Does God actively punish or just let bad things happen to punish?

I have heard others say that God doesn't actively do things to people but He will let bad things happen to them as punishment sometimes.  I disagree.  I have seen many Scripture where it says God did it.  Here is one now.

Lamentations 1:5(NKJV)

    Her adversaries have become the master,      Her enemies prosper;     For the Lord has afflicted her     Because of the multitude of her transgressions.     Her children have gone into captivity before the enemy.

Lamentations 1:14(NKJV)

    “The yoke of my transgressions was bound;      They were woven together by His hands,     And thrust upon my neck.     He made my strength fail;     The Lord delivered me into the hands of those whom I am not able to withstand.

I think you'd have to agree that the wording is pretty clear.  What I especially love is that in the very next sentence God explains why He is punishing her.  It's not like God just out of the blue decided to be mean and screw with her (Judah-I know the gender words get confusing here.  :).  Judah had committed many sins and God decided it was time to punish.

Does it make a difference that God sometimes actively inflicts the punishment?  Should it trouble us?  It doesn't trouble me.  Here is why.

Let's use the God the Father paradigm.  For those of you who have raised children,  did you ever sit there and warn your kid not to do something and when they wouldn't listen you let the bad thing happen and said something like "see, you should have listened!"?  (Of course I'm not talking about anything life threatening) 

On the other hand were there times that you directly intervened and inflicted the punishment on them yourself?  Did you love them any less when you did so, no matter which way you did it?

Well if that technique works for us on our kids, why wouldn't it work for God on us?  In fact who do you think thought it up?  :)