I received the following quote yesterday from a good friend of mine:
“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.” ~~~ The late Dr. Adrian Rogers , 1931 to 2005 ~~~
I would very much like to hear your thoughts on this. Personally, I fear for our country. This country was built on the notion of freedom. Heavy taxation is not freedom. And neither is a free handout. Work is a privilege and when we take away the incentive to work by giving people what they need without work, we take away this privilege.
I am not saying that we should not take care of the poor and the needy. I simply believe this should be voluntary, not compelled. At the same time the government is talking about free health care and making sure everyone has “enough”, it is talking about eliminating the tax deduction for charitable contributions. These are two entirely inconsistent policies. Who takes better care of the poor – the government or charities? Charitable giving always serves two people – the giver and the receiver. Government at best only serve the receiver and serves them poorly.
Let me know what you think on this matter. And write your Representative and Senators.
Warmest regards,
Tom
