Life of Julia - a Nightmare Come True

There is currently a slideshow at President Obama's reelection campaign website that sends chills of horror down my spine. Some pundits are making jokes about it, but honestly I'm way too appalled to see the humor. It was intended to gain support for him, but it had the completely opposite effect on me. It documents how the federal government, under Barack Obama's guidance, takes care of a fictional woman from age 3 to 67. A government that takes pride in having that much power in our lives frightens me, and does not at all resemble the freedom our nation once championed. I have no desire to live in a country where the government takes the place of a parent or spouse for a capable citizen from 'cradle to grave.'

The text that accompanies the slides is a gross distortion of reality. I know many people are making jokes about the whole presentation, but I'm much too upset about what it represents to laugh it off. Since when did we give a bloated bureaucracy the power to control every decision we make in life? Since when is it a positive thing for parents to relinquish the care and well being of their children to the state?

I think what troubles me most is that this campaign actually brags about playing the role of 'god', meeting all of this imaginary citizen's needs. Why depend on the real God, if a government program will do?

http://www.barackobama.com/life-of-julia

Serving, or a Disservice?

http://www.mnddc.org/mcKnight/documents/Why_Servanthood_is_Bad.pdf

My son sent me this article from one of his college classes recently, and though it was new to me, it was written in 1989 and may be familiar to you. John McKnight's premise is that when agencies look at a community as being in need of 'services', they often damage the community as a whole. I encourage you to read the author's own words as they are more eloquent than my own.

My first reaction was, "Aha! I knew that government attempts to 'help' us were a bad idea!" I see the damage done to our inner city communities where the government has taken over the role of a parent. Communities that once functioned together despite their poverty have lost their sense of being able to provide for themselves. Why go to the effort of working together in difficulties if there is an agency of "professionals" that are not only willing to do it, but have convinced you they can do it better?

My second thought was to wonder how often I am guilty of the same assumptions on a personal level, and my righteous indignation melted away. I take seriously the biblical command to love my neighbor and serve others rather than seeking selfish gain. Sometimes I'm just not so good at being able to tell when I'm being helpful or when I am doing something the other person should do for themselves. Even worse, there have been times when I've given in to the temptation to help someone, and my help has only made their situation worse.

An intersection near my home hosts a parade of sorry looking souls holding up signs with some variation of 'will work for food', or 'down on my luck please help me.' I often see people reaching their hands out the driver's window to hand cash to whoever is collecting donations that day. I squirm in my seat and feel guilty for not doing the same, even though I know that most of the money probably goes to anything but food. I was once told by someone that ran a homeless shelter that they would actually kick out any of their guests who were seen panhandling in such a way, because the money invariable went to drugs or alcohol and the panhandler still showed up at the shelter for all their meals.

I'm not a heartless person, though, and it troubles me. How can I know if a person is truly in need, since only God can see the heart? Then I have to remind myself that God 'don't make no junk.' He created mankind and told us to fill and subdue the earth. Clearly he would not have told us to do something He knew we were incapable of doing. He made exceptions for widows, orphans, and the sick, but that's about it. I'm not doing anyone any favors by doing something for them that they are capable of doing for themselves. I only rob them of their dignity and self-respect.

Delaware's Next U.S. Senator

Kevin Wade was officially nominated last weekend as the Republican candidate for Delaware's U.S. Senate seat, and Tom Carper should be worried. His acceptance speech was an inspiring call for common sense conservatism, and a celebration of the people who have made this country great. Mr. Wade is a concerned citizen who has had enough of the damage done by career politicians like Senator Carper.

Many of us are concerned, but few have the experience to actually do something about the problems confronting our nation. Mr. Wade knows what it takes to succeed in what he called our "great country of boundless opportunity," having worked his way up from the steel mills of Pennsylvania to running his own engineering firm here in Delaware. His company has focused on problem solving in the energy industry, making him uniquely qualified to steer our country towards energy independence. He is a man of integrity with the kind of vision and problem-solving skills we need in Washington. We all know that Washington is broken, but our government won't change until we change the people running it. It is time for Delaware to elect a senator who will represent the people, not his political cronies.

Please take a few minutes to visit Kevin Wade's website for yourself, and learn why I am excited to support his candidacy. http://wadefordelaware.com/

Note: This blog reflects my own personal opinions and is independent of any party or candidate. However, in the interest of full disclosure I feel the need to state that other members of my family share my strong support for Mr. Wade and are actively working on his campaign.

His acceptance speech starts at 17:30, but the nominating speeches are great, too!