Sen. John Kerry visited us here in Jacksonville today and just finished up his speech at the Jacksonville Landing. Coming back from Mass I heard on the radio that there were many conservative protesters at the event. They also mentioned the gist of the emphasis of his speech. That he would pay for his health care program by rolling back tax cuts for the rich. I am pretty tired of this same old rhetoric like a broken record on tax cuts for the rich. Every social problem in the world will be eliminated if we would just get rid of tax cuts for the rich. Of course no mention is ever made about the negative effects on our economy of taking more money out of the economy and throwing it at yet another wasteful government program.
The worst part of this continuing appeal by the majority of Democrats is that they are using envy to achieve their goal. Democrats are against all warfare but class warfare and I guess I am a pacifist on class warfare. The appeal of envy by mentioning people in the top one percent and how it is not fair that they are taxed even higher. I guess the tenth commandment of “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods” does not apply during a campaign and that it is alright to encourage people to sin to gain political advantage.
This appeal also lets people think they are off the hook when it comes to charity. Those greedy one-percenters are taking care of it for me. They won’t miss it. They have plenty and shouldn’t complain.
For I was hungry and the government gave me food, I was thirsty and the government gave me drink, I was a stranger and the government welcomed me, I was naked and the government clothed me, I was sick and the government visited me, I was in prison and the government came to me. Then the non-taxpayers will answer him, `Lord, when did they see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did they see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did they see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, whenever the top one percent of tax payers funded these programs for you, you did it to me.’
Now I am not sure what is the lesson of the story of the widow’s mite is suppose to be. She wasn’t part of the top one percent, in fact she was probably in the bottom one percent. By modern sensibilities Jesus should have been upset that she gave those two copper coins out of her poverty and that the top one percent of Pharisees and Sadducee’s didn’t give out of their abundance instead.
3 comments
Democrats are always very generous with other people’s money.
It never ceases to amaze me that many Catholics continue to pick and choose among the various dogmas of the church and the philosophy of Chirst to carve out their own personal Christianity. According to Catholic teachings private property is a social necessity but that all property has imposed upon it a paramount lien for the public good. All things arise from and belong to God. Private property is to be held only to advance His interests. Thus, there is no “neighbor’s goods” in the fundamental sense you seem to convey.
Your slur to persons opposing war is also inappropriate for a catholic. Catholic doctrine on war clearly holds that the present war in Iraq is wrongful and unjust. One of the primary dictates for war requires that it be a last resort. The refusal of the US to allow the UN an additional 3 months violates the doctrine.
I am not asserting that Christ is a Democrat only denying your claim that He is a Republican. He preached a very personal relationship with God and promises a day when, if all accept His truth, there will be no need for the kinds of controvery and conflict over things that you seem to want to carry out.
Picking and choosing among phrases in the Bible without holding them within the context of the entire message is not only erronerous but misleading. Understanding the social message of Christ requires far more than a cursory reading. As such, it cannot be adequately addressed here. However, to assert that Christ would ratify the current trend toward the concentration of His wealth in the hands of a every dwindling number of people is simply untrue. As Winston Churchill (no liberal) expressed, government is a necessary evil. When at its best it seeks to protect the powerless and less fortunate against the powerful and ambitious. When at its worst it is a tool for the powerful in their desire to dominate the less powerful.
tigum-
I disagree with pretty much everything in your post but will only make one point, and that is to say that I think you missed Jeff’s point in his re-phrasing of the biblical passage. He was hinting at how secular Democrats seek to replace Christianity with the State. For them, government is religion. The State dictates who lives and quality of life (abortion, the Terri Schiavo case), the State determines family structure (the upcoming gay marriage revolution), the State takes all responsibility for ‘welfare,’ whatever that is.
Of course, many will disagree, perhaps even me, but it’s hard not to see where Jeff’s coming from given the rhetoric (Kerry cited above) and policies of many Democrats.
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