Thanks to all of you for keeping things interesting around here. I'm distracted by sunshine and gardening and Little League, but I want to provide you with a link to scientists and other intellectuals participating in the "does God exist" debate.
Currently I'm reading Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth." Its foundational premise is not new, but it is free from the usual jargon and esoterica: put simply, we are not our minds; we are not our ideas or thoughts. We exist apart from our egos. Freedom from sin/attachment begins in observing the mind as separate and in nurturing love/egolessness. Tolle seems to have struck a chord for gazillions of people: the longing to transcend the hollowness of materialism as well as the tribalism and loopy claims of religion. Or that is how I see it, at least. Please weigh in if you have read the book.
(MTH and others, feel free to ignore the One Campaign button. Whether or not poverty is eternal is simply unknowable. I think fighting it is worthwhile, but of course there are many ways to do that, locally and globally. Currently the victims of natural disasters in Burma and China can really use our help.
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poverty. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2008
Friday, February 08, 2008
Obama on Economic Justice
Today I joined 18,000 neighbors at a the Key Arena to see Barack Obama. The stadium was a multicolored sea. From my perch in the nosebleed section, the packed stadium resembled an enormous multi-colored braided rug, the kind they sell in the Land's End catalog. When the "wave" came through, it was like a strong wind ruffling the human rug.
It was thrilling, to say the least.
And so was Barack Obama. His wide-ranging speech was constantly interrupted by roars of approval, and only later, in this video was I able to catch all his words. I recommend watching the whole thing if you have time.
I found this particularly interesting:
"I believe in the free market, I believe in entrepreneurship, and I believe in capitalism. It is the most dynamic economy ever devised. But when CEOs are making more in 10 minutes than ordinary workers are making in a year, and it's the CEOs who are getting the tax breaks and ordinary workers are left holding the bag, something is out of balance."
"We need to restore a sense of balance in our country . . . . if you work in this country, you should not be poor."
Here are some startling statistics:
In 2006, 36.5 million people were in poverty, and 35.5 million Americans lived in "food insecure" households, 22.8 million adults and 12.6 million children. On any given night in America, anywhere from 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless, according the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
Poverty in America is considerably higher today than it was in the 1970s and children are especially affected. The U.S. lags behind other developed countries in this area. While Denmark and Finland lead 26 participating OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries with child poverty rates below 3 percent, Mexico and the United States are at the other end of the spectrum, both with child poverty rates of more than 20 percent.
The above is from this article decrying the media's silence about this issue.
I'm glad our candidates are talking about economic justice.
I'd like to know what you think about it.
It was thrilling, to say the least.
And so was Barack Obama. His wide-ranging speech was constantly interrupted by roars of approval, and only later, in this video was I able to catch all his words. I recommend watching the whole thing if you have time.
I found this particularly interesting:
"I believe in the free market, I believe in entrepreneurship, and I believe in capitalism. It is the most dynamic economy ever devised. But when CEOs are making more in 10 minutes than ordinary workers are making in a year, and it's the CEOs who are getting the tax breaks and ordinary workers are left holding the bag, something is out of balance."
"We need to restore a sense of balance in our country . . . . if you work in this country, you should not be poor."
Here are some startling statistics:
In 2006, 36.5 million people were in poverty, and 35.5 million Americans lived in "food insecure" households, 22.8 million adults and 12.6 million children. On any given night in America, anywhere from 700,000 to 2 million people are homeless, according the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty.
Poverty in America is considerably higher today than it was in the 1970s and children are especially affected. The U.S. lags behind other developed countries in this area. While Denmark and Finland lead 26 participating OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries with child poverty rates below 3 percent, Mexico and the United States are at the other end of the spectrum, both with child poverty rates of more than 20 percent.
The above is from this article decrying the media's silence about this issue.
I'm glad our candidates are talking about economic justice.
I'd like to know what you think about it.
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