Second Memo to the Rich

To: Anyone who is serious about helping the poor

From: Contrarian Views on behalf of the financially poor

Re: Helping the poor and making yourself a better person

If you occasionally eat at Burger King or any other fast food restaurant, treat the counter help where you are eating with the same dignity and respect as you treat your Senior Pastor. Those of us who are poor need to see evidence that you don’t think you are superior to us. Remember what you learned when you were four years old; “please” and “thank you” are always appropriate. In the process, you may become a kinder person.

If you are a member of a fancy Church, start treating your Senior Pastor the same way you usually treat the counter help at Burger King. Your Senior Pastor may not know how you actually act when you are not at Church. Your Senior Pastor may learn the truth about you, and you will be reminded to be more kind to others.

If you don’t normally eat fast food, go eat at Burger King or any other fast food restaurant. Practice being kind and respectful to those who are not your peers and have nothing to offer you other than fries and a burger.

If you own a Burger King or any other fast food restaurant, start paying your employees more than the competition and more than minimum wage. There is no Biblical requirment for you to make the same profit margin as all of your competion. A funny thing might happen though. Happier and more confident employees may just have a positive effect on increasing business.

If you have never taken an economics class or read an economics book, make an effort to do both as soon as possible. After you finish the first class or the first book, take or read a second. Economics is more than micro and macro supply and demand. If you are a Pastor, take a third class; you probably believe more myths about economics than the average person. Continue to take additional classes until you finally realize that Fair Trade Coffee is not the answer to third world poverty.

If you don’t shop at Wal-mart, Kmart, or Target, start shopping at at least one of these. All of these stores are lowering the cost of living for those of us who are poor as well as providing us with jobs and income. Don’t forget to say “please” and “thank you” while you shop. Wal-mart may be a blight on your pristine neighborhood, but it is one entity that is actully doing us some good.

If you are an employer, stop lieing to your customers and employees. If you are an employee, stop lieing to your boss. If you are a boss, stop lieing to your employees. Integrety is more valuable than money. Who knows, integrety might even be contagious if it weren’t so rare.

If you are working more than fifty hours or six days a week, start cutting back. You are probably kidding yourself with the extra work you think you are accomplishing and your family might even start to recongnize you again.

Sit down with a friend or two and drink a Budweiser or two. You don’t need to be rich to enjoy the good life.