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With that yardstick, how could we ever agree on the public good? No wonder people see government as the dispenser of goods. K Street is the ultimate corruption—those who deliver the goods for a price.

This will only change if politicians who brazenly pander to constituents in exchange for power find themselves out of work. Christians ought to press lawmakers running for re-election this fall on whether they will renounce earmarks.

But Christians also need to persuade their neighbors about the need to abandon "What's in it for me?" in favor of "What is good for all?" and to restore a common moral consensus. For Aquinas correctly reminds us that it is not possible to be truly virtuous unless we honor the needs of the whole society.

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Colson also criticized earmarks in several recent Breakpoint commentaries, including "Empty Monuments to Human Ego" (May 1, 2006) and "Ethics? Who Needs Ethics?" (Mar. 27, 2006).

Recent Charles Colson columns for Christianity Today include:

Bad Judgment | Ruling imperils faith-based programs around the country (Aug. 1, 2006)

Emerging Confusion | Jesus is the truth whether we experience him or not. (May 31, 2006)

Soothing Ourselves to Death | Should we give people what they want or what they need? (April 5, 2006)

A More Excellent Way | Changing the law isn't enough. (Jan. 23, 2006)

My Soul's Dark Night | The best of evangelicalism didn't prepare me for this struggle. (Dec. 7, 2005)

Machiavellian Morality | One reason teenagers, among others, are jammed in our prisons. (Sept. 22, 2005)

Verdict that Demands Evidence | It is Darwinists, not Christians, who are stonewalling the facts. (March 28, 2005)

The Moral Home Front | America's increasing decadence is giving aid and comfort to Muslim terrorists. (Sept. 23, 04)

Reclaiming Occupied Territory | The Great Commission and the cultural commission are not in competition. (July 21, 2004)

Societal Suicide | Legalizing gay marriage will lead to more family breakdown and crime. (May 24, 2004)

Evangelical Drift | Outsiders say we're the status quo. Our call is to prove them wrong. (March 29, 2004)

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October 2006, Vol. 50, No. 10