Banking on Generosity
That is to say that greed pulls incessantly at the opposite pole of generosity. One end of this spectrum leans into viewing the universe as holding more than enough for all to share, the other end stays more or less in vampiric mode, insatiable and miserly. One end shimmers with faith, the other quivers in fear.
Greed truly sucks, particularly when it drains from many who are already struggling in order to benefit a small but powerful minority already bathing in more than what they need. This week the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 1 by a single vote, sending legislation to the Senate that if passed will gut several life-saving programs and services for America's poor. This bill, officially dubbed "The One Big Beautiful Bill Act," also will if passed bring the highest level of tax relief for the wealthiest Americans.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the lowest 10% of U.S. households will see a reduction in income of between 2% and 4% over the next several years due mostly to cuts in Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The CBO estimates that the richest 10% will see just the opposite over the same time frame - increases in income of 2% to 4%. (Bear in mind when reading these numbers the difference between losing 4% of $90,000 {$3,600} and gaining 4% of $1 million {$40,000}.) The Tax Policy Center, another nonpartisan think tank, predicts that 60% of the tax benefits will be realized by the wealthiest 20%.
In my position as a Pastor, I meet regularly with people who are struggling financially. I am painfully aware that many of them rely on Medicaid and SNAP as well as food pantries, and soup kitchens. Even with these supports in place, many come seeking funding so that they avoid a forced choice between essentials. Just since May 1, the Minister's Discretionary Fund of the church that I serve has helped folks with prescriptions, emergency shelter (including an incident of domestic violence), groceries, and more.
Beyond the dire outlook of such thinktank predictions, analytics fail to capture the fact that it is hard to ask for help. It is often visibly painful. Most people already hesitate to seek assistance, and almost everyone that I interact with shares their belief that someone else is worse off, more deserving of help. I have already heard these friends despairing about losing more of what little support they have. What collective set of values, I wonder, do we hold that makes it acceptable for so many to have so little while others keep so much? When is enough truly enough?
I am aware of my own privilege, and I fully understand that many wealthy people are exemplars of generosity, including those who contribute to the Minister's Discretionary Fund here. I hold deep hope that these friends will continue to give - others will need it. I also hope that the thinktanks are wrong and that the poor will be better off and fewer in number in just a few years.
I pray that God will turn my anger at greed into fruitful and faith-based action. I pray that those of us who follow Christ will more fully adhere to his teachings - which were frequent and clear - about money, that we'll answer our call to care for the least and most vulnerable in our midst. Knowing that greed keeps tempting, I intend to turn toward celebrating abundance and working on a generosity that I trust to be contagious.
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