Our Responsibility

I know a fellow who owns a number of apartment buildings. He is always looking for a good deal for another building and if he finds one, simply presents his MasterCard to pay for it. Or he did until this economic financial pothole we find ourselves in.

Not his fault. He was shocked that credit had become so tight he couldn’t use his card.

He and his wife are interesting to me in that they get their information about the world from USA Today. They also vote their pocketbook. That is to say, they vote Republican and against any increase in taxes. It doesn’t matter if the people they vote for believe in other things that clearly hurt members of their family, it is all about their bottom line and the rest of society be damned.

I don’t want to think they are typical Republicans, but they seem to fit my stereotype that I have for that party’s voters.

To me, they don’t get it. They have been very successful but they don’t want to pay their dues for the privilege to live in this country. What is ironic is that they will be screaming bloody murder when their axle breaks when they go into a pothole that could not be fixed because of budget cuts. The will also be screaming bloody murder when the police cannot respond quickly enough because too many officers have been laid off. I won’t discuss how upset they will be about contaminated food that results from a lack of inspectors. Of course we get that now.

The Bush tax cuts are anti-social. If congress does nothing, they will go away next year. Not a moment too soon.

We live in a society that provides opportunities for anybody to become successful and make a lot of money. However, let them not forget that their success creates an obligation to give back. We all have that obligation, each to our ability to give back.

Even Bill Gates knows this and gives back through the Gates Foundation. Too bad my friend seems to be blind to this fact.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that it is evil to make money. I am saying that we have to know how much is actually enough and exercise the responsibility to help the others we have left behind.