The Fiscal Cliff

Months ago, as I have been doing more often, I logged into Facebook and was reading and examining the day's posts that had streamed into my Newsfeed. I read one post where the person expressed frustration with those in this person's network who were "spewing hate toward" and "discriminating against" millionaires and billionaires. The poster of this status exhibited concern that we were mentally categorizing people into categories, like rich and poor, and that wealth wasn't evil and that possessing it did not make anyone evil. Comments the person received in response indicated that that others agreed that the entitlement mentality is frequent among both those with wealth and among those facing poverty but especially among the "haves." I know that there is, statistically speaking, a small but substantial minority who, according to polls, oppose increasing taxes on anyone making $250,000. There are hardcore Conservatives in politics who oppose any tax increases on anyone who is wealthy, even millionaires or billionaires. The reasoning? "It is their money; they should be able to keep it and it is wrong to punish success. And they are the job creators."

I agree with the poster of that status that wealth is morally neutral, not good or evil, that wealth itself does not make anyone wrong or evil and that we have the moral obligation to value and look at every person based on who they are and not on personal qualities, including wealth or poverty. And I agree with those who commented that wrong attitudes toward money are found among both the "haves" and the "have nots." The Bible makes it clear, from cover to cover, that money itself is not evil but the love of it is the root of all forms of evil. Money and wealth can be terrible traps and sources of temptation. Greed for riches can sink people into the deepest kinds of human depravity known to humanity, not to mention that it can make is vulnerable to scams and even crime, whether as participants or as victims. And poverty doesn't make anyone immune to greed. Should the wealthy, who have $$$ to spare and would not miss these $$$ in the first place, be able to keep their "excess" when we as a country are on the verge of financial ruin? Asking them to contribute their share to prevent our country from going "under" and protecting those among us who are vulnerable, does not constitute "punishing success" in my book. It is only justice. Economic justice. Human rights.

In terms of discrimination, though, the Bible is far more concerned about discrimination against those facing poverty than "reverse" discrimination against wealthy people. This is because the "have nots," by definition, are much more vulnerable because of they have many more needs and have far fewer options, than those who have money and wealth. As for a "middle-class," this seems to be a modern cultural construct and the Bible seems to see only "haves" and "have nots." As for wealth, it usually brings with it power and prestige and the means to lay hold of countless opportunties which can only be accessed by money or capital. Those fortunate "1 percent," of course, are just as likely to face illness, sorrow, death, and other losses just as much as anyone else, for many tragedies are also "equal opportunity destroyers." However, high-income people usually have many more options, tools and resources with which to deal with what they and their families may face. A wealthy person who has a missing loved one, for example, usually has the money, the social connections and the prestige that are essential to gain media exposure and awareness for that loved one and this greatly increases the odds for that loved one being found. Families without wealth have limited options and money for awareness and must deal not only with the nightmare of a missing loved one but with struggling to gain and keep awareness for their loved one. And a wealthy person, diagnosed with cancer, can usually access far more and better health care options, like state-of-the-art and cutting edge cancer care treatments. Superior health care greatly increases their chances for survival and for their cancer to remain in remission. The "have nots," however, have not only the devastation of a cancer diagnosis but the worry of how to obtain and keep getting cancer treatment, and the worry of out-of-pocket costs. Many do not have insurance at all. It's a well-known fact that health care providers often treat private pay patients better than those with insurance, especially if it's government-funded. And the quality of and access to health care will probably affect the outcome of any cancer patient.
This brings me to the twin proposals to continue tax breaks for the millionaires and billionaires while at the same time making proposals for spending cuts on programs and services that can have devastating effects on the middle-class and the poor. These spending cuts would be made to education, grants for needy college students, domestic violence protection and shelters, rape crisis centers, law enforcement, health care, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, disability services, postal services, and other vital services that are vital to our lives and well-being. We all should be deeply concerned about and angry at the sheer injustice of tax breaks (and hefty ones at that) for millionaires and billionaires while spending cuts are being proposed that could force so many less fortunate people to have to sacrifice even more than they are already giving up! Supporters of these tax cuts for the "super-rich" have long argued that the "haves" are the job creators on whom the entire economy hangs and that tax breaks provide incentives for them to create jobs and rewards them for stimulating the economy so they will continue to create jobs and hire more people. Supporters have also contended that all this should "trickle down" to the rest of us. And they argue that wealth and success should not be punished. These arguments seem to make sense until one looks deeper. Years of tax cuts have not induced these "job creators" to generate more jobs and they haven't prevented massive lay-offs, an economy on the brink of ruin, or "trickled down" to most of the rest of us. These tax cuts have not done what they were supposed to do! Why should the government take from the middle-class and the poor when most can't afford to lose $$$ out of their pockets, and give even more $$$ to the super-wealthy, who don't need it in the first place?! Shouldn't those who have profitted from a way of life, as President Barack Obama asked earlier in the year, be asked to pay more? Isn't this only fair? Aren't we yet sick and tired of the simmering anger, frustration and even rage at a government that most have lost trust in and respect for?

The case for millionaires and billionaires being required to pay, percentagewise out of their gross incomes, as high a tax amount as the middle-class already pay, is that of moral obligation and the Biblical principle that "From him to whom much has been given, much will be required." So I find the arguments of the supporters for the "Bush tax cuts" to not only be in conflict with Biblical principles but also violate common sense. None of us who oppose tax cuts for the "super wealthy" wants to punish wealthy people, especially all those who have gotten their wealth from talent and hard work. It's just that we are living in a time when many, even most people are are being hit hard by this economy. Many are losing their jobs, losing their homes, surviving on fixed incomes or low-paying, dead-end jobs and many more fear unemployment, homelessness or losing access to government programs that they need to survive. And they are being asked to bear even MORE costs through spending cuts? It is wrong, unjust and cruel to require struggling and hurting middle-class and poor families and individuals to bear the devastation of spending cuts that would hurt them and AT THE SAME TIME sustain give even MORE $$$ in tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires!
Over and over, I have been confused, frustrated, disturbed and angry at the apparent lack of concern about and outrage over the proposed continuing of tax breaks for the wealthy and spending cuts that would affect the rest of us. Several times, when I have circulated petitions on Facebook calling for an end to tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, I have actually gotten negative responses to the petitions. Recently, one person, vehemently, commented in the comment area under my petition, that the rich are the "job creators," that taxing them more would hurt everyone else, that this person came from a family of successful people who got their success through hard work and how dare petitions like mine seek to punish families like this person's? All I know is that such an attitude is in stark contrast to that of the US President, Obama, who has gone on record as saying that he is willing to have his own taxes be raised and that all those, like him, who possess more wealth than most should pay more taxes to level the playing field for all of us in the arena of sacrifice.

Lest we forget, the hostility to ending tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires is in stark contrast to the attitude of God in His Son, Jesus. Christ, the richest Being in the world, with access not only to all Heavenly wealth and the worship of all the angels but Who also is the ultimate owner of all things on this Earth, at one time, became poor for all of us. He left Heaven and came to our Earth. He grew up in a poor family and as an adult, he was homeless and faced hunger and thirst and a humiliating death on a cross to save us from sin and its punishment. Then He was rewarded with a historical, bodily resurrection. Friends, whatever the outcome is with the proposed spending cuts and the co-proposed continued "Bush tax cuts," we can be assured that the God of the Bible identifies with the middle-class and the poor and that He truly feels our pain.

In the meantime, we ought to stand with President Obama, whatever we feel about him and unite behind him in his advocacy on behalf of those "99 percent of us" who are among the middle-class or even facing poverty. Only a united country can be healed from its ills. If we continue to be polarized we will continue to see our epidemics of all the evils that continually make the news, including violence, crimes of all sorts, unemployment, poverty, and so much more. If you have not hear the President's April 3 speech, you can do to this link and get an idea what it was about at this link: http://www.cbpp.org/. Or do a Google search for the April 3 speech from earlier this year.

Anyone who follows the news should be aware of the "fiscal cliff" debate that has been raging for months. In a nutshell, the "fiscal cliff" is a comprehensive package of across-the-board spending cuts and tax increases that would, more or less, hurt every person in the US with the exception of millionaires and billionaires and those with substantial savings. All of these hurtful spending cuts and tax increases are set to take effect by Tuesday, January 1, 2013, if Congress does not act promptly and come up with a deal. My hope is that they will arrive at some kind of deal within the next few days for the good not only of the US but of our allies all over the world who look up to us and whom we trade with. What will it take to finally unite both Houses of the US Congress and us as a country? When will we wake up?