Williams: Evil Concealed By Money

[Terri]

By Walter E. Williams
November 19, 2008

Evil acts can be given an aura of moral legitimacy by noble-sounding socialistic expressions such as spreading the wealth, income redistribution or caring for the less fortunate. Let's think about socialism.

Imagine there's an elderly widow down the street from you. She has neither the strength to mow her lawn nor enough money to hire someone to do it. Here's my question to you that I'm almost afraid for the answer: Would you support a government mandate that forces one of your neighbors to mow the lady's lawn each week? If he failed to follow the government orders, would you approve of some kind of punishment ranging from house arrest and fines to imprisonment? I'm hoping that the average American would condemn such a government mandate because it would be a form of slavery, the forcible use of one person to serve the purposes of another.

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[RW]

His is a wonderful analogy. In my neighborhood, people knew my problem with my health, and between K and M next door, my neighbors cut my lawn.

This happens in snow country, too, people walk over with their snow blowers (or shovels) and help those who cannot. The Old Goat did this, and so did several others in our neighborhood for the single women and the elderly. Actually, it happened all over town. As xenophobic as the Village of the Damned was, they did help even us "outsiders," when it came down to it.

That is the American way.

the messiah is going to erode this American kindness, and will impose his class warfare, begun during his campaign.

The kind American, pioneer spirit of "we're all in this together," will be mandated, and we shall become resentful. We saw this in New Orleans, after Katrina. People flocked from allll over, to help and the natives sat on their butts, the majority of them, and complained they weren't being "treated better by de gubbmint." N.O. has been a "gubbmint town" for more than 20 years, it's why I and my family, and alll my friends, Black and White, btw, but two fled it in 1984. We saw the hand writing on the wall, and ran like rabbits before the gubbmint steamroller ran over us.

After hurricane Charley, here in SW Florida, there was little of that. Electrical companies, from all over the country (I saw trucks from as far north as the UP of Michigan, and from New Jersey and California!) sent their people to help. There were few negative news stories for the media to report.

WHY?

We're not in the throes, yet, of the gubbmint telling us we're incapable, so here's a check to sit on yer butt and live in substandard housing cuz ya can't do anything to earn money, and therefore have to live like animals. We all, and I include the outta towners and outta staters, helped each other.

the messiah will END this, cuz his gubbmint is gonna take care of us.

ye gods!

[Charie]

Good post RW.

James Madison, the father of our Constitution, was horrified when Congress appropriated $15,000 to help French refugees. He said, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."

The government began chipping away at private charitable giving even before the father of the Constitution was dead. Madison's heart must have been broken to see which way the constitution was being used (or ignored) and we on our way to socialism.

[RW]

Thanks, Charie.

Within two years, maybe 5, it's so long ago, N.O. dropped from a population of nearly 2 million people to about 500,000.

I DO have to admit, tho, part of the problem was that the bottom dropped outta the oil industry, and many of our jobs were tied to that industry, but not a million of them.

But as the working White and Blacks fled, and not just because of the oil patch being killed by gubbmint restrictions, but N.O had become a mecca for outta state welfare recipients. N.O. had its own welfare programs, as well as state and federal. A person could live quite well, without a job, male or female, Black or White.

As the political machine became more corrupt, poverty rose and with poverty comes crime. I knew quite a few policemen and women, that quit when even the police department became controlled by "peace officers" being given jobs, with little training, just cuz they were the same race as the Mayor, or political higher ups, and the force became horribly corrupt.

There were NO checks and balances. Our city had been very proud of our police force, but no more.

[thomas]

bHo – AKA welfare is us! Literally, money taken at the point of a gun! Shameful, shameful!
The Old Chief

[welder4]

One day it will collapse and we will have to right the problems or be a third world country , after America is gone there will be no where for the masses to exodus to a better way of life the better way will be finished . Where will one go when this health care that will be dictated by government go to get a much needed operation when this is the last stand for freedom and liberty. Where will any one be able to go, the last shinning city on the hill will exist no more . No more beacons to follow. Very good article , to bad it is not on every news channel in America.

[Herb1949]

One of the problems with the government taking over the job of the charities is the loss of giving to the charities.
Many of us, and I am not ashamed to admit it are not giving what we used to.
Most of that is because we see so many of our stolen dollars being given to someone that should be earning their own way.
Many years ago I helped with the Marine Corps Toys For Tots program. I had helped for many years. Then on the last time I helped I was coming back from spending over $50 of my money to buy batteries for the toys because we had run out and I heard 2 couples gripping about the toys they were given, both of them had cars that were much newer and more expensive than mine. I no longer take the many hours out of my family life to help.
I gave money to a church relief program for N.O. then saw the people there griping and moaning about the lack of assistance. Well guess what? I will be thinking long and hard about any giving I do in the future.
I will keep my giving local and it will mostly consist of my labor in a one on one issue. The first time I hear a gripe from someone about the help, I'm gonna be outta there.
The expectation of assistance is what really gripes me.

[RW]

I hear ya, Herb!

Since before I was in radio, I learned that even a $5 donation allowed you to get a tax form 990 from a non-profit. If I get one where the administrative costs are over 12%, I don't give any more to that organization and I tell 'em why.

When we had radio stations and no longer HAD to give away "public service announcements (PSA's)" I demanded the form 990. Those who wouldn't give 'em to me (a federal crime, btw, law requires the release of the form within 5 business days) they had to pay. OR I just refused them ANY air time, period.

AND that's why I refuse to give to the United Way. I called the UW on the carpet, publicly, when I was in biz in New Orleans, many years ago. The administrative costs of the local chapter were 60%. It was also why, altho I had sold for them when I got out of the Navy, I quit the Chamber of Commerce, their admin costs were ridiculous!

I give to the Salvation Army. The NATIONAL executive director only gets $30k a year, whereas the national ED of the Red Cross gets more than half a mil a year. The SA does far more, both nationally and locally than the Red Cross, any day of the week, People.

I feel a rant coming on!

[Texanna]

I was talking to a liberal the other day about the generosity of the people in Amarillo (which is about the most conservative city in the nation). She told me she is a liberal because our country doesn't take care of the needy and that people are too selfish to take care of their own. Conservatives just don't care about others, according to her, so the government has to force us take care of them.

My jaw nearly hit the ground. I tithe, I serve on the boards of charities for homeless women and children, crime victims, and the mentally ill. I give about 5% of my monthly income to these charities (all local, by the way). I am probably the least selfish person, both with my time and money, that you would ever meet.

So I asked her if she volunteered or gave to charity. She said no, she used to, but hasn't in a long time. So what she was telling me was that SHE was too selfish (or too lazy) to get down in the dirt with those who are hurting in this world and give them a lift up. She wants everyone else to do her charitible duty.

That was the moment when I finally, really truly understood the difference between conservatives and liberals.

[Engineer Scott]

Or like my friend from Oz who doesn't give much of his own money to charity because he feels he's doing enough by helping to elect a government that'll create a lot of welfare programs. He's happy to give via the tax office.

Scotty