Our national economic security is in crisis. From Wall Street to Main Street, there is plenty of shared blame. Greedy financial big wigs and ordinary consumers with poor credit ratings who secured mortgage loans they couldn't afford all had their hands in the cookie jar.
Both presidential candidates embraced a revised $700 billion bailout of the fractured financial industry. Barack Obama backed the plan "because I think Main Street is now at stake." And John McCain said, " The option of doing nothing is simply not an acceptable option."
Fiscal responsibility is a notion applicable to not only some, but to all.
Consequently, when we speak of the economy we must look to ourselves first and foremost. Did we take on a mortgage we couldn't afford? Do we use credit cards to indulge in a lifestyle beyond our means?
In his GOP acceptance speech in 2000, George W. Bush said, "Big government is not the answer" in expressing the need for welfare reform.
Regardless of one's view of the current president, his words ring just as true today. "Government should support the heroic work of the homeless shelters, hospices, food pantries and crisis pregnancy centers, people reclaiming their communities block by block, heart by heart." In other words, government should support community efforts, not subsidize them.
From health care to day care, Americans expect the federal government to subsidize their lifestyles. The what's-in-it-for-me philosophy prevails, fueling and mobilizing Washington's special interest groups to push their pork-barrel agendas.
The notion that everyone owes us something is often reflected in the way we raise our children, as well. Wise, responsible parents teach a strong work ethic with fiscal and moral responsibility, driving home the Scriptural truth that "Laziness brings on deep sleep and the shiftless man goes hungry" (Proverbs 19:15).
Certainly, some government programs are necessary, but the glut of federally funded solutions to cure all our ills is out of hand. Jesus said that the poor would always be with usthose who, due to circumstances beyond their control, are destitute and need help. These are the deservedly needy.
Before the establishment of the welfare system, churches followed the Scriptural mandate to feed the hungry and clothe the poor. But how many churches today have organized food pantries and clothing banks? Instead, they have relinquished their Scriptural duties to big government.
Obama's campaign mantra of "Yes we can" and McCain's claims of positive reforms are only rhetoric if either party dismisses financial abuse or encourages socioeconomic dependencies within the American psyche. When government promises to solve all our problems, provide all our needs, and finance all our endeavors, we shift our financial responsibilities onto the shoulders of every taxpayer.
We don't need more bailouts, but a hearty dose of faith, hard work, and personal pride and integrity. After all, no one but God can meet all of our needs, and even He expects our participation.
