Money

...it's a gas.

Quote from one of my superiors in a meeting last week: "There's no downside, in my mind, if you make more money." Clearly, this is the model for capitalism, but really? After what we've seen in the housing market over the past few months, how can you possibly utter such a phrase? If there's one thing we've learned as a nation (and I'm sure there's not), I hope it would be that there should be higher aspirations than the bottom line. That line has had me a little down over the past week.

Another depressing thought that's been running through my head is that all this bailout talk seems to be rewarding people who've endangered (literally) humanity.
Stephen Colbert: "I believe these guys should be able to speculate and do anything they want to make as much money as they want in any WAY that they want in the good times. And in the bad times, we should help them out so they can do it again later."

With no hyperbole, I believe the men and women in charge of these corporations were participating in evil practices. These practices were the center of their lives which makes them evil people. A few scriptures are running through my head. The most obvious, of course, is that "the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." (1 Tim 6:10) Here are some others to ponder...

"Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecc 5:10)

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" (Heb 13:5)

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." (2 Tim 3:1-5)

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" (Matt 6:24-27)

In this last one, Jesus is juxtaposing the desire for money and worry. These two and inherently tied, as we have seen over the past few weeks. Everyone is WORRIED about the FINANCIAL systems' seemingly imminent collapse. We're also worried about the people who've caused this mess being treated fairly. I'll end this blog with one more scripture.

Psalm 37 (I added some emphasis)

1 Do not fret because of evil men
or be envious of those who do wrong;

2 for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

3 Trust in the LORD and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4 Delight yourself in the LORD
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5 Commit your way to the LORD;
trust in him and he will do this:

6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9 For evil men will be cut off,
but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.

10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.

11 But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy great peace.

12 The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;

13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

...

16 Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;

17 for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the LORD upholds the righteous.

...

21 The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;

...

25 I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.

26 They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

27 Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.

...

35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,

36 but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
there is a future for the man of peace.

38 But all sinners will be destroyed;
the future of the wicked will be cut off.

39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the LORD;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40 The LORD helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

A summary of the bailout. By Stephen Colbert.

Maybe I'll just post what other people do. It's much easier that way.

Bill Clinton SNL

HIIIIII-larious!