Father Scott: Tax the ultra rich, solve ills

Dear Mark,

I don’t want us to forget the lesson of King Midas.

The ancient ruler was obsessed with gold and wished that everything he touched would turn to it. Granted this power by a sympathetic Greek god, Midas was overjoyed until he realized he could no longer eat or even touch his beloved daughter without turning things and people to gold.

Desperate, he begged to have the curse undone, and the god instructed him to wash in the sacred river, restoring everything to normal. Humbled by his folly, Midas abandoned his greed and became a generous and grateful ruler. The story teaches that true wealth lies not in material riches but in gratitude and connection.

Today in the United States, billionaires collectively hold nearly $7 trillion in wealth. I learned recently that if someone netted $100,000 annually after paying taxes and living expenses, it would still take 10,000 years to save $1 billion (and 10 million years to accumulate $1 trillion).

This extreme concentration of wealth is not merely a disparity but a driving force behind the hardships many Americans face, including hunger and inadequate housing. This moral failure simply cannot be allowed.

We don’t need to be afraid that Congress will penalize success by simply requiring the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share in taxes. This is just and reasonable. And it will provide essential services for working-class individuals and those in need.

As a community, we must urge Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand — and whomever is elected to take Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s House seat in the 21st District — to prioritize the well-being of all citizens, recognizing that the wealth of billionaires has grown far beyond human scale.

It is estimated that equitable taxation could fund:

• Health insurance for all uninsured children nationwide ($185 billion);

• Quality childcare for every child so their parents can provide for the family ($700 billion);

• Paid family and medical leave for every worker ($325 billion)…and more.

These initiatives reflect the values of fairness and compassion that Hometown USA holds dear.

Catholics, people of other faiths, and all people of goodwill across the country agree that diverting resources from essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP to further enrich the ultra-wealthy contradicts our moral principles. Lawmakers must never propose cutting these vital programs to fund additional tax breaks for billionaires.

Our souls’ integrity requires that we focus on building an economy that serves everyone, not just those suffering the same illusion as King Midas.

Faithfully,
Fr. Scott VanDerveer
Pastor, St. Mary’s Church, Glens Falls

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