Some thoughts

This will be a bit of a long post, but I ask you to forgive my bramblings. (And please remember if this sounds one-sided that my feelings are not one-sided. I couldn't possibly condense all my thoughts on this subject into a readable-length, so you'll have to bear with me and give me the benefit of the doubt, please. Arg. This is why I don't usually publish such personal subject matter.)

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

In addition, let me add a link to my favorite Davy Crockett story. It takes a little reading to get to the crux of the matter, so keep reading.

I hope you take time to read the whole thing and think about it. I was going to sum it up, but thought some of y'all would take the lazy way out. :) I might have. Anyway, story says it so much better than I would.

I think this quote and that story sum up a lot of my feelings on the matter of the government today. I don't think of myself as a selfish person. (Although admittedly, who does?) :) We believe in giving of our substance to those in need. I often think about the scripture passage Mosiah 4:16 - 25.

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?
20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.
21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.
22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth; and yet ye put up no petition, nor repent of the thing which thou hast done.
23 I say unto you, wo be unto that man, for his substance shall perish with him; and now, I say these things unto those who are rich as pertaining to the things of this world.
24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.
25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.

I have seen these scriptures used to justify some big government. Government welfare and the like. But remember, King Benjamin just previously had said, "I, myself, have labored with mine own hands that I might serve you, and that ye should not be laden with taxes..." In the verses I quoted before, he was not, I believe, saying to foist your giving on the government, but rather telling us to individually give of what we have.

I could go on and on with personal opinion and personal experience (take it from one who is self-employed, thus seeing all the money she earns and therefore seeing all the money the government gets just for plain taxes we pay every year, not to mention things like sales tax, etc...), but I think I'll just leave it at that with Dr. Adrian Rogers, Davy Crockett, and King Benjamin with a little me thrown in so you can see how it's tied together.


P.S. For a little additional reading, try this. A very interesting speech given at BYU by Arthur C. Brooks entitled "Why Giving Matters." He's Roman Catholic, just as a note of interest.