Actually, I disagree “the federal gov’t has ruined this nation and made Christianity out to be evil.” Let me list a few examples of why.

1. They have implemented many programs to help the average person get a quality education. It’s also thanks to the federal government I was able to get a higher education. The PEF (perpetual education fund) is not available to those in the United States, so I had to go through the federal government.

http://pef.lds.org/pef/faqhome?locale=eng

What are the key PEF applicant requirements?

Living, working, and attending school in a PEF-approved country; currently, PEF is not available in the United States or Canada

2. If you are from Utah, you should realize it is BECAUSE of the federal government, the state has such a massive road system. Utah doesn’t have the population nor the tax income to pay for those roads and do all the other things they want to, so the Utah government regularly requests the federal government give them money and they do. Without the federal government, it would be the church and Utahns who would have to foot the bill. Fact of the matter here, neither the church nor Utahns could collect enough money to cover the road cost or all the other programs the federal government pays for.

Look at this tax chart and you will see Utah’s gas taxes and so on only pay for 20.2% of the road cost. Moreover, Utah is ranked near the bottom of the list for paying for their share of the road costs compared to other states.

http://taxfoundation.org/article/gasoline-taxes-and-tolls-pay-only-third-state-local-road-spending

3. We should also remember that many people in this country “technically” don’t pay taxes on their income in the long run, because they are under the poverty line. While taxes are taken out in the beginning before a paycheck is issued, those taxes and more (including a child tax credit) come back in the form of a tax return for families, and dwarf the amount of taxes ever given up in the beginning. This is especially true for large, low-income families in Utah.

4. The federal government also does protect our religious freedom. If it didn’t, you wouldn’t be allowed to go to church or practice what you believe, period. We also don’t have multiple groups of zealots running around our country blowing up our churches in the name of whatever god they purport to worship and getting away with it because they are a majority like you see in the Middle-East.

I think you may be mistaking religious freedom with being able to control what others do. God gave man his agency and man is meant to use that agency to prove his worthiness for exaltation. It’s not your nor my job to prove another’s worthiness for that blessingーit’s theirs. Remember, it was Satan’s plan to control and Christ’s plan to give man his agency.

Now I know there is a huge debate going on over gay-rights at the moment. I don’t think it’s the right way to go and, but I think Satan is too well-entrenched at this point that good morals in this country will be overthrown at the rate things are going. Unfortunately, even staunch LDS politicians like Senator Hatch seem to view this trend as an inevitable consequence, too.

On the other hand, I also feel we wouldn’t be in quite this mess if we as Latter-day Saints were all living the commandments like we should. Church activity in general is hovering near 35% worldwide and I have heard a couple of times those with an actual temple recommend is close to 20%. I hate to say this, but that’s pathetic. We can do better than that, we have to do better than that, and the only solution I see to many of the world’s problems is for us to look in the mirror, covenant with God to do better, and to ACTUALLY do better. For example, how many of us are inviting at least one person to hear the gospel every yearly quarter?

Now think about this for a minute. If 15,000,000 members (of age) had temple recommends and were living the commandments, there would be well over a paltry 143 temples in operation and the gospel would be rolling forth like a landslide across every continent and people would be joining the church in droves and masses.

I also think it’s foolish of us to scoff and place all the blame on the federal government for our country’s problems when there are plenty of good people within government, doing the best they know how, and who just don’t know a better way. We as members of the restored church who have the light of the gospel, what are we doing with it? Are we shining it forth and being an example to all that know us or are we content with a bag of chips on the couch and Monday night football to satisfy our inner spiritual cravings? Or are we as Joseph Smith said: “The nearer we get to our heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs.”

You are exactly right, Sparky! No question. With all due respect to “a happily married man”, I think you are just a tad naive. Just a tad! The federal gov’t has ruined this nation and made Christianity out to be evil! Not sure what exactly a “tax credit” is! Don’t take the money from people in the first place. It’s time we get back to what the constitution originally said , and that’s to protect the citizens and the borders. The states should handle the rest without federal interference! You have a right to your opinion and I respect it, but you really need to have a wake up call if you think our current govt is good in any way, shape, or form! Might I add another name to your list in one, “our very own”, Harry Reid!!

I would somewhat disagree with this sentiment. There are a lot of people in our government doing a lot of goodーmany who dedicate their lives to making this country better, safer, and stronger. It’s easy to judge people when you can’t see what they do. However, I am of the opinion that without our government, this country would be in shambles unless the real lawgiver were running the show. Our government, no matter how imperfect it is, at least tries to be fair to all its citizens, despite there are people who abuse the system. I can’t say the same for other countries I have visited or lived in.

In addition, the fact that the U.S. government gives parents a child tax credit of $1000 to each child (barring they earn more than like $110,000 a year), so they can put it away for their child’s future and equalize their chances of getting a quality education and gainful employment is something I’m very grateful for.

Now mind you, I am not blind to corruption that finds root in politics, etc. You might also notice that slowly but surely, those who use their positions of power for gain in this country are being exposed and ousted or locked away. Shall I name a few recent politicians that come to mind? Try looking up Rod Blagojevich and Jessie Jackson, Jr.

On the other hand, if you don’t like the way things are headed, I invite you to stand up and show others a better way. Things can’t change if we don’t pool our minds, resources, and efforts.