In Romneyworld, what is the difference between government assistance and charitable assistance?

[Purrfessor]

Romney says that 47% of Americans, "moochers" as they have been called, depend on the government for their existence. Rather than having the government assist the 47%, he and other Republicans prefer that churches and neighbors and other charitable organizations provide for these "moochers," and that somehow it is not only okay but somehow honorable to donate money to this cause. In Romney's view, then, it appears that if the 47% receive assistance through charity they are no longer "moochers" but people in need who should be cared for.

This is like saying a drug addict is a pox on society if he gets his drugs from the government, but simply a person with a disease if he gets his drugs from a charitable drug dealer.

If Romney truly believes 47% of Americans are lazy and irresponsible, he should insist that they be denied all forms of assistance because they would then be forced to find a job (enabling is enabling regardless of where it originates).

[lolly]

1. I'll bite--here's the difference

In a nutshell: when you get help from a charity, that charity gets to dictate the conditions under which you get help.

Mormons help those who are worthy--primarily other Mormons.

Other Christian groups might require you to attend church services or attest to a faith in Jesus.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. There is a foundation in my town, set up by a lumber baron of the early 1900's,

that is dedicated to helping the "worthy poor."

I always wondered how they decided which of the poor were "worthy."

And of course it's one of those foundations that has a lot of trouble figuring out how to dispense its measly few thou every year.

[RevStPatrick]

3. Also... according to my Libertarian friends...

Taxes are coercion, money forced from you at the point of a gun.
Charity is money freely given.

Therefore, if your tax money goes to something you adamantly do not support, it was forced from you at gunpoint, and you had no choice. Whereas you can freely choose what charities to give to.

I think there's something to that argument.
For example, I am very offended by the trillions of dollars that the military has spent, much of it wasted, since I started paying taxes 30 years ago.

Of course, that's not the example most people who make that argument use...