Question for Christian conservatives

[Frodo]

They conveniently ignore this passage from Matthew 22:15-22,

15 Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk.

16  And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men.

17  Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou?  Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

18  But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?

19  Shew me the tribute money.  And they brought unto him a penny.

20  And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscription?

21  They say unto him, Caesar's.  Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.

22  When they had heard these words, they marvelled, and left him, and went their way.

The federal government prints, mints, and distributes out the currency that we use on a daily basis.  That money therefore belongs to Caesar -to the federal government, not the people.  It is the government's money, not the people's.  

And following the logic passed down by Ronald Reagan (deliberately refuting Abraham Lincoln's words in his Gettysburg Address that the government is composed of the people, by the people, for the people), I think it has been abundantly established by Republicans and conservatives implicitly that the American people and the federal government are two different and completely separate entities.  

[Frodo]

The federal government prints, mints, and distributes out the currency that we use on a daily basis.  That money therefore belongs to Caesar -to the federal government, not the people.  It is the government's money, not the people's.  

Jesus was not saying that all your money belongs to Caesar - much of the economic activity of Jesus' day did not involve coins with Caesar's image. Jesus was suggesting to pay your taxes to Caesar and your tithes to God. (The coins that were used for tithes did not have Caesar's image on them, but the coins that were used for taxes did.)
Jesus is setting out a conservative and conciliatory view - the radical view was to resist. These taxes were oppressive and so it's hard to imagine Jesus approving of them considering what he said and did about similar oppression by the Temple system - but Jesus was not interested in stirring up political revolt, and he wasn't interested in getting into an argument with his opponents about it.

This passage does highlight something about conservatives - which is the belief that different institutions play different roles. For example, there is a way to help the poor, and a way not to.

The currency we use bear the images of past Caesars -of past Presidents, and other important figures and symbols central to America's identity as an independent federal republic.  So yes, the money we use does belong to the federal government.