Is it Government's duty to take care of the poor?

The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch runs a regular feature in its newspaper identifying an important issue to the local community and asking the vote of the readers on that issue along with comments. Occasionally I will respond and comment on the issue raised, as I did to yesterday’s topic.

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The Hot Issue:

Does the United States have an obligation to help the poor in other countries?

____ Yes
_ X _ No

My Response:

The following is an expanded version of my response to the question above.

No. Meeting the needs of the impoverished here and abroad is not one of the primary responsibilities, duties, or obligations of the government. That is not to say we as individuals are not responsible. We are. As Christians in a Christian nation we are to help those in need, domestically and internationally. Individuals, churches, and non-governmental organizations bear the brunt of this responsibility. We are to give freely and without coercion. The main responsibility of the government is to protect its citizens.

The current administration in Washington wants to cut back on national security and defense and does virtually nothing to secure our borders. Instead it meddles in areas it doesn’t belong: education, healthcare, welfare, etc.