Two very shocking stories have emerged from Wall Street in the last few weeks and we will comment on both of them. The first concerns the millions of dollars that were paid out in bonuses at Wall Street companies this year.
Most of us know that bonuses are of two types, merit and cost of living. Many of us receive an annual cost of living raise that helps keep us up with inflation, merit raises are based on performance and are a reward for a job well done. I do not know about you but I do not think that the stock brokers have done a very good job this year.
The economy is in the worst shape it has been in since the 1930’s and much of the blame can be laid at Wall Street. President Obama’s reaction was a noble symbol, he publicly called the bonuses shameful and his next move was more than symbolic. Many of these companies are now living on our tax money and he placed a cap on executive salaries, they are always the ones with the multi-million dollar bonuses, for companies that receive bail-out cash. This is a good and just move but it is too little too late.
The second story enlightens us to what this august group of men has been doing with their bonus money. The recent arrest of a NYC madam has brought the illicit sexual activity of these men into the light. Search warrants led officers to a computer that contained a call list for 10,000 clients, many of which are executives on Wall Street.
These men were paying these sexual slaves in excess of 5,000 per visit and the company that pimped the girls was set up as a corporation. This move was made so that the clients could bill the services on an expense account or bill their offices directly.
This means that our money was either directly paying for these escapades or that the costs were floated as a tax write off by the entire nation. We have been engaging in temple prostitution and not even knowing it, but what can we expect form a system that is based on greed.
Until our economic system is reattached to the virtues of justice and charity, there will be neither genuine ‘hope’ nor authentic ‘change.’ These words must be more than slogans.
Our Vision
To ignite students and equip leaders to join in God's passion for the broken and the oppressed.
Our Mission
IJM Southeastern exists to glorify Jesus Christ by bringing light to the injustices in the world around us and by calling students to action.
International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems. IJM's justice professionals work in their communities in 12 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to secure tangible and sustainable protection of national laws through local court systems.
An IJM Campus Chapter is a group of students concerned about issues of injustice who desire to work together as advocates for the oppressed in a world of suffering. They partner with IJM in 3 ways:
1. Raising their voices on behalf of victims of injustice through prayer and advocacy.
2. Raising awareness on their campus and in their community of the reality of oppression in our world.
3. Raising support to enable IJM to rescue more victims of oppression.
International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems. IJM's justice professionals work in their communities in 12 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to secure tangible and sustainable protection of national laws through local court systems.
An IJM Campus Chapter is a group of students concerned about issues of injustice who desire to work together as advocates for the oppressed in a world of suffering. They partner with IJM in 3 ways:
1. Raising their voices on behalf of victims of injustice through prayer and advocacy.
2. Raising awareness on their campus and in their community of the reality of oppression in our world.
3. Raising support to enable IJM to rescue more victims of oppression.
Our Response
International Justice Mission’s first priority in its anti-trafficking casework is to secure the protection of the law for trafficked women and children forced into commercial sexual activity. IJM investigators spend hundreds of hours gathering and documenting undercover evidence of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Using this evidence, IJM staff members then work with local authorities to remove victims from forced prostitution and ensure that they have access to aftercare services to meet their vital needs. IJM lawyers work to secure the conviction and sentencing of traffickers and other perpetrators in an effort to deter future crimes. Sex trafficking will endure as long as it remains a profitable criminal enterprise. By freeing victims and prosecuting their perpetrators, IJM operations increase the risk and decrease the profitability of trafficking. IJM works to combat sex trafficking in India, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines. In the 10 years since the organization’s founding, IJM investigations have resulted in freedom for hundreds of girls and women held by force in the commercial sex trade.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
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