Explaining Inequality: The American Dream in Crisis

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Sunday November 24, 2013 · 1:06 PM PST

2013/11/24 · 13:06

As an issue, income inequality has largely disappeared from the policy spotlight in recent months. Though once widely discussed, thanks largely to the Occupy Wall Street movement, few Americans are now truly aware of the degree to which money has accumulated at the very top.

Indeed, income inequality is as bad as it has ever been, and it is getting worse. 95% of post recession income gains have gone to the top 1%. The wealthiest 1% of households control 43% of the wealth. And, perhaps most strikingly, the wealthiest 400 households have more money than the bottom 150 million Americans combined.

But what is causing the increase in income inequality? A recent Harvard Political Review article examines some of the causes. As the article explains:

In some ways, a rise in inequality was inevitable. “The two principal causes are the financialization of the economy and the run-up in executive pay,” Timothy Noah, author of The Great Divergence: America’s Growing Inequality Crisis and What We Can Do About It, told the HPR in an interview. “There was a movement in investment banks away from partnerships towards public ownership, which put a lot more money into the hands of the big banks,” Noah explained. As this happened, the American economy’s shift from “labor” to “capital” continued, and CEOs began receiving compensation in stock options, which allowed their pay to skyrocket.
Federal policy, including changes to the tax structure, has exacerbated the rise of the ultra-rich. “1977 was probably the peak year for progressivity,” Bob McIntyre, director of the non- partisan tax research and advocacy organization Citizens for Tax Justice, told the HPR. Since the late 1970s, tax cuts such as the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Bush Tax Cuts have disproportionately benefited the rich. As McIntyre explained in a 1992 paper, “Without tax cuts, the wealthy would have a much lower share of total pretax income,” given that these tax cuts have al- lowed the rich to increase their investment income.

But the narrative of inequality is not just one of rich and poor. “There’s not one divergence, there’s two,” Noah explained. “There’s the divergence of the one percent versus the 99 percent, and then there is the divergence between skilled labor and less skilled labor.” Two phenomena have played large roles in increasing the gap between skilled and unskilled workers. Most notably, the United States’ education system has not produced enough high school and college graduates. “It’s a story about the increasing demand for … workers who have a college education, and the failure of the supply of the workers with those skills to keep up with demand,” argues Scott Winship, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. A shortage of skilled labor increased demand for those with college degrees while most others were left behind.

The decline of unions accentuated this divergence. Unions once provided a backbone for unskilled labor; they fought for higher wages and stronger benefits for their members, leading to a more equitable society on the whole. “Holding a union card used to be the practical equivalent of holding a B.A., but a lot fewer people in the private sector hold a union card today,” said Noah. The weakening of organized labor has also had political ramifications. Unions were the working class’s most effective allies on Capitol Hill, but their waning power has left them less able to advocate for pro-labor and pro-equality government policies.

The article also takes a look at inter-generational wealth mobility. On this front, the United States is lagging badly. Only 8% of Americans born into families in the bottom fifth of income rise to the top fifth in their lifetimes. In Denmark, the figure is 14%. There is little equality of opportunity in the United States.

Perhaps more interesting, though, is that social mobility varies drastically across the United States:

The Equality of Opportunity Project, a study looking at economic mobility throughout the United States, found vast differences across the country. “What we found is that there is just tremendous variation across the United States in the extent to which kids rise out of poverty,” Nathaniel Hendren, a professor at Harvard University and one of the lead researchers in the study, explained. In San Francisco, California, for example, the odds of someone born in the bottom fifth of income distribution making it to the top fifth is 11.2 percent. Go to Atlanta, Georgia, and the probability sinks to four percent. In general, the South and Midwest have worse rates of mobility than the rest of the country.
Many factors are related to these variations in economic mobility. There are strong correlations between an area’s economic mobility and its income inequality, K-12 education quality, social capital, and overall strength of family structure.

Despite the fact that the media seemingly no longer pays attention to inequality, it still is a very important issue. The American Dream is largely based off of the idea of equality of opportunity. However, as the rich get richer and the poor get less opportunity, we must question whether the American Dream is even compatible with the American Reality.

Poll

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Does America currently have too much income inequality?

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Does America currently have too much income inequality?

Yes

21 votes

3 votes

A Young Man was Executed in Syria -- and a Photographer Recounts Witnessing it

Adodie

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Saturday September 14, 2013 · 11:38 PM PDT

2013/09/14 · 23:38

The photographs, along with the original story, can be found here. From TIME:

What follows is a harrowing series of photographs of Islamic militants publicly executing, by decapitation, a young Syrian in the town of Keferghan, near Aleppo, on August 31, 2013.
Because of the danger in reporting inside Syria, it was not possible to confirm the identity or political affiliation of the victim. Nor are we certain about the motivation of his killers. One eyewitness who lives in the area and was contacted by TIME a week after the beheadings said that the executioners were from ISIS, an Al-Qaeda franchise operating in Syria and Iraq.

TIME obtained the images exclusively from a photographer who was recently in Syria. This decapitation was the last of four executions he documented that day. TIME has agreed not to publish the photographer’s name, to protect him from repercussions when he returns to Syria. What follows is an edited account of his experience:

The man was brought in to the square. His eyes were blindfolded. I began shooting pictures, one after the other. It was to be the fourth execution that day I would photograph. I was feeling awful; several times I had been on the verge of throwing up. But I kept it under control because as a journalist I knew I had to document this, as I had the three previous beheadings I had photographed that day, in three other locations outside Aleppo.

The crowd began cheering. Everyone was happy. I knew that if I tried to intervene I would be taken away, and that the executions would go ahead. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to change what was happening and I might put myself in danger.

I saw a scene of utter cruelty: a human being treated in a way that no human being should ever be treated. But it seems to me that in two and a half years, the war has degraded people’s humanity. On this day the people at the execution had no control over their feelings, their desires, their anger. It was impossible to stop them.

I don’t know how old the victim was but he was young. He was forced to his knees. The rebels around him read out his crimes from a sheet of paper. They stood around him. The young man was on his knees on the ground, his hands tied. He seemed frozen.

Two rebels whispered something into his ear and the young man replied in an innocent and sad manner, but I couldn’t understand what he said because I don’t speak Arabic.

At the moment of execution the rebels grasped his throat. The young man put up a struggle. Three or four rebels pinned him down. The man tried to protect his throat with his hands, which were still tied together. He tried to resist but they were stronger than he was and they cut his throat. They raised his head into the air. People waved their guns and cheered. Everyone was happy that the execution had gone ahead.

That scene in Syria, that moment, was like a scene from the Middle Ages, the kind of thing you read about in history books. The war in Syria has reached the point where a person can be mercilessly killed in front of hundreds of people—who enjoy the spectacle.

As a human being I would never have wished to see what I saw. But as a journalist I have a camera and a responsibility. I have a responsibility to share what I saw that day. That’s why I am making this statement and that’s why I took the photographs. I will close this chapter soon and try never to remember it.

The conflict in Syria is nothing short of tragic. There is no end to the deaths. There is no end to the human rights violations. There are no good outcomes.

Poll

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Who do you think will win the Syrian civil war?

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Who do you think will win the Syrian civil war?

The government

18 votes

The rebels

1 vote

Elderly man with dementia loses his home because he didn't pay a $134 property tax bill

Adodie

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Wednesday September 11, 2013 · 8:39 PM PDT

2013/09/11 · 20:39

From the Washington Post:

On the day Bennie Coleman lost his house, the day armed U.S. marshals came to his door and ordered him off the property, he slumped in a folding chair across the street and watched the vestiges of his 76 years hauled to the curb.
Movers carted out his easy chair, his clothes, his television. Next came the things that were closest to his heart: his Marine Corps medals and photographs of his dead wife, Martha. The duplex in Northeast Washington that Coleman bought with cash two decades earlier was emptied and shuttered. By sundown, he had nowhere to go.

All because he didn’t pay a $134 property tax bill.

The retired Marine sergeant lost his house on that summer day two years ago through a tax lien sale — an obscure program run by D.C. government that enlists private investors to help the city recover unpaid taxes.

For decades, the District placed liens on properties when homeowners failed to pay their bills, then sold those liens at public auctions to mom-and-pop investors who drew a profit by charging owners interest on top of the tax debt until the money was repaid.

But under the watch of local leaders, the program has morphed into a predatory system of debt collection for well-financed, out-of-town companies that turned $500 delinquencies into $5,000 debts — then foreclosed on homes when families couldn’t pay, a Washington Post investigation found.

The article continues with a complete investigation into the devastating consequences of this program. As depressing as it is, this article is a must read.

Just How Much Would Romney Pay in Taxes Under Paul Ryan's Tax Plan?

Adodie

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Saturday August 11, 2012 · 7:00 PM PDT

2012/08/11 · 19:00

There's a lot not to like about Paul Ryan. Sure, he might be able to energize the Republican base, but the last time a Vice Presidential candidate did that, it didn't turn out too well for the GOP. And, in terms of policy, his budget would only further hurt the working poor and middle class by effectively scrapping Medicare as we know it, cutting Head Start, and raising taxes for the bottom 30% of income earners (to be fair, that's somehow better than Romney's own proposal, which raises taxes for the bottom 95% of American families).

However, how much would Romney pay in taxes if Paul Ryan's budget were implemented? According to the Atlantic, he would pay a 0.82% tax rate. Yep, you read that right. 0.82 percent.

You may be wondering how this is even possible, considering Romney pocketed over $21 million in 2010. It's actually relatively simple. Ryan's budget eliminates all taxes on capital gains, interest, and dividends -- the main sources of Romney's income. Therefore, the only income of Romney's that would be taxed would be his speaking fees and book sales, leading to a total tax of $177,650 out of $21,661,344 in taxable income -- 0.82%. Now I can see why Mitt Romney supports Paul Ryan's budget.

Granted, that still may be 0.82% more in taxes than Romney has been paying in the past few years.

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Was Paul Ryan a good vice presidential pick for Mitt Romney's campaign?

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Was Paul Ryan a good vice presidential pick for Mitt Romney's campaign?

Yes

5 votes

12 votes

German Court Rules to Ban Religious Circumcision

Adodie

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Wednesday June 27, 2012 · 1:21 PM PDT

2012/06/27 · 13:21

In a landmark German court case, Cologne's district court, in effect, outlawed religious male circumcision. In the ruling, the court equated circumcision with "grievous bodily harm," writing,

The religious freedom of the parents and their right to educate their child would not be unacceptably compromised, if they were obliged to wait until the child could himself decide to be circumcised.
The body of the child is irreparably and permanently changed by a circumcision. This change contravenes the interests of the child to decide later on his religious beliefs.

Though the decision is not legally binding, it is expected to set legal precedent and will virtually ban religious circumcision in Germany. Already, religious groups representing Jews and Muslims have expressed outrage at the decision, and this ruling will doubtlessly lead to more discussion on the practice of circumcision, religious or not. Read More

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Do you agree with the German court's ruling to effectively ban religious male circumcision?

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Do you agree with the German court's ruling to effectively ban religious male circumcision?

Yes

67 votes

54 votes

Are Crimes Against Humanity Legal? For Corporations, They Soon Might Be

Adodie

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Monday June 25, 2012 · 9:26 PM PDT

2012/06/25 · 21:26

Today, the Supreme Court made it clear that they are perhaps the most pro-Corporate Court in the history of the United States in it's ruling in American Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Bullock,which affirmed Citizens United. This case was decided relatively quickly, without traditional formalities. As the SCOTUS blog conceded,

Ordinarily, the Supreme Court does not decide a case until after it has accepted it for full-scale review, receives written legal arguments, and then holds a public hearing. Now and then, and perhaps as many as nine or ten times each Term, the Court disposes of a case without those formalities: it decides the case very soon after getting the case, usually indicating that the outcome was so predictable that there was no need to engage in full-dress proceedings. That speeded-up procedure is what the Court did on Monday in this case, by a 5-4 vote. The result was to overturn a Montana Supreme Court decision upholding a 1912 voter-approved ban on corporations’ spending of their own money on political campaigns in that state. The Court majority found that state court ruling obviously in conflict with a decision the Supreme Court had issued in January 2010 striking down a similar ban in federal law against corporate spending on politics. The four Justices in dissent conceded that the Supreme Court majority was not ready to take a new look at that 2010 decision, even in a case in which a state’s highest court had found that the state had a history of corrupt corporate influence in its political life.

Though this decision once again sounds the death knell for American democracy by allowing corporations to spend an unlimited amount of money in elections to influence voters, I fear an upcoming case will have even worse consequences. Welcome to Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum.

Basically, in Kiobel, the Supreme Court will soon decide whether international law, and thus the Alien Tort Statute, applies to corporations. Perhaps that doesn't sound like much, but let's just rephrase it into slightly more real world terms. More or less, if the Supreme Court rules in favor of Royal Dutch Petroleum, corporations will, under international law, be "immune from tort liability for violations of the law of nations such as torture, extrajudicial executions or genocide."

Torture, extrajudicial executions or genocide. That's some pretty rough stuff. And, within the next year, those things may be perfectly legal for corporations to carry out.

Normally, I wouldn't be too concerned. It just is common sense that corporations should be held liable for crimes against humanity. However, the Supreme Court has proven itself time and time again to be one of the most Corporation-friendly institutions in the world. And, astoundingly, lower courts have ruled that, indeed, Corporations are free to torture as much as they desire. In its opinion, The 2nd District Court of Appeals bluntly ruled

We must conclude, therefore, that insofar as plaintiffs bring claims under the [Alien Tort Statute] against corporations, plaintiffs fail to allege violations of the law of nations.

So, if the Supreme Court affirms the 2nd District Court of Appeals' decision, it will be impossible for corporations to violate the "law of nations," because there will be no law of nations for corporations that applies to corporations. That's just disgusting. Heck, that's beyond disgusting.

As the one dissenting judge on the 2nd District Court of Appeals noted,

The majority opinion deals a substantial blow to international law and its undertaking to protect fundamental human rights. According to the rule my colleagues have created, one who earns profits by commercial exploitation of abuse of fundamental human rights can successfully shield those profits from victims' claims for compensation simply by taking the precaution of conducting the heinous operation in the corporate form. Without any support in either the precedents or the scholarship of international law, the majority take the position that corporations, and other juridical entities, are not subject to international law, and for that reason such violators of fundamental human rights are free to retain any profits so earned without liability to their victims.

The possibility that corporations will soon be able to commit heinous crimes against humanity is simply sickening. I fear the day when the Supreme Court cedes so much power to corporations that they will be able to do whatever they want in the name of profit and power.

Poll

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Is this the most corporation-friendly Supreme Court in history?

303 votes Vote Now!

Is this the most corporation-friendly Supreme Court in history?

Yes

267 votes

15 votes

Unsure

21 votes

GOP Attempts Florida Voter Suppression -- Again

Adodie

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Sunday May 27, 2012 · 6:09 PM PDT

2012/05/27 · 18:09

Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott is once again carrying out blatant voter suppression. As reported by ThinkProgress:

Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) has ordered the state to purge all “non-citizens” from the voting rolls prior to November’s election. But that list compiled by the Scott administration is so riddled with errors that, in Miami-Dade County alone, hundreds of U.S. citizens are being told they are ineligible to vote,

In Miami-Dade County alone, 1638 people were labeled as non-citizens and were sent letters telling them they could not vote. Of those 1638 people, 385 have proven themselves to be citizens. The rest have simply not responded to the letter.

Of course, the people who have been purged from the voting rolls are disproportionately Democrats and minorities.

This is naked voter suppression, and it must be stopped. 2000 shall hopefully never happen again.

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Will Democrats retake the House in November?

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Will Democrats retake the House in November?

Yes

44 votes

6 votes

Tribute to Dennis Kucinich, a True Progressive

Adodie

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Wednesday March 07, 2012 · 1:42 AM PST

2012/03/07 · 01:42

It is with great sadness that I must write that Dennis Kucinich, the House's liberal lion from Ohio, lost his primary tonight against Rep. Marcy Kaptur, after redistricting forced the two against each other.

This is truly a great loss for the progressive cause. Rep. Kucinich is one of the bravest, most principled politicians on Capitol Hill. Though I am sure many of you are aware of him, I think it is absolutely necessary to highlight some of his boldest positions and accomplishments.

-As mayor of Cleveland, he took on big banks in a fight that temporarily stalled his political career. He refused to sell the city's publicly owned electric company (Muni Light) to the banks, even after big business tried to strong-arm him into sale by unnecessarily forcing Cleveland into default. Kucinich held his ground, though, at the cost of his mayoralty. He lost the next election in a landslide, but eventually, he was redeemed: The Cleveland City Council honored him in 1998 for refusing to sell the Muni Light, claiming he saved the city $195 million from 1985-1995 alone by his selfless act of political courage.

-Kucinich has been unrivaled in his defense of civil liberties. He voted against the USA PATRIOT Act and has constantly been a lonely voice expressing concern for Americans' freedom since 9/11, most recently criticizing the Obama Administration for authorizing the assassination of US citizens.

-Kucinich is one of the staunchest anti-war members of Congress. He has led the fight to remove US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and has been an outspoken critic of both wars, once introducing articles of impeachment against Vice President Cheney and President Bush for their lies which helped 'justify' invading Iraq. Kucinich also is doing his best to calm the war drums which are now sounding against Iran.

-Kucinich has a great economic/social safety net voting record. He has fought to defend the middle class against top-down class warfare, and has never abandoned important programs like Medicaid and Social Security. He always advocates for fairer tax rates, a single payer health care system, and worker rights.

To be fair, Rep. Kaptur isn't horrible, but it is sad to see a progressive as staunch as Kucinich go down. We've already lost Russ Feingold, and in 2013 Capitol Hill will be without people like Kucinich or Barney Frank. I fear what will happen with this vacuum of liberalism.

No matter what happens though, it is sad to see Kucinich voted out.

Poll

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Who do you prefer?

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Who do you prefer?

Marcy Kaptur

56 votes

Dennis Kucinich

81 votes

How corporations will soon be able to (legally) torture people

Adodie

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Saturday January 21, 2012 · 2:39 AM PST

2012/01/21 · 02:39

In a little more than a month, the Supreme Courts will hear arguments over the case Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum. Perhaps you haven't heard of this case yet. It's virtually unknown, with the exception of a few political and law junkies. However, it could carry implications which are even bigger than the ones from Citizen's United.

So, you may ask, what's at stake?

Basically, the Supreme Court is soon going to decide whether or not "corporations are immune from tort liability for violations of the law of nations such as torture, extrajudicial executions or genocide." I personally think it's somewhat insulting that a case to decide whether corporations can commit crimes against humanity even has to be considered. It should have every American concerned, though. Normally I wouldn't be worried if this case were in the hands of a sane Supreme Court, but the court has proved time and time again that it is one of the most corporation-friendly institutions in the world. And the thought that corporations might just be able to legally carry out genocide is simply too much for me to bear.

The 2nd District Court of Appeals already issued a ruling on this case, and, astoundingly, it ruled that corporations cannot be held liable when they commit crimes against humanity. In a stunning opinion, the majority held that neither the Alien Tort Statute nor international law pertains to corporations; and thus, corporations are free to legally torture, execute, and commit other heinous crimes against people so long as it is carried out overseas. As the majority claimed,

We must conclude, therefore, that insofar as plaintiffs bring claims under the [Alien Tort Statute] against corporations, plaintiffs fail to allege violations of the law of nations.

So, if the Supreme Court affirms the 2nd District Court of Appeal's decision, it will be impossible for corporations to violate the "law of nations," because there will be no law of nations for corporations to be held accountable to. That's just disgusting. Heck, that's beyond disgusting.

As the one dissenting judge on the 2nd District Court noted,

The majority opinion deals a substantial blow to international law and its undertaking to protect fundamental human rights. According to the rule my colleagues have created, one who earns profits by commercial exploitation of abuse of fundamental 150*150 human rights can successfully shield those profits from victims' claims for compensation simply by taking the precaution of conducting the heinous operation in the corporate form. Without any support in either the precedents or the scholarship of international law, the majority take the position that corporations, and other juridical entities, are not subject to international law, and for that reason such violators of fundamental human rights are free to retain any profits so earned without liability to their victims.

I fear the day when we live in a world where corporations can legally commit crimes against humanity. I fear the day when corporations can legally torture people. I fear the day when corporations can legally execute people. I fear the day when corporations can legally carry out genocides of mass proportions. I hope the day when all of these things could happen will never come, but it very well could. And that possibility is just horrifying.

Poll

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Are corporations people?

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Are corporations people?

Yes

3 votes

79 votes

Breitbart and the Lunatic Right... want to kill us?

Adodie

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Sunday September 18, 2011 · 10:34 PM PDT

2011/09/18 · 22:34

Andrew Breitbart is currently one of the craziest and most despicable conservative activists. He's been shown to have no morality -- on several occasions, he has destroyed the reputation of many good organizations and people by deliberately posting highly edited and completely out of context videos of them.

However, he just managed to beat his own record for the most despicable political act.

Speaking at a Tea Party rally, he talked about the part of him that "wants [liberals] to cross that line], so conservatives could, basically, kill us.

I’m under attack all the time. They call me gay, there are death threats… There are times where I’m not thinking as clearly as I should, and in those unclear moments, I always think to myself, ‘Fire the first shot.’ Bring it on. Because I know who’s on our side. They can only win a rhetorical and propaganda war. They cannot win. We outnumber them in this country, and we have the guns… I’m not kidding. They talk a mean game, but they will not cross that line because they know what they’re dealing with...
...Part of me hopes that they cross the line.

Frankly, this is so shocking, disgusting, and horrifying that I don't think any analysis is needed. Just judge for yourself.

Here's the whole video:

Here is the original source of the information, and you can read more about it there.

Don't have health care? The Tea Party doesn't care if you die

Adodie

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday September 12, 2011 · 10:16 PM PDT

2011/09/12 · 22:16

There were several moments in tonight's GOP debate that nearly made me sick. Most everything that was said was completely expected -- nothing more than the most extreme American right wing ideologies were espoused. Tonight was a sad reflection of what the modern GOP has turned into.

However, there was one moment tonight which stood out above everything else and won the award for the most disgusting display. Just watch.

After Ron Paul was asked whether or not we should let people without health insurance die, several members in the audience enthusiastically yelled yes. It almost seemed many of them wanted people without insurance to die. I have seen several lows in politics; however, I think this is about the worst I've seen.

I'm not going to analyze this video any further -- I think everything is pretty self explanatory. Basically, if you're poor and/or can't afford health insurance, the Tea Party just wants you to die.

P.S.
Oh, and I almost forgot. The Tea Party wants to stop abortions because they 'believe' in the sanctity of human life...

Poll

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Will most of the extreme Tea Party Representatives be voted out of office in 2012?

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Will most of the extreme Tea Party Representatives be voted out of office in 2012?

Yes

36 votes

29 votes

Dear Secular America...

Adodie

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday September 10, 2011 · 12:16 AM PDT

2011/09/10 · 00:16

Dear Secular America,

I am sorry. I am so, so, sorry. I know the extremist Religious Right probably drives you crazy, and for good reason. They blabber on and on in such a self-righteous way and annoyingly, disturbingly, and unceasingly carry on with amazingly intolerant doctrines. I myself cannot stand to listen to them, and I'm not even the sort of person they accuse of going to hell.

So ignore them. Walk away when one tries to argue with you. Or simply keep in mind that they are hypocrites who cannot even hope to live up to their own standards.

Please don't think the religious right stands for all of us Christian. I am a proud Christian, and have been one nearly my entire life. If you happen to be an Atheist, a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu, a Buddhist, an Agnostic, or anything else at all, that is completely fine, and I firmly respect your decision. A person's spirituality (or lack thereof) is a completely personal choice, and the Establishment Clause in the Bill of Rights completely recognizes that, thank goodness. The Religious Right doesn't see it that way, unfortunately. They want to completely rewrite the history, turning our secular nation into one built solely on their ultra-conservative interpretation of Judeo-Christian values. And, even more unfortunately, they are even more wrong it terms of theology (from my interpretation of the Bible) than they are with the history of the United States.

If you look throughout the New Testament, the one most important theme is "love thy neighbor." It never grants any exceptions. It can be reasonably reduced that the Bible wants you to love thy poor neighbor; love thy gay neighbor; love thy Muslim neighbor; love thy imprisoned neighbor; love thy disenfranchised neighbor; love thy sinning neighbor; love all neighbors, no matter what race, what social position, what personal history, what beliefs. It is love, the very most important theme in the New Testament, that the Religious Right so desperately misses. Love is not enforcing hand-picked religious laws-- rather, it is the selfless service to the hungry, the naked, the widows, the imprisoned, the orphans, the marginalized from society. And yet the Religious Right has the nerve to condemn homosexuals when the Bible tells us to love all, to scream at government social programs when the Bible says to give to the poor, to yell at foreign aid while 6 million children under the age of 5 die each year of malnutrition and the Bible tells us to feed the hungry. The New Testament grants freedom, forgiveness, and fairness, and the right denies all of these. The Religious Right has effectively twisted the words of God for their own purposes and turned them into nothing more than a political tool.

And I am sorry for that. I offer my deepest apologies to secular America for what the religious right is trying to do to this country, and I simply hope that you know that not all Christians are like that.

Sincerely,

A concerned and sorry Christian liberal

Poll

35 votes Show Results

As the next generation (which is more socially tolerant) begins to grow up, will the Religious Right decline?

35 votes Vote Now!

As the next generation (which is more socially tolerant) begins to grow up, will the Religious Right decline?

Yes

21 votes

14 votes

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