In Washington, A Preferential Option for the Rich

Catholic social teaching advocates what it calls a "preferential option for the poor." The precept, derived from Jesus's teachings, asks believers to make social and political decisions in light of what would be best for the poor, not themselves.

Our nation, in the most blatant way, is institutionalizing a preferential option for the rich. This can only be called what it is: a demonic agenda blatantly contrary to the teachings of Christ.

On this blog, I've tried to maintain a balance, recognizing self-righteousness, rigidity, and hypocrisy by both the right and left. But recent events show that the rich, corporate interests that control our government are attempting to institute a double standard that favors the wealthiest over the "least of these."

Most egregiously, Congress is poised to pass a new bankruptcy bill (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/09/business/09bankruptcy.html) that will make it much harder for middle income people to find bankrupcty protection from overwhelming debt. While the stated aim of the law is to prevent abuse of bankruptcy laws, however, it does nothing to stop corrupt corporations like Enron from manipulating bankruptcy laws to swindle investors of billions. Likewise, it does nothing to stop wealthy families from creating special trusts to shield their assets. In facts, amendments to close loopholes for the wealthy were shot down during debate.

Here's the upshot: If you are poor, what little you have may be taken away. If you have a lot, it is perfectly acceptable to game the system.

Personal responsibility! It's a conservative rallying cry! But please note: consequences of personal failure apply only to the poor.

Critics of this bill have pointed out that most bankruptcy filings stem from severe personal hardship; Harvard researchers found that half the bankruptcies they examined stemmed from medical problems.

Considering the government's failure to make health care affordable for millions of Americans, the result is a double whammy. People too poor to buy health insurance can no longer seek legal protections from emergency medical bills they have no way to pay. Poor folks, take note: The price of treating that unexpected heart attack is a descent into a financial black hole from which there is almost no escape.

But if, say, your investments underperformed so badly that you cannot make payments on the yacht, the vacation home in Aspen, AND pay your Manhattan rent ... don't worry! Relax. Grab a latte. Stick what you have in a trust and hit the spa. You deserve a break from all that stress.

What hypocrisy.

Jesus said that what we do to the "least of these," we do to him. Our congressmen just kicked him in the teeth. How's that for moral values?