Terminator's Cuts...

Gov.'s Cuts to Hit Poor, Universities. So says the article in the L.A. Times. A draft of Gov. Arnold's (I can never remember how to spell Schwarzenegger) was obtained by the Times. The article states, "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected today to propose $3.8 billion in budget cuts over the next 19 months, including reductions in services to the poor and disabled, as well as in higher education programs. The cuts, intended to help close a budget shortfall of at least $17 billion through mid-2005, would end art therapy for the developmentally disabled, scale back food stamp eligibility, reduce fees to doctors who treat Medi-Cal patients and eliminate recruitment programs at public universities." Budget tightening is never easy, is it? What's interesting is how Arnold is portrayed by radical Democrats. ""This is not a centrist, bipartisan view of the world," said Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg (D-Los Angeles). "This is a radical right view of the world. And if Gov. Schwarzenegger wants to position himself in the direction of saying he wants bipartisanship, this is not a step in that direction."" Radical Right? Is this the same Schwarzenegger who is criticized by conservative Republicans as being too liberal? Such a confusing world we live in. The cuts to programs for poor and the developmentally disabled drew some of the biggest criticisms. That there are needy human beings in our midst is obvious. Yet, as Christians, shouldn't we be aware of a lesson here regarding the Biblical Worldview of the role of government in society? Is it really the government's responsibility to care for the poor and needy? What are our responsibilities, if any, as Christians? It really doesn't take much digging into the New Testament to find out the answer to that one. For one tangible example of Christian expression of love, I direct you to the Friendship Ministries program at the Orange County Worship Center.