Small businesses make up 99.7% of all employer companies, but employ less than half of all private sector employees. Of the non-farm sector in 2007, small businesses employed 60 million people and corporations employed 61 million. Small businesses pay 44% of the total U.S. private payroll. Of course, the goal of most small businesses is to grow into large businesses.
Now Jim Wallis has made it a matter of Christian necessity. If you aren't standing with these "Occupy Wall Street" people, you're standing against Jesus. (I'm really amused when he suggests that you send the protesters a pizza, like some of these pizza companies aren't among the "big corporations" that are being protested.) This, you see, is because the number one priority of Christianity is to eliminate poverty. (Unfortunately, I missed that commission in Scripture.)
As it turns out, those other guys -- you know, the ones that employ more than half of all private sector employees, pay more than 50% of private sector payrolls, and are the aim of most small businesses -- have become the enemy. Corporations are "them". They're the ones to overthrow, to tax, to throw out on their ear. We will protest them loudly on the computers they made for us, express our complaints via the smartphones they've built for us, take time off from working for them to raise our voices while we wear the clothes they made for us and take pictures of the event with the cameras they produced for us. Down with corporations!
And somewhere in the back of my head is this small voice saying something about biting hands that feed and that kind of nonsense ...
But, really, that's not what this is about. It's not about eliminating corporations. Okay, to a small number who aren't thinking about it, perhaps, but not to most. No, the complaint we see is against "corporate greed" and the number we see is "99%". The protest is that there is a group of people -- 1% of the population -- who are richer than all the rest of us. One percent of the population is rich, and the rest of us are poor. Thus, the demand is that the 1% surrender their status as rich and give it to the rest of us, the poor.
The other night on the news I heard a talking head say, "The Tea Party has accused the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement of being anti-capitalism." I thought that was a stretch. (He didn't cite any references.) (And I don't cite the media member I quoted because I can't exactly recall which one it was.) Then I thought about it more. According to Dictionary.com, capitalism is "an economic system in which investment in and ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange of wealth is made and maintained chiefly by private individuals or corporations, especially as contrasted to cooperatively or state-owned means of wealth." The demand from this group is that the government put an end ... to capitalism. Wealth must not be left to private individuals or corporations. It must be distributed.
One of the repeated messages regarding this "Occupy Wall Street" movement that I have heard from multiple sources ranging from news outlets to David Letterman is that what they want isn't at all clear. As you see the outrage and read the banners and follow the "movement", keep that in mind. They don't know where they're going. "What do we want? We don't know! When do we want it? Now!!" Do they want the dismantling of corporations? Let's hope they're not that foolish. The impact on life and the economy -- ours and the world -- would be devastating. Do they want the government to mandate the redistribution of wealth? Let's hope not. We don't really want to switch from a free enterprise nation to a communist nation. Do they really believe that 99% of America is "the poor"? I'm afraid that's often the case -- a group of people too ungrateful to recognize what they have and too blind to see the vast difference between a poor American and a poor African (as an example). But, then, ingratitude is a standard problem among humans, isn't it? Since ingratitude is so heartily condemned in Scripture, I would have to disagree with Mr. Wallis. Standing with the ungrateful to oppose those who have more than we do simply on the basis that they have more than we do is not a Christian act. It's not even American.
6 comments:
I was listening to talk radio the other day about this. George Soros planned these demonstrations back in March. He wants to bring down our evil capitalist system.
Many of the protesters are college students who were given pizza to show up, and don't even know what they are protesting against.
I wonder if they realize that from a global perspective they are in at least the top 10% in terms of wealth. I know some Haitians who would be happy to share some of their wealth or pizza.
This is the thing that boggles my mind. When the "American poor" includes a microwave, television, cable TV, and a cell phone, I begin to wonder exactly what "poor" really means. When voices claim that we have "millions living below the poverty line", I begin to question exactly where that line is drawn. And when I read a sign that says, "America, 99% poor, 1% rich", I think, "You keep using that word. I do not think that word means what you think it means."
I did section 8 inspections for a while and the first thing I saw in 85% of the houses was a @50" flat screen TV, and this was a few years ago before big flat screens got "inexpensive". I agree that we need to re think poor. I suspect that a number of "poor folks" probably could live well, albeit simply" if they weren't spending on things that many would consider luxuries. (Cell phone, multiple cars, TV's, electronice, bling, etc.)
I know plenty of Haitians who aspire to the standard of living of the American "poor".
This is not to say that poverty doesn't exist or isn't something to be concerned about, just that standard of living of American poor is pretty good by world standards.
I believe, this is not the first time that hungry blind men see things better than visionary leaders. : )) I spent the first 27 years of my life in communism, and the last 20 have seen the struggle as people would like to come out of it. I’m really grateful. Not belonging to the noble workers class and their children I got the feeling quite early in my childhood what does it mean not belonging to this world. I thank God for it (giving thanks for pain : )) ), because God gave his presence to me, to which no Wall Street is comparable. I Occupy the Presence of God. It seems those guys left the First Love, if they ever had it.
When the principle of ownership structure is changed from contribution to equality, then nobody wants to contribute any more, or if anyone would want he will be beaten down. Everyone will be equal, equally poor. Well, not quite, because there are always some who are more equal as we know it, but anyway. So the people become brain washed with the evil pirate code ”Take what you can, give nothing back”, minds are set to take not to give, and after a while there is nothing left to be taken.
Miklós,
Thank you very much for the input from one who has actually experienced communism. I also knew a man from China who said the same sort of thing.
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