May 27, 2020

Let's Force Everyone To Do The Right Thing!


I read a recent (May 21, 2020) Facebook post by a friend from my 1969-70 mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that
purportedly was written by Hollywood’s Ron Howard. After reading through Howard’s points on his personal style of liberalism, I found myself feeling that maybe I’m somewhat of a closet-liberal myself. I believe in helping the needy and unfortunate, too. I also agreed on several other points – kind of. But then I realized what was missing in his manifesto: God’s plan for His children.
There was a War in Heaven over how our earth experience was going to play out. There were two proposals fought over (probably a battle of words): Satan’s plan vs. Christ’s and God’s plan. Satan’s would force all people to obey God’s laws and thus make sure everyone would return to God. On the other hand, Christ’s plan would allow all of God’s children to retain their Free Agency to choose to obey God’s laws or disobey them. And, yes, there would be consequences, but all tied into Christ’s Atonement. If we are forced to follow God’s laws, then we learn nothing. If we learn to obey Gods laws by choice, then we will become more and more like our Father in Heaven and ultimately receive all that he has in store for us – which is Eternal Life, the kind of life that He lives.
Those who do things because they are forced to do so, though they might be good things, learn nothing and will not gain the attributes needed to become more like our Father in Heaven.
If you don’t believe in God, nothing I say will mean much of anything to you. But here are two absolute truths:  there is one true God; and all people who have lived, are living or will live on this earth approved of Christ and God’s plan of Free Agency, Atonement and redemption in that final vote in Heaven.
With this in mind, let’s see which side of the Plan of Salvation these following points fall under. I’ll make my comments, which will be shown in bold lavender type.

This pretty much sums up my beliefs of what being a liberal is. Leave it to Ron Howard to put it so succinctly.
Please read this, especially if your first inclination is not to read it.

Ron Howard
January 24 at 5:41 AM
I'm a liberal, but that doesn't mean what a lot of you apparently think it does. Let's break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Spoiler alert: not every liberal is the same, though the majority of liberals I know think along roughly these same lines:
1. I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilized when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. PERIOD.
But how do we go about taking care of them? (Well, we are civilized but not a utopian society. It’s obvious that children, the disabled, sick and elderly should be cared for. But opinions on how to do that differ. I oppose passing law after law after law or endless tax rules to bureaucratically try to be the caretaker of all! In addition. I think doing so reeks of Satan’s plan – forcing people to do what they should do themselves. Wouldn’t Christ want us to willingly lift up those in need? If we do this through our own choice, then we will learn compassion and all other attributes needed to become more like God – who has given us everything and was not forced to do so.)

2. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow that's interpreted as "I believe Obamacare is the end-all, be-all." This is not the case. I'm fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it's impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws, but I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes "let people die because they can't afford healthcare" a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I'm not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen. (Healthcare is not an inherent right but a benefit of a developed society. The price of healthcare obviously should be cheaper, but, again, man is given free agency – and many choose to make money off the suffering of others. If we, as citizens of this Republic, are forced to pay for the cost of healthcare for all, then we have again followed Satan’s plan to take away our free agency to willingly help others. Thus, we fail to learn to give of ourselves and fail to gain the attributes needed for our life in the eternities. The world is ripe for the Second Coming because of our wickedness, including not caring for the needy. In the eternities, the needy will no longer be in need but will inherit their blessings from our Heavenly Father.)

3. I believe education should be affordable. It doesn't necessarily have to be free (though it works in other countries so I'm mystified as to why it can't work in the US), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college saddled with five- or six-figure debt. (We need affordable education – even in elementary through high school. And parents should have the freedom of choice on where they enroll their children. As for college, the idea that taxpayers should be forced to pay the debts of graduates falls under Satan’s plan – taking away freedom of choice from taxpayers, who would be required to pay for those debts,  and students, who should experience the consequences of their college choices. And whatever happened to trade school training – even at the high school level? Too often students go to high-cost colleges for degrees that end up as useless pieces of paper. Plus, many fall for the anti-America indoctrination they encounter. Yes, it’s true that the cost of college education is way out of whack, again because of man’s greed – choosing to worship money and its power.)

4. I don't believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don't want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this. Ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can't afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating this. Somehow believing that makes me a communist. (This just reeks of Satan’s plan! The wealthy are not evil inherently, but if they choose to not help others as Christ would have them do, then they their souls will be cankered and they will fail to progress toward what the Lord would have them become. Americans have long suffered the abuse of greedy capitalists, Wall Street brokers, corrupt government leaders who have twisted the laws and business practices to benefit themselves and their allies. They have chosen their path, and the people suffer for it. The level of corruption and debauchery in America and throughout the world are signs of the Last Days. Soon the mighty will stand before the great and dreadful bar of judgement. And all will know then that each is responsible for his or her actions, and it won’t matter whether we were rich, middle class or poor in this life. If we will strive to learn from our experiences and try to do better each time we fall, then we will inherit His blessings. Let us praise the rich who truly reach out and help others as much as they can. I think Jon Huntsman was a good example of doing that. Actually, if we don’t believe in the afterlife or God’s plan, then most everything can seem senseless and unfair.)   

5. I don't throw around "I'm willing to pay higher taxes" lightly. If I'm suggesting something that involves paying more, well, it's because I'm fine with paying my share as long as it's actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare. (I agree on most of that, but for most Americans, paying more taxes isn’t really an option. So, maybe for those who have extra millions in the bank, I encourage them pay more to help others, even donate more to the IRS or find private non-profit groups who actually do help the poor. Or maybe round up all your rich friends and have them pool their extra money and pay the healthcare costs of as many poor as you can – or better yet, help the poor and needy get training or jobs to improve their lot so they can take care of themselves. Do these things voluntarily, and you’ll reap the eternal blessings of learning to give freely.)

6. I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multibillion-dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn't have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live. (This is a dilemma! If we raise the minimum wage, then many small businesses or franchises may not be able to afford to stay open – or they may have to automate or cut staff. Yes, God wants all businesspeople to be fair to their employees, but they have the choice to be fair or be greedy. They will receive their reward. If we force companies to be fair, then we are giving in to Satan’s plan, which is to force all people to be good – damning the Eternal Plan of Progression! Does forcing your children to make the right choices work? Does it help your kids in the long term? God’s perspective is the eternities – what will prepare his children for his kingdom and his lifestyle.)  
7. I am not anti-Christian. I have no desire to stop Christians from being Christians, to close churches, to ban the Bible, to forbid prayer in school, etc. (BTW, prayer in school is NOT illegal; *compulsory* prayer in school is - and should be - illegal). All I ask is that Christians recognize *my* right to live according to *my* beliefs. When I get pissed off that a politician is trying to legislate Scripture into law, I'm not "offended by Christianity" -- I'm offended that you're trying to force me to live by your religion's rules. You know how you get really upset at the thought of Muslims imposing Sharia law on you? That's how I feel about Christians trying to impose biblical law on me. Be a Christian. Do your thing. Just don't force it on me or mine. (A lot of truth in this. We shouldn’t force anyone to adhere to Christianity. However, America was created by Christians. The Constitution was inspired by God. And we have been historically a Christian nation. I think much of the Christian legislation being proposed is to counter the anti-Christian policies enacted by the misguided or non-believers. One issue that immediately comes to mind is abortion. If we don’t believe in God and that he oversees his heirs here on earth, then we have no reason to oppose abortion, since we obviously believe that man is no more than an animal that can discard its own. If there is no eternity, there is no consequence. But there is a God, and people are meant to become more like him. Too many now consider humans as no more than a highly intelligent animal. But that really is an insult to animals: Of all God’s creations, only humans have agency to choose to disobey God’s plan. Animals do as they were created to do. And some are here to torment man!) 

8. I don't believe LGBT people should have more rights than you. I just believe they should have the *same* rights as you. (Well, this is a messy situation! When LGBT people cried to have “equal rights” and they eventually got them, they soon felt empowered to then promote their lifestyle and even use methods to indoctrinate and recruit others, even children, to their way of life. As Christ would do, we need to love all of God’s children, but not accept their sins. If we are forced to accept the sin and that it really isn’t a sin, then we are being forced to go contrary to our beliefs in God and his vision for his children.)

9. I don't believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY DO (spoiler: undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they're supposed to be abusing, and if they're "stealing" your job it's because your employer is hiring illegally). I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (i.e., detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc). (Excuse me, but they are not just undocumented immigrants, they are people illegally forcing their way into our country because they want a better life. Nowadays, people from countries are encouraged by many to come to America and receive benefits as good or even better than what our own citizens receive. Being illegally in the states is supposed to make them ineligible for benefits – that is, unless governments give them the benefits anyway, which is happening in many states. Illegals have contributed heavily to our welfare rolls and the criminal system. So, let’s build the wall and then let those who enter legally contribute to the prosperity of the nation as one people, not divided. Yes, many business owners use illegals to pad their pockets, but again, they have the right to choose right from wrong – but they don’t have the power to escape the eternal consequences. As to another aspect on illegal immigration, I believe the Democrat Party is using them in their battle for power.)

10. I don't believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It's not that I want the government's hands in everything -- I just don't trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products/practices/etc. are actually SAFE. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course not. But with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they're harmed and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. Just kind of seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation. (The problem with regulations is that there are too many of them! Too restrictive! Too Draconian. Yes, we need some common-sense ones, but Satan would regulate every aspect of a person’s life. Bureaucrats, legislators, and other government officials who fall into the trap of over regulating become a part of Satan’s plan to force people to be good. Find the crime and punish, but don’t manufacture crimes and then punish the innocent.)

11. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I can’t get over an election, but because I've spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past. (Wow! Weird that you would compare Trump and his team to Nazis. I don’t see any evidence of this. In fact, I believe he’s the one who is fighting to reduce government’s power over the people. On the other hand, the Democrats want more taxes, more programs to throw at all the nation’s problems. But the problems were created under previous administrations – mostly Democratic administrations. On another point, you mention your reading prowess. Wow! That makes you an expert! Well, I have lived long enough to remember the days of Opie and the common-sense lessons from that show. I’ve been around more than 70 years, and I fail to see the Nazi comparison, and my father was a WWII veteran. But maybe you were actually talking about what the Democrats are trying to pull. But that is your opinion and mine. Enough said!)

12. I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege -- white, straight, male, economic, etc. -- need to start listening, even if you don't like what you're hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that's causing people to be marginalized. (I’m sorry, but I see a much different picture! And what is with that adjective – systematic! That is just hyperbole!  Over the past few decades, I have seen an amazing number of blacks enjoying the fruits of their labors – in all walks of life. Yes, we had big problems in the past, but the problems are not near as bad as they were. There are, however, a couple of factors that are still holding back many: the welfare laws and the disintegration of two-parent families in black communities. Obama was the hope of all, including me, that he would be a blessing to blacks and wipe out racism. But we found instead that Obama was accentuating the problem. He used blacks as a tool in his fight to “remake” America, which included trying to make whites and conservatives the villains of America. As Biden said recently, “You ain’t black if you vote for (a white, conservative) Trump!” Personally, I was extremely disappointed in Obama’s outright efforts to divide the country and remake it into what he and other leftists envision. His efforts were scary! But now Trump is in the Oval Office, and Obama’s plan is being thwarted – despite the Mainstream Media and Democrat Party intrigue. As to the subject of women in America: Huge strides have been made. Still, the media and the left use skewed statistics to claim that women of today are being paid less than men for the same level of work. And haven't you noticed the number of women in Trump’s administration? Oh, probably not, because they’re too conservative and thus they don’t count as feminists. Yes, Trump may have a lot of moral baggage, but he has been amazing in accomplishing much of what I personally hoped he would do. Talk about marginalizing people – the left is doing that to the white, straight males of America. What a joke! Remember, God loves all his children! No limit on which ones. And he wants us to love one another. And all his children have the freedom of choice – we love all, or we are racist. To be more like our Father in Heaven, we need to choose wisely and love all our neighbors.)

13. I am not interested in coming after your blessed guns, nor is anyone serving in government. What I am interested in is the enforcement of present laws and enacting new, common sense gun regulations. Got another opinion? Put it on your page, not mine. (Another hot adjective: blessed! Then you use the phrase: common-sense laws! Wow! Why don’t we talk about Biden’s No Gun Zones that have put targets on the backs of millions! This law takes away the rights of Americans to bear arms and allows crazies to stalk those same zones because they know the people are like ducks in a barrel. On the other hand, we find that many crimes have been thwarted or at least put to an end by those legally carrying. Would God want men to defend themselves and their families? Look to the example of the Nephites. Today, we have the right to bear arms because of the Bill of Rights. Does God want men to kill each other? No! But it is God who will hold the aggressor accountable.   

14. I believe in so-called political correctness. I prefer to think it’s social politeness. If I call you Chuck and you say you prefer to be called Charles I’ll call you Charles. It’s the polite thing to do. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate/less hurtful than the one you're using, you now know better. So why not do better? How does it hurt you to NOT hurt another person? (What you say here is politically correct! But taking it to the extreme can be an attack on our freedom of speech! Yes, be polite and kind in our conversations, but we should not freak out and be offended by every word that someone might say. Should I say anti-abortion, pro-life, pro-choice or pro-abortion? Who made up these rules? Who will be the final judge?)    

15. I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else. (Cool, you’re using the politically correct term for those windmills, solar panels, etc. But I’m not sold on their effectiveness nor on their independence from regular power sources – like the energy needed to create wind turbines and solar panels, which seem to need replacing more than is practical and also kill countless birds. Yes, we need to limit emissions, and our country has done a remarkable job in doing so. That’s not saying we can’t mobilize efforts to clean up and prevent pollution. But how about going after the countries that are creating the vast amount of pollution these days in the air and in the seas. Communist China is the leader in both air pollution and plastics pollution in our oceans.)

16. I believe that women should not be treated as a separate class of human. They should be paid the same as men who do the same work, should have the same rights as men and should be free from abuse. Why on earth shouldn’t they be? (That’s a no-brainer! A separate class of human? That’s weird. Are you saying that women are just women until they become feminists? I hope you’re not saying that! One might say that women are the best part of God’s creation. That’s why we revere them! We shouldn’t want them to be our equal, because they are already superior to us in so many ways. As my wise grandson emphasized: "One of the divine purposes of gender is that the union of a male and female can ultimately help complete and perfect each other. That without the other, neither is complete. So while each may have distinct characteristics, each should be complimentary to the other and not above the other.)

I think that about covers it. Bottom line is that I'm a liberal because I think we should take care of each other. (Yes, that is true! But it needs to be voluntary – and not coerced!) That doesn't mean you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbor can get all your money. It just means I don't believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved. (Remember, we live in a telestial world where people suffer, face horrible disabilities, heartache and much more. Yet, all people are free to choose to help others in need (the right) or just think of themselves (evil). That is why there is so much evil in the world – too many people just thinking of themselves. But the Lord will not force us back to him! He is trying to teach us what we need to learn to be a part of His Celestial Kingdom. Well, that is what was on my brain as I went through all these points from supposedly Ron Howard. I’m no expert, obviously, in expressing myself. And I’m still fighting to do as my Father in Heaven would have me do. I praise him for his plan, which includes the amazing principle of repentance. Without that, we would be lost forever}