two and two makes five: Dear America, Can I Have $700 Billion?

I have sworn off writing about "politics" on this blog for a while - mostly because 1) people get really antsy about politics and feel personally attacked when others disagree with their views, 2) I live and work off 100% donations from people who aren't always inclined to give to people they disagree with politically, and (most importantly) 3) I have long ago quit believing that politicians ~~care about anything beyond their own power and status~~ are capable of working primarily "for the good of the world," which I believe is the welcoming of the Kingdom of God.

But today I am saying "thank you" to the US House of Representatives for voting down the $700 Billion Wall Street bailout. Why? Because I am not primarily concerned with the economy of the United States, although that economy seems to provide my livelihood. I am not primarily concerned with what is "best" for "America first," because I know that what is best for the world is what is best for America. And I am disappointed in the leaders and candidates from both political parties for putting their own interests above the world's, and the vote of the House restores a bit of my confidence that politicians can sometimes do the right thing, across party lines and in defiance of political leadership.

I've done a little digging and research around the web, and while I wouldn't stake my life on the complete accuracy of these figures, I've found a few ideas for how to spend $700 Billion - across the world or in your own backyard:

Fully fund life-saving Anti-Retroviral Treatment to every single man, woman, and child infected with HIV in Africa, including training the health professionals required to administer treatment and the building of necessary infrastructure
Eliminate illiteracy across the entire world (58 times over)
Give 160x our annual aid to Africa
Wipe out malaria and TB in Africa (several times over)
Give a "One Laptop to Child" to every person in India, Africa, and South America
Give 4.4 million Americans a free college education at a prestigious private institution
Triple American scientific R&D spending
Send a check for $2300 to every living American
Provide six years of universal health care to Americans
Fix the Social Security problem
Build seven new international space stations
Or - in terms of FDR's New Deal, for $250 billion in today's money, he bought 8,000 parks, 40,000 public buildings, and 72,000 new schools. So, double or triple that for what we could get for $700 billion today
Socialize the catastrophic greed of capitalist bankers and force taxpayers to pay the banks' ill-advised debt for several generations

It would be obscenely political of me to point out that the total cost of the Iraq war will likely approach $3 Trillion according to the Washington Post. Or that Time Magazine is reporting on the dangers of America's new #1 export - debt. Or that any number of economists and analysts believe that the nearly $10 Trillion national debt will cripple our nation for generations. So I won't mention any of that. But I'll just point out that by including the cost of the Iraq war along with the proposed bailout, you could choose five or six of the items above and accomplish them all.

This post might sound angry (it isn't) or cynical (I'm beyond cynical) or both, but what it really represents is a stark assessment of the values of a nation. If you can judge a person's character by her actions, then you can judge a nation's collective character in the same way. Ours is not a nation that seeks first the Kingdom of God, but one that seeks first power, wealth, and security - on the backs of the Other. The values of the nation are clearly seen in its budgetary habits, and the values of voters are reflected in the actions of the politicians they support. Is your candidate supporting what seems best for America in the short term or what is best for the world in the long term - the growth of the reign of God who is restoring all things and making them new? I'm still not sure if I can vote: no candidate and no party will ever choose Good over Empire, so do I walk away or choose the least destructive?

Hooray for the House today - thank you for the message that unbridled greed has consequences for the perpetrators that will not be borne disproportionately by the poor. Stand your ground and refuse this immoral plan. And maybe, just maybe, someone will recognize that by choosing what is best for the world, you will be choosing what is best for America as well.