The New Heart of Politics

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free; the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

What has happened to the America that embodied these lofty words?  What happened to the America that welcomed those looking for a better life; the America that welcomed those fleeing from savagery and war in their own land.  What happened to that America?  How have we gone from the country that welcomed immigrants and shared the promise of the American dream to a country that now wants to live behind walls and post signs saying “Immigrants not welcome”?  How have we gone from a country that recognizes the plight of the poor and disenfranchised to a country that now says that the poor are just lazy and they could do more to improve their own situations while cutting the programs that they take advantage of to do just that?  How have we gone from a country which truly believed in “Whatsoever you do to the least of these”  to a country advocates isolationism and fear of the “other”, a country that has forgotten the message of love that is the center of the Christian message?  A country founded by persons seeking to escape from persecution to a country that turns its back on the persecuted.

This change is the sickness that now exists in America’s Heart.  A sickness whose symptoms are a lack of compassion, generosity of spirit, and an innate sense of justice for all people has taken root in the heart of America. Now when someone speaks about caring for the poor, or ending homelessness or fighting for a fair wage for workers they are accused of being communist or socialist. But these goals are simply intrinsic to the true Christian ideal. Jesus spoke about feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, welcoming the stranger, visiting the prisoner, healing the sick. All of these things are part of the call to be Christian and yet the new heart of America calls this socialist.

Caring of the poor and disenfranchised is the heart of the Christian message. it is also the heart of the socialist message but for very different reasons.  For a Christian the obligation to care for the poor is intertwined in the Christian’s relationship with Jesus - Again the”Whatsoever you do to the least of these”  message.  For the Socialist, care of the poor is wrapped up in the belief that the State must own everything in Trust for the populace and distribute the wealth and fruits of those possessions to the people equally.  Make no mistake Christian and Socialist beliefs are diametrically opposed.  It is easy to forget this fact when Socialists may join Christians when it seems that they have common goals.  Hence socialist groups uniting with Christian groups to demand fair wages for workers, medical care for the poor or even better housing.  Because of this overlap of common goals it is easy for others to think that everyone who is advocating for these “Social” programs is the same.  Because of this everyone advocating for social reforms is usually identified as the “Left”  a pejorative usually reserved for Socialists and Communists.  The point I endeavor to elucidate is simply this:  Not every liberal is a socialist or communist - some of us are simply true dyed in the wool Christians!

So as citizens of America we see the divide growing wider and wider.  The conservatives who believe that they should not be required by government to share in the care of the poor and disenfranchised and the liberals who believe that they have an obligation to care for the poor and disenfranchised.  We see politicians in the majority advocating the cutting of social programs that benefit many of their own constituents so that money can be spent on increasing defense spending so that we “Make America Strong Again.”  But this attitude misses a fundamental truth - America can only be strong when it takes care of people because people are the strength of America.  So while the conservatives will to advocate smaller government and cuts to social programs that benefit domestic America,  liberals will continue to advocate for and fight to protect those same social programs and work together to uplift the poor and protect their right to the American dream.