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Money makes the rich
Exploit the poor.
It leads the wealthy
To distort religion
Manipulate currency
Put thumbs on scales
Sell shoddy products
And underpay workers.
But never doubt:
They will one day reap
Due karma.
PS 113: 1-2, 4-6, 7-8
For God will lift up
The poor
From the dirt
And "shitholes"
They're forced
To live in.
Thank God:
The lowly
Will one day
Become their own
Masters instead.
In the meantime,
Pray that the powerful
Might change their ways
For God cares
Even for them.
Pray that they
Might know God
As revealed in
The poor man
Jesus who died
For them too
Despite their bitterness
Lies and self-serving
Talking points.
2 COR 8:9
God chose
Self-revelation
In the poor
Not in the rich.
Ironically,
God's Preferential Option
For the Poor
Is the only way
To prosperity.
LK 16: 1-13
In fact,
The poor man, Jesus,
Laughed at the rich
Who can't use a shovel
To save their lives,
But blame the beggars
Their own policies have created.
The rich are so crooked,
He joked,
That they even admire
Shrewdness in those
Who end up stealing from them!
Their own small larcenies
Grow exponentially.
So they cannot be trusted.
Restitution is therefore in order.
But don't worry
About the bankers:
Their "generous" loans
Can easily be written off
Without in the least
Impacting their
Decadent life-styles.
Their basic mistake
Is believing that
Differentiating wealth and God
Are somehow compatible.
They are not!
Don't you agree that sentiments like those favor economies mixed in favor of the poor? (That's the way they appear to me.) The readings imply that if mixed economies are all we have, we shouldn't allow ourselves to fall into the trap that ensnared Moore and Maher. Instead of arguing about non-existent "capitalism" or "socialism," we should make sure to embrace the principle "As much market as possible, but as much planning as necessary (to insure a dignified life for all)."
But to avoid pointless shouting matches, it will be necessary to carry around in our minds those clear and easily understood ideas about what capitalism and socialism are. To repeat: capitalism's essential elements are (1) private ownership of the means of production; (2) free and open markets, and (3) unlimited earnings. Socialism's defining points are just the opposite: (1) public ownership of the means of production; (2) controlled markets, and (3) limited earnings. Once again, those two definitions make it clear that mixed economies are all we have.
Finally, we should be emphasizing the incompatibility between the Judeo-Christian tradition and the spirit of capitalism as characterized in today's readings. Excessive wealth on the one hand and God on the other are not compatible. Or, as Jesus put it, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Despite our culture's claims to the contrary, that's the faith we "People of The Book" (Jews, Muslims, and Christians) are called to embrace.
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