What’s happening to college tuition rates of increase?

I don't think who is in the White House should affect college tuition, but this is odd--huge increases in the last 5 years.
•The 14% real increase in average published tuition and fees at private nonprofit four-year institutions from 2008‑09 to 2013‑14 was larger than the 9% increase over the previous five years.
•Average published tuition and fees at public two-year colleges increased by just 4% in inflation-adjusted dollars, from $2,425 (in 2013 dollars) in 2003-04 to $2,530 in 2008-09, but by 29%, to $3,264 in 2013-14.

And now the federal government has control of the loans? Looks like we're headed for another bubble ready to burst just like housing in 2007.

https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-and-fee-and-room-and-board-charges-over-time-1973-74-through-2013-14-selected-years

http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2014/04/14-income-based-repayment-akers-chingos

This isn’t the real cost

The greatest cost is in loss of time and bonding between mother and child.  Most day care/childcare workers don’t have the level of training and love as the child’s mother—if they did, they’d be paid higher salaries or they’d open their own business, or become an administrator (who earn about the same as teachers) and hire the day care workers. No one in a nursing home says, “I wish I’d spent more time at the office and less at home with the kids.”

The average annual cost of care for an infant in a day-care center can range from $4,863 in Mississippi to $16,430 in Massachusetts, according to a report last year by Child Care Aware of America. Depending on your state, the average cost of full-time care for an infant in a day-care center ranges from 7 percent to about 19 percent of the state median income for a married couple with children, the report adds. In 2012, in 31 states and the District of Columbia, the average annual cost for an infant in center-based care was higher than a year’s tuition and fees at a four-year public 

The median salary of a day care worker is $8.94/hour, less than a receptionist, a retail clerk at WalMart, a cashier, a stocker, security guard, a fork lift operator, photo technician in department store, etc.  Unless she has a child in the center and gets a break on her costs, I’m thinking she’ll move on rather than go on food stamps.

And children are resilient, they can perhaps overcome this.  But what about Mom? How can she make up for the hours and years her child is in day care, and she’s 20 miles away in the classroom, or behind the computer, or driving in traffic?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/youd-better-budget-for-that-baby/2014/04/15/791a3ccc-c4d7-11e3-b574-f8748871856a_story.html?wpisrc=nl_headlines

http://www1.salary.com/Retail-Stock-Clerk-Full-Time-salary.html

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobs/qt/childcare-worker-earn.htm

http://www.northernstar.com.au/news/mothers-prefer-home-child-care-by-people-they-know/2231074/

http://www.naccrra.org/sites/default/files/default_site_pages/2012/ccgb_mothers_workforce_jan2012.pdf

Rise of the superbug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikZQPB45Zbw

University of Texas at San Antonio microbiologist Karl Klose discusses the problem of antibiotic resistance in a 2013 TEDx talk.(There’s a gap in the middle—a technical talk with no tech back-up.)

Humans have more bacterial cells than human cells.  Yuk.

Snow on tax day, April 15 in Columbus, Ohio

Our next door neighbor’s deck.

Walhalla Ravine, Columbus

True health

"Scientific research has multiplied the possibilities for prevention and treatment, and has discovered therapies to treat many illnesses", said the Pope. "But when we speak of in full health, it is necessary not to lose sight of the fact that the human person, created in the image and semblance of God, is a unity of body and spirit. These two elements are distinct but inseparable, because the person is one entity. Therefore, even illness, the experience of pain and suffering, does not relate only to the bodily dimension, but to man in his entirety. This creates the need for an integral treatment, that considers the person as a whole and unites medical care with human, psychological and social support, spiritual guidance, and support for patients' families". Pope Francis, April 12, at the  Congress of the Italian Society for Oncological Surgery

Meet me in St. Louis

I'm watching "Meet me in St. Louis" with Judy Garland and Tom Drake who was "Uncle Buddy" to my nieces and nephew, the brother of their maternal grandmother who was also his dancing partner. Always fun to see this movie. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1531

Abortion clinics in minority neighborhoods

Let’s play ball!

Prayer

Don’t try these excuses

Jay Carney and Claire Shipman have a strange way to decorate

In the background of this family kitchen are two Soviet propaganda posters.

Are they dumb? Flaunting their politics? Haven't studied world history?

"Washingtonian MOM magazine's spring issue has a profile of White House Press Secretary Jay Carney's wife, ABC News contributor Claire Shipman, that features a picture taken inside their home. In the background of the photo, you can see two framed Soviet-era propaganda posters."

The link between the media (ABC) and the administration (Obama's press secretary) is bad enough, but this?

http://www.businessinsider.com/soviet-propaganda-posters-jay-carney-2014-4#ixzz2ygREzGWq

If you like realism and propaganda go to the Russian Museum of Art in St. Petersburg. Some of it is amazing and not seen outside Russia because the Soviets killed millions and we used to notice those things. But as kitchen décor?

The sad fact is that progressives in much of the developed world have a soft spot in their hearts for communism.  Yeah, it murdered a hundred million people or more, but you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.  And those who were murdered were not very fashionable, for the most part.

The Washingtonian photo is a tell.  There is a sickness, a willful blindness toward the crimes of communism because it is so close to the progressive ideology that animates the American Ruling Class.  Shipman and Carney are the perfect exemplars of that class.  Smart, fit, busy, anxious to make their own lives perfect, and convinced that the price other people pay for their progressive dreams is not worth mentioning or even noticing. American Thinker Blog

The voter ID victim scam

Democrats are trying to frighten blacks with the voter ID thing again. Last night I heard yet another Democrat claim that 25% of [poor?] blacks don't have ID. That would mean they also don't have a bank, a pharmacy, a doctor, a car, and they don't use food pantries or free medical centers or any government services. All require ID. What's wrong with you Democrats? Why aren't you helping them get identification and appropriate services instead of scaring them into being block voters?

I volunteer at a clinic where people either have no income or less than $15,000 and I have yet to meet ONE who didn’t have an ID, and some are foreign and some out of state.  Why are the Democrats lying about this? For the same reason they lie about the income gap—votes.

Eric Holder

Attorney General Eric Holder is giving black Democrats a bad name as a whiny, petulant "nothing's my fault" kind of guy. When Tom Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzalez were maligned and beaten up by Democrats and the media, they didn't take it personally, but politically. And Obama's the ONLY President ever treated this way? Gracious. Clinton was impeached! Nixon resigned! Several have been killed in office. Vice President Agnew was forced to resign. Vice President Dan Quayle was so ridiculed by Democrats and the media I was embarrassed for THEM (I was a Democrat then). Remember the Murphy Brown incident, and he was right--but don't confuse liberals with the facts. Jimmy Carter is the butt of a million jokes, and was even in office. Last time I checked none of them were black, although Gonzalez was Hispanic. There is enough disgrace and malfeasance in Holder's tenure to sink several Attorney Generals, and he uses his race as an excuse? Man up!

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2014/04/a-fed-up-eric-holder-goes-after-congress-unprecedented-unwarranted-ugly-and-divisive/

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-boehner-race-no-issue-in-gop-treatment-of-obama-eric-holder/

http://www.black-and-right.com/2012/04/16/eric-holder-and-lenny-breuer-protected-by-boehnerthe-wimp/

"The frustration is that the American people have not been told the truth about what happened at the IRS. The American people have not been told the truth about what happened in 'Fast and Furious.' The administration has not told the American people about the truth about Benghazi," Boehner said. "And we've been going through all these hearings, having to hold people in contempt because they've made it impossible to get to the documents. They've not been forthcoming. They owe the American people the truth." John Boehner, CBS file

“Why should Republicans tolerate the corruption of Holder and Breuer?   House Speaker, John Boehner, is protecting Holder and his gang and trying to make a deal with Holder to avoid a criminal contempt court action against Holder which Congress would easily win.   Is it because V. I. Governor de Jongh pulled the race card with,“It is a sad day in our nation when reckless allegations can be published without substance or verification as part of the smearing of our President or his Attorney General. This kind of broad brush stereotyping was shameful in the days of Jim Crow, and it is more so today?”    So, Boehner won’t be called a racist and will be a nice guy? Boehner participates, along with Holder and Breuer, enabling total public corruption and the perversion of US Law and the US Department of Justice.   Leo Durocher of the Brooklyn Dodgers, expressed it best, “Nice guys finish last.””  Black and Right

ICD-10 is part of the ACA and will be delayed again

Slipping past with all the other hoopla about ACA, the president has moved another date, originally planned for June of this year, to well beyond the elections of 2014. "On April 1, 2014, President Obama signed into law legislation that states that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot adopt the ICD-10 code set as the standard until at least Oct. 1, 2015. This is the second consecutive one-year delay for the ICD-10 implementation and is expected to be the last such delay."

Notice the "at least."  It could be later and it's already been delayed once. How's that for planning?

Luckily, there are now codes for injuries that occur while skiing on waterskis that are on fire as well as codes for orca bites. As you may imagine, these codes will certainly streamline my ability to treat my patients with these very common ailments.

So why is it that our government and its agencies think that there administrators are well qualified to develop codes for medical diagnoses? How is it that bizarre codes for humorous and extremely unlikely scenarios are being included and programmed into the system?

If you ask CMS administrators, they will tell you that these new codes were adopted by the US government after careful consultation with coding experts, CMS administrators and physician advisers. However, I am not exactly sure which physicians were involved in signing off on codes for “balloon accidents,” “spacecraft crash injuries,” and “injuries associated with a prolonged stay in a weightless environment.” http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2014/01/heels-obamacare-rollout-icd10.html

The pay gap, for good reason.

When I was 28, I stopped working for ten years to be a full-time, stay at home mom. Then I worked part time until my youngest was a senior in high school and was always at home in the summers. Don't regret a minute of it. Loved my job, but any day with my children was better than a day at work. Was there a pay gap? I certainly hope so. Why should I have been paid the same as a woman who had worked all those years? Are my kids any better than those who went to day care or grandma's? There's no way to know. I didn't raise them. But I'm better for it.

Throw back Thursday, 1988, back on tenure track to Associate Professor after the kids were grown and gone.

The United States is different from most countries

Here's the part in our founding document that Obama doesn't believe:  "that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. . ."  In most countries, it is the government that confers rights. Progressives/socialists all have the same goals. Take back from the people what they believe belongs to the government. They don't believe there is a Supreme Being so how could he confer rights?

Obama’s War on Women—it’s the economy

Why is Obama pandering to women with this phony war on women? Ted Cruz might have the answer. "The reality are women are hurting and they are hurting under President Obama's economic agenda. Under President Obama 3.7 million women have moved into poverty. Under President Obama, the median income for women has dropped over $700. The Obama economy is a disaster. And the people who are hurt the most are the most vulnerable among us, they’re young people, they’re Hispanics, they’re African-Americans, they are single moms. And all of the smoke and mirrors that the White House has designed to distract from the failures of the Obama economy and the people who are hurting and no one is being hurt more than women by the Obama economy.” (On Neil Cavuto show, April 8)

Democrats in the Senate have red faces over the comparison of their own staff salaries.  Especially the Senator fro Alaska—a difference of $23,000 a year.  And why not?  They were apparently hired based on skill, service, job difficulty, and seniority.  Just like women in the private sector.

This bill (which failed) was full employment for lawyers.

An Irish wedding with a huge surprise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYKwqj5QViQ#t=295

 

"Those most important words, I do ya, Hallelujah."

The Pope, Obama and The Devil

On why Jews support Democrats

"Hatred for the Jew is endemic to the dominant force in today’s Democratic party.  Anywhere you find leftism whether it was national socialism, Nazism, whether it was communism, whether it was socialism now in Europe or whether it was in the Democrat party today. . . So why do Jews support it?  Two basic reasons: one, there is something very attractive to people who have been persecuted to the notion that nothing will be judged, because if nothing is judged, then they can’t judge the Jew. The Jew can’t be evil, the Jew can’t be put in an oven. 

“The second salient point is if you’re called a Jew it is different than any other religion that is out there. To be called a Christian you have to believe something. You have to believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. And from that belief stems other beliefs, other practices, cultural things, behaviors, rights, and rituals.

“To be called a Muslim you have to believe something. You have to believe that the Koran is the final testament of God and Mohammed is perfect messenger. From that belief stems certain rights, and rituals, practices and behaviors.

“To be called a Jew you don’t have to believe anything. All you have to do is plop out of the Jewish womb, they call you a Jew. All right, so lets call these people the plopping Jews. It is the plopping Jew that votes Democrat. And as you go down the line to first the reform Jew who is basically a plopping Jew with a better social calendar.

“All the way up to Conservative and Orthodox, that’s people who actually have Judaism as part of their moral cultural upbringing, not just an accidental Jew. The more Jewish you are by practice, by choice, not just by accident, the more likely you are to support the Republicans. And not just the Republican candidate, but down the line on every single issue. The Republican Party and the practicing Jew shares values."     Evan Sayet, speech  “Hating What’s Right: How the Modern Liberal Winds Up on the Wrong Side of Every Issue,”  2013  Heritage Foundation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkyn3JaLrcw

77 cents or 88 cents, it’s all a lie

Lying about the gender gap--again

Today our bold and brave President announced that for 5.5 years his administration apparently hasn't been enforcing a law passed in 1963--51 years ago. This equal pay dog and pony show by him is such an embarrassment. He lies, and excuses the discrepancy on his own staff while blaming private business. All he has done is promote more law suits and more paper work in a floundering economy.

In 1996, two of my colleagues at OSU looked at the discrepancy in the pay of male and female librarians (Bradigan, Pamela S. and Carol A. Mularski. "Evaluation of Academic Librarians' Publications for Tenure and Initial Promotion," The Journal of Academic Librarianship, v. 22 September 1996 pp. 360-365.) What did they find? Male librarians publish more and relocate more often and are more likely to accept the more challenging jobs. That translates into better pay. If anything, the higher pay that male librarians are willing to go after pulls up the median. The female librarians indirectly benefit from having more men in the field.

Here's how the 77 cent difference plays out. "A receptionist working 38 hours a week at your local dentist’s office is evenly stacked up against a stock broker or a coal miner. The salary of a male neurosurgeon is compared to a female manicurist. A male electrician is contrasted against a Denny’s waitress." MattWalshblog

Abortion clinics rarely inspected

Twenty five abortion clinics in New York were inspected a total of 45 times in 12 years.  Democrats’ War on Women.  Tanning salons are inspected more frequently—twice a year. Yet 75,000 abortions were performed in New York city alone. Remember the old saw, “safe and legal?”

Notice the inviting wording in the Internet ads for abortion—early, soft touch, dignified, same day appointment, gentle aspiration, private.  You’d never know about the horrors, violence and death.

http://nypost.com/2014/04/07/health-department-fails-to-regularly-inspect-abortion-clinics/

You can donate to a Gosnell movie.

The gender gap is in clothing

The gender gap may be in clothing. Look at any ad or go into any place of business and tell me that a man in dress slacks and a nice shirt, doesn't look 50% more prepared to be an executive than a woman in slacks and a shirt/sweater showing cleavage. Ladies, if you mean business, then dress like it. Don't dress for a picnic if you want to be on the board.

Yesterday I was in 3 places of business. Observed working women in jeans and sweat pants. I saw no men dressed like that. It's not a salary difference, but goals. I'm not asking for girdles and high heels the way we did in the 1960s even at entry level, but just a little pride and modesty.

Twenty years ago I suggested to a 20-something clerk that she not wear jeans to work (in the veterinary medicine library).  She was quite insulted (although it was a written policy by the library manager above me), and said she didn’t have time to dress nicely for the job.  So I suggested she prepare her clothes the night before.  She soon left for another job.  Which was fine, because she also didn’t want to arrange the serials for binding in alphabetic order.

Stop underestimating the President!

Some conservative bloggers/FB-ers depict Obama as dumb, out of step, sucker for socialism, etc. Really? Who else could claim with a straight face in a news conference that Republicans want to deprive people of insurance when the ONLY politician who has actually done that--and for millions--is President Obama? Many believe him. I don't call that dumb--except for the sillies who swallow it. The Pied Piper theme still appears in 21st century books, TV and movies, and we've got one in the White House.

Rich white folk

Who is the President's base? Rich whites says Derryck Green.

"Even as he ran for the Illinois state senate, the U.S. Senate and the White House, Barack Obama's main constituency has been rich, liberal white people. Black folk supported him along the way, but their loyalty of support does not necessarily constitute a political base.

Aside from that short stint as a "community organizer" and attending Trinity United Church of Christ — it would seem to build his "street cred" and "authenticity" among those who would be his most loyal supporters — Barack Obama never spent a significant amount of time around black people. "

He begins with a  review of how Barack Obama used the gay marriage issue to get elected. He was against it before he was for it. And are liberals at Mozilla suggesting he be run out of town? http://www.nationalcenter.org/P21NVGreenMarriage90612.html

Noah and Jesus

I heard two reviews from committed Christians of the movie Noah at church this morning: one said it was awful, a terrible waste of money and didn't follow scripture; the other said it was fantastic, stayed very close to scripture and only embellished where there is no story, and was completely satisfied with using the word "creator" instead of "God," because Noah wasn't Christian and wasn't Jewish and millions of cultures don't use our word. The first said, don't see it, the other said, see it and let's talk about it.

I would never expect a movie to recreate any stories in Genesis, because of the 90 minute format. However, one young seminary student in our Sunday School class suggested it is like a "midrash" in Jewish tradition or a story from scripture that is embellished and used for moral or ethical teaching. I've always been surprised when I see children's books from the Bible how many aspects are not included in the original, to make them more interesting. Talking animals, friends, stars, angels.

Speaking of Noah, The Killing of Jesus a book by Bill O'Reilly sounds like a travesty. No, I haven't read it, only heard him talk about it in interviews. For some reason he thinks Josephus is an authoritative source for history, but not Luke. Luke used primary sources, like interviewing Mary, who obviously was not only present at the birth, but also the miracles, the crucifixion, and the empty tomb. Primary always trumps secondary, which Josephus used. Virtually all the New Testament is quoted in the early church fathers even before it was canon. O'Reilly decided through his research that no one was near enough to the cross to hear Jesus' words. So that would make John's account fiction? And he doesn't cover miracles because he can't prove them.

The oldest copy we have of Josephus is 11th century--for the New Testament there are thousands of extant copies of various parts dating to second century sources. He seems to think that by reading history (his version) people will read the real thing? Really O'Reilly? Also, I don't like O'Reilly. He's rude to his guests and is arrogant. Supposedly he's a Catholic and conservative, but I haven't seen a lot of evidence of that. Dennis Miller, whom he has on his show regularly, is work watching.

Three Grandmas read Beyonce’s lyrics

GRANDMA 1: "Have you heard Kanye West and Beyoncé's new song 'Drunk in Love?' It's ridiculous"
GRANDMA 2: "They sing it together? Kanye West and Beyonce? What is Kanye West, a basketball player or a singer?"
GRANDMA 3: "Kanye West is a singer."
GRANDMA 2: "No I think he's a basketball player."
GRANDMA 1: "No. He's a rapper."
GRANDMA 2: "Kim Kardashian likes 'em big, trust me. He's a basketball -- although I've never seen him play."
GRANDMA 1: "He's not tall."
GRANDMA 2: "Oh then he's a rapper. But you don't like the song? What did you say --"
GRANDMA 1: "Oh, the newest song is ridiculous. Watch. All the teenagers are singing this. 'Woo, 'cause you a myth and I'm a mother-f***ker. Yeah tonight I see some super freaky hos.'"
GRANDMA 2: "That's -- that's --"
GRANDMA 1: "'That could go from being strippers to a super CEO. You reverse, you reverse, and I'm impregnating your mouth.'"
GRANDMA 3: "Oh."
GRANDMA 2: "Why you even putting this out for me to see? would you even put that in --"
GRANDMA 1: "'Cause I'm a visionary."
GRANDMA 2: "Why do you do this sh**?"
GRANDMA 1: "'I put you on that bike you bound girl, we too won't turn down, we drunk in love f***'"
GRANDMA 2: "Oh god."
GRANDMA 1: "You know --"
GRANDMA 2: "This is a disk, a record?"
GRANDMA 1: "Yeah. Number one."
[CROSSTALK]
GRANDMA 3: "But a teenager, kids don't read this --"
GRANDMA 2: "But Beyoncé, her husband is such a sweetheart. You don't mind her saying 'we be all night and everything all right. Boy I'm drinking, park it in my lot. 7-11.' What the hell is 7-11? 'I'm rubbing on it, rubbing rubbing. If you're scared go --' We never talk when we have sex. What's all this talking? 'Then I fill the tub up half way then I ride it with my surf board. Surf board, surf board. Grinding on the' -- Get out of here, I don't want to finish. 'Grinding on that wood, grinding grinding on that wood. I'm swerving on that, swerving, swerving on that.' They must have a big bathtub.'"
GRANDMA 3: "Hold up that doocy? D'USSÉ? It's the sh** if I do say so myself.' Wait, 'hold up that douche. Douche?'"
GRANDMA 2: "What the hell is D'USSÉ?"
GRANDMA 1: "Hold up the deuce means this."
GRANDMA 3: "Oh that. 'It's the sh** if I do say so myself. Slip, slide the panties right to the side. Ain't got the time to take of drawers. I'm Ike, Turner, turn up, Baby no I don't play, now eat the cake, Anna Mae
Said, "Eat the cake, Anna Mae!"'"
GRANDMA 2: "Oh, this is disgusting."
GRANDMA 3: "Who the hell is Anna Mae anyway?"
GRANDMA 2: "I don't know, I think she wrote a book."
GRANDMA 3: "'I'm nice, for you all to reach these heights. Sleep tight, we sex again in the morning, your beastesness --"
GRANDMA 2: "Your breastases."
GRANDMA 3: "Your breasts."
GRANDMA 2: "'-- is my breakfast. We goin in we--' Oh my. And that's a number one hit? That's a piece of sh**"
GRANDMA 3: "I don't like those lyrics at all."

https://grabien.com/story.php?id=7114

The culture of the left

"I think it's [Mozilla firing of CEO] narrower than that [intolerance]. This is the culture of the left not being satisfied with making an argument or even prevailing in an argument, but in destroying personally and marginalizing people who oppose it, in the same way that proponents of climate change declare the issue closed. It's over. There's no debate. It is settled science." Charles Krauthammer

Liberals on Hobby Lobby: Corporations can't exercise personal values
Liberals on Mozilla: Corporations should exercise personal values.
- Laura Yingling

Let's flip this on you liberals. What if there were a complete change in the administration and the culture about abortion, and everyone who'd contributed to Planned Parenthood were driven out of their jobs by obnoxious, bossy mobs on Twitter and Blogs--or whatever would be current at that time . You just might see this bullying and "inclusive for me and not for you" a bit differently.

Mozilla’s statement on diversity:

"Our organizational culture reflects diversity and inclusiveness. We welcome contributions from everyone regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender-identity, language, race, sexual orientation, geographical location and religious views.

I guess they didn't see the irony of this. Mozilla supports equality for all except . . . No one with a conservative or religious view on marriage can work there with all those tolerant people, or about 60% of the population. If you EVER see the words DIVERSITY and/or INCLUSIVENESS just substitute intolerance, bigotry and bullying of a different stripe allowed.

Violates liberal values?  Well, these pushy, arrogant, ugly people aren’t liberals. http://m.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/04/mozillas-gay-marriage-litmus-test-violates-liberal-values/360156/

The post Haiti pot luck for the team

Dinner for 14 tonight, so I'm cleaning my desk. Found this in the pile, "Zeal behind the wheel" in Growing strong in the seasons of life by Charles Swindoll.

at 45 mph. . . "God will take care of you"
at 55 mph . . ." Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah"
at 65 mph . . . "Nearer, my God to Thee."
at 75 mph . . . "Nearer, still nearer!"
at 85 mph . . ."This world is not my home"
at 95 mph . . . "Lord, I'm coming home."
Over 100 . . . "Precious Memories."

KJV is still king of translations

http://www.raac.iupui.edu/files/2713/9413/8354/Bible_in_American_Life_Report_March_6_2014.pdf

How to end poverty

I'm so disappointed. I agreed to review a new Christian title that promised a solution to extreme poverty. Same old same old--more money donated by Christians. There's not a corrupt government in the world that can't soak up every bit of wealth we have. Jesus asked us to be generous, not stupid. Free market capitalism is the only solution to poverty--not redistribution, even if it is voluntary. Charity and NGOs and government aid (all with the best of intentions) have desperately hurt third world countries while lining the pockets of tyrants. Plus we're losing the solution to poverty in our own country, so why would anyone take our advice?

Broken window theory of Obamacare

Mozilla CEO fired, er, resigns due to thuggery

Political donations are covered under the first amendment--freedom of speech. Belief in traditional marriage is covered under the first amendment--freedom of religion. In 2008, Obama assured his supporters he was a Christian and supported traditional marriage--one man and one woman--he even supported don't ask don't tell for the military throughout his first term. And now a CEO Brendan Eich  is ripped by the left, deprived of his first amendment rights to speak and believe, and forced to resign because in 2008 he donated money for California's Proposition 8. Why not fire Obama for what he did in 2008 (and 2009-2012)?

 http://hotair.com/archives/2014/04/03/mozilla-ceo-resigns-after-uproar-over-his-opposition-to-gay-marriage/

In theory, it is not the government trying to coerce him, it's a private business, (try firing a Muslim or Orthodox Jew for their beliefs), but we know who are controlling business culture these days, and it isn't businesses like Hobby Lobby or Chick-fil-a.

Never did like Firefox. And supposedly, Mozilla is a non-profit 501c3 getting government perks for existing and competing with for-profits.You know he won't sue and further be smeared by militant gays, but I wish he would.

Gay activists are for purging, discrimination, stifling free speech, denying religious freedom, burning heretics at the stake of their profession, and bullying in the worst way. In 2008 the president made the same stand as the Mozilla CEO, Brendan Eich . I'm sorry he caved at the hands of despicable thugs. Did the President speak out for what he believed and campaigned on in 2008? Of course not. He's not for basic American values of speech and religion.

Easter humor (secular)

Let’s play raise the minimum wage

In Ohio minimum wage is for entry level and part time work and workers quickly rise above that.  But let's play Obama's game.  Two adults working full time at minimum ($7.95) would be above 210% of federal poverty level for a household and lose eligibility for many government programs.  200% of FPL is considered, “self-sufficient.”  That’s too much to get SNAP (food stamps) or HEAP (energy assistance). There are people who actually cut their hours so they can maintain government benefits because of the tax advantage.

In Ohio: To be eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, for example, a family's income cannot exceed 130 percent of the FPL. To be eligible for publicly funded child care initially, a family's income cannot exceed 125 percent of the FPL. After that, families may remain eligible until their income exceeds 200 percent of the FPL.

http://www.accaa.org/povertyInfo.asp

The Unaffordable health insurance act

Shannon Wendt of Michigan details her problems with “affordable.” She’s in an Americans for Prosperity ad, one of those that Obama and Reid say are lying. Link

Their 2013 plan: $221 monthly premium, deductible of $5,000, 20 percent coinsurance, $10,000 out-of-pocket maximum, and no lifetime or yearly maximums. The plan did not include maternity care, because the Wendts decided it was cheaper to pay those expenses in cash. It did cover any complications involved in pregnancy or childbirth, such as an extra tests or procedures.

Their 2014 plan: $381 monthly premium, $10,000 deductible, 30 percent coinsurance, and $17,000 out-of-pocket maximum. The plan could cost nearly $10,000 more than the previous plan, Wendt says. Also, the plan does not meet ACA standards and will be canceled at the end of 2014.

An ACA-compliant plan that fits the family’s needs: $981.49 monthly premiums, $2,800 deductible, 20 percent co-insurance, and a $12,000 out-of-pocket maximum. The plan, quoted to her by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, would raise premium costs more than $8,000.

This is legal in Ohio in late 2nd trimester (23-24 weeks)

A needle is guided to the fetus’ heart with the aid of an ultrasound, and poison (often digoxin or potassium chloride) is injected directly into the beating heart of the fetus, causing an immediate heart attack.  Another method is to sever the umbilical cord essentially destroying its lifeline to the mother—but the cord is part of the baby, not the mother. Did you know that the baby has a sense of touch at that age and can grab the umbilical cord? When the baby is dead, either from a heart attack or lack of oxygen, it can then be cut up and removed.

Democrats support this. Feminists support this.  Progressives support this. Even some Republicans and Libertarians support this.  It’s called “reproductive health.”  No reproduction. And definitely not health.

What Democrats call this

Protecting “A Woman's Right to Choose” The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.  2012 Democratic Platform

                 

Just the facts, please.

It’s just a movie, but . . .

G’nite

Hutterites from Canada looking for roots in Ukraine

Interesting story of a group of Hutterites from Canada who go to Russia to display their hog equipment for sale and then go on the Ukraine (Hutterthal and Johannesruh) to look for their roots.  German Mennonites were moved to Ukraine in the 18th century because they were such good farmers, always keeping their language (Plattdeutsch), which caused them a lot of discrimination during WWI and WWII.  Many fled to U.S., Canada and South America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k3ga8jbmuA

The milking scenes are interesting—the women just go into the field, the cows are not restrained. Then deliver it.

Gorgeous scenes of farms and villages in Ukraine (2007).  Wonder what is happening there now?

Some history of the Hutterites and Jacob Hutter. How Lutherans became Hutterites after being banished for not converting to Catholicism.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERBHXGUkcXM

                  

Tina Brown wants to empower women

After 40+ years I'm awfully tired of hearing that women are oppressed victims. Their college graduation rate is higher than men and has been since 1982, and salaries given the same life choices are the same or higher. Brown supposedly is looking at poverty. For that, I suggest a smaller government and a freer market so women stop looking to Uncle Sam as their Sugar Daddy. Very few children grow up poor if Mom and Dad are married.

From 1999–2000 to 2009–10, the percentage of degrees earned by females remained between approximately 60 and 62 percent for associate's degrees and between 57 and 58 percent for bachelor's degrees. In contrast, the percentages of both master's and doctor's degrees earned by females increased from 1999–2000 to 2009–10 (from 58 to 60 percent and from 45 to 52 percent, respectively.)

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=72

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/01/no-women-don-t-make-less-money-than-men.html#url=/articles/2014/02/01/no-women-don-t-make-less-money-than-men.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/she-the-people/wp/2014/04/01/tina-brown-aims-to-fire-up-the-womens-empowerment-movement/

Affordable, affordable, affordable

Listening to Obama jive talking today about the glories of the ACA reminds of the time about 20 years ago I ran in a marathon. Well, not exactly running--within a few blocks I was walking--even stumbling because I wasn't in shape and hadn't prepared, and everyone else finished way before me, but finally (after cutting and cheating a little bit) I did make it across the finish line. There were still a few people there to cheer--or maybe waiting to take down the barricades and go home. I still have the t-shirt.

He was only kidding.

Common Core Concerns

Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs contemplates the Hoover Dam

[He read] an article about the men who maintain the Hoover Dam - one of the greatest engineering and architectural wonders of the modern era. Apparently, a big chunk of these men are about to retire. And guess what? There’s no one to replace them!

This is potentially unfortunate news for the many millions of Americans currently addicted to the electricity provided by The Hoover Dam. For that reason, I suggest you read the attached, or at least watch the video. It’s illuminating.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/31/wave-retirements-hitting-hoover-dam-workforce-as-government-scrambles-to-fill/

Probate in Ohio—Elder Law

The executor or administrator takes care of the following tasks:

• caring for all property of the decedent;

• receiving payments due the estate, including interest, dividends and other income;

• collecting debts, claims and notes due the decedent;

• determining the names, ages, addresses and degree of relationship of all heirs;

• determining the names, ages and addresses of all beneficiaries, if there is a will;

• investigating the validity of all claims against the estate and paying all outstanding obligations including federal, state and local estate and income taxes;

• planning for federal and state taxes and preparing and filing estate tax returns when required;

• carrying out the instructions of the probate court pertaining to the estate and distributing the assets of the estate to the heirs.

The probate court judge and support staff supervise the work of the executor or administrator.

These actions may require the preparation and filing of numerous legal documents, the provision of notices, hearings in court, an appraisal of the assets of the estate, an inventory of the assets, completion of final income tax returns and possibly gift and estate tax returns, an accounting of funds, final transfer of all assets to beneficiaries, termination of the probate proceeding, and discharge of the executor or administrator by the probate court. Because of the complexity of these procedures, the assistance of an attorney usually is needed.

If the total value of all property in the decedent’s individual name is $35,000 or less, the estate can be relieved from some of these administrative requirements. Where the decedent’s spouse is entitled to receive all of the estate’s assets, the amount that can be relieved from formal administration is increased to $100,000.

Non-probate assets include: insurance policies, IRAs and pensions that are payable on death to a beneficiary; and a home, car or bank account that the decedent owned jointly with rights of survivorship. In many cases, the bulk of a decedent’s assets may be non-probate assets. The administrator must identify non-probate assets for tax purposes, but these assets are not otherwise included in the estate for which the administrator is responsible.

Duties of the Executor

What are the duties of an administrator (executor)?

The basic duties of an administrator and an executor are:

1. Inventory and appraisal. The administrator must identify and determine the fair market value of all financial assets and property that were owned by the decedent at the time of death.* The administrator must file an inventory listing all of the decedent’s probate assets and their date-of-death values with the probate court within three months of the administrator’s appointment, unless an extension is granted.

If the value of an asset is “readily ascertainable” (for example, shares of stock in a publicly traded company or the balance in a bank account), then no professional appraisal is required; however, items such as jewelry, art objects, antiques, real estate and any other possessions whose value cannot be readily established must be appraised by a qualified person.

2. Collecting assets. The administrator must collect all assets of the decedent. This is very important (especially to prospective heirs) because it is these assets that will be distributed to the heirs after debts and taxes have been paid. Complications can arise in this process if assets legally owned by a decedent are in the possession of someone else at the time of death, or if property belonging to the decedent has been concealed or misappropriated by a third party. [. . .]

3. Payment of debts and expenses. Creditors (people to whom the decedent, or his or her estate, owe money) have six months from the date of death to present their claims against the estate. In most cases, any claim not submitted within six months is barred forever. Claims must be in writing and sent directly to the administrator or mailed to the decedent’s address, and must be received by the administrator within six months. In addition to ordinary bills the decedent owed at the time of death, other debts typically include expenses to keep up property; local, state and federal taxes; hospital and funeral expenses; and expenses of administration including probate court costs, bond premiums and fees charged by appraisers, attorneys and the administrator. [. . . ]

4. Distribution of assets. When all debts, taxes, costs and expenses of the estate have been paid, the administrator must distribute the balance of the estate to the decedent’s heirs according to a strict formula spelled out in Ohio’s statute of descent and distribution. Because an administrator may be held personally liable for an error or excess distribution to an heir that cannot later be recovered, legal advice should be obtained before making a final disposition of estate assets. Sometimes an administrator will make a partial distribution of certain assets before all claims have been received. In such cases, it may be prudent to advise persons receiving early partial distributions that they may be required to return money or property to the estate if it is needed to satisfy valid claims.

 

Welcome April

Happy birthday, Cesar Chavez

Cesar Chavez, founder of the United Farm Workers union, was a fierce opponent of illegal immigration and supporter of tight border controls. He organized U.S. farm workers, not illegals who would work for less than Americans. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/374564/happy-border-control-day-mark-krikorian#!

Time to think outside the Bush box

I know nothing about Jeb Bush, perhaps he's better than his father and brother, but if Republicans can't find anyone other than a Bush when the party has some great leaders like Paul, Cruz, Jindal, etc. then perhaps it's time to throw in the towel.

Spinach/kale corn chips

Today I bought a bag of spinach/kale corn chips. Mainly out of curiosity. Lots of vitamin K and vitamin A, and fat and salt to make it palatable. Still tastes like your lawn smells.

All the buzz words. Non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan friendly, nut-free environment.   And I had to break my rule—no food from Mexico.

Intolerant gays on the left

Only about 2% of the population is gay--and most of them haven’t taken the steps to insure their partners (at Ohio State you can buy insurance for your gay domestic partner, but not straight), put their names on a mortgage, include them in a will, or have a joint checking account. Many males have the same motive as their straight colleagues--protect their money and estates (some have children and grandchildren and have been in multiple relationships).  And gay men are among the wealthiest demographic, in part because up until now they’ve been able to keep it all ($61,500 compared with the national median of $50,054, lower unemployment, more education).  A lot of the ridiculous show of gay intolerance comes not from gays, but from heterosexuals, disappointed with their own relationships and failed marriages, so of course, it's society's fault, or the institution of marriage.

Employees at Mozilla, the organization that created the Firefox web browser, has shown their warped sense of commitment to “tolerance” by demanding the termination of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich because he dared to oppose gay marriage.

http://www.tpnn.com/2014/03/28/liberal-tolerance-mozilla-employees-demand-ceo-step-down-over-his-support-of-traditional-marriage/

http://money.cnn.com/2012/12/06/pf/gay-money/

http://nogaymarriage.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/why-i-oppose-gay-marriage/

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/02/26/gays-who-dont-want-gay-marriage.html#url=/articles/2011/02/26/gays-who-dont-want-gay-marriage.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/style/gay-couples-choosing-to-say-i-dont.html?pagewanted=all

The left never allows tolerance or bi-partisanship, cooperation or acceptance.  They always need to be stirring the pot.

Alabama doctor excoriates EMR damage to patient health care.

Dear Congressman Brooks,

As a practicing family physician, I plead for help against what I can best characterize as Washington's war against doctors.

The medical profession has never before remotely approached today's stress, work hours, wasted costs, decreased efficiency, and declining ability to focus on patient care.

In our community alone, at least 6 doctors have left patient care for administrative positions, to start a concierge practice, or retire altogether.

Doctors are smothered by destructive regulations that add costs, raise our overhead and 'gum up the works,' making patient treatment slower and less efficient, thus forcing doctors to focus on things other than patient care and reduce the number of patients we can help each day.

I spend more time at work than at any time in my 27 years of practice and more of that time is spent on administrative tasks and entering useless data into a computer rather than helping sick patients.

Doctors have been forced by ill-informed bureaucrats to implement electronic medical records ("EMR") that, in our four doctor practice, costs well over $100,000 plus continuing yearly operational costs . . . all of which does not help take care of one patient while driving up the cost of every patient's health care.

Washington's electronic medical records requirement makes our medical practice much slower and less efficient, forcing our doctors to treat fewer patients per day than we did before the EMR mandate.

To make matters worse, Washington forces doctors to demonstrate 'meaningful use' of EMR or risk not being fully paid for the help we give.

In addition to the electronic medical records burden, we face a mandate to use the ICD-10 coding system, a new set of reimbursement diagnosis codes.

The current ICD-9 coding system uses roughly 13,000 codes. The new ICD-10 coding system uses a staggering 70,000 new and completely different codes, thus dramatically slowing doctors down due to the unnecessary complexity and sheer numbers of codes that must be learned.

The cost of this new ICD-10 coding system for our small practice is roughly $80,000, again driving up health care costs without one iota of improvement in health care quality.

Finally, doctors face nonpayment by patients with ObamaCare. These patients may or may not be paying their premiums and we have no way of verifying this. No business can operate with that much uncertainty.

On behalf of the medical profession, I ask that Washington stop the implementation of the ICD-10 coding system, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and replace it with a better law written with the input of real doctors who will actually treat patients covered by it.

America has enjoyed the best health care the world has ever known. That health care is in jeopardy because physicians cannot survive Washington's 'war on doctors' without relief.

Eventually the problems for doctors will become problems for patients, and we are all patients at some point.

Sincerely yours, Dr. Marlin Gill of Decatur, Alabama

This kind

Choice, n. the opportunity or power to make a decision

Choice to kill the unborn, but no choice in health insurance. Choice for "reproductive freedom," but no choice to send children to charter schools. Choice to marry, but no choice not to participate in the marriage ceremony. Choice to abort, but no choice to abide by your religious beliefs. Choice to make your boss pay for your contraceptives, but no choice for the boss not to be involved in your sexual choices.

That's Obama and the Democrats--the most anti-choice administration in the history of the country.

Synonyms

alternative, discretion, druthers [dialect], election, liberty, option, pick, preference, selection, volition, way

Do you shop at Whole Foods?

"In 1978, 25 year old college dropout John Mackey and 21 year old Rene Lawson Hardy, borrowed $45,000 from family and friends to open the doors of a small natural foods store called SaferWay in Austin, Texas (the name being a spoof of Safeway, which operated stores under their own name in Austin at that time). When the couple got booted out of their apartment for storing food products there, they decided to simply live at the store. Since it was zoned commercial, there was no shower stall. Instead, they bathed in the Hobart dishwasher, which had an attached water hose." . . fast forward through various mergers and acquisitions, and you have Whole Foods, where I know many of you shop. I bought 50 shares this week. That's how ordinary people like me can be part of the big vision of those more ambitious and talented in the U.S. Let's not lose that through a greedy government that punishes small start ups. There's a brand new Whole Foods in my community--I'll have to stop in and check out my investment. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company-info/whole-foods-market-history

Chris Matthews to be Ohio State graduation speaker

Chris Matthews is going to be the speaker at the OSU graduation. This is probably appropriate given the politics of academe (left), but I doubt that the parents who have gone into debt to shell out the $50-60,000 are pleased. Their children have already endured years of political indoctrination in the classroom which may take years of the "real" world to undo--they really don't need this final word from a man who spouts such trash about conservatives. He's called half the nation intolerant morons, he joked about Christie's weight (during sex no less!), called Ted Cruz a zoo animal and a racist (picture a Republican getting away with this about an Hispanic), commented that Republicans would like to see Obama executed, said that if you didn't believe Hurricane Sandy was a result of Global Warming you were a "pig," called the press too even handed (!), depriving women of birth control (which no one is doing) is being a Nazi, he said a year ago that the economy was bustling and job growth was booming, he calls Tea Party members terrorists and racists, he actually called Biden the best vice president in history, gave advice to the Catholic Church on birth control (accept it),  he referred to opposition to Hillary as a psychosis (including Obama in 2008?), and he speaks of Obama in reverential, Biblical tones worthy of someone moving toward sainthood. I won't go to the campus and carry a sign, but the next time OSU asks me for money, I'll tell them where to put that appeal.

Friday family photo—Gwyneth Paltrow

Gwyneth Paltrow is worth $60 million (her husband $90 million), has an $14 million home with heated floors, an ocean view, tennis courts, landscaped gardens, yoga studio, etc., and numerous staff to meet her needs. She thinks her job (making movies) is more tough than the ordinary working 9-5 mom. And I'm guessing she's a Democrat just from the whine and cheese. Also, she's a distant relative of mine through the Danner family (my great grandfather's grandmother Rachel was a Danner).

She and Coldplay husband also own a massive estate in London, a place in New York City and in 2012, they spent about $10 million for an equestrian estate in Los Angeles. Life is tough.

POTUS and Pope, FLOTUS and Chi-Coms

With Michelle Obama talking to the Chinese about freedom of expression and information and Barack Obama chatting with the Pope about religious freedom, the world is truly upside down and backwards. The Obamas know nothing about either.

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/peter-roff/2014/03/25/michelle-obama-should-lecture-barack-not-china-about-internet-feedom

http://www.catholicvote.org/vatican-shocker-despite-us-ambassadors-statement-potus-pope-summit-focused-on-religious-liberty/

Cardinal Raymond Burke: “It is true that the policies of the President of the United States of America have become progressively more hostile toward Christian civilization. He appears to be a totally secularized man who aggressively promotes anti-life and anti-family policies.”

The cardinal added that “Now he wants to restrict the exercise of the freedom of worship; that is, he holds that one is free to act according to his conscience within the confines of his place of worship but that, once the person leaves the place of worship, the government can constrain him to act against his rightly-formed conscience, even in the most serious of moral questions.”

He concluded that “Such policies would have been unimaginable in the United States even 40 years ago. It is true that many faithful Catholics, with strong and clear leadership from their Bishops and priests, are reacting against the ever-growing religious persecution in the U.S.”

The James Cancer Hospital is out of network for many

“Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital is in the network for three of the 12 insurers selling federally subsidized individual plans on Obamacare’s Health Insurance Market in Ohio.

That’s turning out to be a common story for the 23 “comprehensive” centers designated by the National Cancer Institute, which typically draw patients from far beyond their immediate geographies, the Associated Press reported this week.”

Read more at Business First.

The New York Times carried an article by a man describing the care he got for his dog with pet insurance.  He’s jealous. He thought he’d get a better deal with Obama’s plan, but he was wrong.  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/opinion/why-im-jealous-of-my-dogs-insurance.html?_r=1

Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood

You've heard a lot about Hobby Lobby. The other company is Conestoga Wood, owned my Mennonites. The ACA mandate includes a long list of contraceptives, 3 of which are abortifacients, which the owners of both companies object to, but they have no problem with the others (as a Catholic group might). They believe that providing drugs that can prevent embryos from implanting in the womb would make their companies complicit in a form of abortion. Obama has already exempted non-profits from this mandate, and of course has personally changed the law over 20 times to suit his Democrat supporters and those running for office this fall.  Freedom of religion for Obama means your religion stops at the church door.  He’s confused it with freedom of worship.

More than you’ll ever want to know about implantation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implantation_(human_embryo)

American royalty deserves the best?

Bossy, aren’t they?

The pro-choicers are bossy enough to say "Not my boss's business."  But they do want the boss to be very involved in their business when it comes to paying for birth control. The two companies they are protesting today do pay for birth control in their employees' insurance plans, but object to abortifacient types which prevent a fertilized egg from implanting. There are two schools of thought on this--life begins at conception, or life begins at implantation--and each view has scientific research to support their viewpoint. http://www.lifenews.com/2013/11/18/undisputed-scientific-fact-human-life-begins-at-conception-or-fertilization/

She cried the day she realized she was a Republican

“Michelle Obama, while on her multi-million dollar "vacation" with an entourage of 70 people, tells the ChiComs How America Used to Discriminate Against People Like Her and Her Husband. - and yet it seems they have Stockholm Syndrome. I love how Rush put it today, RUSH: "I really wonder if Michelle Obama knows that you can't even move from the country into a city in China unless you have a permit and that getting a permit is dependent on many things which are discriminatory. . .  I wonder also if Michelle Obama even knows that every single one of these laws that discriminated against blacks like her and her husband were written, enacted, and enforced by Democrats, every damn one of them."

I believe it was Einstein who once said: It is easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled. - I can somewhat attest to that. I remember the day I realized I had been duped, fooled, hoodwinked etc.  I was mad but I also had to choose to accept or reject the truth. We each have the choose to dig in our heels and be stuck on stupid (or more kindly, willful ignorance) or admit we were wrong and move on. Shoot I even cried the day I realized I was a Republican, lol. After the years of conditioning it is hard to admit to being fooled but I would rather that than live my life as a fool.”  ~ Ayesha Kreutz, President, www.fdfny.org  Shared on Face Book