I don’t watch a lot of television (yes, I’m a BAD PUNDIT), so I didn’t see the Wolf Blitzer-Ron Paul moment live. And I’m not a big fan of Ron Paul (which means that there’s a pretty good chance that some folks will criticize me just for that).
But here I kinda sorta agree with Ron Paul: it isn’t—or at least isn’t always— government’s job to clean up the messes we make when we’re irresponsible. If I as an individual see a person in serious need, and I have to resources to help him or her, I may be called to do so, but I am most emphatically not called as a matter of universal principle to create and support a government program to help everyone similarly situated. I can quite reasonably worry in these cases about the effects of government action on the character of those who are compelled to give and on the character of those who expect as a matter of course to receive. And I can always ask questions about the effectiveness of government programs.
I won’t always rule out a government program. But the fact that I have a Christian duty to care for, say, widows and orphans doesn’t require that I support any old government program that does that.
So these Liberty University students may or may not be saying that because it’s un-Christian to let an uninsured comatose patient die, it necessarily follows that it’s appropriate for government always to step in, let alone essentially assume effective control of our healthcare system.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
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