Jesus’ Ministry
February 20, 2019
Scripture Reading: Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40
Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday. –Psalm 37:1-6
If it were not so serious, the advent of the mighty “socialism” becoming the scourge of our land would be amusing. Socialism is defined as any of various theories or social and political movements advocating or aiming at collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and control of the distribution of goods*. Does that sound like health care for all or free and appropriate education? These are both services that provide the workforce for capitalism to thrive. What we are doing as a nation is using our tax dollars so corporations can make big profits that are not being reinvested in the Common Good.
Contrary to popular opinion, most non-elderly adults receiving food stamps, Medicaid, and child care subsidies work. Our tax dollars provide these subsidies for corporations who do not pay living wages but who do enjoy the fruits of their employee’s labor through the profits the business earns. Cities and states routinely provide corporations tax incentives to encourage companies to locate in their area. We denigrate the recipients of public assistance while we hold in high esteem the moguls of industry both living off the dole with the corporations the ultimate winners in both instances.
The average CEO-to-worker pay ratio for the 168 companies included in this report stands at about about 70-to-1, with some CEOs making more than 300 times the median salary of their employees – just in cash (base pay, bonuses, profit sharing, etc.). Many CEOs receive substantial stock/option grants and perks as part of their compensation, which can more than quadruple their total annual pay. But similar data for employees by company is not readily available, so we looked solely at cash compensation for both CEOs and workers to calculate ratios for this report**.
Prayer: Lord, create in us clean hearts so our doing justice is not blinded by false prophets of greed. Amen.
*http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/socialism
**CEO Pay: How Much Do CEOs Make Compared to Their Employees? See at https://www.payscale.com/data-packages/ceo-pay