Comments on: Video: Gov. Pawlenty speaks of government by God, for God

By: Tim Pawlenty will be the 2012 Republican Presidential nominee | groupthinker

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 01:01:35 +0000

[...] Pawlenty, meanwhile, has shown plenty of interest, making the rounds, writing a memoir, speaking at important GOP and national events on his fiscally conservative views, and even recently appearing on the Daily [...]

By: EK

EK — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 07:56:30 +0000

Well, by God, it’s time to get Pawlenty out of office.

Read the writings of Thomas Jefferson, Mark. He was a staunch advocate of separation between Church and State.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:45:42 +0000

Clearly many in the posts above struggle to see how Christianity works in a society. The problem is that you are looking for a way to force Christian compassion from government. The problem is that that is not possible. Christianity is about people loving their neighbors and fully acknowledging their Creator. These are individual actions and cannot be forced upon anyone by anyone, including government. Government is to defend our basic rights to life, liberty and to pursue true happiness, which is the right to think, express, and explore the deeper meaning of life. Government cannot care for people. People care for people. The track record of government’s care is disaster after disaster. Not only are outcomes bad, but by taking earnings from some people to give to others, those who had their incomes taken had to work more, leaving them less time to help others, including their own family.

If any person took money from one to give to another we would recognize that for what it is: stealing! Plain and simple. And stealing clearly is not in line with Christian teaching.

In our present day indulgent culture, many view the pursuit happiness as seeking the empty and temporary pleasures of life. Clearly this is not happiness, nor it that what our nation’s founders sacrificed everything for.

Any student of history knows that our nation was founded on Christian principles. Christian worldview concepts were widely embraced 200 years ago and our constitution is very consistent with such thinking. In recent decades America has wondered from that basis and one would think the results would cause us each to consider the basis of our own lives. There are reasons why America flourished under the embracement of the Christian worldview and why things have deteriorated as we have drifted away from that understanding. The proof is in the pudding. It worked because it is true. There are plenty of resources that make this clear, but you have to want the truth to get it.

If you are bent on doing things in a way that has never worked anywhere, you are free to do so, but the result will be failure. I prefer succeeding and would love America to succeed for my children and their children, etc. That requires a sound foundation and only authentic Christianity has proven to be a sound basis. The body of evidence is huge. To ignore it is intellectual suicide, but such is the path of those seeking temporary pleasures at someone else’s expense.

By: Minnesota Central

Minnesota Central — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:04:55 +0000

Let’s acknowledge that Pawlenty’s speech was stictly pandering … echoing the words they wanted to hear.
But most outrageous was his appeal of the need to reach out to working-class voters, a group he said agrees with the GOP on most issues, from gun rights to health care to education. The problem, Pawlenty said, is that lower and middle income voters — a group he terms “Sam’s Club voters” — don’t believe Republicans “are for the working person.”
First, his comment about guns rights was an unbelievable political ploy that I am sure that Congressmen Oberstar, Peterson and Walz and the 60 plus other Democrats in Congress who signed an Amicus Brief in the Heller DC gun case would disagree.
Second, does he really think that most workers (and businesses) are happy with the increased costs associated with health care and think that Bush and the GOP improved things during the past eight years ?
What has Pawlenty been talking about is cutting Corporate Taxes … not addressing the rising impact of Property Taxes.
So how does cutting the state’s corporate tax rate in half over six years (which costs the state $120 million in FY 2010-11, $410 million in FY 2012-13, and more in the future) help those “Sam’s Club voters” ?
Coincidentally, Pawlenty has been visiting business groups who may respond to the future of lower taxes but today are experiencing downturns in business that are producing more job cuts and business closings.
I don’t understand why Pawlenty isn’t being confronted by what his actions will do to property taxes • that all business pay – profitable as well as unprofitable — and “Sam’s Club voters”. Pawlenty is proposing a 23% cut in Local Government Aid and a 27% cut in County Program Aid ( the tally is $372 in FY 2010-11). Why would any business want a cut in an Income Tax that they may not have to pay when they are faced with Property Tax increases ?

By: Eric Ferguson

Eric Ferguson — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:09:22 +0000

Hmm, Governor Traffic Jam goes before a national conservative audience and suddenly gets a whole lot more religious in his rhetoric. Coincidence? I’ll have to pray on it.

By: crohnsguy

crohnsguy — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:54:38 +0000

I am literally appalled by Pawlenty’s insistence on bringing his faith into how he governs. Considering many special interest groups are quick to latch on to many conservative “values,” it’s a smokescreen to say that the will of God is the will of big business. Pawlenty is severely out of touch with reality and Minnesotans. Did God also get us into this budget mess, Governor? Will this guy stop pandering to conservative interests and TRY to recognize that MOST Minnesotans are fans of the concept of keeping church and state SEPARATE, regardless of our religious leanings, or lack thereof? Most Minnesotans are moderate in their politics and Pawlenty is operating at one extreme end of the spectrum. He needs to go.

By: beryl k gullsgate

beryl k gullsgate — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 15:50:17 +0000

His name in vain:

There is this Big Fellow sitting, looking down over all he allegedy created and he speaks to the guy on the left-hand-of; and yet not to be identified on condition of anonymity.

Big Fellow says…”Who does what’s-his-name think he is? He as much as said I’m a registered Republican! Or at least I’m dragging around their political entrails.”

On-The-Left says…”Well, boss, not much good news there. His name is Tim and he wanted to be senator and his party turned him down. Wanted to be VP or was it president? And they slapped him down again. Now, he’s something like number 21 on the list of most popular in his own party”

“So what does he think he’s running for now?”

“God, do you have to ask. You’ve got but one guess.”

“You’re kidding me, right, right?” Fury covers HIS countenance; the wrath of God indeed.
And HE shouts, “You’re oughta here Lefty. Go feed my sheep or do something. Enough already!”

Big Fellow continues, “…and that Tim fellow, he’s out of here permanently, that’s for darn sure. Taking my name in vain indeed…fat asset he’s turned out to be!” Big Fellow shuffles off mumbling under his breath and shaking his head.

By: Neal

Neal — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:36:47 +0000

Matthew 7:21-23 (New International Version)

21″Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers

What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the LORD; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation– I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. — Isaiah 1:11-17

For in the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.” — Jer. 7:22-23

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. — Hosea 6:6

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. — Amos 5:21-24

Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. “O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. “With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? — Micah 6:1-4, 6-8

[Jesus said,] “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” — Matthew 9:13

[Jesus said,] “But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.” — Matthew 12:7

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Inconvenient scripture for the Republican policies

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 13:40:46 +0000

Well, Governor, let’s show we are Christians by our love. Let’s cut funding to nursing homes, let’s limit access to healthcare, let’s cut aid to cities that have large numbers of poor people. And let’s do what Jesus would do- cut taxes for the wealthy. Jesus was all about protecting the interests of the rich. In fact what did Jesus say about the rich? Oh, yeah, that they will have a damn hard time of getting into heaven.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 08:06:17 +0000

Frankly this disgusts me. It’s a slap in the face of anyone who doesn’t happen to agree with his irrational, groundless, arbitrary beliefs. He most certainly does not have my support or my vote.