“What would Jesus do this weekend? Or Moses. Or Allah. Or anyone else,” the New York congressman said at a press conference on Capitol Hill. “I don’t want this book (debt negotiations) closed without the clergy having an opportunity to forcefully express themselves as well as I know they can do.”

– Congressman Charlie Rangel.

It seems that Charlie Rangel has found a new friend. Someone he apparently hasn’t spent much time with lately. (At least that’s how I interpret his ethical standards). He perhaps thinks he can mobilize an army of clergymen to descend on Capitol Hill and force the productive population of America into further tax slavery to the free stuff army that predictably turns out to vote Democrat for the goodies.

Rangel said he was stumped as to why Washington wouldn’t be “besieged by spiritual leaders saying ‘do what you have to do – but not to the homeless, the jobless and the helpless. Not to the sick. And certainly not to the aging that are sick or those depending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. I have not heard from those people who have been called by God to protect the poor. I haven’t heard them,” he said. “The issues that are going to be discussed this weekend involve spiritual, moral issues.” And Rangel’s plea to the poor and helpless? Call your religious leaders and ask, “what is Medicare all about? What is Medicaid all about? Why do we have taxes?’”

Now these are all quite fascinating questions. I’d like to know why we pay taxes when Congressman Rangel typically doesn’t. But to get back to Jesus; before he gets successfully kidnapped by this amoral bum on the taxpayer plush. I think we can reference an interesting piece of scripture called The Parable of The Talents.

One servant receives five talents, the second two talents, and the third one talent, according to their respective abilities. Returning after a long absence, the master asks his servants for an accounting. The first two servants explain that they have each put their money to work and doubled the value of the property they were entrusted with, and so they are each rewarded. The third servant, however, has merely hidden his talent in a hole in the ground, and is punished for being lazy:

But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed….‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

(Matthew 25:26, 29-30)

So like the lazy servant in The Good Lord’s parable, Congressman Charlie Rangel has spent the better part of several decades flensing the wealth of the American taxpayer. He has then used that wealth to hand out bread and circuses and buy himself reelection. Now the money has run out and patience of the bread makers and circus performers has ebbed away to just about nothing. He has the unmitigated gall to wonder what Jesus would do. He’s fortunate that Jesus has vastly greater wealth in patience with immoral charlatans than do I.