We paid back to the IRS the "stimulus" money we received in 2008 and 2009.

Please comment on each of the topics below.

The function of government is to govern, not to provide wealth.

Government does not create wealth and prosperity, it absorbs it.

Redistribution of wealth

Government-enforced redistribution of wealth is wrong. It is wrong to take what someone has legally obtained and give it to another. Voluntary redistribution of wealth is great. If I choose to give my money away to others, that’s wonderful, but the government should have no place taking my money and giving it to others.

In fact, when the government takes our money, it deprives us of the opportunity to voluntarily give. Government-enforced redistribution of wealth is an enemy of selflessness and brotherly love.

What's more, it's bad in a practical sense. We can donate to organizations that we know with certainty will use our money well to help others through causes in which we believe. If the government takes our money, however, the money gets filtered through a deplorably inefficient system and ends up going not only to those in true need, but also to organizations and causes to which we are opposed, and to those who are genuinely lazy and who feel entitled to the wealth of others.

The rich are not evil

Some people despise the rich. In their jealousy, they call the rich evil. However, rich people are not more good or bad than anyone else just because they have money. A certain passage of scripture is often misquoted as, "Money is the root of all evil." The original quote, from 1 Timothy 6:10, states, "For the love of money is the root of all evil". Rich people are essentially just like everyone else. Some hoard what they have and use it selfishly, and some use what they have to benefit others (consider the Eccles family in Utah, Jon M. Huntsman, or Bill Gates). Earning money can greatly increase our ability to do good in the world, if that's what we're trying to do.

A lack of faith and trust in God and His plan

Government-enforced redistribution of wealth neglects the role of God and demonstrates a lack of faith in Him. God’s final judgment will take care of everyone. He doesn’t force people to do good, and neither should we. If we don’t allow people to make their own choices about what they do with their money, we don’t trust Him to know what He’s doing. Christ never taught that we should take others money in order to put it to use.

Taking government money is theft

To accept gifts from the government is to steal from others. Government gets money from two major sources: taxes and printing. Taxing the rich to give to the poor is redistribution of wealth, and is wrong. When the government prints money to give to the poor, it devalues the existing money. Thus those who had substantial amounts of money have less, and those who had nothing have more. It’s still redistribution of wealth.

Scenario: The mayor spontaneously gives you $100, saying it’s government money and you should spend it. You ask, “Where did it come from?” The mayor says, “We took it from your neighbor Tom. He’s loaded, so it’s okay. We just wanted him to share.” Is it right to accept the money? No, it’s theft, legalized but immoral.

It's also not a matter of need. "But I really need this money!" one might say. Well, everyone "needs" money. Is that need justification for robbing a convenience store, a bank, or someone's house? No. Neither is it justification for taking someone else's money via the government.

Some say, "The government is taking what it can from me, so I should take what I can from the government." Doing so means that a disproportionate burden is placed on the wealthy. This simplifies to selfishness: escaping while letting others suffer.

Our principles don't have a price

Some people say that everyone can be bought, that everyone has a price. We don’t believe that. If we had taken the money, in spite of our principles, we would know that we did have a price.

We didn’t take a bailout

To accept money from the government is to invite government to exert inappropriate control in our lives, and thus to shun what made America great: liberty. When companies received “bailout” money from the government and misused it, people were angry. The government began saying, “If you take our money, we’re going to have a say in how you use it.” That makes sense, and it’s awful to have the government meddling in business affairs. We didn’t take any bailout money from the government, and thus the government can’t tell us to how to use our money.

The real danger comes from the greedy poor

Greed will destroy our nation. The real danger comes not from the greedy rich, but from the greedy poor. So many are ready to spend others’ money. What government ought to do is protect our life, liberty, and property so that we may pursue happiness. Instead, many call for the government to take away the money that others have legally obtained. As they do so, they violate the principle of liberty.

You are rich

Consider if this kind of redistribution of wealth was applied on a global scale. You are rich. Americans are rich. If you have carpet, you’re rich. If your laundry is machine washed, you’re rich. What if a world government was taking your money to give it to others? How would you feel about it then?

Voting with our dollar

We wanted our senators and representatives to vote against the “stimulus” packages. This is our way of voting with our dollar.