You cannot legislate the poor into freedom

This comes to me from one of the local church periodicals that was handed to me at one of the local coffee shop round tables. I find it most appropriate in this day of financial uncertainty.

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom.
What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
The late Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931 - 2005

I favor God, country and apple pie – make that pecan pie – I’m a Texan, after all. However, I just can't seem to make sense out of all the financial stimulus doublespeak these days. I am really beginning to wonder if we don't have a bunch of inexperienced PhD's conducting experiments at the expense of the American financial community. For some reason this all seems to be leading down the red brick road of socialism.

I was really bothered by a statement President Obama made in his first live news conference and it went something like this: "only the government can pull us out." It is evident the government knows not what it is doing. If the overall goal is the equalization of wealth then we are headed down that red brick road. I don't get warm and fuzzy when I hear things like "limit the amount of pay", "support the union check-off option for it will be good", and "the stimulus will solve all our problems." Reward should be based upon hard work and persistence. If I work hard then why would I want to share with someone who fails to have the desire to work? Don't get me wrong for I am all for the equal thing, but only to the extent of having an equal opportunity. If I desire to equalize and divide my wealth I will contact President Obama and hopefully we can share some equal time together discussing the freedom I had in making that decision.

That pecan pie is waiting.............................................. better get a piece before I have to equalize it!