Grabby Grabby | The Good of Affluence

Grabby Grabby

Money, Love, Desire - The Good of Affluence

Written by Douglas Wilson

Thursday, 12 February 2009 06:32

In this our financial crisis, an archbishop has stepped forward to thunder out a message of selective repentance. The meltdown has led him to observe, and it was a pretty fair shot too, that a lot of people out there were worshipping a lot of money. Look where that got us, hey? But then he says that repentance will mean a willingness to have our taxes raised. Well, as the fellow said, you should just hush my puppies.

Looks like somebody doesn't have to repent of its never-ending, oleaginous, grasping, oily, unctuous ways. No, the government can suck up money like a vacuum cleaner with super powers, and trillions of dollars were just so many popcorn crumbs on the carpet. And no matter how much money they gather in their perennial game of grabby grabby, it is always seen as a mark of compassion for them to do so. As I remarked in another post, when Anglican archbishops understand economics, can the child and the cobra be far behind?

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Last Updated on Thursday, 12 February 2009 06:32

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Respectabiggle

Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:47 am

Nixon said, "When the President does it, that means it's not illegal."

Apparently, that also means that it's not sinful, either.

Chris Witmer

Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:59 am

Respectabiggle, "Nixon" -- or "Nixxon" -- should be the new title that we give to our Liar-In-Chief. "Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the 44th Nixxon of the United States, who is not a crook" [and the music plays] . . .

Paul Huxley

Thursday, February 12, 2009 7:47 am

Perhaps we can set up a website that tracks archbishop's statements on economics and calculates the likely date of Christ's return. A sort of postmillennial 'Left Behind Prophecy Club'.

BrentR

Thursday, February 12, 2009 8:08 am

You've got to put this in perspective though. If your dollar is devalued by 75%, and taxes only go up by 50%...we'll its kind of like a tax cut when you look at it that way.

In a couple of years from now, when Morgan Tsvangirai is again taking an oath of office (this time from Obama), one of his first proclamations will be that all government payrolls will now be in Zimbabwean Dollars.

Michael Duchemin

Friday, February 13, 2009 4:46 am

Except for the fact that devaluing the dollar is itself a tax and the fact that the progressive taxation brackets will be sure to move up slower than the dollar's devaluation.

Double the taxes! Triple the taxes! Squeeze every last drop out of those insolent...musical...peasants.

Bob Donaldson

Monday, February 16, 2009 4:30 am

There will be an interesting collision between Obama-style "tax cuts" and the AMT in a few years. massive inflation triggered by the "stimulous" nonsense will result in "middle class" Americans being simultaneously eligible for "tax rebates" when they never paid taxes in the first place *and* subject to AMT on those rebates (since AMT is not indexed to inflation). Of course, maybe someone in Congress will end up passing some regulation *after* they read it that will correct that oversight.

lewsta

Tuesday, February 17, 2009 4:28 pm

Someone in Congress reading legislation BEFORE voting on it? that is about as likely as an archbishop accurately unerstanding economics. I heard today that the recent charade of legislation was actually voted upon before it was even completed. Four thousand pages or so.... and three days to "study" it? I doubt any significant number of our "representatives" even knew how many pages it comprised, leave alone the content of any of those pages. I doubt even Ron Paul was able to speed read the whole thing.... though I've little doubt he read enough to know to vote against it. I'd ask what were they thinking, but it is obvious they weren't. Do monkeys in the marble zoo actually think they can carry off this sort of nonsense indefinitely? How stupid to they REALLY think we are? (perhaps the operant question ought to be how stupid are we, really?) SO far we've been very.... but I sincerely hope that changes, and soon.

Don Rubottom

Thursday, February 19, 2009 5:09 am

I am conservative, anti-tax, anti-big-government--holding these as policy positions. I am continually shocked by the display by Christian conservatives, seemingly outside politically active circles, of vehement hostility against nearly every policy choice made by our body politic. It seems to me that, as in the OT, we receive from the merciful hand of God the government that He ordains for us; in America it is expressed through the will of the people. Do we despise the people for the ignorance? Do we despise the people because they do not listen to us and believe like we do? Or should we have compassion on the people afflicted by foolishness and pray and work diligently for their enlightenment? The picture on your dollars is Washington. Give to Washington the things that are Washington's. As bad as "it is", we are the freest and most prosperous people on all of human history.
Become all things to all men in hope that some might be saved. Stop despising the people OR their chosen respresentatives. Try loving and working. Stop being against those who are not against us. Let God sort 'em out. As much as possible, live at peace with all men.

Ryan Gyurkovitz

Thursday, February 19, 2009 9:36 am

Don, I hardly know where to begin...

First, the majority of Americans whether conservative Christian or not thought the bailouts were a bad idea. How making fun of politicians not beholden to their constituency is going to alienate the unsaved is quite beyond me.

Second, you are presenting us with a false dilemma. We may oppose every action our government takes while courteously and civilly presenting the gospel to our neighbors.

Third, this is the internet my friend. Your comment about us being "seemingly outside politically active circles" cannot be justified by anything you have read here. Many of us are politically active, but we are more likely to show up at a city council meeting than a John McCain rally. Accepting the prevailing wisdom that authority in this country is supposed to flow from the top down rather than from the people to the top does no service to anyone.

God bless, Ryan

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