I was thinking more today about the blog I wrote last night...after I finally got my ability to think back.
I was asking myself some of those questions about relating the truth of Christ's character to my culture. That and the fact that I just read an awesome key note speech by Barak Obama and some thoughts by Hillary Clinton got me thinking about how that story of Jesus calling and believing in those whom society sees as failures affects my political leanings.
I was asking Matt if he had heard any of the good excuses about why Congress voted to not raise the minium wage but he hadn't. He suspected that it had to do with the fear that companies would outsource more jobs if they had to pay Americans more money. Makes sense.
So my question is why aren't we creating laws that limit companies ability to outsource jobs? Oh yeah, free market. I think this is a perfect example of how we as a nation have a serious tendency to favor the rich and powerful and ignore those who are "less" in the eyes of society. We pass laws that benefit corporations and hurt the poor. That's crappy policy making in my opinion. It seems to me that if our political leaders claim to speak for God (or be placed in their positions b/c of God's favor) then maybe they should be trying to stand for the things Jesus stood for. If politicians are going to play the faith card, they should be fighting to overcome poverty and injustice for the weak and powerless, not seeking more and more ways to bless the rich and powerful.
I read an article that referred to the Bush administration as having a reverse robin hood complex. That phrase has rolled around in my head a lot.
By the way, you should check out the key note speech by Barak Obama. Great, fair and honest speech! I'm hoping he might be a possible candidate for the next presidential election...
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=news.display_article&mode=C&NewsID=5454
1 comment:
Hello,
I'm another Nissen! I came across your blog completely by accident during some research.
I'm not sure if we are distantly related - it is hard to tell. I suspect so because we share a very similar political outlook, and, if I may say, we are both very good looking ;-) My extended family is testament to this genetic fact - there's not one ugly one amongst us all!
It seems the Nissens have been scattered to the four corners of the globe (actually, when I last counted there were 12 corners.) My great-grandfather ran away to sea as the eldest son of a pig farmer in Denmark (not wanting to pursue the vocation chosen for him) and ended up in New Zealand. My Grandfather married an visiting Englishwoman and thus my family ended up here.
Myself - I'd have rather ended up in Vancouver. I stayed there for nearly a month two years ago and loved it. You are lucky to be in that neck of the woods. But since that corner has already been colonised by a Nissen, I'll have to set my sights elsewhere and choose an alternative corner to eventually retire to.
Keep up the Nissening...
Ciao
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