This reads to me like a rich guy trying to blackmail the Catholic Church.
In an interview on CNBC on Monday, Home Depot founder and devout Catholic Ken Langone said that the Pope’s statements about capitalism have left many potential “capitalist benefactors” wary of donating to the Church or its fundraising projects.
According to Langone, an anonymous, “potential seven-figure donor” for the Church’s restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral is concerned that the Pope’s criticism of capitalism are “exclusionary,” especially his statements about the “culture of prosperity” leading to the wealthy being “incapable of feeling compassion for the poor.”
Langone said he’s raised this issue with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who yesterday praised Pope Francis for “shattering the caricature of the Church.”
“I’ve told the Cardinal,” Langone said, “‘Your Eminence, this is one more hurdle I hope we don’t have to deal with. You want to be careful about generalities. Rich people in one country don’t act the same as rich people in another country.’”
What is it with so many super-rich wanting to play the victim role when those of us who aren’t in the one percent dare to demand a little less of a disparity between the rich and everyone else?
Thanks Zach.
Per Jane Hamsher, somewhere along the line, the “Protestant work ethic,” got contorted into wealth as a sign of God’s favor.
Per wiki:
“… Langone has attracted publicity with his attempted purchase of the New York Stock Exchange. Although the deal fell through, it raised Langone’s stature on Wall Street and in the business community in general. He was a co-defendant with Richard Grasso in the 2004 prosecution by Eliot Spitzer over a controversial package of $139.5m of benefits received by Grasso on leaving his post as chairman and chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange, in addition to an estimated $10m annual pay.[6] The Exchange was operated as a non-profit enterprise, and so was subject to New York state laws governing remuneration within non-profit enterprises. Langone was, as a director of the Exchange and senior member of the remuneration committee, heavily involved in development of the pay package. On July 1, 2008, the New York State Court of Appeals dismissed the case. The majority opinion stated that, since the beginning of the case, the NYSE had become a subsidiary of a for-profit multinational corporation, and that pursuing the company in the matter was therefore “not in the public interest….”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Langone
Not long after that, the NSA using bank software caught NY Gov. Eliot Spitzer paying sex workers. AFAIK, the NSA has not used its banking software to catch anyone besides the one government official trying to rein-in Wall Street, the at-that-time Governor of New York.
Per wiki Langone’s a big GOP fund raiser, so it seems pretty likely to me that he used his influence with the Bush administration to get them to use the NSA to depose Spitzer. The New York Appeals Court ruling mentioned above, that protected Langone’s buddy, Richard Grasso’s income stream and him from prosecution. The whiff of Wall Street influence on the NY Appeals judges is pretty strong.
Couple of corrections. 1. AFAIK, Spitzer was never indicted for anything. He was certainly never convicted. The evidence was “leaked” to the media and he was tried on the front-pages of the U.S. media.
Joseph Nacchio, CEO of Quest Communications was convicted of insider trading, probably using technology similar to what was used against Spitzer.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/09/30/a-ceo-who-resisted-nsa-spying-is-out-of-prison-and-he-feels-vindicated-by-snowden-leaks/
That conviction’s unremarkable until you learn that Nacchio was the only one in the telecommunications business to resist NSA requests for customer data. Along with getting paid, watching another CEO go to jail for “insider trading,” must have had a chilling effect on anyone inside “Big Data,” who wanted to fight for privacy and the Fourth Amendment.
The message to CEO’s and politicians was clear. When you “leak,” in a way that helps Wall Street executives, or domestic surveillance, that’s “ok.”
What other high-profile cases has the U.S. Justice Department been involved with? No Wall Street CEO’s gone to jail for crashing the economy in 2008.
“Federal Judge Asks Why Wall Street Executives Haven’t Been Prosecuted”
http://news.firedoglake.com/2014/01/03/federal-judge-asks-why-wall-street-executives-havent-been-prosecuted/
Is this why US Justice department spends so much time prosecuting Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, and other steroid abusing athletes? Is it to generate high-profile cases that distract from their disinterest in prosecuting much more dangerous white-collar thugs?
There are children who’ve grown accustom to 30 years of deregulation and corporate media propaganda, and who’ve developed the mantra of “success has no boundries” which has trumped, in their minds, the golden rule and sacrifice example of Jesus Christ. It will take decades of better examples–and real love–to change their thinking. Hatred only polarizes more and changes nothing.
Home Depot founder and devout Catholic Ken Langone said that the Pope’s statements about capitalism have left many potential “capitalist benefactors” wary of donating to the Church or its fundraising projects. I can only wonder if people understand Devout means having or showing deep religious feeling or commitment something this guy has now shown he is not. His false claim of religion like millions of others in the republican party. He is a devout Koch addict and Koch is his God. As the 939 nuns that signed the recall and the nuns on the bus will tell you God helps not hurts people. God does not upport greed. The following of false prophets is norm in todays republican regimes. God is good God is great for the Kids accourding to this Ken. Websters dictionary says PERVERT: to change what is norm for personal , political or religious reasons is an act of perversion. This is todays republican agenda. To Pervert America into Koch`s russian ideals.
I like that last analogy. Perversion of responsibility, of loyalty, of definitions, of logic.
Langone is certainly typical of the merchants of greed rejecting Pope Francis’ message of the gospels.
However, I look more to my local Catholic Congressional representative’s response to reject, with legislation, the greed and the power to influence of men like Langone
And so I ask: What is Sean Duffy doing to provide food stamps, to pass background checks at gun shows, and other meaningful social issue legislation wearing his Tea Party face while in Congress? And why, when he returns home to Wisconsin, does he put on his Catholic face spouting false piety and lame, meaningless efforts to help the disadvantaged?
Is Sean Duffy two-faced, a hypocrite, or just trying to satisfy both his Catholic conscience and the merchants’ greed and power?
I suggest both Langone and Duffy read Luke 16:13 and make a choice.
“No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will stand by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Very very Good post. Duffy does not serve God. As Ashland county district attorney he had convictions overturned because he used the judges mother as a juror. it helped his conviction rates for personal advancement just like all members of the justice systems in each community in Wisconsin. Duffy also admitted working for real world he traveled to eleven cites with his now wife and her then boy friend and made movies. They went to walmart and purchased equipment to make the movies in each town. hen when they were done returned the equipment and moved on. This was Duffys own worlds as ordered by real world. That was eleven cites with multiple felony thefts . Duffy is and always will be a convict. Duffy prays to his Dog not a God.
Langone is a fine example of what Evangelist Billy Sunday was talking about when he said “Going to church makes you no more a Christian than going to a garage makes you a car.” His butt might be in the pew every Sunday, and he might be reciting prayers every day, but just because he can sing Christmas carols in Latin does not mean he speaks the language.
Thanks, Amanda, for your update so very relevant to the current race in the 7th Congressional District with Kelly Westlund versus the two-faced incumbent, Sean Duffy.
Yes, Duffy has two faces; one in Congress supporting the conscience-less NRA, and the radical TP agenda and a second face returning home with his false piety.
The questions I pose to Duffy are,”Do you support Pope Francis’ claim of ‘unfettered Capitalism’ or corporate greed resulting in ‘tyranny’ of the multitudes as evidenced by a growing wage inequality and increased poverty?”
And the second, “If so, will you cite your approval of Pope Francis exhortation in his ‘Joy of the Gospels’ and what legislation you have originated or co-sponsored to correct or restrain the current ‘unfettered Capitalism’ and resulting ‘tyranny’?”
There are many ways to violate the commandment “Thou shalt not kill.” One is to limit or deprive one of a living wage.
Amanda, and Duane, thanks.