11-10-2015, 02:03 PM
(11-10-2015, 12:56 PM)PhilHos Wrote: Oh, I agree that Christians have done a poor job when it comes to the poor and they need to do more. But doing more does NOT mean having the government do OUR part to help the poor.
I can't speak for bfine, but I'm not opposed to benefits for the poor. I am opposed to SOME of the benefits that I feel are unwarranted and I am certainly in favor of reform. As to my accusations, I work directly with the poor. I'm now in my 8th different community in my 4th different state. And I've seen the SAME thing in every area: people who CAN'T work, but don't. Now, for some, yes, it's hard to find a job, but they try. MOST, however, don't. They don't look for work, even though they are able to work, because they don't WANT to work. They'd rather do nothing and collect their benefits. Now, I am prone to call that laziness, but I'm not sure what else to call it.
The government isn't doing our part, it is doing its part. Part of "promote the general Welfare" is taking care of our poor, sick, hungry, and less fortunate. I don't mind paying my taxes for my government to assist fellow Americans because I can afford it. I'm proud to do it. I've been to places where bodies are left to decompose on the street, people stop to deficate where they are standing, people walk hours carrying a bucket or milk jug in search of drinking water, people forcibly enter homes and drag others into the street and kill them because of their religion, people use a dugout canoe as their primary mode of transportation. I watched a man in Haiti pulling a wooden cart loaded with most of a car in his bare feet. I've seen illnesses and injuries and diseases you just don't see in the US. I'm aware of one case of rabies due to lack of vaccination where the patient dislocated his own spine from the muscle spasms. I've seen warehouses full of millions of dollars worth of medical aid which the government didn't distribute just sitting collecting dust on shelves or in unopened crates because the proper bribes weren't exchanged. I've seen people's homes which are four sticks with a sheet wrapped around it and no roof. Naked kids pulling a plastic grocery bag at the end of a string as a kite because that's the only thing they had to play with besides a stick and a rock. I've seen the complete and total collapse of a country's government and infrastructure including all of that country's public services like hospitals, police, utilities. Hell, people couldn't go out to buy food because they needed to stay home to protect their family from being killed or looted. And that shit's just off the top of my head. I've seen the worst of men. But, I've also seen the best. I've seen men bring clean water, food, schools, health care to the less fortunate. I've seen men risk their own lives for others.
Do you want to know the difference between us and them?
Our government.
I know our government isn't perfect. Personally, I've never seen Congress work so hard at not working together. I'm tired of the bitching. I'm tired of the back biting. I'm tired of the partisan bullshit. I'm tired of the lies. I'm tired of the attitudes. I'm tired of the misinformation. I'm tired of politicians furthering their career by not working with their political opponent IOT make them look bad to the voters instead of actually doing work to benefit their constituents. I'm tired of the cable news networks with their insatiable appetite to fill a never ending 24 hour news cycle with bullshit to draw viewers to sell advertising to line their pockets with money. I'm tired of news anchors who don't know the difference between a loofah and a fallafel. I'm looking at you Bill O'Reilly.
But, the next time ya'll want to complain, maybe you should consider the alternative. Problem is most of you have never seen the alternative. If you think individual Christians working individually is the answer, you're wrong.
Also, my wife works for Goodwill. Goodwill's main focus is job training and placement assistance. Every month I hear stories about how people have worked hard to overcome one obstacle after another. If you think lazy people are manipulating the system at the Salvation Army then I strongly suggest you consider working at Goodwill helping put other's to work like my wife does.
