Feeding the Hungry

Surely you've seen this quote attributed to Stephen Colbert. Where to start?

1) What do we mean when we say this is a Christian nation (which, of course, the Left denies)? I go over that here. The majority of people in the USA do, and always have, identified themselves in some sort of Christian terms. I mean really, how would someone describe the USA? An Atheist nation? A Buddhist nation? It is a secular government, but the people are majority Christian, at least in self-affiliation.

2) Our government does "help" the "poor". To the extent that any new programs supposedly intended to do so are opposed or expansion of existing programs is opposed, or actual cuts are proposed (extremely rare), it is because...

3) The are many private charitable efforts in this nation, most of which are far more effective and efficient in helping people than government programs.

4) Jesus told HIS FOLLOWERS to help the poor. He didn't tell them to encourage the Roman rulers to tax everyone, believer and unbeliever, to do it.

5) Many politically involved Christians who aren't Leftists recognize the importance of Constitutionally limited government; that it isn't the federal government's role to generally take over the lives of poor people or to throw money at them.

6) Generally, being poor in the USA is a far cry from being poor in much of the rest of the world, but again, private charities work to address that.

I have compassion for the poor. We have compassion for the poor. Allowing people to become permanently dependent on the federal or state government is not compassion. I've seen up close how that demoralizes someone and causes them to constantly worry that the "wrong" person is going to get elected and they're going to starve to death as a result. It's terribly sad.

Do not invoke a Christian's duty to the needy in order to promote government programs that tax everyone while at the same time telling Christians they can't appeal to their faith in avoiding things like paying for abortions or avoiding participation in a ceremony that violates their conscience.