The Role of the Government

This topic is logically prior to my first couple posts on abortion. I wanted to emphasize the most important issue of our day which I believe is abortion, and the issues surrounding the sanctity of life before this issue.

Government is not man's idea it is God's. According to the Bible the reason government exists is to limit evil (Romans 13). There are not many prescriptions in Scripture for government, but it is pretty clear that it should identify evil and restrict it. Therefore, the Bible does not prescribe any certain form of government, and Christianity can flourish in many different forms of government.

Here are the responsibilities that government has to it's citizens:
1. Protection- The government "bears the sword" which is the unique ability to carry out punishment on crime (hopefully that fits the offense). The government does this to restrict evil, and suffering. That means that it should protect the citizens of our country from countries and individuals that would want to harm us, and protect its citizens from other citizens that would seek to do them harm (prison system, justice system of the courts etc.) In our country the government puts together a military and gives them the right to defend us by use of force if necessary. Because of our unique position in the world, we must have the best trained troops, the best weapons and counter weapons in the world. I want our President's primary responsibility to be that of protector.

2. The second responsibility of the government flows from this primary responsibility and that is to create the opportunity for success. It should not give handouts and cause people to become reliant on the government (this is counterproductive, causing poverty and government reliance), but gives people incentive to work hard and be successful.
Functions under this responsibility include: Infrastructure- We must have good means of transportation in order for the the people to be successful. Ensure a free market- Encourage competition and substitutes, allow the free market to regulate itself as much as possible and prevent monopolies. Low taxes- Ensure that the government does not impose unreasonable and oppressive taxes on it's people.

Here again, the Democratic party tends to be lighter on military and instead seeks to reallocate those resources to give handouts to its people. We saw the reduction of our military under Clinton, which is one reason we have had to invest so much in our military since that time. To Clinton's credit however we did make some strides to reform welfare, so in that area he deserves some credit. Obama on the other hand plans to shift the tax burden more on the rich and institute an even more progressive tax system. He wants to do this to create a more "socialized" health system, and to give further handouts to the poorest in society- a worthy goal, but ultimately unhelpful both for the ones who pay and the ones who receive. When politicians begin doing this, it is a very effective way of getting into office. Lowering taxes on the poor and middle class (which is the vast majority of the citizens) and shifting the tax burden more to the rich wins (buys) votes, but is a wealth redistribution method that has never worked in the history of the world. We don't have to try this in America, we know what happens- see Russia, China, and other communist countries. This illustrates the main difference between the Democrats and Republicans. Democrats think that government is the answer to our problems, and seek to make it bigger and touch more areas of our lives.

The Republicans on the other hand are more concerned with having a strong military and less concerned with giving people handouts, but instead creating an environment in which people can succeed if they work hard or fail if they are lazy (This is biblical by the way- "If anyone is unwilling to work [which presupposes he can], let him not eat." II Thessalonians 3:10). I realize that there are people who truly need help, and the church has a responsibility to help those people. Granted, the church has failed in recent times, and the burden for taking care of people has fallen on the government. That burden needs to be shifted back to the people in churches, ministries and other organizations that can have oversight on it's efforts to relieve those who truly need help. The Republicans don't think that government is the answer to our problems, and seek to make it smaller (for the most part).

As I have said before and will continue to say. We don't need to become beholden to a party, but need to hold the people in our respective party responsible to be not just conservative in name, but also in practice.

Comments

In the interest of free speech and debate, I will allow pretty much all comments, unless they get really personal and inflamatory. I expect everyone to deal with each other with dignity and respect. With that in mind go ahead and make comments that are helpful, reasonable, substantiated, courteous, and not defamatory.
Jon

What can the President do about abortion?

Some may have the idea that the President can’t really do anything about the abortion issue. After all it is a constitutional right- right? Not exactly. The watershed case of Roe v. Wade in 1973 set the precedent for abortion rights. It has consistently been upheld in the courts since that time. One of the steps to end abortion on demand is for there to be enough court justices who were favorable to overturn Roe v. Wade to institute a new set of laws dealing with abortion. In the case Marbury v. Madison the Supreme Court was given the responsibility of interpreting the Constitution. For this reason, if we had enough judges who believe the protection afforded to citizens by the Constitution should be applied to all persons, even those in the womb, we should be able to change the precedent in the way abortion is looked at by the courts.
The President has the ability to appoint justices to the Supreme Court as we have seen recently with Sam Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts. Another term of Republicans will ensure that we have the chance to replace at least one pro-choice candidate with one who may be more sympathetic to the pro-life mindset. This is probably the most important way the President can have a positive impact on the issue of abortion. There are policies that the President can institute to encourage and facilitate a culture of life, but they are all secondary to this important responsibility.
As Christians we do have the responsibility to watch out for “the least of these” and to care for those who cannot take care of themselves. While Democrats will use this same command from Scripture to say why they think government should be in the business of welfare, I see this as a different issue altogether. The government’s job is to protect its citizens and to build infrastructure and to facilitate business and free enterprise. The government has a responsibility to protect these children from slaughter, and we as citizens of this nation should stand up for them and demand that the government do so.

My next post will discuss the role of government and how to think about it as a Christian.
Until then,
JB

Politics Time! By Jonathan

Ok, so until now this has been a cute family blog. I am taking the initiative to add the dimension of politics to the heart warming flavor my wife has so effectively cultivated. I hope that it will compliment rather than conflict with what she has done, so here we go!
I am first of all a Christian, and don’t put my hope and trust either in the political process or the government. For this and many other reasons I find myself on the side of Republicans more often than not, but I am beholden to no political party- I serve a King and a Kingdom.
With that in mind I plan to write a series of posts on the issues that determine how I vote. My plan is to do them in order of importance, starting with the most important. My first post is on the issue of abortion.
This issue is, and I believe will be reflected upon as, the defining issue of our time. How we ultimately resolve this has massive implications for how we value (or devalue) life, and who we do (or do not) protect. If you believe that human beings have dignity and are to be valued above all other forms of life on Earth, and that our existence as distinct biological entities known as “persons” begins at conception then more than likely you fall into the category of “pro-life.” If you believe that women have the right to determine the value (or non-value) of their children in the womb, do not recognize “fetuses, babies…whatever you want to call them” as persons, then you probably fall into the category of “pro-choice”- that is- value is assigned by the mother giving her a choice as to whether or not, depending on her circumstances, she will carry the fetus to term.
Should this be legislated? The short answer is “yes.” The reason that abortion should be legislated is because it is the function of the government to protect its citizens. When we begin removing our protection from different segments of society and then systematically kill certain groups based on perceived weaknesses, challenges that they may have, or plain inconvenience, it becomes very difficult to know where to stop- think euthanasia (mercy killing). How long before you are seen as being a drain on society because of your handicap, your beliefs, or your ethnic background? When the strong majority use their influence to snuff out weaker minorities, dictatorship is the logical end.
In the coming election the two tickets are almost as divided on this issue as you can get. John McCain has had a consistent pro-life record, and lives it. He is an adoptive parent. Palin is crystal clear on this issue- she has a son with Down’s Syndrome in an atmosphere where 90% of his fellow 47ers are systematically killed for their perceived inconvenience. She also has a child who is pregnant and welcomes her grandchild when it would have been easier to abort in privacy. This kind of integrity and consistency is missing in much of politics.
On the other ticket you have Obama, who has admitted that the moral/ethical question of the status of the unborn is “above my paygrade.” It is incredible to me that someone who is not willing to take a stand on the foundational issue of whether or not the unborn are in fact distinct biological entities known as persons, is so willing to legislate allowing their slaughter. Another issue that is troublesome is his unwillingness to support the Born Alive Infant Protection Act.
On this issue, the choice is clear.

Florida-Piper's remake

The journey of the red bandana dress began when Jonathan's cousin Ashley gave it to Addie Leigh before our Florida trip of 2006. I was half-way through my pregnancy with Piper and just finishing my horrible morning (all-day) sickness. I was just beginning to get my energy back but still had not even thought about rounding up cute outfits for the annual pictures on the beach. Well, Ashley saved my life when she presented me with this darling dress! We took pictures together with her son Bradley who is exactly a year younger than Addie Leigh. To coordinate the kiddos we used Addie's bloomers as a doo-rag. :) The pictures in the red bandana dress turned out to be some of my favorite pictures out of ALL of the pictures that we have of Addie Leigh. (and let me tell you, this child has a TON of pictures!) Since we were so successful with Addie Leigh, I wanted to have a remake when Piper was big enough for the dress. She has a lot more hair than Addie Leigh had at that age, but the pictures are just as cute! Thanks Cousin Ashley for the sweet dress!

Mama's big baby girl

Addie Leigh in 2006

Piper in the same dress 2 years later

Mama's little baby girl

More Florida Pictures

My sweet girls

They love hanging out with their Mama Mary

The BIG Family Picture

We missed you Bubba & Aunt Ashley, Josh & Amy, & Justin!

Jonathan's Birthday Week-Day 6

Today we relaxed around the house and prepared for some dear friends to come over for dinner. Adam & Kristel Thomas and their kids, Gabe & Trinity and Scott & Jill Attebery with their new addition Bryce, joined us for the celebration. Jonathan picked the menu: Backyard BBQ, fries and chocolate cake with chocolate icing. This was Bryce's first visit to the Baird home and we were so excited to have him. We didn't get any pictures tonight, but here are a few of Bryce Baker.

Thanks guys for helping us celebrate. This was a great ending to a wonderful birthday week! Thank you Jonathan for being a wonderful friend, husband and daddy! We love you!

Coming soon...more Florida pictures! :)

Jonathan's Birthday Week-Day 5-Lunch at the Bank

Today was a new experience. Since Jonathan missed four days of working in the office this week, he had a lot of catching up to do. He didn't think he had time to have a lunch break today, but the girls and I decided to bring him lunch. The girls LOVE going to the bank because they get to see Daddy and their Mama Mary. They always get a lot of attention! Here are some pictures from the special lunch.

Jonathan's Birthday Week-Day 4-Our Trip to Indy!

We are so thankful to our mothers for taking turns with the girls so I could accompany Jonathan on his business trip. The girls LOVE time with their Mama Mary and Nonnie!

















Jonathan and I had separate flights to Indianapolis,(not fun!) but it did allow me to finish a book I was reading and Jonathan to prepare a sermon. Once we arrived in Indy, we went to pick up our rental car. The sweet girl at the front desk realized it was Jonathan's birthday and she upgraded our car free of charge! We only ended up driving it twice, but we enjoyed driving in style. :) When we arrived at our beautiful hotel we got another blessing. One of our favorite restaurants from our days in Louisville, KY, was right across the street from our hotel! We enjoyed Steak N' Shake twice on our trip! Yummy steakburgers and chocolate shakes. :)

Jonathan got a great deal (of course!) on a really nice hotel downtown. The Canterbury Hotel was built in 1928. It still had real locks and keys! But also had modern treats...WiFi. :)

So cute!

The beautiful lobby where during the day a man would play the piano. :)

Jonathan's Birthday Week-Day 3

Our family started our day Tuesday morning with a Pancake Birthday Party! Jonathan and I were planning on leaving later that morning for his business trip to Indianapolis, so this was our chance to spend quality birthday time with the girls. The night before, the girls and I picked up a special present for Daddy. He now has a new 4-cup coffee maker. Previously he was making his coffee in a one-mug maker because I was hesitant for him to have a big one that wouldn't get used much. Yes, I'm the bad guy! I didn't want a big thing to clutter up my cabinets more than they already are. I also confess that I was hoping his love of coffee wouldn't last long. You see, Jonathan made it through years of college and even Seminary WITHOUT coffee and then decided to start drinking it when we moved back to Arkansas. ????? I really thought maybe it was just a phase, but then gave in and got him this for his birthday.

My little artist, Addie Leigh, decorated the card for us. I knew her daddy would love it, not only because of the beautiful art, but it was not $4.00! We need to work with her on keeping her letters straight. :)