Blasphemer of the Week

We have yet another paragon of Christian love, in the person of Stephan Fincher, Republican Congress

member of Tennessee. Fincher, like so many of his ilk, wants to use the Gospels as a means of slapping around poor people on food stamps.

Appearing this past weekend at a gathering at a Memphis Holiday Inn, Fincher explained his position on food stamps by stating, "The role of citizens, of Christians, of humanity is to take care of each other, but not for Washington to steal from those in the country and give to others in the country."

Two points. 

It is a lovely idea that we help each other as envisioned in the mind of Christ, but that’s not happening. Anywhere this has been used to exclusively help the poor through history it frankly has not worked. The hungry have been left to be hungry and to often commit crimes in order to feed themselves. This is kind of chaos many of us don’t endorse.

So as Christians and lovers of civilization, we feel that if there is a means to help people, let’s use it. Based on the teachings of Christ, there is a pretty good chance that while he would prefer the charity coming from our collective hearts. It isn’t and so we must turn to what works, and not doing so makes us heartless in the aggregate.

Not to help people means accepting an out of touch yet self-justifying premise that people don’t want to help themselves, which is pure nonsense.

What’s the first question someone gets asked when introduced at a get together? “What do you do for a living?”

While most people appreciate the help when it is available, they would have rather have a job. That is especially true among those formerly in the middle class who have descended into this condition through no fault of their own. Often, these hard working people have found themselves broke because of having a job shot out from under them. This is often justified with the excuse that this “pain” has to happen to enable a company to be “competitive.” Of course the pain stops right at the C-Suite doors.

Or, in the case of half the credit card debt, people have been busted down a class or two through the cruelties of our health care system. It has stood by as people deal with painful, life-threatening medical conditions while having the costs of dealing with this gnaw at their guts. Kind of monstrous isn’t it and betcha Fincher has no problem with this.

So Stephen Fincher if you really hate the thought of the government stepping in to help, here's a suggestion. Stop promoting a system where people get rich by making others poor. This is a system that uses the same “point of a gun” that some bellow about when it comes to collecting taxes to make sure the status quo hums along and grinds you up.

Fincher, Mr. Self-Reliance, has by the way, collected $3.5 MM in farm subsidies from this same federal government that he wants to drastically cut food support to those people who have been made poor, so that some could get rich. We are seeing the same lack of mentality on display in Wisconsin during the "crafting" of the state budget.

Don’t worry Congress member Fincher. The stealing has been done already. You have personal, first hand experience. Amen.