Against the prosperity doctrine.

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It is now the last week before my country goes to the elections. The big issue is selling part of the state assets — the ruling party wants to keep a controlling interest in what we call “State owned enterprises” and the socialists want to keep them.

It’s got dirty and ugly, but that is politics. At the same time one of the mainstream media released a report on child poverty. I’m cynical about the timing of this — and comparing NZ, which has a middle income, with Sweden and Japan, which do not.

Today’s reading however confronts us on our greed.

1 Peter 2:1-3

1Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation — 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Matthew 19:23-30

23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” 25When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” 26But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”

27Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and will inherit eternal life. 30But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

I do not think that Jesus was saying it is a sin to be rich. The poor will always be with us, as will the rich, There is a limit to how much income redistribution a nation can do without removing the motivation to work.

But there is no moral value in your wealth. It is a tool. Like beauty, intelligence, skill… it is a talent to be used. Sacrificed if needs be.

Coming back to the report about poverty — the issue here is not income as such. it is that the state provided houses are 50 years old — the legacy of the last depression, when the social democratic (Labour) party built then by the bushel — and they are not insulated, nor weatherproof, nor large enough. The rent on them is expensive. Families are sleeping 4 or 5 to a room… and the cold, combined with a low nutrient diet, has led to the recurrence of the diseases in the slums such as rheumatic fever.

People like me live in insulated homes and heat them. Poor people do not: unlike Canada, there is no minimum temperature for houses — and social welfare does not pull children from unhealthy homes.

It is clear that we should help the poor. And there are policies that are in place (that all groups in NZ — from left to right agree with). There is a social safety net.

But we do not count being rich as a sign of blessing. Rather count it as a need to serve others.

15 thoughts on “Against the prosperity doctrine.”

  1. But there is no moral value in your wealth. It is a tool. Like beauty, intelligence, skill… it is a talent to be used. Sacrificed if needs be.

    Amen.

  3. Will vote. Against the socialists, which means holding nose and voting for ACT (the most conservative party who will get elected).

  4. Ah.

    So what do you think of that MMP system? The idea of it sounds appealing, but I have no idea how it would work, in practice. Hence my question, since you Kiwis have experience in the matter.

  7. Yes.

    I was one of them.

    but I\ll probaby vote for SM (90 electorate and 30 list seats by proportion) as that will lead to a clear election result, has a de facto 3% threshold, and means parties have to pay attention to local issues, which under MMP (where you have true proportional represenation) is less of an issue.

    In this, I\m following tactics local bloggers i respect advocate.

  8. What i really want is FPP with the franchise restricted to those who pay income tax on twice the average wage… allowing for combinations, such as a couple merging income to make the threshold, or splitting income to be under it.

    But that would never be voted in.

  9. I’d like to see more responsiveness to the will of the people in general, which would be better under some kind of MMP, yet as you point out, less people end up advocating ofr local issues, unlike under FPTP…

    Tough call, I think.

  11. Wow, you Kiwis have a plethora of parties! Do the major parties always have to hobble together coalitions to stay in power? I like that, insofar as it prevents dictatorial-type rule like the kind we usually get in Canada, elected dictatorships which can ram through whatever they like while in power… “That government governs best which governs least.” said Thomas Jefferson, and while he was a rebel against the lawful rule of George III, I nevertheless am inclined to agree. Israeli-style multi-party governments that can’t accomplish much, can’t tyrannize their own people as much (the Palestinians, that’s another issue).

  12. Yes, In fact there could be 126 seats as minor parties will win electorates and bring one MP in, which means you will need over 52% of vote to get a bare majority. Or the losers may form a coaltition.

    And the party list does not include the minnows, like the New Munster Party (South Island separatist party), or RAM (maoist) or LIberterianz (Objectivist).

  14. You forgot to bold your words there.

    So, they’re isolationist, paleocons? Interesting. Too bad about the separatism, though…

    No, they are left anarchists, like the Free Vermont group. The south Island consists of rural areas (generally Tory) pretty settlements full of lifestylers (think Vermont or Northern California) and cities (which are more like Toronto (Chch) and Vancouver (Dunedin) than I would like to admit. I’m partially joking when I say that I live in a peopls’s republic, but there is a bitter kernel of truth there