GOLGATHA - THE EARLY YEARS

I've heard from Him before.

I know His voice...His powerful, arresting, authoritative, yet merciful, voice.

"Abram," He said to me, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you."

There was such energy and commanding supremacy and promise in His tone that I knew I needed to do as He said.

On another occasion He told me, "Look at the heavens and count the stars - if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be."

There were other times, too.

I knew His voice, you can believe that.

True to His word, when I was very old; past the time when people have children, God gave me the son of my dreams.

I named him Isaac.

He was the joy of my wife, Sarah's, and my life.

We watched him grow.

We taught him to run and play, to fish and throw a spear.

We loved him with abounding love.

That is why I was excited the day I heard God's voice say to me, "Abraham!"

"Oh, good!" I thought. "Another promise from God Almighty!"

"Take you son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."

My heart went cold.

My mind could not get around it.

"Let me understand, God. You want me to take Isaac, the one you promised to me, the one from whom many nations would come, the one whose birth brought joy into the lives of two old people...you want me to kill him as a sacrifice to you?"

"Yes."

The weight of it was more than I could bear.

Depression knows no light, no hope, no future.

But this was my God.

He had never failed me in the past...but this...this was just too much.

I gathered together the materials I would need for the journey and then I called out to my teen aged son, "Isaac! Come! We must go to a mountain to make an offering of sacrifice to God."

He always seemed to love to go places with me.

"Father," he asked, "Where must we go?"

"I'm not exactly sure, Isaac, but it is in the land of Moriah, and God has said he will show me which mountain."

"OK, dad, let's get going!"

I lit a torch and we headed out to Moriah.

The way to Moriah was rough, and not so close.

We were not too talkative. To tell the truth, I didn't feel much like talking.

"Dad," Isaac spoke with uncertainty in his voice. "We have the wood, we have the fire, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

The question cut me to the quick.

The words that came out of my mouth were not my words. I had no idea that I was about to say what I said.

I was overcome with a sense of faith and trust, the likes of which I had never known before.

And out the words tumbled, "God will provide himself, a lamb..."

They were like thunder reaching back to the beginning of time and stretching forth to the end of time.

Even I did not understand what I had just said.

How could I know that over a thousand years hence, God, himself, would manifest Himself as the child of a virgin in Bethlehem?

How could I contemplate that that child, the only Son of God Almighty, would be scourged, nailed to a cross and would give Himself as a ransom for those who would believe in Him, the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God?

How could I imagine that God the Father would turn His back on God the Son of God to provide salvation for the world?

How could I know that the Son of God would become the Son of Man so that the sons of men could become sons of God?

"GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF A LAMB..."

When we got to Moriah, God directed me to a hill. It sent a shudder down my spine, for it looked very much like a skull.

On top of the hill, the hill, later to be called Golgatha, the place of the skull, I set to work getting the altar ready.

Then I turned to Isaac.

"Isaac, my son, I need you to trust me like you've never trusted me before. I need you to let me bind you and lay you atop the altar."

He was not dumb, my son, Isaac.

He realized exactly what was happening.

"At your bidding, my father," he said.

And I placed him upon the wood and picked up my knife.

Forever came over me and just hung there.

The knife was over my head, ready to plunge into the heart of my long awaited son.

"Abraham."

It was His voice.

"Abraham! Do not do anything to him."

The emotion that invaded me was more than I could understand. I didn't hear the rest of what God said.

I turned my head to hide the tears, and there, in the thicket was a ram, caught by his horns.

Here was the burnt offering.

I unbound Isaac and we embraced for a long, long time.

"Let us rename the hill," I said.

"Let us call it 'The Lord will provide.'"

And that is why it came to be said of this strange little hill in Moriah:

On the mountain of the Lord IT will be provided.

Then God repeated His earlier promise to me and began the process of His salvation.

See, from His head, His hands, His feet;

Sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e're such love and sorrow meet;

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

A CRASH COURSE

A friend of mine was driving along the other week when, as she went through an intersection on a green light barely missed being T-boned by a car that ran the red light facing him.

She managed to swerve and was missed by the other car.

She thanked God for watching over her and keeping her safe.

Two miles down the road she went through another intersection and another guy (presumably not the same one) ran his red light and DID T-bone her.

She was bruised and battered, but OK.

She came to me to ask why God had protected her from even a scratch on her car in the first intersection, and allowed her to get banged up in the second.

The way I answered her would offend many who call themselves Christian, but it is the truth and needs to be understood.

I'll synopsize.

Look. We live in a real world, in the ugly shadow of original sin, and bad things happen.

Jesus said, "In this would you will have tribulation."

He does not prevent it, He promised it.

If you jump off a cliff, and half way down repent and ask God to save you, will He do it?

Maybe. He certainly can.

But it must suit His glory to do so, not ours.

Otherwise, He will allow the very gravity He invented to take over and you are in for a very sudden stop that will put you instantly into His eternal presence (if, and only if, you know Him as Lord and Savior).

The really important question you have to answer is: Are you as much His if things do not go well for you as you are if they do?

It's easy to follow Christ when He takes you to the mountain top. It is much more difficult to follow Him through the valleys...and there will be valleys.

The rewards you will receive for being faithful to Him are Heavenly rewards, not earthly ones.

"Lay up treasures in Heaven...not on earth..."

My favorite lines in all of hymnody is from "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God."

"And tho this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us;
We will not fear for God has willed His truth to triumph thro' us.
The prince of darkness, grim...we tremble not for him. We can his rage endure, for lo, his doom is sure. One little Word shall fell him.

"That Word above all earthly powers, no thanks to him, abideth. The spirit and the gifts are ours through Him, who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go. This mortal life, also. The body they may kill. God's Truth abideth still. His Kingdom is forever!"

People do dumb, sinful things, like running red lights. Sometimes those dumb, sinful things result in people getting hurt, even Christians.

After Jesus promised us that "...in this world you will have tribulation," He then said, "But be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world!"

Why do Christians get sick, have accidents or behave badly...lack of faith?

Sometimes.

But much more often it is because of some bacteria, virus, crotchitiness or just old age, which are all results of the fact of sin.

Sin!

You gotta hate it.

I'm going to have a long talk with Adam when I meet him face to face.

I hope he can duck really, really good.

PRAYER AND WISDOM NEEDED

The Christian radio station at which I work, Kingdom FM Christian Radio (I'm on the air from 9:00 AM until Noon, Eastern Time, weekdays) will be holding Fall Sharathon 2008 beginning on Wednesday, October 29th, and running through Friday morning, October 31st.

This is the time when we try to raise the funds necessary to operate the station.

Like many ministries, we are struggling in this down economy.

Please pray that we will make all of the necessary preparations, present the people with material that will make them want to stay tuned in, and that we will bring in the contributions that we need.

Most of all, pray that we will be about what God wants us to be about, during Fall Sharathon 2008 and all year long.

RIGHTLY DIVIDING

I'm sure you know that the chapter and verse divisions in the Bible were NOT divinely inspired.

They were placed there as an aid to finding one's way around in Scripture.

Getting a sense of when to ignore them is sometimes important to understanding what a passage is about.

In the book of Job, Job's imitation friend, Elihu, is droning on about how Job must have done some evil thing, else God wold not have allowed his ailments to afflict him.

Trouble is, we know that his afflictions were not the result of what Job did.

As Elihu wraps up his speech, some wag decided to put a chapter marker (38) there.

Then the scripture says that God answered Job (to whom He had not been speaking - maybe because He could not get a word in edgewise while Elihu was speaking.

Anyway, He says to Job, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?"

The chapter marking might lead you to believe that a new subject is being taken up.

Such is not the case.

God is talking TO Job ABOUT Elihu.

"Who IS this guy?" He is asking Job. "He keeps on talking and talking without knowing what he is talking about!"

That's just one example of how important it is to realize that the chapter divisions are arbitrary (even in the Authorized King James Version).

Do not let those numbers influence your interpretation of Scripture.

You'll get it wrong, if you do.

HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY! (Celebrated Monday)

Yesterday was the real Columbus Day.

Somehow, in order to lighten the workload on ourselves, we have decided to move it, along with most other holidays, to Monday, regardless of the real date we're celebrating.

I want to suggest that doing so diminishes the perceived significance of the purpose of the holiday and focuses too much on the "Day Off" aspect of it (long weekends, you know).

It also allows us to rewrite history with almost no challenge...which rewriting is regularly taking place.

I leave you with this quote:

"No one should be afraid to take on any enterprise

in the name of our Savior if it is right and the purpose

for His holy service." Christopher Columbus

Genesis 19 - A Sort of Outline

Introduction

This chapter deals with the base issues of humanity.

It lays a foundation describing where the failure to deal with original sin leads and for the revelation of our need of a Savior.

In this chapter, we are faced with the decision as to how we will deal with God's Word.

Will we believe what God says, or will we parse what He says to fit our own sense of moral standard?

The chapter seems to emphasize homosexuality.

As I studied for my degree in psychology, one of the foci of my studies was homosexuality; its source and its effect.

After careful study I have reached, and adhere to, the following conclusions about homosexuality:

1. No one is born homosexual. In spite of efforts to prove otherwise, it just isn't so. The most widely proffered "evidence" for being hard-wired as a homosexual turned out to be a hoax.

2. Homosexuality is not a "choice," at least not in the sense that we usually make choices in life. No one would say to him/herself, "I think I will map out for my life a style that will cause me grief and pain both emotionally and socially."

3. From my studies, I have concluded that homosexuality is a pattern of learned behaviors resulting from a myriad of life stimuli, not any one of which necessarily results in homosexuality, but which in combinations of two or three or more may lead one to that particular lifestyle.

4. Just as certain other life "habits" are sinful, homosexuality is sinful behavior.

5. "Sin" is defined as anything that is not in the dead center of God's will, and therefore, homosexuality joins a host of other behaviors that may seem "natural," but which are nonetheless, sin.

6. God loves the homosexual as much as He loves the liar, the murderer, the thief, the haughty and the morally loose. In fact, Christ died for them all.

7. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16), is as much for the homosexual as it is for you and me.

8. There are certain aspects of homosexuality that set it apart, not as a sin that is any more consequential than any other, but as one whose nature defeats the purpose of God for His creation: procreation.

Leviticus 18:22-24; 20:13-16, equates homosexuality with bestiality, and, like murder, is punishable by death, under the Law.

u>Genesis 19:1-11

1. Lot was visited by two angels.

2. Lot's home was surrounded by the men of Sodom who wanted to rape the angels, not really knowing who or what they were.

3. Lot saw that his social requirement was to protect visitors in his house.

4. He offered his daughters to the crowd, which had no interest in her, for they were, to a man, homosexuals.

5. The angels struck the men blind (a possible source of some "old wives tales" surrounding certain sexual activities.

Genesis 19:12-14

1. Lot is warned of the coming destruction of Sodom.

2. He is told to gather his family and leave.

SIDE NOTE: The "sons-in-law" were probably not married to Lot's daughters yet, only betrothed (like Mary to Joseph), but it was nevertheless considered a done deal.

3. The sons-in-law thought Lot was joking.

Genesis 19:15-22

1. When Lot hesitated to leave the city, the angels physically removed him, his wife and his daughters.

2. Lot's reluctance to leave demonstrates even his sinful state and God's safe removal of him from the city illustrates His great mercy.

3. Lot is allowed to escape to Zoar.

< Genesis 19:23-29

1. Fire and brimstone fell upon the cities.

2. A foretaste of what will be the lot (excuse the pun) of those who live a life of unrighteousness: eternity in a place created for the devil and his angels, Hell, a place of fire, brimstone, gnashing of teeth and aloneness forever.

3. Were God to give us what we have earned, we would receive the same reward as Sodom and Gomorrah, for each of our sin(s) is as eternally damnable as were those of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

4. In His great mercy, God has provided a way for us to be righteous even though we are not righteous: the imputed righteousness of Christ to us when we do not deserve it.

5. Christians have been judged on the basis of God's mercy, not His justice.

6. We are saved by His grace, through our faith in the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

LET US PRAY.

The other day I was talking with my sister, Trish.

"Trish," I said, "Do you have any cookies and milk?

"Trish I would really like some cookies and milk.

"And Trish, if those cookies could be Oreos, that would be great.

"Sister Trish, I would really appreciate it if the milk could be skim milk.

"Oh, and Trish, make the milk really, really cold, 'cause that's the way I like it best.

"You said, Trish, that if I came over today, you would have some cookies and milk for me.

"Thank you, Trish for the invitation.

"Oh, Trish, the cookies look so good.

"And Sister, Trish, the milk tastes so fresh!

"Why, Trish, it's almost as if the cow were standing right here in the kitchen with us.

"Thank you, Trish.

"Trish, you are such a good sister."

Read that section above out loud.

Doesn't it sound strange?

When you talk with someone, do you say their name at the beginning of every thought?

Of course you don't, if you're normal, that is.

What about when you talk to God?

"Lord we come before you, Heavenly Father, to praise you and worship you.

"Lord, you are so worthy of our praise and our thanksgiving.

"Dear Lord, we offer ourselves up to you as living sacrifices, inviting you, Lord, to take us and use us as you will.

"And Lord, we pray for Sister Jana's upcoming medical tests.

"Father, just guide the technicians and the doctors who interpret the tests and please, Lord, let all of the test results be negative.

"And Almighty God, if those tests results are positive and Sister Jana needs her gall bladder removed, we just trust you, Lord, that it will come out all right.

"Father, we'll be sure to give you the glory.

"In Jesus's name,

"Amen."

What, are we afraid that God might forget that we are talking to Him?

I think He's smarter than that don't you?

Maybe it is we who need the reassurance of who we're talking to.

Do we think repeating His name before every thought makes us sound more spiritual?

To whom? To Him, or to the people around us?

Maybe we just pick up some really, really bad prayer habits.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!

THE FOLLOWING IS A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT FROM JOE'S JOTTINGS:

I am starting a NEW BLOG called Jo-Joe Politico.

It's a political/eclectic blog, where I get into things that may be of a controversial nature and its emphasis will be on current political events.

"Why have you done this, Joe?" I hear your voice ask.

"Well," I answer, "It is so I can leave this blog to matters spiritual from a Christian perspective."

So, there you have it.

If you want to see my thoughts on current Christian thinking and the Bible lessons I teach, keep on coming here.

This blog will be more of an inspirational nature.

The NEW blog, Jo-Joe Politico, will be not so much inspirational as patriotic and diverse.

You will find links there to political sites I like to visit, as well as to sites of a general, but not necessarily spiritual nature.

Come only to this blog if you like, or only to Jo-Joe Politico, if that's your cup of tea. Or, of course, you can VISIT BOTH.

I will write for this blog about every other day, and for Jo-Joe Politico on alternate days.

My guarantee is that Jo-Joe Politico will inform you, entertain you, and maybe even enrage you, but it will not leave you wanting.

Here's to meeting you here, there or in the air!

Genesis 18 - An Outline

Preview
This chapter is notable in that it demonstrates the grace of God by means of His personal care of and personal communication with those who have faith in Him.

This chapter also contains an example of prayer in which boldness and humility are entwined.

Genesis 18:1-5

God (Jehovah, the self existent one) appeared to Abraham.

This is called a Theophany or Christophany.

This becomes clear when we understand that God the Father never revealed Himself in such fashion to man throughout Scripture, except through the Person of Jesus Christ, and from careful reading of the context in both this chapter and the next two chapters.

Abraham recognized that one of the three was God, and so addressed Him while bowing himself to the ground in homage.

The "My Lord" that Abraham uses is from the Hebrew: adonai, the word Jews would use in place of YHWH (Yahweh), the unspeakable Name of God.

Speaks of Christ’s humility and the unity in heaven among God and His celestial staff.

During one’s life after his spiritual birth into the family of God, the believer never knows to whom he may entertain or minister.

Hebrews 13:2
Matthew 25:34-40

Genesis 18:6-15

Abraham was intent on making their meal the very best he could offer.

What we offer to God should never be our leftovers, but our newest and best.
God reiterated His promise to Abraham.

Abraham and Sarah both laughed (Hebrew: sahaq) with either joy or sarcasm…scholars differ

God’s reaction seems to indicate incredulity, maybe sarcasm from Sarah

God’s reaction seems to indicate joy grounded in faith in God’s Word from Abraham.

Genesis 18:16-19

This passage gives the reader of God’s Word a touching, dynamic and awe-inspiring insight into the mind of God.

Even though man disobeyed God initially in the Garden of Eden and accrued a record of defiance toward Him from that time forward, God still acts and carries out His plan with a deep appreciation and consideration of man.

This is a true and significant confirmation of God’s great love for man, only to be eclipsed by the giving of His Son to die on the cross of Calvary.

Genesis 18:20-30

God revealed His plans for Sodom and Gomorrah.

This passage presents an exquisite example of intercessory prayer,

Abraham’s prayer was bold

Abraham’s prayer was humble

Lessons for every believer:

God always has time for bold prayer offered in the spirit of humility.

God always answers each prayer. Sometimes Yes; sometimes No; sometimes Wait.

God’s knowledge is always complete no matter the prayer, and we must pray for

His will, not ours, and in the faith He gives us.

God’s judgments are always correct in spite of prayer.

God always goes "His way" (carrying out His purpose and plan) after hearing and answering prayer.

We must learn to trust God’s answer to our prayers, even when we don’t understand.

Dis-Honor Among Thieves

You are so blessed!


Look what your honorable Senators and Congress persons have done for you in their $700,000,000,000.00 "Rescue Package":

Wooden arrows: This tax break, backed by Oregon's two senators, would benefit an Oregon manufacturer of wooden arrows for children. $2,000,000.00.

Racetracks: Earmark would allow auto racetrack owners to depreciate their facilities over seven years. $100,000,000.00.

Rum: Offers rum producers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands a rebate on excise taxes. $192,000,000.00.

Wool: Reduces tariffs for U.S. makers of wool fabric that use imported yarn. The measure was pushed by Reps. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., and Melissa Bean, D-Ill. $148,000,000.00.

Exxon Valdez: Plaintiffs in the suit over the 1989 oil spill could spread their tax payments on punitive damages over three years. The measure was backed by Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. $49,000,000.00.

American Samoa: Allows certain corporations to reduce their tax liability on income earned in American Samoa. $33,000,000.00

Hollywood: Extends a tax break for film and TV companies that keep their production in the United States. $478,000,000.00.

That's $1,002,000,000.00 that will NOT go to "help" ailing Wall Street, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

But you'll get to pay for it, just the same.

Your Senators and Congress persons are so very honorable.

(At this point it would be appropriate to stick your tongue between your lips and exhale sharply for an extended period of time, as in, "give them the old raspberry.")

I Know...Let's Play a Game

Let's play a true or false game.

Ready?

Here goes:

1. True or false: McCain voted “the exact same way” as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000.

False. McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY. Joe Biden said that he did.

2. True or False: Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran.

False. Barack Obama specifically said he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Joe Biden said Obama never said that. Not only DID Obama say that, Joe Biden chided him for it after he said it.

3. True or False: Joe Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to “raping” the Outer Continental Shelf.”

True. But in last night's debate Joe Biden declared, "Drill we must."

4. True or False: John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field.

False. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, Joe Biden supported it. In last night's debate he said they voted the same way.

5. True or False: Biden recently told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.

True. It was in a widely televised program and is a matter of public record. Yet last night Joe Biden declared that he has always been in favor of "clean coal."

6. True or False: Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain’s record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.

True. Joe Biden gave a specific number: 23. John McCain voted a couple of times against bills providing funding for alternative energy research when he discovered thousands of dollars worth of unrelated earmarks in the bills.

7. True or False: McCain will raise taxes on people's health insurance coverage.

Ooops! This one is hard to say. McCain's plan, which at its peak would cover 5 million of the uninsured, would increase the deficit by $1.3 trillion over 10 years. Obama's plan, which would cover 34 million of the uninsured, would cost $1.6 trillion over that time period. This might require tax increases if spending is not cut somewhere else.

8. True or False: Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska.

False. Joe Biden said she did. But she did not. She reformed the state tax and revenue system, it's not a windfall profits tax.

9. True of False: Military commanders in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan.

False. Joe Biden said that they said that, but they did not. The commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.

10. True or False: McCain's plan would weaken regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

False. Joe Biden said it would. McCain actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.

11. True or False: Joe Biden said that John McCain was “dead wrong on Iraq.”

True. He said that. But Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right.

12. True or False: The Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.

True. But Joe Biden said in last night's debate that the figure was $250,000.00.

13. True or False: The economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out.

False. In reality it doesn’t meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of “part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20.”

14. True or False: Under Obama, Americans won't pay any more in taxes than they did under Reagan.

False. Joe Biden said taxes under Barack Obama's plan would be no more than they were under the Reagan administration. But they would be substantially higher.

Let's be Fair

Here are some things Sarah Palin said that were at least off the mark;

1. Palin mistakenly claimed that troop levels in Iraq had returned to “pre-surge” levels. Levels are gradually coming down but current plans would have levels higher than pre-surge numbers through early next year, at least.

2. Palin repeated a false claim that Obama once voted in favor of higher taxes on “families” making as little as $42,000 a year. He did not. The budget bill in question called for an increase only on singles making that amount, but a family of four would not have been affected unless they made at least $90,000 a year.

3. Palin claimed McCain’s health care plan would be “budget neutral,” costing the government nothing. Independent budget experts estimate McCain's plan would cost tens of billions each year, though details are too fuzzy to allow for exact estimates.

4. Palin wrongly claimed that “millions of small businesses” would see tax increases under Obama’s tax proposals. At most, several hundred thousand business owners would see increases.

5. Palin got newly appointed Gen. David D. McKiernan's name wrong when she called him McClellan.

6. Palin said, "We're circulating about $700 billion a year into foreign countries" for imported oil, repeating an outdated figure often used by McCain. At oil prices current as of Sept. 30, imports are running at a rate of about $493 billion per year.

7. Palin criticized Obama for voting for the 2005 energy bill and said, “that’s what gave those oil companies those big tax breaks.” It’s a false attack Sen. Hillary Clinton used against Obama in the primary, and McCain himself has hurled. It’s true that the bill gave some tax breaks to oil companies, but it also took away others. And according to the Congressional Research Service, the bill created a slight net increase in taxes for the oil industry.

Take a look at the differences in the nature of Palin's misstatements compared to those of Joe Biden.

Please Don't Fall for The "Rescue Plan"

I know you think this is boring, or not important to Christians or whatever you think, but God has given us a Representative Republic, and that requires our participation.

In a recent GREEN ALERT article entitled: Hidden Carbon Tax Provision in Paulson’s Bailout 2.0 on October 2, 2008, Matthew Vadum, Editor of Organization Trends and Foundation Watch, wrote:

Why is the mainstream media ignoring what might be the most earth-shattering provisions in Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's Bailout Package Version 2.0?

If you look at page 180 of the 451-page monster bailout bill that easily passed the Senate yesterday (PDF here), you will see that it includes at Section 116 language about the tax treatment of "industrial source carbon dioxide." It also provides, at Section 117, for a "carbon audit of the tax code."

What could a provision about the tax treatment of "industrial source carbon dioxide" and another provision about doing a "carbon audit" of the tax code possibly have to do with restoring confidence in Wall Street's troubled credit markets?

The answer: NOTHING.

This appears to be an attempt by global warming fanatics to lay the foundation for an economy-killing carbon tax just like the "cap-and-tax" system that is now destroying European industry.

If you think the Mother of All Bailouts is bad, just wait till you see the carbon tax. Get ready to reduce your standard of living drastically.

Call your Congressman, or Email him/her and say that you still oppose the government takeover of a corporate entity.

Trust me...it will not stop here.

In fact, several Congresspersons have already said that this will just be a stop-gap and more will have to be done.

More than $750,000,000,000.00?

Some Resources to Keep You Informed

For a complete historical overview of Fannie Mae, click the following link: http://www.alliemae.org/historyoffanniemae.html

In 2001 the American Dream Commitment® (ADC) is launched. It is a ten-year, $2 trillion pledge to increase home ownership rates and serve 18 million American families. The project is based on a six-point plan consisting of the Mortgage Consumer Rights Agenda; the National Minority Home ownership Initiative; the Opportunity for All Strategy; the America's Living Communities Plan; eHomeownership; and the Affordable Rental Housing Leadership Initiative.

This was the pivotal moment for Fannie Mae.

Our political leaders in Washington DC, and the corporate leadership of Fannie Mae decided that "The American Dream," of home ownership should be extended to people who have neither sought it nor worked for it.

This had its roots in the administration of Jimmy Carter, a man with a big heart, who really believed that the government could do what churches and charities should have been doing but were not doing.

During a 2004 Congressional investigation there were people who testified that trouble was ahead, but several significant leaders declared that there was nothing wrong with Fannie Mae and no problems lay ahead.



Check out the video about half-way down the page where it says: "WE DO NOT HAVE A CRISIS AT FREDDIE MAC, AND PARTICULARLY AT FANNIE MAE." Because of the "outstanding leadership" of Franklin Raines. And check out Bill Clinton at the end," at:
http://pajamasmedia.com/instapundit/

And then watch this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usvG-s_Ssb0

This will take some time, but boy will you learn a lot.

These are not people saying what people said, these are the people actually saying them.

We dare not go into this next election without being informed.

Get informed, PLEASE!

How to Win Friends and Influence People

(The Picture is of The Liars' Club)

That's the title of an old book by Dale Carnegie.


I suppose that I should spend more time learning about such things.


One of the things I'm not good at is dealing with the politics of church life.

"What!? Politics in church?" I can hear your incredulity.

Yep. In church.

You have to learn to say the right things to the right people and to avoid saying the wrong things to the wrong people.

And vice versa, I think.

In His sermon on the mount, Jesus said, "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." (Matthew 5:37)

When I first read that, it seemed like a sort of trite redundancy.

Then it began to seep in what it means.

It means tell the truth at all times.

In fact, it means to restrict yourself to truisms.

That's where I get into trouble.

I am much too direct to be an effective "church politician."

While I usually don't go so far as to say, "Why hello, Mrs. Hampton. Welcome to our church. I must say you're not nearly as fat as everyone has been saying you are."

But I've come close.

This propensity spills over into my everyday life, especially my politics.

When I hear a politician tell a flat out lie, I don't try to smooth it over with a, "He parsed the other guy's words and spun them to mean something the other guy didn't mean."

I just say, "He lied!"

If he lied, that makes him a liar.

Frankly, I don't trust liars, because if they lie about one thing, who knows what else they might lie about?

It's not OK, for instance, to lie about sex before a grand jury.

"It's only about sex," means that now I need a list of things about which things it is OK to lie about and which things it is not OK to lie about.

Yet I know that there are many times when I am more direct than the situation demands.

Often I have trouble knowing when the situation demands straightforwardness and when it doesn't.

God grant to me the spiritual wisdom to know when to soften my words and when the circumstances really require a more forceful response.

Where's the Free Money?

We Want Our Free Money!

What you aren't hearing a lot about is the number of phone calls that both Democrats and Republicans were receiving prior to Congress' vote NOT to adopt the $750,000,000,000.00 bail-out package.

The American people can sometimes be complacent, but the majority of those who are paying attention are NOT STUPID.

Congress thought we would be silent and let them do what they want to do.

There was a meeting to assemble the last details of the deal, from which Republicans were omitted.

Nancy Pelosi, genius Speaker of the House, refused to let them into the room to take part in the deal.

So, the Republicans said, "If you don't let us be a part of the deal...it's no deal."

And it was no deal.

Then, Nancy Pelosi, genius Speaker of the House, ran into trouble getting her own party to stand firm with her.

Now Nancy Pelosi, genius Speaker of the House, has the unmitigated gall to call the Republicans "un-patriotic!"

How can Nancy Pelosi, genius Speaker of the House, be so very, very, very stupid?

It is inconceivable that she could be so stupid.

But the truth is that Nancy Pelosi, genius Speaker of the House IS stupid.

She had no idea that Americans could actually understand what was going on.

She had no idea that the great number of phone calls coming into the House switchboard would actually affect the outcome of the vote.

So, what now?

Well, for sure it will be very rough going for a while.

We will lose some banks, we will lose some businesses, we will lose some jobs and we will suffer.

But let me tell you something:

The pain we will experience is NOTHING compared with what we would have had to face had we continued to open the door to nationalize these huge financial companies.

You may not realize it, but FREEDOM is what this country is about...FREEDOM AND OPPORTUNITY.

We are not, and must never become, a country that yields to every whim of those to whom it has given power.

FREEDOM means that we don't let the government tell us what we can and cannot do.

FREEDOM means we tell the government what it can and cannot do.

And Americans, while they don't yell and holler about the mundane, day-to-day stupidity of their leaders, sooner or later reach a point beyond which they will not go.

Today they reached it.

One report said there were 1,000 calls per minute coming into the House switchboard, running 300 to 1 AGAINST the proposed bail-out.

Whatever the actual figures, it was very clear that Americans had had enough.

We are determined that we will not support FREE MONEY for companies and individuals who think AMERICANS owe them a free ride.

You want a FREE RIDE, you can jolly-well work for it, just like I, and hundreds of thousands of AMERICANS have had to do before you.

We tend to think that the phrase, "FREEDOM ISN'T FREE," only refers to battles fought by our military.

We must fight for FREEDOM every day we take a breath.

And if it means we must sacrifice, suffer and struggle to keep it, then sacrifice, suffer and struggle we will.

Let's do it with our heads held high, with our eyes on the future and with our faith in a God who will guide us through if we'll let Him.

Genesis 17 An Outline

REVIEW (Note: The following review was taken from an article by the late, great J. Vernon McGee)

God has been dealing with Abram, destined for a name-change in this chapter, by appearing to him five times up to this chapter, with two to follow in later chapters. God tested Abram (Abraham) seven ways, as follow:

1. God called Abram out of his home, the Ur of the Chaldees, to which Abram responded partially. Although Abram’s faith was weak, he did move out and settled in the land of Canaan, and God blessed him.

2. God then allowed a famine to affect the land of Canaan, from which Abram fled (instead of waiting on God) and entered Egypt. There he acquired riches and Hagar—both eventual impediments to Abram’s walk with God.

3. God allowed Abram to acquire wealth, which eventually resulted in his separation from his nephew Lot.

4. God allowed Abram to defeat the kings of the east and, influenced by Melchizedek, Abram acted appropriately by refusing the spoils of war.

5. God delayed providing Abram a son by his wife Sarai, to which Abram took matters into his own hands (at the prompting of Sarai). This resulted in the birth of Ishmael, whose descendants plague the nation of Israel to this day.

6. God tested Abraham at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which will be discussed when we get to chapter 19.

7. God tested Abraham by commanding him to sacrifice his son Isaac, which will be discussed when we get to chapter 22.

Today’s Study

Genesis 17:1-8

Abram is 99 years old

God introduces Himself as El (GOD) Shaddai (Almighty)

Having all power (omnipotence), nothing is impossible with Him

Abram will be blessed with a child by the mighty hand of God.

Conduct Expected

Blamelessness is required to walk with God

Blamelessness is impossible

Christ is our "blamelessness."

Impact of Ishmael and Isaac

Ishmael gave us the line of Arabs

Isaac gave us the line of Jews

No two lines of people have had a greater impact on the world, past, present and future.

Israel’s rights to the Holy Land

The people of the nation of Israel are Abraham’s descendants

The land of Canaan would be given as an "everlasting possession."

Israel has a legitimate right to all the "holy lands" today, not the Palestinians


Genesis 17:9-14

The Sign of the Covenant

Circumcision was chosen as the earthly evidence of God’s covenant

Any child not circumcised would be ostracized (cut off)

Abraham Justified Before He Was Circumcised

Paul recognized that Abraham was justified before he was circumcised

Romans 4:11

Circumcision is replaced by the Holy Spirit, who seals us

Meanings of Circumcision

Circumcision can mean "cut off"

Circumcision can mean "set apart"

Circumcision can mean "a lack"

Uncircumcised lips = lack of skill in public speaking

Uncircumcised ears & hearts = failure to hear, love and obey

Uncircumcised flesh = unclean (like leprosy and leaven)

Colossians 2:11 it means "the circumcision of Christ" – His death on the cross.

Eighth Day Circumcision

The perfect time, for clotting of the blood is facilitated.

Islamic circumcision is done at age 13 as a rite of passage
(no wonder the Arabs grow up grumpy)

Genesis 17:15-22

Sarai renamed – both Sarai and Sarah mean "princess"

Abraham laughed with joy

Abraham’s faith was reaffirmed when God repeated His great promise

Romans 4:16-25

Salvation by faith in Christ alone

Abraham’s faith counted to him for righteousness

Abraham’s Plea

Pled with God for his son Ishmael to be included in God’s covenant-promise

Isaac, as a symbol of the coming messiah, was the only one through whom the covenant could receive its ultimate fulfillment.

Genesis 17:23-27

Nature of FAITH

The essence of things hoped for; the evidence of things unseen

Faith always results in obedience, not to the law, but to God, Himself

The object of our faith is Jesus, and only Jesus

Our good works must result from our faith, and not be the focus of our faith.

Faith without works is dead, that is, it has no meaning

Faith is given by God and grows through exercise

(HELP! I set this up in a word processor where it actually looked like an outline, but when I copied it to Blogger it reverted to this format. Does anybody know how to make a Word document copy and paste properly into Blogger?)

No More Sub-Prime-Time, Please

WARNING: The following post is pedantic, but if you perservere, you will learn some stuff you may not have known.


What each of us needs to understand is this:

The "American Dream" has been twisted to mean Home Ownership.

The "American Dream" is really freedom to conduct one's life without undue interference from government.

Democrats and liberal Republicans, using the twisted meaning of the "American Dream" decided that poor people should be able to own homes.

They passed laws requiring that banks lend money to people who were only marginally likely to be able to pay them back.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were charged with guaranteeing that poor people could have a part in the twisted version of the "American Dream."

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac backed these risky loans, thinking that if they got in trouble, the feds would bail them out.

Trouble came in the form of rising housing prices, rising gas prices and then falling housing prices when the supply of houses became gluttonous.

Trouble was compounded by Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs) which adjusted upwards (as they nearly always do).

Trouble was double compounded when poor, unethical and illegal management got thrown in the mix.

Suddenly...BOOM! Everything came crashing down.

And here we are, with Congress trying to bail out the culprits, just as the culprits figured they would.

And we get stuck with the bill.

That's sort of a summary.

Below are 100 facts and factoids, each of which is googleable and each of whose (which's?) original documents can be checked out.

Read them if you can take the time...it's slow going, but worth it.


The Economic Crisis

01. A lot of bad mortgages

02. The housing foreclosure crisis

03. Community Reinvestment Act Passed by the Democrats and Jimmy Carter

04. It included incentives to help low-income borrowers get a home

05. In 1995 the Clinton administration changes the rules, expanding the scope of the act.

06. Democrats added massive new provisions

07. Lenders that did not mitigate loan risk used the new subprime authorization.

08. The government forced banks to issue $1 trillion in new "subprime" loans

09. Required that deposit taking financial institutions offer equal access to lending for everybody.

10. Winter of 2000: Trillion dollar bank shakedown bodes ill for cities…scheme against the nations banks.

11. Subprime mortgage securities were issued

12. Bear Stearns was the first to do it

13. Fannie Mae added fuel to the fire

14. Fannie Mae purchased $2 billion of "My Community Mortgage" loans to customize affordable products for low and moderate income borrowers.

15. Subprime mortgages started to grow.

16. 1994: Almost no subprime mortgages/1998-99 billions in subprime mortgages

17. Home Prices Started to Rise

18. Fannie Mae is a "Government Sponsored Enterprise"

19. Fannie Mae guarantees mortgages

20. Then sells them to banks and investors

21. The more mortgages sold, the more money Fannie Mae Makes

22. How do you increase the number of mortgages? You lower the income requirements to get a mortgage

23. As Fannie Mae triet to increase its business, it gave the risk element short shrift.

24. They emphasized ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) and got people in cheaply.

25. The number of ARMs more than doubled between 2003 and 2004.

26. Interest only loans more than six times from 2003 to 2005.

27. The idea was to "give flexibility to lenders by allowing variances that borrowers need to qualify for loans.

28. The banks HAD to issue sub-prime mortgages or pay BIG PENALTIES

29. How do you keep them affordable?

30. Don’t have any money? No problem…we require no money down

31. You only have to pay the interest.

32. We won’t require income verification.

33. Bad credit…No credit…no problem…just sign here

34. In 2004 92% of Fannie Mae’s subprime loans were variable rate mortgages.

35. In 2005 92% were variable rate loans

36. Only 8-9% of their loans were designed to make real money with fixed rate mortgages

37. Fannie Mae tells the banks, "Make the loans…we’ll guarantee them…

38. Home ownership kept rising and Libs thought that was GREAT

39. Prices kept rising, too

40. BIG PROBLEM!

41. Interest rates rose.

42. Adjustable Rate Mortgages went up for poor people who could not afford payments

43. Then gas prices shot up (only somewhat unrelated)

44. Paychecks got squeezed…especially low income paychecks

45. Some borrowers stopped paying their mortgage payments

46. Banks stopped lending, cause they figured they could not get their money back

47. The subprime market collapsed

48. Foreclosures started piling up

49. There were no more buyers

50. Everybody was trying to sell their homes

51. Supply and Demand required that prices start falling

52. Even more borrowers stopped paying their mortgages

53. Fannie Mae could not guarantee these mortgages because they did not have enough cash….their guarantees became worthless

54. But Fannie Mae’s leadership kept overstating their assets.

55. The Regulators spun public to BOOST Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

56. Banks started to collapse because they had made too many bad loans…banks can’t do that and stay in business

57. Remember: The government required banks to make the bad loans.

58. Government sponsored securities were worthless

59. Jobs began to disappear

60. Here’s why the expansion of the Community Reinvestment Act birthed this problem:

61. Before CRA expansion, Home prices increased with inflation at a normal rate.

62. After CRA, home prices came unhinged and began to soar…much faster than inflation

63. The so-called ‘Housing Bubble" was formed.

64. It didn’t have to happen

65. Someone tried to stop it

66. A new agency was proposed to oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

67. In 2003 George Bush saw the problem and proposed the solution.

68. The proposal was rejected by the Democrats and liberal Republicans

69. They feared it wold diminish their ability to finance loans for lower-income families.

70. Barney Frank (D-MA) said, "The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable houring.

71. Melvin Watt (D-NC) said, "…in the process weakening the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing."

72. There was a housing price time bomb ticking away.

73. Someone else tried to stop it:

74. In 2005 John McCain warned of impending mortgage collapse

75. He co-sponsored a bill "The Housing Enterprise Regulatory Act of 2005" to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

76. Once again the Democrats blocked it.

77. The bill was reintroduced in 2007, but failed

78. Fannie Mae had friends in the Senate

79. Chris Dodd (D-CT) – Sweetheart Loan Recipient; Barack Obama (D-IL) – who chose Jim Johnson, Washington insider and Managing Director of Lehman Brothers…now bankrupt AND CEO OF FANNIE MAE from 1991-1998…while Fannie Mae was handing out unrecoverable low cost mortgage "guarantees."

80. Not only was Jim Johnson CEO of Fannie Mae, he was corrupt, improperly deferred $200 million n expenses, had Fannie Mae under-report his compensation as $7-9 million instead of the actual $21 million

81. He gave Barack Obama the maximum donation of $4,600.00

82. He is now a wealthy private banker

83. He’s on the board of Goldman Sachs…which gave $700,000 to Barack
Obama and bundled another $500,000.00 to Obama

84. Obama gets housing advice from none other than Franklin Raines, Vice Chairman of Fannie Mae! And its CEO from 1999 to 2004!

85. Raines was forced to resign Fannie Mae when irregularities were uncovered.

86. Who got more money from Fannie Mae than anyone else in the Universe, except Chris Dodd?

87. Barack Obama

88. Obama got 49 time more Fannie Mae money than John McCain

89. Meanwhile, many banks were sued for not issuing enough sbprime loans.
Know who sued them?

90. Lawyer, Barack Obama

91. This whole thing was caused by bad government regulation. That made solid banks become predatory lenders…to fulfil a government mandate for "affordable mortgages."

93. Blame is shared by self-interested lawyers greed and stupidity on Wall Street

94. Obama got his wish: Lots of affordable mortgages that were not really affordable ‘cause the people who took them out could not afford to pay them back.

95. In the end, what Barack Obama adopted and encouraged was not hope, it was not change,

96. Obama’s friends caused this

97. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) says, "Democrats accept no responsibility."

98. But they caused this, and now their leader lectures us about "failed economic policies"

99. And you will elect him to lead the county.

100.Your Bad

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

If Only I Could Figure Out What It Is




Christians are weird.

They are so weird that if it were not for Jesus, I wouldn't even be one.

As I travel the blogosphere, I read a lot of Christian blogs, as well as some political blogs, conservative and liberal.

The conservative and liberal blogs can be quite nasty toward one another.

Most political writers think the First Amendment guarantees that they can say whatever they want to say, anytime they want to say it, to whomever they want to say it.

It guarantees them no such thing, of course, as anyone with a reading ability above the third grade level knows.

It only guarantees that our federal lawmakers cannot make a law about what they say, one way or the other.

Our federal lawmakers don't like that rule, so they pretend that the First Amendment gives them the right to dictate what people can and cannot say (or write).

And so, reviewing, political bloggers are often nasty toward each other.

Christian bloggers, on the other hand, are always polite, kind, considerate, tolerant, loving, joyful, peaceful, longsuffering, gentle, good, faithful, and meek.

NOT!

Fact is, Christian bloggers seem to be just as nasty toward one another as the political bloggers, although they usually don't use vulgarities as often.

Just let me, for instance, say something that conflicts with the opinion(s) of a "Free Gracer."

I become a heretic.

Similarly, if I disagree with a staunch Calvanist, I am labeled equally heretical.

Suppose I don't subscribe to "Unitarianism," as opposed to "Trinitarianism?"

Then I am told that I am so evil that I might embody the very Anti-Christ.

And it's never, "The way I understand that is...," or, "In my opinion this indicates that...," or "This seems to be saying..."

It's always, "You filthy scummer! You don't know what you're talking about! You are such a reprobate! Here are seven Scripture verses that confirm that I know it all and you don't know anything!"

Then the guy with an opposing view comments, "Arrrgh! You half-witted imbecile! Can't you see by my eight Scripture verses that you are out voted by the Bible?"

Like a manager arguing with an umpire, the fight goes on.


And on.


And on.

Imagine for a moment a seeker traveling the blogosphere and happening on one of these blogs where the "discussions" are going on.

"What is this Christianity thing supposed to do for me?" he questions. "It looks to me like they can't agree on anything. All they want to do is fight and disagree with one another. I don't want to be one of them."

And so, off he goes, riding into the blogosunset, having never heard, nor even finding out that there is a GOSPEL.

Let me be perfectly clear: I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is unto me the power of salvation.

(I read that somewhere.)

"Gospel" means "good news."

One post I read asserted that we should not so simplify the gospel that we reduce it to some common trite, meaningless set of phrases.

I say, WRONG!

The beauty of the gospel IS its simplicity.

It is simply that the sin-debt we owe is paid in full by our Lord, Jesus Christ, and that if we confess Him as Lord and believe that God has raised Him from the dead we are given the gift of eternal life.

See, if we had to pay the debt, that would not be good news...that would mean we could not be saved...and that's no gospel at all.

If I think I have to keep the law, or obey some real or imagined set of rules, that is no gospel, for the law reveals that I am not able to keep it.

If I could do anything to accomplish my own salvation, Christ would have died for nothing...just a waste of God's time.

But His death was not in vain. He accomplished my salvation, requiring nothing of my own power, but only through my faith, which itself comes from God.

Growth in doctrinal matters is important.

But there is not a single doctrine worth fighting over in the light of the Person, Jesus Christ, who is the in all, of all, by all and through all of everything we are or ever hope to be.

Focus on Him.

Exalt Him.

Lift Him up.

And all men will be drawn unto Him.

Let's Have A Party!

Connie Mack has reiterated his claim that he went to Washington to decrease the size of government, and thus is not going to vote for the bail-out package.

That makes him an exception to my post two days ago about the evilness of our representatives, right?

Wrong.

He has not posed any serious threat to an ever-enlarging government.

He has not decreased the size of government at all.

Not one whit.

(What is a "whit" anyway?)

Our government is larger than ever and growing daily.

The bail-out will not decrease the size of government.

What will happen is more government control.

New committees will be formed, new agencies will be formed, new policing tactics will be initiated.

They will blatantly, and with no shame, remove a few more American freedoms, taking us out of the frying pan of economic collapse and into the fire of socialism.

Don't worry.

We'll get used to it.

Someday, some who realize what has happened will hold a Tea Party in Boston and will become very revolting.

Remember, history repeats itself.

Some think it also mumbles.

EMAIL RESPONSE

My last post ruffled some feathers.

You, of course, are smart enough to understand that often exaggeration is used to make a point.

My mother told me a million times not to exaggerate.

According to one of my emailers, I over-exaggerated in my last post.

Isn't "over-exaggerated" a bit redundant?

Let me be perfectly clear: I am like Hortense, I meant what I said and I said what I meant. And Scoggins is clear, 100%.

"But...but," I can hear you objecting, "There are some very good legislators...even some who are Christians."

They may be Christians, but they are not good legislators.

When Republicans held the majority in both the House and the Senate, they were constantly whining because the Democrats kept using procedural tactics to prevent certain things from getting done.

Meanwhile, instead of standing strong, and exercising their supposed power in unity, many Republicans cowered and capitulated...letting Democrats have their way.

Now the Democrats have the majority.

Republicans will not use procedural tactics to disrupt the Democrats. Instead, they whine and cower, capitulating to them, because, "...they are in the majority, and we can't do anything."

Bull honkey!

It was under the Clinton administration that the groundwork was laid for the financial issues we face today.

But the blame cannot be placed at his feet, because Republicans, when they were in the majority and when they were not, just went on like Clem Kadiddlehopper, "Dum-de-dum-dum."

There should have been at least a few who would stand up and give fiery rebuttal to the decisions that led to our present economic crisis.

But no, that would not have been gentlemanly, or bold, or whatever.

So here we are.

Blame greedy corporate heads if you want. They certainly are not blameless.

But the atmosphere for this all was set by the Congress and the Senate years ago and is now coming to fruition.

"Too much regulation!" shout some.

"Not enough regulation!" shout others.

Here's the way congress should write the law: "Be nice. Don't be greedy. Don't hurt anyone."

Otherwise they should keep their cotton-pickin' hands off of businesses.

Do you want to know where the problems we face really find their source?

Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

It's source is the tax code.

Yep!

There are so many deductions, exemptions, reductions, and loopholes, each one designed to give something to a corporation in exchange for some political favor, that companies are encouraged to do things they would never do without those special tax treatments.

The answer is to get business out of politics and politics out of business by completely reforming the tax code.

We have "The Fair Tax" proposal, which is a user tax...like a sales tax.

But let me tell you: The "Fair Tax" is neither fair, nor appropriate.

It would place a burden on those least able to bear it.

"But they would get their money back, if they're poor," you say.

Ah, but first they have to lay it out (You can't get BACK what you have not put in). And if they can't afford to lay it out at the time of purchase, it does not matter that they will "get it back," they won't be able to buy, thus preventing a sale and the tax.

The only fair solution is to establish a poverty level (for the sake of this post, let's set it arbitrarily at $20,000.00 per year income), and then tax every earned dollar above that amount, both personal and corporate income, at a specific and unalterable percentage with NO deductions except for actual charitable contributions.

So, if a family earned $20,100.00 ($100.00 above the poverty level), and gave $50.00 to the Salvation Army, their taxable income would be $50.00. If we assume a 10% federal income tax, that means the family would pay $5.00 in income tax.

The Microsoft corporation would pay income taxes on 10% of its gross profit (That's how much money it earned).

Bill Gates would pay 10% of his total income in taxes.

Those two entities would be paying a LOT of income taxes!

In fact, the taxes received by the feds would far exceed what they take in now, and all of the inequities in the system would be done away with.

Then require that government keep spending within expected and real income, and that they establish a "one bill one law" requirement, thus preventing "earmarks."

This would require three Constitutional amendments: One to the tax code and two to cover government spending rules.

That would be very tough, because a lot of "incentives" to make political earmarks and other junk would be done away with.

There would also be some adjustments to our thought processes needed.

For instance, the idea that a person who makes more money should have more of his money confiscated by the government would have to change.

There is no logical reason for that idea other than class envy.

So. Do you want to fix it?

Better elect people to congress who will stop the foolish, "I'll do this and I'll do that for you," and who will really put the country first.