WARNING TO TOMMY!!!! Opinions given in the article below may be viewed as racist, inbred, and retarded by the liberal elitist. Viewer discretion is advised.
Quoted Text
Immoral Beyond Redemption
Benjamin Franklin, statesman and signer of our Declaration of Independence, said: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." John Adams, another signer, echoed a similar statement: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Are today's Americans virtuous and moral, or have we become corrupt and vicious? Let's think it through with a few questions.
Suppose I saw an elderly woman painfully huddled on a heating grate in the dead of winter. She's hungry and in need of shelter and medical attention. To help the woman, I walk up to you using intimidation and threats and demand that you give me $200. Having taken your money, I then purchase food, shelter and medical assistance for the woman. Would I be guilty of a crime? A moral person would answer in the affirmative. I've committed theft by taking the property of one person to give to another.
Most Americans would agree that it would be theft regardless of what I did with the money. Now comes the hard part. Would it still be theft if I were able to get three people to agree that I should take your money? What if I got 100 people to agree – 100,000 or 200 million people? What if instead of personally taking your money to assist the woman, I got together with other Americans and asked Congress to use Internal Revenue Service agents to take your money? In other words, does an act that's clearly immoral and illegal when done privately become moral when it is done legally and collectively? Put another way, does legality establish morality? Before you answer, keep in mind that slavery was legal; apartheid was legal; the Nazi's Nuremberg Laws were legal; and the Stalinist and Maoist purges were legal. Legality alone cannot be the guide for moral people. The moral question is whether it's right to take what belongs to one person to give to another to whom it does not belong.
Don't get me wrong. I personally believe that assisting one's fellow man in need by reaching into one's own pockets is praiseworthy and laudable. Doing the same by reaching into another's pockets is despicable, dishonest and worthy of condemnation. Some people call governmental handouts charity, but charity and legalized theft are entirely two different things. But as far as charity is concerned, James Madison, the acknowledged father of our Constitution, said, "Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government." To my knowledge, the Constitution has not been amended to include charity as a legislative duty of Congress.
Our current economic crisis, as well as that of Europe, is a direct result of immoral conduct. Roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of our federal budget can be described as Congress' taking the property of one American and giving it to another. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid account for nearly half of federal spending. Then there are corporate welfare and farm subsidies and thousands of other spending programs, such as food stamps, welfare and education. According to a 2009 Census Bureau report, nearly 139 million Americans – 46 percent – receive handouts from one or more federal programs, and nearly 50 percent have no federal income tax obligations.
In the face of our looming financial calamity, what are we debating about? It's not about the reduction or elimination of the immoral conduct that's delivered us to where we are. It's about how we pay for it – namely, taxing the rich, not realizing that even if Congress imposed a 100 percent tax on earnings higher than $250,000 per year, it would keep the government running for only 141 days.
Ayn Rand, in her novel Atlas Shrugged, reminded us that "when you have made evil the means of survival, do not expect men to remain good."
It's so very sad but so very true. If that's not bad enough the government wants to give more of your money that it doesn't have to fund more of the same type of programs but fails to see the consequences of their actions.
Benjamin Franklin, statesman and signer of our Declaration of Independence, said: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.
You really should read a history book Cic. Really, I know you'd rather get your history from Right Wing Commentary, but just take a peek into the life of your opening sentence 'hero' Ben Franklin.
Ben was far from a 'virtuous person' by the standards of his day, and especially from the Righteous Pompous Republican standards of today.
~Ole Ben was a notorious flirt and fathered a child out of wedlock. ~ Noted founding father Benjamin Franklin published a list of different ways we refer to someone as drunk in the Pennsylvania Gazette on January 6, 1737. Franklin said he collected these phrases at -what else- a tavern, where Ben was a frequent flier! And Ben on Christianity: ~"I cannot conceive otherwise than that He, the Infinite Father, expects or requires no worship or praise from us, but that He is even infinitely above it." --- Benjamin Franklin, from "Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion", Nov. 20, 1728
"I wish it (Christianity) were more productive of good works ... I mean real good works ... not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing ... or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments despised by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity."--- Benjamin Franklin, Works, Vol. VII, p. 75
"If we look back into history for the character of the present sects in Christianity, we shall find few that have not in their turns been persecutors, and complainers of persecution. The primitive Christians thought persecution extremely wrong in the Pagans, but practiced it on one another. The first Protestants of the Church of England blamed persecution in the Romish Church, but practiced it upon the Puritans. They found it wrong in Bishops, but fell into the practice themselves both there (England) and in New England."--- Benjamin Franklin
(Maybe Ben is like some posters on this board... they preach: "Do as I say, not as I do")
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
You really should read a history book Cic. Really, I know you'd rather get your history from Right Wing Commentary, but just take a peek into the life of your opening sentence 'hero' Ben Franklin. (Maybe Ben is like some posters on this board... they preach: "Do as I say, not as I do")
Box, the commentary wasn't a biography about Ben Franklin...The Ben Franklin quote set up the rest of the article.
BTW...Of all your Franklin examples, not one did Franklin suggest legislating virtuous behavior. That is what the modern American government does. Virtuous behavior is not coerced by threats. The government takes money from one person by force and gives it to another, all under the guise of virtue. Even the initial theft is considered virtuous by you lefties. And when I say lefties, that is both Republicans and Democrats.
Box, the commentary wasn't a biography about Ben Franklin...The Ben Franklin quote set up the rest of the article.
BTW...Of all your Franklin examples, not one did Franklin suggest legislating virtuous behavior. That is what the modern American government does. Virtuous behavior is not coerced by threats.
Cic types away with his point of view in mind, thinking he has presented a plausible argument...
His post:."Of all your Franklin examples, not one did Franklin suggest legislating virtuous behavior. That is what the modern American government does".
Conservative Government suggests legislating their idea of "virtuous behavior". ~ Making LAWS about who Americans can marry... ~ Making LAWS deciding if and when a woman can terminate a pregnancy... ~ Making LAWS promoting one religion while outlawing others.
Cic types away with his 'smaller government' in mind, while he proposes Big Brother Government in our most personal decisions.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Conservative Government suggests legislating their idea of "virtuous behavior". ~ Making LAWS about who Americans can marry... ~ Making LAWS deciding if and when a woman can terminate a pregnancy... ~ Making LAWS promoting one religion while outlawing others.
Cic types away with his 'smaller government' in mind, while he proposes Big Brother Government in our most personal decisions.
Besides the terminating of pregnancy and protecting life, I agree with you, government has no business making laws about who Americans can marry or laws mandating religious worship. As for recognizing a religion, that could be done at the state or local level. A federal holiday for Christmas is certainly not the role of the Federal Government.
I've told you before, faux conservatives like Gingrich, Romney, Santorum, and Bush believe in the use of government coercion. They are neo-cons, believers in the welfare/warfare police state.
Cic believes in "FREEDOM"... The freedom of every raped woman or victim of incest to be forced the FREEDOM of carrying and bearing the criminal's child. Most reasonable people support the 'days old' glob of rapist cells being removed from the victim... Cic thinks that little blob of a dozen rapist cells should be forced on the victim for the rest of her life. Cic calls that "FREEDOM!"
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Most reasonable people support the 'days old' glob of rapist cells being removed from the victim... Cic thinks that little blob of a dozen rapist cells should be forced on the victim for the rest of her life. Cic calls that "FREEDOM!"
...And you believe in forcibly taking money from me to pay for the clinics that perform them. But of course, my tax money doesn't pay for abortion. The accountants make sure of it.
But of course, my tax money doesn't pay for abortion.
In all his hundreds of posts... Cic finally got one right!!! Proud of you Cicero!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Cic believes in "FREEDOM"... The freedom of every raped woman or victim of incest to be forced the FREEDOM of carrying and bearing the criminal's child. Most reasonable people support the 'days old' glob of rapist cells being removed from the victim... Cic thinks that little blob of a dozen rapist cells should be forced on the victim for the rest of her life. Cic calls that "FREEDOM!" ]
Way to go off topic
"In the beginning of a change, the Patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a Patriot."
That is about the only thing boxy is good at.................REDIRECT!!!
By the way............great post cic!!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
the government has become our conscience.....the new 'anonymously phone in underage drinking parties' why? because you will feel guilty if you don't and some young folk get injured or killed while being ignorant....
I'd say this sounds like 'pray for your neighbor'......only with prayer fate is involved.......with the phone call it's about who looks better and more righteous....
our laws have become a frankenstein conscience.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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