Big Government

With the passage and signing of the Health Care Reform Act the idea of "states rights", and the doctrine of federalism are basically dead. The Founding Fathers and the vast majority of people in this country at that time were adamantly opposed to a strong central government. They had seen the abuses of people by monarchies in Europe and wanted no part of it in their republic. The main idea of the "establishment" clause in the first amendment is to prevent the Federal government from dictating religious preferences to the states. If the Federal government can dictate your health care, and whether you carry insurance, are there any limits to its power anymore?

Read the words of a George Washington University law professor in USA Today:

"With this legislation, Congress has effectively defined an uninsured 18-year-old man in Richmond as an interstate problem like a polluting factory. It is an assertion of federal power that is inherently at odds with the original vision of the Framers. If a citizen who fails to get health insurance is an interstate problem, it is difficult to see the limiting principle as Congress seeks to impose other requirements on citizens. The ultimate question may not be how Congress can prevail, but how much of states' rights would be left if it prevailed.

There's an old saying -  Government big enough to give us anything we want is a Government big enough to take everything we have.

It's time that we, as Americans, decide to serve a sovereign God, not a sovereign government. Otherwise we will soon find ourselves in the same condition that the people who built this nation were escaping when they came here. 

Tower of Babble

Lost in all the analysis and political babble coming from Washington over the passage of the Health Care Reform Act are two simple facts - it is unconstitutional and it is un-biblical. The Constitution defines and limits the role of the Federal government to impose its will on the states. Just as the 1st amendment denies the Federal government the power to impose a religion, or restrict a religion, so the 10th amendment denies the Federal government any power not granted in the Constitution. The imposition of federally-mandated health care violates that restriction and will be challenged by several states, including Florida.

The reason the Founding Fathers sought to restrict Federal government is that they understood that God is sovereign, not government. Listen to the words of Benjamin Franklin at the Constitutional convention:

"If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice (Matt 10:29), is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it' (Ps 127:1). I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel (Gen 11).

The builders of the tower of Babel wanted to "make a name for themselves" and build a world without recognizing God. God confused their language and scattered them. America is on the same path, seeking to build a government that is sovereign in every area of life from cradle to grave. By turning our back on the Constitution we have also turned our back on the concept of a sovereign God and replaced it with a sovereign government. We have no reason to expect that God will judge us any differently than the builders of Babel. 

Democracy Inaction

One of the basic tenets of a democratic society is the individual's right to vote, and the importance of that vote in the political process. Now we must confront the fact that in Gainesville, and in our Congress, people just don't want to vote. What does it tell you about the courage of our legislators in Congress when they seek to impose an unpopular and potentially disastrous health care plan on America without voting on it? What does it tell you about the apathy of voters in Gainesville when fewer than 15% go to the polls on a beautiful spring day to vote for a new mayor, the highest elected office in the city? 

Compare this to the more than 60% of Iraqis who braved suicide bombers, death threats, and sporadic gunfire to vote in their national election last week. Maybe if Americans had to live in Iraq for a while they'd take more interest in their democracy and appreciate their freedom. Ultimately we will get the government we deserve. The current situation in Washington looks like our just reward.

On the local scene the good news is that Don Marsh is in the mayoral runoff. Conventional political wisdom is that anyone who didn't vote for Craig Lowe should vote for Marsh in the runoff. Hopefully that will happen, but the turnout for the runoff will be even smaller and small turnouts lead to skewed results. 

The larger issue for Gainesville is the cost, both politically and financially, of having city elections in the spring, separate from other elections. I think we can safely say that the argument that city elections will get lost on the state/national election ballot is trumped by the fact that city elections are being ignored anyway - at great expense to city government. Unless, of course, you don't really want to know what the majority of city residents think. 

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."    Edmund Burke

Local Politics

Former House Speaker Tip O'Neil once said "all politics are local politics".  The truth of this saying is recognition of the fact that everything our government does affects us, whether we realize it or not. The Florida Legislature is in session and Gainesville city elections are coming March 16. Our Congress seems bent on passing a health care bill that most American's don't want. There's plenty for Christians to be concerned about. Not that we should believe that government will solve all the world's problems - only Jesus Christ can do that. What we do want is a government that will keep the peace and provide an environment where the gospel can be advanced. We don't want government that passes laws that contradict our beliefs and promote sinful behavior. 

Charles Van Zant, a former member of Westside, is now a state representative from Keystone Heights. He is planning to introduce legislation that will severely restrict the availability of abortion in Florida. This is a clear example of an attempt to correct a law that violates our Christian beliefs, and he deserves our support. His website is - www.charlesvanzant.com.   Go there, offer your encouragement to him, and see what you can do to support this cause.

Gainesville's city elections are just around the corner and the office of mayor is on the ballot, along with the District 4 commission seat. If politics as usual prevails, 2 term commissioner Craig Lowe will be elected mayor. He was the driving force behind the Gender Identity Ordinance in 2009, which protects those with an "inner sense" of being a different gender, by allowing them to use whichever public restroom they feel more comfortable in. 

If you are a Gainesville voter who would like to see a change in city leadership please attend a Candidate Forum at Parkview Baptist Church on Sunday, March 7 at 5pm.  Parkview is located at 3403 NW 13th St.  See and hear the candidates for yourself.

Don Marsh, candidate for mayor: www.donaldmarsh.com,  and Mason Alley in District 4:  www.masonalley.com,  have been recommended by Gainesville Watchman as professing Christians who are pro-business and socially conservative. Gainesville Watchman is a conservative Christian group that emerged in the aftermath of the attempt to overturn the Gender Identity Ordinance. Gainesville's reputation as an ultra-liberal city is based on historically low voter turnout during the spring election cycle, which allows the commission to remain in the grip of a minority of voters. If we, as Christians, don't get out and vote in support of good candidates, we have only ourselves to blame for the consequences.