Frustration With Christian Language

Okay, so my pack of gum says it’s “Clinically” proven to blah, blah, blah.  Now, if something is clinically proven, that means it’s been proven in a clinic, which means nothing at all.  It also doesn’t suggest to what degree the product works, doesn’t explain whether it’s clinical test was an A+ or a D-.  So, when I see the word “clinically” it basically tells me “hey, stupid, come buy this and we’ll make you feel better.”

Likewise, “medically documented miracle” is a Christian term that makes me want to tear my hair out.  There is no giant file cabinet somewhere in Washington, D.C. filled all the “medically documented miracles” that have happened in America.  It’s something pastors use because they think their audience won’t believe them otherwise.

This is just a rant, but still….

Everyone Be Nice to the Economy

So, how’s the economy doing?

Bernanke said there’s a “good chance” the U.S. recession could end this year if the government is successful in getting financial markets to operate more normally again.

It’s unambiguously bad out there as the U.S. economyhas “fallen off a cliff,” to quote Warren Buffett.

The man who predicted the current financial crisis said the US recession could drag on for years without drastic action.

Maybe if we all just say really nice things to the economy it’ll get better.  Honestly, why do people talk about the economy like it’s this giant entity completely separate from humanity?  If people are in debt and don’t have jobs, how can the economy improve?  And if it does improve without people, what good is it?

Question…

Is it me, or do people seemed really too married to their principles? 

In this case, I mean Republicans who want thin government and even thinner government spending.  I understand the principle and I often agree with it, but what are we to do when people are losing their homes and jobs at an alarming rate?

Democrats do this as well, they’ve been demonizing banks as if idiots who bought homes they couldn’t afford are blameless. 

I just don’t know if we’re so in love with our principles that we’re willing to go hungry defending them.

Messiah Complex

Most ministers would say that people are designed with a God-shaped hole that can only be filled by Jesus.  They may try to fill it with work, drugs, other gods or something else, but only Christ can fulfill the void we are born with.

Most Christian story tellers I know believe in the three act structure of telling stories that pretty much mirrors life, death/burial and resurrection. 

Most Christians involved in politics believe that a political candidate with the right stances on gun control, taxation, immigration and so forth will come waltzing in on a white horse and will deliver consecutive terms where he (not she) cuts taxes forever and lets every American live their Christian life. 

The last paragraph was mildly sarcastic, but it seems Mr. Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana, is being put on the pedestal that George W. Bush abdicated somewhere around late 2005 or early 2006.  In 1999 and 2000, George W. Bush was the Christian candidate who was going to lead Christian politics into the forefront of America.  He said his favorite political thinker was Jesus, said he prayed and read his Bible and was converted by the protestant pope Bill Graham.  He had all the makings of exactly what the church was looking for.

On this end of the 2000’s, most Christians have completely abandoned that though, thinking that Bush was either not up to the job or a wolf in sheep’s clothing.  However, the concept that one political figure can solve the world’s problems (i.e. a political messiah) still permeates our thoughts.  This thought becomes paramount, rather than admit that it’ll take a wave of public servants in a variety of offices to bring the nation to a new era as well as highly educated and motivated Christians with a good idea of what’s going on in the world and what needs to be done.

I don’t know much about Mr. Jindal, in fact all I really know is that he’s not Jesus.  He can’t heal the sick, raise the dead, give sight to the blind, etc.  He may wind up being a decent political figure, but then again Dan Quayle was once the conservative Republican hope.  That’s right, we went from Dan Quayle to George W. Bush to Bobby Jindal (not to mention the others left along the roadside), and we still haven’t learned our lesson.  And, let’s be honest, Ronald freaking Reagan looks much better in hindsight than he did in office.  We sold weapons and assisted in drug smuggling during his administration (Iran Contra) and his cuts to public programs led countless people to roam the streets.

Why are we looking for a political messiah? Why aren’t people taking up the cross and running for small public offices and trying to fix what’s around them?  I have the same frustration with Christians who donate money to the 700 Club while their local church can’t fund youth outreach programs.  Go grassroots, look local and let the federal stuff take care of itself.  And, for the love of Jehovah, stop trying to resurrect Reagan and/or anoint every conservative candidate who comes down the pike.

President Obama and Lilly Ledbetter

How far should we as believers go in bringing equality?  How strongly do we believe in equal rights and equal protection under the law?  Should a woman make the same salary as a man?

That last question is a hard one for Christians to answer, especially Christian men, because we believe in traditional male/female roles.  In a world where farming is done by a tremendous minority and factory/manufacturing jobs are dwindling (at least in this nation) finding a balance between the salary of men and women is incredibly difficult.

President Obama signed into legislation something known as the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which allows women to claim past income they were denied simply because they were women.  It’s bad for business to be sure (unless you’re a plaintiff’s attorney), but it’s good for equality.  Question is, how much to believers actually believe in equality?

I like the idea, but it’ll probably be abused by plaintiff’s attorneys who are only looking to get their 33% of any settlement.  If the bill created arbitration boards and paid attorneys a flat fee to perform their duties, I might like that better, but allowing blanket claims seems to aid the plaintiff’s bar more than it aids women who were shut out of their income.

I wonder though, do we really and truly believe women should make as much as men?  Or, does our traditional view cause use to say we believe in it on the surface, but when we get down to it we actually believe that men need to make more money so they can provide for their families and women in the workplace is a real luxury?  Women, in all honesty, do tend to have the option (even in lower income families) to stay at home with their children rather than work.  Okay, option might not be the right word, maybe obligation.  If they have that luxury, shouldn’t men have the luxury to make a higher wage?  Isn’t it ridiculous for the law to ignore biology?  If we are clearly created differently, why can’t the laws reflect that?

Men and women, I think, aren’t equal.  Women are superior in some cases, and men are superior in others.  Equal is a blanket term, rarely applying to real world circumstances.  When a law lays down blanket interpretations of real life situations, it creates animosity.  However, how long are we going to progress as a nation before we confront the fact that men and women are of equal intelligence, and when it comes to sales, marketing, legal services, accounting (i.e. non-physical labor) a difference in pay is insane?

Sanctity of Marriage

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”
Ephesians 6:12 – KJV

Throughout history, with the exception of possibly the last two hundred years or so, the law has rarely been on the side of Believers.  And even in the time that Christians have had a bit of authority of how the law is written and carried out, the law has still persecuted us - whether it forced our African American brothers and sisters into bondage or prevented our sisters, mothers and daughters from voting.  When Christ first came to proclaim His Kingdom, the caesars and Roman senate used the law to martyr us and lock us up for decades.  The forefathers and foremothers of our faith were persecuted by the law. 

The reason for this, is that we believers answer to a different law, a higher law, if we are governed by any law at all.  Our faith is based on having a personal relationship with the Creator, a one-to-one daily walk with Jesus Christ, and so any laws that seek to govern us, to hem us in, simply has no use for us.  To our credit, in nations, kingdoms and empires where our faith has been outlawed or condemned, we thrive.  Underground churches in China, Iran, Sudan and other oppressive nations are vibrant churches, full of miracles, love and healing. 

Why is this important?  American Christians have abandoned the Creator for the creation, have left the bossom of Christ for the parchments of the law and are looking to men for justification rather than to Christ.  Specificially, American Christians are using the law to stop homosexual marriage.  There is the mindset that our nation is running toward a sinful nature and we must stand between the lemmings their cliff. 

I have two major problems with this:

1. If we adhere to rapture theology, if we believe that the world is getting worse and only Jesus on His white horse can save us, shouldn’t we be embracing the failure?  Shouldn’t the failure mean that Christ is closer to returning?  If not, then do we really, deep down in our hearts, believe that Christ intends for us to lose our inheritance (meek shall inherit the earth)?  Christians have schizophrenic theology, they on one hand believe the world is supposed to get worse and worse, yet complain when this happens.  It’s one or the other, Christ isn’t divided and our hearts shouldn’t be either.
2. Secondly, since when has using the law ever been effective?  Prohibition was a massive failure because it didn’t deal with the heart of the issue.  Drug laws that throw hefty penalties around aren’t exactly effective either.  We are called to focus on the hearts of man, not their actions.  And yet, we can’t help ourselves from trying to destroy a forest by cutting leaves.  The root of the issue isn’t homosexuality, it’s that people don’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Here are some possible alternatives to passing laws to end homosexual marriage in our nation:

• Plant a church in San Francisco.  If Christians in California want to help homosexuals they should plant a church, serve at AIDS hospices, hang out in gay bars and learn to minister and love.  If we loved homosexuals as Christ did, they would meet Jesus and make their own decisions.  Instead, we have run to the law and are pushing people away from Christ.
• Open up a dialogue with homosexual organizations.  Public discourse is helpful, it could help homosexuals see our attitude and not just angry protests against gay marriage. 
• Have a Christian conference to discuss homosexuality so we could see whether or not all on the same page. 

This is a terrible stance we’ve taken, and it’ll push us away from God and homosexuals away from God.  Running to the law is running away from Christ.  Are we so unfaithful and untrusting of Christ that we feel only the state of California can protect us and them? 

Christian Nation

If 10% of the population is Christian, are we a Christian nation?  If that percentage of the population allowed the world fly towards sin by not praying and not believing, do they deserve to live in a Christian nation? 

Drugs, Does an Answer Exist?

Legalize marijuana? Fire-bomb Columbia and other drug exporting countries on a regular basis? Seize the possessions of every drug dealer arrested, and force them and their families into poverty? Execute drug dealers and drug manufacturers who sell/manufacture drugs over a certain limit? Offer every drug offender six months of mandatory rehab after the first offense en lieu of prison?

Are any of these solutions?

My solution would be to legalize marijuana for a test period of one year. Tax marijuana 100% and allow only state licensed agents to grow, ship and distribute marijuana. Anyone caught selling without a license would get 15 years in prison. Distribution is 20 years in prison and growing would be a life sentence. They would be charged with not only drug offenses, but tax evasion as well.

It would betreated like alcohol, only people 21 and over could obtain it. If a minor is caught with it, the minor will get 6 months in prison mimimum, and the person who gave the minor the drug would get 1 year in prison, minimum.

The revenue from the marijuana tax would go towards rebuilding California’s infrastructure for the first two years, would go towards schools in years three through five and a third of the revenue from years one through five would go towards building light rail systems in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland and Irvine. If the program lasts only the one year (it would be put to a popular state vote as to whether or not to continue it) the revenue will all be spent on repairing highways, bridges and other state run infrastructures.

Sorry

Got really busy from October through today.  Still busy, but trying to do at least one new post a week as a new years resolution type thing.

Iraq, Iran, New York and Colorado

I recently had a long discussion with a friend of mine who is from Iran.  She grew up there and lived through the nightmare of being bombed by Iraq during the war in the 1980’s.  She has an amazing insight into the current state of affairs in the Middle East, including the United States invasion into Iraq.  However, she and I disagreed quite strongly on this subject. 

 

She currently lives in Colorado and performs a variety of tasks for civic organizations.  I received this e-mail from her a week or so ago:

 

Dear Friends,

 

I am asking you to PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, do everything in your power to get people to VOTE. If this country ends up being run by more CRIMINALS, it is a DAMN SHAME that we didn’t do everything in our power to stop that from happening. So PLEASE practice the very right that many people gave their lives for, so that we may VOTE today!

 

I am a full time staff at PeaceJam and a student but I am also sitting outside of K-Mart or going door to door to get people registered after work. You would be surprised to see how many people, how many AMERICANS are not even registered to VOTE! I am not trying to suggest a party. I am just asking YOU to help this country go back to what it once was, a country of active citizens!

 

If you live in Colorado please contact me and i will tell you how we can get more people registered in the next six weeks before the elections.

 

Many thanks,

Pani

 

The word that caught me here was “criminal” which is why I highlighted it.  The following is the e-mail conversation which ensued.

 

Joe

criminals?

 

Pani

Is taking hundreds of thousands of lives not criminal?

 

Joe

I’m no longer a Republican, but I don’t think we want to have this discussion.  Especially considering who the US got rid of.

 

Pani

Shouldn’t you be saying I instead of We? Because i wouldn’t mind a discussion. Even then you can’t say that you don’t want to have this discussion but drop in a comment like that! lol which only calls for a discussion. 

 

Joe

Well, our politics are quite different, but to call my president a criminal is frustrating Pani. 

 

Pani

And to kill/displace thousands of innocent people is beyond frustrating my friend. It is simply a war crime, and very devastating!

 

Joe

One of the nations we attacked attacked us, the other ignored the UN resolutions, fought with20its neighbors (including your country) and was dangerous to world peace.  The20U.S.’s biggest fault is also its biggest asset, it’s the only nation on earth willing to confront dictators.  And while I think this thing should have been pursued along a different route, how many crying people in dungeons did Saddam put to death?  How many more innocent Iraqi’s were going to due under him?  Who would have brought him to justice Pani?  Iran?  The current leader of Iran is a psychopath and a region full of instability, which puts lawyers in jail, women to death and Christians in prison can’t start to shout “war crimes” because there is so much blood on its own hands.

 

Pani

It is impossible to think that Saddam was a danger to world peace and the U.S. is not right now! The U.S. ignores UN resolutions, International Courts, NPT…and many others. The issue is that the U.S. can’t stand it when someone else does any of those things and finds it it’s business to step foot where ever it wishes at whatever cost!

 

Yes, Saddam attacked my country but i along with the rest of the nation were taught to LOVE Iraqis, even when they were dropping bombs on our head! Because i had incredible parents who put HUMANITY first and foremost in everything! And today, Iranians have the decency to still not just like, but LOVE Americans! When they see an American on the street in Iran they bring them home and cook them meals and show them the Persian culture and are most hospitable. They still have the decency to separate the people and the government of America unlike the average American here who thinks that all Muslims, all Middle Easterns are evil because their president told them so!

 

As for the Iranian president, he is just a mirror image of Mr. Bush. A hard line religious politician, with the difference being that Iranian people do not believe everything he says and think for themselves instead. They at least know the map of the world, and can decide for themselves what is going on with world politics, not what they ar e being told by FOX! They live in a country who’s government burns America n flags and has “Death To America” slogans all over but you wouldn’t even know that when you meet a Persian in Iran because of how hospitable they are to an American!

 

As fo r Saddam, why is it that when the U.S. no longer wanted him, he needed to be brought to justice? Why didn’t the U.S. have a problem funding him with the very unjust war you mentioned against my country. Was it not the very Donald Rumsfeld who thought Saddam needs to be brought to Justice under the Bush administration, who visited Saddam many times during the Senior Bush Administration to provide him with weapons and funds for the war against Iran, knowing Saddam was using mustard gas against Iranians! Who provided Saddam with intelligence and satellite systems that could show him where our houses and schools were? I spend the first eight years of my life in black outs because with the wonderful technology America had provided Saddam, he was successfully bombing all our schools and hospitals! Why did the U.S. not have a problem with him being unjust then? But all of a sudden he had to be brought to justice years later when he was of no good use to the U.S. anymore!

 

I spent the first eight years of my life in the most horrible state a child can have under war, but never came out of it hating Iraq, or America! My parents never allowed me to think that just because someone was awful to me i had the right to be awful to them! I don’t know about your religious beliefs right now, but we didn’t have to be Christians to be that way! We just were human, and if you are human you will know that there is NO EXCUSE for taking a life, NO MATTER WHAT.

 

Sometimes20i think anti-abortion people are so amusing to watch and listen to. They fight for the life of an unborn fetus so that they can put it under death penalty or drop a bomb on its head years later! Such a=2 0paradox.

 

And by the way Joe, discussion is the only way to take down the ideology walls that are causing for people to fight, and shed blood for centuries now. So please know that i am always open and would like to have discussions because i think it’s important for you to hear my views and experiences just as it is for me to hear yours!

 

Joe

First off, way too many exclamation points, but that’s a grammar issue, not really on our topic.

 

Secondly, let me say that I am no fan of Rumsfeld or Cheney, and my distaste for George W. Bush has grown.  That being said, you paint a picture of Americans being sheep, and yet the compassionate people of Iran have allowed three decades of religious dictators to run their nation.  I am overwhelmed with how little you think of the people who welcomed you with open arms when your own country forced you to leave.  I don’t defend Fox News or the average voter, but you are painting a very black and white picture of Iran being a place of loving people, and history just isn’t on your side on that one.  I am in no way saying20your family is evil, or that most Iranians are evil, rather that the idea of every Iranian spends their day waiting for me with a bowl of soup to taste isn’t Kosher.

 

I am well aware that for about fifty years the CIA has run some pretty despicable programs in my country and many other countries.  It’s shameful that my government has supported dictators that it then had to remove.  What people usually forget however was the alternative America was given at the time.  For example, Hugo Chavez in Venezuela is trying to become an elected king.  He’s ruining his own nation (as I’ve heard from Venezuelans, not Americans) and is ready to provoke a war in his country, his continent and his hemisphere that will lead to disaster.  Were this the 1950’s, America probably would have backed some other leader who was slightly less ominous.  In Iraq/Iran, the choice between Saddam and the Iatola (sic?) wasn’t a great choice at all, and considering the U.S. interests in the region, a choice had to be made.

 

One may argue “what right does the U.S. have to back any leader, or overthrow any leader, in a given country.”  I understand that argument, but some of those same people bitch when the U.S. doesn’t get involved in Rwanda, Sudan, Myanmar and other nations where atrocities are being carried out.  I have rejected the neo-conservative notion that America can cure the world of evil, but when atomic weapons and weapon capabilities are being sold to Iran , Syria and other unstable/aggressive governments, what is the United States supposed to do?  Bill Clinton could have ended Osama’s life and saved thousands of Americans, yet had he killed him, the rest of the world might have said “Clinton killed a freedom fighter.”    This is the world we live in, America just can’t win.

 

As far as the U.N., the United States is the only nation on earth with enough guts and moral authority to get in another nation’s way when it oversteps its bounds.  Question may be “who are we to be that force on earth?”  Well, if it has to be someone, pick a better nation?  Canada?  China?  France?  Iran?  Russia?  And if you argue that no nation should have that power, you’re accepting that Sudans and Rwandas and Iraqs and other nations with murderous dictators should be allowed to murder their own people without provocation.

 

I don’t pretend to have all the answers, I don’t pretend that Americans are right and everyone else is wrong and I don’t pretend that what is going on in Iraq is 100% right.  I will say this, those who think Iraq was 100% the right move are just not paying attention, and those who think Iraq was 100% the wrong move are naive.

 

Pani

Yes, way too many grammar and spelling mistakes but that is not what matters in this case at least. lol Since there are other important issues at hand.

 

This is why discussion is great because now i see we have more in common than differences. I have a great quote here on my desk from Marjaneh Satrapi “The world is not divided into countries. The world is not divided between East and West. You are American, I am Iranian, we don’t know each other, but we talk together and we understand each other perfectly. The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. An the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same.” Then i added my own to it saying “Those committing crimes in my government wear turbans and those committing crimes in your government wear ties, and on the inside they both lack human empathy”.

 

I said average American. Joe, people in LA welcomed me with open arms. Have you tried being a Middle Eastern woman in any other state other than CA and NY? Things are a bit different my friend. I mean even poor Corrine at one point said “I would much rather we visit you, i just worry if you came to visit us here, people would stare at you or treat you poorly”. And yes, i appreciate the amazing Americans who take the time to educate themselves and find out things for themselves by making friends with people like me and asking us what Islam is, or what the people in the middle east are really like. I respect and admire these Americans. For instance Zoriah’s family or my mother’s husband…

 

I also don’t think that one nation should have the authority that you speak of. It needs to be a committee of many nations representing the combination of the people in this world, working toward a common goal that is the well being of every human being on this earth. It is only through this that each individual and nation can be responsible for their fair share of hard work without one super power taking all the glory or blames for most things that take place in the world.

 

I guess you would only ha ve to go to Iran and experience it for yourself. But they not only have a bowl of soup ready for you but don’t eat their own food and put it in front of you. Even the poorest families do this. It is a cultural thing, a guest is highly respected in that culture because it is even said in Islam that God rewards those who welcome guests in to their homes with open arms. So they don’t just have that toward Americans they are generally a hospitable nation. It was the first nation that gave rights to the Jews and is still one of the biggest melting pots of different ethnicities, religions and cultures. Bahais, Zorastrians, Jews, Muslims, Christians… have all been living there for centuries. There is no clash between the people; we have all lived in friendship with each other for hundreds of years. This is only a clash created by governments and war profiteers!

 

Anyway, i enjoyed our talk. I remember you said you were working on a book. What’s it about? How is it coming along?

 

What do you guys think?

Church, Government, Banks and the Poor

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine who is African American, works at a very large bank in Los Angeles and who has a unique perspective on economics in this nation.

Editor
How has the church educated African Americans in terms of finance and personal finance? Has this in any way affected an average African American’s view of banks and the global banking system?

Friend
Sadly, many Af-Am church goers seem to accept economic conditions without questioning them too deeply. In many parts of the inner city, “hyphenated folks” have been experiencing a decades long recession beginning with America’s broad-scale de-industrialization shortly after the Civil Rights era. We’re on the front lines of any downturn. There remains a stubborn element of economic cynicism.
Many churches, (largely mega churches due to the fading prosperity movement), have offered education, seminars, and counseling on home purchasing, credit, and personal finance. The influence has been beneficial for many, if not instrumental in awareness and activity. Global finance, banking policy, and Wall Street remain afar from most Americans; this I say in my experience as investment consultant, working with everyone under the sun.

The black underclass and many members of the lower class distrust banks because of fees, check deposit availability, and collateralized lending. Sadly, check cashing offices outnumber banks in the ‘hood.

Editor
In your opinion, is the Federal and or State government doing anything to assist African Americans in developing their financial IQ? And is the distrust of banks justified?

Are you sure it is a matter of race and not of class? In Indiana, a very “white” state, check cashing institutions are as numerous as Peyton Manning jerseys. To me, it’s a matter of the sad state of the lower class’ economic IQ.

Friend
The federal and/or state governments aren’t taking any measure to promote financial literacy for ANYONE. The only individuals that possess any savvy are the ones have interest ($$$) or enough exposure to care. Rather than teaching Home-Economics, our educational system should teach personal finance……AF-Am’s trust of just about anything is justified. LOL!

Banks kept a share of unfair and unequal lending policies in practice for years; redlining, predatory lending. Even currently Af-Am’s check are more likely to be placed on hold when depositing! When Af-Am’s come into a branch for service, everyone dodges them!!!

Class is largely the issue. However, class also has a high correlation to race. Whites in the Midwest felt the ill effects of deindustrialization just as blacks did. Many working class constituents feel they do not possess enough money to keep in a bank or distrust their personal responsibility in keeping their account in positive standing. Honestly, I have co-workers that are reading personal finance books like the Holy Scriptures and inside I’m thinking: “Why??? Most of the advice given is for individuals far above their income level.” It ’s like playing monopoly without owning anything on the board.

Editor
At the same time though, poor blacks and whites (and even a fair amount of the middle class) have financial IQ’s so low that every time credit is thrown their way they jump at it. How many Americans understand that credit actually means debt? It’s the same as people who load up on junk food at McDonalds, but then hit the gym for 35 minutes (like me). While it’s sad they can’t stop eating the garbage, the workouts are probably what’s keeping their hearts from exploding. People might be missing the point with their personal finance worship, but I’d rather that effort be made than the wave of bankruptcies that have occurred in the last two decades.

Friend
Sadly Capitalism, as it has been conducted, has disenfranchised the American Worker, leaving inflation to eat away at wealth, and credit as the financial Anti-Savior. Credit is a crutch; it has been one that Americans have been leaning on right and left. What we just went through….scratch that….what we’re going through right now is the epitome of financial indiscretion. America became house flippers and turned dwelling places into commodities. 300% increases in some areas in terms of price……IN FIVE YEARS!!!! Can you really expect that to continue??? Now we’re all back-broken and cash strapped. The funny thing is somebody got paid by selling. Was it you? It definitely wasn’t me.

Editor
Then what’s the solution? How does America, specifically the working and lower classes, go from an overwhelming debt and no “real” upward mobility to a place of freedom?

Friend
They’ll need some support from our economic policy. We need a place for people to work; we can’t expect everyone to obtain a graduate degree. We need a small to mid-scale return to the manufacturing sector and the trades. Our Midwest can be revitalized with some “protectionism”. We need small businesses to be supported. We need families to remain intact. Discipline, discipline, discipline. e all need to reject the temporary thrill of spending money and make a serious commitment to paying off habitual debt. ( i.e. credit cards, medical bills, etc.) Americans need to relearn to cook and not spend $30/day eating out.

Editor
Who should take the lead here though? Governments trip all over themselves, and churches tend to be very hot and cold in leading anything economic. Conservatives will complain about protectionism and about government intervention in the economy. Democrats, specifically the liberal side, will complain about too much church intervention into the economy, especially if it’s aided by the government. I’m thinking churches can incorporation personal finance classes (the basics) to their members through government provided speakers (for free). The government could possibly create a program for American factory workers/supervisors, heading to Mexico, China, and other third world nations to act as ambassadors and consultants on safety and how the factory should run. On factory and manufacturing work though, I don’t know if we can seriously revive that industry without serious tariffs, which would relive the mistakes made after black Friday in 1929.

Friend
Its a all-hands-on-deck effort. It can’t be unbalanced. Conservatives are ill and democrats are sick……everyone wants results, but everyone wants their philosophy to provide the solution.

We need the church to preach the word:
“A good man showeth favor and lendeth; he will guide his affairs with discretion” “If thou lend money to any of My people who are poor among thee, thou shalt not be to him as a usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. “Ye shall not therefore oppress one another, but thou shalt fear thy God; for I am the LORD your God.”

We need the government to be the elected officials of the people and not corporations and industries. I feel that we can tilt the scale a bit to protect our workforce. One, by giving tax incentives to companies that employ Americans; two, by suspending some tax breaks for companies that outsource, or produce multinationally.

We, as individuals need to watch less T.V. and stop falling prey to the onslaught of advertisements and materialism that it projects. Credit shouldn’t be leverage, it should be a lifeline.

Good stuff, any thoughts from the readers?