Can Government Create Character?

In this episode of Wake Up Look Up, Pastor Zach reflects on a recent New York Times opinion piece exploring how increased access and lower prices for alcohol and drugs have coincided with rising addiction and overdose rates in America. He engages the argument that government intervention through higher taxes and restrictions could reduce substance abuse, while questioning whether external pressure alone can address a deeper issue. Turning to Scripture, he points to Proverbs and Galatians to emphasize that the real root problem is not policy but a lack of self-control, which is ultimately shaped by the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. He concludes by pointing to the gospel of Jesus as the only true source of lasting change in the human heart.

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Creators and Guests

Host

Zach Weihrauch

Follower of Jesus who has graciously given me a wife to love, children to shepherd, and a church to pastor.

What is Wake Up, Look Up?

Check out new episodes of our daily podcast, Wake Up, Look Up, with Zach Weihrauch as he interprets what's happening in our world through the lens of the gospel.

Hello everyone and thanks for listening to Wake Up, Look Up, a podcast where we connect events happening in real time to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm Zach Weihrauch and in today's episode, we're asking the question, can government create character? This is prompted by an opinion piece I read in the New York Times recently called it shouldn't be this easy to get high by German Lopez. Lopez's argument is basically this. things, substances that can intoxicate you or get you high are becoming more affordable and accessible than ever before. I mean consider this in, in 1950, a bottle of vodka, for bought from the store cost about 75% of a worker's daily after tax pay. Meaning it was a big expenditure to go to the store and buy a bottle of vodka. Now it costs less than 5%. So it really is not that big of a financial decision for people to purchase alcohol. marijuana legalization has increased access and lowered prices with Oregon for example, marijuana prices seeing a 60% drop since legalization. Even synthetic drugs, drugs like fentanyl and meth, illegal drugs have dropped in value about 50% over the past few years. As a consequence, Lopez argues, drugs and alcohol have become more affordable than ever, resulting in 48 million Americans struggling with addiction, 70,000 overdose deaths annually and 178,000 deaths each year related to alcohol consumption. And his point is actually, he says that friction matters, that raising taxes, raising prices, raising penalties will make people think twice before they get drunk or get high and actually lead to a healthier society. And I gotta tell you, I appreciate his sentiment, I really do. I think alcohol, overuse, I think drug use are huge problems in our country. They're problems that we talk about on wake up lookup pretty frequently. But I think a solution is just to be honest, is silly. if you've ever been around an alcoholic or an addict, you know, they're not making choices based on finances. they're not saying no to their impulses or desires because of the percentage of their daily take home pay. That is going to a problem. In fact, if you doubt that, look at online gambling, which is going crazy, especially among young men who don't have the disposable income. The parts of our brain, the parts of our hearts that gambling or drunkenness or drug use appeal to are not the same parts of our brain that might want to live on a budget or track expenses. The problem here is not a lack of high fees or a lack of government oversight. Government raising taxes on alcohol or Marijuana or any substance isn't going to solve the problem. If you doubt that, consider that a people are buying illegal drugs all the time. The government has already said they're illegal. There are penalties, including jail time. people don't care. The government, actually has laws against public drunkenness or driving under the influence. Doesn't seem to stop a lot of people. But the second thing is, consider that the average American is in crippling credit card debt. What is credit card debt? It's spending money that you don't have for the most part to buy things you don't need. Do you think someone in crippling credit card debt cares if you raise the price of alcohol? If they want to drink, they'll just put it on their amex. That's the way they approach money. Now the problem here is not government. It's not taxes and it's not penalties. It's self control. Proverbs 25:28 says it this way. I love this line. A person without self control is like a city with broken down walls, meaning its enemies are going to come through anytime they want. They're going to rob, they're going to steal, they're going to lay waste to the city. And a person without self control is going to find their finances, their relationships, their physical body, their health, their emotional and mental health is going to be ravaged by alcohol, by drugs, by gambling, by anything they find that they can't say no to. No, the problem here is self control. The reason we don't write that essay is because how do you aim at that? How do you fix self control? Well, the answer, Lopez might not want to hear it and certainly the American government doesn't want to hear it. The answer is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, because after all, it's the Gospel of Jesus that sanctifies us and makes us possible to be dwelling places for the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit we of who we're told in Galatians 5 produces the fruit of the Spirit, one of which is, you guessed it, self control. This is not a problem that government can solve. It's not a problem that taxes can solve. It's a problem that Jesus can solve. As people have their hearts filled with the Holy Spirit, they will gain self control. This is why Paul says, do not be drunk with wine in Ephesians 5, but be filled with, with the Holy Spirit. It's an alternative. The Holy Spirit is an alternative to substance abuse. And I say this not to say that government shouldn't pursue policies that might limit access to alcohol or drugs or gambling. Certainly those things are problems, but all that legislation is really just missing the point. There is no answer for a person without self control. Self control is what we should want for our neighbors. It's the Gospel of Jesus that gives us hope for that. Hey, thanks for checking out Wake Up, Look Up. For more content, be sure to visit the Christ Community Chapel app or website ccchapel.com.

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