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« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2017, 12:45:52 AM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 8-9-2017
From The Federalist Patriot
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Furthermore, charity is an individual, voluntary act. If we see a person in need and give to him of the fruits of our labor, of our own free will, that is charity. If we see someone in need and hire a government agent to put a gun to someone else’s head and force them to give, that’s not charity but legalized extortion. When the rich young ruler asked Christ how to obtain heaven, beyond keeping the commandments, he was told to sell all he possessed and give to the poor. When the ruler left discouraged, desiring heaven but unwilling to part with his riches, we can note that Christ did not send his apostles, or Roman centurions, to attack the young prince, rob him, and give his treasure to the poor.
The poll sets up a false dichotomy, as The Federalist’s Jessica Burke points out25: “Poverty is too complex to easily isolate one cause. There are some decisions and behaviors that can lead to a person being poor, and there are some circumstances that lead to it as well. When it comes to poverty, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to what is causing it and what will alleviate it.”
It is undeniable that behavior plays an enormous role in avoiding or escaping poverty. Certain behaviors almost guarantee a life of poverty. As even the left-leaning Brookings Institute notes, the vast majority of Americans can avoid poverty26 by finishing high school, getting a job, and waiting until age 21 to get married and have children — in that order.
To those in poverty, and especially those working to escape poverty, Christians have a religious and moral imperative to be charitable, and all accounts show they do just that.
Despite the portrayal by Le Miere and other leftists of Christians as judgmental and miserly, the truth is conservative Christians are the most charitable people to be found.
Faith aside, nationally speaking, Americans in general are the most generous people27 on Earth, giving, as a percentage of income, more than twice as much as Canadians and Britons, and 20 times more than Germans or Italians. Additionally, with the exception of the lowest income bracket, more than half of all Americans of every single income bracket give to charity. This goes for the oft-vilified Top 1%, who account for more than a third of all charitable donations.
Further undermining the narrative of the heartless Christian is the fact that, according to28 the well-respected Philanthropy Chronicle, conservative and religious states are the most generous givers. Using data from 2012 and that year’s election map, 17 of the most generous states voted for Mitt Romney, while 15 of the least charitable 17 went for Barack Obama. Conservatives tend to be generous with their own money, while leftists are “generous” with other people’s money. From a religious standpoint, heavily Mormon Utah, with a giving rate of 6.56%, was the most charitable, while New Hampshire, where less than a third of residents even believe there is a God, gave away just 1.74% of income.
So what does it all mean? It means that poverty can be caused by laziness, circumstances or oppression (Venezuelan socialism, anyone?). It means Christians believe that hard work and making good choices will keep most people out of poverty. It also means that Christians are far more generous than their secular counterparts when it comes to personally sacrificing to meet the needs of the poor and downtrodden.
And despite leftists deliberately distorting biblical teachings, that is exactly what Christ taught.
MORE ANALYSIS FROM THE PATRIOT POST
The Economy Improves. Does Trump Get Credit?6 — Unemployment is down, the stock market is up, public perception is good. And Trump can do even more.
The Reverend Hillary Clinton?29 — The defeated presidential contender has reportedly found religion — again — and she wants to start preaching.
Foisting Transgender Madness Onto Children30 — The AP’s “tips” for parents on how to decide if their child is transgender is merely a pretext for furthering the insanity.
A Reporter’s Alarming Encounter With Venezuelan Socialism31 — Reality and firsthand experience have a remarkable way of deflating any utopian fantasies one might assume.
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
Ed Feulner: Toward a Tax System Designed on Purpose32
Michelle Malkin: How Did the Dems’ IT Scandal Suspects Get Here?33
Mona Charen: Google Burns a Heretic34
For more, visit Right Opinion35.
OPINION IN BRIEF
Ed Feulner: “U.S. tax rates, simply put, are too high. Combined marginal rates for some individuals and capital investments can exceed 50 percent, tax experts Romina Boccia and Adam Michel note in a recent paper. Our business tax system is particularly bad. American corporations face one of the highest tax rates in the world. They also must grapple with one of the worst systems for business deductions of investment expenses. Some Americans may hear that and think, well, big deal. Those big companies can afford it. And how does it really affect me? Very directly: 70 percent of all business taxes end up being paid by workers through lower wages. … We need, as the saying goes, a tax system that looks like it was designed on purpose. One that is as transparent and simple as possible. That is why I and other conservatives have often urged the adoption of a flat tax, which would enable Americans to figure out exactly what they owe in minutes and with confidence. … Yet some lawmakers object to major tax reform. They recoil at the very thought of tax cuts. They insist we can’t afford it — that cuts would have to be ‘paid for’ by finding new revenue streams for our deficit-laden federal government. Wrong. Deficits are the result of a spending problem, not a revenue problem.”
SHORT CUTS
Insight: “The only proper purpose of a government is to protect man’s rights, which means: to protect him from physical violence. A proper government is only a policeman, acting as an agent of man’s self-defense, and, as such, may only resort to force only against those who start the use of force.” —Ayn Rand (1905-1982)
Observations: “Just as it would be irrational to predict that the United States will never again be hit by a major hurricane, it is also irrational to predict the federal government can continue borrowing money year after year and not face a debt crisis. But the difference between a major hurricane and the impending debt crisis is that the latter is indisputably man-made.” —Terence Jeffrey
For the record: “There’s no such thing as a lone wolf. … That was a phrase invented by the last administration to make Americans stupid.” —White House aide Sebastian Gorka
The BIG Lie: “Politics had absolutely nothing to do with [our canceling36 ‘Last Man Standing’].” —ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey
Braying Jackass: “You’ve got two bullies chiding each other with outrageous comments — and it doesn’t help the situation in terms of trying to resolve something that has to be resolved peacefully. … The question is: Does [Trump] get so frustrated with the North Korean leader — who’s yelling every other day — that he feels that somehow the North Korean leader is attacking his manhood?” — Leon Panetta
Alpha Jackass: “For some the word Trump is becoming a modern day swastika.” —Daily Beast columnist Dean Obeidallah
And last… “Google has a pair of leftist goggles on at all times. Its users shouldn’t have blinders on about it. Every search result should be scanned for algorithmic bias. After all, a company that will rip its own employee to shreds for defending its hiring practices on the basis of science and data will do anything to defend its leftist politics.” —Ben Shapiro
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
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