I think you have your priorities straight!
You are not in my "whacko" category. Governments get in the way of Christ. They tax Christians and give the money to the poor. What happens? Some Christians get mad about being the victim of tax thieves, and some poor become indignant. When Christians give directly to the poor, they do Christ's work, they experience a spiritual blessing and where appropriate, have the chance to spread the Gospel.
There are some that believe that big government and Christianity go hand in hand. Yes, governments can and do benevolent things. On the other hand, centralized power allows leads to corruption, because as we have heard, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." A centralized government at some point in time will become the devil's toy. Will it be in my lifetim? Who am I to say!
Thanks very much for your thoughts! And God bless you!
Thank you, and God bless you too, and everyone (including the topic of this thread, the pastor) who is still making a stand against the evil and for the good.