Obama and Americans Generosity

In the DC Examiner,Jay Ambrose writes

Obama flat wrong on Americans’ generosity

Barack Obama, in a discussion with evangelist Rick Warren about his Christian faith, said he had been guilty of a “fundamental selfishness” that had contributed to regrettable youthful behavior.

Then he confessed for the rest of us.

“Americans’ greatest moral failure in my lifetime,” he said, “has been that we still don’t abide by that basic precept in Matthew that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.”

Sorry, but he can hang that one up. Whatever the case is with his own selfishness, the evidence of an internationally superior American generosity is impressive, beginning with the numbers on our charitable giving. We give twice as much as the British per capita, and according to The American magazine, seven times as much as the Germans and 14 times as much as the Italians.

Shortly after accusing Americans of lacking generosity for their brothers (quoting St. Matthew)

Whatever you did for the least of My brothers and sisters, you did for Me.

Matthew 25:40

...it was revealed in Vanity Fair that at least one of Obama’s brothers lives in abject poverty in Kenya.

This raises questions on so many levels.

Is it an obligation of a brother to alleviate the poverty and misery of his sibling? How about if one brother is a multi-millionaire and the other is living on a dollar a day?

Is it appropriate for someone to lecture others on lack of generosity in these words?

“I think America’s greatest moral failure in my lifetime has been that we still don’t abide by that basic [p]recept in Matthew that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me. And notion of — that basic principle applies to poverty.

...and allow his own brother to live in a cardboard hut?

I don’t believe that Barack Obama thinks that helping others is an individual responsibility. I believe that he – along with most Liberals - believes that helping others is a corporate or secondary activity. By that I mean that the help that the Left is focused on is actually delivered by government agencies or other organizations. It is focused on harnessing the efforts of masses of people rather than working as individuals helping “…the least of these.”

Even the leaders of the mainline churches are focused on lobbying for government programs rather than motivating individuals to help those directly in front of them. That may be done on the local level, and in local churches and civic leagues, but the heads of these groups have their eyes fixed on Washington and their lust is for tax dollars.

The thought of sending his brother $100 a month never even crossed his mind, or if it did, St. Matthew did not inspire Obama to act. A government program to send money to Kenya, maybe. Helping his brother personally, no way.