[Paleopsych] charity

[Steve Hovland]

The concept of good government has not been invalidated
by the pervasive corruption that we now see.

Only right-wing crazies believe that government is inherently
bad.  Sane people realize that government at its best
serves our common interests.  

To give just one example, governments are quite good at
providing safe tap water, and experiments at privatizing this
function have been abject failures.  

Steve Hovland
www.stevehovland.net


-----Original Message-----
From:	Christian Rauh [SMTP:christian.rauh at uconn.edu]
Sent:	Thursday, December 09, 2004 5:02 PM
To:	The new improved paleopsych list
Subject:	Re: [Paleopsych] charity

It is interesting that because government has lost so much credibility 
the option is to create... another government!

Christian

Michael Christopher wrote:
>>>If a welfare check came with a work requirement,
> 
> would that be a desirable influence on behavior? If
> someone gets help from private individuals or
> faith-based groups, he has to dance to their tune just
> as much as he would have to dance to the government's
> tune to get help from it.<<
> 
> --I don't think anyone rejects the idea of people
> doing temp work to earn welfare, except people who are
> categorically against welfare. It's hard for many
> people to get or keep a job, for whatever reasons, and
> day work is one way to get people to work, knowing
> they won't be fired or jerked around in order to feed
> themselves.
> 
> I'm sure Christian churches will be totally
> even-handed in their treatment of the poor and
> homeless who come to them when government safety nets
> fail, whether they accept Jesus or reject
> Christianity. 
> 
> It would be a fun experiment, getting two people to
> approach a church for help, one adapting well to
> Christian beliefs and the other questioning
> Christianity and advocating some other faith or
> atheism, politely but without budging on dogma. I'm
> sure they'd both be treated with equal kindness and
> charity. Surely the Christian drive to end welfare and
> make churches the leading economic and social safety
> net isn't just a cynical ploy to get converts. If it
> is, we'll soon know. The influx of needy people will
> quickly reveal the prejudices and deeper fears of
> those who consider themselves devout. And it just
> might inspire pagan, humanist and science-based groups
> to start their own charity programs, as a way of
> connecting people to groups who are compatible and can
> provide temporary work. 
> 
> If it is impossible for liberals to take control of
> government safety nets (which may not be easy to save,
> either way), liberals will then have to focus on
> community building, educational and social projects,
> privately funded charity and the illumination of a
> social conscience. There, they will excel.
> 
> Michael
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 		
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-- 

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
"I am in a very sad position. I do not see any freedom or any
democracy. If this could lead into a freedom, it is a freedom with
blood. It is a freedom of emotions of sadness. It is a freedom of
killing. You cannot gain democracy through blood or killing. You do
not find the freedom that way."

        - Abu Talat, 19 Nov 2004 (after the raid of Abu Hanifa mosque)

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