Not Quite, Mr. Koch

Instapundit points to this Newsmax column by former New York Mayor Ed Koch. In it, Koch warns the Democrats that they're making an error in beating the "Bush Lied!" drum, but something else in the column caught my attention:

At the core of the Democratic ideology is a belief in helping the less fortunate among us. The Republican mantra, on the other hand, is "I made it on my own, and you will have to do the same."

Not quite, sir.

The core of the Democratic ideology is a belief that the GOVERNMENT must help the less fortunate among us. The Republican mantra, on the other hand is "I made it without a government handout, and so should you."

Charity is all well and good, but when the government takes from some for redistribution to others, it's not charity, it's extortion. There's no such thing as "obligatory charity."