The Obama platform, the one he ran on and the one he is implementing from his seat of power is one of redistribution; wealth is taken from one and given to others in the name of fairness, equality and compassion. The concept that many fell is a biblical one, that somehow being a Catholic we are called to a social justice that requires us to giveaway all we have worked for, to redistribute our wealth to make it equal.
President Obama did not create this concept, nor is he the first to try to implement it, but he is the first to gain such ground support for it, his first 50 days President Obama has done more to attach individual freedoms than any other president I have lived through, and I would venture to guess than any other president in history.
How did I go from wealth redistribution to personal freedom, easy, they are one in the same, The United States of America was founded on very simple principals one being the pursuit of happiness. Notice it is the pursuit not the guarantee of happiness.
We are afforded the opportunity, regardless of sex, race or any other discrimination, to pursue happiness, to make a life for ourselves and to live it in peace. We are not, nor should we be, guaranteed any of this.
The concept of equality is noble and one worth pursuing, but equality is not something that should be taken from one and given to others, but rather it is something that should be offered to all equally. In this great nation of ours we have come down a long road towards equality, we have just elected our first African American President, we are a nation that believes in equality and practices it. Now individuals may not, but that is there personal freedom to choose not to, we cannot and should not regulate equality, but rather we need to educate it.
We are a nation that gives more than any other in history, we are a people who acknowledge our mistakes and strive to correct them, and we celebrate our achievements and work to repeat them. We champion the cause of freedom around the world. Yet to some equality eludes them, they always seem to be on the edge of it, never truly embracing it, or it embracing them.
The question that comes from all this is Are we responsible, as a nation, to hand out equality, to take from the few to give to others? Is it biblical, do we have a Catholic responsibility to do so? If I make a hundred thousand dollars per year, should I be forced by government redistribution policies to give part of my wealth to others? The simple answer, no, we are not required to redistribute wealth. We are called to care for our brothers and sisters in Christ, but we are not forced to. The government has not moral ground to stand on concerning wealth redistribution, the concept is, in my opinion, one designed to create class warfare and create a social elite who control the poor through government handouts. The idea of wealth redistribution also kills the charitable donations, with the redistribution of wealth many feel no need to donate to the needy, the government has done that for us, or attempts too.
We, as a community of the faithful, have a responsibility to care for the needs of others as this passage tells us:
The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.
Notice the wording, according the needs of each; this does not indicate that the wealth was distributed equally, but rather to the needs of each. Our ability to pursue equality must be protected, each and every human must have equal access to happiness and we as Catholics have a responsibility and moral obligation to care for those among us, but it must be a choice, our act of love cannot be forced. Just as God allows us to love him or not, we must also have the choice of loving our neighbors or not, forced wealth redistribution is not a choice, and in some ways is an immoral act, we are removing from both the receiver and would be giver the freedom to choose.
President Obama’s platform is one of control not one of personal freedoms, we need to pray for him and all in government to not take our personal freedoms away.
May God continue to Bless America and protect her.
Paul
An American Point of View 