Thou Shalt not Tax

Evangelical conservatives are often criticized for being hypocritical whenever they oppose increasing taxes on the wealthy. Pundits are often quick to point out that many of these evangelicals are lower-middle class would not benefit from a more progressive tax system, and that they are probably being brainwashed by some conservative overlord. There is a perfectly rational explanation for this conundrum.

This wouldn't be the first time I reference PJ O'Rourke, but I believe that he made a very interesting observation about the tenth commandment.

“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.”

This commandment defines the conservative psyche. Conservatives are not opposed to giving. They are opposed to stealing. Jesus' call to charity involved giving your cloak and tunic, not in giving other people's cloak and tunic. 

Its fair to then ask whether or not the evangelical right lives up to the call to charity. A somewhat dated study done by a researcher at Syracuse University explored that very question. He found that while Liberals on average made 6% more than conservatives, conservatives donated 30% more to charity.

The fact is, the definition of a charitable society depends on which side of the political spectrum you are on. The right define a charitable society as one where individuals voluntarily give up large sums of money to help the less fortunate. The left define a charitable society as one where people are coerced into giving large sums of money to Uncle Sam who then arbitrarily distributes the money to the less fortunate in the way they see fit. This difference in definition explains why conservatives don't see themselves as greedy and liberals don't see themselves as thieves. 

eschew- Deliberately avoid using; abstain from

plenary- Complete in all respects; unlimited or full