Success does best when people are free. And freedom comes from self-reliance and personal responsibility. And in America, basic freedoms are expressed in the Constitution. To keep your freedoms, you must first know what they are.
It always amazes me how many Americans have never read the Constitution. Especially when they turn right around and make like they are experts on it, by virtue of hearing what others say. Perhaps the most blatant example of constitutional ignorance revolves around the First Amendment.
And I am growing weary of people who have never read the document saying that it includes "separation of church and state." It does not. In fact, that is nowhere to be found in any of our founding documents. The phrase comes from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to a church in Connecticut. And Jefferson was not even one of the people who drafted the Constitution.
What is most annoying are those who also believe "separation of church and state" means that religions - or even religious people - have no right to get involved in government or politics, as if freedom of speech and choice do not exist for Christians.
The First Amendment reads as follows:
Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Ratified 12/15/1791.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Does anyone see "separation of church and state" in that? Or even an IMPLIED separation? No. It simply says that Congress may not establish a state religion, and may not interfere with any citizen's choice or free practice of his or her religion. In other words, the government is to stay out of the religion business. But NOWHERE does it state, nor does it imply, that RELIGIOUS PEOPLE cannot affect government. On the contrary, this human right states that, in the free, unrestricted practice of religion we may affect government. Because the government may not interfere in our religious beliefs. And in most religions, the followers are obligated to SPREAD the word, and try to convert others. It is an essential tenet of religions, as it is the only way a religion can proliferate.
While the First Amendment may, indeed, effectively create a wall, it is a one-way wall. The only party that is prohibited from crossing it is government. Nothing prohibits the people from crossing it.
Once again, in the simple terms of the Constitution, itself: Congress may not make any law that establishes a state religion, nor any law that interferes with the free, unfettered practice of religion by the people. In no place does it state that the people are restricted in any way.
In future blog entries, I will post individual parts of the Constitution and comment as I have here, in the hope that some folks who have never really understood our rights will finally get a clear understanding, and to recognize that every right also comes with responsibilities. Particularly, the responsibility to not ABUSE our rights.
/
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The 6,000 Year Fallacy
Many liberal atheists like to try and belittle conservative Christians by making the obviously absurd claim that conservative Christians believe the Earth is only 6,000 years old. In making that claim, they hope to win support against Christianity and Creationism.
So let us take a brief look at their "claim".
Although there may have been earlier attempts, such as the Scopes trial, it was in 1976 that an atheist took it upon himself to find out the actual date that the "Bible" says the Earth was created. With a copy of the King James Bible in hand, he methodically added up all the years and "generations" mentioned in the Bible, beginning with Adam and ending with the birth of Jesus.
And, based on the King James version of the Bible, the time span from Adam to Jesus was roughly 4,000 years. Since then, 2,000 more years have passed.
And it was he - the liberal atheist with an agenda - who claimed that "Christians believe the Earth is only 6,000 years old." Bear in mind, it was not any Christian making that claim. It was an atheist. And his claim, as bogus as it is, is even more bogus in that he used tainted data to support it - the King James Bible.
Written in 1611, the King James Bible is a loose English translation of the ancient Hebrew texts known as the Scriptures. Inasmuch as it is a translation, there are many errors, and much is lost in translation, as is always the case. More to the point, King James had his own religious agenda - to make people fear God and God's omnipotence, as such fear of God tended to make it easier to rule the people.
With that in mind, it is easy to see why, when translating Genesis and the Creation, King James translated the word "yom" as DAY. With that single stroke of the pen, he made God ever more powerful. But the reality lies in the fact that "yom" is more closely translated as "time". And a "time" could be a day, month, year, eon - any period at all. Hence, by the actual scriptures, the Earth could have been created over six eons, or epochs. Billions of years.
In using an English translation that is incorrect, the atheist manufactured a phony "claim" and laid it at the door of all Christians, making it possible for him to state that, according to the Christian Bible, the Earth is only 6,000 years old. And since science has proved the Earth is more than 4 billion years old, the Bible, and therefore Christianity, are bogus.
And ever since then, liberal atheists all over the world use that same phony argument, based on phony data, to try and minimalize Christianity by saying we believe something that we do not believe. In other words, they are lying.
The fact that they are atheists goes a long way toward showing how ignorant they are. But throwing this bogus claim out there and presenting it as fact proves their ignorance beyond any doubt, regardless of whether or not Biblical Creation actually occured.
/
So let us take a brief look at their "claim".
Although there may have been earlier attempts, such as the Scopes trial, it was in 1976 that an atheist took it upon himself to find out the actual date that the "Bible" says the Earth was created. With a copy of the King James Bible in hand, he methodically added up all the years and "generations" mentioned in the Bible, beginning with Adam and ending with the birth of Jesus.
And, based on the King James version of the Bible, the time span from Adam to Jesus was roughly 4,000 years. Since then, 2,000 more years have passed.
And it was he - the liberal atheist with an agenda - who claimed that "Christians believe the Earth is only 6,000 years old." Bear in mind, it was not any Christian making that claim. It was an atheist. And his claim, as bogus as it is, is even more bogus in that he used tainted data to support it - the King James Bible.
Written in 1611, the King James Bible is a loose English translation of the ancient Hebrew texts known as the Scriptures. Inasmuch as it is a translation, there are many errors, and much is lost in translation, as is always the case. More to the point, King James had his own religious agenda - to make people fear God and God's omnipotence, as such fear of God tended to make it easier to rule the people.
With that in mind, it is easy to see why, when translating Genesis and the Creation, King James translated the word "yom" as DAY. With that single stroke of the pen, he made God ever more powerful. But the reality lies in the fact that "yom" is more closely translated as "time". And a "time" could be a day, month, year, eon - any period at all. Hence, by the actual scriptures, the Earth could have been created over six eons, or epochs. Billions of years.
In using an English translation that is incorrect, the atheist manufactured a phony "claim" and laid it at the door of all Christians, making it possible for him to state that, according to the Christian Bible, the Earth is only 6,000 years old. And since science has proved the Earth is more than 4 billion years old, the Bible, and therefore Christianity, are bogus.
And ever since then, liberal atheists all over the world use that same phony argument, based on phony data, to try and minimalize Christianity by saying we believe something that we do not believe. In other words, they are lying.
The fact that they are atheists goes a long way toward showing how ignorant they are. But throwing this bogus claim out there and presenting it as fact proves their ignorance beyond any doubt, regardless of whether or not Biblical Creation actually occured.
/
Success As A Nation
As a people and a nation, the best thing we could possibly do is put an end to ALL entitlements except in cases where an individual is somehow incapable, through no fault of his own, to care for himself. The key phrase is "through no fault of his own".
A free people can remain free only so long as they are self-reliant and responsible for their own choices. If a person never works, spends his life sitting on the couch watching Oprah while eating Ho-Ho's and doing crack, then suffers a heart attack at age 32, we should not have any legal or moral obligation to provide for his medical care. Personal responsibility.
The huge portion of all tax revenue is spent on entitlements, most of which are already bankrupt and hurting us all. Until 1933 when the ultra-liberal and (now documented) socialist FDR came into office, there were NO entitlements of any kind. None. Yet for 150 years, without entitlements America grew to be the strongest nation on Earth - even during the Great Depression.
Social Security? The government should require we save 10% of our income by mandatory action, but the money should not go to the government except in the form of Treasuries. Upon retirement, everyone would be wealthy. Meanwhile, instead of being blown on government pork, the money is actually invested where the nation actually becomes enriched, through Treasuries and corporate growth, which provides jobs.
Medicare? Only for children and others who are unable to care for themselves through no fault of their own. All others - take greater care with your health, because YOU will be the only one paying to maintain it. I should not have to pay to care for an over-eating, alcoholic heavy smoker that shoots heroin. Personal responsibility and self-reliance = freedom.
Welfare? Same thing. If you are hungry because you are too lazy or drug-addicted to earn your own way, too bad. It sucks to be you. But YOU can change that, or, better still, prevent it. One of nature's strongest incentives to action is HUNGER. If more people knew we would not care for them, they might be more prone to make better choices.
College grants? Only for those who meet two requirements: 1) they cannot afford college on their own AND 2) they choose a career that this nation needs more of, and agree by contract to work in that career for at least 10 years. We do not need more lawyers, so grants for law students would not be available. We do need better teachers, researchers and security personnel, so they would be eligible for college grants because it benefits us all.
Other grants? Only in cases where the grant is directly used to benefit the entire nation, and not just certain special interest groups. Grant to study Alzheimer's, yes. Grants to protect dead insects (there was a $253,000 grant for that in North Carolina), absolutely not. Grants for the Endowment for the Arts would have to prove that it would be used for the betterment of the nation, and not just a select group, such as individual artists.
I can tell you this with absolute certainty, and history backs this up: every nation that ever fell victim to entitlement spending (known as the "dole" system) has perished, or is in the process of perishing because of entitlements. The Roman Empire is the most notable - when the people discovered they did not have to work in order to be supported, they stopped working. With no one producing, there was nothing to give away, and the country fell into poverty and weakness, allowing barbarians to simply walk in and take over. The same is now happening in Greece today, and France is close behind.
And, thanks to the "government gone wild" here in America, we are quickly catching up to those losers. If something does not benefit us all, then all of us should not be paying for it. Educated kids benefit us all because they are the professionals, service people and workers that we will depend upon tomorrow. But drug-addicted criminals on welfare do not benefit anyone, so no one should be covering their butts with entitlements.
/
A free people can remain free only so long as they are self-reliant and responsible for their own choices. If a person never works, spends his life sitting on the couch watching Oprah while eating Ho-Ho's and doing crack, then suffers a heart attack at age 32, we should not have any legal or moral obligation to provide for his medical care. Personal responsibility.
The huge portion of all tax revenue is spent on entitlements, most of which are already bankrupt and hurting us all. Until 1933 when the ultra-liberal and (now documented) socialist FDR came into office, there were NO entitlements of any kind. None. Yet for 150 years, without entitlements America grew to be the strongest nation on Earth - even during the Great Depression.
Social Security? The government should require we save 10% of our income by mandatory action, but the money should not go to the government except in the form of Treasuries. Upon retirement, everyone would be wealthy. Meanwhile, instead of being blown on government pork, the money is actually invested where the nation actually becomes enriched, through Treasuries and corporate growth, which provides jobs.
Medicare? Only for children and others who are unable to care for themselves through no fault of their own. All others - take greater care with your health, because YOU will be the only one paying to maintain it. I should not have to pay to care for an over-eating, alcoholic heavy smoker that shoots heroin. Personal responsibility and self-reliance = freedom.
Welfare? Same thing. If you are hungry because you are too lazy or drug-addicted to earn your own way, too bad. It sucks to be you. But YOU can change that, or, better still, prevent it. One of nature's strongest incentives to action is HUNGER. If more people knew we would not care for them, they might be more prone to make better choices.
College grants? Only for those who meet two requirements: 1) they cannot afford college on their own AND 2) they choose a career that this nation needs more of, and agree by contract to work in that career for at least 10 years. We do not need more lawyers, so grants for law students would not be available. We do need better teachers, researchers and security personnel, so they would be eligible for college grants because it benefits us all.
Other grants? Only in cases where the grant is directly used to benefit the entire nation, and not just certain special interest groups. Grant to study Alzheimer's, yes. Grants to protect dead insects (there was a $253,000 grant for that in North Carolina), absolutely not. Grants for the Endowment for the Arts would have to prove that it would be used for the betterment of the nation, and not just a select group, such as individual artists.
I can tell you this with absolute certainty, and history backs this up: every nation that ever fell victim to entitlement spending (known as the "dole" system) has perished, or is in the process of perishing because of entitlements. The Roman Empire is the most notable - when the people discovered they did not have to work in order to be supported, they stopped working. With no one producing, there was nothing to give away, and the country fell into poverty and weakness, allowing barbarians to simply walk in and take over. The same is now happening in Greece today, and France is close behind.
And, thanks to the "government gone wild" here in America, we are quickly catching up to those losers. If something does not benefit us all, then all of us should not be paying for it. Educated kids benefit us all because they are the professionals, service people and workers that we will depend upon tomorrow. But drug-addicted criminals on welfare do not benefit anyone, so no one should be covering their butts with entitlements.
/
Friday, March 12, 2010
Never Ceases to Amaze
"WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama delayed next week's Asian trip on Friday to seize on suddenly improved prospects for his sweeping health care legislation, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi forecast final passage of the overhaul in days."It's going to be historic," she said as House and Senate leaders and the White House reached for final agreement on the measure."
[MY REPLY] Of course! You can do a lot of bribing, blackmailing and browbeating in a week...
In addition, "Pelosi said it appeared a second administration priority, far-reaching changes in the student loan industry, would be added to the legislation. The measure would have the government originate assistance to needy college students, ending a system that has allowed banks and other private lenders to do so at a fee."
[MY REPLY] Am I the only one wondering what the Hell college loans has to do with Health Care? It seems Pelosi is still trying to muddy up the waters to insure two things - 1) that the people she is bribing will sell her their vote (and sell out the people), and 2) that we, the people will not have any idea what's going on until it's too late.
I will state emphatically that if Pelosi, Reid and Obama were to use such tactics in business, they would all be in prison, because in the rest of this country, such acts are illegal.
/
[MY REPLY] Of course! You can do a lot of bribing, blackmailing and browbeating in a week...
In addition, "Pelosi said it appeared a second administration priority, far-reaching changes in the student loan industry, would be added to the legislation. The measure would have the government originate assistance to needy college students, ending a system that has allowed banks and other private lenders to do so at a fee."
[MY REPLY] Am I the only one wondering what the Hell college loans has to do with Health Care? It seems Pelosi is still trying to muddy up the waters to insure two things - 1) that the people she is bribing will sell her their vote (and sell out the people), and 2) that we, the people will not have any idea what's going on until it's too late.
I will state emphatically that if Pelosi, Reid and Obama were to use such tactics in business, they would all be in prison, because in the rest of this country, such acts are illegal.
/
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Census Snafu
First, I have a tidbit of info for you: the Obama administration has recently completed a GPS database of every address, every "front door" in America. QUESTION: Why do you suppose they would want or need that information? Think about it.
Today I received my "Official Census" form. On it, I answered ONLY the first question, sealed it in the return envelope along with a letter.
First, the reason I answer only the one question: it is the only census question the United States Constitution empowers the government to ask. And I am strongly opposed to any government collecting other personal and private information on its citizens - that is how Hitler tracked down the Jews in 1938. No government can be trusted with such information, partly because every government is corrupt to some degree, and partly because governments come and go - no government has ever lasted forever. So, where does all that info end up if America should one day fall?
Included with the census was my letter, as follows:
"According to Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States, "The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct." That is the ONLY power given the government concerning a census.
"It is clear that the census is for purposes of enumeration only, as it expessly states as much. Congress may change the MANNER (definition, "how something is done or how it happens; method") in which the census is conducted, but has no authority to change the census, itself, or require additional information from private citizens for which the Constitution has not given the federal government the authority to collect. In fact, the Constitution further states that any rights not explicitly granted in the Constitution to the government is reserved for the states and the people respectvely. Nowhere in the Constitution is the government granted any right to collect any information other than mere enumeration.
"Any 'law' passed that is contrary to the Constitution is not enforceable.
"For purposes of adequate enumeration, we have provide the number of residents at this address 'for purposes of enumeration', in the 'manner as the law shall direct' (via the US Mail).
"Please do NOT attempt to solicit more information about the residents at this address, as such information will not be provided. In the event you choose to pursue this, or in any manner attempt to invade our privacy, please be advised that if harrassed, I will not hesitate to bring legal action for violation of our Constitutional rights."
This brings us to the latest attempt at categorizing people and following their every move. Senators Schumer and Graham are petitioning the White House to initiate a "national I.D. card" that every resident would be required to carry. You would not be able to work without it. You would not be able to bank without it. You may not even be able to shop without it. The problem lies in the fact that these cards will include a microchip that has all your identifying information, including your DNA. Even without recalling Revelations about not being able to conduct business without "the mark of the Beast", imagine (if you can) how devastating it could be for that information to ever fall into the wrong hands. With everyone's DNA, how simple it would be to perpetrate ethnic cleansing. If Hitler had had access to such info, anyone who was not true Aryan would have joined the Jews in Auschwitz within the first 30 days of his reign.
Our government promises confidentiality (although census data is made public in 72 years). When the German government collected personal information on its citizens in the early '30's and promised it would be kept confidential, they never imagined that one day a man named Hitler would take power, gain access to that info, and use it to identify and murder millions of innocent people.
Someday, our government will fall. Every government does, eventually. When it does, any tyrant will be able to use that info to purge entire families, or even races from the face of the Earth. If your family history shows a "bad or undesireable gene", he could wipe out your entire family. If they have your DNA, it will be used to betray all future generations of your family, even a thousand years from now.
Can anyone say "Big Brother"? If you have never read "1984", you owe it to yourself and your family to do so.
Or, you could simply read Revelations...
If you really want to be "counted", stand up and be counted - fight back against government intrusion that violates our rights and freedoms as a free people. If you let the government threaten and bully you on the census, what else will you allow them to do to you? Or have you forgotten, the government is supposed to serve us, not vice versa.
Any people who fear their government are a people who live under tyranny. We fear the IRS. We fear the power that our government has stolen from us. We live in tryanny and do not even know it, because the government lets us THINK we are in charge. But are we? 72% of the people oppose the current health care bill, OR want to start over. Yet, Congress insists on pushing it through. So how can any sane and reasonable person make the argument that "We, the People" are in charge anymore?
/
Today I received my "Official Census" form. On it, I answered ONLY the first question, sealed it in the return envelope along with a letter.
First, the reason I answer only the one question: it is the only census question the United States Constitution empowers the government to ask. And I am strongly opposed to any government collecting other personal and private information on its citizens - that is how Hitler tracked down the Jews in 1938. No government can be trusted with such information, partly because every government is corrupt to some degree, and partly because governments come and go - no government has ever lasted forever. So, where does all that info end up if America should one day fall?
Included with the census was my letter, as follows:
"According to Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States, "The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct." That is the ONLY power given the government concerning a census.
"It is clear that the census is for purposes of enumeration only, as it expessly states as much. Congress may change the MANNER (definition, "how something is done or how it happens; method") in which the census is conducted, but has no authority to change the census, itself, or require additional information from private citizens for which the Constitution has not given the federal government the authority to collect. In fact, the Constitution further states that any rights not explicitly granted in the Constitution to the government is reserved for the states and the people respectvely. Nowhere in the Constitution is the government granted any right to collect any information other than mere enumeration.
"Any 'law' passed that is contrary to the Constitution is not enforceable.
"For purposes of adequate enumeration, we have provide the number of residents at this address 'for purposes of enumeration', in the 'manner as the law shall direct' (via the US Mail).
"Please do NOT attempt to solicit more information about the residents at this address, as such information will not be provided. In the event you choose to pursue this, or in any manner attempt to invade our privacy, please be advised that if harrassed, I will not hesitate to bring legal action for violation of our Constitutional rights."
This brings us to the latest attempt at categorizing people and following their every move. Senators Schumer and Graham are petitioning the White House to initiate a "national I.D. card" that every resident would be required to carry. You would not be able to work without it. You would not be able to bank without it. You may not even be able to shop without it. The problem lies in the fact that these cards will include a microchip that has all your identifying information, including your DNA. Even without recalling Revelations about not being able to conduct business without "the mark of the Beast", imagine (if you can) how devastating it could be for that information to ever fall into the wrong hands. With everyone's DNA, how simple it would be to perpetrate ethnic cleansing. If Hitler had had access to such info, anyone who was not true Aryan would have joined the Jews in Auschwitz within the first 30 days of his reign.
Our government promises confidentiality (although census data is made public in 72 years). When the German government collected personal information on its citizens in the early '30's and promised it would be kept confidential, they never imagined that one day a man named Hitler would take power, gain access to that info, and use it to identify and murder millions of innocent people.
Someday, our government will fall. Every government does, eventually. When it does, any tyrant will be able to use that info to purge entire families, or even races from the face of the Earth. If your family history shows a "bad or undesireable gene", he could wipe out your entire family. If they have your DNA, it will be used to betray all future generations of your family, even a thousand years from now.
Can anyone say "Big Brother"? If you have never read "1984", you owe it to yourself and your family to do so.
Or, you could simply read Revelations...
If you really want to be "counted", stand up and be counted - fight back against government intrusion that violates our rights and freedoms as a free people. If you let the government threaten and bully you on the census, what else will you allow them to do to you? Or have you forgotten, the government is supposed to serve us, not vice versa.
Any people who fear their government are a people who live under tyranny. We fear the IRS. We fear the power that our government has stolen from us. We live in tryanny and do not even know it, because the government lets us THINK we are in charge. But are we? 72% of the people oppose the current health care bill, OR want to start over. Yet, Congress insists on pushing it through. So how can any sane and reasonable person make the argument that "We, the People" are in charge anymore?
/
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Why Health Insurance Premiums Go Up
Lately, those pushing the Health Care debacle have been trying to tell us the bill needs to pass because insurance costs are crippling the nation.
What they are not telling you is WHY the cost of insurance rises so sharply. It is primarily because of the other government health program - Medicare.
Take a colonoscopy as an example. Most hospitals will tell you that the actual cost should be around $800-$900. But they have to charge insurance companies up to $1600 because they lose money on the procedures that are funded through Medicare. Medicare will only pay about $400-$500. So doctors and hospitals have to cover those losses by charging insurers a lot more. And insurers must then raise premiums.
If not for Medicare, hospitals could charge insurers about 40% less - which would reduce the cost of premiums across the board.
The new Health Care bill is nothing more than an extension of Medicare - Medicare on steroids. Which means doctors and hospitals will lose even more money, and be forced to increase what they charge insurers. That, in turn, results in ever-increasing premiums.
The only thing wrong with our health care system is the expense. And the health care bill will actually increase those costs for everyone, resulting in the quality of care being decreased, to help make up for the losses.
Everyone loves Medicare. But the problem lies in the fact that it is Medicare that is primarily responsible for the high costs of health care. More Medicare is not the solution - it will simply make things worse.
We must control costs, but not by cheating doctors and hospitals, forcing them to cheat the insurers who must then cheat us. We must control the costs going in, not coming out. Eliminate frivolous lawsuits. Reduce awards to reasonable amounts in malpractice suits. Allow people to shop nationwide for insurance. Subsidize the reasearch & development for new drugs, so drug companies don't have to charge an arm and a leg for new drugs.
There are many ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Tearing down the health care system and replacing it with a government plan is not one of those ways.
/
What they are not telling you is WHY the cost of insurance rises so sharply. It is primarily because of the other government health program - Medicare.
Take a colonoscopy as an example. Most hospitals will tell you that the actual cost should be around $800-$900. But they have to charge insurance companies up to $1600 because they lose money on the procedures that are funded through Medicare. Medicare will only pay about $400-$500. So doctors and hospitals have to cover those losses by charging insurers a lot more. And insurers must then raise premiums.
If not for Medicare, hospitals could charge insurers about 40% less - which would reduce the cost of premiums across the board.
The new Health Care bill is nothing more than an extension of Medicare - Medicare on steroids. Which means doctors and hospitals will lose even more money, and be forced to increase what they charge insurers. That, in turn, results in ever-increasing premiums.
The only thing wrong with our health care system is the expense. And the health care bill will actually increase those costs for everyone, resulting in the quality of care being decreased, to help make up for the losses.
Everyone loves Medicare. But the problem lies in the fact that it is Medicare that is primarily responsible for the high costs of health care. More Medicare is not the solution - it will simply make things worse.
We must control costs, but not by cheating doctors and hospitals, forcing them to cheat the insurers who must then cheat us. We must control the costs going in, not coming out. Eliminate frivolous lawsuits. Reduce awards to reasonable amounts in malpractice suits. Allow people to shop nationwide for insurance. Subsidize the reasearch & development for new drugs, so drug companies don't have to charge an arm and a leg for new drugs.
There are many ways to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Tearing down the health care system and replacing it with a government plan is not one of those ways.
/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)