The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Credit Where It's Due

9.12.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 4 of 5)

In one sense, charity begins at home. In the other sense, there seems to be a tendency in our culture to favor charity to strangers over sharing one's wealth with siblings. In fact, situations where there is disparity in wealth between siblings often lead to estrangement. I also get the sense that many American parents expect that their children develop independent livelihoods instead of make financial demands on their siblings on account of the enmity such dependency can place between their children, the resentment and fear of entanglement of the wealthy to help a less fortunate with perceived failings, the resentment of the less fortunate to be a pitied object of charity from the more fortunate. This dynamic happens between strangers, but it becomes much more personal between family members.

Part of this seems to be the cultural interpretation of the Biblical imperative on marriage "For this reason a man shall leave his mother and father and join with his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." Financial entanglements between siblings can place a blood relation between the marriage relation, and parents want to see their children successful in their marriages.

A different cultural tradition is one of vast extended family and the pooling and sharing of wealth with that network of blood relations. That tradition is associated with what we regard as tribal cultures, and we regard such societies as having problems of their own.

I remember reading about a European doctor working in an African country. The European remarked that his salary was low by "back home" standards, but owing to the low local cost of living, it made him a prince in terms of his house and his servants. On the other hand, an African colleague was making the same pay, but the living standard this effected was much lower. This colleague was expected to share with an extended family, none of whom were paid anywhere what a doctor was paid, and the high salary was thoroughly diluted. The speculation was offered that this contributed to the nepotism and corruption of government in that African country. A government official could be enriching himself exercising the privilege of his position, but that official never thought of himself as getting rich by any standard on account of the need to spread the wealth within his extended family. The loyalty to family in such a tribal culture was in some sense admirable, but in other sense, putting family first put relations with strangers at a disadvantage and acts as a brake on economic advancement of the society at large.

Were Senator Obama following African culture and sharing his wealth with his network of Kenyan relatives (why stop at one brother?), some would be questioning whether his loyalties were American or mainly Kenyan. As Senator Obama is acting thoroughly American in expecting his overseas relatives to muddle through as best they can, some are questioning his dedication to family. I say it is a difficult call and that we criticize Senator Obama on the contents of his tax plan or his Iraq plan rather than his relation to a brother in Kenya.
-- Paul Milenkovic
Madison, Wisconsin

KEEP YOUR COOL
Re: Philip Klein's Don't Obamaize Palin:

I want to add a couple of thoughts for consideration in the interest of expressing what this conservative comes down on the point of your article.

For months, conservatives have mocked the celebrity appeal of Barack Obama, but now they are flocking to Palin in a similar manner. Just as liberals swooned for Obama because his biography appealed to their cultural sensibilities, conservatives instinctively identify with Palin, because, as Cindy McCain put it, she is a "reform-minded, hockey-mommin', basketball shootin', moose huntin', fly-fishin', pistol-packing, mother of five."

The trouble is, there's a lot that we still don't know about Palin, and conservatives shouldn't be jumping the gun."

While some may overlook or ignore the merits of a proper vetting process for discerning one's fitness for public office, I would suggest the following as nicely and sincerely as I know how. Governor Palin is not just an entertaining media phenomenon and an attractive woman to look at. She has accomplished much in her two year tenure as governor of Alaska, and epitomizes what most conservatives have been waiting and praying for in a candidate. The fact Obama's campaign momentum has been curtailed and his message of "empty change" confounded is not surprising. Cindy McCain properly and accurately identified aspects of Governor Palin's personality which put conservative Americans at ease for such a quick, and sure choice. As for her credentials and qualifications…her record of achievements and exceptional approval rating among her constituency speaks for itself. Governor Palin is the "real deal" and owes no apologies to anyone. No one is perfect, but if there exists any better choice for V.P. it would certainly be a surprise. There is NO comparison between McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden. It's now a no-brainer!

I will stand up and be counted on her behalf any day of the week by casting my vote for McCain/Palin for next President & V.P. this November.

As we say in the business, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Governor Palin is exactly what this nation needs. It would be the best thing that could possibly happen if we had 435 more like her in Congress.
-- Robert William Butler Jr.

CONSERVATIVE MAGNET
Re: Diane Smith's letter (under "Once in a Lifetime") in Reader Mail's Palin on a Pedestal:

Thank you Ms. Smith, for your response to my letter. Though I suspect that your thanks was a form of sarcasm, I am still glad that I could have been of service to you. As I have a great deal of respect for your opinions, I was glad to see that you brought up the Dole/Kemp ticket. You effectively summarized my point.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Taxes, Trade, John McCain, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin, Bill Clinton, Mainstream Media, Television, Business, Islam, Abortion, Hollywood, Law, Military, Iraq, Russia, NATO, Africa, Alaska, Oil