I think this is a really tough issue without easy answers, and I don't think the level of government involvement in social programs is a question of Christ's teachings; I'm sorry if I've implied that it is. Christ said we are to feed and clothe the hungry, but he left up to us working out the “how”. In fact, a look at the early church leads me to believe it was very socialistic, with members brining their possessions together to meet one another's needs. Even my church today is a lot like this. We feed and clothe the hungry outside the church as well as keep a fund for those within the congregation who might need financial aid at some point in the future.

The problem is that the above examples are all voluntary and rely on the personal decision of the giver. When the government taxes its people to fund social programs, you’re saying "you don’t care about people enough to help them out, so I'm going to make you." To me, the root of the problem is that people don't care enough to help their fellow man, and that's what really needs to be addressed more than anything else. We need to strive to heighten personal responsibility for our fellow man and move away from simply taking the money needed to do it.

It's a tricky line though. We are truly a weak nation if we allow people to die in our streets uneducated and uncared for. It's not enough to step back and say, "I'm sorry, but you're not the government's responsibility."

I just wish there wasn't so much reliance on the government to handle social needs. With politics comes corruption, and it's hard to trust where our taxes are going, especially with our national debt so large. And once again, the lack of personal responsibility people feel toward caring for their fellow man is saddening. Having to be forced to give to feed the hungry is almost as bad as not feeding them, but not quite.