http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/stance.aspThis is election season. The sins of "all of us" complicit in over spending, is being blamed on one party or another instead of "us" the potential "voter", who needs to be pacified and guaranteed free everythings. Free everythings, from tax breaks to college to homes to health care, to housing, to food, to free money, extended unemployment benefits, free job training, free immigration, and all for just being good people. All to get your vote and keep it, and followed by "the rich can pay for it all" on the left, or "Get another job and pay for it yourself" on the right.
For any public servant I vote for, I ask myself the following.
1. Who are they,
2. How's their family life,
3. What is their personal and life history,
4. Who are their friends and allies,
5. Who are their mentors,
6. Who are their hero's,
7. Are they people of faith, (and what fruit does that show)
8. What is their job history,
9. Who have they led,
10. Who and what have they managed,
11. Can they admit they are wrong,
12. Can they work with others who don't agree with them,
13. During their life, have their personal choices been about themselves or others.
Aside from "researching" (which is not reading or watching the news cycle spin) about each candidate,
each person is a different combination of liberal,independent and conservative, so each of us has political questions based upon our core values. We know that every politician plays to the base and waffles for independent votes, yet somehow we dilute ourselves into thinking they are all different.
So, I say base your opinions on the above 13 questions over the "party hard issues". that are crammed in our faces 24/7.
Leaders are not educated by schools, but by life experience and the choices made in them.
They do not do the work, but they, with wisdom and knowledge, lead their leaders, and hopefully make wise Godly decisions based upon the choices given by the team's they assemble and lead (for better for worse).
From local government to POTUS, the questions are the same. Do they have a history of looking out for their constituents and or everyone, or their personal groups. It's generally the latter for all of them cause that's how they get elected. So then how do we choose if they all are for their special groups. Well, I think again the above 13 questions deal with "pre political" life, before they were party machines and pray those qualities will help them regardless of party.
And lastly, since they live here, in this country, with all it's glory and all it's warts, do they love it.
Do they love the country that has shed it's blood for the freedoms it maintains and the freedoms of others around the world. Do they understand the price, the cost and the benefits. Would they die for the country that let's them live in it free? Then they deserve our respect whether we vote for them or not, regardless of party, or sex or race or religion. If they don't,... then they don't and would be better off living outside the U.S. and embracing another experiment in living.
As for placing the blame? Well, we are all guilty, each and every one. "Ouch"
*We elected them all, (*yes a no vote is a vote), and ate the cake they baked us cause it tasted good.
Well it looks like we all are trying to throw up our bad debt and blame it on someone else now.
There is no personal responsibility during election season.
We pay our taxes (if we make enough), so that we can wash our hands of personal responsibility.
We've let the government coax us into believing that our personal responsibilities are theirs, if we will just give them enough money. They can take care of our parents, our retirement, our health care, our children's moral and ethical values, higher learning, They, not us , will take care of the hurting, broken, disenfranchised and.....
My questions today:
Should Govt. be allowed to replace the responsibilities of the home or the church?
Can I keep feeding my luxuries and be part of change?
Will a 100 fold return on my giving solve it all?
And really, what does America owe me?
"Give me your tired and your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to be free."
"Sound's like something Jesus would say".
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3 comments:
Good thoughts man... I really enjoyed them. A little introspective thought is always good when we tend to get carried away by the political machine every four years. (Not that we only need introspective thought every four years... but you get my drift).
There is one question, in particular that you asked at the end that I would like to address...
"Should Govt. be allowed to replace the responsibilities of the home or the church?"
My answer is simply, unfortunately, yes.
Why "yes"? Well, someone has to do it.
Why "unfortunately"? Well, the church clearly isn't doing its job.
That really sums up my views on all of these issues right now. If the church was doing what it was called to do, no one would be asking the government for help.
Social programs such as welfare, unemployment, medicare/medicaid, and subsidized housing would be non-existent if we were living out our true calling.
But we're not. And should the innocent, the poor, the homeless, the sick (those a Wise Man once referred to as "the least of these") suffer because of our failure? I would say the answer is a resounding no.
My wife and I just had this same conversation this afternoon as we were re-watching last night's debates.
The Bible is full of God's promising to take care of us and to meet our needs. To provide us shelter, and food and clothing.
However, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look around and see that there are people within our borders and beyond who are not provided such "luxuries."
Is it because God is a liar? Of course not. He has provided, just like He said He would... unfortunately there is such a disproportionate disbursement of wealth around our country (and beyond) that His provision is being held up in someone else's "storehouse."
Its a sad state of affairs when the church has failed so miserably at their calling, that we have to rely on the government to tax people and force them to do what God has originally asked the church to do.
So, again, should the government be allowed to replace the responsibilities of the church?
Unfortunately, yes.
Great Erik. Loved your comments.
Now if only a POTUS would get up and attack the church for it's national complacency on this,call it back to action, praise it for it's historical good, call the citizens back to them, and families back to watching over their own disenfranchised members.
Instead the issue will most likely continue to be used as a sword to get votes one way or the other.
We certainly do need people of character running for office, and the entry fee is getting harder and harder.
Blessings to you and yours.
Wow... how AWESOME would that be?
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