jesus, advocate for taxes and welfare

Michael Gerson is clearly very conservative. But his conservatism is of a different stripe than that we usually think of among Republican movement types.

Another example of this is Gerson's column today. He writes that any reasonable reading of the Bible and understanding of the Jewish socio-political climate at the time Jesus lived demonstrates that Christ would NOT have approved of the laissez-faire, "libertarian" (Gerson's word), "let them eat cake" (my phrase, thanks Marie-Antoinette) attitude towards the poor and unfortunate.

The state DOES have a responsibility to help the poor, Gerson says. And - even more shockingly, as Gerson admits - we all have a responsibility to PAY TAXES, which are legitimate for a state to collect.

An interesting column. One that many in the GOP would see as heretical.