Self-reliance

"Self-reliance is a product of or work and under-girds all other welfare practices. It is a essential element in our spiritual as well as temporal well-being."
Thomas S. Monson

"No true Latter-day Saint, while physically or emotionally able, will voluntarily shift the burden of his own or his family's well-being to someone else."
Ensign, Nov. 1977, p 77

The ability to provide for oneself is vitally important in a healthy society. Not even elderly are to be placed upon society as a burden...

"The prime responsibility for supporting an aged parent rests upon [the] family, not upon society. ...The family which refuses to keep its own is not meeting its duty."
J. Reuben Clark, Jr.

In a healthy society there s no room t flee from responsibility. This helps o keep people healthy, working, loving, respectful, and in continual progress. Te ability to become self-reliant is the ability to control ones quality of life. Without this principle we fall into the welfare state. All of a sudden we become dependent on others to provide for our inability to take control of our lives. There are situations where people do need help but this does not mean that we should provide them with our pay checks, stealing from one person and giving the spoils to another is never the right answer. We must have a way to evaluate the situation and provide a way for the person to regain self-reliance as well as independence.

Health Care through government intervention

During the early 1970s, Congress embraced HMOs in order to address concerns about rising health care costs. But it was Congress itself that had caused health care costs to spiral by removing control over the health care dollar from so many consumers in the 1960s, and thus eliminating any incentive to pay attention to costs when selecting health care. Now, Congress wants to intervene yet again to address problems caused by HMOs, the product of still earlier interventions.
Ron Paul

Government intervention is a sin to society. It is the theme of satan in the economic world. Being free does not mean depending on government aid or intervention, it means having the freedom to succeed or fail. Government regulations hinder a people and bring them into bondage. Our slavery is coming from an inside source, not from a foreign enemy. As individuals and a free people we literally need to free ourselves from the chains of government aid and begin depending on our own merits for our lively hood. Our constitution puts a limit on government because that is exactly what our ancesters were fighting to get away from, a government that intervened with everything and controlled everyday life. I believe that they would be ashamed of the way we put what they fought so valiantly for under a bus just to find what sounds like a quick fix. Another wrong won't fix another.

The Goal of Socialism

The goal of socialism is communism.
-Vladimir Lenin-

Many times when people are left to provide for themselves they see the world as harsh, cruel, and ruthless. I am here to say that they are blinded by selfishness and the inability to take responsability for their own actions and choices. Each year our society has been taking a steady course to disaster. Socialism.

Socialism:
1) any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods.
2) a: a system of society or group living in which there is no private property. b: a system or condition of society in which the means of production are owned and controlled by the state.
3) a stage of society in marxist theory transitional between capitalism and communism and distinguished by unequal distribution of goods and pay according to work done.
-merriam-webster-

Through the propaganda of "progressive" partisans and other so called hard leftists we have seen a decline in morality, family values, patriotism, and freedom from goverment intervention as well. we have voted socialists into office and begun to sign away our rights as a people. personally I feel that it is the individuals responsability to care for themselves and family. when an individual becomes dependent on anotherfor their survival or well-being they willingly thighten a noose around their own neck. They lose their independence as well as identity. They are at the mercy of whoever supplies them with daily necessities. On the otherhand, the supplier becomes the controller and is able to set rules and restrictions on what the controlled is able to do. The more the dependent depends upon the supplier the more the supplier can control the everyday life of the dependent. In this way we are trading our freedoms for Health Care, WIC, and other socialist principles.

Feelings, Inclinations, and Behavior

The distinction between feelings or inclinations on the one hand, and behavior on the other hand, is very clear. It's no sin to have inclinations that if yielded to would produce behavior that would be a transgression. The sin is in yielding to temptation. Temptation is not unique. Even the Savior was tempted.

The line of sin is between the feelings and the behavior. The line of prudence is between the susceptibility and the feelings. We need to lay hold on the feelings and circumstance that leads to sinful behavior.
(Elder Oaks)


Many times our feelings can be used to tempt us, or incline us, to enter a path of destruction. That is why the Lord has advised us to weigh things out in our minds and pray to know that our actions are right in His eyes. Once we begin to dwell on certain thoughts and feelings they ultimately become our actions and take over our behavioral patters. Our behavior, actions, are the make or break point for sins and transgressions. Once an action has taken place on a harmful feeling or inclination we the actor have acquired our own sins by giving in to what was simply a temptation.

Bottom Line:

Inclinations, Feelings, Desires, Thoughts, all can and most likely will be used to the advantage of the adversary for tempting us.

Actions, or the product of our behavioral patterns, is what decides if we are sinning. Acting on or re-acting to tempting feelings leads to sin.

Helpful References: 2 Nephi 2:16, 2 Nephi 10:23, Alma 12:31, and D&C 43:8. These are just a few for starters.

Media

Research reveals that the more Americans watch Hollywood's television fare, the more likely they will hold "permissive attitudes toward abortion and sexuality," and the more they will think their problems are "someone else's responsibility."

(Robert Knight, the director of the Culture and Media Institute)



In today's society it is becoming vitally important for us to monitor what we allow in our homes as well as what we believe. Whether it be the politically biast CNN or the over opinionated New York Times. We should take the time to search out the facts on events so that we are able to make a conscious decision on our political standings. Don't be bias, just search for the truth and make a just decision.