This post is not a lectionary based comment. It is a reflection on the way we as a nation are approaching the current economic situation. I have been very concerned with the effort to "recover," as in return to life the way it was, instead of seeing this as a time to reconsider and revise our approaches. My understanding of Jesus is that he cared for the poor and oppressed, the marginalized of his day as a category but his solutions were personal, one-on-one. So much of the basis for this time of trouble is the separation of bankers and lenders and money managers and stock brokers from the people whose homes and savings they were manipulating, and I think we need some fundamental change. What follows has been sent to the Hawk Eye as a letter to the editor - a bit long, I suspect - and to politicians for this area. Comments very welcome!
Op-Ed columnist Bob Herbert wrote in the New York Times on 2-28 about the high proportion of workers ages 19-29 that is unemployed or underemployed. In this difficult economy, it is this age group bearing much of the brunt of layoffs. Many others are either working jobs for which they are overqualified – college grads taking jobs that do not require a college degree – or working less than full time. Herbert is worried about the damage that may be done to these young workers as they lose opportunities for learning working skills, for being mentored in the workplace and for developing the confidence and creative skills they will need to succeed.
I share Herbert's worry. As one admittedly influenced by the work of William Strauss and Neil Howe in their book Generations, I believe that these young workers and the children and youth now in our schools need to be given a key role in addressing the economic and social challenges of our times. They need to be the "soldiers" and "junior officers" in a fight to rebuild our strength as a nation. Judging by the suicide and PTSD rate among our military forces, actual soldiering is not as successful at producing future leaders as WWII was. Yet we need an effort as important and honorable as that epic battle.
I have doubts about the value of using billions of government dollars to support banks and businesses that have not proven themselves worthy of public trust, but not because I do not think the government should take a lead role in this troubled time. Instead, I would urge all parties in government to look for ways to do genuine good for our people and in the world through direct or nearly direct employment. As an example, what if we temporarily expanded the AmeriCorps program and sent an army of young people out to rebuild areas affected by hurricanes and flooding, to work as tutors and after-school program leaders or wherever they can work alongside folks who could use another mind or pair of hands. Rather than just extending unemployment benefits, lets put our younger workers to work in ways that teach teamwork and community spirit. They will learn valuable skills, and our communities and nation will benefit. Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps as a temporary means to provide work that has benefitted our nation for over 70 years.
Is it government's role to create jobs for people? Not in the long run, no. But a public service job that builds skills and generates the pride of worthwhile work has far longer benefits than a tax rebate that buys a day's worth of groceries or a new pair of jeans. The banks and securities sector is important in our world, but we have experienced the result of having layers and layers of money pushers whose only goal is to trade for profit without regard for the products and people represented by the shares of stock and mortgage instruments they shuffle. It is time to re-personalize work. I believe putting people to work in direct ways on worthy projects should be an important part of the process.
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This is a heads up to my reader, in case the paper picks this up. It is also me thinking about teaching ethics to CENTER/LEARN/SEARCH folks - how do we make political decisions that reflect our faith.
Blessings All!
Marlea
