Compare and Contrast

These stories are not directly related. Then again, maybe they are.

For Many CEOs, private jets the only way to fly

Some in Congress pounced this week on what they view as the hypocrisy of auto executives flying on corporate jets to Washington to ask for public help. Corporations insist riding on private planes is not a lavish perk, but rather a necessary security requirement for top officials that also helps them be more efficient.

Maybe the CEOs of America’s Big Three automakers should have driven to Washington to ask for $25 billion in public money.


Compare and Contrast:

Haiti Children Victim of Food Crisis

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The 5-year-old teetered on broomstick legs — he weighed less than 20 pounds, even after days of drinking enriched milk. Nearby, a 4-year-old girl hung from a strap attached to a scale, her wide eyes lifeless, her emaciated arms dangling weakly.

In pockets of Haiti accessible only by donkey or foot, children are dying of malnutrition — their already meager food supply cut by a series of devastating storms that destroyed crops, wiped out livestock and sent food prices spiraling.

This is the world in which we live.

Perhaps the great reversal that Jesus spoke of is about to happen:

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh....

‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
²⁵‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.