In 1640 the Puritan Army in England, in rebellion to King Charles I, carried banners into battle declaring “In God We Trustâ€. When the English civil war came to an end, the Puritans not only controlled the throne, they had also forged England, Scotland and Northern Ireland into a “United Kingdom†by the force of arms. They considered the expanding empire their just due, their reward from the right hand of God because of their self proclaimed righteousness.
The defeat of the English nobility by the Puritans was the beginning of the untitled landowning upper class, the seed from which today’s capitalism sprouted. Landowners made their money by renting their property to others, never needing to engage in physical labor themselves.
Conservatives are the Puritans of today. They carry on the Puritan viewpoint that those with disabilities are the least eligible to receive assistance from society. It is felt that those who are disabled are a drain on society, and that sickness is evidence of sin. The Puritans did not want to encourage the disabled in their beggary.
Disability was not seen as can’t work, but rather as won’t work. (He who will not work, shall not eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10) So, according to this view, the disabled should receive no assistance at all. When can’t work is grudgingly acknowledged rather than won’t work the standard is set that the disabled should receive no more than what the most poverty stricken able-bodied worker is paid, and hopefully less if possible.
Those who are healthy and materially successful are, to themselves, obviously worthy of the grace and beneficence of God. According to this postulation, the way to glorify God is to be industrious and give evidence of material achievement. In the Puritan/conservative framework, someone who has broken the law should only be allowed to earn a living after every law abiding citizen is employed.
If any law abiding citizen is out of work, so also should the one with a criminal record be without work. Someone who is guilty of breaking the law should only be allowed to earn a living after every law abiding citizen is employed. If any law abiding citizens can’t find employment, then the felon should be out of luck.
We have made incredible advances in technology, enabling those with physical limitations to more fully engage in life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So why are the majority of able-bodied Americans still stuck in the intellectual morass of the middle ages?