Say hello to a rock band that hearkens back to the years before indie rock and nu-metal dominated the scene. Discover The Champagne Saints at their website or Facebook page and buy the albumThrowing Hail Marys, released in April 2009.
User bdunn1 on a blog at The Washington Post's webpage posted the following comment in late October:
"Jesus the socialist?
Acts 2:44-45 (King James Version) 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Acts 4:34-35 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Not part of the Republican Bible?"
I don't necessarily buy into this line of thinking completely, but it is worth mentioning. There's a lot of commie-sounding talk in that there New Testament. I've read many parts of it myself. So I am occasionally puzzled when supposedly-religious Christian Republicans complain vociferously about income redistribution. If you're not Christian, fine. But if you are, why are you complaining bout your tax dollars being spent on people who have a lot less than you do?
One response is the claim that Christians want to conduct their own charitable work, and not be taxed by a government that wastes their money in various ways on people who don't contribute to society. Fine. Unfortunately, the rest of the world would like a word with you: in countries where taxes are easily evaded, there's no evidence that the rich and middle classes provide for all the poor people without a social safety net. South Africa is a perfect example: relatively low tax rates, little redistribution of wealth, and a growing middle and upper class (particularly of upwardly-mobile blacks now free from apartheid). Christianity is a massive force in South Africa.
Yet crime is epidemic there. People have walls around their houses and bars on their windows. Electric fences and armed response teams guard people's homes, no matter how nice the neighborhood. People get shot for their cellphones while waiting for the bus. Carjackings are everyday occurrences. People are routinely kidnapped and held for ransom. Kids don't play outside. People generally stay indoors past 8 p.m. unless they have a car or private taxi. Women don't stay home alone when their husbands travel, and almost nobody lives in a single-occupant housing situation.
And compared to other developing countries, South Africa can be downright hospitable. There are many governments who spend less money on combating poverty than the ANC does.
When government does not spend a certain amount of money -- hopefully wisely -- to help the 'dregs of society', those poor people don't just go away. That's why government needs to take care of them. Not just out of some bleeding-heart desire to prevent people from being self-reliant, but for the very practical reason: our country's streets shouldn't resemble a war zone.
User bdunn1 on a blog at The Washington Post's webpage posted the following comment in late October:
"Jesus the socialist?
Acts 2:44-45 (King James Version)
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Acts 4:34-35
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
Not part of the Republican Bible?"
I don't necessarily buy into this line of thinking completely, but it is worth mentioning. There's a lot of commie-sounding talk in that there New Testament. I've read many parts of it myself. So I am occasionally puzzled when supposedly-religious Christian Republicans complain vociferously about income redistribution. If you're not Christian, fine. But if you are, why are you complaining bout your tax dollars being spent on people who have a lot less than you do?
One response is the claim that Christians want to conduct their own charitable work, and not be taxed by a government that wastes their money in various ways on people who don't contribute to society. Fine. Unfortunately, the rest of the world would like a word with you: in countries where taxes are easily evaded, there's no evidence that the rich and middle classes provide for all the poor people without a social safety net. South Africa is a perfect example: relatively low tax rates, little redistribution of wealth, and a growing middle and upper class (particularly of upwardly-mobile blacks now free from apartheid). Christianity is a massive force in South Africa.
Yet crime is epidemic there. People have walls around their houses and bars on their windows. Electric fences and armed response teams guard people's homes, no matter how nice the neighborhood. People get shot for their cellphones while waiting for the bus. Carjackings are everyday occurrences. People are routinely kidnapped and held for ransom. Kids don't play outside. People generally stay indoors past 8 p.m. unless they have a car or private taxi. Women don't stay home alone when their husbands travel, and almost nobody lives in a single-occupant housing situation.
And compared to other developing countries, South Africa can be downright hospitable. There are many governments who spend less money on combating poverty than the ANC does.
When government does not spend a certain amount of money -- hopefully wisely -- to help the 'dregs of society', those poor people don't just go away. That's why government needs to take care of them. Not just out of some bleeding-heart desire to prevent people from being self-reliant, but for the very practical reason: our country's streets shouldn't resemble a war zone.