Sluggards amongst Us

August 8, 2010August 8, 2010Allen Frederick 1 Comment

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor

Consider the ant, you lazy bum. Watch its ways, and become wise. Although it has no overseer, officer, or ruler, in summertime it stores its food supply. At harvest time it gathers its food._{Prov 6:6-8 (GW)}

Author’s commentary:

Lately I have been pondering the harder sayings from the scriptures, you know the ones that you hardly ever hear preached on a Sunday morning. This article will fall under this category of the ’hard sayings’ of scripture and as such it will probably offend some who read it. Discipline is difficult to handle at any age but especially to someone who has led an undisciplined life for a long time. Having to look at ourselves critically is never easy and for that reason I suspect some will be discomforted by this article. If making some people uncomfortable brings about serious discussion on the topic at hand then, as a writer, I have achieved my aim.

On July 20th 2010 the Senate passed an unemployment extension bill which provided additional funding to states to help pay for the 99 weeks of unemployment benefits mandated earlier by federal law. Now I ask you does there ever come a time when these benefits end? 99 weeks is almost 2 years to sit idly by and pick the pocket of your neighbors. When does it become time for an individual to do whatever he or she has to do to rise up early and gather the harvest for his/herself?

In our scripture today I used the Good News translation of Proverbs 6 because it says it like it is. There is no ambiguity in this passage. It is clear, the ant, unlike humans, knows when it is time to store up food for the time when there will be none. Of course the ant does not borrow against tomorrow by eating up 30 or more years of provisions in any given year because ants can not borrow money, they have to live season to season. I fear far too many of the human species have borrowed their futures and are now finding that when the famine comes, they are unable to meet their seasonal requirements because they have already spent their storehouses by future borrowing.

Pay attention to this! You’re saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into some city, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.” You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and carry out our plans.” However, you brag because you’re arrogant. All such bragging is evil. _{James 4:13-16 (GW)}

Unemployment is a fact of life, economic downturns are as well. Thinking that you can continue to buy and sell and profit without considering the consequences is foolish and the scriptures says evil bragging. The ant does not rely upon governments or elected leadership to provide for its needs, it simply goes about doing what it knows to do, store up when there is a bounty to have plenty where there is none. Ants apparently know the economic seasons far better than humans do.

I have been in the unemployment line on more than one occasion in my lifetime. Although I do not look forward to such times I do know they are a part of life, at least in the jobs that I have held. I do understand that federal employees are employees for life, and not being a federal employee I do not have that kind of benefit. Of course when you are being supported by every taxpaying worker in the country I guess your economic downturns are not as rough as the family who is relying on only one or two wage earners.

Now before anyone throws firebombs at me I want to make myself clear. I am not opposed to helping someone out at a time of need, but I do have to wonder how long I am supposed to help a brother out who is making no effort to help himself? If 99 weeks is not long enough should we extend benefits for lets say 3 years? How about 5? The most unemployment benefits I was ever eligible for was 26 weeks. Perhaps I should reconsider working and just sit home and take money from my neighbor for almost 2 years before considering going back to work. Consider some of the remarks to the late passage of this bill:

(The bill) does NOT extend the $25/week FAC payment for new claimants. The biggest problem with this omission is that MILLIONS of Americans who have been able to find only part-time work are losing the $25/wk. The bill does include a “fix” for some part-time workers–but only for those whose weekly benefit amounts go down by $100 or 25%. The rest of us–MILLIONS OF US–are forced to open “new claims,” and as a result not only does our weekly benefit amount go down (for example by $93/wk.) but we also LOSE the $25 FAC payment!! We accepted jobs, any jobs we could find, and now we are being punished by losing the $25 FAC–while those who did not work at all will continue to get the $25 FAC!! This is so unfair!!

Really unfair is it? Since when is working considered punishment? Could it be that this person only took a job so they could continue to collect benefits rather than seeking a permanent solution to their unemployment problem? And why does it come as a surprise to them when the one who giveth also taketh away? Why are they not complaining about the government policies that brought about this economic downturn in the first place?

Out here in CA, I too was getting the maximum unemployment benefit ($450/week) but I took a low quality part time job in order to not refuse any work. Then when I had to file a new claim to get the federal extension, it only considered the low quality part time job income. So assuming the bill passes today, I’ll start getting 1/3 of what I was getting ($150/week) until I can find a job. If I had not taken the part time job, I think I would still be at the max level. No good deed goes unpunished…

See above comment as well. This person took a low paying job in order to keep receiving money for not working rather than seeking to work and not take the money. And then they say they would be better off if they did not work at all but relied upon the government (others who pay taxes) to provide them a living? What am I missing here?

I hope the unemployed remember that the republicans tried to block them from getting their benefits come election time. The truth is that the economy desperately needs some stimulus right now and unemployment benefits are the most effective stimulus there is. The money gets spent immediately by the unemployed and enters the economy.

Really? I did not know that the unemployed stimulated the economy as much as the employed do? Well I could be wrong but what I have found to be the best stimulus of my economy is a good paying job. I have never found unemployment benefits a help in stimulating my economy, at the very least they kept me off the street but I never expected them to provide much economic stimulus. Since most are paying about 2/3 of what I would make if I was working.The source for all of the above is found here

Extend unemployment benefits? No thank you, I think I will look toward the ant and stay out of debt, work hard when I have work and save for the droughts that are sure to come, especially under the current leadership. Although I may be effected by their policies my life does not depend upon them, for my hope comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. I pray for the Lord’s will that I am able to work and provide for my needs without having to look to others to do so. And when I find myself in want, I shall cry out to the Lord, my ever present help in time of need. Of course we must discern the difference between wants and needs.

As King David said so eloquently: I have been young, and now I am old, but I have never seen a righteous person abandoned or his descendants begging for food. ^{Psalms 37:25 (GW)}

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Along for the journey

Anthill: A Novel by E.O Wilson

Unemployment Fight Shows Media Will Help Liberals Protect Their Jobs (newsbusters.org)
Anthill: how biologist EO Wilson turned science into best-selling fiction (guardian.co.uk)
Desperation grows as benefits run out (commercialappeal.com)
Tax Payer Tapped To Bail Out Failed Policies of the Present (eaglesjourney.blogspot.com)
Extending Unemployment Benefits Leave States With UI Defecits (eagleviews.org)
Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land (journeyacrossthesky.com)

Are Conservatives Really Conservative?

July 10, 2010July 10, 2010Allen Frederick 3 Comments

Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor.

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

Jesus said to them, “The kings of nations have power over their people, and those in authority call themselves friends of the people. Luke 22:25 (GW)

In this recent Gallop poll 40% of those surveyed called themselves conservative with 56% of the respondents calling themselves either liberal or moderates. I have long contended that moderates are simply liberals refusing to acknowledge their true identities. Wearing the label ’moderate’ does not bring with it the same baggage as those who wear the label of ’liberal’.

So then if moderates are only closet liberals it is easy to understand why our country is leaning so far left. 56% of the population are liberal or liberal leaning. It is possible that some of the moderates would lean toward conservatism but personally I do not think this is proven in another study I cite below.

Did you notice anything strange about this table? If according to the above Gallop Poll 40% of the population is conservative why are liberal spending programs not favored by 40% of the population for limited spending? It seems strange the socialistic programs of Social Security (notice the word SOCIAL is in the title) and Medicare are not even considered by “conservatives” for spending cuts.

The only program that receives the majority of votes for spending cuts is in foreign aid. Basically then if this study proves to be correct 71% of the American people surveyed prefer socialism at home and not abroad. Considering foreign aid only amounts to 1% of total government spending I am afraid Socialism is here to stay in America.

The majority of people in this country-including a large chunk of those identified as conservative remain closet socialists on social security and medicare, and really for almost every category of public spending. Those who responded to the Gallop poll that they are conservative have some real explaining to do. How can you call yourself a conservative and vote for continued Socialism in America? The direction America is going is the opposite of what the founders of this great nation fought and died for. Listen to the words of Thomas Jefferson as penned in the Declaration of Independence, the list of grievances the colonies had with King George. Where it says he replace it with Obama and then ask yourself if you still consider yourself a conservative.

Image via Wikipedia

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people (circumventing representation by formulating policies and writing laws behind closed doors excluding any republican legislator from the process, along with Pelosi suspending public debate on legislation and deeming a non-existant budget as passed)

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. (actually in this case it would be the reverse, not enforcing naturalization laws and forbidding states to do so)

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. (too many to list but let us start with IRS, EPA, NEA, and the list of government bureaus grows rapidly year after year)

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: (subjecting us to the Law of the UN)

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: (negating bankruptcy laws in the Chrysler and GM bailouts, negating mortgage contracts in the home foreclosure laws being passed and suing a sovereign state)

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. (passing health care despite overwhelming opposition to it thus ignoring the voice of the people, the appointment of czars to enact policy and regulations effecting the nation)

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us,… (after all he was a community organizer)

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. (and yet he is, as the tea-party protest grew louder the slurs and ridicule grew stronger)

Today we accept as normal the constant harassment of the federal government, and confiscation of personal property far beyond anything King George could have enacted or imagined. Our acceptance of it is our Declaration of Dependence-dependence on government invasion and coercion. What our founders fought to free themselves from, the majority today fights to keep.

The dark force behind socialism is the public’s demand for and dependence upon government handouts. They not only demand them they stand in the way of anyone who tries to cut them. The only way to reverse this trend is for those who are truly conservative to stand up and say no more government handouts of any kind. We need to ween ourselves off the teats of the federal government. We have to stop looking for the tyrannical state to come to our aid. We have to once again call upon the providence of God and as a free people we need to learn to live like it, or we will be forever enslaved to the tyrannical rule of the government, which will grow exceedingly large under each successive reincarnation until the entire weight of it comes crashing down upon our heads.

Sadly, millions of Americans willingly accept the belief that government is the engine of change for all that is good in society (they voted for hope and change). If history is any indicator, that belief is ill-placed. How many past political regimes that promised salvation wrought tyranny and oppression instead? The absence of any exceptions proves the rule. The problem with socialism is those who promote it are the only ones who benefit from it (those who wrest their power from the people by making dependents of those same people.) We have no one to blame but ourselves as these studies show. Although 40% say they are conservative, there is no proof of those same 40% holding any real conservative convictions when it comes to socialism. They, along with the rest of America, still wish to receive government handouts.

This is “A View from the Nest” what say you?

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. _{Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)}

Along for the journey

Conservatives Outnumber Moderates, Liberals (politicalwire.com)
Britain’s brave, bold and risky experiment (cnn.com)
Cool to Be Con? Plurality of Americans Now Identify as “Conservative” (elections.firedoglake.com)
Are Tea Parties Good for America? (eagleviews.org)
Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land (eagleviews.org)
Government Addiction the New Drug of the New Deal Generation (eagleviews.org)

7 Fascinating Facts About Founding Father Benjamin Franklin

July 5, 2010Allen Frederick 1 Comment

I found this article very interesting and thought others would enjoy it as well. So here it is reprinted in part for my fellow travelers across the sky.

Image via Wikipedia

True, Founding Father Benjamin Franklin is on our $100 bill, but contrary to what many people believe, he was never president of the United States. He was far too busy to take on a job like that.As a scientist, writer, printer, philosopher, musician, politician, and inventor Franklin did more in a day than many people do in a lifetime. Here are some of our favorite Franklin facts.

He was a high school dropout. Franklin proved that you don’t need a fancy degree to succeed in life—due to family financial problems, he never graduated from high school.

He created America’s first library. In 1732, Franklin convinced a group of fellow intellectuals to create a library of their personal books, then added a subscription service, in which funds would be used to purchase new books for all to read. The Library Company of Philadelphia, as it was called, still exists today and has over 500,000 rare books.

He invented the first bifocal glasses, odometer, urinary catheter, lightning rod, and many other devices, yet never filed for a patent. Though any one of Franklin’s inventions could have made him a tremendous fortune, he wasn’t greedy about them. He believed that his work was for the common good, and “as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously,” he wrote in his autobiography. We bet he’d be a big fan of Creative Commons.

He Invented the Franklin Stove. In colonial America, most people warmed their homes by building a fire in a fireplace even though it was kind of dangerous and used a lot of wood. Ben figured that there had to be a better way. His invention of an iron furnace stove allowed people to warm their homes less dangerously and with less wood. Interestingly enough, Ben also established the first fire company and the first fire insurance company in order to help people live more safely.

He created a phonetic alphabet. Franklin’s alphabet got rid of six letters he thought were redundant, and added six new letters for other sounds. As you can probably tell, it never caught on.

As a young man, Franklin created a list of 13 virtues, and worked on obeying them throughout his life. Here is the list; you may find it helpful too:

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversations
Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; that is, waste nothing
Industry: Lose not time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly; speak accordingly Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think you deserve
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes or habitation
Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles or accidents common or unavoidable Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates

20,000 people attended his funeral. Franklin truly was a rock star for his time—and he remains so today.

via 7 Fascinating Facts About Founding Father Benjamin Franklin | Gimundo | Good News… Served Daily.

Happy 234th America

July 4, 2010July 4, 2010Allen Frederick Leave a comment

We only become divided in extent in which God is removed from our society. The evil one comes to steal and destroy, but the Lord comes to give and restore. God is Love and without God we have strife and division. Allow the Lord to unify us under the banner of His love. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.

Founding Fathers: The Shaping of America

Pray for our Country, Pray for our Leaders

July 1, 2010July 1, 2010Allen Frederick Leave a comment

I like the way the Good News Bible reads on this verse: A wise person’s heart leads the right way. The heart of a fool leads the wrong way. Ecclesiastes 10:2 pray therefore that our President starts to seek after wisdom rather than clinging to his ideology.

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