Mother Nature is profligate, spawning millions caring little which survive.

Small wonder we choose a God that cares if the sparrow falls! Our state religion preaches compassion for our fellow men; emphasizes our responsibility to care for “the least of these:” Socialism. Abandoning these teachings for consumer capitalism has serious consequences. As we drift away from Christian teaching, we compensate by clinging to Christian symbols such as the Ten Commandments. We claim righteousness by asserting a “right to life,” ignoring the premature deaths of millions due to our negligence. We become moral agents by browbeating gays with the Bible. In living with contradictions between our behavior and our ideals we suffer stress. Seeking to relieve these tensions many take refuge in addictions, virtual realities, suicide, you name it. Pleading for more private-sector jobs will not solve our problems but sells out to the powers that be and assigns government to a mission impossible. No government can recreate a world where we monopolize intellectual property and our material productivity is needed despite politicians claims. We must shift from production of material goods to production of social goods if we are to escape Mother Nature’s revenge.

In 2012 will we elect deregulators who precipitated the 2008 economic collapse leaving them free to prey on the carcass of capitalism or a government that will try to alleviate people’s pain as we adjust to changing realities? Will religions be used to divide us or unite us in chasing the money lenders from the temple?

John E. Gibson
Blooming Prairie