Monday Memories—the Founding and Growth of Upper Arlington Lutheran Church

http://www.advent2.com/Projects/Touchstones

Entire video takes 21.5 minutes

The November jobs report

Sept. 15, 2009: "But I want you all to know, I will not rest until anybody who's looking for a job can find one -- and I'm not talking about just any job, but good jobs that give every American decent wages and decent benefits and a fair shot at the American Dream. (Applause.) That's what I'm fighting for every single day. (Applause.)" President Obama, talking to auto workers in Lordstown, OH, campaigning on all his "successes" in just a few months (ARRA, cash for clunkers, green energy, health insurance pending legislation), none of which have panned out.

November 9,  2013: The President plays his 150th round of golf and the U.S. labor force participation rate fell from 63.2 percent to 62.8 percent, the lowest that it has been since 1978, 11 million more than when he took office. Almost 5 years after the recession officially ended, nearly 50 million Americans are living in poverty, based on a line set by the government. Huge numbers have been added to the SNAP program which is riddled with fraud. The WH is swirling in scandal as more rights are stolen from the American people, and the President has been proven to be a pathological liar in his promotion of his signature legislation for which not one Republican voted and only squeaked through the Senate by one vote.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/october-jobs-report-shows-unemployment-rate-increased-73/story?id=20822924

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/06/news/economy/labor-force-participation/index.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-gm-lordstown-assembly-plant-employees-ohio-9152009

Dear liberal, mainline, Democrat Christian,

Your heart may be in the right place, but your hand is in my purse.  Studies show that marriage of the parents is the #1 way to reduce childhood poverty in the U.S.A. With married parents, a child has only about 8% chance of being raised in poverty. A better house, or a better education doesn't do it. Lunch programs from USDA distributed by church volunteers doesn't make a dent. Social justice workshops and summits don't either, except maybe to tamp down a little liberal guilt if the Bible falls open to Matthew 25.  You address guns, cuts in food stamps for illegals, hunger, obesity, education.  Where is your concern about marriage, the number one solution?

Nobody tells a dying guy to shut up by Dave Chilcoat

"Nobody tells a dying guy to shut up" is the personal testimony of Dave Chilcoat, who battled ALS the last 3 years of his life but continued to witness the love of Jesus to the end. When he learned he had this terrible disease, he started an on line journal recording both his physical struggles and his spiritual victories, writing the final entry in Aug. 2006. His wife, Beth, edited the journal and published it in 2009.  It is in the church library at Upper Arlington Lutheran Church (Columbus, OH), and I read it in one sitting Friday--his description of the disease, his pain, and his tears is crushing, but his joy in the Lord is inspiring and faith building. His selection of appropriate scripture is outstanding. Dave and Beth came to Columbus, OH, to establish Young Life when they were a young married couple with a baby in 1970. After 10 years he went to law school and was a lawyer for 23 years. See  her web site for ordering information. http://bethchilcoat.com/

Until I read this book about Dave's three years battling ALS, I had forgotten I had three "A taste of Columbus" recipe books by Dave and Beth. I have III (1987),IV, (1991) and V (2000), received after Marylyn Doncevic, the original owner and wife of Paul Doncevic, died. These are wonderful recipes from Columbus area restaurants, and the books are illustrated by David's mother, whom you also get to know in his book.

Not many realize it yet . . . someone pays for free health care

Principles of Health Care Reform—Heritage Foundation

Principles for Reform

To allow Americans to reclaim control of their own health care and benefit from competition in a free market for insurance and health care, Congress should repeal the Obamacare statute and enact patient-centered, market-based reforms based on five principles:

Choose, control, and carry your own health insurance;

Let free markets provide the insurance and health care services that people want;

Encourage employers to provide a portable health insurance benefit to employees;

Assist those who need help through civil society, the free market, and the states; and

Protect the right of conscience and unborn children.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) moves health care in the wrong direction. It puts government, not patients, in charge of individual health care decisions. Moreover, it fails to meet the promises laid out by President Barack Obama. With each passing day, it becomes clearer that Obamacare will not reduce premiums for average American families, bend the cost curve in health care spending, or bring down the deficit. For these reasons, among others, Obamacare must be repealed.

However, a return to the status quo before Obamacare is not the final step. Policymakers should pursue reforms based on five basic principles. Adopting such reforms would move American health care in the right direction: toward a patient-centered, market-based health care system.

Full article

Democrats when it’s their wealth being transferred

I don't think Democrats should reject Obama just because their insurance costs have sky rocketed. If they'd been listening to Republicans they would have known that, because they tried to fix it in 2010, and were run out of town. Mike Enzi (R-Wy)  predicted in September 2010 that between 39 and 69% of Americans would lose their health care in this fiasco. This is one of the so-called roadblocks Republicans are accused of.  Well, he was right. He read the bill! And apparently the 36,000 pages of regulations where this was embedded.

Public humiliation for Obama supporters, maybe. Examine their core beliefs of transferring wealth, yes. Look closely at his overall view of life, including abortion, absolutely.

“No deal is better than a bad deal”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TMN4bXFoMY

I met Secretary Kerry right before he leaves to Geneva. I reminded him that he said that no deal is better than a bad deal. And the deal that is being discussed in Geneva right now is a bad deal. It’s a very bad deal. Iran is not required to take apart even one centrifuge.

But the international community is relieving sanctions on Iran for the first time after many years. Iran gets everything that it wanted at this stage and pays nothing. And this is when Iran is under severe pressure. I urge Secretary Kerry not to rush to sign, to wait, to reconsider, to get a good deal. But this is a bad deal, a very, very, bad deal.

It’s the deal of a century for Iran; it’s a very dangerous and bad deal for peace and the international community." Benjamin Netanyahu

Which country, Iran or Israel, has been a friend to the United States?

Guest Blogger, Janice Shaw Crouse, won’t stand by silently

I know some of my friends are uncomfortable with my "piling on" criticism of our president. But we have to speak out. We cannot stand by silently while our freedoms are trampled, our faith is attacked (even though the president claims to be Christian), and life, marriage and family are being destroyed, and the fiscal well-being of our nation as well as the constitutional foundations of our nation are being decimated.

It is disappointing that the first Black president is not someone we can admire, but the cold, hard facts were evident to me when he was campaigning. President Obama was troubling from the outset: his lack of record, his troubling associations and friends, his lack of experience, his empty rhetoric that could mean whatever anyone wanted it to mean, his deliberate class warfare and racially-charged rhetoric, his barely concealed "spread the wealth around" ideology, his "community organizer" approach to leadership (us against them and pushing victimhood mentality), his sealed records, lack of experience with living in America, his lack of discipline and work ethic in college, his questionable means of getting in the ivy league and travels while supposedly a grad student, and on and on -- so many red flags!!!

Since being in office, the problems have mounted precipitously and the evidence is piling up disastrously that we cannot survive under the policies that President Obama is forcing on the nation -- all the while speaking vague rhetoric and seeming to be above responsibility or accountability for outcomes that our children's children will have to suffer.

Dr. Crouse is the daughter of two Methodist ministers; she’s an author and speaker, and lives in Washington, DC. She is Senior Fellow at the Beverly LaHaye Institute, the think tank for Concerned Women for America, is a recognized authority on national and international cultural, children’s and women’s concerns, including sex trafficking, the United Nations, and U.S. domestic issues. Her opinion editorials and columns appear in major newspapers across the nation as well as in journals and magazines – including the Washington Post and the Washington Times. She appears on all the major television networks –– ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX News, C-SPAN, MSNBC, and CNN.  If you follow this blog, you know this is extremely close to my own concerns about our President. This opinion appeared on her FaceBook page, and she gave me permission to share.

http://www.janiceshawcrouse.com/

The Affordable Boat Act

The U.S. government has just passed a new law called: "The affordable boat act" declaring that every citizen MUST purchase a new boat, by April 2014. These "affordable" boats will cost an average of $54,000-$155,000 each. This does not include taxes, trailers, towing fees, licensing and registration fees, fuel, docking and storage fees, maintenance or repair costs.

This law has been passed, because until now, typically only wealthy and financially responsible people have been able to purchase boats. This new law ensures that every American can now have a "affordable" boat of their own, because everyone is "entitled" to a new boat. If you purchase your boat before the end of the year, you will receive 4 "free" life jackets; not including monthly usage fees.

In order to make sure everyone purchases an affordable boat, the costs of owning a boat will increase an average of 250-400% per year. This way, wealthy people will pay more for something that other people don't want or can't afford to maintain. But to be fair, people who can’t afford to maintain their boat will be regularly fined. Children (under the age of 26) can use their parents’ boats to party on until they turn 27; then must purchase their own boat.

If you already have a boat, you can keep your boat (just kidding; no you cannot). If you don't want or don't need a boat, you are required to buy one anyhow. If you refuse to buy one or can’t afford one, you will be regularly fined $800 until you purchase one or face imprisonment.

Failure to use the boat will also result in fines. People living in the desert,ghetto, inner cities or areas with no access to lakes are not exempt. Age, motion sickness, inexperience, and lack of knowledge or desire are acceptable excuses for not using your boat.

A government review board (that doesn't know the difference between the port, starboard or stern of a boat) will decide everything, including; when, where, how often and for what purposes you can use your boat along with how many people can ride your boat and determine if one is too old or healthy enough to be able to use their boat. They will also decide if your boat has out lived its usefulness or if you must purchase specific accessories,(like a $500 compass) or a newer and more expensive boat.

Those who can afford yachts will be required to do so...its only fair. The government will also decide the name for each boat. Failure to comply with these rules will result in fines and possible imprisonment.

Government officials are exempt from this new law. If they want a boat, they and their families can obtain boats free, at the expense of tax payers. Unions, bankers and mega companies with large political affiliations ($$$) are also exempt.

[I don’t have an author, but it’s not me.  This is going around.  I got it from I guy I knew in high school, and also saw it on Facebook.]

Look who’s getting the blame for the President’s signature accomplishment

If you talk to a Democrat about Obama’s lies, you’ll hear the latest lie

But be careful.  Make sure you’re not talking to a friend, neighbor, or co-worker.  You’ll be called a racist homophobe who wants children to starve.

Balance and intelligent political discussion on the Daily Beast

The Beast likes to throw red meat to its regulars to gin up comments. The context is something about the NRA and Cuccinelli losing the governor’s race in Virginia, which is why Noe suggested that after defeating him, the Republicans and Tea Party people should be shot in the head.  Of course, the GOP doesn’t like the Tea Party either, and literally abandoned the Republican candidate.

If you like your plan, your insurance, your doctor, happy with what you’ve got, no matter what you’ve heard, period

until November 4, 2013, and then he changed his story, and rewrote history.

Obama’s approval rating 39%; Cruz 92%

Cradle Democrats, strong Obama supporters lose their good, affordable insurance

Recently Lee and JoEllen were notified by Kaiser they would be losing their current plan ($550 a month) as of Jan. 1.  They were shocked; and healthy, and Democrats. The author of this article decided to investigate—to see if this was “substandard” as Obama claimed.

“I asked Hammack to send me details of his current plan . It carried a $4,000 deductible per person, a $40 copay for doctor visits, a $150 emergency room visit fee and 30 percent coinsurance for hospital stays after the deductible. The out-of-pocket maximum was $5,600.

This plan was ending, Kaiser’s letters told them, because it did not meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. “Everything is taken care of,” the letters said. “There’s nothing you need to do.”

The letters said the couple would be enrolled in new Kaiser plans that would cost nearly $1,300 for the two of them (more than $15,000 a year).

And for that higher amount, what would they get? A higher deductible ($4,500), a higher out-of-pocket maximum ($6,350), higher hospital costs (40 percent of the cost) and possibly higher costs for doctor visits and drugs.

When they shopped around and looked for a different plan on California's new health insurance marketplace, Covered California , the cheapest one was $975, with hefty deductibles and copays.” http://www.propublica.org/article/loyal-obama-supporters-canceled-by-obamacare

The chickens come home to roost.  Mike Enzi tried to get this “grandfather” clause straightened out in 2010—but the Democrats demonized him—called him a fear monger.  Good grief—he was reading right out of the Federal Register, which had posted the regulations! It was all there 3 years ago.  He might have been able to save Obama’s reputation—because even by then he had said 47 times “If you like your insurance you can keep it.”

Are the media and politicians calling these critics terrorists, anarchists and unpatriotic?

“Leaders of labor unions provided the political muscle that got Obamacare through Congress. They furnished the troops at the grassroots level and in the nation’s capital to block efforts to repeal or reform the program. They declared that Obamacare is the law of the land and must not be altered or abridged.

Today some of those same union officials say that Obamacare is a disaster that will harm working people in general and union members in particular. Now—surprise!—they want Obamacare changed in ways to benefit their unions.”

https://www.capitalresearch.org/2013/11/labor-watch-the-obamacare-oops-unions-got-the-healthcare-program-passed-now-want-to-exempt-themselves

Why I switched to butter

In my living room I have a ceramic butter churn, patented in 1910 that was my grandparents. It looks like a small cement mixer and was run by a generator, or by a crank handle. My grandmother would make 5 lbs of butter in it, and they used it in a week (family of 6), but ate very little meat.

Due to advertising my mother switched to "oleo" around 1948 because she was convinced it was healthier. It was the children's job to squeese the package of white glop with the yellow dye button, because the dairy lobby prevented selling margarine that looked or was packaged like butter. But my parents lived to be 88 and 89, so I guess it didn't gum up the works too much. Just high blood pressure, colon cancer, prostate cancer and heart disease. Whether that was the margarine or the genes, we will never know.

Tastes good and contributes to ego

This morning I had a Bolthouse Farms Mango Protein Plus protein shake. I must say, it was quite delicious, and probably woke up my taste buds, which I don’t like to do. It has a lot of sugar. It claims to have 3 3/4 servings of fruit and vegetables, 30 g. of protein, 120-200% of vitamins A, B & C, 40% of dv of calcium, it's gluten free, has no preservatives, no artificial flavors, and no GM products. If I return the bottle in California, I'll get a 5 cent refund to save the environment. I am feeling strong and very self-righteous.

47 times the president promised and lied before October 1, 2010

Democrats and media complain that Republicans kept throwing up road blocks the last three years. One Republican, Mike Enzi, tried to amend that part of the law that covers Obama's lie "if you like your health plan you can keep it period," (so he wouldn't be lying). Unlike Pelosi and Reid, he had actually read the law and the regulations (about 34,000 pages) and realized how many people would lose their coverage in the federal take over. Even in 2010, the administration expected 51% of all employer plans to be terminated as a result of Obamacare. That is the mid-range estimate; the high-end estimate was 69%. So as of 2010, the Obama administration planned that most Americans with employer-sponsored health care plans would lose them, whether they liked those plans or not. Mike Enzi tried--he was called names and demonized. Even by Sept. 2010, President Obama had promised 47 times that Americans would be able to keep their health plans; perhaps the biggest lie ever perpetrated on gullible citizens.http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2013/11/lies-of-obamacare