Thursday, October 30, 2008

The Democratic Party Has Made Me Rich!

I don't want to sound condescending - but it's true, the Democrats have made me rich!

For years it was the Republicans that were reputed to be the party of big business and money. But irony of ironies, I owe mine to the Dems.

Here is my "rags to riches" story:

It all started in the early 1990's, Bill Clinton was running for President and he was offering a "Middle Class Tax Cut". Furthermore, he felt that those filthy rich people needed to pay their fair share - Reagan and Bush had given them a free ride for too long!

I must say that I was skeptical at the time, but he made a believer out of me!

Why no sooner had he taken office than I learned that I was no longer in the Middle Class. Talk about upward mobility! Yeah, I know that I had transferred classes because I didn't get that "Middle Class Tax Cut" he had promised.

And I know I didn't move down in class, because my taxes increased!

That could only mean one thing - I had been promoted to the level of filthy rich and my tax increase represented my fair share.

Long years later, there came along a different President - "W", they called him.

Well along the way, I learned that he had given tax cuts to his wealthy friends.

Come to think of it - I had gotten some tax cuts!

Now I realized that not only was I rich, but I was also in tight with the President of the United States! So much so that he was granting me favor - kinda' like them oil barons and Haliburton people!

And to think, I never would have known about the second time in which fortune smiled on me - if it hadn't been for my friends in the Democratic Party telling me - over and over - for about six years!! (they wanted to be sure that I got it).

Now we are about to elect a new President and who do you think I see ... standing at the proverbial harbor and waving a flag to let me know that my ship has come in?

You guessed it - my pals in the Democratic Party.

There's ole Mr. Barack - reminding me and everybody else how Mr. "W" made me rich with those tax cuts of his. And how he - Mr. Obama - is gonna' fix it so that the Middle Class is gonna' get another tax cut! And the folks that's gonna' pay it for is the RICH people.

Only thing is-I don't make $250,0000.00 a year - and that's what they are calling rich these days; I was feeling a little disheartened about that until Mr. Obama made it clear that plumbers - like that "Joe" fellow - don't make $250,000.00 a year neither.

In every life a little rain must fall. So I started thinking my best days was behind me. It sure looked like I wasn't gonna' get to be rich no more under a Barack Presidency; $250K was just out of my league!

But then - wouldn't you know it - those Democrats came through for me again!!!

They started lowering the "Rich" standard. That's right! The first thing you know Mr. Obama had knocked a whole $50,000.00 off the "rich" amount. He started referring to "rich" folks earning $200,000.00.

Then that other fellow that runs with him - he's funny, believe you me! - Biden's his name... anyway he goes out and says that it's $150,000.00 that you need to be making to be considered rich and worthy of getting trashed.

So, thanks to my friends the Dems, I am on my way to Easy street again - I figure by a day or two after the inauguration, I'll be stinking rich again!

I'll tell you another thing - I probably won't be getting that Middle Class Tax Cut this time either.

Mr. Barack Declares a Holiday!

Somewhere near this post you will find a trailer from the movie"Bells of St. Mary" with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. The aim of showing the segment was to present the clip in which Bing as Father O'Malley, begins his term at St. Mary's school by declaring a holiday.

I wanted to tie it to a scathing and sarcastic review of Barack Obama's request this week that his constituents take the day off next Tuesday and help him.

This is my third attempt at actually finishing that post and I do believe I have hit an emotional wall.

Suffice it to say, the suggestion that people either abuse their employers or co-workers by taking a day off on short notice; or that they use some of their benefit time which may have been reserved for emergencies, sickness or family events and instead go and do some frantic community organizing at the polls - is appalling to me.

I work in Human Resources, we deal with attendance issues quite often. It is evidence of a diminished work ethic in this country. It is why, according to Woody Allen - "80% of success is just showing up". It is a sad statement, but people who come to work everyday are sometimes a rarity.

Work is sacred. It is a gift from God.

When Adam - the first man - sinned and brought a curse upon all of us that would follow in his line. The curse was represented in part by the fact that work would be hard. God promised that the ground would be unreasonable at times, and thorns and thistles would grow profusely.

Work was not the curse - the fact that work is difficult is a by product of the curse.

Until recently people have known that hard work would one day pay off - sometimes financially; sometimes with internal rewards like a renewed confidence and the blessings of genuine tiredness.

They also had a sense that when we all work as a nation, we move the country along. "Rosie the Riveter" and all those women that invaded the workforce during WWII while their husbands were invading France - they knew - showing up every day was important to the entire nation.

Now, Mr. Obama says take the day and come work for me.

Doesn't that sound selfish?

He seems to be saying: "put your job at risk so I can grab this power".

Some people will probably take him up on that offer. Some of them will likely be teetering on the edge of being set free from their employment because of past infractions. Perhaps they will show up at work on Wednesday after taking the "Election Holiday" only to find that they have no job.

Who will be the target of their anger then?

You can bet that it probably won't be Mr. Obama.

And though it should be - it probably won't be the "dupe" that they see in the mirror each morning.

No, it will be that employer.

The one who worked while others seized every opportunity to avoid it. The one who did his/her part to keep the economy going while others were registering new voters or driving people to the polls - even though they have had untold opportunities to vote before election day.

And should Mr. Obama get elected in all this gay and festive season, who will he be coming after to pay more taxes?

Those same folks, that showed up for work every day.


EPILOGUE: The reason this post was so difficult for me to finish is partly because I just didn't think that another angry blog would be helpful right now.

Also it was because I wanted to be careful about what I said: Mr. Obama's campaign has reduced "racism" to a level of triviality. It seems that anything that is questioning or critical - is determined to be racist or at least a code for racism.

It is a pity that free discourse has taken such a beating this election.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The Bells of St. Mary's - (Re-issue Trailer)

It was funny when Bing declared a holiday....

About Last Weekend -Part A

The following post has been moved from Monday to Tuesday to now, Wednesday but is now aligned properly with the corresponding images.

I had planned to write a post prior to the weekend about modern meteorologists and the vast and undue amount of confidence we now place in their prognostications.


I planned to tie it to our lack of a moral compass in this society. I figure this void of faith makes us vulnerable to believe any exaggerated and sensational story that comes along. So people these days will change plans for major events all because some "Guy Sharp Wannabe" (he was the standard for Atlanta television weathermen for years) sees a good chance of showers.


The case in point was to be this past weekend... it was slated to be a busy one!

A Fall Festival was planned for Friday at the kid's school, Ab was slated to run in a Pumpkin Run that day as well, meanwhile AA and I had a camp out with the Tiger Cubs that evening.


But it all was not to be.


Why? Because the weather-person was forecasting cold and rain. So everything was cancelled or postponed.


The result was the we had a free or at least free-er weekend.
AA and I still attended a "consolation" hike on Saturday at Berry College, while R. and Ab attended a Bible study for 4th grade girls.


I think our hike totaled about 4 miles, one of the highlights was the fact that we got to buy some beef jerky for our snacks (Mom wouldn't consent to the classic culinary delight for ventures into the woods on a cool Saturday: Sardines, Saltines and Tabasco Sauce).


On the hike, I observed something that really impressed me: along the way, we would stop and observe something and inevitably some father would step up and talk about it a little, ask questions and often would tie in themes of scouting or character. All of this without warning and off-the-cuff.


We learned about the Possum Trot Church, wasp houses, hornets' nests, the purpose of the reservoir on top of a small mountain and controlled burns. It was quite a walk.

About Last Weekend - Part B

Back at home later, we were even able to work in a couple of small bonfires in our little fire pit and a little bit of yard work over the weekend.


Ab was invaluable in her contribution to the gathering of pine straw.


Somewhere during my experience in the world of sales, I learned that one can work hard or one can work smart.


Ab definitely has adopted a "work smart" attitude - this is her automated raking procedure:

link to video here
It's amazing how that already on a Monday evening, the weekend can seem like such a distant memory.


Autumn memories - as with any memories with my family - are worth treasuring!

Update on Blog

Please be patient regarding the preceding two posts - I certainly have had to do that. I am beginning to think Mondays are not good days to try and post since my efforts on the last two have been all but fruitless!

Anyway - take my word for it - I have been working on a neat array of picture and video presentations for the posts - but alas they are still not coming through.

Meanwhile, if I could have been blogging instead of slaving over photo-bucket, I had posts planned for "Obama's Election Day Holiday" and other interesting atrocities. Maybe I will get to them; or perhaps my bile will subside before I return .

Please check back.
And thank you for your support.

The Management

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Would Not, Could Not, Did Not

I think elections in the United States of America are a wonderful thing. I also think that they are very serious.

And in this 21st century, I believe that they are spiritual.

I remember interviewing Janet Parshal who was then with Concerned Women for America about some hearings that were going on in Washington at the time (about 15 years ago). I still remember her talking about a sense of "evil" that prevailed in the hearing room.

The battle for good and evil takes place every day in the high offices of this nation.

That is the reason that I have heard people express extreme "fear" over what might happen to this country after our upcoming election.

I have been fairly vocal about my belief in a return to conservative values for our nation so I won't belabor the point.

As far as the election is concerned - WE MUST PRAY. Pray for leaders that fear God. .. and then we must vote... and vote from the standpoint of principles.

But what of this idea of defeating evil? Why haven't we been able to see a putting away of the excesses that come out of Washington - no matter which party is in office?

I happened on a verse this week that speaks to that.

It caught my eye because it seemed to contradict earlier passages.

Joshua 15:63 NIV Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.

Joshua was leading the Israelites on a campaign to defeat the evil of all the inhabitants of the land God had promised to them. And things were going pretty good, miraculous battle stories seemed to be rampant as God intervened with falling walls, hailstorms and the like.

But when it came to the city that would one day be the very heart of the nation of Israel - Jerusalem, they could not quite "close the deal" and put away evil for good.

So one enemy - the Jebusites - remained to be a boil on the neck of Israel.

Then I remembered another enemy that was not soundly defeated - the folks from Gibeon. Remember, in Joshua 9 they came up with a ploy to trick Joshua and the elders into signing a peace treaty with them. They wore old rags and packed dry, moldy bread in their provisions - all so that it would appear that they were ambassadors from a very distant land.

Joshua took the bait and signed the treaty without consulting God - three days later he learned that these folks were their neighbors. But now the dye had been cast so he had to stick with his agreement and protect these former enemies.

As I looked into this more deeply - I found in Judges 1, a sort of "State of the Nation" statement. In that chapter you can read how that not only was Jerusalem still partly occupied by the evil Jebusites, but a number of cities and kingdoms in the valley had still not been defeated even after Joshua's death.

Why? - because they had iron chariots (this would be a good spot for a trill of ominous sounding dramatic music)! Now enemies with chariots had not been a problem before, but now for some reason, Israel just could bring themselves to fight against chariots.

So Israel would not defeat the people from Gibeon because they did not talk to God about the situation and therefore they were easily deceived.

They could not defeat the folks in Jerusalem completely - and I wasn't sure why. But I did pick up a clue from a verse in Joshua 10.
Joshua had just led his troops in the defeat of a number of kings that had attacked Gibeon - one of them being the king of Jerusalem. Before he took the lives of those defeated kings, he had each of his commanders place their foot upon their necks. This was designed to give them confidence and he told them this:

... “Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.” Joshua 10:25 NKJV

Now look back at the last 4 words: "against whom you fight."

In other words, the Lord will not defeat your enemies if you don't show up for the fight.

I think Israel could not defeat Jerusalem because they did not take on the enemy - and when they did fight, they did not finish them off.

A good example of the correct attitude is David who ran toward his opponent Goliath.

Finally, Israel did not defeat the cities in the lowlands because they were afraid.

Perhaps this has a national application for us when it comes to defeating evils like a culture of death and a sharp reduction in God given rights and freedom. But it may also have a personal application when it comes to defeating evil in our own lives.

If we view all the evidence but never ask God's opinion, it is likely that we will be making some damaging decisions (as with the people of Gibeon)

If we treat sinful tendencies in our own lives with kid gloves instead of putting those tendencies "to death" as the Bible recommends - we will likely have to battle the same enemy over and over and he will keep a foothold in our life.

If we cower in fear at the prospect of facing a daunting challenge (like battling an enemy with horses and iron chariots when you only have a few donkeys) and do not consider the fact that God - Who can and often does do the impossible - is on our side; we might just never even take on those enemies out of fear.

King David had the right idea. When he was established as king over the entire nation of Israel in 2 Samuel 5 - he immediately began to defeat these enemies that Israel had allowed to linger all those years. Beginning with Jerusalem.

Of David it was said - "he is a man after God's own heart"

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Comestic Engineers Revisited

This is not fun. On Monday evening I tapped out what I thought was a decent post after something of an inspiring evening. The atmosphere was moving toward perfection, the house was cool and the gas logs were burning in our bedroom; but somewhere in the midst of all that inspiration and atmosphere, I lost my wireless connection and thought I had lost a significant portion of the posting.

Tonight, I planned to piece it back together, only I discovered that apparently nothing - not one phrase was preserved - all was lost.

So I am going to attempt to reproduce it in some way... this time without the fire and after a particularly tiring evening... so don't get your hopes up.

I was privileged to enjoy some thought provoking conversation over dinner with a couple of "intellectuals" on Monday.

Our evening leading up to dinner had been rather interesting. Ab has recently joined the "Running Club" at school and is training for a one and one-half mile "Pumpkin Run" in a few days. So I am "training" with her.

I hate to run.

I think that running should be reserved only for those times in which it is absolutely necessary - like when something big and fearsome is chasing you.

But I have felt a need to add some physical activity to my agenda, so I plotted a course around our driveway and the surrounding area; five laps equals one mile. For the past two or three weeks, we have been running- well jogging .. sort of.

The pay off comes when Ab says to me, "I love running with you, Dad". This statement is sandwiched in with a plethora of other statements, since Ab's teacher told her that you should only run at a pace with which you can carry on a normal conversation.

AA - who likely shares my affection for running - joined us after viewing a portion of a movie that involved skateboards. So he mounted his Spiderman skateboard (criss-cross-applesauce style) and made a number of interesting treks down the driveway as we jogged by.

It was a fun evening. Part of the reason for us all being outside was so that Mom - who had capped her day-off with a tremendous headache - could enjoy some silence inside.

After our run, we had supper and that was where the interesting conversation occured. Ab "won the toss" and so she got to tell about her day first. AA was not giving up so easily (at this point substance doesn't matter, it's all about who gets to talk first) and made several attempts to interrupt.

So I appointed myself as something of a "Speaker-of-the-House / President Pro-Tem" and introduced a mix between Parliamentary Procedures, Robert's Rules of Order and Senate Rules.
In so doing, I explained to AA that his sister had the floor and he could not talk until she yielded.

I did explain to him that she might yield for a question so he thought one up real quick. The actual question has escaped me.

Somehow in this conversation, I discovered that Ab's fourth grade teacher has set up a city government scenario in their classroom. Ab was explaining that the two police officers were taking names at school; when I became confused and asked if there were real police officers at her school she explained that two students were the police officers for the week . They have "Police Officers", a "City Manager" and a couple "Zoologists". Zoologist was Ab's latest role - she was charged with the responsibility of feeding Angus - the class hamster.

I asked if they had a Public Works program to take care of maintenance and the like and she said, "sure, but we call them 'domestic engineers'".

With this, AA seized control of the floor - "Hey I do that sometimes!" he broke in "I clean up around the tables after lunch and I tell them I am a Comestic Engineer" .

My son shares my thirst for attention and takes every opportunity to get a laugh. Sometimes his vocabulary is not entirely accurate and he may stray slightly from the truth.

So I asked if he really said that and he said, no he just helped out sometimes.

The procedural process of our conversation seemed to keep them at the table longer and I enjoyed hearing about school and the things that make up their day.

After dinner, Ab hurried off for a shower and it was time for AA and I to complete a portion of his projects for his "Tiger Cub" badge in the Cub Scouts. The project involved performing some sort of job together. So I suggested we clean up the kitchen.

It took quite awhile and required my constant persuasion to keep him on the job but finally we stood back and surveyed with satisfaction the completed work before us. I encouraged him to just soak in the satisfaction of doing a good job.

...yes Sir, we were a couple of comestic engineers.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Images of the Dunkirk

As you will read, the Miracle at Dunkirk came as a result of the declaration of a day of prayer.

Unfiltered

This morning I heard a sermon that included the story of Dunkirk again and how about half a million British troops found themselves pinned down there back in 1940.

Hitler's army was on the move and the Brits had been driven to the sea. Someone called for a day of prayer, on May 26, 1940. For some strange reason, about that time Hitler's army stalled. They didn't move in for the kill.

If you remember WWII history, you know that the people of Europe pulled off one of the most amazing evacuations in history. Utilizing every available vessel, they crossed the channel and picked up troops until all were delivered.

That's an amazing story.

As I was listening, it dawned on me, that throughout the Bible we have stories of God intervening miraculously to turn battles to the favor of His people. For Moses, he washed out the entire Egyptian army in the Red Sea. He finished off another army with hailstones on behalf on Joshua.

There are stories of troops turning on their comrades, being frightened by mysterious sounds or events, and in one case an angel just slew (I like that O.T. word!) 185,000 warriors in one night.

Today, and even throughout a great deal of our nation's history, we don't hear a lot of that.

Is God no longer working?

I think instead, that it is only in the Bible that we truly get unfiltered history. That's the only place we get the real story.

The Revolutionary War came on the heels of - and probably as a result of - the Great Awakening in the United States. There are numerous stories of miraculous intervention that can only be explained in the light of the fact that Sovereign God was watching over His people. I remember one story of how the British troops had the Continental army in a bad spot and they hesitated. As they waited, a fog moved in and stayed long enough for Washington to evacuate his troops.

I bet there are numerous stories today from the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. . . for some reason we are not hearing them.

I know that God is at work in the world. He is available and willing to move in miraculous ways on desperate situations - even when the enemy is pressing in and the sea is lapping at our heels.

After we heard that sermon, R. mentioned to me that she thought our nation was in one of those "Dunkirk" moments.

I guess it would be expecting too much for some person in a place of high authority to suggest that we have a Day of Prayer for our nation. I am hearing prayer strongly urged from a number of directions - blogs, emails, pulpits, passing conversations... "we need to pray" they say.

Let's do.

And then let's trust in the fact that though we may not get the complete, unfiltered story of God's intervention any time soon, we can trust in the fact that He will hear and He will move on behalf of prayers uttered by His people.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

In Selecting Leaders

On the occasion of my 100th post, I have looked back a little over recent weeks and found that much of my writing has been devoted to all things political.


Politics are something of a hobby for me and frankly I have felt angry and frustrated - I have spent a lot of that frustration on this blog.


Today, I will stay near that same stream of thinking, only I hope to give you something that's constructive and instructive and less about Obama, McCain etc.


In the book of Nehemiah in the Old Testament, there is a chapter that speaks to some leadership issues (actually Nehemiah is a book filled with leadership concepts - I highly recommend it).


In chapter 5, Nehemiah has to deal with some conflicts and I think it would be very helpful for us to consider his example of leadership. This is especially true as we near the time that we, in America will be selecting political leadership.


First, let's stop a moment and think about the wonderful and unique privilege we have in this country of selecting who will rule over us. The power of the vote is a sacred honor and a blessed duty. We should not deem it lightly and we should guard it's integrity with a fierce vigilance.


In case you are not familiar with the story of Nehemiah, I will try to give you a quick synopsis. Nehemiah was a cup-bearer for King Artexerxes. Nehemiah was a Jew who, along with almost his entire nation, had been taken away from his country and was in exile in a strange land. Meanwhile, his entire nation had been destroyed, including the city of Jerusalem which had been burned and lay in rubble.


When Israel fell, a small remnant of Jews had been left behind in the land, but most all of the people had been marched away in chains.


Years before Nehemiah's story, Ezra had been allowed to take an expedition back into Jerusalem to work on rebuilding the temple; Nehemiah was led of God to take on the mission to rebuild the walls of the city. They worked together, rebuilt the walls and Nehemiah became the governor.


In his capacity as governor, a problem arose.

Because of taxes and other financial burdens, many of the poorer people had fallen into financial straits and now there was a famine. Here is how the Bible lays out the situation:


They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.”
Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.”
And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.”
Nehemiah 5:2-5 NLT



Wow, that sounds familiar - mortgage problems, high taxes, people having to borrow.... well, the real problem here was that it was the Nobles and the Rulers of their own tribes that the people were indebted to.


When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. [verse 6]


Yeah, so Nehemiah was angry at this injustice.

Nehemiah's leadership model can be boiled down to one statement: Fear God.

The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom [Psalm 111:10], it is "clean" [Psalm 19:9], it involves listening to and learning from God[Psalm 25:14], and it involves relying on Him [Psalm 33:18]. Nehemiah lived by this standard and he expected if from others in authority under him.

So he addressed the injustice - publicly. The nobles and rulers were speechless.

Nehemiah reminded them that those that they were oppressing were there "brothers".

He reminded them that our relationship with God is reflected in and affected by the way we view others and the way we treat them. The fear of God and mistreatment of others cannot abide together.

God is concerned with and involved in our actions and attitudes toward others - when Joseph was tempted by his bosses' wife, he said "how can I do this great wickedness against God!" [Genesis 39]; when Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, He said, "why are you persecuting Me?" - Saul wasn't directly persecuting Jesus, he was persecuting His church and Jesus took it personal.

So leaders who fear God will be moved to correct injustices and properly prioritize attitudes; Correct God relationship = Correct people relationships.

After Nehemiah straightened out that issue, he gave account of his own administration and again we see the fear of God as central in all his actions.

He displayed a willingness to sacrifice and to endure the same struggles as those that were following him.

General Washington did that during the War of Independence, in fact it was very likely that he truly won the hearts of his men when he stayed with them during that first winter at Valley Forge. It was acceptable and even expected for Generals to quarter in town or to go home during the winter months, instead, Washington endured the same hardships as his men.


Nehemiah displayed that same spirit of sacrifice as evidenced by the latter part of chapter 5 in which he talks about how other Governors before him had required bread, wine and silver from the people; he did not. This was despite the fact that he had a large staff to feed as well as visitors.

He even got his hands dirty, working on repairing the wall alongside the people and he required his officials to do the same.

This allowed him to be acquainted with the burdens the people carried. He even eluded to that at the end of verse 18:

Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden.

A leader that fears God will be acquainted with the burdens of the people he is leading.
As we pray earnestly about the leaders we will be selecting in just over two weeks - let's pray that God will allow us to choose a leader that fears God.

Likewise when we serve under the leadership of others in ministry, in our vocation, and in other areas of our lives.

Finally, when we have the opportunity to lead, whether it be in a major role before many people or in the case of parenting - a role that is no less "major" but involves fewer followers - let's take on that role with vigor and display the fear of God in all we do.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Joe, the Plumber for President!

Well we've all heard of him by now.... the guy who pointed out that the emperor had no clothes when he asked Obama why he wanted to raise his taxes.

Obama replied that he wasn't trying to punish him... he just wanted to "spread the wealth around" - thus displaying the candidate's abysmal ignorance of the fact that we already have a system that does that! It's the capitalistic free-market economy. You know, the one our current president and congress are busy trying to dismantle even as we speak.

Our present system says - if you want to earn what Joe, the plumber is earning ... you have to be willing to pay the price that Joe, the plumber paid. This likely includes getting phone calls in the middle of cold nights when someone's kitchen suddenly got flooded; or scrounging around in the dark under some stranger's toilet. For anyone that is willing to work hard and pay the price - this system will reward you!

On the other hand, Mr. Barak's "robin hood" approach is more of creating and rewarding victims who have been told all their life that they don't have a chance in this society. When they buy into this destructive and wicked untruth, they began to feel that they deserve to take some of Joe, the plumber's income.

Yesterday, Joe, the plumber, held a press conference in which he discussed current issues facing our nation including a very sound and reasonable defense of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It made more sense than anything I have heard from either candidate (excluding Sarah Palin - who also makes sense).

That's why I have not been able to watch the debates - it's just circular conversations. I tuned in to about 45 seconds of the debate earlier this week. It was just long enough to hear Obama talk about how he had "crossed the aisle" and voted for school choice (?) and how he had NOT voted to raise taxes on people earning $42,000.00 a year. McCain's rebuttal was to recount (for the umpteenth time) how he had "crossed the aisle" and stabbed his party in the back (well I sorta' paraphrased that part) numerous times.

The fact is, these guys load up every bill with so many goofy things that for every bill that does one good thing, there are maybe a hundred goofy things attached to it. So I at any time, they can claim to have voted for something or they can be accused of voting against something.

They are so busy running back and forth across the aisles in the Senate that they have forgotten that there is a world outside of the capitol. A world of folks just going to work everyday, doing their jobs - trying to jump through all the hoops those Senators keep throwing at us!

They should be ashamed.
And somebody better start talking some common sense about what we care about.

Joe, the plumber articulated fairly accurately what is important to me.
Maybe it's time for a write-in campaign.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Johnny Carson #20

Okay, so I probably have more important things to do.
I tried to watch the debate but couldn't get through one question. I got a lot more fun out of this exchange.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Seeing Through

I read a little bit of a Thomas Sowell article today as he discussed American politics of the past and how the "negative ads" we see today are nothing to compare to the names that Lincoln endured and the innuendo that surrounded the Grover Cleveland campaign.

Times haven't changed all that much in some ways.

This morning in my thinking/praying space on the way to work, I started thinking about a political campaign that occurred several thousand years ago... even then, people were not much different.

A good looking, charismatic guy had his eye on the throne - okay so it wasn't in a Representative Republic like our nation- it was a kingdom. He had his eye on the throne and unfortunately for him, his father occupied that seat.

The "guy" was Absalom - he of the ravishing, curly locks - and his father was none other than king David.

In spite of all the things he did right, and the fact that his heart adhered faithfully to God's, David had some flaws. That's why I like him. It's also why I find common ground with him so often.
David led the nation of Israel like a flock, but he just couldn't lead very well at home it seems.

Intrigue, conspiracy, rape, murder, larceny, ruthless ambition all of these could be found in the household of David.

Now his estranged son, Absalom has come back into town. Yet he can only communicate with his father through his father's general, Joab - and that only after using intimidation tactics to get Joab's attention.

So Absalom takes up politics.

Listen to this...

After this, Absalom bought a chariot and horses, and he hired fifty bodyguards to run ahead of him. He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city. When people brought a case to the king for judgment, Absalom would ask where in Israel they were from, and they would tell him their tribe.

Then Absalom would say, “You’ve really got a strong case here! It’s too bad the king doesn’t have anyone to hear it.
I wish I were the judge. Then everyone could bring their cases to me for judgment, and I would give them justice!”
When people tried to bow before him, Absalom wouldn’t let them. Instead, he took them by the hand and kissed them. Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.


2 Samuel 15:1-6 NLT

Now I ask you.... can't you see right through him?

Just because a lot of people seem to be buying his soft soap; and just because he is telling folks what they want to hear... vulnerable folks...downtrodden people ... people always feeling like they are victims ... telling them that yes they have been put upon by the "haves". . . you know better don't you?

Don't you see what he's up to?

Of course you do.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Opportunity Knocking


Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore--
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door."
'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door--Only this and nothing more."
Edgar Allen Poe, "The Raven"

A knock at the door can be a startling thing. It can arouse fears and concerns or it can excite us.

Some visitors will not bother to knock - they'll just barge right in.

Looking at things from a spiritual perspective, Christians have an enemy sworn to their destruction and that enemy will seldom knock... in fact he -at times - comes in "like a flood". At other times he "crouches outside the door" waiting to pounce.

Jesus on the other hand, will always knock and wait for an invitation to enter (see Revelation 3:20). He's like opportunity. Sometimes, He just quietly knocks and waits.

Sometimes when opportunity comes to our door, He doesn't come in a form that we expected and so we fail to open the door.

A case in point is the story of Joshua and the army of Israel in Joshua 11. This army was going about doing what God had destined them to do - take the land that God promised to them.

They had defeated the entire southern region. Then in chapter 11 a large number of kings from diverse directions all decided to join forces and attack Joshua and his army. These kings were well equipped - they had all the "high tech" weapons of the day... horses and chariots. Israel did not.

They came from the east, west and north.

If I were Joshua, I would have been more than a little taken aback by the prospects.

But apparently he talked it over with God (good idea, Josh), and God essentially told him that opportunity was knocking. . .

The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel, slain. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots." Joshua 11:6 NIV

...and Joshua answered the door....

So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Israel. Joshua 11:7-8a NIV

Joshua seized the opportunity and his army defeated all of those kings that came before him.

When opportunity comes our way we sometimes fail to open the door. One reason may be that we are too distracted to hear the knocking. In Acts 12 you can read the story about people so distracted by their involvement in doing the right thing - that is, praying for Peter to be delivered from prison and certain death at the hands of King Herod - that they nearly missed the fact that God had already answered their prayers! The "answer" was standing out in the street, continually knocking at the door of the gate to the house where they were praying.

We can really get caught up in things - things that are very important -even righteous... and they can distract us from the opportunity that is just quietly standing on the front porch, knocking.

Fear will also keep us from opening the door to opportunity.

Sometimes, opportunity will just give up and go away, because we were cowering behind the door. We heard the knock but were fearful to open it, so we hid . . fearful that our breathing might be loud enough for him to hear. . . relieved when he walked away.

Some people will gladly open the door to opportunity because they recognize the caller.... Jesus said "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (John 10:27NIV) they recognize that Jesus is there and He has some opportunity for them.

Picture Abraham, sitting in his tent door on a still, hot day... on the horizon he sees three figures walking in his direction. He knows that God is there in that trio.


And he bolts out of the door... not fearful of the Visitors, not too distracted to realize Their approach. He bolts out the door and runs to Them!

I think that is how God wants us to treat opportunity... bounding toward it!

Now, we are seeing some ominous times these days. Rumblings from Russia, Iran, maybe North Korea and China.... the diving stock market ... a lack of leadership from Washington ... potential leaders not acting in ways that instill a lot of confidence.

All of this looks like everything but opportunity knocking. But remember Joshua's story, how the opportunity for conquest came in the form of a very ominous and threatening atmosphere.

And in our day-to-day lives, when we feel that someone has painted a target on our back ... stop and listen closely ....

You might hear someone knocking. . .

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Advice for Troubled Times


I have heard and seen much advice being bandied about over the past week or so.

I guess I will throw in a portion of my two-cent's worth here:

What do you do when dark, ominous clouds suddenly fill the skies above you? When things suddenly take a turn for the worse?

Well, I suppose that the number one advice you will get from most Christians is "just pray". And that is sound advice - and advice that should be followed first and above all others. Why? Well because if we first consult God about an issue, then we can see more clearly - and sometimes from His perspective- the issues we are actually dealing with.

It is amazing how that, after a season of prayer, things can look so much different, and God's creativity kicks in as ideas just start clicking.
Add to prayer, a search for answers or comfort in the Bible as well. When the Word really began to become relevant to me, was during the troubling times of my mid to late teen years.

I can remember even today soaking in words that corrected or comforted me during those times.

Now after that deep spiritual advice, let me tell you what I remembered this week: old movies.

Now anyone that knows me and my deep regard for all things black-and-white will see this as a shameless attempt at trying to wrest more converts into my primitive way of thinking. And that may be true, but old movies are truly a sound recipe for adjusting your outlook.

Now not just any old movie will do. But you are always safe with a movie directed by Frank Capra. Capra felt that God had given him the glorious privilege of being able to "talk to large groups of people in a dark room" all at one time. And he took that challenge serious. It is why his movies often focus on the triumph of the human spirit, the founding principles of America, and the wonder of people in community.

This week, amid the huge flushing sounds emitting from the direction of Wall Street, R. and I ordered up You Can't Take it With You. This movie distinctly addresses the problem of misplaced priorities. Jimmy Stewart is something of a misfit in his snooty family of bankers, he falls in love with Jean Arthur who lives among a happy band of eccentrics. Lionel Barrymore plays the leader of that bunch - "Grandpa".

The legend was told that one day as Grandpa went up the elevator to his office he suddenly realized he wasn't having any fun. He turned around, went back down the elevator and never returned. Since that time, his home became a boarding house of sorts for people to do the things they like, things that make them happy.

Each night, the occupants of the home, visitors, old friends and whoever happened along gathered around a table to dine. And Grandpa prayed in a very conversational tone, to God Who seems to be more like a kindly Friend than a Deity. I wanted to provide you with a clip but couldn't find it. Instead I did get an audio clip of one of Grandpa's Prayers. (Spoiler Warning!) He kind of sums up the whole movie in this prayer - but it really doesn't matter with old movies, you can enjoy them over and over.

Another timely Capra movie is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington - this one was not received well when it debuted in Washington, D.C. - I wonder why!? Anyway this one reminds me that things haven't changed much in the political realm.

These movies always leave me feeling good - usually after having secretly brushed away a tear of two - because they end with hope and usually with a bunch of people all coming together to give a hand up to someone in need.

My last post referenced Job. The end of the book that bears his name in the Scripture, is like a Frank Capra movie. Job has learned what God had for him to learn and he has prayed for his miserable "comforters", and suddenly relatives and friends emerge on the scene. They bring gifts to help this broken man. And he ends up with twice what he started out with.

Those kind of stories are good. We need to fill our minds with them - especially when times are troubled. You Can't Take it With You came out in 1938 - when the real depression was going on. This was the kind of entertainment people turned to in those times I think they would provide a proper distraction for us now, as well.

So there's my advice: Pray, Read the Bible, and go out and get some old movies for your family to watch.

Philippians 4:8 NLT And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Of Crashes and Crushes

Old man Job probably had things just about like he wanted them on the day the crash came.

Most people considered him to be in an enviable position: prosperous, respected in the community, good church-going man, his kids adored him, his wife even thought right smart of him.

And then the crash came.

Blow by blow ... servant after servant each came with a message of heart-rending loss. And when it finally stopped - only because there just wasn't anything much left to be taken away - Job just sat himself down in a pile of ashes.

Fitting.

Why would God let that happen to a man that appeared to be so righteous - a man who seemed to want to please God at every turn.

That was the same question Job's three friends were contemplating as they came to "comfort" him.

We don't understand crashes, even today. But God was in it. At the very least, we who have the benefit of God's perspective know that this was bigger than Job and his stuff and his family. This showdown originated in the heavenlies and the proportions were eternal.

Have you ever had one of those days ... or weeks ... years ... when things just seemed to crash down on you in a rapid fire manner?

Lately, I have been reading about a similar rapid-fire attack that comes from a completely different Bible story.

I used to take on Bible reading as if the Bible were something I should conquer. You know - "I'll get through this if it kills me!"

But a closing comment in a High School Sunday School class, led by the Pastor's wife - who, incidentally, wasn't particularly hip - changed my perspective. She told that little group that it wasn't important how much we read in the Word. She said we should just try to read a verse a day - but "get something out of it".

That was very freeing to me.

I began with that minimalist approach and soon found that I was adding more verses and eventually chapters to my daily reading -not because I felt under obligation but because it became interesting.

Now some thirty years later, that approach still works. A little while back, I decided to embark on a campaign to read the Bible through but to do it very s-l-o-w-l-y. It has been very interesting. And I have learned that the Bible is not a document that one can conquer or master... it's effect is Spirit-driven. So a verse can say one thing to me one day, and on another day yet another point from the same verse will jump out at me. Never can we get to the point of having learned it all.

This slow approach is also why after nearly two years, I am just up to the book of Joshua.

In that book about the Israelites conquering the Promised Land at long last, I have learned some interesting things.

Shortly after a couple of impressive victories, the people that inhabited the land that was Promised to Israel became concerned. One little country, Gibeon, pulled a ruse on the Israelites. They sent ambassadors into the camp, pretending to have traveled from very, very far away. They convinced Joshua and the leaders - and soon a covenant deal was struck. Israel would come to their aid if they were ever attacked.

Some days later, the game was revealed but it was too late - a deal's a deal.

So the country of Gibeon was no longer one that Israel could conquer. Joshua had to honor his word.

The Bible is explicit in pointing out that Joshua did not consult God on this matter. That's why he got into trouble.

Now, several other kings got together and decided the best defense might be a good offense; so they attacked Gibeon in order to draw Israel into a battle.

If I were Joshua, I would be beating myself up at that point. He hadn't consulted with God, and that resulted in loss of opportunity and now in having to defend a country that just tricked him. Now he faced a crushing blow from a multi-national force.

But God spoke to him and told that no one would be able to stand before him.

So he mustered his army and they performed an all night forced march to Gibeon. At first light, they surprised the enemy.

The battle ensued and the Israelites did pretty good on their own, but then God got involved and provided a murderous hail-storm to wipe out even more of the enemy. What's more, when Joshua found himself running short of daylight, he took the occasion of God's promise to him, to command the sun to sit still for awhile until he could finish the job.

It did, and he did.

In rapid-fire style, one army after another came after Joshua in a matter of just a few days - all of this stemming from that allegiance Joshua had made with Gibeon. The crush was on.

Finally, the fighting stopped.

As the dust settled, Joshua and his army looked around to realize that they had conquered the entire southern portion of the Promised Land.

All in just a matter of days, and all in spite of the fact that Joshua and the leaders had acted foolishly.

Now I can see a multitude of applications for this lesson:
Of course, there is the national financial crisis in which we now find ourselves after our leaders have been deceived and acted foolishly.

But beyond that. . . what about in your daily life. . . when Mondays arrive and it seems everyone has been just waiting throughout the weekend for an opportunity to pounce on you.

Maybe you are in a financial dilemma and all of a sudden everyone you owe decided to call you on the same day.

Maybe your marriage is shaky, and you wonder how many more attacks it can withstand before somebody takes off.

Even if you are in one of these situations or something worse and even if it is a problem of your own making, God is able to weave your foolish actions into His -story for you.

There are things going on - big things - things of eternal proportions. Some days we just have to keep battling all day long and then some.

But if you are able to line up with God's plan, rest assured that when the dust settles He will have brought you a long ways.

If you want to read these stories you will find them in the Bible - Job, chapter one and Joshua, chapters 7-10.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

What Now?

Believe me, I am planning to put this "Bail Out" issue to rest very soon. I do not like the fact that it has made me a little bitter. I am really praying about my own attitude.


Then again, Edmond Burkes' quote popped up one day this week on my Franklin Planner -"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing". So perhaps all this ranting is my way of chiseling away some particles of evil.


If you are one of the handful of people (okay maybe "handful" is exaggerating a bit)... if you are a person that stops by this blog from time to time, and you are wearied by all this concentration on the same issue, please know that I hope to throw in some variety soon. I read back over my Inaugural Blog a few minutes ago to see if I am sticking to the original principles; I am close.


I have a real need to focus on some light out there - something good that I can anticipate. That's part of my make-up. If I have an event that I am looking forward to somewhere out there in the future, it can change my whole outlook. On the other hand, if there is a negative or foreboding issue out there (like say, having to work on a Saturday), it can put a damper on the entire preceding week.


So in viewing this Bail Out our U.S. Congress has just perpetrated on us, I need to find something positive or some possibility of fighting back. That will - I hope - give me a "mind to work". In his response to one of my emails, my Senator said that when facing this the "most serious and critical domestic issue" he had dealt with in his 14 years in congress, he had two choices - to do nothing or to take action.


So he took action. Unfortunately, he forgot to mention that the action he would take was both foolish and harmful to our nation.


I guess I could look forward those tax credits for bicycling to work; Or the assistance to homeowners if we decide to purchase a new "top-loading washer"; all of which were included in the Bail Out.

'Good thing they got that passed before the weekend! I hate imagine what life in these United States would have been like next week if those earth-shattering innovations were not added!

No wonder the stock market made such a dramatic comeback at the news of this monumental action by congress.... what? the market didn't comeback?

What's that you say? The market fell below the low it hit earlier this week after the House made their stand against this legislation?

At that time - analysts told us it was the market's reaction to the House failure ... now they tell us Friday's response was just a reaction to the overall economy - not the House passage of the Bail Out. Hmmm.

Well, let's just see what we can begin working toward... how can We, the People respond?

I don't want to sound overly radical - but this latest action is tyranny. Our forefathers thought it was reasonable to respond to tyranny with action. They eventually took up arms against tyranny. I am not suggesting that.

I do think that a strong reaction is merited and if we care about the freedoms Mr. President signed away yesterday, we will not let this go.

At the very least, no person in congress facing re-election, that voted for this bill should have the opportunity to return next year.

I don't take that statement lightly - my Senator is a Republican and up until the latter part of this year, he has performed his service fairly honorably. But with regard to the Bail Out, I believe he has been duped and unless he has the judgment to realize it, I do not think he should be rewarded with something as valuable as my vote.

That raises a further problem. The Republicans, having decided that they really don't want to be associated with the all that Reagan stuff: lower taxes, entrepreneurial freedom, limited government, right to life, less regulation, judicial prudence. The Democrat party wrote off those issues 30 years ago, now the Republican elites are trying to do the same.

Mr. McCain - our party leader - keeps walking all over me to get across the aisle and compromise with someone over there.

So therefore the Republicans have no plan in place to exploit this HUGE opportunity that has been handed to them. A "Newt Gingrich-Style" Contract with America would be so timely now!
Just a few clearly communicated principles that we will fight for - no matter what! Mr. McCain knows how to fight - he knows how to win - we need him in the ring! Pointing out the corruption and taking on the perpetrators; and we need him to quit slugging the guys in his own corner while buddying up to his opponent's trainer. . . Al Gore indeed!

Unfortunately, there is no clear simply-stated agenda. And no leadership.

So if I cast my vote for some write-in or some third party candidate (because I won't be voting democrat), the situation could worsen.

Let me tell you about one time when I think I did the right thing as a parent (I hope there are many more but I am never sure). When Ab was a toddler, maybe three, she had begun rebelling a little - testing Mom and Dad. One day she and I went to the store, on the way in she began pulling away, something was not quite to her liking and she was letting me know. I warned her once that if she continued we would not go in to Kmart. She continued. I picked her up, turned us around and we went home.

I don't remember why we were going there, but I am pretty sure that I needed to go to Kmart for something. So I lost out on that opportunity. However, the gain was that I never have had to do that with her since.

If this election goes poorly and conservatives tank. I have to hope that it is so that the lessons will be learned and we will rise above the mire of indecision and mushy leadership of today.


This legislation is literally an assault on the basic freedoms of our nation... we cannot let that go without comment.
To the few who had the courage to stand against this assault - thank you!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Reagan's Nashua Moment

I will stray a moment from the Bail Out issue. I watched a little of the Biden - Palin debate tonight. I just haven't been able to get up for the McCain -Obama outings yet. Sarah Palin is the only likeable person on either ticket.
Today, I thought of this memorable moment in Presidential Debate History. Our nation dearly needs the likes of this man at our helm again.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Showdown at the House

I really hope to leave this subject soon but honestly it has consumed my thoughts. I really believe that we are giving up some fundamental tenets of our economy - not to mention our freedom.

I am upset with the Senate and in particular the delegation in my state. They both hail from the party of limited government but they are willing to cast it all aside when someone cries "wolf"!

Principles are what you hold onto in spite of the dire predictions and the apocolyptic cries.

I'll tell you, if I lived in a coastal town and there was a ship in the harbor full of congressional earmarks - this morning I could have been easily tempted to dress up like a Native-American (Indian) and dumped those "give-aways" that I am paying for, into the sea.

But I have settled down a bit now. Possibly because some time today, I took the time to scribble down some of my angst and have included those thoughts in the following letter which I emailed to the two Senators in my state. I also copied it to my Representative in the House - who made a courageous stand earlier this week (I am hoping for a repeat performance tomorrow).

Here is the letter - if you can salvage anything useful from it feel free to include it in your own letter to your Representative:

"Taxation without representation is tyranny"

I believe that our nation is back to this point.

Your willingness, along with a majority of your colleagues, to saddle the taxpayers of this country with this huge debt while at the same time federalizing a large portion of our economy is chilling. I believe it rises to the level of tyranny.

The early fathers of this nation felt that tyranny was reason enough to revolt.

They left succeeding generations the power to do the same. Today we revolt through the ballot.
I appreciate that the bill you voted to enact is better than earlier proposals; but too easily many Senate Republicans settled for "pretty good" - when you should have held out for the "best".
Let me point out a few of the areas with which I take issue with this bill and the handling of this entire "crisis":


- At my last review, the bill was 450+ pages long. I do not believe that a bill that large could have been properly read or digested in the two to three days it has existed. I do not believe anyone could have made a proper assessment in that short time. And I know it cannot be properly explained.

-The changes that have been made since the original proposal might have reduced some of the graft; and perhaps some of the wise counsel regarding tax breaks and mark to market accounting has been heeded - but the cost didn't change. It is still a $700 BILLION proposal. Where is the progress in that?

- It is the taxpayers - those that play by the rules - those that saved their money and prepared before entering mortgage agreements, that will fund this bill. The bill rewards those who borrowed foolishly; it rewards those who loaned without discretion, and rewards those lawmakers who profited by "looking the other way" rather than providing proper oversight.

- And no one has truly addressed the "why". Wise counselors advise debt-troubled people against consolidation loans until they have first corrected the lifestyle issues that got them into their mess in the first place. This bill is an attempt to throw money at a problem in order to avoid getting to the root cause.

I am thoroughly disappointed in the passage of this bill. I would like to point out that the doomsayers have been setting deadlines since last Friday and still the major calamity has not hit. Perhaps it will if we fail to act; but taking foolish action will only compound the problem and postpone the inevitable.

I am saddened that so few would see opportunity in this mess. I am disheartened that the party that once stood for principled leadership and limited government has so little to say anymore.
Earlier this year, I had set all my hopes for the future of conservatism on the House and Senate. I was prepared to even vote third party or not at all in the Presidential race. I had given up on that one.


I had hopes that our current Republican legislators would form a loyal opposition and inspire others to follow.

This action in the Senate and the inability to look for answers outside of the typical government model has demonstrated an unwillingness to take a stand.

It was not the right thing to do.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

No One to the Rescue

I stared off into the horizon. . . waiting . . . hoping . . .
but the cavalry never came.

I think John Ford's 1939 movie, Stagecoach, was the first to feature this recurring phenomenon in the movies:

Everything seems hopeless, the last bullets have been spent and the bad guys are moving in for the kill.
Just then a distant bugle sounds.
And a dark force brims the horizon as the cavalry thunders on the scene...just in time.

The ancient writers had something akin to the cavalry's last moment rescue. It was called deus ex machina - it means "god from a machine". Apparently in the old stories or plays, some god would swoop down and save the day (this may be the most significant thing I learned in my Literature class at Floyd Junior College).

Tonight I had some hope - though very minute - that the "cavalry" would rush in as the Senate voted to adopt the Bail Out plan.

I knew it was not likely that someone would have a spine - after all this is the U.S. Senate where it matters not whether you win or lose (unless your a democrat) - it ONLY matters that you get along.
Apparently some changes were made... Obama's buddies with ACORN lost their payoff and organized labor may have been left out, but ultimately the price tag didn't change...$700 Billion.

It bothers me when both presidential candidates, the current president and three quarters of the Senate can ALL be in favor of the same thing.

Who is left to oppose it? ....Oh yeah, all of US - the folks that work and try to follow the rules.
Well, I guess we don't have a lot of representation up there in the Upper House of Congress.

There were a few... 25 that voted "No". Sadly 9 of them likely voted "no" because the Senate's version of this bill contained some tax cuts.

I heard a suggestion a day or so ago that shocked my senses in a way. Dave Ramsey was suggesting that first and foremost - we pray for these people in congress. And that we pray for them to overcome fear. And do you know - he was absolutely right! I have prayed about the situation but not specifically for the folks trying to do something with this problem.

So I sent the two Senators from my state yet another email and told them I was praying for them to overcome fear and to have the courage to make the stand necessary to protect the fundamental of our economy and our constitution.

I am sad to say that neither voted "no".

Dave Ramsey was offering some real good solutions, that didn't cost anywhere near the $700 Billion. My friend at Great Life... posted a very conclusive note yesterday with some great links to Ramsey's "Common Sense Fix" and other articles, find it here.

Nearly everyone that can get near a microphone seems to be saying "we have to do something!!!" but deep down in my heart, I just know that we could get through this without
congress.

I believe it would be hard medicine but I think we would get through it and be better for it.
Unless the House will pull off another last minute deus ex machina congress and this President are going to rob us of that opportunity -yet again.

This bunch has proven that they are willing to sell the soul of this nation if they can just keep their office for another term.
America is waiting... watching the horizon ... hoping for the cavalry to come, this time we are just waiting for a voice of reason and leadership to sound out above the din. Someone to articulate what most of us are thinking and then stand true to the principles that have served this country well.

Who knows, it could even be a woman's voice...