The Moral Issue of Government Waste

Jill Stanek takes issue with Senator Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) statement in the Hill:

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) said Congress’s deficit spending has become a moral issue surpassing abortion because it saddles future generations with massive debt before they’re born.

“The greatest moral issue of our time isn’t abortion, it’s robbing our next generation of opportunity,” Coburn told reporters at a breakfast meeting Thursday at the National Press Club. “You’re going to save a child from being aborted so they can be born into a debtor’s prison?”

Now obviously, I would disagree with Senator Coburn because if one doesn’t have life, not much else matters. As Jill Stanek points out, Coburn is still a pro-life stalwart, regardless, so it’s not as if he’s advocating a pro-abortion stance.

That said, what I would say (and what fiscal conservatives would be well-advised to say in order to avoid a battle of which is worst) is that fiscal irresponsibility is a moral issue. Ultimately, when large deficits are present, taxes are high,  and pork barrel spending are present, I believe these are all issues of a great moral magnitude. If you don’t believe me, believe the Bible.

The Bible contains many warnings of this. When it comes to earmarks that are given as no-bid awards to favored supporters, they follow the examples of the princes of Judah who Isaiah described as “rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards” (Isa. 1:23) and the Lord told Ezekiel that their princes were like ravenous wolves.(Ezekiel 22:27) Thus, we can say of our leaders today.

Being in large amounts of debt is a curse (Deut. 28:44) and thus our leaders through their actions have been a curse and a blight on us. High taxes are oppressive and we have seen our tax rate explode in recent years (and the Bible decries oppression.) If the Lord God Almighty only asks 10% of our income it seems unbearable robbery for government to consume 15, 25, 36% of it (plus payroll taxes.) They’ve established a tax system based on envy and theft. That’s not moral, nor is it in alignment with the God revealed in scripture.

So, indeed government waste is a moral issue, just not the only or pimary one.