Better Late Than Never

Written by Gary Bauer

President Barack Obama participated in a panel discussion Wednesday at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., discussing ways Catholic and evangelical groups can work together to address poverty.

Knowing his audience, Obama began by commenting on the “stereotype of folks on the left who just want to pour more money into social programs and don’t care about culture or parenting or family structures.”

Mr. Obama acknowledged that he “grew up without a father and I know the cost that I paid for that. And I also know that I have the capacity to break that cycle, and as a consequence, I think my daughters are better off.”

He also said that he wanted to give young black men “some sense that they can have an impact on their immediate circumstances, and the joys of fatherhood.”

While I appreciate the president’s remarks about the importance of family, I can’t help but wonder where has he been for the past six years. He has had numerous opportunities during his time in office to speak up. For the most part, he has regrettably missed them.

Despite this nod to value of family, Obama’s left-wing instincts were also on full display. Obama chastised those who have “more than you’ll ever be able to use” and suggesting that government should take it from them.

He seemingly attacked people who send their kids to private schools — even though he and Michelle send their daughters to one of the most elite private schools in Washington.

He implied that those who were successful were simply “luckier” and “society’s lottery winners.”

In short, it didn’t take Obama long to start preaching from the Gospel of Social Justice — that somehow the government should determine what is fair and take money by force of law and redistribute it to others.

We’ve tried that for decades, and it is clearly not working very well. It is also a perversion of the Gospel message. Charity is a personal obligation. Nothing in the scriptures calls on government to take from some people and give it to others. That is socialism, not Christianity.

This article was first published on the American Values website.