Conservatism - The Care of the Widow

Amid all the political propaganda coming from the left, including the Christian left, there are countless portrayals of conservatives as somehow "against" the poor and "for" the rich.  Jim Wallis recently wrote that caring for the poor is one of the Biblical roles of government.  Not sure anyone would argue with the quote from Psalm 72 regarding the ruler:  "May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor."

But is it really right to leap from defending the poor to what Ron Sider in the article calls " both procedural and distributive" justice? How does one get from defending the cause of the poor to "distributive" justice?  What exactly does "distributive" justice mean?  (More)

Why I Am a Conservative - The Poor

Maybe no other issue divides the Christian left and right more than the care of the poor and downtrodden.  I suppose it is true that some on the right who are more adept at generating heat than light caricature the more liberal views as coddling the lazy or something like that.  I know it is true that the secular left has for decades repeated the same phrase election cycle after election cycle "tax breaks for the rich" while accusing conservatives of being heartless and greedy.

In the end, both sides agree there needs to be a safety net.  People lose jobs through no fault of their own.  Illness and misfortune can happen.  And yes, people make bad choices leaving spouses and children in difficult circumstances.   A safety net is needed and that includes some provision for job loss, for income loss and for catastrophic medical needs.  (More)