Morals 'R Us Say Republican voters

In the Chattanooga Times Free Press Sunday's op-ed section, I found an interesting column by Leonard Pitts, under the heading "Where is the Christian left...", which was not Pitts' subject for his original column in the Miami Herald. Pitts titled his piece, "Where's the morality in Bush's policy?" In response to the citing of "moral values" as a determining factor in many voters' support of President Bush, Pitts opined:

Beg your pardon, but one is hard pressed to find much evidence of morality in Bush's ineptly prosecuted war, his erosion of civil rights, and the loss of international credibility that his policies have caused. Unless, of course, one has been quaking in one's boots at the prospect of same-sex couples making a commitment that straight couples have avoided like SARS.

Pitts goes on to question why the Democrats have effectively ceded Christianity as a political trademark to the Republicans. I think that is a good question. I suspect that many on the right would say that the "left" or "Demoncrats" pursue irrelgious policies and therefore are not entitled to wear their faith like battle armor.

A recurring theme in Pitts' column is Jesus' command to Peter, "Feed my sheep." In fairness, many of the religious right are concerned with helping "those less fortunate than ourselves," but not with tax money. Taxes are evil, voluntary charity is good. The question comes down to whether charity is adequate to the needs of a changing society in an increasingly brutal economic climate here and in the world at large.

Of course, not much tax money is needed to forbid same-sex marriage or require that textbooks soft-pedal evolution. I would like to see a conservative movement that was as concerned to conserve personal liberty, in areas other than gun control, as to conserve government tax revenues.