Conservative, that's me

I think I have come to realize the difference between conservatives and liberals.

Conservatives think they should keep their money and give it to others as they see fit.

Liberals think they should give their money to the government to use it as the government sees fit.

That's actually a pretty simple distillation of the differences, but I also think an accurate portrayal.

Earlier this week, I received a letter that encapsulated why I will continue to be a conservative. It came from Uganda. Land of the slaughtered, mutilated, and AIDS-ridden.

The little boy who sent the letter lives with his parents and four brothers. He attends "grade three" at a local school. He goes to church on Saturdays for "prayers".

And he signed the letter "Love from your child. Joel Tembo" See, we adopted Joel and two other boys from Africa via WorldVision. Joel is the first to send correspondence.

It is my sincere hope that the political and social climate in Africa will allow us to take the boys on a whirlwind trip to meet Joel, Tseliso (from the country of Lesotho), and Dereje (from the country of Ethiopia).

Adopting these boys and sending money to their community is life-changing, both for our family and for the communities in Africa. If we are able to take that trip, we'll see where our money has made a difference. But, if we never take that trip, I'll still KNOW we did something to be happy about and be glad we were able to help these three boys.

About the only way I would consider giving the government anymore than what I owe them is if they can somehow create the magic that happens when you do something personal for someone. Even if that person never knows who you are, at least you know you've affected their eternity. And once you make that connection, you want to give more.

So far, I haven't seen the same effect come from the government "giving" to people. I do, however, hear a lot of complaining about who has what and what they "deserve".

And in fairness to those complaining, it is really hard to be grateful when you receive from a faceless, non-emotional, "what's your number?" bureaucracy.

I consider it a personal privilege to give. I am grateful I'm allowed to seek out worthy charities and give as I see fit. I want to go above and beyond the "normal" person and help as much as I can. I wish more people would do the same. Because there really IS joy in giving; but you have to put yourself out there to know that.

I just didn't want to save General Motors. And that doesn't make me evil, because, on the flip side, I would have been happy to personally help the PEOPLE of General Motors, should they have asked for assistance.

So, there is the difference, in my eyes. I can either let the government continue to do the job I believe I was called to do or I can do the heavy lifting.

Now, if Washington continues down the path of centralizing every part of life as we know it, then I'll still give. But, my guess is, that I'm unusual. Most people will throw up their hands and let Pennsylvania Ave. do the work. After all, if they are paying higher taxes for those less fortunate, they'll have less to give. And, they will likely receive fewer tax breaks for doing so. And, most importantly, they'll forget what their job is here.

So, I'll continue on, sincerely hoping that some sense will come out of legislation in the next few months.

If it doesn't, I'll just fight harder and louder.

If there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I'm good at that.