Susan Rice, the little lady

Do Presidents not learn from history?

Actually, President Obama has learned the lessons from the 1930s Great Depression well.  The Great Depression was extended by FDR who raised taxes each time there appeared to be a fragile recovery.  FDR also campaigned against the high government spending of Hoover (like Obama and Bush), and to this day Hoover is blamed.

By the spring of 1937, production, profits, and wages had regained their 1929 levels. Unemployment remained high, but it was slightly lower than the 25% rate seen in 1933. The American economy took a sharp downturn in mid-1937, lasting for 13 months through most of 1938. Industrial production declined almost 30 percent and production of durable goods fell even faster. Unemployment jumped from 14.3% in 1937 to 19.0% in 1938.

The top tax rate in 1938 was 78% and on capital gains it was 30%. They were 24% and 12.5% in 1929.  Who knows how quickly the country could have recovered if Hoover and FDR had none thrown the federal government into the mix?   Even some of the programs put in place by FDR were declared illegal or ran out, but he launched a “progressive” socialist plan that we have to this day.

http://top-federal-tax-rates.findthedata.org/

Blame the job creators

If you’ve raised a family or taught in a classroom you know that trying to make things “fair” is the first step in creating jealousy and unhappiness.  When you start that you have everyone checking the size of her slice of the pie or the award for being the best speller or the fastest runner, especially if Johnny came in 2nd or 3rd.  Then to really hype the hate, start comparing the two or three or groups, and complain and gripe about the achievers.  Oh yes, that really works.

“The US unemployment rate has been pretty lousy for a while. Luckily, no one blames President Obama for this, as the recent election showed. And why should they? The government has done everything right: It enacted a huge stimulus, built infrastructure, passed ObamaCare to make sure employees are healthy and it supplied businesses with millions and millions of people just standing around waiting for work.

So if the government has done its part, and there still aren’t enough jobs, then who should we blame? Obviously, it’s the fault of those lazy, good-for-nothing businesses and job creators.”

Read more here.

The Fiscal Cliff

Let Obama take us over the Fiscal Cliff (he's out campaigning for tax increases right now) so people know what he's about. Of course, he will blame the Republicans who want cuts in spending to reduce the debt, but his proposed tax increase which he thinks you voted for will only pay for the government about a week. That’s useless and he knows it.  The purpose was to create class resentment, not revenue.  Then he'll have to come after YOUR paycheck.

http://www.cfr.org/economics/fiscal-cliff/p28757?cid=ppc-google-grant-fiscal_cliff&gclid=CNLQn8na8bMCFYpFMgodhmIAmQ

One of the easiest and most sensible cuts is to raise the age of receiving Social Security and Medicare. It can be gradual so people have plenty of time to prepare.  And which party has shot down that idea consistently—the Democrats.  They want nothing to do with a program that will take power away from the government and put it in the hands of the citizen.

In 1930 the life expectancy for whites was 61.4 and blacks 49.2. Sixty-five for retirement (in an era when many worked their entire life) seemed extremely optimistic. But in 2010 for whites it is 79 and for blacks 75.1. A male retiree, born in 1940, will spend anywhere from 19 percent to 25 percent of his life collecting Social Security benefits (depending on whether he retired at the normal retirement age of 65 or chose early retirement), and a female born in the same year will spend 21 percent to 27 percent of her life collecting benefits.

The biggest old age problem we have is not Social Security, but a less than replacement birth rate, and many people will have no cousins and no nieces or nephews as well as no grandchildren to help them. Families are the original safety net, but the Democrats by pushing contraception and abortion are also weakening this safety net. Maybe YOU have grandchildren, but will they have grandchildren?

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005148.html

Obama has no intention of saving the United States from its plunge into being Greece or a failed European state.  So don’t look for solutions—just look for higher taxes.

ANGELS in the Roman Catholic Catechism

I. THE ANGELS

The existence of angels — a truth of faith

328 The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal beings that Sacred Scripture usually calls "angels" is a truth of faith. The witness of Scripture is as clear as the unanimity of Tradition.

Who are they?

329 St. Augustine says: "'Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is 'spirit'; if you seek the name of their office, it is 'angel': from what they are, 'spirit', from what they do, 'angel.'" With their whole beings the angels are servants and messengers of God. Because they "always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven" they are the "mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word".

330 As purely spiritual creatures angels have intelligence and will: they are personal and immortal creatures, surpassing in perfection all visible creatures, as the splendor of their glory bears witness.

The pre-born have a life with God

Statism

concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of a highly centralized government often extending to government ownership of industry

No one in the Democratic party is against statism. 

Free speech in America

Obamacare layoffs widen to other fields

“It has been hailed for increasing coverage, streamlining the delivery of care, and lowering costs. But the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, the federal health insurance law that has generated controversy since its 2010 passage, has also led to the layoffs of dozens of architects at two firms, HDR and Jain Malkin.”

It has been hailed for increasing coverage, streamlining the delivery of care, and lowering costs.

None of this has been proven.  It was a pipe dream, with dollars up in smoke as the economy stalled.  “Never waste a crisis” and he used the recession to ram through a complicated, hated law.  Just as Obamacare’s uncertainty screwed up the economic recovery, so too hospitals have had to postpone expansions, and architectural firms with heavy portfolios in that specialty, are laying off workers.

http://archrecord.construction.com/news/2012/11/121126-Health-Care-Industry-Changes-Cited-in-Layoffs-at-Two-Longtime-Firms.asp

The rich pay far more. Is that fair?

"Taxpayers earning at least $200,000 represented 2.8 percent of all people filing tax returns in 2009, according to Internal Revenue Service data. However, they donated 37 percent of the $158-billion in itemized charitable gifts made that year."  The president not only wants to raise their taxes, but he wants to take away “charitable” loopholes.

http://philanthropy.com/article/Does-the-Charitable-Deduction/129212/ .

"There are 133,000 male heads of households and 143,000 female heads of households who make more than $200,000 a year." Obama calls them rich and wants to increase their taxes. Oh my goodness, a gender difference in income--but the female high earners (who need free stuff like birth control from the government) exceed the men.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/DC-Decoder/2012/0710/Obama-tax-proposal-Who-makes-more-than-250k-and-are-they-rich-video

I was looking at the table by the CBO of “Share of Federal Tax Liabilities for all Households, 1979-2009” and noticed a lot that wasn’t “fair.”  The top quintile (20%) in 2009 had a tax liability of 67.9% (55.3% in 1979) and the lowest quintile had .3% (2.1% in 1979).   The top 5% had a tax liability of 39.6% (28.1 in 1979) and there is no comparable figure for the bottom 5% because I think it is a negative number.

http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43373

Charles Murray points out the top earners in the United States also tend to be college educated, industrious, married, and participate in a faith family.  And what does Obama reward?  High college debt, sloth, single women and spits in the face of the religious.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204301404577170733817181646.html

Elections have consequences

The Kitchen Cabinetreports:

The U.S. Treasury borrowed over $24 billion the day after Thanksgiving. That's $211 for every household in America...in ONE DAY. So $211 goes on my bill on Black Friday and I didn't even go shopping? Obama could take every dime of every person earning over $200,000 (about 5 million people) and he wouldn't have enough to run the government for one year, plus then those people would have no money to fund the state and local governments where YOU live.

The Hostess strike

All Hostess Bakery plants were shut down Friday due to a workers' strike.
The Company was split up.
The State Department hired all the Twinkies,
The Secret Service hired all the Ho Hos,
The generals are sleeping with the Cupcakes,
And the voters sent all the Ding Dongs to Congress.

His tax return

“I just received a letter from the IRS. It puzzles me!!! They are questioning how many dependents I claimed. I guess it was  because of my response to the question: "List all dependents?"
I replied 12 million illegal immigrants; 3 million crack heads; 42 million unemployed people on food stamps, 2 million people in over 243 prisons; half of Mexico; and 535 persons in the U.S. House and Senate." Evidently, this was NOT an acceptable answer.
I KEEP ASKING MYSELF, WHO THE HELL DID I MISS?”

Received via e-mail

“Two and a half men” young star says don’t watch it

I don’t get it.  Is someone holding a gun to his head to perform in this sleaze show? I think it’s a form of child abuse to have an under age actor even on the set.  Or maybe this is really from The Onion.  These days you can’t tell sarcasm from satire from sleaze.

“Angus T. Jones, who has played the role of Jake Harper on the hit CBS show since 2003 and reportedly earns $350,000 an episode, is featured in a new video for the Forerunner Christian Church, in which he calls the sitcom “filth” that contradicts his devout Christian values.

That’s not all. The 19-year-old actor even urges fans to stop watching.

"I'm on 'Two and a Half Men' and I don't want to be on it,” he said. "If you watch 'Two and a Half Men,' please stop watching it and filling your head with filth. People say it’s just entertainment. Do some research on the effects of television and your brain, and I promise you you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to television, especially with what you watch."

Jones goes on to express guilt that his profession may be inflicting serious damage on its audience.”

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/11/26/star-two-and-half-men-angus-t-jones-urges-fans-to-stop-watching-calls-show/#ixzz2DNBzrI9j

Why fear the Muslims?

Some of my conservative friends are fearful of Muslims, their influence on the government, society, and their terrorist methods. Really? Jamie Foxx, who recently called Obama his Lord and Savior, wasn't raised by Muslims--he's a home boy talking trash. The Muslims didn't give us the nonsense we see on TV, even the reruns of 15 years ago are vapid and licentious. Muslims in Ohio didn't vote to saddle us with the casinos that hurt the poor the most. Muslims aren't keeping men from marrying the mothers of their children and increase the poverty rate among children. Muslims aren't nickel and diming the church collection plate. Muslims didn't create "The View," with a panel of airhead women like Whoopi and Joy. Muslims aren't the ones calling themselves Christians and attending church once or twice a year. Muslims aren't voting in union leadership for public service jobs. The last time I looked the head of HHS is the daughter of a former Ohio governor and not a Muslim. But we are making ourselves sitting ducks for anyone who wants to take over. . .

Today’s new word—jealousy

Not so new, but a new thought about it.

"The word "jealousy" has its root in "zealous," denoting extreme enthusiasm and devotion, and God's jealousy retains the word's more positive aspects. (First commandment Exod. 20:5) It helps us to trust. Who, after all, would trust a God, a parent, spouse, or lover, who said to us, "I really love you, but I don't care at all what you do or who you become?" Kathleen Norris, Amazing grace; a vocabulary of faith. p. 87.

The amazing OSU Marching Band half time show

The Ohio State – Michigan game is always HUGE around here, and the 26-21 win on Saturday was exciting, as well as the 12-0 season.  There will be no bowl game for OSU because of the players’ tattoo scandal a few years ago.  However, there’s nothing that will keep this wonderful band down.  I don’t believe people at home get to see this.  It’s about 9 minutes. I can’t find the link, but I think there’s a female student in the band who is in her 50s.  I can remember when they first allowed women to be in the band.

A note to Romney and Ryan

Here’s a note from Susan which closely reflects my own thinking:

"Dear Governor Romney, I just wanted to thank you for running for President for this God-blessed USA. Please forgive the pundits who have 'after the fact' wisdom about what went wrong. What went wrong only time will tell, but God isn't done with America. You fought like a Patrick Henry, and God keeps the books, both you and your running mate. Bless you both, and know many, many people are still praying for you, and praying for a healing miracle for dear Ann. Psalm 107:20, Isaiah 44:3. Bless you, 'it isn't over until it's over, and God has only just begun'. Believe."

Seen an “Christians for Mitt” on Facebook

Winner of Nobel prize, Dr. Shinya Yamanaka

No need to harvest human embryos in the name of advancing medical breakthroughs.  England's Sir John Gurdon and Dr. Shinya Yamanaka from Japan share the 2012 Nobel Prize in medicine for work on stem cells, revealing that mature cells can be reverted into primitive cells. There are both medical and ethical implications.

“The Nobel committee, however, made no mention of Yamanaka’s moral achievement. Not in its presentation, not in its press release, not in its interview with the laureate. It credited him only with developing “new tools” to study disease and develop therapies. Many reporters took the same approach. In its 600-word story, CNN ignored the ethics of Yamanaka’s work. The Los Angeles Times called restrictions on embryo destruction mere “headaches” for scientists. The New York Times said Yamanaka’s work, like other stem-cell technologies, had “generated objections from people who fear, on ethical or religious grounds, that scientists are pressing too far into nature’s mysteries and the ability to create life artificially.”

That’s completely wrong. Even before Yamanaka’s landmark paper, pro-lifers were all over his work. They loved it. The Vatican had followed his research with interest for years. When Cell published his paper, a pro-life coalition immediately declared his method “superior to cloning as a means of obtaining patient-specific pluripotent stem cells.” In a homily distributed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Rigali declared that Yamanaka’s story about looking into a fertility-clinic microscope showed how “God can use a helpless embryo to change a human heart.” People at the National Right to Life Committee were openly rooting for Yamanaka to win a Nobel.”

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/human_nature/2012/10/shinya_yamanaka_s_nobel_prize_he_saved_embryos_not_just_stem_cell_research_.html

"When I saw the embryo, I suddenly realized there was such a small difference between it and my daughters. I thought, we can't keep destroying embryos for our research. There must be another way," this was Dr Shinya Yamanaka, a father of two, in an interview in The New York Times in 2007.

http://www.biospectrumasia.com/biospectrum/influencers/23502/there

Wal-Mart had its best ever Black Friday

I guess I’m not surprised.  The so-called union strikers gave it so much publicity.  It would have cost a bundle to get that much TV coverage.  Article from LA Times.  Next year probably Target and Macy’s will ask employees to strike so they’ll get some free coverage.

After opening earlier than in previous Thanksgiving weekends, Wal-Mart reported its “best ever Black Friday” sales, including bigger crowds than last year, the company said Friday.

The retailer rolled out deals starting at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. From 8 p.m. to midnight, Wal-Mart processed nearly 10 million register transactions, handling 5,000 items a second, the company said. Mmore than 22 million shopped in Wal-Mart's stores during the four-hour period.

Last year, the chain opened at 10 p.m.

More than 1.3 million employees are staffing the holiday weekend, Wal-Mart U.S. chief executive Bill Simon said in a statement.

The company split its sales into three time periods, each with a different type of merchandise available. At 8 p.m., toys, games and home apparel went on sale. At 10 p.m., electronics. At 5 a.m., jewelry, tools and other items.

Since 8 p.m. Thursday, Wal-Mart had sold 1.8 million towels, 1.3 million televisions, 1.3 million dolls and 250,000 bicycles, the company said in a statement released at about 6:30 a.m. PST.

“We had very safe and successful Black Friday events at our stores across the country and heard overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers,” Simon said