The more things change, the more they stay the same

Sunday September 30th, Amos 8: 3-6 Woe to you who are rushing headlong to disaster! Catastrophe is just around the corner! Woe to those who live in luxury and expect everyone else to serve them! Woe to those who live only for today, indifferent to the fate of others! Woe to the playboys, the playgirls, who think life is a party held just for them! Amos was talking to a nation in which the wealthy were gaining more and more of the wealth and power. Once they gained the political power, they began to change the interpretation of the laws in a way that would favor their continued acquisition of wealth. The trouble is that wealth, even though it continues to rise, is still somewhat of a set entity. If one group gains wealth and political power, they do so to the detriment of others. It is a situation in which there are winners and losers and in time, fewer and fewer winners making it bigger and bigger with more and more losers making up the difference. This was causing a very unhealthy nation, both politically and spiritually that was ripe to fall. In the United States, the top 1% owns 50% of the wealth and in the last three decades, their contribution to the general well being of society, their taxes, have been cut approximately 50%. Perhaps we too should head Amos’ warning.