Government Assistance

I trust all my readers had a good week and wonderful weekend. At least I hope you both did! (← That's a joke. See what I did?) Either way, before I dive into the real meat of this post I'm going to share a few “Spring Has Sprung” pictures with you. Now that the ice storms have blown over flowers are blooming and things are beginning to look nice. Today (being Sunday at the time of this writing) it's supposed to get up to around 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the next ten days are supposed to have highs in the 60s, so that's good news for us here in South Carolina. Winter seems to be making a retreat. :)

Of course, they're saying we're likely to get a number of storms resulting in tornadoes all over the area. We're sincerely hoping that doesn't happen. There are sections of South Carolina that may be declared national disaster areas because of the ice storm. We really don't need a lot of tornadoes this year, lol.

Moving on, here are some pictures:


Those last two are of piles of branches from the neighbor's yard that were broken during the ice storm. Anyways, that concludes the photo gallery portion of my blog. Now, I can move on to talking about the real topic of the week, that being: Government Assistance. To start with I want to state three simple facts. First, I am completely against almost all forms of government assistance baring national disasters or threats. Second, my family is currently getting food stamps. Third, I am not a hypocrite. (At least not on this subject. I aim never to be one. So, if you catch me being hypocritical be sure to point it out to me.) Now, it may seem at first glance that only two of my “facts” can possibly be true at one time. That is not the case, as I'll be happy to explain.

Point one: I'm against government assistance. Why? A number of reasons. (I will try to be brief. I don't want to tax your patience, lol.)

To begin with, I feel charity is the province of religion, not government. God has told us to be charitable and to help those we find in need. When the Church does this it usually creates feelings of gratitude in those who are helped. These feelings can often be directed to the God who commanded us to be charitable rather than the instruments of his mercy. The result is that those in need can be lead to the bread of Heaven with the bread of Earth. By showing God's love we encourage those in need to love God. By doing so we can often help improve their lives eternally.

In addition, charity from the Church often comes with accountability. When a person turns to the Church for help the Church is going to want to find the root of the problem and cure that if they can. People who are just looking to get through life without working are going to be detected (given time, in most cases) and the charity can be withdrawn. The Lord said that if a man doesn't work he shouldn't eat. He didn't say that to be cruel. It's simply a fact that men who don't work aren't good for society or for themselves. The Church's charity is responsible and helps heal the wounded and lift up the weak.

The charity of the government comes with no moral guidance. It works more like a palliative to relieve the symptoms of the problem than a cure that treats it. As a result it often works like a trap drawing people in that never manage to get out. And I'm not just talking theory. A young man I knew very well (I won't mention his name for the sake of discretion) was a victim of our government's charity (not that it frees him from his personal responsibility, but the fact remains). He was one of my best friends when I was a young man. However, he had two great weaknesses. He didn't like to work, but he loved to party. As a result he became a drug addict early in life and only ever worked a few months to the best of my knowledge. The government took “pity” on him. They declared him an unemployable drug addict and he was given food stamps, an income from social security, and drugs (to help him with rehab in theory). After over a decade of being “in the system” he passed away. He did the drugs the government gave him and supplemented them with drugs he got on the streets. He did what he wanted, when he wanted, and always got his check in the mail. I imagine it was hard for him to look at regular people working and struggling who couldn't afford the drugs he could and feel like they had a better life. However, they did. His life would have been a living nightmare for any rational person. He couldn't see that, however. Most of the time he was too high to think clearly. The government “helped” him right into the ground before he was forty years old. There was no funeral. The state disposed of his body after the time limit had passed for his wife to pick it up. I admit it's an extreme case, but government assistance very rarely is true assistance. I feel the Church does a better job.

Now, there are those who feel that the Church wouldn't do the charity work that needs to be done. My answer to that is two fold. First, I believe the Church would rise to the challenge. It would offer genuine help rather than a hand out, and not everyone is interested in that. So, although fewer people might be “helped” numerically, more would actually get the help they need. Second, if the Church didn't rise up to do the work on Earth that it's here to do people would notice. It might help blow smoldering embers of faith back into open flames.

The Bible teaches that it is the sick who need a physician. The problem with government assistance is that too many times it makes people forget they're sick. It makes them forget they need real help. As a result they never go looking for the only physician that can give them true and everlasting life. That is why I am against government assistance.

So, this brings us to the next point: My family is getting food stamps. Given my feelings on government assistance that fact might raise several questions. If I don't believe in food stamps why do I accept them? Why don't I go to the Church for assistance? (There are probably others you can think of, but I think of these as “the big two”, so I'll answer them.)

The Bible tells us to be as wise as serpents, but as gentle as doves. I think taking food stamps because I can get them shows serpent like wisdom. I am very confident that I could get assistance from the Church. My family's distress is both minor and, Lord willing, temporary. I am working away on a job that should be completed in the next few months. When that happens I should begin to receive royalty checks. In very short order we'll no longer be eligible for food stamps, but will be paying taxes. (In point of fact I'm still paying back taxes for my previous years of success. Although, some of that success was greater from a “tax” point of view than a “money in the bank” point of view, lol.)

In any event, I could get the money from the Church. Why don't I? Well, I trust the Church. They're going to find a place to step in where they are needed and do something useful with the money they have. As I've been able to get money from the government I don't need the Church's charity. So, the government that I don't trust to use the money wisely has less and the Church that I do trust has more. Another benefit is that I have more. I've been allowed to take money out of the government's pocket and put it in my own. I do my best to use the money the Lord has given me to do His will. So, it's really a triple victory. The government has less and both the Church and I have more. I my mind that's “all win”!

Now, some might point at me and say “See! The system works!!”, but such is not the case. As it happens, I'm trustworthy, even with money I shouldn't have entrusted to me. I am the exception, not the rule. There are many people who get food stamps to supplement their income rather than working to improve themselves or learn how to more efficiently handle their current income. I am using them to make our situation more comfortable. And I do my best to make sure they're not wasted.

I would explain my point about not being a hypocrite, but there's no need. Either you agree with my first two points or you don't. If you agree with me you certainly see that I'm not a hypocrite, if you don't agree you think I am one. Two facts stand out though: People thinking I'm a hypocrite doesn't make me one. My not taking food stamps won't put an end to our detrimental system of government assistance.

So much for my “thoughts of the week”, lol. This has run a little long. There's more to say, but I can say it at another time. For the moment, goodnight from South Carolina!