In the various talks, debates, and arguments about the merits and details of national health care/health insurance reform, I have become increasingly confused at the position of the religious right on this issue and, indeed, on their position on most social issues, not just health care. They, along with most of the conservatives are hellbent on stopping any sort of reform in any format or flavor. What confuses me about this, however, is that it simply doesn’t fit their moral structure.
Frankly, religious right — WTFWJD, eh?
Here’s the thing — based on the teachings of Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, or any of your typical mainstream religious figures, the staunchly religious should be all over social reforms such as poverty, homelessness, and health care, right? I mean, what did these great teachers instruct if not tolerance, kindness, taking care of the poor, the sick, the needy, befriending the outcast, reaching out to the lowest or loneliest in society and wrapping them up in arms of love, service, and help? They as a group should be jumping all over the idea that we’re trying to reform health care so more people get the proper care and we add the 40+ million uninsured Americans into the system.
And yet on that side of the aisle we see exactly the opposite, opposing reform, opposing taking resources from those that “have” to give to those that “have not” and generally turning a blind eye and an upturned nose on those who can’t make it as easily as they have. “They’re just lazy,” comes the reply when you ask about the lower-class family struggling to feed their children and keep a roof over their heads. “If they just worked harder, they could have health care insurance, too.”
It’s simply astounding to me at the attitude carried by this group about social matters. Instead of, “alms for the poor”, it’s “go work at Walmart”. When considering a proposal to provide cheap housing to low-income neighborhoods, the response is, “Stupid bum — why don’t you get a job and buy a house?” Eyes roll at the kids who have to get free or reduced lunches in order to get a decent meal — “Bloodsucking parents…”
Their rhetoric spreads far and wide in teabagging protests and angry townhall meetings — “You are NOT entitled to what I earn!” Oh, really? Let’s hope God thinks you’re entitled to what you earn, you hypocrite. Maybe you ought to be a better steward of your earthly riches?
The counter-argument to this is that such donations to help the less-fortunate should be given voluntarily, not through government intervention. As nice of a sentiment as this is, it obviously doesn’t work or we wouldn’t have the problem in the first place. The fact is, most of these people touting these ideas are hypocrites and prefer to hang onto their cash at all costs, the needy and desperate around them be damned. At least I will be freely honest about the fact that I don’t donate much to charity because I prefer to use it on my own family. But even I’m not enough of an asshole to say, “Oh, no, don’t raise my taxes slightly so more people can get health care. I prefer having that on my conscience.”
There is far too much emphasis being placed on whose fault it is that we have the poor and lowly amongst us and not enough action being done to attempt to correct it. There are legitimate concerns, I realize — some folks in these tight positions are there because they were incompetant or reckless — but does taking the attitude that they must all be in that position really do anything to help or resolve the issue? Instead, it ends up being a distraction to the real problem at hand — we have under- or uninsured people getting sick, going broke, and sometimes dying because they can’t get the help they need. How do we solve this?
In the end, if the religious right is going to preach a particular theology, then they would do well to live by it. After all, Jesus did not ask Mary Magdaelene for her financial records to see if she was a prostitute out of desperation or because she gambled it all away. He did not tell Zacheus, “I’m coming to your house — but only if you’re not crooked.” He did not commission his followers to be servants to humankind just so they could make excuses about why they shouldn’t.
Who knows? God might even approve.
People make me sick. Yeah, like working at Wal*mart will solve all financial problems. I know people who work three jobs and go to school full time and still have trouble paying bills.
Most religious people I’ve known are hypocrites. I know none of us are perfect and I don’t really think humans can follow the Bible if they even tried 100%…but people can be such shit heads about it. So self-righteous and everything is everyone else’s fault.
I’m sorry but we are already taxed enough. NO…I am not rich…NO, I do not belong to the religious right…fiscal responsiblity on the part of our government would make it so that a public option is viable. Right now it is not viable, especially if it means increasing taxes even further. The irony of that whole thing is “We’re going to increase your taxes to provide you health care, then dictate what kind of health care you’re going to pay for”. Really?!
Stacey Thomas´s last blog ..Make Up My Mind Already!
I’m not saying working at walmart will solve all problems but there are a lot of lazy people out here that are looking for free health care and anything thats free. Go to a business appreciation supper that is free to all people and you will see the same ones at all the freebies. Yes I am religious and I do not believe I am a hypocrit and I dont believe all religious people are. There are some that all but dont put that title on all of us. When was the last time you were in church and helped put on a meal for the needy or been to a national youth gathering in New Orleans and help the homeless and needy because of a disaster? No matter what organization, theres always hyprcrites or those that dont care about anybody else but dont label everyone in that catagory.
Everyone: Just as a note, when I’m stating, “Religious Right”, I am definitely picking on a particular subset of the Republican party who are extremely vocal and insist on injecting as much religion into politics as possible, which I think is a mistake. This various from me saying, “religious right” meaning anyone who is religious and on the conservative side of things. Not that some of them aren’t guilty of this, too.
Marie: One of the big problems is that the few lazy folks are held up as examples for everyone else but the majority of folks out there are in young families, with jobs that barely cover the heat bill let alone anything else, doing everything they can to make it. To toss the baby out with the bathwater has been the Right’s motto for a long time. I would say that…85% of religious people I know are at least some hypocritical, if not more. This is why I shy away from it to avoid the issue entirely.
Stacey: Don’t think I don’t hear your protest, because I do. And there’s certainly something to be said for eliminating other programs in favor of this one if we think it to be important enough. However, that being said, if the plan that the President has proposed (because the plans in Congress are wide and varied) gets brought up, voted on, and passed, then most of your fears will be alleviated. The taxes will come, but only for the rich. The public option will be self-funded, so there’s no problem there. And I don’t think anyone’s proposed dictating your health care just yet.
But of course, what comes out of Congress may not line up with the President, and I’m waiting if that happens to see if he follows through with veto or not.
Ultimately, if they came out and said, “Look, we can pass health care but it’ll cost you a bit more in taxes, or we can kill it,” I would vote in favor of passage because, despite the taxes we already bear, I can’t say that I don’t want those uninsured and crappily-insured Americans to get better coverage. I’d rather they do it without additional tax burden, of course. But lesser of two evils.
Wayne: You’re right in saying that there are plenty of lazy folk out there, but as I said above, I don’t think that’s the majority of people, although there’s certainly a lot of folks that, given the opportunity, will take a handout. I’m sure some of the people at the biz appreciation suppers are truly lazy, and some are simply tight.
No, I would never put the title of hypocrite on all religious people myself, but I’ve known plenty, and I would state that more are than not, that’s why I don’t associate myself with it anymore (well, one of the reasons). And I have no problem in stating that I not done much charity work myself — but then again, I don’t profess to believe in a religion that dictates that I should be doing so. Hence, I avoid the hypocrisy. Should I do more? Well, certainly. I think we all can, and it need not be religiously motivated, because there’s something to be said about just being a good person, fullstop. We could all do better by thinking that way all the time.