No Strings Please

Governor Bobby Jindal gets kudos from me for sincerely doing the best for Louisiana. The Governor said, "We'll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it's beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars."

The stimulus bill that was passed has strings attached causing the federal government to grow, to expand beyond what our founders designed and set forth in the Constitution of the United States. When strings are attached to a "gift", it's not a gift but a way to control others.

Is it really a Stimulus Package?

President Obama says spending is stimulus. I believe sustained spending is stimulus. Spending that business owners can continue to count on will, in return, encourage investment and more hiring. Temporary influx of money is just that: nothing long term. Who do you think is wiser in how to spend? Do you think it is government which does not have a balanced budget and is known for wasteful spending or you who knows there is a limit to spending and prioritizes? Will it think there is stimulus when inflation skyrockets because of our government printing all this extra money and our dollar's value drops?

When the government takes less away from hard-working, business-owning, investing Americans, we will have more of our own hard-earned money to invest in the economy in ways that benefit other businesses and local economy. When the government takes more from the achievers, i.e. business owners and entrepreneurs, there is less incentive to work so hard and to succeed since you are "punished" for your success.

This is an interesting website where you can see exactly to where and on what this stimulus bill has designated money. http://www.stimuluswatch.org/ You can vote on what you think is critical or not. I would suggest you consider whether that project truly will stimulate the economy or whether it is just a pet project or social program put into the bill while "the spending is good." Some projects listed seem like good ideas but don't seem to belong in this bill and probably should be paid by their own states or municipalities.

Our Constitution begins with "We the People of the United States" not "Those who govern the masses". We must take responsibility for our lives and our nation. Government is not supposed to manage our lives or our companies but to secure these rights: Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

If you believe this stimulus package is not what they call it, you can sign this petition.

Free Health Care?

Everyone wants something for free. Why not? It's free, right? Or is it? Somebody is going to pay. What makes you think it won't be you?

Hawaii tried providing health care for children. It failed. Why? Because those that were buying their own health care stopped doing so in order to get the free health care. Hawaii couldn't afford to pay for every child's health insurance and so had to end the program.

I hear people say Canada has free health care. Norway or Switzerland too. It brings to mind how the ancient Israelites asked for a king "that we may be like all the other nations." They didn't know how good they had it. Samuel warned them what a king would do. A king would take the best of all you have: sons, daughters, servants, land, crops, and livestock. In their desire to be like the other nations, Israel gave up their freedoms. They got their king and they got their wealth and freedom taken as foretold. 1 Samuel 8.

What is the cost?

• Higher taxes.
  Are you ready to bring home 30% of your paycheck? You are already only bringing home roughly 70%. 30% will be less than half of what you bring home now. This is what the other nations do.


• Loss of privacy.
  With government running things, you can bet your privacy will be invaded. Just ask WIC recipients. How much do you eat? How much do you weigh? What is your iron count? How many ounces of juice do you drink? Are you drinking from the proper cup?
  Do you like to be micro-managed? I think I'm a grown-up and can make my own decisions but when you expect government to be your sugar daddy, you give up liberties and decisions to your new parent.


• Lack of choices.
  Who decides which doctor you can see? Which medicines will be best? What treatment to pursue? What about alternative medicines? You? Your doctor? Not if you give government a foothold.


• Medical advances will dwindle.
  What happens to the motivations of scientists and doctors to invest in new medical advances? Who in government is qualified to decide which avenues should be pursued? Which medical breakthroughs will be missed or abandoned?


• Long waits
  Every country that has government run health care has notoriously long waits for procedures. Are we willing to wait 6 months to get a lump examined? What if it's cancerous? Then you may have sacrificed your life. That's not free.


• Morally objectable procedures
  When government pays for health care, they pay for it with taxpayer's money. (Our money, yours and mine) When government then pays for procedures such as abortions, sex changes and assisted suicides, they force a huge percentage of people that find such things morally wrong to participate in them by paying for them. That's not free.
  

This story was shared with me recently. A boy broke his leg. It was a spiral fracture. These are very painful and require more care. At the hospital, the doctor decided to put his leg in a cast even though he thought the leg may require surgery. Sure enough, two weeks later they had to return and have surgery. The belated surgery caused more pain and a longer healing time than if it had been done right away. Why would the doctor not just do the surgery in the first place? This boy is covered by ACCESS. ACCESS is government paid health insurance and the doctors and hospitals first try the less expensive route since they must accept whatever the government will pay.

I've never heard anything good about an HMO. Everyone seems to hate them. Yet people want the government to run their health care system? That is one colossal HMO.

On the Issues

These issues are important to me:

Life
School Reform
Defense
Taxes
Government
Guns
Energy
Experience and Character

Life:
Life is a gift. God created mankind in His image. As we are designed to be a reflection of our Creator, we must treat others as God would have us do – in love.
“What is the most loving thing?”[1]

Life should be protected at all stages: pre-born, newborn, children, adults and senior citizens, healthy, disabled and mentally-challenged alike.

Abortion:
I believe that God knows us and has a destiny for us before we are even conceived. I believe abortion cuts a life grievously short. I believe it endangers the health of women. It protects abusers because of cases where incest is hidden and not reported. I believe men and women alike suffer tremendously mentally and spiritually knowing they didn’t stop the abortion or were responsible for it. The “what if’s” torture.
I know women and men who suffer nightmares. I know women who battle depression those times of the year when their child was aborted and when that child would have been born. I know women who were not able to ever again carry a child to term and long for a child to hold in their empty arms.
God loves each of us more than we can ever imagine. When we are harmed, when we cause harm, God grieves. He desires the absolute best for us. He provided a way, Jesus Christ, for us to be forgiven and restored. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”[2] When we mess up and we all do,[3] the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.[4] If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.[5] Forgiveness and a full life have been provided for us, we need only to accept God’s free gift.
Death Penalty:
In contrast to abortion which kills the innocent and causes harm to women and men alike, the death penalty saves lives by putting to death a person who has viciously murdered and will most likely do so again. Countless lives are saved when we hold murderers accountable for their actions. I believe we can be forgiven for anything and everything. I also believe there are consequences for actions taken. A person on death row may very well repent but the consequences/punishment of their action should be carried out. I believe if we were tougher on crime, there would be less crime.
War:
I believe there is a time for war. When I was in third grade, a neighbor boy grabbed me by the throat. My brother quickly came to my aid and put a stop to it. I believe when a ruler, regime, or nation abuses its power and kills, tortures or terrorizes its own people or other people groups, we have the responsibility to come to the aid of those in need. By fighting, removing and killing the enemy in battle, defenseless and innocent civilians can once again have the freedom to live their lives.
Assisted Suicide:
God gives life. We are created for relationship – relationship with God and relationships with other people. Suicide is the taking of a God-given life because of depression and desperation. Anytime we deem a life not worth living, we cheapen the lives of others in similar situations.
A friend of mine saw her uncle battle cancer when she was a youth. Her uncle was in great pain and one day shot himself. This made a deep impact on her. When she struggled through abuse, she remembered her uncle and wanting to end her own pain, attempted suicide several times. She was institutionalized – where she suffered further abuse. It wasn’t until she was introduced to Jesus that she was restored. She realized that she has a God-given purpose and destiny. She was healed and is being healed.
Depression and desperation skew our vision. We think all is lost. Why not end it? Suicide kills the body. It causes grief to all around. It cheapens the lives of others. Suicide does not kill the spirit. Are you ready for eternity? If you say yes, are you ready for the consequences and effects of your actions on others? Difficulties come and go. Some are harder and longer and maybe even more frequent but they will pass. God is love and he desires the absolute best for us. When we give our lives to Him, He forgives, He heals, He restores.
When we approach the slippery slope of assisted suicide, euthanasia is just a heartbeat away. Then it becomes the duty to die when you are no longer a “productive member of society.”

School Reform:
By removing “God” from our schools we have caused great harm to our youth. Our youth have no reason/purpose to treat others well. The schools tell them that they came from animals by teaching a defunct theory as a fact. Why not act like animals? If we are all here by accident, why should I treat anyone else with any kind of respect when, according to the theory of evolution, we are equivalent with a rat or even a rotten tomato? Without God there is no moral compass.
Schools cannot be a Constitution-free zone. It is outrageous that schools try to silence our youth when they want to speak of their deeply held convictions. It is a gross infringement on freedom when student are told they are not allowed to pray or even to read their Bible during their free time.
So much is done in the name of tolerance. Tolerance used to mean treating others with respect, now it seems to have been redefined as accepting every notion as equal. Now those who are not tolerated are those who would speak up for their own convictions. There is right and wrong. Apparently, it’s wrong to say when things are wrong.
Teach the students. Show them their potential. Don’t indoctrinate them. Let them reason. Let them soar.

Defense:
I believe our nation is strong and should be strong. “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” To weaken our Armed Forces is to invite attacks, hinder our ability to come to the aid of allies and/or victims of genocide, and dangerously stretch our ability to respond to disasters.

Taxes and Government:
I believe that we should pay taxes to the government. I believe the government should use that money wisely. I do not believe that the taxes should be excessive especially since the government has shown over and over its inability to budget and spend wisely. Infrastructure, Armed Forces, Police, Firefighters are all examples of right and wise spending. When the government wastes money, refuses to give accountability for how it spends and won’t listen to the moral values of the people, it is wrong and needs reformed.
When “We the People of the United States” are ignored and looked down upon, dismissed or demeaned, we need to hold our representatives responsible and elect new ones if need be.
As a republic, we are represented be our senators and congressmen. Therefore, we should be aware of issues in our nation and government and let our views be made known to our representatives. As Christians, we should pray for our nation, our leaders and our representatives. We should pray for good government that we may “live peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty.”[6]
“Good government maintains law and order, it keeps communications open, preserves civil liberty, and protects freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.” [7]
Good government does not tell us how much to eat and at what temperature we should keep our house. Good government should not try to micro-manage people. It should provide us the freedom to work hard and succeed.

Guns:
In the Bill of Rights, the second amendment guarantees our right to keep and bear arms. I believe that when people have the means to defend themselves and their families, there is less violent crime committed or the crime is effectively stopped.
When I was a youth, my home was invaded by at 3 men intent on robbing everything of value. I awoke to see them in my room. After not responding to their questioning of where my father kept the money, I screamed and screamed again for help, for my dad, for my brother. Instead of slicing my throat with a machete at they had told me they would do, they made a quick exit, leaving me alone. My parents woke up. My dad and a young man staying with us went downstairs to see what was going on. When the thieves saw that my dad didn’t have a gun, they returned upstairs and questioned, struck and stabbed my parents. They did not leave until my dad said, “In the name of Jesus, we have nothing more to give you.” When they heard the authority of the name of Jesus, they immediately left and did not come back. Thank God that He gives us authority, that Jesus’ name is more powerful than any weapon. What would have been better? If we had had a gun, perhaps the murderous thieves wouldn’t have returned. Perhaps if they had not returned, I would not have the understanding of the power of God in my life that I now have.
Just because we have a right to something doesn’t necessarily mean we should go out and buy a gun. We need to be responsible with our rights. If we purchase a gun, we should make sure we know how to use it, how to clean it, and most importantly know the gravity of its use. A gun can take a life. A gun can defend a life. A gun can be used recreationally and even as a way to provide meat for our families. With rights come responsibilities. With actions come consequences. If you kill someone in defense of your life or your family, will that fact haunt you? It is your right. Are you ready for the responsibility?
Jim Elliot, a missionary to Ecuador, was martyred because he was willing give up his life rather than take a life which may not be ready for eternity. He said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” He gave his life and in so doing, a people group was changed.
I believe that if we choose not to exercise our right, that is our choice; but we should not presume to remove someone else’s right guaranteed by our Constitution.

Energy:
Obviously, our nation needs energy.
I think it is wise not to be dependent on oil from countries who do not like us. I believe we should use the resources we have within our own borders. I believe we should drill for more oil. When we can buy more American oil, we won’t need to buy as much foreign oil. I believe we should have nuclear energy, clean coal and natural gas. Do it all. Start now.
We need to take care of our country and environment but at the expense of our people. We have the ability both to use our resources and preserve the beauty of our nation. We have always been a resourceful, hardworking, generous people. We are Americans.

Experience and Character:
Experience is good. Ability is a necessity. Character a must.
If you’ve been in public office and haven’t been effective, I don’t consider that experience. Working is experience. Accomplishments are experience. Character is defined as moral force; integrity; a good reputation.

Our choices as I see them:
The McCain/Palin team is pro-life. They want to keep taxes low and cut spending. They want reform to make the government work for the people again instead of people working to pay their taxes to the government. McCain wants to appoint judges that will rule according to the Constitution instead of legislating from the bench, thereby, protecting our Constitutional rights. They are pro-active and will seek energy and protect our country.
Senator John McCain has experience representing people, first as a congressman, then as a senator. He has experience defending freedom and fighting for his country. He has experience in leading. Senator John McCain has the ability to get things accomplished, make tough decisions, stand by his choices, and still learn and apply new knowledge. His character shines brightly through his life and family.

Governor Sarah Palin has the experience of running a town and a state and doing it well. She has shown she has the ability to get the job done, stand up for what is right, balance a budget and plan for the future of her state and nation. Palin’s character is lived out loud in the choices she makes. With an 80% approval rating, there is a state full of people that will testify to her character and abilities.

Senator Barrack Obama has a legacy of death. He voted against the Born Alive Act. He wants to make abortion legal in all instances at anytime overriding the voice of the people and the states that have set restrictions in place. He says that “if my daughters make a mistake then I wouldn’t want them punished with a baby”. Senator Obama says he will “lower taxes on the middle class” but raise taxes on businesses and “the rich”. When business taxes are raised, prices go up and we all end up paying for these new taxes. He wants to cut defense, wants to leave Iraq without finishing the job when the end is in sight. Obama wants to manage our lives by telling us how much to eat and what temperature our houses should be. The Senator thinks government is the solution to the problem instead of needing reformed and reduced. Barrack Obama thinks we “cling to our guns and our religion” because “we have no hope”. His energy plan? All I’ve heard is, “We can’t drill our way out of this.” And we should inflate our tires and tune-up our cars. Senator Obama was an Illinois state senator from Chicago before he was elected a U.S. senator. He was in the Senate for 143 days before running for president. His associations make his character extremely questionable. What has he accomplished? His own career.

Senator Joe Biden wants to serve his country and even seems a nice man. He has experience. He is also pro-abortion. Has he overcome his need to plagiarize?

[1] Deonn McDowell
[2] John 14:6
[3] Romans 3:23
[4] Romans 6:23
[5] Romans 10:9-10
[6] I Timothy 2:1-4
[7] Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting by Derek Prince