[Choo-ChooAKA]

Ditto Pirepresent (and welcome) in most respects. I do believe that churches should give as much as they can to their communities and communities that need it. This doesn't exempt the government, however, from finding ways to help its citizens. When I look at how much money is so quickly flowing into the pockets of Dubya's very wealthy friends who are so heavily "invested" in the reconstruction of Iraq, it makes me very uneasy to hear him say that the burden of helping the people in our own country rests on the backs of our churches. Yes, the churches should do more, but his government's priorities (in helping his own friends to mo' gov't money while cutting programs and incentives that will help the poor and working poor in our country) are reprehensible.

I don't agree with LovelyIvy that we can all help ourselves to a piece of the American pie. The system is not supposed to work that way and it doesn't. If there weren't people whose slice was cut and put onto some fat f**ker's wealthy plate, our economy would not work. We do not all have an equal right to a dang thing. Therefore, yes, the poor in this country need HELP - from the gov't and whomever else can do it.

Our country, with its many churches but lack of true spirituality and its high value on avariscious behavior, breeds criminality, mental illness and dysfunction. People end up needing far more help than churches can give.

Additionally, we are giving enough $$$ to the government already. How can we give more to the church when we are already being heavily taxed so that our money can be funnelled into the pockets of Dubya's wealthy friends and the military? There is no reason that the government cannot continue to support its social programs, and re-institute those it has cut in the past 3 years, in America without raising our taxes; it's all a matter of priorities and ethics.