New religion

There is a new religion spreading across the land, and it is called the religion of politics. It was born in the New Deal and matured in the Great Society. It is based on the mission principal that those who have more should give to those who have less. Its basic doctrine is fairness and its purpose is the redistribution of wealth. The determination of who gets what is not based on economic principals but rather on moral guidelines. You can find out if you are a member in this new sect by asking yourself the following question. Why is it better for the economy if the government spends my money than it is if I spend my money? If you agree that the government is the place to send your money you will justify this not on economic principals, but with moral imperatives, and you are a believer in the new religion. Upon further evaluation of your justifications you will be surprised to discover how much they sound like a fundamentalist discussing a religious concept. You will find that you are assuming a position of being on the high road. You will assume an air of moral superiority as you preach the values of fairness. Should we not feed the hungry, cloth the naked, and house the homeless? What type of heartless person could ignore the plight of those who have not? If only others were as caring as I, the world would be so much better off. What is wrong with this approach? From a theoretical sense, nothing, but from a practical sense, there are unintended consequences. When we began to give to those who were in need it was appreciated and productive, but those who were in charge of the giving got carried away with their own good deeds. They got bigger and better at what they were doing and soon it became more than a helping hand to the recipients, it became a way of life. We are now three generations into this way of life for millions of our citizens and they have come to depend on us for their survival. They no longer believe in their own ability to rise above their situation, but only wait for some new program to come to their rescue. It is like the well-meaning father who always got his son out of every difficult situation only to find that he had raised a child who could not cope with the problems of life. We have done these citizens a grave disservice, and must now take steps to recapture our original intent. We must once again promote the concept of self-reliance and the work ethic, and over several generations we can succeed in giving back the self-respect we inadvertently stole from those we meant to help