From the Desk of Jeff King

Dark age

Maybe someone should hurl a shoe at Washington and Wall Street. I heard a report that failed banks are allocating bailout money – earmarked by the Treasury to buy troubled assets – for CEO bonuses. Congress last week gave itself a pay raise, raiding $2.5 million from taxpayers, many of whom have lost jobs and homes. The same lawmakers are demanding that CEOs of struggling companies work for free.

Initially, I felt outrage, then deep sadness. Greed and malfeasance rule the day. I opened the Old Testament and found three verses that reflect how I feel today:

• The Torah is powerless, and justice never goes forth (Habakkuk 1:4).

• The faithful man has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among men (Micah 7:2).

• When I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me (Micah 7:8).