To the Christian Republicans in Congress,
Grace to you and peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ whose radical life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection continue, through the Holy Spirit, to shape our world in preparation for the final coming of the kingdom of God.
I am writing to you in reaction to the most recent vote on the tax reform bill. This situation brings to mind the harsh final lines of parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30). “For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.” I hope in the following paragraphs to express my interpretation of the story, and demonstrate how this tax bill is in direct opposition to the lesson of this parable.
God, personified in the wealthy master, clearly believes that we, his servants, are worth investing in. To some, large sums are given. To others, modest sums. At the end of the story, we see that the master judged his investments well. The servant to whom the most was given, provided the largest return. The servant who provided no return at all was punished.
As in the parable, there are many things in our country worthy of investment, risk, and the acquisition of debt. This tax bill shows that you wish to invest in large corporations and individuals who already have much wealth. You are willing to increase our national debt by $1.2 trillion in order to invest in this population. However, recent events (ie. the paradise papers) and economic history indicate that these people are not good custodians of our national wealth. This population is like the third servant who chooses to bury the money rather than reinvest. And there are populations that are far more worthy of this investment. The working class consumer and those actively engaged in intellectual innovation are populations that will build our economy and produce large returns on investment. Alas, this tax bill will strip these populations of what investment potential they have and hand it to the unworthy servant to bury in off-shore accounts.
To conclude, you should be ashamed of your poor judgment. Your desire to build up treasure on earth has put a stumbling block in front of a large fraction of the American population. I hope that you will see and start to make amends for you actions while there is still time for reconciliation.
Peace be with you,
a follower of Christ and a concerned American citizen
Anne Carroll
New Haven, Ct.
