Okay, I don’t know how to sum up the comment I received here when I posted the above picture- So if someone on the right can better explain post here. The gist of it was that government will remove Christianity from Charity and replace it with socialism. The response only got more confusing from there. My response is on the left.

1.      Government, Christianity and charity.  I want to make sure I am on the same page with the definition of each.

a.      The US Government is supposed to be made up of elected officials who serve American people. The Elected officials in theory make policy and laws that take care of the American people who elected them.  Example make sure the food we eat doesn’t kill us (FDA).

b.      Christianity- it is the religion of most people in the US.  Catholic, Lutheran, Baptists, and many other religions all fall under this.  But they all support the teaching of Jesus Christ.

c.       Charity is giving add to the needy, poor or suffering.  It can be done by an individual or a group. 

2.      Socialism versus communism.  I hear people on the right all the time say how bad socialism and make it sound like it is the same as communism.    

a.      Socialism in government is when money is taken from the government and used to benefit the citizens of the country.

b.      Communism is when no one in the country has property, money or wealth. All are equal and in return all receive what they need and an equal share.

3.      Socialism is seen as a bad thing, but I will name some social programs that you already see in your community-  Fire Fighters, police force, schools, roads, Social Security, Medicare, Snap.   There are more programs but this is enough to make my point, many of the programs that the government already provides fall under Socialism. 

4.      The reason that this is such a difficult topic, is that so many people who are in the government claim to support Christian Values.  The part that worries me is that many say we need more religious laws.  But people who are in government who are saying and telling us they are Christian are at the same time passing this big ugly bill which would strip health care and food from people. If they are going to claim to be Christian then they also shouldn’t be pushing laws that hurt average people. I understand the duty to separate religion from government. But don’t pretend to be Christian if you are able to look a parent in the eye and tell them well you no longer can buy food for your child or grandma because we need to give billionaires more money.

5.      I think that government, Christianity and Charity all have a place in our country.  First you call it forced charity when the government pays out to services to people.  When I see government, I want them to use my money to help everyone in the country, not only the rich but to provide services to help those who are struggling too. To provide programs that help our economy succeed.  At what line does it go from providing a service to forced charity?  Is it when we send our kids to school.  I don’t have kids so am I forced to provide charity to all those parents who have kids in school.  My house isn’t on fire, so why should my money be used on the charity of the fire fighters.  The problem with calling government services as charity is simply that they are services provided by the government.  We all want the same thing, the government to not waste money and to spend it in the best possible way.  The most effective and best possible way.  I would want my money to go to feed and house vets, to give them health care. I am okay with my taxes going to pay for schools.  I want educated children.  I want my government to provide programs that help not only the top 1% but all people.  I know some programs seem like they help the poor, more than others.  I know for a fact that people abuse the system and could be working.  But at the same time, what about the single parent working minimum wage, and is using food stamps to feed her 5 kids.  At some point those kids will grow up. Or what about the senior who is using food stamps.  Is it fair to punish all in order to punish the few not using it correctly.  Pushing people off Snap won’t help someone get a job or more money it means they go hungry.  If our government really wanted to get people off of these programs.  They would set up job training centers, they would provide mental health services to the homeless.  They would increase the minimum wage.  Most people who use Medicare work a minimum wage job. In my opinion when you need to find the right balance.  You need to provide find government programs that help people in need.   At the same time I know there is the down fall of lower motivation to work.  But I feel better knowing that Snap means some children are going to eat tonight.  

6.      Bottom line there is no easy answer as to how to add social programs for the poor with out people taking advantage of them.  But at the same time, we need to find a way to add social programs that serve the poor because when they succeed in their jobs they bring up the entire economy with increased spending.  If you give a poor person a dollar they will spend it.  You give a rich person a dollar they will put it in the bank.  Our economy is based on the more people spend, not the more they save.

7.      Socialism is an evil word to the rich.  Because they don’t want their money going to an average person who is poor.  They don’t want their money used that way.  Instead, the rich want tax breaks.  I say bring on the social programs, like universal health care.  Why should insurance CEOs become rich denying care to average people. Why can’t we take all that money we spend now on insurance premiums and out of pocket costs and turn it into a universal plan. 

https://www.britannica.com/question/How-is-communism-different-from-socialism

https://scientiaeducare.com/social-welfare-programs-and-their-economic-impact-a-comprehensive-analysis/

https://communityliteracy.org/how-do-social-programs-help-the-economy/