Living in the Spirit
October 5, 2021
Scripture Reading: Amos 5:10-15
They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins—
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
The economy in the USA is out of balance. It has been for some time, and the tax cut of 2017 made it much worse. The poverty rate is meaningless in today’s economy. It was designed in the late fifties based on multiplying the cost of food by three. The federal minimum wage is just as outdated, and correcting it would cause significant challenges to the economy. I would throw them out and use the living wage as a marker of families having enough to live on and thrive. MIT and others have addressed the idea of the actual cost of having enough income. You can see its living wage calculator at https://livingwage.mit.edu.
Even amid a pandemic, the unemployment rate in August 2021 was 5.2% in the USA, 3.2% in Oklahoma. People are working. These are conservative figures based on people seeking jobs. More difficult to count are those who are not working and not looking for work. Non-disabled non-elderly adults who receive SNAP (food stamps) must prove they seek employment to qualify for the help. Childcare subsidies are directly tied to work. The Poor Peoples Campaign estimate that 140 million people in the USA live in poverty or are one high health care cost away from bankruptcy, which is the case among many having been treated for COVID or having lost a loved one to COVID.
Bringing our economy into balance will take time and a solid commitment to making it happen. It can be done, but we must work past special interests and greed while not trampling on the poor to succeed.
Prayer: Lord, help us find our way out of discord and balance so that every family can attain a living wage. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.