle class is collapsing - paying 1/3 of their income on health care ALONE! The top 1% earns 12¢ of every dollar earned in the nation! Over 80% of all new income went to the top 1%? The CEO's of banks and Wall Street - after being bailed out by the middle class tax payer, now earn more than they did before! AND THE GOP IS SUPPORTING IT!
Where is the character of Christ in how we steward our money? The last part of the soul to be converted is the wallet! One cannot quell the stewardship with trite minute sharing out of a tiny portion of excess and tell God God one has done their part. We are ignoring Isaiah 58 and Philippians 2.5-12.
In 1775 we began a revolution over MUCH smaller issues than what we face today - we're held captive by the corporate monsters who are 51 of the largest economies in the world! The income and wealth of corporate maneuvering is moral-less and without ethic. We are breaking our nation, BUT we are teaching our children a lack of virtue, a lack of character, a lack of being like Jesus, reducing following Him to sin management and ignoring the sin of greed, the sin of "me", the sin of collective culpability to do things in our society to care for others. It is not optional... and we've eliminated it from our spiritual formation and our theology. Shame on us - the church.
The one exception, the one bright spot is the secular billionaires leading the charity drive to give away their fortunes, Gates and Buffet. Interesting... they don't want to give it to the federal government ...because they don't trust the government to manage it - not the workers who deliver the services - but the politicians in congress! I also see the bright spot in the many who are concerned about those in real need, the Kingdom and share so generously with others either in need or those who are working to build the Kingdom and not just "play church". I am recipient of support from many great people who trust what we're doing matters. Thanks to those kind friends.
UGH! I'm gonna be sick! What I do know without doubt: In the end... this greed will not stop. This trend of abuse of the people by the powerful will not stop. Our nation will collapse from lack of moral fortitude even when we know it IS going to destroy us. God will judge. He will start with His church.
Watch this rare and ignored voice from the Senate Floor:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq1zpHF0J04&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3]
This church was first opened in 1848 and probably took several years to build. It closed in 2001, after 162 years. Now there is not one open church for a long distance! 
The "church hall" activities building
