Government Bailouts and Self-Reliance

In this period of economic uncertainty and job loss, the principle of self-reliance is more important than ever. Satan is working hard to bring people into bondage, and one way is through financial reliance on the government.

In a talk given in 1982 entitled "The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance," President Marion G. Romney counsels that "we should strive to become self-reliant and not depend on others for our existence." He explains that the Lord emphasizes this principle because "it is tied very closely to freedom itself." He further explains, "Man cannot be an agent unto himself if he is not self-reliant. Herein we see that independence and self-reliance are critical keys to our spiritual growth." Prophetically, this talk was reprinted in the March 2009 edition of the Ensign along with other articles that discuss this principle including "Becoming Self-Reliant Spiritually and Physically" and "Family Home Storage: A New Message."

President Romney warned of the risks that government dependence brings: "We cannot afford to become wards of the government, even if we have a legal right to do so. It requires too great a sacrifice of self-respect and political, temporal, and spiritual independence."

While speaking to the Saints in 1982, President Romney's counsel seems to have been given for the circumstances we find ourselves in today with government bailouts and promises of debt relief by politicians: "Elections often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society, will make slaves of its citizens."

Jesus Christ promises "liberty and eternal life" whereas Satan seeks "captivity and death ... that all men might be miserable like unto himself" (2 Nephi 2:27). One key way to avoid captivity in these trying times is to avoid reliance on the government, the Church, and others. President Romney said, "A dole is a dole whatever its source. All of our Church and family actions should be directed toward making our children and members self-reliant. We can’t always control government programs, but we can control our own homes and congregations. If we will teach these principles and live them, we can do much to counter the negative effects which may exist in government programs in any country."

Today in Stake Conference, our Area Seventy, Elder Gary Crittenden, spoke on this principle. He said that we should not look to government to solve our personal problems. "It's not reliance on this government" or the things of the world or what we accumulate that will bring eternal life. Rather, it's reliance on God, following the prophets, and keeping our covenants.

Be wary of government aid and easy fixes to the financial problems that we find ourselves in. They always carry hidden strings that run the risk of binding us.