McCain: Rich, Out of Touch With the Average Joe

At the recent presidential candidates forum held at Saddleback Church in Orange County, CA--one of the wealthiest counties in the nation--John McCain said that "rich" is five million dollars. Obama, citing the top 2-3%, nationally, suggested $250,00.00.

While many struggle to pay bills, myself included, I have witnessed the tragedy from a different perspective; cat and dog rescue.

I now get, every single day, people begging me to take in their animals as they lose their homes. I can practically see the tear stains on the e-mails. It is painful and angering. I cannot possibly help more than I am. All rescues are in this position.

I have a permitted limit--for good reason--and I stick to it. For the first year since I have had my permit, I am running at full capacity ALL the time, and have been for at least ten months. The age of the animals I am getting is at least 50% higher than normal indicating that long time stability is suffering. Dogs and cats are staying longer as the adoption arena is flat, meaning I can take in fewer thus more stay at the shelter and are killed there. Shelters are killing more than ever. More are being abandoned in homes and on streets. You know the saying--Sh*@ runs downhill. And it runs right over the innocent.

People that bought into wild adjustable rate mortgages (I was always too scared of adjustables and stuck with the conventional 30-year, adding a few extra dollars every month above my payment), are finding their incomes--even with two jobs--impossible. The collapse of the housing market and the failure of several key lending institutions underlines the severity of the problem.

For someone literally having to move from their home, McCains recent admission that he really didn't know how many homes he owns, the statement must seem rather pathetic. While people are living in cars, campgrounds, hotels, with relatives and friends, under bridges and in temporary camps, McCain cannot remember what he owns.

There is a huge understanding gap between McCain and the average American. I have changed literally all my habits both for environmental and financial reasons while his wife bought a small plane to travel around Arizona in. McCain's heiress second wife, with an income estimated to be between $36 million and $100 million, cannot possibly know what it is like to struggle, and neither can McCain--a point driven home by his definition of "rich".

But this woman can.



UPDATE: Two more pieces, here.

Left Behind By Choice: The 2008 Lambeth Difference

This article from scotsman.com caught my attention today. The article has stuck in my craw all day so I need to get this off my mind.

I guess what got my strict attention were the following paragraphs lifted from the article. The first quote is in reference to the discussions on lgbt issues at Lambeth in 1998:

The then Bishop of Edinburgh [Bishop Richard Holloway] said he had been amazed by the "intensity and brutality" of the event. It had felt like "being in the middle of a lynching". [inclusion mine]

Bishop Holloway also takes an optimistic line, but does not think there has been a change for the better in the attitude of hard-liners since 1998. He calls the last Lambeth Conference "a hatefest".

"I still have enormous contempt, not so much for their point of view as the way they have expressed it, in ugly, violent language."

He was particularly appalled by the comments of Peter Akinola, Archbishop of Abuja in Nigeria, and a leading figure on conservative wing.

"He doesn't say just he disagrees with gay people, he insults them and likens them to animals. You can disagree with people and still have a respect for each other.

Indeed, Bishop, indeed.

In a typically graceful statement pre-Lambeth, TEC's Presiding Bishop, Katherine Jefferts Schori, is reported by the
BBC to have said that those in the Anglican Communion (such as Akinola and Orombi) would be missed and that 'the meeting would be "diminished" by their absence.'

Two very different takes, these.

Akinola is a purist. He stands on a wee rock he has carved for himself and a few others and won't budge. I understand that thinking. Early in my activist life, I practiced it. But I quickly came to realize that change requires involvement.

So, on the one hand, Akinola has likely hurt himself. On the other hand, he has given breathing room for perhaps less hateful voices to speak to his issues at Lambeth (while preserving his odd spiritual bubble).

Given things have just intensified since Bishop Holloway's Lambeth experience, I conclude that surely this kind of crude and ugly approach will not be missed except by the press. I know I wouldn't miss it.

Perhaps the voices of disagreement at this Lambeth can be more calm and understanding, in their words, hearts, prayers and actions.

Sometimes separation is good. Whether in the midst of family disagreement or our Communion's disagreement, it necessarily allows for personal reflection on the matter at hand. Being a mere mortal, I know personal reflection can go wrong when this bolsters one's wrongs to justify the wrong path. On the other hand, one can conclude that some actions taken were, well, just screwed up beyond belief. Self honesty is important in any pursuit.

One of the issues Schori brought up in this interview is very important:

"We've had to talk about issues of human sexuality publicly. That's culturally seen as inappropriate in many other parts of the Communion," she said.

"We have embarrassed other parts of the Communion because we need to talk about these issues publicly. That's the biggest challenge - to figure out how to live together as a family of churches."

Yes, cultural realities are alive. They are different, even one community to the next, one county to the next, one state to the next and one country to the next. Not to mention the variety in each category.

But, in my view, NEVER should there be language to debase another or a call for physical violence or incarceration of another because of divergent views within Christianity. And most certainly, never should this occur in the Anglican Communion. Imbuing love for God and respect of God on a platform of verbal violence makes no sense. "I hate what you are because I love God. You should go to jail." I could never utter those words. I cannot imagine what could drive me to such a point of hysterical religious disparity.

One can set me right on this, but I recall no such thing in the Gospels. To the contrary, Jesus just seemed to baffle one after another as he tended, in various ways, to those excluded and those in power often hated, though he clearly didn't like the concept of "pay to pray".

Bottom line: I am glad Akinola and his ilk are not there. They have representation, but not nearly such abusive representation as they would personally deliver.

Maybe some work and understanding might actually occur in this Lambeth environment.