Wally Weet

Dear Capitalist Running Dog,
You say, “I gather from your blogs that you number among your enemies [capitalists and] Christians of a certain stripe.”

You’re close, RD, but I wouldn’t say “enemies”, antagonists rather.

Christians first. The problems I have with Christianity as it worries the rag of American culture is that there is a tendency to apologize for, even encourage, the despoliation of the planet from which we emerged and which our descendants will inherit. To put it another way, there is a facet of Christianity that encourages greed and exploitation. I would much prefer the dominance of another Christian ethos which encourages wise and good stewardship. Jim Wallis and his Sojourners are a good example. We are so dominated by greedy selfishness that we barely ever hear from that truly conservative side.

Capitalism benefits from the strain of Christianity that excuses, even encourages individual greed. The mongers of capitalism protect one thing before anything else: ever bigger profits on the bottom line. They have no other primary objective. And we are suffering from that reality. Since the end of the Soviet Union and the rise of the conservative reaction in our country that ushered in the bush league now administering our nation state, Capitalism has been unleashed. Old regulations, old restraints have been removed. Everyday we hear how the champions of capitalism want more privileges to earn a bigger buck usually by exploiting the planet or its children, human and otherwise. In other words Capitalism in America has been given a steady unblinking green light & full speed ahead.

And this is wrong. Capitalism can be humane. And I agree with you. Capitalism is part of the reason we live as well as we do. I certainly want no other economic system. The others have all failed. But capitalism is like a wonderful stallion. It must be controlled or it will run wild which it is doing today.

From my perspective Capitalism, money, commerce have become the true religion(s) of America. And Christianity is a pawn. I see that happening in our politics and in our architecture. There is no doubt the poor are losing out to the rich. The most impressive (or pretentious) structures being built today in our cities are the big banks and corporate headquarters. Some churches may be big, but none have the grandeur of the old cathedrals.

Capitalism unleashed as is now the case, dominates our politics at the expense of other interests. And that is a bad thing. Why? Because it is a bad thing for profit to be the primary reason for legislation.

I think we’re in a bad way right now, RD. I think we need a new balance to bring the stallion of Capitalism and all the good it can do for this society back under control. We need to rein it in. Put a new halter in its mouth and accustom it to a saddle ridden by a new social ethos based on a reverence for the planet and its children.

In short, that, I think, is the greatest gift we can give our descendants.