Stimulating Washington's Gluttony

There must be many people out there, like myself, who are deeply upset and sad that Congress passed that awful Porkulus, Spendaholic StimuWASTE bill last night.

This morning, I read a great blog post over at Charlie LeHardy's blog - These Morally Hazardous Times,

Charlie wrote:

Giving Congress a blank check is like throwing red meat to sharks. Giving Congress a blank check and screaming Fire!, as President Obama has been doing, guarantees the worst sort of knee-jerk Congressional response: just throw money at everything and hope that something works.

The "change we need" turns out, unsurprisingly, to be more Washington gluttony at the expense of future generations of taxpayers.

One thing that I would add is the fact that it was RUSHED THROUGH - without giving any member of the House or Senate the change to read the entire thing! Who ever heard of such a thing as this??? CRAZY! UNETHICAL! DANGEROUS! JUST PLAN STUPID - AND EVIL!

So much for the "transparency" that Obama promised on the campaign trail. What about the "48 hours" for the public to see the legislation online before it's voted on and/or passed? Didn't happen. Last night, Sean Hannity had a video clip of Obama making such a claim back in late 2007. How many Obama broken promises does this make? I've lost count.

In Charlie's essay, he discusses "moral hazards." Congress is guilty of adding another one to the list:

Excerpt:

This week, Congress is itself engaging in a different sort of moral hazard — it has the power to waste other people's money with impunity. There is no down side for Congress because it will not have to pay the bill. You will. I will. Our children will. Senators and Congressmen have fully-funded pension plans. They will never experience the pain of unemployment, nor the weight of the huge debt they are putting on the shoulders of future taxpayers.

Rather than rushing to drown us in more debt, Congress would have done well to slow down and debate the causes of this recession, as well as actions that might actually move the American economy back into production. Instead, Democrats have dragged out the same bloated Christmas lists that they trot out every budget year, only this time, they have a green light from the White House to spend, spend, spend.

Though this historic bill is being called a "stimulus package," it has only managed to stimulate Washington's gluttony.

My comment at Charlie's blog:

When that last Democrat Senator cast the final 60th Senate vote for that awful StimuWASTE bill, I sat down and cried. In fact, I had been praying and crying most of the day. I didn't sleep well last night, either.

I really think that our nation is under condemnation. It is going to take some real suffering to get people back to God.

Those who have placed so much faith and hope in an ordinary man (who has supported a LOT of evil) are going to be sorely disappointed. Perhaps, it is when they finally realize their mistake, they will turn back (or, turn to Him for the first time in their lives) to Jesus Christ - the true Messiah, Savior and Lord of the universe.

I recently changed the heading of my blog to this:

Talk Wisdom's goal is to defend the tenets and values of Biblical Christian faith. We defend our Constitutional Republic and Charters of Freedom, especially when speaking out against destructive social and political issues. As followers of our Savior and Lord, we should boldly stand up for Jesus Christ in our present circumstances. He is our Savior, Lord, and King, and His love needs to be shed abroad in our hearts and in our world - now.

Those who voted for Obama and now regret their votes probably aren't ready to admit it yet. Some have publicly stated regret (like the mother of the USS Cole victim); but most are holding to a "wait and see" attitude right now.

Even Mike Huckabee, who didn't vote for Obama but was willing to give him a "chance" now states that he was wrong about giving Obama the benefit of the doubt.

Many pro-Obama supporters who came to my blog over the past year - while I tried to warn them of Obama's past and terribly evil intentions for our nation - hated me for sharing the truth about him. Some day, perhaps one or two will come back to my blog and admit that the dire warnings shared at Talk Wisdom (and at thousands of other conservative and/or Christian blogs) were correct about such warnings.

Sorry this comment is so long!

I will close with telling you that your post here has helped me - a lot. Thanks Charlie.

God bless you!

Sincerely and In Christ,
Christine

Posted by: Christinewjc at February 14, 2009

As Charlie had mentioned in his article, the fact that the burden of this monumental wasteful spending will be on the backs of future generations - makes it all the more appalling to me!

However, in the midst of all of this sadness, doom and gloom and fear for the future of our nation, Charlie shares what is most important (and this part is what helped me):

Quote:

Despite polls showing growing doubts among voters that Congress is taking the right approach with this historic spending bill, it will pass. This bill is a runaway freight train and can't be stopped by human intervention.

It's interesting to think about the moral challenges of modern government, with its god-like powers to create and spend money, push the economy this way or that, and affect the lives of us all by both direct and unintended consequences.

Modern government is a mine field of moral hazards, and while many of our leaders are men and women of good judgment and good heart, too many, clearly, have neither.

The Apostle Paul lived in a much worse time than this, when leaders in both government and the church sought to suppress the fledgling Christian faith that he was spreading throughout the Roman world. His remedy was prayer:

I urge you [Timothy], first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. — 1 Timothy 2:1-4, NLT

Paul's goal was two-fold: 1) that we should be allowed to live our lives in peace, free from interference by leaders of dubious judgment and moral character, and 2) that these leaders should come to understand the truth.

And what is that truth? Paul continues:

For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity — the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. — 1 Timothy 2:5-6, NLT

In other words, the greatest moral hazard we face is not that we will lose our jobs and be thrown out of our homes, but that we will fail to put ourselves under the redemptive grace of Jesus Christ, which Paul, the economist, says was purchased for us with something far more valuable than US dollars: the blood of Christ shed on the cross.

We only get to vote every few years, but we can pray every day. Pray and intercede for your neighbors and friends who can't find jobs. Pray and intercede for our leaders, that they might allow us to live our lives in peace, and that in this time of great unknowns they might humbly admit their ignorance and seek God's wisdom.

Times are tough, but God is still on his throne, still welcoming sinners into the grace of Jesus Christ. Like every time and every age, this is a time for prayer. /quote

Hat Tip:

Another Think

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Update 2/14/09 :

Here is another great article to read:

Joel Rosenberg's blog: BIBLE PROPHECY AND THE U.S. AND GLOBAL ECONOMIES: “It’s almost as if you can hear the ice cracking beneath our feet”