Jesus a Democrat?

Sometimes, driving down the road, I'll see a bumper sticker that says Jesus was a Democrat or something to that effect. The passage of the healthcare entitlement program has brought this to mind again. I guess the bumper sticker people make their claim based on Jesus' compassion towards the poor, the sick, etc. But I think they are missing the point - either by honest ignorance or blatant disregard. Jesus never advocated that the government do anything to help people. He wasn't about earthly government. Jesus wanted his followers to give and help others out of a joyful heart and to honor him. He did not assert that government should require the masses to fork over their money to be redistributed it to others. Jesus even stated that we would always have the poor among us - there will be no utopia on earth, people. Government can't do it. If the "giving" is required, it's not really giving, is it? How joyfully do you pay your taxes? Would anyone say you are generous because you pay your taxes? Yes, we should pay our taxes honestly because it's the right thing to do. But Jesus was about the heart - give joyfully, give freely, show compassion, serve others. If anything, it seems government redistribution of wealth makes the heart grow cold as it lets us off the hook (while simultaneously demoralizing the taxed). It's not our responsibility to take care of others anymore since the government does it through our taxes and programs. The government gains more and more control; people grow more and more dependent. That doesn't sound like freedom to me. It sounds more like slavery. Somehow I'm guessing that's not the angle Jesus would take.