Beyond Politics: Going beyond the Captialism and Socialism Debate

We live in such a political violent and unstable time where sides are taken and people believe to be a true humanitarian or true patriot is to think the world in black and white and us and them politics.  This is not only destroying democracy but blinding people to "the will of power" over others.  From a Christian discipleship view, our country has for a long time been a country with both capitalism and socialism functioning in various ways in both political parties.  Each one has it strengths and weaknesses and it does no good for people taking sides to humanize one as truly good or virtuous while demonizing the other economic view (even worse when Christians try to baptize an economic viewpoint as "Christian" which often turns Christianity into civil religion of the State).

How much income inequality does there have to exist before people wake up to the real problem is not big government but big money behind government?  If we possessed a smaller government with the same powerful corporations and few rich people controlling Wall-Street, the Media, funding and lobbying politicians, and placing corporations profits over the struggling working class, what real difference will there actually be in the end?

The big economic news is not the slow return of jobs today but the continuing drop in pay.  More and more Americans are falling behind and falling through the cracks and debates between socialism and capitalism is not going to solve our massive economic woes.  No one went to jail for the Wall-Street meltdown and the big banks that created the problem are doing business as usual while taking greater risks not with their money but with investors money.  Do  we still believe that large corporations will lead the way in providing more jobs or will it continue to be  making the most profit and quick money?

In some ways, it seems like social Darwinism has won the economic day of the survival of the fittest and wealthiest.  If we ever want to have a serious debate in our political system, how about a discussion on the growing problems of income inequality, political power from the top that does not trickle down, global corporations and Wall Street corrupting and crippling our economy.  Until this happens, it will be politics as usual.