who is evil?

[TW]

crispfinagin --

May I speak as an older man to a younger man?

First - your passion for justice is commendable. Jesus taught justice, lived justice, IS justice... and we need passionate young men to cry out for justice.

The quote often attributed to Winston Churchill -- "If you are not a liberal when you're 25, you are have no heart. If you are not a conservative when you are 45, you have no brain." -- applies here. As we get older, we don't get more cynical, we simply have our eyes opened to the subtleties of the shades of gray, the continuum that spreads between the neat, tidy, black and white extremes in which the young view the world.

I, too, believe that people should love mercy and do justice. WalMart (and Starbucks, and...) are not people. They are impersonal, profit-driven, business enterprises that provide goods and services in exchange for money. You hold them responsible for not "doing the right thing" with an accident victim because she was in an unfortunate circumstance and they are a wealthy and successful corporation. How far are you willing to go with that logic?

Every day, in every WalMart in the world, people enter those stores to shop with very limited resources. Some of them make hard, ugly choices: school supplies for their daughter or food; badly needed medicine or a new tire for the car... WalMart is rich. Shouldn't they just have compassion and give those people what they need? Why stop there? Why not free food? Free clothing? Free housing? Free everything?

That is the bill of goods that has been sold to the young and the naive, the Hegelian dialectic, the Marxist "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." In theory that sounds so compassionate, but in practice it is as evil as its opposite: stealing the fruits of the labor/investment industrious and successful and giving them to those who have met failure is not the solution. If you redistributed all the world's wealth equally among every person on the planet, would that be fair and merciful? Would it work? I suggest that within 5 years of any such redistribution the "haves" would again have all the wealth, and the "have nots" would again be impoverished, because the "haves" would start businesses or provide services to make money.

I really fear for America right now because Obamery (they are interchangeable socialists) have sold the young the idea that "hope" means "the government is your savior." You are a smart young man. Think critically, not only of the conservative views, but of the liberal hype, smoke and mirrors.

one love, I agree totally with you concerning PG's post, it is sage advice that any young person would benefit from. The post is a strong 4 1/2 stars.


TW

[forestwalker]

Forced choice usually means false choice.

And failure to answer usually reveals the answer. Why is dialog so difficult and obfuscation so necessary?

*scratches head*

What did I not answer? And what obfuscation?

[one love]

Okay...I was forced into this.....


First of all onelove, I am so sorry that your thread was hijacked. While I personally know more about your controversy with Gerald than either of you or both put together, it bears no significance to the question you put forth.

Secondly, the government makes far more % profits on oil than the oil companies. The government makes about 80 cents per gallon while the oil company makes about 20-30 cents profit.

Before Hilary goes after the smaller share she should show what is happening to the lion's share of the profits being gained by the government.


We are being sold a bill of goods with all this talk about govt. intervention.
I hope to God that doesn't take root in the hearts of American people.

I have had an unpleasant experience with some ruthless people myself, but I don't ever want govt. intervention.

Let's get over all this "socialism" talk and get back to being a country that believes in and practices good old fashioned capitalism....

and as for Walmart...I was SO in La. during Hurrican Andrew. I called the Walmart store in Baton Rouge and asked for help for some of my churches. They told me to come on over. They had the employees load my pick up truck with diapers, formula, tissues, canned goods and other needs....I did this twice a day for 6 days.....never once asked me for a dime. Check them out sometimes and see who is always at the front of the line to give goods and money........WALMART! I don't always like them or their policies....but I don't think they are unAmerican because they turn a profit.

good post and I left out the part of the government does get more then the oil co. they leave that totally out, right on friend.

[crispfin]

crispfinagin --

May I speak as an older man to a younger man?

First - your passion for justice is commendable. Jesus taught justice, lived justice, IS justice... and we need passionate young men to cry out for justice.

The quote often attributed to Winston Churchill -- "If you are not a liberal when you're 25, you are have no heart. If you are not a conservative when you are 45, you have no brain." -- applies here. As we get older, we don't get more cynical, we simply have our eyes opened to the subtleties of the shades of gray, the continuum that spreads between the neat, tidy, black and white extremes in which the young view the world.

I, too, believe that people should love mercy and do justice. WalMart (and Starbucks, and...) are not people. They are impersonal, profit-driven, business enterprises that provide goods and services in exchange for money. You hold them responsible for not "doing the right thing" with an accident victim because she was in an unfortunate circumstance and they are a wealthy and successful corporation. How far are you willing to go with that logic?

Every day, in every WalMart in the world, people enter those stores to shop with very limited resources. Some of them make hard, ugly choices: school supplies for their daughter or food; badly needed medicine or a new tire for the car... WalMart is rich. Shouldn't they just have compassion and give those people what they need? Why stop there? Why not free food? Free clothing? Free housing? Free everything?

That is the bill of goods that has been sold to the young and the naive, the Hegelian dialectic, the Marxist "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." In theory that sounds so compassionate, but in practice it is as evil as its opposite: stealing the fruits of the labor/investment industrious and successful and giving them to those who have met failure is not the solution. If you redistributed all the world's wealth equally among every person on the planet, would that be fair and merciful? Would it work? I suggest that within 5 years of any such redistribution the "haves" would again have all the wealth, and the "have nots" would again be impoverished, because the "haves" would start businesses or provide services to make money.

I really fear for America right now because Obamery (they are interchangeable socialists) have sold the young the idea that "hope" means "the government is your savior." You are a smart young man. Think critically, not only of the conservative views, but of the liberal hype, smoke and mirrors.

Thank you Pastor Gary, and I do appreciate your comment. But I'm really confused by all the talk of socialism and redistributed income and being against profit that I've heard from many people. I never espoused socialism, income redistribution, or that I believed a business didn't have right to make money. I was actually confused as to why my belief that even if Wal-Mart had a legal right to the money it was a better moral choice to let it be. I was frankly surprised that it seemed to touch such a nerve from some. I'm not a socialist, for I know society is not made up of angels, and I'm not a capitalist because I lack faith in the market's ability to solve our problems. I believe our mixed Amercian system more often that not strikes a good balance between the extremes. And it's true we all have to view things critically, and I'm striving to do so. If I'm mistaken or gotten a little emotional on this, I apoligize.