Cuts we really need

It’s anticipated treasuer Peter Costello will announce tax cuts across the board in tonight’s Australian federal budget. A total of $21.7 billion dollars. And while my immediate reaction to this news was one of, ‘Cool, more money in my pocket’, having thought about it a bit more, I wonder if tax cuts are really the way we should be heading.

Australians are by nature ready to lend a hand to their mates. Especially when the going gets tough, Australians dig deep to help mates out, whether by finances or practical action. The generous response of Australians to the recent Asian tsunami disaster is a case in point.

So why then does our federal government not do the same? Now to be fair, our government has and does give significantly to projects both locally and abroad to help those in need. However when you consider our giving in the light of our wealth it hardly seems generous. As a nation our giving remains but a fraction of the percent-GDP that our government has pledged to give by committing to the Millennium Development Goals. So why give ourselves a hand-out yet again, and continue to neglect the needs of the world’s poor?

We live in an imbalanced world. Where the ‘haves’ control things so the ‘have-nots’ never will. Where people go hungry while we throw food away. It’s not right. It’s not fair. And it’s not how I believe it is meant to be.

When Jesus came he announced the Kingdom of God breaking into the way things were. He came and lived among the poor. He was not among the privileged. He also understood that in the current world, broken as it is from God’s original design, there will always be people who are poor. Paradoxically it’s those people who God loves to bless. It’s those people who are on God’s heart and afforded his special care.

So what’s that mean for you and me? I think we DO need to make some cuts, but it’s not to taxes where the money ends up back in my own pocket. How about we cut out hunger, cut out disease, get rid of the systems that trap people in poverty and destructive lifestyles? Cut the chains of debt? Look out for those around the world who are not just neglected but are systematically oppressed by the system as it stands right now.

Tax cuts are nice. Justice is better. www.micahchallenge.org

Why columnONE?

What’s the point of putting my opinions online, or even into print at all for that matter? Who am I to speak to any issue or to offer my 2 cents worth? Maybe the answer to that will surprise you.

I don’t expect that my opinions will offer startling new revelation. In fact the writer of Ecclesiastes in the Bible reminds us that there’s nothing new under the sun. It’s all been done before. So in a sense you can probably expect more of the same when it’s coming from me. Nouvelle thought has a history of being off track, particularly theologically, of perhaps oversimplifying an issue or taking one particular extreme and ignoring its opposite. One thing my thirty-plus-one years has taught me is that what I used to consider black and white actually has a lot more grey than I once gave credit for. But how can I write grey and yet still make a point?

There’s lots of things I don’t do well. I often daydream of attempting something for the first time and discovering that I have an innate ability, like sitting down at a piano for the first time, putting my fingers to the keys and belting out some amazing concerto I’ve never learned. More than likely that kind of thing will never be more than just a daydream. It’s not going to happen. Yet one thing I can do is speak my mind. After all, if I don’t speak it no one else is going to do it for me, are they?

So who am I? A fellow traveller on life’s journey. A recipient of grace and seeker of the kingdom of God. Hopefully someone also growing in experience, wisdom and my friendship with God. It’s to my fellow travellers, with open hearts, minds and lives that I share my 2 cents. May it be of value to you too.