Pew Report January 2020 on incomes and prosperity

It must have hurt to have to say good things about the Trump economy or the nation in general in this Pew (left of center) Report, which came out in Jan 2020 before Trump halted some travel from China in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. (In hindsight lab leaked viruses laughed at those regulations, just like Pelosi did.) The report does take the long view going back decades to find slow growth and little change. But I did notice that the report noted the shrinking middle class--because people were moving up, not down.

"The unemployment rate in November 2019 was 3.5%, a level not seen since the 1960s."
". . . household incomes, which have rebounded in recent years."

"In 2018, the median income of U.S. households stood at $74,600. This was 49% higher than its level in 1970, when the median income was $50,200." (Incomes are expressed in 2018 dollars.)

"On balance, there was more movement up the income ladder than down the income ladder. [since 1970]"

"Since 1980, incomes have increased faster for the most affluent families – those in the top 5% – than for families in the income strata below them." (If you look at the inflation adjusted charts, this doesn't seem to be so, but if wealth creates wealth and there's been a huge increase in dual income families in the last 40 years, I would agree. In the long run, wealth transfers from the government from the middle class to the lower class may help consumption, but it doesn't build wealth to be passed along by generations.)

Several paragraphs in the report note the rising incomes of the upper income, without noting the disparity in marriage rates. Obviously a three person household of a single mother and two children, is going to be less than a three person household of a married mother, father and child. Income gaps between white and Asian households can usually be adjusted for marriage and number of family members. Childhood poverty can almost all be explained by the difference in marriage rates.

https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/01/09/trends-in-income-and-wealth-inequality/?

How Black, Hispanic, Asian, White households compare in wealth | Pew Research Center

The rise in black violence due to the George Floyd riots

Alarming rise in youth gun deaths breaks down very differently by race (nbcnews.com)

You can read this NBC account (based on Pew Research) and never see a word about George Floyd or how black "leaders" including the current vice president encouraged the rise in violence among black teens (called children or kids in msm articles). That's because Democrats asked the Democrat run sanctuary cities to defund the police and allow rowdies to roam. They encouraged black mobs to assemble and riot during Covid restrictions too. Far more people were killed or injured and federal buildings damaged during the BLM political riots in most major cities than during the January 6 riot when only one person was killed--a white female Veteran killed by a capitol policeman. Democrats continue to fail black citizens of the USA.

You'll only hear about these (mostly homicides) deaths if a police officer is involved. Otherwise, black leaders and the media pay those families no mind. This story is all based on Pew Research which makes no mention of who is doing the killing.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/06/gun-deaths-among-us-kids-rose-50-percent-in-two-years/?

Disparate Impact and racism

 Black homicides: Remove all deaths caused by police (6 unarmed blacks in 2021) and all deaths of blacks caused by whites, and it would make almost no difference in the rate and percentage. Homicides of black women increased by 33% in 2020. Disparate impact is the odd law that is putting black criminals back out on the street to terrorize more black victims. It's considered structurally racist that crime rates are higher for blacks. That's disparate impact fall out.

Your mother's dementia diagnosis: The MCAT is now considered structurally racist because too many blacks can't pass and get into medical school. So, although it didn't begin in 2020, since the George Floyd riots and the rise in white guilt there's a push to eliminate the standards so more blacks enter medical school. Asian Americans have the highest MCAT scores and black Americans the lowest. The Asian American who didn't pursue a career in Alzheimer's research because the team needed to be racially balanced isn't available to find the cure for your mom because of disparate impact, i.e., all that matters is race.

What would Thomas Sowell say about disparate impact.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5szK1RX0gevURrY2BHCmer

Medical School Acceptance Rates by Race (2023): Does Ethnicity Play a Role? — Shemmassian Academic Consulting (shemmassianconsulting.com)

What the Media Doesn’t Want You To Know About 2020’s Record Murder Spike | The Heritage Foundation

Democrats incite violence from local to federal level

"The record violence we're seeing now is irrevocably linked to the fact that, in 2020, Democrats at the national, state, and local levels willfully provoked and promoted mass lawlessness while they simultaneously demoted law enforcement capability. They empowered their Marxist Black Lives Matter thugs and their anarchist antifa legions to riotous violence in the name of "social justice" in response to what they errantly claimed was "systemic racism."

This violence is thus the direct result of empowering these mobs, and it is their effluent that accounts for the vast majority of active and mass assailants nationwide.

What data supports that assertion? Read on.

As a backdrop, after the high-profile attacks in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, by sociopathic assailants — attacks that are very rare despite the ubiquitous media coverage — Joe Biden and his leftist politicos paused their advocacy for the killing of the most innocent among us — about 2,200 children before birth every day — and did what they always do. They used the blood of innocents as political fodder in their relentless assault on the Second Amendment, the citizens' assurance of the First Civil Right required to defend all others."

Mark Alexander: Biden and His Demos Unleashed a Record Surge in Mass Violence | The Patriot Post

And now the threats against a Supreme Court Judge, with outraged pro-aborts and Senator Chuck Shumer leading the way even though we have laws against protesting at their homes.

Why would more laws against guns help if even senators won't obey the law and not instigate violence?

Who paid federal income tax in 2021--about 40%

 Who pays no income tax

"The share of households that paid no federal income tax hovered in the low- to mid-40s until the pandemic. In 2020, it increased to more than 60 percent. This was due in part to massive COVID-19-related job losses and a related decline in incomes. In addition, the three rounds of Economic Impact Payments (stimulus checks) in 2020-2021 were structured as refundable tax credits. And Congress increased the Child Tax Credit for the vast majority of parents. Combined, all this substantially reduced the income tax liability of more than a hundred million households and temporarily turned many from payers of small amounts of federal income tax to non-payers.

The share of those not paying federal income tax remained very high in 2021, at about 57 percent. But the economy recovered, federal assistance ended, and the number of non-income tax payers is falling sharply. TPC estimates that only about 42 percent won’t pay federal income tax this year and the share will fall slowly but steadily to the high 30s by the end of this decade.

It also is important to note that many of these households do pay other federal taxes, including payroll and excise taxes. For example, fewer than 17 percent of households will pay neither income nor payroll taxes this year—many of them lower-income older adults. And nearly everyone pays some state or local taxes, including sales taxes."

This is from a rant about a plan to make everyone have some skin in the game. It would raise taxes for those in the middle (the most wealthy already pay more than their "fair share."

https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/scotts-skin-game-plan-could-raise-taxes-100-billion-2022-mostly-low-and-moderate-income

Sonja remembers February 9, 2020 with Phil

Sonja wrote on Facebook today: I miss my Philly B with every beat of my heart-he was the best friend a girl, like me, could ever ask for. [She was going through treatment for breast cancer and he for brain cancer. Her close friend Annie had just died of kidney cancer. All were members of UALC.]
2 years ago, this day, as he was in the battle for his life against Glioblastoma, his concern was for me, and my shattered heart on losing Annie, that is how Phil was.

 
The following are our text messages from the 9 & 10th of February 2020 [not included here] …I still treasure them to this day. He also “demanded” we take a picture together, which we then laughed and laughed, as we came up with the name for us “The Egg Heads”.

 
I went down and spent the 9th with him and then again, the following day, before I had radiation, as the Glioblastoma was kicking his ass, we ran some errands together, then picked up a pizza, and had lunch together. As we sat across the table from each other, we had a conversation that no besties should ever have, one of dying, it is still too personal for me to share, but it guts me every time I think of it…lots of beautiful silences, lots of tears, and most of all lots of pure love, that only two true friends can have for each other.

 
Phil made everything ok for me, he was my rock, a source great wisdom for me, my sounding board, and also my source of great belly laughs, especially when he would call me after work, and we would watch “Emergency” together. He had the biggest heart in the world, and it was also an ornery heart, which is probably why we were besties-ha! Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him…

Valentines Day is always hard, because that became [our] day, not for the reasons you would think, but because it was the day that we reconnected, oh so many years ago, and he “introduced” me to his meaning of it (and no, I won’t share that either, but it is hilarious), so every Valentine’s Day after that, he would wish me a “Happy VD Day” (and again, not what you think).

 
Damn, I miss him, I miss Annie…I hate February, I just hate it, and I hate it more that these 2 important people to my heart, have now been gone for 2 years. F*ck Cancer, just f*ck it to Hell, where it belongs.

Time to review for this next crisis

Let's review. It was a mistake to close churches, libraries and outdoor parks and recreational areas, three institutions that strengthen mind, body and soul. Thousands of non-covid deaths could have been prevented if governors (and the managers of these institutions--like pastors and librarians) would have paid attention to the decades of research that show their positive social, economic and health benefits. I remind you, because at the rate Biden is going, it will happen again. In 2020, he said he had a plan. Now we know the plan, so be prepared.

The tale of two elections

Election results were questioned in both 2016 and 2020. In 2016, the issue wasn't fraud, it was the Electoral College and many Democrats wanted the Constitution changed, or wanted to try to undo it with state electors colluding. The whole Russia, Russia, Russia thing came about later when they couldn't undo the electoral process.

In 2020 the issue was illegal behavior by states because of Covid and changing voting rules without state legislation, and questions about the voting machines changing results in the middle of the night when Trump was ahead. It became very clear about why Biden didn't appear during the campaign. He didn't need to. It was fixed from the beginning.

Democrats beginning in 2017 continued to march, riot, whine and spill a lot of ink the next 4 years. They even managed to impeach the President over unrelated issues, but which began by trying to undo a valid election.

 
Meanwhile, there were real, actual violations of federal and state voting laws which Republicans and Trump supporters questioned. They were not allowed a few weeks, let alone 4 years to investigate, discuss and bring law suits. The Democrats had massive amounts of help from Big Tech, which not only closed down the President, the man Democrats had been vilifying as Hitler redux and a dictator, but they've shut down other prominent Republicans on Twitter, deplatformed millions of conservatives and even prevented selling their books (aka book burning). Gradually, the truth about the election is dribbling out in PA, KY and other states about deadlines missed, voter registration laws ignored, and fraud in mail in voting. Confidence in our election process is at an all time low; it's at 3rd world trust level.

 
Democrats are rushing to increase the number of states, register illegals, give the franchise to prisoners and underage minors, pack the Supreme Court, and to federalize state elections so they can permanently control the country--a one party system, like the CCP in China. Now how's that for election fraud?

Happy Anniversary

It's been a year since WHO declared that we had a global pandemic. Of course, our President had already taken action to close air traffic from China and was called xenophobic and a racist for protecting us by Lady Nancy who continued to invite tourists to California. 

Within months, when obese, diabetic smokers with cardiovascular disease were struggling more with the disease than normal BMI Americans, the entire medical system was declared racist building on the summer riots and the obvious known facts from decades of research that black Americans were more obese with more health challenges of personal decision than Americans of other ethnicities. 

The President moved quickly to mitigate the hospital challenges with extra funding for NY and CA for hospital ships and event centers open to take Covid patients. Both governors praised him, but the media had to move in to destroy any hope and confidence because clicks to their greedy websites were booming. 

The president's task force fumbled and fudged on the facts, and knew nothing about economics or finances or even mental health. Our nation, and indeed the world, locked down on the basis of a teen-ager's science report model of a decade ago. Riots by BLM and Antifa exacerbated the situation in Democrat run cities, while Democrats called for defunding the police. 

Soon the clever Democrats found a way to use the pandemic to play games with the state supervision of voting and decided it would be constitutional to override state laws on voting by mail. Democrats enlisted their supporters in Big Tech which began to block or deny "science" they didn't agree with, even finally silencing the President of the United States of America. Something they hadn't done to the Communist Party of China, President Putin, or the Islamic leaders of Iran.

 
Yes, the pandemic really did turn out to be Joe Biden's best friend.

 
Never waste a crisis to grab more power. Happy Anniversary.

Both parties, but mainly Democrats are destroying the country

Democrats objected to the 2016 election because Trump won legally—using the electoral college vote which is the constitutional way, not the popular vote, which Democrats won. They went insane. Pink hat parades, attacking people in restaurants, finding a few Russian robots on Facebook, demanding the deaths of viable babies, launching impeachment even before the inauguration, screaming at us from late night TV and evening news hours on CNN. 80% of U.S. voters, including millions of Democrats, have claimed foul play in 2020. Some at the local and state level, but most for the presidential and Senate elections. 70,000,000 who voted for Trump see something illegal either in the night of the election or the mail in process (which is not absentee, btw) and all the rushed state controlled rules on how to run an election.

We have to face it. Democrats are just more clever and more evil. And Republicans are spineless and chasing rainbows. I hope you’re proud of your party, Democrats, and your media which pulled off 5 years of lying and deception beginning with the ride down the escalator of Trump in 2015, and your entertainment industry which chased the BLM and the MeToo movements despite decades of promoting the degradation of women and the ridiculing of blacks to make millions, and your welfare system which takes from the middle class to give to the rich while holding back the poor, and your shredded plastic Constitution. Congratulations, Democrats, you've destroyed a grand experiment, and we can't say we weren't warned.

The leadership of both parties has shown they don't really want lower taxes, or freedom of speech and religion, or freedom from middle East oil control, or an economic wall against Communist China, or legal immigration, or the end to foreign wars that drain our blood and treasure, or the end of miles of red tape and acres of swamp land for sale in DC.

President Trump was mistaken. Our citizens really didn't want fair trade, or legal immigration, or good jobs for minorities. Our citizens didn't really want smaller government or freedom. They wanted to be taken care of. The leaders of both parties wanted the status quo, they want to go back to making all the deals in the back room with collusion of the media and the king makers in industry. They want power and wealth. By theft, by lying, by rigged trials and courts, and boxes of found ballots in the middle of the night.

Enjoying summer's bounty

 For breakfast this morning I had 2 biscuits warmed up (left over from dinner a few days ago) with tart cherry jam.  My daughter has found a summer farmer's market on the east side whose produce she buys in bulk in the summer.  She bought gallons of tart Michigan sour cherries this summer and processed them into jam.  And we're now enjoying it.  She also bought baskets of cukes and using my Mother's recipe for bread and butter pickles and dill pickles, we've had some of that for holiday meals.  She also bought a lot of corn on the cob and wax beans and processed those for the freezer.  Bob hates corn, but the rest of us really enjoyed a taste of summer at Thanksgiving--tasted like we'd just walked into the field and pulled a few ears off the stalk. She sent some home with me after Saturday dinner, and I enjoyed it for Sunday breakfast. I'd often talked about how wonderful watermelon pickles are (the only produce I've ever canned, and that was 1957), so she found a recipe in my Mother's file box, and made them this past summer using tiny little flower shapes.  She also makes cherry pies with highly decorative crusts. The apple butter is scrumptious but perhaps fewer spices next time, she says.  She's considerably added to her costs by then packaging the jars and Fed-exing them to relatives. She often calls her cousin Amy for advice about mom's recipes if she thinks something doesn't sound right, so I know she got some, and her cousin Joan in Indiana who has been so helpful to us this past year.  I believe her sisters-in-law in Colorado and Kansas benefited from her generosity, and of course we did too. 

Thanksgiving dinner

Musings and opinions

A former in-law writes: “The Hunt Club tavern is still packing them in at its small location. I get pissed every time we go by it.”

Yes, it’s too bad when people can still go to bars, but not to church. However, this whole lockdown would have made more sense if it involved keeping people our age at home—we are the people with age, heart conditions, lung problems, obesity, diabetes, etc. If you were out and about, I hope there was a good reason, and that no one could have done that errand for you.

The good news is that although cases are on the increase, the fatalities are below 1%, which means that those getting Covid now are much better off with the newer treatments and more knowledge that those who got it in March and April. Our president has been successful and cut about 15 years off the approval schedule for a new drug that should be delivered to health care workers in early December. We will still have people who fear vaccines, but hopefully we’ll have more herd immunity besides that which we’ve developed through the spread of the disease. 95-99% success for a vaccine is unheard of. Let’s see if it works that well on the general public. Every media outlet will announce every side effect, or death with anxious faces and whispers, when they never paid attention to flu deaths, or shingles side effects, or falls among the elderly. They may even demand on Twitterverse that immunizations stop until NO ONE has any side effects, although if Biden takes office in January, those alarm bells will stop so the end of the pandemic can be attributed to him.

Thanksgiving Proclamation, George Washington, 1789

By the President of the United States of America. A Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

Let us answer the call of George Washington to use this opportunity to render unto God our sincere and humble thanks.

Jack Maxton Chevrolet is now Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet

 Our son Phil worked for many years at Jack Maxton Chevrolet just north of the home where we went for dinner last night. He was manager of the Quick Serve and had seen it through the construction of the new building before he resigned in 2018.  When we passed it on Rt. 161 last night we noticed it is now Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet.  We asked our  hosts about it, and they said it had changed hands about 2 months ago. So I looked it up and found the article in an August paper.

"Wahlberg's latest acquisition is Jack Maxton Chevrolet, 700 E. Dublin-Granville Road in Worthington. The location will be renamed Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Worthington and is positioned on 10 acres with 60,000 square feet of showroom, service and parts space. The dealership has 40 service bays.

"The people of Columbus have been good to us," Wahlberg said in a statement. "This latest acquisition just strengthens our roots and deepens our bond with the market."

The Maxton dealership is the second Chevrolet franchise for Wahlberg, making the Mark Wahlberg Auto Group the largest Chevy dealer in Columbus."

 https://www.thisweeknews.com/story/news/2020/08/08/mark-wahlberg-buys-worthingtons-jack-maxton-chevrolet-his-fourth-dealership-in-central-ohio/42193363/

What if Jesus had returned the summer of 2020

I think the parable Jesus told in Luke 12:39-48 might be worth looking at.  The master had put a faithful, trusted steward in charge of his servants and the steward thought it would be awhile before the master came back.  He behaved badly and encouraged bad behavior among the other servants. Things didn’t go well—the steward was cast out with the unbelievers.

Who are the Proud Boys and why did Chris Wallace denounce them?

I'd never heard of Proud Boys until this week when Chris Wallace made himself 3rd person in the debate and demanded Trump denounce them. I'm not sure what they stand for on the fringes, but the Core seems pretty solid if this poster is accurate (I haven't researched it since Google controls all that).

Minimal government? Secure borders? Anti-racism? 2nd amendment? 1st amendment? Less identity politics? Not sure what venerating housewives means (sounds a bit tongue in cheek), but I suppose it means not tearing down the nuclear family as BLM does in its core value statement at its website. Western Chauvinism is an unfortunate turn of phrase, but because Western Civilization has been turned into a dog whistle by the left to mean slavery and colonialism, I suppose it's game on. 99.9% of American businesses are technically "small" and entrepreneurial, so that's now "white supremacist" to own a small business and work hard? I know BLM is against personal property (unless you donate it), so I suppose this is an answer to that. Have they asked for a visit with Pope Francis?

How many millions of dollars has Proud Boys raised since May 30? How many schools k-12 are putting Proud Boys in charge of their curricula? Are 95% of university professors followers? How many churches are praying for them and singing kumbaya for reconciliation? How many businesses have Proud Boys destroyed? Do they carry banners, flags and posters to litter the streets and the internet? Do they march through cities demanding a share in the government while destroying police protection?

My, my, what we (or Wallace) are calling White Supremacists these days!! Democrats have moved from calling Trump supporters "deplorables" to "white supremacists." They figure we won't put that on a t-shirt. And like the word racist, if you disagree you are one. Chris Wallace, Joe Biden and the leftists in social media owe us an explanation.

A beautiful family reflecting American values

What a lovely family. Democrats are fund raising on hate for this woman and her values--life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, rights given to us by our Creator. Democrats have booed and belittled our Creator, and can't offer any of those values, especially not life. They offer no liberty, only subservience to the government, and they want guarantees and equity, not pursuit.

BLM believes private property, the family and religion must be destroyed

Divini Redemptoris , On Atheistic Communism

Pope Pius XI – 1937 https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius11/p11divin.htm

The Catholic Church has recognized the danger of Communism for over a century and three quarters.  It was speaking out about the atheistic concepts in 1845.  These paragraphs are from a 1937 encyclical—before I was born, and perfectly outlines the methods and goals and beliefs of Black Lives Matter, BLM—the messianic fervor, the ideals of “justice, equality and fraternity” (inclusion, equity and diversity), the deception, the violent hate and destruction and the eradication of private property. You don't need to reinvent an argument against the destruction of the family and private property--it's been done for you.

The Pope in this encyclical, 20 years after the Bolshevik Revolution, mentions the “world wide economic crisis” and of course, then it was a world depression, now a world pandemic. But Communists take advantage of our pain and real problems to achieve their goals. The whole racism, reparations, police chants are just a means to an end. Destruction of our society. There is no intention by BLM to return to an orderly society with injustices solved.

8. The Communism of today [1937], more emphatically than similar movements in the past, conceals in itself a false messianic idea. A pseudo-ideal of justice, of equality and fraternity in labor impregnates all its doctrine and activity with a deceptive mysticism, which communicates a zealous and contagious enthusiasm to the multitudes entrapped by delusive promises. This is especially true in an age like ours, when unusual misery has resulted from the unequal distribution of the goods of this world. This pseudo-ideal is even boastfully advanced as if it were responsible for a certain economic progress. As a matter of fact, when such progress is at all real, its true causes are quite different, as for instance the intensification of industrialism in countries which were formerly almost without it, the exploitation of immense natural resources, and the use of the most brutal methods to insure the achievement of gigantic projects with a minimum of expense.

9. The doctrine of modern Communism, which is often concealed under the most seductive trappings, is in substance based on the principles of dialectical and historical materialism previously advocated by Marx, of which the theoricians of bolshevism claim to possess the only genuine interpretation. According to this doctrine there is in the world only one reality, matter, the blind forces of which evolve into plant, animal and man. Even human society is nothing but a phenomenon and form of matter, evolving in the same way. By a law of inexorable necessity and through a perpetual conflict of forces, matter moves towards the final synthesis of a classless society. In such a doctrine, as is evident, there is no room for the idea of God; there is no difference between matter and spirit, between soul and body; there is neither survival of the soul after death nor any hope in a future life. Insisting on the dialectical aspect of their materialism, the Communists claim that the conflict which carries the world towards its final synthesis can be accelerated by man. Hence they endeavor to sharpen the antagonisms which arise between the various classes of society. Thus the class struggle with its consequent violent hate and destruction takes on the aspects of a crusade for the progress of humanity. On the other hand, all other forces whatever, as long as they resist such systematic violence, must be annihilated as hostile to the human race.

10. Communism, moreover, strips man of his liberty, robs human personality of all its dignity, and removes all the moral restraints that check the eruptions of blind impulse. There is no recognition of any right of the individual in his relations to the collectivity; no natural right is accorded to human personality, which is a mere cog-wheel in the Communist system. In man’s relations with other individuals, besides, Communists hold the principle of absolute equality, rejecting all hierarchy and divinely-constituted authority, including the authority of parents. What men call authority and subordination is derived from the community as its first and only font. Nor is the individual granted any property rights over material goods or the means of production, for inasmuch as these are the source of further wealth, their possession would give one man power over another. Precisely on this score, all forms of private property must be eradicated, for they are at the origin of all economic enslavement .

A Labor Day message from your pastor

“ This Summer of 2020 has been anything but carefree and relaxing. We have been dealing with Coronavirus all Summer and trying to avoid becoming ill. We have been living in fear, staying home, keeping our distance, isolating ourselves, wearing masks, avoiding crowds, sanitizing our hands, and trying to avoid touching anything. We have been missing ordinary human contact and the company of friends and neighbors. We missed going to our favorite vacation destinations, entertainment venues and other fun attractions. Our favorite parades and festivals and community events were cancelled. Instead of having fun and good times, we worried about contagious disease, about systemic racism, about economic hardship, about injustice and about tension, strife and violence in our cities. We worried about our jobs, our financial security and our families. I worry that the effect of all this prolonged fear and uncertainty is that many are feeling overwhelmed, despairing and hopeless.

Perhaps this Labor Day we should put this Summer behind us and set our hopes on better days to come. We can use this holiday as a time to make a break with negative thinking, to care for our own mental health, and to encourage and support one another. Prayer is a great antidote to anxiety and fear. Prayer lightens our burdens and eases our troubled minds. Prayer enables us to surrender to God, to trust in His care, and to grow in the virtue of Hope. Prayer makes things better. As this strange and distressing Summer comes to an end, I prescribe a generous dose of prayer. It is medicine for your soul and a pain reliever for your mind. And I promise you, you will feel better. “

Your pastor

How will you be voting? Person or issues?

I'm a one issue voter. The person who wrote this has a broader view, and it's not written exactly as I would have--I'd certainly put the freedoms of the first amendment ahead of the second. But it's an excellent summary. No information on who wrote it--but it began appearing in August. My neighbor Arlene sent this.

"In just three months, it will be over. The U.S. presidential election, I mean. Not the end of the world, but maybe. But maybe the end of our nation, as we have known it. No, I will not be voting for Biden.... I am not voting for a man. I am not rallying for a personality. I am not pushing a person.

At this point, I am voting for one thing and one thing only. I am voting for the principles for which this country has stood since its founding. I am voting for Constitutional government. I am voting for a strong and viable military. I am voting for a vibrant economy. I am voting for the right to keep and bear arms. I am voting for the freedom to worship. I am voting for a national recognition of the founding of our nation on Biblical principles. I am voting for the ability for anyone to rise above their circumstances and become successful. I am voting for my children and grandchildren to be able to choose their own path in life, including how and where their children are educated. I am voting for our borders to be open to everyone who enters under our law and closed to everyone who would circumvent or ignore the law. I am voting for the Electoral College to remain in place, so that a few heavily populated liberal centers do not control the elections. I am voting for a Supreme Court that interprets the Constitution rather than rewrites it. I am voting to teach history, with all of it’s warts, not erase it or revise it. I am voting for the sanctity of life from conception to birth and after.

Now, there are some things I am voting against. I am voting against open borders. I am voting against a rampant welfare system that enslaves its recipients. I am voting against socialism, in all of its forms, including health care, redistribution, reparations, economics, governmental control, pedophilia, and criminal releases, etc. I would rather pay for prison reform then see the criminals released to repeatedly commit the same crimes!

So, although I don’t give blanket approval to everything our President has done or said in the past, I do support him as our president! I am not voting against Joe Biden, but I am voting against every thing that the party backing him and propping him up stands for. It is not the Democratic Party of the past. "