Wealth Inequality
presentation for the United Church of Christ annual conference April 2015
Elise DeGooyer
Co-Director, Faith Action Network
FANWA.org
degooyer@fanwa.org
Assumptions…
• There are those among us with more
economic expertise!
• We ALL have economic experience that must
be shared to shift the conversation.
• Our faith traditions have much to say to
Wealth Inequality.
• Goal: Let’s make room for people of faith to
enter into the dialogue without having to be
economists or researchers…
Everybody’s Talking About It…
“Gaping Inequality” Barack Obama
“Class warfare” Marco Rubio
“I think it’s about envy” Mitt Romney
“We need to replace trickle-down economics with
middle-out economics.” Nick Hanauer
“No such thing as a perfectly free market, anywhere.
Government sets the rules.” Robert Reich
“Child poverty is the greatest threat to our future national,
economic, and military security.“ Marian Wright Edelman
Top 1% have 40% of Nation’s Wealth
Bottom 80% have 7% of Wealth
http://network-education.org/wealth-inequality-america
Research & Experts on the Data
Pew Research Center
http://www.pewresearch.org/topics/wealth/
Washington Budget & Policy Center
http://budgetandpolicy.org/policy-areas/jobs-economy/income_inequality
The Other Experts: Those affected by
Wealth Inequality
One in Five Children in WA Experience Hunger
Let’s Talk Survival, Self-Sufficiency First
www.selfsufficiencystandard.org/docs/Washington2014.pdf
http://www.northwestharvest.org/focus-on-food-security
10+1 ideas to save our economy:
The NEW New Deal (from MoveOn & Robert Reich)
Which of these solutions are you most excited about? Click on your top choices!
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Bust up the big banks and tame Wall Street.
Create a basic minimum income for all.
End "corporate welfare" giveaways to big corporations.
Expand Social Security.
Give parents the help they need so they don't have to choose between being good
parents or dedicated workers.
Open Medicare to everyone.
Raise the minimum wage to $15/hour.
Reduce taxes on companies that share profits with their workers and raise taxes on
companies that don't.
Reinvent education and pay teachers more.
Strengthen unions and preempt state "right-to-work" laws.
 (We also have to get big money out of politics. That's an imperative)
Educate!
http://network-education.org/campaign/mind-the-gap
NETWORK Lenten
series exploring
Wealth Inequality in
quintiles—for the
well being of all God’s
people. Just one good
example of a study
guide that already
exists.
NETWORK Lenten
series exploring
Wealth Inequality in
quintiles—for the
well being of all God’s
people. Just one good
example of a study
guide that already
exists.
Bring Our Faith Voices to the Table!
Is this not the fast I choose? To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo
the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free… Isaiah 58:6-7
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because I have been anointed to
bring good news to the poor… Luke 4:18-19
Never shall you attain to true piety unless you spend on others out of
what you cherish yourselves… Holy Qur’an 3:92
The second Buddhist precept on stealing was translated from Pali texts
as "I abstain from taking that which is not given.“
Truth is above everything, but higher still is truthful living… Sikh prayer
Organize!
Direct Action
Table Turning Disciples
Lenten Monday Faith Action opposing
New King County Youth Jail
Advocate!
FAN Petition for a Moral Budget
How Do We Spend
Our Own State Treasury…
Testimony from the 2015 Session
http://www.tvw.org/index.php?option=com_tv
wplayer&eventID=2015010122&stop=3285#star
t=3423&stop=3650
Faith Voices Can Help Shape a New Story,
beyond Sacred Money & Markets…