Fairness My Asterisk: Op Ed on the SOTU Speech


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President Obama’s State of the Union address revealed his plan for a new American economy that he claims must be “built to last” through government and financial systems that will ensure “everyone does their fair share.”

“We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share,” Obama is slated to say.

Fairness, class warfare, and social justice are bandied about as reasons for mandated wealth redistribution. There has always been wealth disparity in the United States. The Bible even says that the poor will always be with us. But how poor is poor?

“Compare the vision of the poor as presented in the Bible – men without homes, their bodies full of sores, hungry, owning only one tunic – to the circumstances of many poor people in the United States, and the social skewing of the definitions of poverty becomes clear. To be poor in America often means ‘having less than one’s neighbor’ instead of ‘lacking resources necessary for life.

Obama said much the same months ago in a speech delivered in Osawatomie, Kansas, the same city where a century ago, former President Teddy Roosevelt delivered a speech calling for a “New Nationalism.” Roosevelt’s speech extolled the government’s role in promoting social justice and regulating the economy to help the underprivileged, and he criticized some fellow Republicans for refusing to tackle the economic power of the wealthy, which is simply code for more taxes on the rich so that government can continue to give select groups of people goodies from the confiscated goods of others.

What is fair about forcing America to pay for his failed bail-outs that we told him we did not want? What is fair about forcing taxpayers who pay their bills to have to bail-out states and unions who do not? What is fair about increasing our taxes just to pay for wasted government stimulus plans which threw billions if not trillions away on so-called “green jobs”.

Obama calls for the elimination of corporate loop holes in the tax code which he says are not fair but I ask what is fair about the stimulus loop-hole he gave to the teacher’s unions and the Public Employees Unions? What about the loop-hole of giving tax-rebates to people who do not even pay any taxes? How is that fair? I mean how can someone who owes no taxes and pays zero taxes get a rebate check in the mail?

How is it that Obama wants to raise taxes on people who actually pay taxes and ignores all his democrat buddies who refuse to pay taxes like tax cheats Tim Geithner, Charlie Rangel, Jeff Imelt of GE, and Warren Buffet, who owes billions?

What is fair about giving a special tax credit to people with children while those who do not have children have to pay for it? What is fair about taking money from senior citizen’s retirement funds and then turn around and tell them we have to raise the retirement age because there is no money to pay their Social Security benefits? Had the person actually taken the almost 14% of their wages and put it in an interest earning account they would actually have money when they retire as opposed to this “FAIR” plan Obama and the democrats like to promote.

There is nothing fair about Social Security where a system forces producers to pay for non-producers. But the biggest injustice of all was telling our seniors that the money that was being taken from their paychecks was going into a “lock-box” and was an “insurance policy” for their retirement when all along the government knew it was nothing more than a tax and a revenue stream for the government to squander on worthless programs and to buy constituent votes.

Tell me what is fair about almost 50% of the population who take from the system but do not contribute one thin dime for the same system? Why should less than 50% of the population have to pay all the taxes and almost 50% pay nothing? You call that fair? What would be fair is if EVERYONE paid something.

What would be fair would be to cut all tax rebates and subsidies of any kind and begin a flat tax. Eliminate the IRS and the current tax code which is only used to garner political favors and punish producers. If you end all these special tax breaks and rebates and make everyone pay something that would be fair and then the government must be forced to live within its means. Pass a balanced budget amendment which would mandate that congress could not spend more money then they have. Families and businesses must work within a budget so too should Congress. Now that would be fair.

What is fair about forbidding the drilling for oil in the Gulf but subsidizing the drilling for OIL in the Gulf by China and Brazil and Cuba? What is fair about handicapping our industries with onerous EPA regulations and blocking the opening of a Boeing plant by the NLRB or raiding a guitar company just because they are the only non-union shop? What is fair about giving unions huge tax-payer bail-outs at the expense of the average working man? Why should taxpayers be forced to pay for their retirements and benefits just because they refused to do so?

What is fair about having to pay for public employee retirement plans because they were made promises by some politician? Let those politicians who lied to them pay the freight. What is fair about always asking the American people to pony up and the federal Government ever does with less? No matter what, the federal budget grows year after year, in good times and bad. While the rest of the economy struggles the federal government continues to spend, spend and spend.

You want fairness Mr President then how about you and your crooked pals retire and let someone else with integrity take your place? You want fairness Mr President how about you stop beating up the American business person and calling patriotic Americans derogatory names.

You want fairness Mr President how about you stop the flood of illegal activity along our Southern border and instead of suing an American State how about you prosecute those who are breaking and entering our country illegally? You want fairness Mr President how about you call off your NLRB and EPA dogs and allow businesses to run free of onerous government intervention.

And that is my 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

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King Me!


Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”
A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

Jesus was getting closer to Jerusalem, and the people thought that the kingdom of God would appear suddenly. While Jesus had the people’s attention, he used this illustration.

He said, “A prince went to a distant country to be appointed king, and then he returned. {Before he left,} he called ten of his servants and gave them ten coins. He said to his servants, ‘Invest this money until I come back.’

“The citizens of his own country hated him. They sent representatives to follow him and say {to the person who was going to appoint him}, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’

“After he was appointed king, he came back. Then he said, ‘Call those servants to whom I gave money. I want to know how much each one has made by investing.’

“The first servant said, ‘Sir, the coin you gave me has earned ten times as much.’ “The king said to him, ‘Good job! You’re a good servant. You proved that you could be trusted with a little money. Take charge of ten cities.’

“The second servant said, ‘The coin you gave me, sir, has made five times as much.’ “The king said to this servant, ‘You take charge of five cities.’

“Then the other servant said, ‘Sir, look! Here’s your coin. I’ve kept it in a cloth for safekeeping because I was afraid of you. You’re a tough person to get along with. You take what isn’t yours and harvest grain you haven’t planted.’

“The king said to him, ‘I’ll judge you by what you’ve said, you evil servant! You knew that I was a tough person to get along with. You knew that I take what isn’t mine and harvest grain I haven’t planted. Then why didn’t you put my money in the bank? When I came back, I could have collected it with interest.’

The king told his men, ‘Take his coin away, and give it to the man who has ten.’ “They replied, ‘Sir, he already has ten coins.’ “‘I can guarantee that everyone who has something will be given more. But everything will be taken away from those who don’t have much.

Bring my enemies, who didn’t want me to be their king. Kill them in front of me.’” Luke 19:11-27 (GW)

One of the oldest and most enjoyable pastimes, the game of checkers, has been played by notable persons in history including presidents such as George Washington, Abe Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt; inventors such as Ben Franklin, and Thomas Edison; and, interesting folks such as Edgar Allen Poe, Harry Houdini, and Will Rogers.

Life lessons gleaned from a checker game

A Quiet Game of Checkers

A Quiet Game of Checkers

Checkers is played on a board made up of 64 Â squares. They are laid out in eight columns and eight rows with alternating light and dark squares.

Checkers is a game for two players. Each player receives twelve, flat, disk-like pieces which are placed on the dark squares making sure that a light colored square appears in the lower right hand corner of the board. The darker colored checkers are usually designated black, and the lighter color is designated white. Black always moves first and play proceeds alternately.

Initially, individual checkers may only move forward. There are two types of moves that can be made, capturing moves and non-capturing moves. Non-capturing moves are simply a diagonal move forward from one square to an adjacent square. (Note that the lighter squares are never used.) Capturing moves occur when a player “jumps” an opposing piece. This is also done on the diagonal and can only happen when the square behind (on the same diagonal) is also open. This means that you may not jump an opposing piece around a corner.

On a capturing move, a piece may make multiple jumps. If, after a jump, a player is in a position to make another jump then he may do so. This means that a player may make several jumps in succession, capturing several pieces on a single turn.
Forced Captures: When a player is in a position to make a capturing move, he must make the capturing move. When he has more than one capturing move to choose from, he may take whichever move suits him.

When a checker reaches the opponent’s edge of the board (called the “king’s row”) it is crowned with another checker. This signifies that the checker has been made a king. The king now gains an added ability to move backward. The king may now also jump in either direction or even in both directions, in one turn (if he makes multiple jumps). This makes capturing opponents pieces easier and adds significantly to your ability to win the game.

The object of the game is to eliminate all opposing checkers or to create a situation in which it is impossible for your opponent to make any move. Normally, the victory will be due to complete elimination.

Today the game is as healthy as ever, with people all around the world playing at least a version of it. It can be good training in thought, logic and strategy.

Jesus told a parable one day when the disciples were wondering when he was going to set up his kingdom. In this parable, he told the story of an ambitious prince who came from a foreign country, all the way across the board to be kinged. He hired servants to go to work on his campaign, invested money in them from which he expected to get a favorable return on his investment. He hoped that the servants would be able to garner interest on his behalf. When the one servant failed to show any return on the investment, he was stripped of what little he had and it was handed over to the one who had the most.

A valuable lesson can be learned from this. When someone gives you something, expecting  a return, it is never in your best interest to accept such a “strings attached proposition”. As with most government programs, there is that “hidden string” attached, that will take what little you may have and give it to someone who has much. Thusly it is rightly stated ‘I can guarantee that everyone who has something will be given more. But everything will be taken away from those who don’t have much.’

To this day government handouts work much the same way. When money is dispensed, certain requirements are placed on that money. Those who fail to meet the requirements will have the money taken from them and it will be given to someone who has a great deal because they are producing the results the rulers wish to receive back.
Those who knew this man best, did not wish to be ruled by him because they hated him and sent a delegation after him to ask the people to not “king” Â this man. These, who opposed the king, were later killed in his presence.

The game of checkers is much like a political campaign, in that a player strategizes over each move to ascertain the best possible way to achieve success- being kinged. Jumping over opponents, stepping over people, removing any and all opposition, is in the best interest of the player who wants to be king.

In checkers no one gets hurt, but in real life that is not the case. When a politician resorts to doing whatever it takes to get elected (kinged) they sometimes will stop at nothing when opposed. Such was the case of this prince who desired to be king. All those who opposed his reign where ordered to be killed in his presence. He stood there and presided over the executions. Even his own workers were chastened if they failed to produce the desired results-gain interest for the candidate. Those who pleased the king were given choice seats in his government, they were rewarded with political favor and power. They were able to EARN their seat. They went from being ruled, to ruling, from enslavement to empowerment, from serving to being served.

Of course Jesus was using this parable to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven, and that those who oppose making Jesus, King of their lives, will suffer the punishment of being banned from his presence for eternity. Those who hated Him sought to have him killed in attempts to end his influence amongst the people. That plan failed because they failed to understand that He would indeed die, but three days later He would rise again from the grave and ascend into heaven to rule and reign forever. His kingdom has no end.

Unlike the ambitious prince who killed those who opposed him, Jesus forgave them. Instead of handing the opposition over to death, Â He chose to die in their place. I can get behind someone who sacrifices himself for the sake of others, I have a very hard time supporting one, who will do whatever it takes to get ahead, even the total destruction of those who oppose him.

I can work for a campaign which seeks the best interest of those whom they are seeking to rule, I can not get behind anyone who only seeks to serve himself  by enslaving those whom he seeks to rule over.

I can support a ruler who gives gifts to men for the sole purpose of enriching their lives and giving power to the powerless, so they can overcome their problems. I have a real problem supporting one who uses power and influence in order to buy votes and support, and then rewarding those who do their bidding with seats of power and control.

And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45 (ESV)

I do not know about you, but as far as I am concerned, I think I like the way Jesus ran his campaign for kingship far better than the way we see others running their campaigns. 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)



It Is Not the Critic Who Counts


 

Teddy Roosevelt – An American Lion DVD
Teddy Roosevelt - An American Lion

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who
points out how the strong man stumbles or where the
doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit
belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose
face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives
valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again,
because there is no effort without error and
shortcoming; but who does actually try to do the
deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great

devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who
at the best knows in the end the triumph of high
achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

Teddy Roosevelt

 

 

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