Power and Glory

When you can't rely on providence
to support you in your opulence
just sit and relax.
It's all paid with tax!
We all pay for their extravagance.

CNN has a story detailing the prices of homes of bishops and archbishops in the United States. They range from a 'modest' 4 bed/4 bath house in which a single person lives to the $30 million mansion inhabited by the archbishop of New York. Because donations to churches are tax-exempt, all of these 'homes' are bought and maintained with tax-payer money.

Personally, I find it appalling that people who claim to follow Christ, who said that in order to get rewards in heaven you must sell all of your possessions and give the money to the poor live in luxury when there are hundreds of thousands homeless in this country, with millions more living in poverty and millions of children hungry. These are the same people who claim to follow the same man who said 

"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go 

through the eye of a needle,than for a rich 

man to enter into the kingdom of God."

They might claim that it's not actually their wealth, because it technically belongs to the Catholic Church, but I believe that if you are reaping the benefits of the wealth, and you have control of the wealth, then it is your wealth. You can not live in a multi-million dollar mansion and then claim that your organization is bankrupt when you rightly get sued for protecting your employees over the victims of their crimes.

The whole organization is morally bankrupt.

Touching

If you keep your pearls clutched
and hyperbole is your crutch
you might be surprised
if we call out your lies.
It just shows that you're out of touch.

It's amazing what passes for the middle class. According to the Wall Street Journal, a middle class single mother makes $260,000. A year. Middle class for a married couple with 4 children? $650,000. That's not combined lifetime earnings for a married couple, that's yearly earnings for a middle class family, based on apparently exhaustive research conducted by the WSJ.

They all look so very, very sad.

Easy Money

Working for cash is a chore,
but I found a way to make more!
A business that profits?
Buy it, then gut it,
then ship all of the jobs offshore.

Bain Capital, the company which Mitt Romney founded, ran, and which he still owns controlling shares in, has continued the philosophy under which he began the company. They have recently bought out an auto-parts company that has been turning a profit for years. Not content with measly auto-parts profits, Bain has divested the company of its assets and is moving the plant's operations to China. And, if that was not enough of a kick in the junk, the current employees are being asked to train their Chinese counterparts. The company's employees have appealed to Romney, but so far no answer from his camp has been forthcoming.

As I said yesterday, I am not against a corporation making a profit. Putting profits over people is wrong, and putting short term profits over long term growth is just stupid.

With a 'B'

Though they won't indulge in a beer,
and they've stifled freedom for years,
Mormons have dug deep
and shelled out a heap:
Seven BILLION dollars a year.

Yup. Current estimates have put tithes given to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at up to $7B. All of it tax free. And what does the church do with these funds? Donate it to the poor? After all, Christ said that the rich won't enter heaven. Of course they won't donate it. They use their money as capital to leverage business acquisitions.

Now, I'm all for a business making a profit. Hell, I'm all for a church making a profit. If you are using your religion to make an obscene profit, then going directly against the tenets of that religion, you should have your tax-exempt status revoked, immediately and permanently.

Money Can't Buy Happiness, But It Can Rent To Own

No one I know finds it funny
when you have misplaced your money.
Someone will laugh last
when sums are this vast.
That cash is somewhere warm and sunny.

Jon Corzine, former Democrat Senator and Governor of New Jersey, was the head of MF Global. That company is being investigated after collapsing in October. Corzine has stated that he doesn't know where some of the money has gone, which could total up to $1.2 billion. With a B.

Someone got that money, and they now have another nice vacation home in the Caribbean.

Occupy The Nation

Though I can't be there in a tent
We won't let them own our government.
We'll take it no more.
A voice becomes a roar.
We are all the ninety-nine percent.

Occupy Wall Street is still going strong, and with good reason. People have finally stood up and are saying that this country belongs to all of us, not just the richest 1% that can afford to buy and sell politicians.

Freedom isn't free, but it shouldn't be held only for the highest bidder.

It's Your Money, Pay For It Now

Use B of A? You're outta luck.
It's your cash? They don't give a fuck.
They find it funny:
To get your money
you have to give them five bucks.

Bank of America has decided to charge people to access their own money. That's right. If you want to spend the money that you have earned, you have to pay BoA for that right. $5 every month. Fuck you, BoA.

How Can You Make Ends Meet When You Can't See Them?

You feel like you have little power
as you look up at their gilded tower.
You let slip a sigh
and try to get by:
Surviving on nine bucks an hour.

You try hard to make both ends meet.
You can't? Then you're out on the street.
So force on a grin
and go out again
and don't let the world know you're beat.

Minimum wage has been getting a lot of press recently, because of Dick Perry's claims that he created sooo many jobs in Texas, without regard to the pay. We've had to make some of these same choices, even recently, and it really sucks to have to choose between a week's meals or a doctor's appointment. Both parents working doesn't get much better, because the cost of childcare quickly eats up any additional income.

Life is difficult, and we don't need politicians making it harder for those of us with little means.

Now you can play a little game, and see what it's like.

Hat tip