Bring good news to the poor…

How do we square that commandment, with this reality?

Is it any wonder that an ever increasing number of people refuse to find any authentic meaning or legitimate power in Christian practice, when a people who are increasingly shrill about our "Christianism" tolerate this kind of disparity? Some of Kristof's statistics include:

The top 1 percent of Americans owns 34 percent of America’s private net worth, according to figures compiled by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington. The bottom 90 percent owns just 29 percent. That also means that the top 10 percent controls more than 70 percent of Americans’ total net worth.

Kristof goes on to ask:

At a time of such stunning inequality, should Congress put priority on spending $700 billion on extending the Bush tax cuts to those with incomes above $250,000 a year? Or should it extend unemployment benefits for Americans who otherwise will lose them beginning next month?

Where are our religious leaders? Perhaps more to the point, where are WE? It may be harsh, but my mood demands this Scala & Kolacny cover of the Marilyn Manson song: