Sunday, July 18, 2010

Does a "Save the Earth" sticker on your Mastadon SUV make you an environmentalist?

What's your take on the fact that the worst defaulters on mortgage loan are millionaires? I mean, aren't they the one's who argue most vociferously for "market" answers to market problems and laissez-faire to government regulation; however, a recent study found that loans >$1,000,000 were defaulting at a rate of 1 in 7: whereas, loans valued <$1,000,000 were defaulting at a rate of 1 in 12. 


Lest we forget, the richer households got those tax cuts from W at a time when ALL other demographic groups were LOSING value in real terms b/c employers were cutting "in-kind" compensation perqs like [gasp!] medical care/leave, etc, and income (in real dollars) was dropping. 


Are we really a land dedicated to the principles of protecting EVERYONE'S automatic access to inalienable rights, or are we really a land of "Haves protecting what they have at the expense of those who have not"?  My cynicism grows each passing day...


This is my first article under the new, much shorter banner: Veritas Amore  I borrowed this Latin phrase from my college, Bellarmine University of Louisville, KY, which ironically means, "For the Love of Truth".  Its irony stems from the school's namesake, Roberto Bellarmino (, led the Inquisition against Galileo because he asserted, through repeated observations, that the Truth was that the Earth was NOT the center of the Universe. To make this question even darker and richer today, many Republicans in name only (aka RINOs) believe that Rusty Limbaugh is the center of the universe. 


Of course, the story of the two men and the struggle Galileo endured was much more complex than the abbreviated one usually dispensed by fundamentalist churches and government leaders. The men actually admired each other and Bellarmino had much doubt that the Church leaders were correct. Bellarmino was a man of rare intellect and was made a Doctor of the Church, an exceedingly rare honor. 


In any event, as time, talent, and tolerance allows, I'll try and entertain, enlighten, and challenge what you think you know about the world in which we live. In the meantime, I WILL change the set-up of this template because I HATE it so. 


xoxo

1 comment:

CARRIE said...

I just saw on FB a page that said something like "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in your garage makes you a car." Having a zillion dollar home doesn't make you financially savvy either, I reckon.

Absolutely--the haves and have-nots. You are right...not a cynic.
Or maybe we're both cynics.