The Skyliner

Issue date: 1/30/08 Section: Opinion

This election season has already heard a lot of political rambling about change. But a lot of candidates don't actually talk about what they're going to change.

One of the things I have heard discussed is taking care of the poor. I can't help but ask, is that the government's job?

Romans 13 says the government's job is to protect the rights of its citizens, reward good and punish evil. And a quick glance over Acts will show that it was the church that took care of the needy.

Many of you are familiar with the phrase, "Good enough for government work." Why?

Because it messes up everything it does, except protecting its people. It can't even protect its people all the time, which is why we have a judicial system and law enforcement.

The same applies to things such as welfare.

I have witnessed abuses of the program, such as a man in line at a grocery store talking on a cell phone and wearing flashy, expensive-looking jewelry while using food stamps.

And do I even need to start on the condition of government housing projects? Houses that were shoddy to begin with have fallen into disrepair, providing a hotbed for crime.

Henry David Thoreau once said, "That government is best which governs least."

This is true of tax cuts across the board - not only for the lower and middle class but also for the upper class and for businesses, especially giant corporations.

When companies have to pay fewer taxes it automatically stimulates the economy by allowing them to produce more goods and hire more workers. These new workers, along with their counterparts who suddenly have more money in their pockets, are then able to buy more, which further grows the economy in a cycle of prosperity.

Even with tax cuts and increased employment opportunities, there will still be some that slip through the cracks. This is where America's generosity kicks in.

According to globalissues.org, Americans are "clearly the most generous on earth in public - but especially private - giving." It also reports that American private giving had grown to a monstrous $71 billion in 2004, out of $167 billion privately given across the world.

With more money to throw around, Americans will also give more to charities and churches, who will in turn be able to better afford to do their jobs.

The people in Washington may say we can't do it ourselves, but Americans have proven them wrong generation after generation. The private sector, working within its respective communities, has always shown up a body of legislators located hundreds of miles away.

With all that said, it's really simple. Leave the charity work to charities, and the governing to the government.

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