readings

Tonight, (though technically it is morning now) I am reading a book entitled The Samaritan's dilemma, should government help your neighbor?  It's title seemed intriguing to me as I browsed through the library shelves, so I thought I'd see what the author has to say.

I'm on page 2, and so far I'm not very impressed.  She says that we need to reconnect what our government does with a humanitarian endeavor.  One of her concerns about America is that most people think of government as distant, something that is there but that is does not impact their lives directly.

I agree with her on this point.  A coworker of mine declared on Saturday that she wasn't going to vote.  "I hate politics!"  I don't understand the people like her.  Everyone needs to be concerned about government.  This does not mean that we all need to run for public office, but that we stay informed, decide what and who to vote for.  Politics is like deciding your own morals.  Those I vote for should share my same morals.

The author, Deborah Stone, says that politics should be about helping others.  I don't agree with that.  Government there is to protect "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness", not helping others.  Welfare and other "social" programs are socialistic.  Socialism is just a knockoff of communism.

Her plea to the public is a return to the days where you helped your neighbor.  When if someone was homeless, he would at least have food.  In today's world if you don't have money you don't enjoy many of the blessings that come with living in the wealthiest nation on earth. Her point is help your neighbor.

But I don't agree that it is the government's place to make life fair.  Life is definitely not fair.  YOu might be successful business, but I may have done better in school.  I might be artistic, my neighbor might not know how to draw a circle.  God created us with strenghts and weaknesses so that we could grow stronger.  A child does not walk well until they struggle to take that first step.

I do agree that American's today have grown rather selfish.  We do need to look after our neighbors.  Sometimes it's hard, with all of the daily distractions.  I know a lot of times I think of myself before I do others.  There is nothing wrong with that unless you think of yourself so much that you never think of others.

So this book, The Samaritan's dilemma, should government help your neighbor? makes a good point in this day and age.  But it is not the government's job to help us change.