You're right, it wasn't Jesus, it was His apostle to the gentiles Paul.

Nonetheless, I can certainly make the case scripturally(if need be), that Paul was speaking in Jesus' behalf. You might recall a little chat they had on the road to Damascus, for beginners.

And the scripture saith: For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.

Hope you can forgive me. But as one of Jesus' names is the Word of God and all scripture is given by inspiration of God, I think of it all as coming from Jesus, particularly in the new testament.

Grn Mtn

PS I don't think any honest researcher would have any trouble making the case that the scripture supports(even expects) free enterprise. Bartering is a form of capitalism afterall.

PSS BTW, I notice you didn't speak to the question about why all this money 'has not' eradicated poverty and we have 3rd and 4th generationers. I should add that I view it as fraud against the American taxpayer that the government supports and thus rewards single motherhood.

My point about the Indian cultures is isn't that the Darwinian Way - shouldn't the weak be left behind? Shouldn't stupidity suffer &/or die? Survival of the fittest and all that rot! Isn't that the official religion of this country? That's what's taught in the schools after all...why all this compassion if we're all just beasts.

And Ed, there's plenty of fraud in the system beside the system itself being a fraud against the American taxpayer. Any honest observer at street level knows that the entitlement programs encourage people to lie, bend the truth, feign ailments, act more pitiful than they are, get perscriptions they don't need but can sell, abuse food shelves, be irresponsible by having babies they don't want with various men they won't marry, etc. And they are rewarded. Hopefully all your folks are legit. I have no problem with helping the deserving but in my experience the bar is set much too low. In fact I've known many divorced women who were trying to make their own way and just wanted a little help, food money in most cases, and were told to sell their reliable car and just go on the dole full time because otherwise they were only going to be allowed such a nominal amount of food stamps that is wasn't any help. These social workers interest wasn't in helping, their interest was new clients. And I know they have their yadi yada guidelines. But the guidelines are designed to develop clients dependent upon the state. Whether there is an evil conspiracy or not I don't care. What I care about is the monetary encouragement of single parent children. I have known men who have a number of these women on the dole, just like a pimp, and get money from all of them, impregnate all of them, find new young things and do it all over again.

Apparently you're not that type of social worker, but this stuff isn't isolated at street level. Funding and administration should be returned to the community, where they know who the deadbeats are.

And Reg, the Great Society, wasn't/is not, a good Fed program.