A GiN Toast goes to the Clinic With A Heart featured in the September 7 edition of the Lincoln Journal Star. The seven year old project shows how private citizens, churches, and businesses working together can provide for the needy within their community – without government support.
We applaud the very hard work over the years from those who have built the free clinic from a handful of people to a growing list of volunteers, better facilities, and constant innovation to meet the challenge.
In recent months, we’ve published two articles on the subject of charity: Charity By Any Other Name Does Not Smell As Sweet and Charity…Entitlements: Do Names Matter?
Among the points touched upon in these articles, the author, Linda, discusses how society has changed over time. Unfortunately, we have moved away from our original principles regarding the private provision of charity, resulting in an ever increasing number people dependent upon government. Our system, which is based on self-government, requires personal responsibility. When individuals are in need, the many structures of a civil society including, family, friends, neighbors, churches, businesses, and local organizations can step into help. Once upon time in our country, this was the norm, and there were fewer people requiring assistance on an ongoing basis.
Considering the unsustainable size of government and, most especially, the cost of the welfare programs which currently comprise the lion’s share of the federal budget, tipping the scales at well beyond 50% of annual expenditures, we must restore the civil society and a reliance upon its institutions to provide for those in need.
The Clinic With A Heart provides one example of how it is not a “pie in the sky” idea. We at GiN raise our glasses, proposing a toast to all involved.
You must be logged in to post a comment.