Right? Left? or Down the Middle

I am a victim of the political press. There are so few articles written by non-biased writers when it comes to politics. I think the average person has got to realize that both sides have a legitimate POV at times and are dead wrong at other times. The Left has got to understand that despite the great needs of the poor and the needy whom they pretend to support, the limit to government spending and taxation should take priority, and that spending cuts must be considered, and that government is not the only way to solve the world's problems. The Right, on the other hand, must acknowledge the abundance of poverty and misery that exists and has to be addressed. As the Savior said, "The poor you will have always."

Denise and I spent a year and a half doing missionary work along the Texas-Mexican border. We were based in Harlingen, Texas. We ran a very small employment agency out of the stake center and were responsible to people from Port Isabel to Donna. We saw it all. What limited training we received prior to our mission helped us understand two things: Welfare has two sides -- one is that we are indeed responsible to help those in need where we can, but also each person has a responsibility to become self reliant and self-sustaining when they are capable of doing so. We learned that to teach a person to fish was much more valuable than just handing them a cooked fish. True, there are times when those who are down just need a fish to get them through the day. That is what the Bishops storehouse was for. But that is to be a very temporary means to giving them a boost when needed, but in the meantime, there must be a specific expectation that they would be on the lookout for self improvement -- for looking to see what resources are available to them to get them on their feet and reaching upward. It is easier to help a person who is striving to climb a mountain than to lift a limp, lifeless body up the same mountain.