Government is the Antithesis to Religion

The Church has taught me all my life that when one is in temporal, i.e. physical, financial, emotional, straights one should first seek to elevate themselves.  We were taught to be self sufficient as much as possible.  We were taught, in my family, that family sticks together to assist its members.  Should family be unable to help, then assistance should be sought from church or community.  Government should be the last gasp, not the first stop.

This morning I came across an article describing a plea from the Department of Human Services.  It issued a plea for individuals and families to get more help from the government because "only 15% of our citizens are asking for help from the Government, and over 25% seek help from family."

I can't believe my eyes.  I had to read it twice to understand just what they were trying to say.  In essence the article indicates that these bureaucrats want to supplant family support with government intrusion.  The family unit is already under attack and now the government wants to destroy it completely.  

My opinion is that government needs to step back and let families take care of their members.  Church congregations should take care of their members.  After all said and done, clergy is better equipped than bureaucrats to understand individuals' needs and they can better mete out what is needed instead of what glories the government is wont to distribute.  Families and clergy approach their deity where bureaucrats are not able to do so.  Families and clergy understand individual circumstances.  Families and clergy can help circumvent the spiritual trap that the dole offers.

In short....government needs to butt out.

History is Bound to Repeat Itself

The definition of insanity is:  doing a thing, over and over, exactly the same way and expecting a different result.

Our congress still doesn't get it.  Those of us with a very small voice seem to understand, but those who seek fame and fortune in the halls of congress do not.  We cannot continue to run our affairs in the same way and expect a different result.  I think the federal government should take a page out of the book of Scranton, PA and reduce the salaries of federal civilian employees until the budget is balanced.  Included in these reductions should be the President, members of Congress, their employees, aids, czars, members of the cabinet, and any other non-defense public employee.

Indeed Scranton has returned it's employees to full pay, but not until there was enough money in its accounts to do so. 

The Political Climate

I have taken a little hiatus from writing over the past few weeks.  It isn't because I don't have an opinion of the goings-on, but rather so I could gather my thoughts more completely. 

The Ayatollah Barry Obama (Soetero) is really outdoing himself.  His administration is in such disarray that even he doesn't know how bad it is.  He is taking advise from those who have little information and who seek none at the same time.  His dis-connect from the "little people" is more profound than ever.  I've been watching the polls that have been telling us that he leads Mr. Romney by so many points, but then I see that they over-sample democrats sometimes as much as 2-1.

After taking into account the oversampling and re-figuring the actual balance, I believe Mr. Romney will win in a landslide victory nearly as strong as Ronald Reagan's.  Here is the problem:  Mr. Obama only gets told what he wants to hear.  He is only asked what he wants to be asked.  He only tells what his perception of what we want to hear.  I believe his distance from me to be extreme.  He can't believe the little people can think for themselves.  We are, in his mind, unable to make decisions for ourselves.  We are too stupid to know how to raise our children.  We need to be told what food to prepare for our children and how to prepare it.  We are unable to determine our children's needs.

What a buffoon!

Fame is a Fickle Friend

Isn't it interesting how fickle fame can be?  One minute you are on top of your game, people love you, you have all the correct answers to problems presented, and it seems that everything you touch goes well.

And THEN....disaster strikes.  With one swipe of Lady Fame's hand everything collapses.  Have you ever wondered why that happens?  Why is it that a person can be so well liked, so smart, so well presented, and then in just a moment....nobody wants him/her around.  Nobody wants to hear anything said about him/her or what his/her opinion might be on any subject.

Look at a few examples:

Sarah Palin was the Conservative Dream.  Everyone loved Sarah.  (I still do, but I look through the fog of misinformation.)  Now she couldn't buy support from anyone that matters.

John Edwards was a candidate for President of the United States.  Now a pariah.  He couldn't get the time of day from anyone in politics.

Jimmy Carter was President of the United States.  Now nobody wants his opinion.  Nobody cares what he thinks.

Dan Quayle was Vice President of the United States.  Who?.. you say??  Now nobody hears from him at all.

And now the worst example of all:  The Ayatollah Barry Obama, President of the People's Democratic Republik of Amerika, anti-christian, anti-family, anti-culture, anti-national security, anti-2nd amendment, and anti-nearly everything I hold dear.  His fame is fading more rapidly than any of the above.  I wonder why that is.

Perhaps you readers could help me understand.

Mr. Obama's Sleight of Hand

Do you know how a magician works?  He diverts attention away from where the action really is so that he can appear to affect magic when in reality all he is really doing is hiding the truth for a bit.  Some of his viewers are completely taken in.  Some of them are curious as to how he did it so they can do likewise.  And some of them are entertained, but not believing.

So it is with Mr. Obama.  Some of the ignorant are completely taken in by his sleight of hand.  Some are curious and want to find out the details of how he did it so they can do likewise.  And some of us are not taken in and don't believe the "magic" as presented.

I don't believe gold can be spun out of lead.  Lead is heavy.  It might just be a little similar to gold by its weight, and if it was hidden inside a bag or crate, some might be convinced it is gold.  If it was covered with a little gold leaf, it would also appear to be gold as well as be heavy.  But someone who understands the difference knows it cannot be gold because its properties are not right and the leaf does not cover scratches and scrapes.

Some of us see that what Mr. Obama offered us 4 years ago was not gold, but instead it was lead painted to appear to be gold.  It looks pretty, but oh so dangerous.  It is capable of killing the unwary.  Caution is called for and handling carefully.  Mr. Obama flings the lead around openly hoping nobody will notice it isn't gold.

It is not even close to gold, however.  It is deadly.  The proposals that Mr. Obama have made in the past, and that he is making now, are subtly leading this nation down the path to destruction.   He first spent money not available and thus devalued our currency.  Then he sent social deviants into our streets to cause hate and discontentment amongst our youth.  Now he is promoting additional deviancy by advocating gay marriage and by so doing has insulted a vast majority of the citizenry.  Will they still vote for him?  Yes, some will.  Why?  Because he makes promises that sound sooooo gooood.  They show gold on the outside, but when you scratch the surface you see plainly they're made of deadly lead.

Some will vote for Mr. Obama because even though they know he sells gold painted lead, they like how pretty it is.

And then there are those of us who know lead and know exactly how deadly it is.

When will we learn that looks are deceiving. 

 

The Wrong Track

I'm an old railroad man.  In my railroad career I worked as a Switchman, Brakeman, Locomotive Engineer, Yardmaster, Trainmaster and finally as Assistant Superintendent-Operating.  I think I know tracks somewhat, and I know how easy it is to get on the wrong track by just moving two pieces of steel just 4 inches.

It appears that the Grand Ayatollah Barry Obama has moved the switch and is attempting to get us to enter the wrong track.  He would like us to believe he is a Christian, but he negates the thought in everything I see him doing.  Just a few days ago he said he supports same-sex marriage.  By so doing he indicates his willingness to deny the scriptures, the prophets, and God Himself who plainly told his prophets that homosexual activities are an abomination to him.  I am interested in Mr. Obama's motivation.  By supporting same-sex marriage he ostracizes Muslim, Hindu, Jew and Christian, among others, alike.  That statement is a clear multi-purpose anti-religion and anti-social statement.  How in the world can he justify it?  Perhaps it is the homosexual population that is pulling on his puppet strings?

Into how much more evil can Mr. Obama lead our nation?  We are becoming more and more like Sodom and Gomorrah and less and less like the Promised Land.

The Lord promised, through his prophets, that if the peoples of the American continents would stay faithful, they would continue to live in the promised land, but if they (we) deny His power and His glory and deny His gospel, kill his prophets and His people He would sweep them off of the face of the continent.

I say, better not to test fate.   We need to get back on the right track.  We need to exercise faith, get on our knees and pray to our Heavenly Father.  We need to read and study the Word of God.  We need to heed the counsel of today's prophets.  We need to repent and plead for forgiveness.
We need to teach our youth to do likewise.  The alternative is too terrible.

39 Years of Marital Bliss

Today I need to express my love for my Princess Bride. 

39 years ago today she looked at me across the alter and said "Yes" to the question of being my wife, lover, confidant, companion, housekeeper and friend.  And in just a few days she will experience her 60th birthday. 

Over the years we've been poverty stricken, fairly well-to-do, and all points between.  Today we live modestly on a very modest wage.  At the end of the school year she will leave her employment and again be a stay-at-home mother, grandmother, and wife.

She has been a stalwart support to me over the years when I was much gone from home and she had to deal with the children, home,  schools, and bills alone.  I would drift by occasionally and say hello, sleep for 6 hours and leave again.

When we were first married I had in mind to enjoy 4 children.  She had other thoughts and we wound up with 7 natural children.  Along the way I semi-adopted two more.  We love each of them.  We are grateful for their talents.  Even our children that refused to take music lessons are musically inclined and are doing something to develop that talent.  Three of them play the piano, one plays the trumpet, one plays the trombone, one plays the sax (good son that he is), one plays the guitar,  and one plays the stereo.  One left this earth a little early so didn't get much chance to develop her musical talent.  Each of them learned to love music because of their mother.

I have no idea how she did so well.  I asked our children to write letters to their mothers expressing their love and respect to her.  They have done well.  Each one has expressed their feelings in a way that brings tears to my eyes.  She has been the rudder that has kept our family headed in the right direction.

I admire my Princess Bride.  When I saw her the first time 45 years ago, I knew she was someone I should get to know.  However, we didn't live in the same town and I kinda lost sight of her for a few years.  Just over 39 years ago I knew I couldn't live without her.  I'm grateful that she agreed.  I love her, I admire her, she lights up the room for me when she come in, she is the balance that keeps me upright.

I wish every man could have wife and relationship as perfect as I have.

The "Middle Class" is Disappearing?

According to the liberal left the middle class is shrinking and will eventually disappear.  News reporters say this is the reason the Ayatolla Barry Obama wants to tax the so-called wealthy heavier and eliminate taxes on the ever growing "poor". 

After some review of the reasons the "middle class" is shrinking, I believe I have some answers.  It will take a little review of the way things used to be.

I remember when it was possible that an ambitious young person could decide on a profession and go do it.  There was little fuss.  If he did well, he got more business.  If he did poorly, he got little business.  It was a cause and effect.  Today if a young person wants to enter a profession, he must go for some government required education for that profession and spend megabucks to get it done.  Then he must tender a hefty bribe to the appropriate governmental agency in order to obtain a "license" to practice whatever service he wants to perform.  And if he wants to construct a building to contain his business he must pay and pay and pay before he ever even purchases the materials and labor to effect its construction.

The expense of beginning a business is extreme because of regulations, fees and taxes that few individuals are interested or able to enjoy what imagination and drive they may have.  Additionally if the business selected is not on the "approved" list and the governmental agency has not classified it for licensure, then the business may not be permitted to open in some areas.  State and local governments have learned that they can extract more and more money from business by increasing "impact fees", License fees, property improvement rules, employment taxes, required employment benefits, higher energy costs, and  other fees and taxes.  And because of oppressive environmental rules, often an expensive "environmental impact study" must be completed.   No wonder few people want to risk valuable and scarce resources to enter into a high risk proposition.  And don't get in the way of environmentalists who do not approve?  They file lawsuits just to make it untenable for an unapproved business to open.

So these light entrepeneurs don't take the risk and instead plod along in their mundane jobs that they may or may not even like.  The reason?  Lower risk and lower pay, but steady income.  They expend their innovative spirit on behalf of employers who aren't able to reward their imagination and energy. 

The bottom line is this:   The middle class will disappear because of excessive taxation, regulation, and intimidation.  In order for the middle class to survive government will have to get out of the way and let it happen by relaxing regulation, reducing energy costs, stopping the intimidation, lowering taxation on self-employed and small business, and enjoying the benefits.  By so doing welfare rolls will diminish, unemployement will reduce, GDP will rise, crime will reduce, and the economy will expand.

My expectation is that it will never happen.  National, State, County and local politicians are addicted to the power they perceive themselves to have.  Neither Democrats or Republicans have the courage to affect the changes necessary.

Shortage of Truck Drivers?

Yesterday I read an article reporting a shortage of truck drivers in the United States.  I disagree.  There are plenty of qualified, licensed truck drivers.  They don't want to drive!  Why, you might ask?  Let me see if I can help you to understand.

Truck drivers are in one of the highest regulated industries.  They are mandated as to when they must work, how they must work, how often they must "rest", how many hours they may work per week and they must furnish law enforcement the means to incriminate themselves.  The 5th amendment does not apply to truck drivers.

They are told they cannot rest when they are tired, but must rest when the government says they are tired.  They may not drive when they are not tired, but rather when the government says they are not tired.  The work rules change every few months so they must keep abreast of government actions.  They must have permits for various loads.  They must recertify their qualifications every two years.  They must submit to medical qualification in order to provide their families a living wage.

Just last month new regulations came into effect that will potentially cut drivers' wages by over 15% when cost of living is increasing.  Line haul drivers are expected to be away from home for 1-3 weeks at a time, but are prohibited from driving more than 11 hours per day.  That way they can sleep 7-8 hours per day and be bored out of their mind for 4-5 hours per day. 

Team drivers, meaning 2 drivers on a truck, still cannot manage their time in order to work efficiently.  They must still  take 10 hours off after each shift of 10-11 hours.  I know of few drivers that can efficiently sleep in a moving truck for 8-10 hours.  It used to be that a team could work to their best advantage.  Most of them would work in 4-5 hour shifts.  Sleep was sufficient, driving time was not overbearing, and best of all, the drivers were always alert.  Today's new rules do not permit efficient and safe operation.  They are that a driver must take a 30 min break by the end of 8 hours, but can't exchange drivers until the end of 10 hours in order to make a team operation work. 

Drivers are tired of having to adapt their lives to government issued nonsensical rules, so they are exiting the industry for greener pastures all thanks to over regulation.

Many other professions are suffering similar exits.  Local, State, and Federal governments are regulating business and industry right out of business because the people do not want to be fettered with unreasonable, incoherent rules written in unintelligible language that do not make an ounce of sense and cannot be understood by reasonable non-lawyers.  Added to the mix are law enforcement officers that also do not understand the rules and often do not even read them, but who make determinations of how the rules ought to be enforced. 

After all we live in 1930's Nazi Germany, I guess.  Or at least it feels that way.

The Holiest Holiday

Tomorrow we celebrate the holiest day the world has ever known.  We will celebrate the resurrection of the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, or Jesus the Christ.  The world largely does not understand the importance of the events surrounding the rising of my Lord and Master.  He suffered the complete withdrawal of the Spirit of God in order to experience ALL of the pain, anguish, sins, misdeeds, disease, and evil the world has ever known or ever will ever know.  He was not anxious to do it, but He did it willingly because there was no other way to offer salvation and exaltation to His own brothers and sisters, you and I and everyone that ever has/does/will live on this world or any of the other worlds Heavenly Father has created through his Son.

What an enormous sacrifice!  It is hard to understand just how this event worked to cleanse all of us of sin if we are willing to repent.  It isn't hard to understand, though, that He loves His brothers and sisters enough to do vicarious work for us.  We are offered the opportunity to do vicarious work for our own ancestors and their families.  We have only to prepare and do.

For myself, I love knowing that the great Jehovah presented himself as a little child who grew up knowing what his future would bring.  I love knowing that He did it to fulfill all righteousness and to offer us the opportunity to do likewise.  I love knowing that He broke the bands of death and now resurrection or salvation is available to all of us.  It is a free gift He has given to us.  I love knowing that He has shown us the avenue of earning our position in the post-death existence by living righteously, extending service to our fellow men, and doing work for others that they cannot do for themselves.

I love knowing that Heavenly Father and his Son, Jehova/Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are interested in us individually and personally.  I love knowing that the Father and the Son are physical personages and that we are created expressly in their image and likeness.

I love knowing that Jesus Christ has called a Prophet to whom he communicates currently.  I know that Prophet to be Russell M. Nelson.  I hope each of you will come to the same understanding and knowledge that I have.

Spike Lee says he is sorry?

How do you unsay a lie?  How do you undo the damage done because you are too racist to check your facts?  How do you unterrorize an elderly couple who fear for their lives because of a STUPID, UNREASONABLE, UNEDUCATED LIE?

I still say Spike Lee should be prosecuted for enciting to riot, Civil Rights violations, and conspiracy to commit a hate crime.

Why are they not all jailed for inciting to riot, conspiracy, etc.

I wonder why Spike Lee and others have not been jailed for inciting to riot, conspiracy to commit bodily harm, and hate crimes.  If a white person had published an address and advised his "friends" to go do harm to the people at that address, he would be jailed forever.  However, because it is Spike Lee, I'll bet the Political Correctness folks will not bat an eyelash. 

He has affected an act of domestic terrorism and should be prosecuted as should those others, the so-called Reverend Jesse Jackson, Louis Farakkhan, etc.  Why does our government give these goons a pass?

It turns out that Treyvon Martin WAS a criminal with a fairly long rap sheet for his age.  So why are these people exalting him?  It appears to me that there is a conspiracy to incite to riot at the least excuse, and they'll make an excuse up if they can't find a good cause.

I wonder if the White House had anything to do with stirring this little party up just like it did with the "Occupy" nuts.

It seems to me that Jesse Jackson, Louis Farakkhan, Spike Lee, Maxine Waters, Marcus Davonne Higgins, and other black racists who participated ought to be prosecuted in the fullest extent for 1) Civil Rights violations, 2) inciting to riot, 3) conspiracy, and 4) Hate crimes.

Loving Life; Wondering why living isn't permitted.

I love my life.  I enjoy my profession.  I appreciate the blessings that are mine.  I am anxious to hear the Prophet's voice again.  I rejoice in the ability to make choices......oops.....that isn't permitted any more.

We are not permitted to make sack lunches for our children any more because we're too stupid to make lunches that are wholesome and good for our children.   We aren't permitted to grow our own food in our own garden and eat what we grow because we're too stupid to grow government approved crops that are harvested too soon and have little natural nourishment.  We are not permitted to grind our own wheat because we might not get enough government required "additives" in it.  We are not allowed to milk our own cows and drink the milk we obtain.  Obviously all these things are way too healthy and do not fit into the office bound, brain dead, bureaucratic, mush for brains regulators' opinion of what they deem to be "nutritious".
 The food police are invading our very lives.  I expect that we'll one day see a required menu that every family must follow or face civil and criminal penalties.

We are not permitted to build our homes out of the materials we determine to be best.  We are not even permitted to draw our own plans without paying someone to bless them.  We are not allowed to fly our flag in our own yard without a permit.  We are not given permission to sell our no-longer-needed items without a permit and paying yet another tax.  We are not permitted to exploit the minerals of our own property.  We are not allowed to capture rain water that falls on our own property.  We are not even allowed to erect a fence surrounding our property without bribing the local governing agency.

We are not permitted to travel by airplane, train, bus or even personal automobile without permission of the government.  We must permit our persons be viewed by the perverts hired by the so-called Transportation Security Agency". 

We may not practice our religion because it will "offend" someone.  We may not pray to our Heavenly Father in public places.  We may not express our religious belief in public because there might be someone that doesn't believe in God. We cannot have moral objections to government sanctioned murder.  The pursuit of happiness is now denied us because it may offend someone.  Life no longer is sacred.  Liberty is being denied us.

And may I note....I don't live in 1930's Germany, but I live in the United States of America.

I wonder where the nation I used to know is hiding.  I wonder how long it will be before the Christian and Jewish citizens of our nation will rise up and demand our rights back.  Our nation was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and morals.  We believed in the 10 commandments.  Many of our schools taught reading from the Bible and most people had bibles in their homes and they kept their family records there.  We should demand our right to practice our religion in private and in public.  Isn't it ironic that Muslim people are permitted to practice their religion and are even given public financed places to practice it.  But Christians are not given that freedom.

Now we are taught that murdering defenseless babies is permitted.  We are told that our old folks are expendable.  We  hear that certain illness should be ignored and those victims should be just "given a pill".  Our government has determined that only it is intelligent enough to decide what medicines, procedures, treatments are permitted.

I anxiously await the uprising.  I hope i live to see it.  I hope it begins with the election of 2012, but I'm not holding my breath.  There is too much graft in government.  There are too many Gadianton Robbers in all three branches of local, state and federal government, and I don't see anyone that can take the place of Captain Moroni to clean house.

Will these Paper Tough guys never get enough?

So we interfered in Iraq.  We interfered in Libya.  We interfered in Egypt.  We are about to interfere in Syria.  I agree with a man I used to know long ago. 

When our government feels the urge to change the regime of another country, our President should call out the leader of that other country to a one on one duel.  I'd bet a nickle we'd stay out of many conflicts.  As long as these paper tigers can get others to fight the wars they dream up, we'll be entering into every little squabble that comes along.

When will these knuckle heads understand that the United States of America can no longer afford to play policeman to the world?  We have not the means to arm millions of extremists that will eventually use those same arms against our own people.  We no longer have the ability to send our sons and daughters out to be slaughtered by those we think are our allies, but are instead in league with our enemies.

We haven't learned the lesson that Iraq and Afganistan taught us.  When you can't tell who the enemy is we should either do "scorched earth" or get out.  Afganistan is a moral war, but we aren't fighting a war.  We are instead playing politics because we might hurt someones feelings.  I say...."our feelings were hurt pretty badly when over 3000 of our people were killed in the twin towers".  And these extremist peoples in Iraq, Afganistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Iran, CHEERED!  But WE can't fight to win a war because we might hurt someone else's tender feelings.  And then we have the Ayatollah in Chief going around lamenting that we didn't have more of our people killed on September 11, 2001, or at least it appears that way.  I think he believes that if more of our people were killed our enemies would be kinder to us.  He apologizes to them, bows to them, tries to appease them.  And they laugh up their collective sleeve. 

We need to get out of the fights that are none of our affair, and get IN to those that ARE.  Get IN to WIN and no apologies.  Let our very professional warriors do what they do and get out of the way.

It will never happen until we get someone in the White House that understands this is the greatest nation on the face of the planet and will remain so if we simply protect ourselves and get out of the bully business.  That someone is not the Ayatollah Barry Obama.

Election cycles should be changed

20 debates, 24 months of electioneering, ignorant political commentators, very biased national media, hate speak to no end, churches openly advocating this candidate or that candidate; I wonder how much worse it can get.

I think national election rules should be instituted as follows:

No primary can be held before June 1 of the year elections are being held.  No candidate may file or commence campaigns before April 1 of the year elections are being held.  Political conventions must be held in August of the year elections are being held. 

Robocalls, phone campaigning, email campaigning, social media campaigning should be outlawed.  

Negative ads should not be permitted.  If a candidate can't get elected on what HE/SHE stands for, he/she has no business campaigning.

Just think.  All the campaigning and associated media garbage condensed into 7 months instead of a continual barrage of whining, insulting, mud slinging, and irritating ads, mailings, phone calls, etc.