Justice and Helping the Poor

Conservatives and liberals have for years argued
back and forth about how we as a society should
assist the poor among us. The debate has intensified
in recent years as our nation's government has expanded
to greater size and scope than ever before under President
Obama and the Democrats.

Liberals seek the shrinkage of the gaps between the rich
and the poor through government intervention, in the form
of taking from the former to give to the latter via taxation;
the monies going to fund government programs established
to give the poor housing, food, medical care, education,
and legal services, among many things to ease their lives.
Conservatives favor charitable giving from individuals,
giving what they are able to give to charities and places
of worship which similarly target the collected monies.
Liberals support potentially unfair treatment by government
in order to achieve equitable results. Conservatives support fair
and comparable treatment from government which may result in
potentially inequitable results, but would still give relief to the
poor while ensuring that individuals keep the fruits of their
labors and the security of their property without confiscation
by the government or anyone else.

The problem with the liberals' solution to poverty is that it
is wasteful in its allocation of resources to the poor, in that
the programs which they create, among other drawbacks,
does not both establish and enforce a means standard for
receiving the help intended for the poor. Many were the times
when programs gave out money to people who not only didn't
qualify for the payments but also to people who figured out
how to "game" the system in order to receive much more
money than they were supposed to receive, if they were to
receive any money at all. This leads to not only increased
dependence upon government programs and the taxpayers
who fund the programs through their not at all voluntary
contributions. Conservatives want to replace these programs
with private initiatives, meaning voluntary giving monies to
charities, which would have more leeway --- and incentive
--- to more efficiently steward the monies in assisting the
economically hurting. However, many people on both the
right and the left see this as an uphill battle with a dash of
"mission impossible", in that they think that there would not
be, and never would be, enough money to cure the ills of
the impoverished in the United States, so they think that while
it is fine to promote private charitable activity, we also ought
not push the government out of the process. But then, the
conservatives want to cut back on the money taken by the
government to fund its anti-poverty programs and implement
oversight measures to have accountability and efficiency
in the programs' operations, while liberals balk at both,
especially at the former, claiming that the poor would be
deprived of necessary assistance.

Lately some liberals, including some who are prominent in
government, have been referring to the Bible, in quotations
and in general references in order to exhort Americans in
supporting increased government spending on the many
programs established to lessen poverty. Funny this, coming
from the same bunch who frequently cry, "Seperate church
and state!" when discussing other issues, such as student
vouchers for children so that they can attend private schools,
some of which are schools run by the Catholic church, or
some other religious institutions. Those who would benefit most
from the vouchers would be children from low-income families,
as they would have an opportunity at a better quality education
than they would otherwise receive from the public school system
and their tired, poorly run, decaying (both physically and edu-
cationally) schools, being in thrall to the teacher's unions which
resist reform with vehemence. These same unions are hardly
citadels of conservatism, it must be stated. Let's briefly examine
Scripture to see what it really advocates re: justice for the poor.
No, I'm not going to go all "Sunday school" on you, my wonder-
ful readers, but the subject matter discussed here requires a
quick but studious look at some Bible passages:

Leviticus 19: 15 states: "You shall not commit a perversion of
justice; you shall not favor the poor and you shall not honor the
great; with righteousness shall you judge your fellow." This
means that we are admonished not to "favor the poor" BEFORE
we are warned "not to honor the great," for favoring the impov-
erished is an even stronger human temptation, albeit one of
what is good and noble within us as humans. For here, some
might be harsh with those who are well-to-do just to be "just".

And in the Jewish faith, Rabbi Shlomo Rashi, an 11th century
intellectual figure who is one of the most influential teachers
of the Torah, gives us this: "Do not say that since the wealthy
man is obligated to help the poor one, it is proper for a judge
to rule in favor of the poor litigant so that he will be supported
in dignity. The Torah insists that justice be rendered honestly;
charity may not interfere with it." So, according to Rabbi Rashi,
helping the poor is and shall always be an individual obligation
on the godly, but should not be the driving force of the law in
the treatment of same.  In other words, we must stop penalizing
the wealthy in order to be caring to the impoverished.

The Peasant says we ought to do two things: to make a system
of justice which allows people to keep more of their earnings
from their enterprising activities and to be secure in their property,
which in turn will give people more money for charitable activities,
and, as individuals, engage ourselves in those charitable activities.
This prescription is consistent with the scriptural passage and the
advice of Rabbi Rashi which we have just discussed here.
We must put our money where our mouths are. And in so doing, we
will shut the mouths of those who want to foist an increasingly
redistributionist system of justice on us, and have the unmitigated
gall to attempt to justify their plans with Scripture.


NOTE: Your faithful Peasant will not be posting next week, so that
I shall have the time to prepare a very special post which I shall
publish on or about September 23, the first anniversary of this blog.
"Peasant With A Pitchfork" will be celebrating one year in existence,
to the enjoyment and gladness of you, my beloved readers, and to
the frustration and consternation of our enemies: the elitist, statist,
insular politicians and their allies who want to turn our great 
country into a place we patriots would not recognize, nor would
want any part of. Let freedom ring!       MEM                                      

Labor Day Greetings!

To My Beloved Readers,

Your friendly neighborhood Peasant wishes all of you
a wonderful, enjoyable, and relaxing Labor Day!
May you enjoy comfortable weather, good company,
good food, and good times!

See you all next week!


MEM

The Tea Party Heats Up Alaska

Your wonderful Peasant brings wonderful news!
Conservative challenger Joe Miller, Tea Party pick,
won the Alaska Republican Senate primary gaining 
the party's nomination to run in the general election in
November booting RINO Sen. Lisa Murkowski! It was
a real nail-biter, but after the ballot votes were counted
and the votes from Alaskans outside of the state, particularly 
those in our military were starting to be tallied, the trend
began looking ominous for Murkowski. She wisely and  
graciously conceded the primary to Miller, a West Point
alumnus and U.S. Army veteran.

Note to RINOs and your candidates: this is what shall continue
to happen to you in the primaries to come! We in the Tea Party
Movement cleansed Congress of your ilk in GOP contests
throughout this election year, replacing you elitist stiffs with
principled, committed, contitutional, conservative candidates
who will not be mesmerized by the beltway's siren song of
clubby, comfy isolation from the people. We shall make the
Republican Party the vehicle for conservatism and its hallmark
of limited government once again, and ride this vehicle into
battle against the Democrats and their vehicle for massive
government, assaults on our liberties, and endless confiscation
of the fruits of our labors to fund their statist programs and to
line their pockets and those of their cronies! We want no more
of Republicans who want to get along by going along and thus
enable the Democrats in further turning government into their
very own empire! We want a party which will fight for us, not
fight us! We want to have ONE political party in this country
which will be our political home, our haven, and our means of
effecting REAL change, not the "change" that Obama has foisted
upon us, and not offer us a somewhat watered-down version
of what the Democrats have crafted!

RINOs, your days are numbered. Soon, you will be but a foot-
note in the history books of our country's politics and nothing
more. And after we Tea Partiers toss you onto the scrap heap
of history we're going to do the same to the Democrats and the
entire putrid liberal establishment!


MEM

A Little Treat For You!

Greetings everyone!

The Milwaukee Irish Fest was a blast, as always!
Your favorite Peasant participated in the fest in three
capacities: as a performer (I sang with a singing group
that I have been with for five years, the Milwaukee Irish
Fest Song Circle), a volunteer (I sold CDs and DVDs
in a music booth), and as a festival attendee. I go every
year to the event, and have done so ever since I moved
home from Saint Paul in 2001. It is how I connect with
and celebrate my part-Irish roots; I am also English and
Germanic --- Minor is an English name, and my mother,
God rest her, had parents from Ukraine who were ethnic
Austrians; my paternal great-grandmother's parents were
from Germany. The Milwaukee Irish Fest is the largest
Irish festival in the world, lasting four days and hosting
dozens of Irish and Celtic music artists. This year we had
the pleasure of having Cherish The Ladies sing in concert
(with special guest Maura O'Connell!), The Makems & The
Spains (the Makems are the sons of the late Irish music legend
Tommy Makem, who has appeared in concert here many times,
and the Spains are friends and fellow Irish troubadors),
and Blarney, a local band of American fellows of Irish descent
who play each year at the fest and are good friends of mine.

There are also presentations on Irish culture, history, and politics;
Irish theatre, workshops on playing the Irish drum the bhorain
(pronounced bo-RAN), Irish cuisine (yes, there are many potato
dishes, but many other fine foods can be enjoyed at the fest as
well!), and a fabulous Irish mass on Sunday morning with a
bishop or cardinal from the Emerald Isle itself as celebrant.
If you want more exposure to Irish culture, you must go to the
country itself! That is something that I plan to do, as I have
relations in counties Tipperary and Mayo whom I want to visit.

Meanwhile, I haven't any articles to share this week but I do have
a little treat for you, my fantastic readers --- I found a great video
from a "Troopathon", a televised show dedicated to our brave men
and women in the military who are fighting our radical Islamic
foes in the Middle East. held every few weeks, this particular 
show features actress Victoria Jackson, who was a cast member
of the TV show Saturday Night Live some years back. Turns out 
that she has only recently gotten involved in politics and is a
conservative! She's one of us!! Who knew!!!
Gee, that will certainly be likely to burn bridges between her
and her old friends from that show, known for its biting
left-wing brand of humor! Listen to Victoria recite a poem of hers,
honoring our military folks and see her do a hand-stand as well!
It's all right here:

http://www.troopathon.org/

When you get there, click on "Program", then scroll down to the
fifth hour of the show (it won't be live, it is a taped show that you'll
see here) and click on her name by her photo. You'll have a ball,
I guarantee it!

While at the web site, do browse other sections and pages to see
other Troopathon videos and get the latest news on the show
as well as related news on our troops and the celebrities who 
support them. Move America Forward (MAF) is the fine  
organization that produces the Troopathons, and they are
a fantastic bunch patriots!

Next week I'll have some more news from the political scene
to share. Meanwhile, enjoy the Troopathon video footage!


MEM

The Peasant Takes Another Breather

Hi everybody!

Your favorite Peasant is in need of a little time off
once again. I have a truck load of stuff coming at me
in the coming week, and will therefore be unable to
get together with you, my beloved readers until the
following week.

For a start, I have been working for a friend who
owns a landscaping enterprise, and will have a day
or two of work with him this coming week. Normally,
this would have no impact on my posting schedule,
but from Thursday, 8/19 through Sunday, 8/22 I shall
be at the Milwaukee Irish Fest. There, I'll be wearing
three hats; those of festival volunteer, musical performer,
and festival attendee. I am a member of the Milwaukee
Irish Fest Song Circle, and we sing in concert at our
Irish Fest every year, customarily putting on two shows
each festival; one on Saturday, one on Sunday.
As a volunteer, I shall be selling CDs and DVDs at a
booth by one of the music stages on Friday 8/20.
I did this last year as well as sing with the Circle.
Additionally, I shall be getting together with some
local friends and with some cousins from out of town
(one from the Emerald Isle itself!) at Irish Fest. This is
one of the ways in which your wonderful Peasant
celebrates the Irish part of his heritage; I am also
English and German; Minor is an English name.

So many thanks to you, my loyal readers, for both your
understanding and your indulgence! We shall get together
again in the final week of the month to sift and sort through
the political news to see who's been naughty and nice, to
commend and support the former and to castigate and
rebuke the latter --- and have a ball doing it all!


MEM

It's Time to Fire Senator Harry Reid!

So U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), current Senate Majority Leader,
claims that he can't understand why anyone of hispanic descent
would be a Republican. My wonderful readers, let's help him out!
Let's help Senator Reid understand why many hispanics prefer
the GOP and its policies to the stale, statist, and elitist policies
of Reid and the Democrat Party. For a start, notice how I referred
to it as the Democrat party and not the Democratic Party, as that
party has become highly undemocratic over the years.

Harry, my boy, The Peasant will now explain to you why more
and more hispanics are choosing the Republicans over the
Democrats in elections.  Many Americans of hispanic descent
want to be treated like the capable, intelligent, and industrious
people that they are. They don't want government handouts,
they don't want laws guaranteeing them a job, a career,
an education, a home, or that other Americans will like them
and not treat them in a mean way. They prize liberty and
individual freedom and reject government intrusion into the
economy, the workplace, and their private lives, just as many
Americans of all ethnicities do.They don't want to hear from
Washington "Hey, you folks can't make it without our help;
you're too feeble of mind and/or body or whatever! Big
Government is your pal, your protector! Vote accordingly
in each election and you'll be A-OK!"

Hispanics don't want to be told that because they are of
a certain ethnicity that they must belong to a certain political
party and vote that party's staright ticket, and to run on that
ticket if they seek elected office. They don't want to be gathered,
psuhed, pulled, herded, labeled, programmed, or numbered!
Neither do most other Americans for that matter! Hispanics
just want to be left alone to be able to build and live their lives
and careers as they see fit, to pursue The American Dream in
their own way. They certainly don't want to be discriminated
against, nor do they want to be coddled, to be protected from
the vagaries and vicissitudes of life. The reason why we don't hear
of more Americans of hispanic descent embracing conservatism
is the same reason why we have yet to see the full number of
black Americans and other ethnic and racial groups doing same;
you liberals savage them far more than you do white Americans 
for being politiclally conservative. You have long tried to herd all
such groups of Americans onto their political plantation, and
make them permanent constituencies, ever dependent upon you
and the government programs which you create to ensure that
dependency. This in turn ensures the votes that you liberals need
to gain and maintain power at all levels of government.

So of course, Harry, when you and other left-wingers
encounter a citizen who is on the right but not white you
become confused, scared, angry, and hateful. Then we see
you left-wing people, who proclaim yourselves to be without
racist sentiments, to be post-racial, show just how racist you
are. After all, you are the same people that want to make racial
and ethnic groups in our country unable to advance in society 
and in life without your so-called help!

So, Harry, you see now (at least I hope you see now) that
instead of being of assistance, of being of service, to hispanics
and other ethnic groups of Americans, you elitist pigs that make
up the Democrat Party and that have made our government your
tool have been a hurt and a hindrance to them! They are sick of
being taken for granted by you all, especially at election time!
They are sick of being treated like little children who can't blow
and wipe their own noses! And that goes for the rest of us as well!

The race card is maxed out, Harry. And so is the patience
of the American people. We're taking back our government
and entrusting it in the hands of people who will exercise 
constitutionally mandated restraint in governance.  And who 
will make our government serve us all in a truly equitable manner.
Dust off your resume' and update it, Harry. Come November,
you're going  job hunting!


MEM

What We're Up Against

August dog day greetings to you, my beloved readers!

I have some videos for you that are guaranteed
to make your blood boil. Just what you need in the
middle of summer, to be hotter on the inside than you
are on the outside, I know, but these videos have a
worthwhile purpose. I have two videos that have
appeared on YouTube featuring U.S. Rep. Fortney
"Pete" Stark, D-CA, showing him at some town hall
meetings the 13th Congressional District of California,
which he hails from. This arrogant, ivory tower-dwelling,
hyperelitist pig has been in Congress for over 30 years(!)
and God knows why; this jerk is the embodiment of the
term "out of touch" --- he's out of touch with the needs,
concerns, and wishes of his constituents, out of touch
with the economic and political realities that we as a
nation are grappling with, out of touch with reality itself!

The first of these videos show his grasp (HA!) of the
Constitution and its restrictions on what the federal
government can do. The second video shows Stark
proclaiming our country's borders to be "quite secure".
The third has him stating that "the more we owe, the
wealthier we are"(!!!!!!!!!!). Guess who flunked
Econ 101? And see Stark angrily lash out at his
constituents as they challenge his inane musings on
the burning issues of the day!

Prepare to be enraged like you have never been enraged
before:


"The Federal Government Can Do Most Anything In
This Country"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1-eBz8hyoE

"The Borders Are Quite Secure"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qVpMwqv7QM

"The More We Owe, The Wealthier We Are"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUpW6IM958M


This, my fellow patriots, is what we're up against.
This is why we have to get out and attend out Tea
Party rallies, our town meetings, and our political
conventions! This is why we have to work to educate
our fellow citizens as to what our elected representatives
are doing in office! This is why we have to find worthy
candidates for public office to challenge these poultroons
and oust them once and for all, and work to get them
elected! Stark is not unique, and he is not alone. We must
fire EVERY ONE OF THESE BUFFOONS if we
are to preserve our country and its freedoms, its
prosperity, its strength, and our very way of life!

I'll have more videos of these self-important nitwits
to share in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, do
not lose heart. We The People have the upper hand!
We have the momentum! And we shall prevail!


MEM