January 5, 2008

Huckabee on the Spirit of Giving

An incredible article from CBS News' reporter Joy Lin:

LONDONDERRY, N.H. -– Mike Huckabee and and actor Chuck Norris stopped by a fund-raiser for a charity delivers supplies to troops overseas.

“The greatest thing about this country has always been the extraordinary things ordinary people do for their neighbors,” said Huckabee.

Highlighting the challenges of hunger and poverty, Huckabee said the “best way” to tackle these issues would be “to take care of it at the family level, the neighborhood level, the church level, and if we did that, we wouldn’t need the government getting involved in those things.”

Huckabee celebrated the patriotic spirit of charity, volunteerism, sacrifice, and military service in his short speech. He wore what looked like the same red sweater he wore in his Christmas ad.

Instead of emphasizing his anti-abortion rights and pro-marriage views, Huckabee alluded to his faith when mentioning the church’s role in charitable giving. Huckabee donated a box of soccer balls for children in Iraq.

“Let’s remember, every time the government gives something to us, they first have to take something from us.” Continuing, he said, “I would love to see a day ... when we did such an incredible job with taking care of the needs of our neighbors, that we can tell the government, thanks, no thanks, your handling challenges are way to inefficient to ever trust you with charity.”

“I dream of the day when we are doing such an efficient and effective job taking care of our families and our families and neighbors that the government can do what it does best and that’s protect us, not have to provide for us.”

On the topic of sacrifice, Huckabee talked about the service of veterans and revisited the lackluster homecoming Vietnam War vets received.

“It’s never too late to say thanks, said Huckabee and, with Norris, unrolled a “Welcome Home” banner for Vietnam War veterans Steve Costa and Chuck Mitchell. Norris lost a brother in Vietnam.

Costa said he felt “very happy, emotional, tears” to be recognized for the “forty years we never had.” He served in Vietnam from 1970 to 1971.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Right on! Widows and orphans, the blind and the lame should be set out with a bowl to beg by the city gates!!

Anonymous said...

And people who don't actually read an article shouldn't comment on it.

Anonymous said...

I did read it. In a nutshell: Economically productive people are great. Despite the fact that they could not be economically productive unless government provided them with roads and currency, and despite the fact that were it not for government they would find that only 1 out of 100 of their employees was literate, and they'd have to be constantly worried about the Canadian army invading and plundering all their goods, these productive people should be allowed to keep 100% of what they accumulate, to redistribute as they see fit.

Economically unproductive are also great, just not so much. If you are a widow with small children, you should humbly submit yourself to your older brother or your pastor and ask them to take pity on you. And if you happen to be an only child and the the only Jew in a small southern town - well, a little conversion never hurt anyone, did it?

Anonymous said...

Charity - it worked for the Huckabees when they found that their (brand new) cupboards were bare:
http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2006/11/11/News/338445.html