The Roles of People, Perceived or Not

“The most resourceful industrialized country on earth ranks among the last in rate of economic growth.”

From President John F. Kennedy’s State of the Union Address, 1961

At the time of his State of the Union address, the United States was in the midst of a recession that had begun in April 1960. It wasn’t the first one for Americans and it wouldn’t be the last. What steps were taken by Kennedy and his team to help the U.S. economy? How long did it last? What did former presidents Johnson and Nixon do to hinder the economy? What legislation did former U.S. House Representative Jack Kemp put forth which was to help the economy? The Reagan Revolution would come - what did it mean for Americans, what does it mean for us today?

As I read Kudlow and Domitrovic’s book JFK and the Reagan Revolution, I couldn’t help but feel for the many who were and are negatively impacted by bureaucracy. The prophets in the Bible speak out against oppression. I thought of the message John D. Barry put forth on poverty in his book, Jesus’ Economy, in which he reminds us that “the further we distance ourselves from God, the more we forget to look out for others in addition to ourselves.” One can only hope that we, in some way, will look out for others today in greater ways.

Jesus tells us in Mark 12:31:

“The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Book review of JFK and the Reagan Revolution coming next week!