Attacks on Huckabee may seal his primary victory
Posted by BrianThe headline on the Drudge Report for much of the day today was a Mike Huckabee quote from 1998 where he stated that we need to “take this nation back for Christ.” Presumably this is part of the predictable attack cycle that closely follows a rise in the polls. But, “attacks” like this are more likely to lock up the primary in Huckabee’s favor than to damage him.
Last time I checked there were a whole lot of Christians in this country - more accurately, a whole lot of voting Christians. A core tenet of the religion is proselytizing, so Huckabee’s profession that we would be better off if there were more Christians in the U.S. is in keeping with the religion’s goals and beliefs.
The article is more noteworthy for this quote in my opinion:
“I’m often asked why taxes are so high and government is so big. It’s because the faith we have in local churches has become so small. If we’d been doing what we should have — giving a dime from every dollar to help the widows, the orphans and the poor — we now wouldn’t be giving nearly 50 cents of every dollar to a government that’s doing … what we should have been doing all along.”
Many people have become confused and think that government is a substitute for humanity. Over the years many have chosen to abandon their obligation to their fellow man in favor of allowing the government to handle the problem. Power hungry bureaucrats are all too eager to oblige and promulgate dependency. As taxes increase it becomes even more difficult for the remaining good Samaritans to give. People become cold to the plight of others and presume that their care falls within the government’s domain. To some extent it is a chicken/egg argument.
The desire to have the government redistribute income seems sound. Economies of scale. Larger collection pool. Utopia. The ultimate, fatal problem is that government is incapable of charity. If I sacrifice some of my own time or money to help a person through rough times that person will thank me and be genuinely appreciative. That person will strive to avoid falling back into a position of need out of shame for having to rely on my good will and sacrifice. If the government does the same that person expects it, depends on it, and will make little effort to spare taxpayers of future similar costs. However altruistic the intentions of the government workers may be, only individuals acting of their own volition are capable of charity.
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January 4th, 2008 at 9:46 am
How prophetic of a post. :^)
I just re-read your final couple of sentences… it’s pretty much how I explain to my children why big government is not a good thing. But, your wording is far better!