"Beauty confronts us with the requirement that we place ourselves among...the redeemers, the leaders in the protection of life. Once you have seen the bush on fire, you are not going to get out of the assignment unless you close your eyes to the beauty.... [You] either have to close your eyes or go back to Egypt and set the people free." - Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker, "Rising to the Challenge of Our Times"

Friday, February 29, 2008

Set up, part II

Sometimes the NY Times has interesting timing. Here's an article for my right-wing gentleman from last night, all about the problems of government-subsidized housing.

I've actually not discussed, or really heard discussed this issue with someone of very conservative views. I would like to know what (or if) they think about it. They're always ranting about big government, lamenting the 'welfare state' created by the government's provision of social safety net...everybody should just work hard and take care of themselves, or at least go to church so that the church can help them if they really need it. I've just never heard any of them complain about spending more and more money on prisons. Is it because more and more prisons are privately operated? Maybe next we'll have a prison voucher program. Also, the more people there are who go to prison, the fewer are eligible for public benefits. Ex drug-felons can't get food stamps because we want them to be punished not just for their prison sentence but forever and ever. The character of a convicted felon would probably suffer if it were too easy for him / her to find economic alternatives to crime.

Funny that I'm saying all this here...considering that my readership mostly, if not entirely, consists of the proverbial choir. Maybe some inflammatory key words would help...somebody from the Alliance Defense Fund or the Pacific Legal Foundation or the Heritage Foundation or the Cato Institute might be googling along and run across the phrase "why are many conservatives so xenophobic and short-sighted and hateful of poor people?" Or the phrase "why don't conservatives argue for more government spending on education and less on corrections?"

1 comment:

adamf said...

I really do not understand the "ranting about big government." Both sides of the aisle trumpet big government, but in different areas. Conservatives want BIG GOVERNMENT involved in issues like marriage, warz, and corrections. Liberals want more help for the poor and needy. It really comes down to what one thinks the BIG GOVERNMENT should do. That's why it drives me batty when they complain about it.