In the richest country in the world, there are hungry children living among us. There are those dying of diseases and illnesses because they cannot get adequate health care. Many of our neighbors are unhoused. Because they cannot afford a place to live. Many of us are anxious about becoming destitute, unable to provide for ourselves or our loved ones. We imagine being homeless, going bankrupt, and unable to pay medical bills or put food on the table. We lay in bed running the scenarios through our mind…sleepless nights worrying that there is not enough. And even when we see massive amounts of money literally being thrown away by those in power, much of it our money as taxpayers, we continue to believe that there is not enough. We have internalized a wrong idea. It is why many of us begrudge support offered to the poor. We believe they are living off public dollars taken from a “pool of not enough.”
We learn that a paramilitary group hired by our government lost 5 billion dollars. Officials have no idea where it went or how it was spent. We see the 1% spending huge amounts of money on toys for their entertainment as we sit at the dinner table trying to decide how to pay tuition for a child that wants to go to college. We hear about the huge tax breaks that are offered to the wealthiest among us while we feel the heat from the IRS asking for money we do not have. So in the richest country in the world, what is not enough?
We are told by our government and health insurance officials that there is not enough…to provide health care for our citizens although every other industrialized country does it on a much smaller national budget than ours. While the CEOs of our health insurance companies reap millions and billions in profits. we see our neighbors and family members get sick and die from illnesses that could have been cured. And we realize that our elected officials have the best health care possible. Provided by taxpayer dollars. We hear that there is not enough to feed hungry kids and yet the families of our elected officials lead lavish lifestyles. And our businesses and corporations tell us that they cannot afford to provide a living wage. While our CEOs become billionaires, we work long hours…time away from family and friends for a paycheck that for many of us, barely makes ends meet. Working two jobs leaves no room for rest or leisure. Many of us are exhausted and demoralized from the daily grind of surviving in America, the richest country in the world. The sense of insecurity many of us face often leads to depression, anxiety, and all kinds of physical problems.
Are we being bamboozled and exploited by the rich and powerful elite who seem to have it all… mostly from the fruits of our labor? Are we are socialized to accept that this is the way it is? And that we should not complain about it. “ Pull yourself up by your own bootstrap, “they say even when we have no boots. We must grovel and sweat to get our share because they say there is not enough for everybody. A wealthy owner of a powerful corporation once said. “keep a man hungry and you can get him to work for anything. The idea that “there is not enough” advantages those at the top of the human food chain. Because it keeps the rest of us fighting with each other over the few crumbs they throw at us. While they walk away with their pockets full. We are told that the average working American is the most productive and talented in the world. And corporate leaders and lawmakers still refuse to support legislation that mandates a living wage for them. Because they say, there is not enough. And it is estimated that CEOs of major corporations make on average 1000% more than their workers. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon is worth 152.1 billion dollars. Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook is worth 102.4 billion dollars, Bill Gates is worth 116.9 billion dollars. And Warren Buffett who is worth 114.1 billion dollars once acknowledged that he paid less federal income tax than his secretary. Many of the CEOs of the richest corporations pay little or no federal income tax. And yet they benefit from our infrastructure, the safety of law enforcement, our highways, the electrical grids, our schools, and our waterways. And they tell us it is too much of a burden to pay their fair share of federal income taxes that pay for those benefits because they do not have enough.
The recent fight, among our lawmakers, about whether to raise the debt ceiling was premised on the idea that America is going broke and there is not enough to go around. But as we were having that debate millions of dollars were being spent on supporting the Ukraine military, which I support. We gave tax breaks to millionaires who do not need it and were not asking for it. We provide top-of-the-line benefits to members of Congress and those in our judicial system. We do not skimp on providing for those we view as wealthy and powerful. I am not begrudging their affluence. I applaud those who through their ingenuity and brilliance create things that make our lives more comfortable. But the idea that there is not enough is a lie. It is the poor and marginalized to whom we say…there is not enough. Perverse, isn’t it? Those that don’t need… get, and those that do need… don’t. We say this is a Christian nation guided by the teachings of Jesus Christ. At least that is what we say. But Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” and “What you do to the least of these, you do unto me.” I wonder how he would judge us as his followers.
The issue it seems to me is not about having enough or scarcity. It is about how we choose to spend our enormous resources. And whether we are willing as a people to help all of us live well. Most of us are not pining for the enormous wealth of Bezos, Zuckerberg, Gates, or Buffett. And we do not begrudge their success. I know I do not. We want to have enough to provide for ourselves comfortably, send our kids to college, afford health care, take a vacation every now and then, and have a comfortable retirement.
What if we held a different belief? What if we believed there is enough? And as human beings who want a peaceful and prosperous world, we support everyone living prosperous lives and being able to realize and fulfill their destiny. What if we believed that the more we invested in helping each other the more prosperity there is? Prosperity actually multiplies when we help each other. What kind of society/world might we create if we practiced that kind of care and generosity toward ourselves and those around us?
Next Post: Wrong Idea 3
The Everybody as Our Own Movement is bold, audacious, courageous, elegant, compassionate and ethical. Let’s start the wave and create an Everybody as Our Own nation.
You Are Welcome Here.
Lutricia (Pat) Callair