Acton Insights 2: "The Quest for Inequality. (Part 2 with Dr. Samuel Gregg)" Headlines around the country scream this, pundits on TV hotly argue this, and people on the street believe this, "The gap between the rich and the poor is enormous, it must be fixed!" A recent New York Times poll reveals that a whopping 6 in 10 Americans believe something needs to be done to have a more equal distribution of money and wealth. One question on this poll asks, "Do you think the gap between the rich and the poor in this country is a problem that needs to be addressed now, a problem that does not need to be addressed now, or not a problem?" 65% surveyed believe that something needs to be done now. "Please Uncle Sam, don't just sit there, do something! My neighbor makes too much money." Many solutions are offered from raising the minimum wage, to taxing high wage earners and even punishing large corporations for paying over-the-top salaries to their C.E.O's. Collectively speaking the mob cries, "It's not fair, and because it isn't fair IRS and Congress do something about it?" This raises three big questions: (1) What is fair? (2) When will it ever be fair? (3) And who cares if it isn't fair because we all know, "No one ever said life was fair?" In the second part of Dr. Samuel Gregg's talk on "Truth, Reason and the Quest for Equality," he brought up a very interesting point that is rarely ever discussed: Inequality can actually be a good thing for society! This may sound shocking to most of us, but please before you get hopping mad, you need to hear him out. He begins with defining the Christian assumption concerning equality. Equality is not based on Economics or Ownership, but on Essence. We are all made in the image of God and because of that we are all equal in human dignity and worth. No human is "super" or "sub" we are all equal in value just by our existence. Along with this truth is the idea that in our essence we are "superior" to the rest of the created order. Human babies are of greater worth than snowy owls and polar cubs because we carry the Creator's fingerprint on our soul. That doesn't allow us to abuse the owl and bear, but to properly manage and steward this earth. But that is for another discussion. So, when it comes to economic equality, God never gave us a guarantee we would all be playing with the same amount of poker chips. In fact, to say that 'economic inequality' is the root of all of a society's ills is ignoring 4 huge truths: (1) The Primary problem with humanity is not inequality but "Sin" and the results of the "Fall." I once heard a preacher say that you can take a thief who once stole railroad ties, give him a college education and then after he graduated not only will he steal the railroad ties, but he will take the tracks and train as well! The point is the problem with man is not education or income, it is the heart. Give a spendthrift a buck and he will spend it right away on a silly trinket; give him a million he will spend it just as quickly but on larger foolish things. Money won't fix a broken heart, but it will often reveal it. (2) Inequality is not intrinsically unjust. You understand this right away when it comes to every other area of life except money. For instance, do you hold it against Lebron James that he is physically better than almost anyone else on the planet when it comes to basketball? No. Is it upsetting that Brad Pitt or Jennifer Lawrence are great actors, or Einstein was a hair smarter than everyone else? No! We are all gifted in a variety of different ways. To begrudge someone for being better at making money is like getting mad at Justin Beiber for being cute (Oh wait, bad example - - but you get my point). (3) Some forms of inequality are just. If I work 60 hours at my job while you work 30, is it unfair that I get paid more? Do you really want to pay the guy flipping burgers the same as the guy who is doing the paperwork and figuring out health care plans? Really? Do you really think Bill Gates is not worth the money he gets? Just think of all the people his ingenuity has touched, and if you are reading this it has just touched you. Life is a give and take, an exchange of giftedness and talent to mutually bless. Look at the body, you need variety. What if we were all noses - - it would be one smelly world. (It would be worse if we were all hind-ends?) (4) Economic inequality is not the same thing as poverty. Because Bill Gates makes more than me does not mean that I am poor. Because there is an earning gap does not mean we are all dying of starvation. Sure there are things that need to be done so people won't use and abuse others, but to force equality is not going to solve anything. It is only meant to punish! His final comment was poignant: "If you want the economy to grow, you need to raise up more risk takers." Is that what you see going on, or do you see a government quick to punish any sort of capital gain? Has the word profit become profane? Are businessmen and bankers the new criminals? One more thing, did you know that Global Economic Inequality is in decline? You won't hear that because it isn't a good thing to promote if you want to get elected. The truth is Asia is growing from trade and new business initiatives, and alongside this is the spread of wealth. Why are we reluctant to admit it? Personally I think the answer is simple: We don't want to make anyone feel bad who is not working hard. And that is Sad...
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