Too Good to Be True!

I was always taught growing up that if something sounded too good to be true then it really needed to be checked out closely or you could end up getting yourself in a bad situation. This is what I thought about whenever I heard the news heads talking about the collapse of what is called sub-prime loans. One of the people they interviewed said what actually happened was the financial industry loaned money to people who were never qualified to begin with and when the crunch came these folks who couldn’t afford the home they bought had no equity whatsoever, and are now stuck with a foreclosure.

When I grew up we were taught there is a difference between right and wrong, good and evil, and we never dwelt that much on illegal versus legal. Today it is precisely what one can get by with legally versus anything concerning right and wrong. It is not illegal to loan money to people who cannot afford it and who really don’t understand the implications of what they are signing, but I will tell you it is clearly wrong. The financial person said that many of the people who have now been kicked out of their homes would never had met even a minimum standard, but making the loan was the primary goal, not doing the checking necessary to qualify those borrowing the money.

Of course the Bible has much to say about honesty, integrity, and doing the right thing but in today’s world we have made it obsolete other than to be used in religious private practice. Right and wrong is now whatever a person might think it to be. Our children grow up in a world given over to making sure there’s really no bright lines regarding morality and the only real offenses are when one takes a strong stand for something like biblical values.

I do see the evil around us as indications of a world fueling itself on greed. These poor souls are now trying to find housing because they were allowed to borrow money which they were doomed to not be able to pay back are only the tip of the iceberg. Older folks are being fleeced all around us every single day. Our children are quickly becoming prime targets of those who would harm them while we as a society debate the cost effectiveness of trying to do something about their would be molesters.

Politicians have little to offer since they are beholden to the funds provided by the lenders and others who flaunt responsibility while trying to walk a thin line of legality. Those who do speak out actually end up being hypocritical as they live in luxury and actually have profited by the woes of those who have been taken advantage of. Yes, it’s enough to make you sick. I heard of a Church recently enforcing a pricing stipulation on an elderly couple where it was clear the couple had not understood the implications. The Church said they were trying to be good stewards. There’s a wonderful Greek word for that, it’s called BALONEY!!

I had a fellow tell me one time that he bought some valuable property from an immigrant couple who had no idea what it was worth. He told me he gave them multiple opportunities to change their price but in the end he gave them exactly what they asked. I told him I could not have done that. Why didn’t he tell them what the property was worth and make a reasonable profit but not take advantage of their ignorance? I’m afraid this illustration is far more common even within the world of those who claim to live by the Book.

However, it is not hopeless. Because you and I don’t have to follow suit. We can be different. We can teach our children differently. We can live with God’s help a life that illustrates what He would have us to do, not what makes the most sense for our own personal gain. Too often we are all tempted to throw in the towel and join the crowd. I’ll never forget a gentleman who sold me a van one time. He sold it at a very reasonable price and we were happy to take it as is. But he would not have it that way. The only way he would sell it to us was that we accept a 90 day 100% warranty on the vehicle’s mechanical status. He was adamant because he wanted to be sure he had done his duty towards us in this sale. Wow! More later……………..