I’m concerned! Tonight’s news did a powerful “show and tell” of the struggle so many Americans are facing financially. My heart broke as I watched an interview of a sixty-four-year-old man from Philly who is living on food stamps and “barely surviving.” A college graduate, he was laid off from his job and hasn’t been able to find anything else. His unemployment checks will end in March. To save money, he no longer eats breakfast. He choked up when he said he worried he would lose his home.
More than 46.8 million Americans receive food stamps. And that’s just one aspect of the economic crisis in our nation. I think of the families who have lost their home, of those who are homeless right in my own community, and the children . . .
Yes, I’m concerned and especially so as I hear about the millions of dollars being spent on campaign ads. And then I think of the tens of millions more that will be spent before Election Day. This just feels so wrong! Isn’t there something we can do to put an end to political ads? Or what if a law was passed requiring that for every dollar spent on political ads an equal amount would be spent to help the poor? Seems to me that would also level the “playing field” that right now makes it near impossible for anyone who is not wealthy to get elected to public office.
Father, I am concerned. I want to make a difference. Please show me how.
“Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.”
Psalm 82:3 NLT
Write His Answer 
Loaded with truth and wisdom, thank you for this worthy post, Marlene . . . the pieces that are helping to make a difference . . . .
I too am concerned. Your astute comments on campaign spending bring me to something I’ve been considering of late. There is a tremendous chasm between government “aid” and assistance given through Christian charities. This disconnect, I believe, is a result of the vast difference in motives. The Church’s charitable efforts are motivated by Christ’s Love and His command for His children to Love one another. Governmental “aid”, on the other hand, is most often motivated by political desire to gain ever greater power and control. The motives, then, are not merely different, but actually opposite: selfless vs. selfish. My opinion . . .