If you are someone who adheres to the Christian religion, today is Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey and was declared a triumphant king of his people. They cried out “Hosanna in the highest heavens” as they laid down palm branches, which were a sign of victory.

Most people have heard the word “Hosanna”, and think it means “whoo hoo”! Or “rock on!”, like a cheer.

The Hebrew word, “hoshi’a na,” is translated in Greek as “(h)osanna.” In English, we known it as “hosanna”. And it’s not a cheer.

It means “SAVE”!

The people were laying down palm branches, shouting to Jesus to save them. To save them from unlivable poverty, unbearable living situations, overbearing taxes, or unjust social oppression where minorities were enslaved or had a different set of laws that those who had power or means.

Sound familiar?

It makes me sad when reports like this come out, and instead of learning from it — the immediate defensive American response is “those people need to get a job.” Typical narcissistic response, instead of just dealing with the reality that America has priced itself right out of having a middle class.

Well, as the report states, only 7% of impoverished people in America DON’T have a job. Most have more than one, and that only barely covers living expenses for a small family. Many are seniors and the “retirement” doesn’t cut it in today’s world. Yet the battle cry in America continues to be “those people”, or “welfare people” instead of just re-evaluating our consumer culture and the cost-to-living ratio.

Many households are single-parent. Or seniors. When a two-adult household also struggles, when a phone is $1,100, when jeans are $150 and tennis shoes are $125, when median rent in the USA is $975 for a one bedroom and $1,175 for two — there’s a problem, when most people are making around $12 an hour. Or retired. And will never be able to save enough money for a home down payment.

I know dozens and dozens of working two-parent Caucasian households, many that vote for a more conservative way of thinking in government so they aren’t what many in America now insist on calling “socialists” — these folks work their butts off, have no savings, and are declaring bankruptcy because there’s never any catching up.

Because there’s a spiritual problem in our nation.

If you get behind in this country, that’s a good thing for the loan companies, who continue to make massive money off your credit card and student debt interest.

So it doesn’t make business sense for vendors and financial institutions to want Americans to catch up.

This isn’t a political issue. It’s a moral issue.

The USA, which is run like a bad spreadsheet anymore, has quit the UN council in a huff, over many things yet a big grievance was how offended they were by this study. Because that’s who we’ve become at the helm of this nation — thin-skinned and unwilling to evaluate what works what doesn’t work, outside of our own life experience, lens, political affiliation and pocket book.

We just slap on the blinders and trudge along, with poverty rising every year in the USA. It’s not about getting a job. It’s about huge national policy — again, a sociopathic business issue rather than a political one.

I personally know many people who have moved to other countries to retire — because they just couldn’t afford to live a “normal” lifestyle in the USA anymore.

We can do better. We must do better, for ourselves, our future, and our hearts.

Unless, of course, we’re bent on “Hunger Games” becoming a predictive forecast, rather than a blockbuster film.