Warning: The following blog contains political, social, and theological opinions espoused by the writer alone. Any attempt to practice said opinions may or may not cause mass destruction to societal infrastructures.
They say that 60% of all statistics are made up on the spot, and it seems the other 40% are based on fuzzy math. With this in mind, I have determined that 32% of the American populous is being enslaved by the government. As soon as the Libertarian “Amen’s” and Socialist “Nu-uh’s” subsides, I’ll elaborate on what appears to me to be a great injustice we as citizens, and Christians in particular, turn a blind eye to.
Let me begin by making a factual statement: If you pay taxes, you are helping pay for someone else’s debilitating drug addiction. Congratulations, you’re a drug pusher.
It happens every month, without fail. After a month of bi-weekly attendance at 30 to 50 people, suddenly barely 15 people dawn the doors of our downtown church. Inevitably, I naively say to our sparse group, “Man, it is quiet tonight,” and a matter of fact voice replies, “It’s the first of the month.” A dreadful darkness pours through my heart and takes shape in the form of a deeply saddening thought; It’s payday.
The logic is rather rudimentary really. A large number of impoverished Americans collect Social Security, disability, or other monies from the government. These programs are meant to make minimum living provisions for people who have no other means of providing for themselves. In the political realm, the idea is that as the most civilized and wealthy country in the cosmos, we have a societal obligation to care for people who are unable to provide for themselves, right? How could such lowly folks as these care for themselves without some assistance? Immanuel Kant would affirm this logic as we seek no less than the greatest good, and anything else is immoral. I can sleep easy knowing my societal obligations are so dutifully fulfilled by a government stipend.
Most of the people I meet who receive said money are residentially challenged, living mostly on and sometimes off the streets, so my context regarding the matter applies primarily to these individuals. What I think is missing from the above logic is the unintended consequence of such programs.
The person receiving this monthly money is happy with the political logic as it certainly benefits them, but for some there is an altogether different logic present. (I should note here my philosophical faux pas as I make general conclusions based on a small sample size, sorry Mr. Kant). If you are enmeshed in the darkest depths of drugs addiction, live on the streets, and have to beg, borrow, and burrow for every spare dollar to keep yourself from dying from withdrawals, what happens when suddenly $500 to $1,000 pops up from nowhere? It’s like bread in the desert; one large loaf of monetary goodness ready to be gobbled up.
The politically correct term I believe is, “Party.” Months, years, and decades pass as the same people throw the same party sponsored solely by Uncle Sam. At some point early on, a monthly mental alarm becomes ingrained in their psyche, rattling their bodies and brains until they use some substance to hit the snooze. This is money that could be used to pay for shelter, food, clothes, etc. but when the alarm goes off, many times, it is 100% devoted to the budget line denoted, “drugs”. This is the sad reality of many people living on the streets, unable to work because of disability, but unable to survive without a big fix to start off the month.
Some may be thinking; Damned derelicts deserve their destitution. This could be an exaggeration, but our ignorance of the state of said derelicts shows this to be true in ways we may not want to admit.
My political solution is that no one should have access to government monies (i.e. taxpayer dollars) without a drug test. At least that way I can fulfill my societal obligations without feeling like a chemical slave trader. It just pains me to think that I work nearly every day to help keep the drug-pusher standard of living up. More than this though, my heart aches for these individuals who are entangled in the suffocating hold of this boa constrictor that tightens its coils at the beginning of every month.
I first considered which state or federal representative to write, but nixed the whole letter writing business, realizing the government can’t fix a problem it creates itself. I’m sure though no politician would ever risk losing the “poor” vote by drafting such a radical piece of legislation to appease one ordinary voter. As unlikely and difficult to accomplish my political solution may be, believe me, it’s the easy options.
Next to not paying taxes, which you can’t do unless you’re homeless and never buy anything, there’s only one other option. Go to a homeless shelter/ministry, befriend a person living on the street, and over the course of a couple of years try to represent the love of Christ in their life while encouraging them that the blood of Christ has freed them from their bondage. After months, maybe years, of relapses, then stumbles, then slips, then trips, hopefully the person will trust that you want to help them continue to make progress. Somewhere in there, as Christ strengthens their resolve to be chemical free, work out a financial arrangement to help them use their check to get off the streets, pay bills, and better themselves. Of course, there are other tasks particular to the individual’s situation like personally providing transportation, clothing, shelter, and the like. You should also know results will vary, are not guaranteed to be effective even once, but your reward in heaven will be great.
Despite the flippant attitude touted here, the gravity of the situation delivers a crushing blow to my broken heart month after month. I’ve really had to ask myself, as a Christian, am I only concerned about the eternal state of a person’s soul? If so, I have little to worry about as many street people have said the sinner’s prayer and know scripture and doctrine better than the people sitting in our pews and theater seats. After all, wouldn’t “drug addiction” be listed on the “forgiven sins” roster? So why worry?
If it possible though that I have some other responsibility as a citizen of Heaven (not to mention America), then I must consider what my individual role should be when faced with such injustice. That is what I continue to struggle with in lieu of the chemical enslavement of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I encourage you to do the same.
St. Luke would be proud my friend.
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