“You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless; when you’re kind to the poor, you honor God.” from The Message, Proverbs 14:31
The July 6 / July 13 issue of TIME magazine included an article titled, “12 Ways Trump Has Deepened Inequality.” All can be devastating to the people they impact and all are mean spirited, but three in particular hit families struggling to pay the rent and feed their families. They are: 1) Limiting access to food stamps, 2) Pushing to reduce access to future benefits, and 3) Trying to tie access to basic health care to work.
Despite the problems created by the virus, inequality is still considered the greatest problem in the world today and it seems especially bad in the USA. It is time for all of us to be open to and work for the changes necessary to provide equal opportunities for all, and to insure that every man, woman and child has equal rights under the law, and is treated equally regardless of the color of their skin, their nationality, their sexuality, their religion, or their net worth.
It is time to read and listen to the experts, to better understand all the ways our laws have intentionally or inadvertently added to the problems of inequality and how we as individuals have unknowingly done the same.
I would suggest that it is also time for all of us to re-read The Declaration of Independence. Why? Because if you substitute the name Trump for The King of Great Britain, it is downright scary how many places there are that make your blood run cold and send shivers up your back. It is also time to recognize that Trump’s efforts to exploit the poor are an insult to God.
What will you do to educate yourself about the root problems of inequality?
Blessings on your efforts to honor God in this fight for equal rights,
Judy Osgood
July 20, 2020