Religion and Politics
This chick, Mara Vanderslice, was on Colbert last night saying that religious people should love Democrats, because the Bible says we should care about poor people, and Democrats care about poor people.
Religious people in America care about poor people, she said, and they "care that this administration has made a decision to condone the use of torture."
Hm. Doesn't the Bible also say something about lying? In fact, the Bush administration made a decision to not allow the use of torture. When the famed "torture memo" came out, Bush immediately said "we will not torture," and he has stayed by that policy.
She had other lies, like saying that tax cuts only for the top one percent has been at the top of the Republican agenda. In fact, the GOP tax cut agenda has been for tax cuts for all income tax payers, and in fact, it's been implemented that way.
And doesn't the Bible also say something about following the law? It's abundantly clear that many of the federal social programs she's trumpeting as following the Biblical mandate to help the poor, in fact, are unconstitutional. And besides, nothing in my Bible says a thing about helping the poor through the government, and in fact, the emphasis in the Bible is on individuals helping the poor, not governments.
But in her view, "it's about building a society where we care for our neighbor." Apparently you can't do that without government control. Orwell, anyone? And "politics is about championing the common good." Actually, in fact, the Declaration of Independence makes clear that the purpose of government is primarily to secure individual liberty.
Oh well. Separation of fact and state.
Religious people in America care about poor people, she said, and they "care that this administration has made a decision to condone the use of torture."
Hm. Doesn't the Bible also say something about lying? In fact, the Bush administration made a decision to not allow the use of torture. When the famed "torture memo" came out, Bush immediately said "we will not torture," and he has stayed by that policy.
She had other lies, like saying that tax cuts only for the top one percent has been at the top of the Republican agenda. In fact, the GOP tax cut agenda has been for tax cuts for all income tax payers, and in fact, it's been implemented that way.
And doesn't the Bible also say something about following the law? It's abundantly clear that many of the federal social programs she's trumpeting as following the Biblical mandate to help the poor, in fact, are unconstitutional. And besides, nothing in my Bible says a thing about helping the poor through the government, and in fact, the emphasis in the Bible is on individuals helping the poor, not governments.
But in her view, "it's about building a society where we care for our neighbor." Apparently you can't do that without government control. Orwell, anyone? And "politics is about championing the common good." Actually, in fact, the Declaration of Independence makes clear that the purpose of government is primarily to secure individual liberty.
Oh well. Separation of fact and state.
"It is the common fate of the indolent to see their rights become a prey to the active. The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he break, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt."
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