Pope calls for redistribution of wealth, but who decides how much and when to stop?
Is it justifiable to covet our neighbors’ goods through government-sponsored redistribution? When Christ laid out a new set of commandments in the beatitudes, did He say bless the government that steals from the rich to give to the poor?
No one denies that we need government. Governments, however, have a natural tendency to ever increase their power over its citizens. Can anyone deny the threat to our freedom, religious and otherwise, our government has become?
We in the USA are the most generous people in recorded history. When disasters strike, we feed and clothe more people and distribute more resources than any other nation in history. We have liberated millions of people from the tyranny of state-sponsored captivity and persecutions. These efforts by the USA are fueled by the greatest engines on the face of the earth, the free market and economic freedom.
Wealth redistribution by our government is not a “blessed” form of charity. It is the Church’s responsibility to call us all to acts of charity and mercy and to teach us why it is necessary to love our neighbor.
Want just one example of what happens when the “state” controls the means of production and ownership of assets? Look at a picture of the Korean peninsula at night from a satellite and compare the image of North Korea to the image of South Korea. A picture is worth a thousand words.
James P. Randisi
Towson
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