Work should work
This morning's Times Union runs an editorial about last week's House vote on the minimum wage and the subsequent decision facing the Senate now: to accept the minimum wage increase along with the repeal of portions of the estate tax, or to reject both proposals. Increasing the minimum wage is intended to help the working poor in our society; repealing parts of the estate tax benefits only the wealthiest of the wealthy. The TU states that this type of politics happens all the time but Congress "counts on the public's inattention." Well, I'm paying attention and I'm upset.
I try to get the Y at least three times a week to spend some time on the treadmill. Running outdoors doesn't work as well for me: but the monotony of the treadmill, my mp3 U2, and sometimes the television makes the monotony of running a bit easier for me to take. Last Friday on the treadmill I saw 25 minutes of Oprah whose topic engaged me more than my music: she interviewed a couple who spent 30 days living on minimum wage and trying to survive. I missed the first and last parts of the show, so I don't know a lot of the details or how it turned out for them, but I watched it because earlier in the day I had called my congressman to ask him to support the increase of the minimum wage.
Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren teamed up to write "Adventures in Missing the Point." In a chapter on Social Action, Tony says, "When we talk about Jesus, we must make it clear that he is not just interested in our well-being in the afterlife. He is a Savior who is at work in the world today trying to save the world from what it is, and make it into a place where people can live together with dignity." In short, Jesus cares a whole lot about how we treat the least of these who live among us.
And so I've signed on to Jim Wallace's Covenant for a New America which seeks to bring issues of poverty to our leadership and ask that they work to eliminate the injustices of the current system. Specifically: people who work should be able to live off what they make, children should not have to suffer the consequences of being poor, and we should take steps to end extreme global poverty.
Jesus said "by their fruits you shall know them" or "how you treated the least of these you treated me." Church should point to a Savior at work in the world ... and then go about helping Christ make a place where people can live together with dignity.
I try to get the Y at least three times a week to spend some time on the treadmill. Running outdoors doesn't work as well for me: but the monotony of the treadmill, my mp3 U2, and sometimes the television makes the monotony of running a bit easier for me to take. Last Friday on the treadmill I saw 25 minutes of Oprah whose topic engaged me more than my music: she interviewed a couple who spent 30 days living on minimum wage and trying to survive. I missed the first and last parts of the show, so I don't know a lot of the details or how it turned out for them, but I watched it because earlier in the day I had called my congressman to ask him to support the increase of the minimum wage.
Tony Campolo and Brian McLaren teamed up to write "Adventures in Missing the Point." In a chapter on Social Action, Tony says, "When we talk about Jesus, we must make it clear that he is not just interested in our well-being in the afterlife. He is a Savior who is at work in the world today trying to save the world from what it is, and make it into a place where people can live together with dignity." In short, Jesus cares a whole lot about how we treat the least of these who live among us.
And so I've signed on to Jim Wallace's Covenant for a New America which seeks to bring issues of poverty to our leadership and ask that they work to eliminate the injustices of the current system. Specifically: people who work should be able to live off what they make, children should not have to suffer the consequences of being poor, and we should take steps to end extreme global poverty.
Jesus said "by their fruits you shall know them" or "how you treated the least of these you treated me." Church should point to a Savior at work in the world ... and then go about helping Christ make a place where people can live together with dignity.
posted by Jake at 10:21 AM
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