Billionaires and the Rest of Us

Wealth and Social Health

“When 10% of the people in this country own two-thirds of the wealth, when we have minted the first trillionaire in human history, and yet your wages have stagnated, and your healthcare costs have skyrocketed, something is fundamentally broken.” Gavin Newsome

This is going to be a quick post on a particularly important topic. What do we make of extreme wealth and all these billionaires throwing their weight around in our democracy? It is a problem as so many thinking people have made clear.

It was big news when Elon Musk became our first Trillionaire, owning over $1,000,000,000,000. Do I have the right number of zeros? It is an amount inconceivable to me. When Musk slipped from that lofty position because the stock publicly offered by his company was overvalued and dropped, it was not such important news. Maybe because that still left him the richest person in the world. Maybe it was because there was something essentially wrong with overvaluing the stock.

From my perspective, Musk might as well be from Mars, but he is not even if he wants to colonize it. He is an earthling with absurd wealth. And there are more like him. Governor Newsome says more than 10% of the people in this country own two-thirds of the wealth. Then there is the 1% who are in a power class of their own.

There are things I wonder about when it comes to people who have more money than they can ever use. One is, just what can he, she, they do with all that money? Clearly, they can buy any material thing they want. Luxury yachts, for example. Several homes. More than they ever need. They can buy influence and power. But can they buy the elections? Not if we voters wake up and think for ourselves and do not buy what they are selling. Propaganda. I guess that is a big if, but I want to believe in us.

And they cannot buy love, not real love even if money is a magnet for some women and men.

These are things that I ponder.

Does all that money make them a special version of human? They are really no different from the rest of us even if they are exempt from taxes, have the best healthcare available, and can buy all the services they could ever need. They have bodies that they keep up and souls that may or may not be functioning. They are going to die. Their health is not guaranteed. They have emotions though I am not sure what they are. As the old cliché says, they still put on their pants one leg at a time. And they are subject to the same limitations of time and space as the rest of us even if they venture into outer space.

Billionaires are just human beings like us who have taken advantage of the system. Yes, they are probably smart, innovative, and creative. But so are many people I know who are not billionaires. Okay the people I know are not all geniuses which some billionaires may be. But some are. It is just that most of my friends and I have not specialized in empire building. In my family we have teachers, scientists, engineers, builders, and managers of coffee shops. Some make more money than others and I am glad when they are secure in their finances. But that is not a measure of worth. Are they kind, principled, compassionate, law abiding?

I do worry about souls of billionaires even if they do not. Jesus, whose perspective I take seriously, seemed to think that having great wealth presented an ethical challenge for those who did not share it and who took themselves much too seriously. And frankly, I trust Jesus more than any wealthy elite in the world when it comes to knowing what is good for us humans and our planet. I think ethics matter. Not just in terms of what happens in the afterlife but in terms of what saves lives and makes life worthwhile and livable now. Even if you are a billionaire.

So, I want billionaires to pay taxes and stop thinking they can buy the world right out from under the rest of us for the sake of theirs and humanity’s well-being. I applaud the “Giving Pledge founded by Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates. Though I would like to see a process whereby ordinary people can suggest causes for them to give to.

No matter how much money or power the billionaire class has, ordinary people still populate and own the world and turn the wheels of everyday life. I would like the majority of us to stop thinking they are so special and those with some political influence begin to figure out what needs to change so that we do not continue to produce any more of them and reduce the incredible wealth gap in our nation.

Do I envy billionaires? No, I do not. Do we travel in the same circles? No, we do not. Do we live in the same world? Yes, we do. Can they do more good than I can? Probably if they want to. Can they do more harm than I could, most definitely if they are self-centered and into power and racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, militaristic, elitist, or indifferent about these things.

Am I prejudiced when it comes to people who are super wealthy? I obviously am. Do they care? Of course not. But I must admit that whatever I think, as a believer in God’s goodness, I must believe God loves us all equally, even billionaires. God shows no partiality. We are all equal. But as someone who is prejudiced, I think most of us are better than them even if we are all sinful.

There are moments in history when claiming the equality given us by God, we have to stand up to those who take advantage of wealth and power with abandon. This is one such time. Robert Reich suggests an agenda for the Democratic Party, that I suggest should apply to all parties.

“The Democratic Party must seek to return to the American people the wealth and power that the obscenely rich have taken from them. This should be the core Democratic message. It explains the affordability crisis. It reveals the epidemic of corruption. It clarifies corporate welfare and crony capitalism. It shows what must be done. ”

Robert Reich

At least it shows some things that must be done.Wealth and Health

“When 10% of the people in this country own two-thirds of the wealth, when we have minted the first trillionaire in human history, and yet your wages have stagnated, and your healthcare costs have skyrocketed, something is fundamentally broken.” Gavin Newsome

This is going to be a quick post on a particularly important topic. What do we make of extreme wealth and all these billionaires throwing their weight around in our democracy? It is a problem as so many thinking people have made clear.

It was big news when Elon Musk became our first Trillionaire, owning over $1,000,000,000,000. Do I have the right number of zeros? It is an amount inconceivable to me. When Musk slipped from that lofty position because the stock publicly offered by his company was overvalued and dropped, it was not such important news. Maybe because that still left him the richest person in the world. Maybe it was because there was something essentially wrong with overvaluing the stock.

From my perspective, Musk might as well be from Mars, but he is not even if he wants to colonize it. He is an earthling with absurd wealth. And there are more like him. Governor Newsome says more than 10% of the people in this country own two-thirds of the wealth. Then there is the 1% who are in a power class of their own.

There are things I wonder about when it comes to people who have more money than they can ever use. One is, just what can he, she, they do with all that money? Clearly, they can buy any material thing they want. Luxury yachts, for example. Several homes. More than they ever need. They can buy influence and power. But can they buy the elections? Not if we voters wake up and think for ourselves and do not buy what they are selling. Propaganda. I guess that is a big if, but I want to believe in us.

And they cannot buy love, not real love even if money is a magnet for some women and men.

These are things that I ponder.

Does all that money make them a special version of human? They are really no different from the rest of us even if they are exempt from taxes, have the best healthcare available, and can buy all the services they could ever need. They have bodies that they keep up and souls that may or may not be functioning. They are going to die. Their health is not guaranteed. They have emotions though I am not sure what they are. As the old cliché says, they still put on their pants one leg at a time. And they are subject to the same limitations of time and space as the rest of us even if they venture into outer space.

Billionaires are just human beings like us who have taken advantage of the system. Yes, they are probably smart, innovative, and creative. But so are many people I know who are not billionaires. Okay the people I know are not all geniuses which some billionaires may be. But some are. It is just that most of my friends and I have not specialized in empire building. In my family we have teachers, scientists, engineers, builders, and managers of coffee shops. Some make more money than others and I am glad when they are secure in their finances. But that is not a measure of worth. Are they kind, principled, compassionate, law abiding?

I do worry about souls of billionaires even if they do not. Jesus, whose perspective I take seriously, seemed to think that having great wealth presented an ethical challenge for those who did not share it and who took themselves much too seriously. And frankly, I trust Jesus more than any wealthy elite in the world when it comes to knowing what is good for us humans and our planet. I think ethics matter. Not just in terms of what happens in the afterlife but in terms of what saves lives and makes life worthwhile and livable now. Even if you are a billionaire.

So, I want billionaires to pay taxes and stop thinking they can buy the world right out from under the rest of us for the sake of theirs and humanity’s well-being. I applaud the “Giving Pledge founded by Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates. Though I would like to see a process whereby ordinary people can suggest causes for them to give to.

No matter how much money or power the billionaire class has, ordinary people still populate and own the world and turn the wheels of everyday life. I would like the majority of us to stop thinking they are so special and those with some political influence begin to figure out what needs to change so that we do not continue to produce any more of them and reduce the incredible wealth gap in our nation.

Do I envy billionaires? No, I do not. Do we travel in the same circles? No, we do not. Do we live in the same world? Yes, we do. Can they do more good than I can? Probably if they want to. Can they do more harm than I could, most definitely if they are self-centered and into power and racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, militaristic, elitist, or indifferent about these things.

Am I prejudiced when it comes to people who are super wealthy? I obviously am. Do they care? Of course not. But I must admit that whatever I think, as a believer in God’s goodness, I must believe God loves us all equally, even billionaires. God shows no partiality. We are all equal. But as someone who is prejudiced, I think most of us are better than them even if we are all sinful.

There are moments in history when claiming the equality given us by God, we have to stand up to those who take advantage of wealth and power with abandon. This is one such time. Robert Reich suggests an agenda for the Democratic Party, that I suggest should apply to all parties.

“The Democratic Party must seek to return to the American people the wealth and power that the obscenely rich have taken from them. This should be the core Democratic message. It explains the affordability crisis. It reveals the epidemic of corruption. It clarifies corporate welfare and crony capitalism. It shows what must be done. ”

Robert Reich

At least it shows some things that must be done.Wealth and Health

“When 10% of the people in this country own two-thirds of the wealth, when we have minted the first trillionaire in human history, and yet your wages have stagnated, and your healthcare costs have skyrocketed, something is fundamentally broken.” Gavin Newsome

This is going to be a quick post on a particularly important topic. What do we make of extreme wealth and all these billionaires throwing their weight around in our democracy? It is a problem as so many thinking people have made clear.

It was big news when Elon Musk became our first Trillionaire, owning over $1,000,000,000,000. Do I have the right number of zeros? It is an amount inconceivable to me. When Musk slipped from that lofty position because the stock publicly offered by his company was overvalued and dropped, it was not such important news. Maybe because that still left him the richest person in the world. Maybe it was because there was something essentially wrong with overvaluing the stock.

From my perspective, Musk might as well be from Mars, but he is not even if he wants to colonize it. He is an earthling with absurd wealth. And there are more like him. Governor Newsome says more than 10% of the people in this country own two-thirds of the wealth. Then there is the 1% who are in a power class of their own.

There are things I wonder about when it comes to people who have more money than they can ever use. One is, just what can he, she, they do with all that money? Clearly, they can buy any material thing they want. Luxury yachts, for example. Several homes. More than they ever need. They can buy influence and power. But can they buy the elections? Not if we voters wake up and think for ourselves and do not buy what they are selling. Propaganda. I guess that is a big if, but I want to believe in us.

And they cannot buy love, not real love even if money is a magnet for some women and men.

These are things that I ponder.

Does all that money make them a special version of human? They are really no different from the rest of us even if they are exempt from taxes, have the best healthcare available, and can buy all the services they could ever need. They have bodies that they keep up and souls that may or may not be functioning. They are going to die. Their health is not guaranteed. They have emotions though I am not sure what they are. As the old cliché says, they still put on their pants one leg at a time. And they are subject to the same limitations of time and space as the rest of us even if they venture into outer space.

Billionaires are just human beings like us who have taken advantage of the system. Yes, they are probably smart, innovative, and creative. But so are many people I know who are not billionaires. Okay the people I know are not all geniuses which some billionaires may be. But some are. It is just that most of my friends and I have not specialized in empire building. In my family we have teachers, scientists, engineers, builders, and managers of coffee shops. Some make more money than others and I am glad when they are secure in their finances. But that is not a measure of worth. Are they kind, principled, compassionate, law abiding?

I do worry about souls of billionaires even if they do not. Jesus, whose perspective I take seriously, seemed to think that having great wealth presented an ethical challenge for those who did not share it and who took themselves much too seriously. And frankly, I trust Jesus more than any wealthy elite in the world when it comes to knowing what is good for us humans and our planet. I think ethics matter. Not just in terms of what happens in the afterlife but in terms of what saves lives and makes life worthwhile and livable now. Even if you are a billionaire.

So, I want billionaires to pay taxes and stop thinking they can buy the world right out from under the rest of us for the sake of theirs and humanity’s well-being. I applaud the “Giving Pledge founded by Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda French Gates. Though I would like to see a process whereby ordinary people can suggest causes for them to give to.

No matter how much money or power the billionaire class has, ordinary people still populate and own the world and turn the wheels of everyday life. I would like the majority of us to stop thinking they are so special and those with some political influence begin to figure out what needs to change so that we do not continue to produce any more of them and reduce the incredible wealth gap in our nation.

Do I envy billionaires? No, I do not. Do we travel in the same circles? No, we do not. Do we live in the same world? Yes, we do. Can they do more good than I can? Probably if they want to. Can they do more harm than I could, most definitely if they are self-centered and into power and racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, militaristic, elitist, or indifferent about these things.

Am I prejudiced when it comes to people who are super wealthy? I obviously am. Do they care? Of course not. But I must admit that whatever I think, as a believer in God’s goodness, I must believe God loves us all equally, even billionaires. God shows no partiality. We are all equal. But as someone who is prejudiced, I think most of us are better than them even if we are all sinful.

There are moments in history when claiming the equality given us by God, we have to stand up to those who take advantage of wealth and power with abandon. This is one such time. Robert Reich suggests an agenda for the Democratic Party, that I suggest should apply to all parties.

“The Democratic Party must seek to return to the American people the wealth and power that the obscenely rich have taken from them. This should be the core Democratic message. It explains the affordability crisis. It reveals the epidemic of corruption. It clarifies corporate welfare and crony capitalism. It shows what must be done. ”

Robert Reich

At least it shows some things that must be done.