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ObamaCare and the Christian work ethic

By Scott Tibbs, February 19, 2014

With a new study that shows ObamaCare will discourage people from working, ObamaCare apologists are spinning this mess as a good thing because it will give people "freedom" to choose whether or not to work.

That's right. We actually have people seriously arguing it is a good thing that people are getting employment benefits without actually being employed. Instead of health insurance being provided by employers in exchange for labor, we will have the government provide what used to be an employment benefit so people do not have to work.

How far we have fallen in less than twenty years, when there was bipartisan agreement that there should be work requirements attached to government benefits. We have always been told that welfare is a hand up, not a hand out - a way to help people get on their feet as they go through a difficult time. Yes, there were some people who abused the system to live off the largesse of the state, but the purpose was to provide a bridge to help people become self-sufficient. That is no longer the case, apparently.

Does anyone doubt that this was intentional, from the beginning? Does anyone doubt that the purpose of ObamaCare was as a political tool to get more and more people on government benefits, thus empowering Democrats and helping them win elections? Once a benefit is in place, it is basically impossible to reverse it. No one seeking the Presidency would dare suggest dismantling Medicare or Social Security, and now we have extended this benefit far beyond seniors to the general population.

We should never encourage people to stop pulling the wagon and jump in to ride instead, as a means of "liberating" them from working. That is the kind of policy that expands government, diminishes real liberty, and crushes the human spirit by making people dependent on the good will of others to survive. If we are going to do this with health benefits, why not propose giving people a government salary for not working?

This is shameful. Obama, who claims to be a Christian, should refresh himself on what Holy Scripture has to say about this in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 - "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."