Two headlines and stories from today's news should give the discerning and biblical Christian pause, if not cause for concern -at least if you're a biblicist who believes the scriptures give justification to a market-driven, classic, capitalist economy and government such as the one this nation has been under for over two centuries.
First, Obama signs into law expansion of SCHIP health-care program for children... "President Barack Obama signed legislation Wednesday to expand publicly funded health insurance for children, marking a historic shift in Washington's political landscape and providing the White House its biggest victory since Obama took office." Less than 18 months ago, President George W. Bush had blocked similar bills by congressional Democrats, labeling the proposed expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program as a step toward government-run health care.
While on the surface it sounds like a wonderful thing to expand health-care to uninsured kids (who hates that idea?), one may ask, 'who will pay for that expansion (you will- it's the people's taxpayer dollars)?' 'Where will the accountability come from?' 'What will such a program do to private enterprise- the backbone of our economic system?'
Then, Obama to restrict pay of bailout firms' execs.. Reflecting widespread outrage over bonuses and perks at firms that already have received bailout money, the new rules would limit executive pay at the most distressed institutions to $500,000 in annual salary.
Now, should the president hold big business accountable for the government bail-out money (again courtesy of the tax-payer) it's receiving? Absolutely. Should the White House even in difficult circumstances order wage controls on corporate executives- the people that make decisions on business and economic growth? That's a different question all together. Who should be running this economy or exerting the greatest influence on it? Our 3rd president and architect of our Declararation of Independence, Thomas Jefferson said, "A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, which shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government…"
Jefferson allegedly a Deist, not a Christian, made a profound statement that seemingly echoes the author of 1 Sam. 8, who in response to God's chosen nation of Israel demanding a King (read President today) so they could be "like all the other nations," said, "He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. ...He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves (1 Sam. 8:15, 17)." Hmmmmm.
C. S. Lewis, that great Christian apologist peered behind the “compassionate” actions of government and discovered instead threads of tyranny. He notes that the most benevolent ideas imposed on others through the rule of law can often result in the exact opposite of what is intended. He wrote, "Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." Food for thought...
How about the frosty weather we're experiencing in South Florida over the last day or so? Has it ever been colder? Well, if you visit this video link you'll see and some of you will remember, the day it "snowed" around here just over 22 years ago. That's right, the real white stuff made a visit to the Sunshine State in 1977 ( http://www.miamiherald.com/video/index.html?media_id=3025144/t_blank ) . Thanks to sister Alina, our fine kids Bible Study teacher for this story.
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