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christcnection1
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Should there be greater distribution of wealth in the United States? If so, what is the right way to go about it? If not, please also share your thoughts.
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buffalo
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Incent more giving through favorable tax policies for charities and foundations.
A question to ask is what millionaire has his money in his mattress? And if he doesn’t, where is it?
A question to ask is what millionaire has his money in his mattress? And if he doesn’t, where is it?
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T700
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I like your answer! One of my favorite quotes comes from the very wealthy philanthropist Andrew Carnegie who said, “A man who dies rich is disgraced”.
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christcnection1
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What about for the working poor? …for those individuals who may be good people, hard-working, but may not have great intelligence or have a variety of obstacles standing in their way…
I ask this because through various experiences in the last few years, I have been exposed to many individuals who are in this position… On many levels they are more “deserving” than others.
I come from a middle-class home, have a degree, and am capable of making much more than I make now. It’s obvious that many good and hard working people will never emerge from this cycle of relative poverty, even if they do nearly everything they are capable of.
It seems a great injustice how there is a great disparity of wealth, and in many ways, it makes it much harder to live the faith as a mother/father if they so choose.
How is one parent, or even two going to be able to raise a family on ten to fifteen dollars an hour? This is the case for many individuals. And even if one could struggle through that reality, is that just, especially with the kind of wealth we have here?
Finally, our situation is a lot better than other countries. But we are far from the beacon we could be in this area. It doesn’t take too many strikes against you to be unable to find good work and a good paying job in this country.
There ought to be greater mercy for the working poor. I’m not referring to individuals who are not helping themselves; I’m talking about individuals who are genuinely working hard, trying to do all the right things, but the system will just continue to suffocate them and their offspring.
It’s understandable why many deserving people just don’t escape the (relative) poverty cycle.
I ask this because through various experiences in the last few years, I have been exposed to many individuals who are in this position… On many levels they are more “deserving” than others.
I come from a middle-class home, have a degree, and am capable of making much more than I make now. It’s obvious that many good and hard working people will never emerge from this cycle of relative poverty, even if they do nearly everything they are capable of.
It seems a great injustice how there is a great disparity of wealth, and in many ways, it makes it much harder to live the faith as a mother/father if they so choose.
How is one parent, or even two going to be able to raise a family on ten to fifteen dollars an hour? This is the case for many individuals. And even if one could struggle through that reality, is that just, especially with the kind of wealth we have here?
Finally, our situation is a lot better than other countries. But we are far from the beacon we could be in this area. It doesn’t take too many strikes against you to be unable to find good work and a good paying job in this country.
There ought to be greater mercy for the working poor. I’m not referring to individuals who are not helping themselves; I’m talking about individuals who are genuinely working hard, trying to do all the right things, but the system will just continue to suffocate them and their offspring.
It’s understandable why many deserving people just don’t escape the (relative) poverty cycle.
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buffalo
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Vote for elected officials who will pass legislation that strengthens the family, not weaken it.
Eliminate the marriage penalty. Give more tax credits to families with moe children. Give property tax breaks to those households with a father and a mother. Give a lower interest rate to larger families with a father and a mother present.
Give vouchers to those families that wish to send their children to private school.
Encourage Catholic schools to invert their tuition fees to make them family friendly.
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Scottgun
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Great ideas. Especially the first. I would take issue with the vouchers with qualification. I am completely in support of breaking the stranglehold of social-experimentation labs that are most public school systems, but the problem is getting those vouchers without strings attached. Giving private/Catholic schools government money means giving the government leverage against their ciriculum and methods.
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buffalo
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The vouchers go to the family. They decide what school to cash them in at. This will bring educational competition.
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Caesar517
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I am of the opinion that forced redistrubution of wealth is immoral.
How does someone get from “a good, hard working poor person” to "a person who ‘deserves’ and ‘has a right to’ the fruit of someone else’s labor?
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Scottgun
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Yes, I realize that, and government might be able to not monkey around for a short while and with a favorable administration, but in the long run, after getting used to voucher money, the government could say, “hmm, taking tax-payer money are you? Let’s see your Planned Parenthood comprehensive sex-ed program for six-graders or all bets are off!” If I thought there was some way to protect against this, I’d be all for it. The power you give to a current administration becomes the power of the next. Unfortunatley, with the upcoming adminstration, not only are vouchers unlikely, but religious/private schools are really going to get hammered and possibly homeschoolers as well. But I suppose I digress.
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bilop
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- Tariffs on goods from countries that have no labor/environmental protections and manipulate the terms of trade (especially China). This will allow U.S. manufacturers to compete.
- Eliminate corporate income tax to encourage companies to locate in U.S. and not move off-shore.
- Stop illegal immigration, and sharply curtail legal immigration. Added competition from immigrants suppresses wage of unskilled labor dramatically.
- Eliminate public schools. Privatize all existing public schools (I’d just give them to the teachers). Finance K-12 education on a state-wide level with a voucher for a fixed $ amount (adjusted for cost of living within state). Let the schools compete for students.
- Raise the per-child tax deduction dramatically.
- Replace all health insurance with a single type of private plan - high deductible catastrophic care insurance, with a Medical Savings Account where the insured can accumulate unspent $). The government will provide vouchers to help poor and elderly pay. The government will not manage any of the programs.
- Limit senior executive compensation (not sure how), especially pay tied to short term stock performance. Make all bonuses remain in a restricted account for at least five years, where it can be taken back if malfeasance is discovered.
God Bless
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buffalo
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You have made a valid point. Some state already give $ to schools and they now have that issue to worry about.Yes, I realize that, and government might be able to not monkey around for a short while and with a favorable administration, but in the long run, after getting used to voucher money, the government could say, “hmm, taking tax-payer money are you? Let’s see your Planned Parenthood comprehensive sex-ed program for six-graders or all bets are off!” If I thought there was some way to protect against this, I’d be all for it. The power you give to a current administration becomes the power of the next. Unfortunatley, with the upcoming adminstration, not only are vouchers unlikely, but religious/private schools are really going to get hammered and possibly homeschoolers as well. But I suppose I digress.
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puzzleannie
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we already have it
we pay taxes
the gubmint spreads it around
we pay taxes
the gubmint spreads it around
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royal_archer
Guest
Who are you, or any of us for that matter, to say who is more deserving? The Bible is very clear on how wealth is to be distributed. Though shall not steal and we are to help the poor out of our own free will.
I also presume there may be some divine intervention moving the wealth to places other than what we may feel is appropriate. For instance wealth may be put to better use in the hands of Bill Gates than me. Going back to sunday’s readings. Some people are more able and therefore have been given responsibility for more wealth with the expectation that they will do more with it.
If you are more capable, then why are you not making more?
Personally I am capable of making more but choose not to for a variety of reasons including quality of life, reduced stress, pleasureable work environment, etc.
Regardless of income level, married couples will find it easier to make ends meet than if they remained single.
By increaing wages,you are just making it so the cost of living will also go up, leaving them in the same situation they are in now. The better question would be: How do we create a situation were they can live with in their means? Moe afordable housing, cars, clothes, food, etc.
You will notice that people are risking their lives to get into this country while (up till the recent election) very few were intent on leaving.
Understanding that this will come off more insensitive than intended, we have to consider that part of the cycle of poverty is people who are not self sufficient, having children who have less hope of becoming self sufficient adults. We need to create a situation where people feel like they will be held responsible for raising the children they conceive. This will help to curb the number of children born into poverty.
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thomfra
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Of all the statements spoken in ignorance. This one takes the cake.I am of the opinion that forced redistrubution of wealth is immoral.
How does someone get from “a good, hard working poor person” to "a person who ‘deserves’ and ‘has a right to’ the fruit of someone else’s labor?
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thomfra
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Yes. And the way you have exercised this free will is through the democratic election of your government, who will hopefully help the poor more than the last bunch.
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Caesar517
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Good, I like cake.
Would you care to enlighten me with your superior knowledge and wisdom or merely declare me ignorant without explaining why?
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stinkcat_14
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They become auto executivesHow does someone get from “a good, hard working poor person” to "a person who ‘deserves’ and ‘has a right to’ the fruit of someone else’s labor?
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Bullfighter
Guest
This is a very intelligent question and I can respond from the poverty end of it.
The first thing to do in the United States is to treat loyal Americans with the first right to that aid. Why are we as Americans giving aid to people who have never paid the price an American had to pay.
Why do Americans go homeless while foreigners get fed with American money?
Why are Americans denied healthcare while foreigners have a blank check to medical care?
Why are Americans who worked their whole lives being denied benefits and foreigners who just stepped across the border being allowed to reap those benefits?
And why does a Catholic Church who claims to speak for justice endorse these actions?
I live in a town outside of Chicago that has been taken over by those foreigners. My house is constantly under siege by gangs, the children of those foreigners. I have seen senior citizens attacked, in broad daylight, steps away for their Church, on a Sunday morning by these foreigners.
And yet, no help comes to those descendants of the soldiers of WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam, etc. Is that justice?
I guess that’s what foreigners call social justice.
The foreigners that I speak of drive 2008 SUVs, own homes, give their children brand new clothes, toys, cell phones, etc…yet still claim poverty. I drive a 20 year old Olds, live in a broken down home, and can’t feel safe anywhere except the Catholic Church that my grandparents built with hundreds of other European immigrants who didn’t receive a handout. That same Church must now have Aztec rituals performed near the altar to appease the foreigners who occasionally attend Mass.
I guess that is what foreigners call social justice.
My grandfather was in WW1, my father and uncles in WW2, and I missed being in Vietnam by 1 year. Americans paid the price so third world nations could force their culture on us.
I guess that is what foreigners call social justice.
As a child going to a Catholic school, I remember collections being taken up for the poor of those third world countries. It is interesting to go on the United Nations website and see the result of all the aid sent to those countries.
In 1950, the population of Mexico was around 28 million people and the average life expectancy was 50 years of age.
In 2005, the population of Mexico was around 107 million people and the average life expectancy was 75 years of age.
The population of Mexico almost quadrupled and the life expectancy jumped by 50%
In 1950, the population of the US was around 158 million people and the average life expectancy was 69 years of age.
In 2005, the population of the US was around 298 million people and the average life expectancy was around 78 years of age.
The US population has even doubled and Mexicans live almost as long as Americans.
The United Nations judges quality of life too. It’s called the Human Development Index. Out of 177 countries listed, the United States ranks 12th and Mexico ranks 52nd.
I guess all that money that was collected at Catholic schools did some good.
Except for poor Americans today.
I guess that is what foreigners call social justice.
It should be noted that after WW1, the people of Denmark opened their hearts and their homes to the children of Germany and for many years took care of them.
Twenty years would pass and those same children would march into Denmark and enslave the very people who took care of them years before.
I guess that is what Nazis called social justice.
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christcnection1
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All the family friendly tax incentives that were refered to by other posters a form of wealth distribution. Are you saying you disagree with that?I am of the opinion that forced redistrubution of wealth is immoral.
How does someone get from “a good, hard working poor person” to "a person who ‘deserves’ and ‘has a right to’ the fruit of someone else’s labor?
Perhaps the word deserving is not good. Likewise, no one “deserves” the fruit of their own labor in the strictest sense. It’s a gift from God, whether we worked for it or not.
My point is that there are many good individuals who work very hard, but the system is largely set up for failure, particularly for those who have additional hurdles to begin with.
Are you suggesting it’s good that the gap between the haves and have nots is a good thing for civilization? If so, why? If not, what can reasonably be done to solve this?
If wealthy individuals were more generous, and voluntarily supported those in need, this would not be an issue in my mind. Of course, we are far from that. Capitalism largely breeds greed, though I do think it’s better than many systems.
Finally, what specifically in Church teaching leads you to believe that a some mandated distribution of wealth is not God’s will?
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christcnection1
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None of us are deserving of anything. It’s all God’s grace, not earned. But if the money is Caesar’s (give unto Caesar), isn’t Caesar free to do with it what he wants? The Bible is not clear on what type of government is best.
I agree.
Because I believe I can better serve Christ in my neighbor where I am.
I like the job less, make less money, but have some consolation that I’m helping those in need. Actually, I believe the Lord is leading me to the priesthood, so please say a prayer for me.
I agree. But often this means distribution of wealth in those areas.
For sure… and if I was living in a nearby country and could barely feed my family, I would do the same thing. It’s largely a matter of survival for many of these folks.
This is not insensitive; it’s common sense. (…unfortunately not common enough) I completely agree.
Still, I believe there are individuals who will need much help outside of family, for various reasons. I believe we ought to take a both/and approach: help from the charitable institutions and government.
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