Good Intentions?

I recently had a debate with a liberal on the matter of Republiban economic philosophys vs. Democratic philosophys. He quickly pointed out how Republicans are hypocrites because most Republicans are Christians and Jesus preaches charity. So Republicans are hypocrites since many govenmental programs are a form of charity, such as welfare. Even though I pointed out why I believe that changing or eliminating these programs actually serves this (reciepients of such programs) population better than the actual program itself, he still harped on the hypocracy of Republican philosophy. I even pointed out that by lowering taxes, this past administration actually raised tax revenue. So it was my intentions he doubted even more than the methoedology.

One thing that we must due while debating these issues is to understand that the other party has good intentions (especially on economic issues). I don't fault him for what he (or Democrats)is trying to acommplish. I just don't believe such welfare (or many other) programs work for most of the poeple that use them. For example: When I was 19 I had a baby with my 17 year old girlfriend (now my wife). We were down and out, I was pumping gas for $5.50 an hour, living with my parents. She was unemployed, living with her parents. We needed a place desperately. We went to the Plymouth Housing Authority, and they told us it was a two year waiting list to get on to Section 8 housing, unless Jen was willing to live in a shelter, then it may take just several months. We carefully thought out our options and decided it would be best to live apart, then put Jen and my daughter in a shelter. So for 15 Months I could not live with my baby. The whole time I kept trying to find better work. I remeber how mad I felt towards the government, I legitimatly needed help and could not get it. I left no rock untruned and looked everywhere for better work. Finally after 14 months I found a job making $7.80 an hour in a plastic bag factory. My job was to pick up all the scrap and clean around the machines. I saved up for one month and got us a crappy little apartment, but it was ours and we could all live together. I worked my way up to mechanic and got a raise to $8.80 an hour. We struggled to eat. Jen got a job at the mall making $4.50 an hour part time to help make ends meet. We were very poor, but happy. I evntually worked my way from job to job and 5 years later landed a job at Gillette making a decent wage. Now we own a house (small but cozy). We still live paycheck to paycheck, but I can't complain, our standard of living is much better than it was in that first apartment. So point of this boring story is that now I look back at that trip to the Plymouth Housing Authority and wonder what would have happened if we choose to put Jen and my baby in the shelter. A few months later she would have gotten an apartment paid for by section 8. We would have hid the fact that I lived there, like so many welfare section 8 receptients do. I wouldn't of had a reason to find a better job (my baby was my motivator, and the fact we were apart). Where would we be today? Would I have this good job at Gillette? Nope! How many other people are trapped in the system. In another post I will talk about 3 others I know of that recieve disability from the state.

So the reason I don't support such govenment programs and taxing others for them is not because I want to go against what Jesus teaches us. I also understand the reason Democrats want these programs is becasue the are worried about the walfare of less fortunate. We should debate what we think is better for the masses, not each others intentions. We need to understand that each party does have good intentions. Believe it or not the Democrats don't favor these programs because they want to hurt America (even though thats what they do). There intentions are good. They just need to understand that you cannont legistrate greed out of corporations. Noone goes to work in the morning because they first want to help others, then themselves. It is the other way around. Its kind of like the old saying :Give a man a fish, feed for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed for a life. Except the republican philosophy is not teaching, it is providing a free enterprise system where anyone can thrive. Democrats want to give fish that others caught. Republicans want to make sure there is always plenty of fish for anyone willing to spend time fishing.

The real point of the post is that I want to puke when someone brings religion into an economic debate. Because you are starting off by saying that I think the republican philosophy is only better for me, and screw everone else.