Monthly Archives: November 2013

“Sanctity of Life Saturday” Francis Schaeffer’s wife Edith passes away on Easter weekend 2013 Part 4 (includes pro-life editorial cartoon)

November 16, 2013 – 1:20 am

Francis Schaeffer Whatever Happened to the Human Race (Episode 1) ABORTION

Francis Schaeffer: What Ever Happened to the Human Race? (Full-Length Documentary)


Part 1 on abortion runs from 00:00 to 39:50, Part 2 on Infanticide runs from 39:50 to 1:21:30, Part 3 on Youth Euthanasia runs from 1:21:30 to 1:45:40, Part 4 on the basis of human dignity runs from 1:45:40 to 2:24:45 and Part 5 on the basis of truth runs from 2:24:45 to 3:00:04

Francis Schaeffer “BASIS FOR HUMAN DIGNITY” Whatever…HTTHR

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Picture of Francis Schaeffer and his wife Edith from the 1930′s above. I was sad to read about Edith passing away on Easter weekend in 2013. I wanted to pass along this fine article below.

April 1, 2013

Died: Edith Schaeffer, Co-Founder of L’Abri with Husband Francis

After writing numerous books, 98-year-old ‘completed a dramatic life with a final flourish.’

Jeremy Weber

Edith Schaeffer, who along with her husband Francis founded the influential L’Abri Fellowship in Switzerland, died at home on Saturday. She was 98.

Her son, Frank Schaeffer, announced her passing on his Patheos blog. “Mom completed a dramatic life with a final flourish: she died on Easter Saturday, to join her risen Lord,” he wrote, later noting:

Mom was a wonderful paradox: an evangelical conservative fundamentalist who treated people as if she was an all-forgiving progressive liberal of the most tolerant variety. Mom’s daily life was a rebuke and contradiction to people who see everything as black and white. Liberals and secularists alike who make smug disparaging declarations about “all those evangelicals” would see their fondest prejudices founder upon the reality of my mother’s compassion, cultural literacy and loving energy.

CT featured Edith Schaeffer’s thoughts on the illusion or reality of heaven in a 2003 roundup of evangelical views on the afterlife. Reflecting on a visit to San Francisco, she wrote:

This is reality. Heaven is a place. There is a city we are going to see and walk in. Neither the place, nor the singing instead of sighing, nor the pleasure instead of pain, is an illusion. We await that which is real.

World magazine noted that “her hospitality complemented Francis’ anguish for the lost.” Francis Beckwith writes about his own encounter with Edith.

CT offers a special section on Francis Schaeffer, including a cover story on how his vision and frustrations continue to haunt evangelicalism long after his death. CT also visited L’Abri in 2008 and reported how today it caters to disaffected evangelicals more than philosophical skeptics.

CT noted this reflection by Edith Schaeffer in 1996:

IMAGING THE ARTISTA Christian, above all people, should live artistically, aesthetically, and creatively. We are supposed to be representing the Creator who is there, and whom we acknowledge to be there. It is true that all people are created in the image of God, but Christians are supposed to be conscious of that fact, and being conscious of it should recognize the importance of living artistically, aesthetically, and creatively, as creative creatures of the Creator. If we have been created in the image of an Artist, then we should look for expressions of artistry, and be sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for our appreciaton.

Edith Schaeffer in “The Art of Life”

posted by Jeremy Weber

Have you ever thought about the possibility that when we get to heaven and get to ask God why he never sent us the cure for cancer that God may tell us that a person was sent to earth with the answer to cancer? Take a look at this editorial cartoon below:

(Francis did a great job in his film series “How Should we then live?” in looking at how humanism has affected art and culture in the Western World in the last 2000 years. My favorite episodes include his study of the Renaissance, the Revolutionary age, the age of Nonreason, and the age of Fragmentation.)

Related posts:

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 10 “Final Choices” (Schaeffer Sundays)

E P I S O D E 1 0   Dr. Francis Schaeffer – Episode X – Final Choices 27 min FINAL CHOICES I. Authoritarianism the Only Humanistic Social Option One man or an elite giving authoritative arbitrary absolutes. A. Society is sole absolute in absence of other absolutes. B. But society has to be […]

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 9 “The Age of Personal Peace and Affluence” (Schaeffer Sundays)

E P I S O D E 9 Dr. Francis Schaeffer – Episode IX – The Age of Personal Peace and Affluence 27 min T h e Age of Personal Peace and Afflunce I. By the Early 1960s People Were Bombarded From Every Side by Modern Man’s Humanistic Thought II. Modern Form of Humanistic Thought Leads […]

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 8 “The Age of Fragmentation” (Schaeffer Sundays)

E P I S O D E 8 Dr. Francis Schaeffer – Episode VIII – The Age of Fragmentation 27 min I saw this film series in 1979 and it had a major impact on me. T h e Age of FRAGMENTATION I. Art As a Vehicle Of Modern Thought A. Impressionism (Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, […]

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 7 “The Age of Non-Reason” (Schaeffer Sundays)

E P I S O D E 7 Dr. Francis Schaeffer – Episode VII – The Age of Non Reason I am thrilled to get this film series with you. I saw it first in 1979 and it had such a big impact on me. Today’s episode is where we see modern humanist man act […]

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 6 “The Scientific Age” (Schaeffer Sundays)

E P I S O D E 6 How Should We Then Live 6#1 Uploaded by NoMirrorHDDHrorriMoN on Oct 3, 2011 How Should We Then Live? Episode 6 of 12 ________ I am sharing with you a film series that I saw in 1979. In this film Francis Schaeffer asserted that was a shift in […]

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 5 “The Revolutionary Age” (Schaeffer Sundays)

E P I S O D E 5 How Should We Then Live? Episode 5: The Revolutionary Age I was impacted by this film series by Francis Schaeffer back in the 1970′s and I wanted to share it with you. Francis Schaeffer noted, “Reformation Did Not Bring Perfection. But gradually on basis of biblical teaching there […]

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 4 “The Reformation” (Schaeffer Sundays)

Dr. Francis Schaeffer – Episode IV – The Reformation 27 min I was impacted by this film series by Francis Schaeffer back in the 1970′s and I wanted to share it with you. Schaeffer makes three key points concerning the Reformation: “1. Erasmian Christian humanism rejected by Farel. 2. Bible gives needed answers not only as to […]

“Schaeffer Sundays” Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 3 “The Renaissance”

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 3 “The Renaissance” Francis Schaeffer: “How Should We Then Live?” (Episode 3) THE RENAISSANCE I was impacted by this film series by Francis Schaeffer back in the 1970′s and I wanted to share it with you. Schaeffer really shows why we have so […]

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 2 “The Middle Ages” (Schaeffer Sundays)

  Francis Schaeffer: “How Should We Then Live?” (Episode 2) THE MIDDLE AGES I was impacted by this film series by Francis Schaeffer back in the 1970′s and I wanted to share it with you. Schaeffer points out that during this time period unfortunately we have the “Church’s deviation from early church’s teaching in regard […]

Francis Schaeffer’s “How should we then live?” Video and outline of episode 1 “The Roman Age” (Schaeffer Sundays)

Francis Schaeffer: “How Should We Then Live?” (Episode 1) THE ROMAN AGE   Today I am starting a series that really had a big impact on my life back in the 1970′s when I first saw it. There are ten parts and today is the first. Francis Schaeffer takes a look at Rome and why […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Francis Schaeffer, Prolife | Comments (0)

So many government programs have been misused and should be eliminated!!!!

November 15, 2013 – 11:56 am

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So many government programs have been misused and should be eliminated!!!!! Milton Friedman proposed eliminating all welfare programs and putting in the “Earned Income Tax Credit,” but instead of doing that the bureaucrats added it among all the other programs. What a mess!!!!

November 13, 2013 11:28AM

Congress Promotes Abuse and Corruption

By Chris Edwards

One story after another emerges about dysfunctional federal programs plagued by waste, fraud, and abuse. The core problem is that the government has grown so large that trying to make it function with efficiency and soundness has become impossible.

But Congress compounds the problem by creating programs that are ideal targets for crooks and scammers, and they resist repealing them even after years of scandal. The Earned Income Tax Credit, for example, has long suffered from an “improper payment” rate of more than 20 percent, which translates into throwing $10 billion of our hard-earned money down the drain every year. Whatever the policy arguments in favor of the program, that level of waste is hugely unfair to taxpayers and the program ought to repealed on this basis alone.

The Washington Post discusses another long-abused activity today—contract set-asides for small businesses. The article profiles how a Virginia businessman hit the jackpot with $1 billion of federal contracts by posing as a “disadvantaged” and “small” business under the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program. The Post found that this Mercedes-driving owner of a luxury home is certainly not “disadvantaged,” and his business empire is not “small.”

The whole thing is disgusting, and I suspect a congressional committee will hold an oversight hearing to pretend to be concerned about the case. But the SBA 8(a) program gets abused over and over, as do other federal preference activities, such as Alaska Native Corporations. All such preferences ought to be abolished, and the government should live up to the goal of “Equal Justice Under Law” engraved on the Supreme Court building.

Indeed the entire SBA ought to be abolished. The agency’s programs distort the economy and promote crony capitalism. Americans are sick of dysfunction in Washington, but if they want the government to operate with any degree of integrity and competence they should demand much less of it.

Related posts:

Open letter to President Obama (Part 432) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 2 (includes editorial cartoon)

(Emailed to White House on 3-15-13.) President Obama c/o The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is […]

Dear Senator Pryor, here are some spending cut suggestions (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

Senator Pryor pictured below:  Why do I keep writing and email Senator Pryor suggestions on how to cut our budget? I gave him hundreds of ideas about how to cut spending and as far as I can tell he has taken none of my suggestions. You can find some of my suggestions here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, and  here, and they […]

Open letter to President Obama (Part 430) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 1 (includes editorial cartoon)

(Emailed to White House on 3-15-13.) President Obama c/o The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is […]

The Dysfunction in Washington is Republicans and Democrats that are unwilling to cut spending in order to vote for more programs (Democrats want more food stamps etc but Republicans vote for their pet programs and wars too like No Child Left Behind Act, the Iraq war, the prescription drug entitlement, and the TARP bailout).

The Dysfunction in Washington is Republicans and Democrats that are unwilling to cut spending in order to vote for more programs (Democrats want more food stamps etc but Republicans vote for their pet programs and wars too like No Child Left Behind Act, the Iraq war, the prescription drug entitlement, and the TARP bailout). If […]

Dear Senator Pryor, here are some spending cut suggestions (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

Senator Pryor pictured below:  Why do I keep writing and email Senator Pryor suggestions on how to cut our budget? I gave him hundreds of ideas about how to cut spending and as far as I can tell he has taken none of my suggestions. You can find some of my suggestions here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, and  here, and they […]

If you want to cut wasteful spending then the disability program must be reformed radically!!!

If you want to cut wasteful spending then the disability program must be reformed radically!!! October 7, 2013 1:19PM 60 Minutes Disability Investigation By Chris Edwards Share The abuse and overspending in government disability programs is so bad that even National Public Radio and 60 Minutes have taken notice. On the heels of this excellent […]

If you really want to cut wasteful spending then why not shut down Dept of Housing and Urban Development, Dept of Education and SBA?

If you really want to cut wasteful spending then why not shut down Dept of Housing and Urban Development, Dept of Education and SBA? There are many other areas that should be cut but these should be shut down!!!   October 7, 2013 4:57PM Close Washington to Dismantle the Welfare-Warfare State By Doug Bandow Share […]

Dear Senator Pryor, here are some spending cut suggestions (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

Senator Pryor pictured below:  Why do I keep writing and email Senator Pryor suggestions on how to cut our budget? I gave him hundreds of ideas about how to cut spending and as far as I can tell he has taken none of my suggestions. You can find some of my suggestions here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, and  here, and they […]

We need to stop wasteful government spending by privatizing the post office!!

We need to stop wasteful government spending by privatizing the post office!! Postal Service Won’t Shut Down but Will Default on Its Debt James Gattuso October 1, 2013 at 9:30 am Newscom The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) defaulted on its debt last night. No, it has nothing to do with the partial shutdown of the […]

We need to stop the stupid spending by Bureaucrats!!!

We need to stop the stupid spending by Bureaucrats!!!   Bureaucrats Gone Wild: Government Spends Recklessly as Fiscal Year Ends Rob Bluey September 29, 2013 at 1:55 pm Credit: Tetra Images/Newscom Washington’s reckless spending is driving America into debt — and yet federal bureaucrats continue their wasteful and frivolous ways. The latest example comes courtesy […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, spending out of control | Comments (0)

Simpson-Bowles commission plan wants to expand the federal government by raising taxes!!!

November 15, 2013 – 1:30 am

Dan Mitchell Commenting on Obama’s Failure to Propose a Fiscal Plan

Published on Aug 16, 2012 by

No description available.

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For the first 150 years our federal government lived on about 4% of our GDP  (except in wartime) but now federal spending has risen to over 24%. We need to lower spending now and not raise taxes. The problem isn’t that we don’t have enough taxes, but it is that we spend too much.

Many people want to believe in Unicorns, the Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot. I think those people are rational and reasonable compared to the folks in Washington that spend their days dreaming of “bipartisan” and “balanced” plans to fix the budget mess.

Here are the two things you should understand. First, you need to grab your Washingtonese-to-English dictionary so you can learn that “bipartisan” and “balanced” are almost always code words for “higher taxes.” Second, budget deals with higher taxes (as the New York Times accidentally admitted) don’t “fix” anything.

The Simpson-Bowles budget plan is a good example of why taxpayers should be quite skeptical. Put together by a former Republican Senator from Wyoming and Bill Clinton’s former Chief of Staff as part of President Obama’s Fiscal Commission, the Simpson-Bowles proposal is viewed by the inside-the-beltway crowd as fiscal Nirvana.

Unsurprisingly, Simpson and Bowles are quite fond of their plan. Here’s their key assertion from a column they recently wrote for USA Today.

The Simpson-Bowles commission offered a reasonable, responsible, comprehensive and bipartisan solution that won the support of a majority of Democrats and Republicans on the commission. Most importantly, it would reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over the next decade — enough to put the debt on a clear downward path relative to the economy.

Gee, sounds nice, but let’s look at the details, all of which can be seen by downloading their report.

A main problem is that Simpson and Bowles misdiagnose the problem. I think it’s fair to say that their focus, as they explicitly state in their report, is to “…stabilize and then reduce the national debt.” But as I explain in this video, the real problem is a federal government that is too big and spending too much. Red ink is just a symptom of that problem.

Moreover, the report even includes Keynesian policy, stating that “…budget cuts should start gradually so they don’t interfere with the ongoing economic recovery.”

But let’s set aside rhetorical sins and grade the plan.

Restraining Spending: C+

The plan does impose some restraint on the budget, but the plan – even after being in place for 10 years – assumes that the federal government should grow by about $1.5 trillion and consume nearly 22 percent of economic output. This is far above the 18.2 percent of GDP when Clinton left office, which should be the minimum target for policymakers.

But the components of the plan make me think they won’t even achieve the plan’s anemic targets.

Eliminating Departments and Programs: D

  • The Simpson-Bowles plan does not call for shutting down a single program, agency, or department. Not even cesspools of waste and inefficiency such as the Department of Education or Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Reforming Entitlements: C-

Reducing Bureaucratic Bloat: B

  • In terms of controlling spending, this is the part of the report that is most admirable. It calls for a three-year freeze on excessive compensation and urges reductions in bureaucratic bloat – albeit only through attrition.

Controlling the Tax Burden and Reforming the Tax Code: C-

The best policy, needless to say, is getting rid of the corrupt tax system and replacing it with a simple and fair flat tax. That obviously wasn’t what Simpson and Bowles decided to propose, but the flat tax is a benchmark that allows us to judge the components of their plan.

They basically get two policies right and two policies wrong. If they were major league baseball players, a .500 average would make them superstars. In Dan Mitchell’s policy world, they’re below average.

Lowering Tax Rates: A-

  • This is the best feature of all the revenue provisions. The Simpson-Bowles report proposes a top tax rate of between 23 percent-28 percent, significantly below the current top rate of 35 percent (and well below the 39.6 percent top rate that is part of President Obama’s class-warfare proposal). The corporate tax rate also would be reduced.

Reducing Double Taxation: D

  • The plan would increase the double taxation of dividends and capital gains. The U.S. already has a very anti-competitive system and this would be a step in the wrong direction (though ameliorated by a lower corporate tax rate).

Limiting the Tax Burden: D-

  • The plan assumes that laws should be changed to increase the federal tax burden to 21 percent of GDP from the long-run average of 18 percent of economic output. That’s unfortunate, but it’s even worse than it seems since the tax burden already is scheduled to rise to record levels because of what’s called “real bracket creep.” The Simpson-Bowles tax hikes would be an additional burden on taxpayers.

Eliminating Corrupt Loopholes: B

  • The good news is that some deductions are curtailed and a few are eliminated. The best components are the repeal of the deduction for state and local income and property taxes. So no more indirect preferences that reward profligate states such as California and Illinois. The healthcare exclusion also is capped, which would be a nice step on the long – but important – task of dealing with the third-party payer crisis in the healthcare sector.

I’m not a fan of the Simpson-Bowles plan, but I do give them credit. They decided to focus on the wrong variable and they have some bad policies, but at least it’s a real proposal.

It’s not anywhere close to the Ryan budget, but it’s a heck of a lot better than what the Senate Democrats have produced (nothing) and what the President has proposed (kicking the can down the road).

But doing a better job than the remedial students is damning with faint praise. Just in case you’re tempted to grade them on a curve, just remember that balancing the budget without tax increases doesn’t require any heavy lifting. All policymakers have to do is limit the growth of spending so it grows by an average of 2.5 percent annually over the next decade.

Other nations, such as New Zealand and Canada, got great results when imposing multi-year periods of fiscal restraint. Certainly it’s not asking too much to expect American lawmakers to exercise similar levels of prudence?

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Taxes | Comments (0)

Open letter to President Obama (Part 454) Michael Cannon of Cato Institute speaks to Arkansas Senators (Part 3 includes editorial cartoon)

November 15, 2013 – 1:25 am

 

(Emailed to White House on 3-20-13.)

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

I wanted to know if it was possible to avoid Obamacare if we don’t put in an exchange? That is what Michael Cannon told us.

Jacque Martin asks CATO Institute Michael Cannon about Obamacare

Published on Mar 19, 2013

The CATO Institute’s Michael Cannon spoke at the Arkansas Conservative Caucus on Tuesday March 19th. Several conservatives were present. Cannon talked about how to defeat Obamacare in Arkansas & how the states can stop Obamacare on a national level.

Jacque Martin of the Cleburne County Tea Party based in Heber Springs, Arkansas asked Michael Cannon about Obamacare.

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The Arkansas Democrat Gazette story below:

Fight exchanges, lawmakers told

Cato Institute says state shouldn’t help run insurance markets

By Sarah D. Wire

This article was published today at 12:46 a.m.

Give up any control of online health-insurance markets required by federal law and refuse to help the federal government build them, the Health Policy Studies director of a Washington, D.C., think tank told Arkansas lawmakers Tuesday.

Michael Cannon with the Cato Institute told members of the Senate Insurance and Commerce Committee on Tuesday that states should challenge implementation of the 2010 Patient Protectionand Affordable Care Act, either through legislation or lawsuits.

“Refusing to create an exchange is going to force Congress to reopen this law,” Cannon said.

In January, Arkansas received the OK to partner with the federal government in running a health-insurance exchange.

Insurance exchanges are designed to be competitive marketplaces where mostly uninsured people can shop for coverage, either online or with the help of consumer guides.

States can choose to operate exchanges completely on their own, enter into a partnership or let the federal government operate the exchange on its own.

Gov. Mike Beebe initially pushed for a state-run exchange, but after resistance from Republican lawmakers, he ordered the state Insurance Department to apply for a partnership so Arkansas could have some say in how the exchange should be run.

Some members, including Committee Chairman Sen.

Jason Rapert, R-Bigelow, have questioned whether the state should choose to create and control its own exchange after the U.S. Supreme Court’s June decision to uphold the federal health-care law.

Under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, companies with 50 employees or more face fines from the Internal Revenue Service ranging from $2,000 to $3,000 for most employees who gain coverage on the exchange either because their companies don’t offer insur-ance or it’s deemed too expensive by the law. Such employees would apply for a tax credit.

Cannon told lawmakers that his group’s understanding of the law is that if a state doesn’t create its own exchange, the federal government cannot assess the fines or award the tax credits.

“The law is actually very clear on this point,” Cannon said. “It wasn’t a glitch, Congress intended to do that. It was an incentive they created to encourage states to establish exchanges.”

He said Arkansas should wait to see whether a federal court finds that the Internal Revenue Service cannot fine businesses for not offering insurance or people for not having insurance in states where the federal government runs the insurance markets.

Oklahoma challenged the federal government over the fines in January 2011. U.S. District Judge Ronald White has not ruled whether Oklahoma even has standing to bring the case.

Annabelle Imber Tuck, co-chairman of the Plan Management Committee which is helping set up the state’s role inthe exchange, said it’s impossible to know how or when a court will rule. Tuck is a former state Supreme Court justice.

She said the law isn’t as clear about the tax subsidies and penalties as Cannon told lawmakers.

“This argument has been going on since last July between legal scholars. There is only one lawsuit on the table. How the court will rule is anyone’s guess,” she said. “So the question is, what do the people of the state of Arkansas do in the meanwhile?”

Rapert said he doesn’t know what Arkansas would gain from handing over all responsibility for the exchange to the federal government.

“At the end of the day, if no one stops the IRS from imposing the penalties, I don’t know what we gained from just opposing. At the end of the day, if the federal government is still going to impose penalties regardless of whether or not it was in the [Affordable Care Act] or not, you still have the same effect,” Rapert said. “His [Cannon’s] comments were crafted in order to help bring about opening up the legislation again by Congress, which literally we have no power to do. Only Congress can decide they are going to do that.”

Arkansas, Pages 9 on 03/20/2013

Print Headline: Fight exchanges, lawmakers told

<!–Arkansas 9

Michael Cannon said they opposed Romneycare at the Cato Institute and this article below proves it.

 

That’s a trick question, of course, as illustrated by this biting Henry Payne cartoon.

But let’s look at one of the commonalities of Romneycare and Obamacare – higher premiums, thanks to mandates and third-party payer.

Here’s a quick look at what’s been happening to premiums in Massachusetts.

Romneycare Premiums

The same thing is already happening with Obamacare, as explained in a Wall Street Journal column by Merrill Matthews and Mark Litow.

The congressional Democrats who crafted the legislation ignored virtually every actuarial principle governing rational insurance pricing. Premiums will soon reflect that disregard—indeed, premiums are already reflecting it. …Guaranteed issue incentivizes people to forgo buying a policy until they get sick and need coverage (and then drop the policy after they get well). While ObamaCare imposes a financial penalty—or is it a tax?—to discourage people from gaming the system, it is too low to be a real disincentive. The result will be insurance pools that are smaller and sicker, and therefore more expensive.

How bad will it be? Well…

Many actuaries, such as those in the international consulting firm Oliver Wyman, are now predicting an average increase of roughly 50% in premiums for some in the individual market for the same coverage. …Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Wyoming and Virginia will likely see the largest increases—somewhere between 65% and 100%. Another 18 states, including Texas and Michigan, could see their rates rise between 35% and 65%.

Which is why 2014 is the “Year of the Snake” in more places than just China.

Obamacare Snake Cartoon

If you like Ramirez cartoons, you can see some of my favorites here, here, here, here, and here.

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Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

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Related posts:

Max Brantley of the Ark Times takes on Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute today concerning Obamacare

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Is Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute right about states blocking Obamacare, factchecker says he is wrong.

Cato’s Michael F. Cannon Discusses ObamaCare’s Individual Mandate Is Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute right about states blocking Obamacare, factchecker says he is wrong. I Have Been False* Posted by Michael F. Cannon *According to PolitiFact. In an unconscious parody of everything that’s wrong with the “fact-checker” movement in journalism, PolitiFact Georgia (a project of […]

An ObamaCare Debate Challenge by Michael F. Cannon (editorial cartoon)

Obamacare is a poorly written and because of that the majority of states may never have to put into practice.   February 28, 2013 2:13PM ObamaCare Debate Challenge: Lawrence Wasden Edition By Michael F. Cannon Share Tweet Like Google+1 Congress empowered states to block major provisions of ObamaCare, including its subsidies and employer mandate. All […]

Open letter to President Obama (Part 249)

Is Washington Bankrupting America? Uploaded by BankruptingAmerica on Apr 20, 2010 Be first to receive our videos and other timely info about economic policy. Subscribe at http://www.bankruptingamerica.org ————————- According to a recent poll, 74 percent of likely voters are extremely or very concerned about the current level of government spending. And 58 percent think the […]

The real truth about Obamacare can be seen on the www.thedailyhatch.org

Michael Cannon on Medicare and Healthcare You want to know the real truth about Obamacare then check out these videos and articles linked below: American people do not want Obamacare and the regulations that go with it March 7, 2012 – 8:02 am In this article below you will see that the American people do not […]

The primary cause of higher hospital care and education costs in the USA is?

Is Washington Bankrupting America? Uploaded by BankruptingAmerica on Apr 20, 2010 Be first to receive our videos and other timely info about economic policy. Subscribe at http://www.bankruptingamerica.org ————————- According to a recent poll, 74 percent of likely voters are extremely or very concerned about the current level of government spending. And 58 percent think the […]

 

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, Healthcare, President Obama | Tagged | Comments (0)

Shouldn’t we eliminate welfare programs that deepen, prolong and institutionalize poverty?

November 14, 2013 – 6:52 am

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Shouldn’t we eliminate welfare programs that deepen, prolong and institutionalize poverty?

 

Senator Mike Lee: Time to Rethink the War on Poverty

November 13, 2013 at 6:31 pm

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Progressives sometimes accuse conservatives of not caring about the poor. But it’s liberal policies that deepen, prolong, and institutionalize poverty.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) made this important clarification at a Heritage Foundation forum on Capitol Hill today when he said, “1964 wasn’t the year Americans started fighting poverty; it was the year we started losing that fight.”

Lee went on to lay out the case that America from its birth built the best poverty-reduction machine ever created—which is why this country has attracted millions of immigrants from around the world.

“For more than 200 years, the United States—through trial and error, through good times and bad—has waged the most successful war on poverty in the history of the world,” he said.

Then Lee explained how Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty—which celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, if that is the correct term—has only made poverty worse:

Despite trillions of taxpayer dollars spent to eradicate poverty since the late 1960s, the poverty rate has hardly budged. And just last week, the Census Bureau reported that today, more than 49 million Americans still live below the poverty line.

Today, a boy born in the bottom 20% of our income scale has a 42% chance of staying there as an adult. According to the O.E.C.D. [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development], the United States is third from the bottom of advanced countries in terms of upward economic mobility.

A recent study in Oregon found that the Medicaid program – which provides health insurance to the poor – produces basically no health improvements for its beneficiaries. A study last December on the Head Start program, issued by the Obama Administration itself, found that what few academic benefits three- and four-year olds do gain from the program all but disappear by end of the first grade.

Then Lee ripped into President Obama’s ethos of tackling big problems such as poverty only under the leadership of government. For example, when Obama says, “Now, more than ever, we must do things together, as one nation and one people”—by “together,” Lee explained, the President means only “government.”

This discredited mindset—which insists collective action can only mean state action—is itself a kind of poverty. It rejects social solidarity in favor of political coercion, and voluntary communities for professional community organizers. It distrusts and denies the bonds of cooperation and service that represent the highest expression of our dignity.

Conservatives, said the Senator, must take the lead and show ways government can remove barriers to success for Americans.

The challenge to conservatives today is to rethink the war on poverty along these lines, to bring into our economy and society the individuals, families, and communities that have for five decades been unfairly locked out.

You can read the whole speech here.

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Open letter to President Obama (Part 432) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 2 (includes editorial cartoon)

(Emailed to White House on 3-15-13.) President Obama c/o The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is […]

Dear Senator Pryor, here are some spending cut suggestions (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

Senator Pryor pictured below:  Why do I keep writing and email Senator Pryor suggestions on how to cut our budget? I gave him hundreds of ideas about how to cut spending and as far as I can tell he has taken none of my suggestions. You can find some of my suggestions here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, and  here, and they […]

Open letter to President Obama (Part 430) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 1 (includes editorial cartoon)

(Emailed to White House on 3-15-13.) President Obama c/o The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President, I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is […]

The Dysfunction in Washington is Republicans and Democrats that are unwilling to cut spending in order to vote for more programs (Democrats want more food stamps etc but Republicans vote for their pet programs and wars too like No Child Left Behind Act, the Iraq war, the prescription drug entitlement, and the TARP bailout).

The Dysfunction in Washington is Republicans and Democrats that are unwilling to cut spending in order to vote for more programs (Democrats want more food stamps etc but Republicans vote for their pet programs and wars too like No Child Left Behind Act, the Iraq war, the prescription drug entitlement, and the TARP bailout). If […]

Dear Senator Pryor, here are some spending cut suggestions (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

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If you want to cut wasteful spending then the disability program must be reformed radically!!!

If you want to cut wasteful spending then the disability program must be reformed radically!!! October 7, 2013 1:19PM 60 Minutes Disability Investigation By Chris Edwards Share The abuse and overspending in government disability programs is so bad that even National Public Radio and 60 Minutes have taken notice. On the heels of this excellent […]

If you really want to cut wasteful spending then why not shut down Dept of Housing and Urban Development, Dept of Education and SBA?

If you really want to cut wasteful spending then why not shut down Dept of Housing and Urban Development, Dept of Education and SBA? There are many other areas that should be cut but these should be shut down!!!   October 7, 2013 4:57PM Close Washington to Dismantle the Welfare-Warfare State By Doug Bandow Share […]

Dear Senator Pryor, here are some spending cut suggestions (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

Senator Pryor pictured below:  Why do I keep writing and email Senator Pryor suggestions on how to cut our budget? I gave him hundreds of ideas about how to cut spending and as far as I can tell he has taken none of my suggestions. You can find some of my suggestions here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, and  here, and they […]

We need to stop wasteful government spending by privatizing the post office!!

We need to stop wasteful government spending by privatizing the post office!! Postal Service Won’t Shut Down but Will Default on Its Debt James Gattuso October 1, 2013 at 9:30 am Newscom The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) defaulted on its debt last night. No, it has nothing to do with the partial shutdown of the […]

We need to stop the stupid spending by Bureaucrats!!!

We need to stop the stupid spending by Bureaucrats!!!   Bureaucrats Gone Wild: Government Spends Recklessly as Fiscal Year Ends Rob Bluey September 29, 2013 at 1:55 pm Credit: Tetra Images/Newscom Washington’s reckless spending is driving America into debt — and yet federal bureaucrats continue their wasteful and frivolous ways. The latest example comes courtesy […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events, spending out of control | Comments (0)

Capitalism gives the poor of the world the best chance for a better life!!!

November 14, 2013 – 6:40 am

U2’s Bono Speaks at GU Global Social Enterprise Event

Published on Nov 13, 2012

Musician and activist Bono spoke to more than 700 Georgetown students and leaders in the corporate, nonprofit and political sectors on Nov. 12 at an event hosted by the Global Social Enterprise Initiative (GSEI) at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business.

______________________________
I never thought I would say that U2’s Bono would agree with Milton Friedman but recently he did say that capitalism gives the poor of the world the best chance for a better life!!!
Back in 1980 I read the book “Free to Choose” by Milton Friedman and in that book I read these words:
There is an enormous amount of poverty in the world everywhere. There is no system that’s perfect. There is no system that’s going to eliminate completely poverty in whatever sense. The question is, which system has the greatest chance? Which is the best arrangement for enabling poor people to improve their life? On that, the evidence of history speaks with a single voice. I do not know any exception to the proposition that if you compare like with like, the freer the system, the better off the ordinary poor people have been.
_____________
Many times people come into the poor countries in Africa and they believe that big government is the answer to building a great society. That is not the case. Milton Friedman has asserted:

The fundamental principal of the free society is voluntary cooperation. The economic market, buying and selling, is one example. But it’s only one example. Voluntary cooperation is far broader than that. To take an example that at first sight seems about as far away as you can get __ the language we speak; the words we use; the complex structure of our grammar; no government bureau designed that. It arose out of the voluntary interactions of people seeking to communicate with one another. Or consider some of the great scientific achievements of our time __ the discoveries of an Einstein or Newton __ the inventions of Thomas Alva Edison or an Alexander Graham Bell or even consider the great charitable activities of a Florence Nightingale or an Andrew Carnegie. These weren’t done under orders from a government office. They were done by individuals deeply interested in what they were doing, pursing their own interests, and cooperating with one another.

This kind of voluntary cooperation is built so deeply into the structure of our society that we tend to take it for granted. Yet the whole of our Western civilization is the unintended consequence of that kind of a voluntary cooperation of people cooperating with one another to pursue their own interests, yet in the process, building a great society.

I was so impressed with this statement that I actually emailed the White House about it.

July 31, 2013 10:59AM

Bono: Only Capitalism Can End Poverty

By Marian L. Tupy

This is a great day. For years, Bono has been something of a pain, banging on about the need for billions of dollars in Western foreign aid to Africa. I have criticized him for ignoring the real source of African poverty – lack of capitalism – on numerous occasions.

But, unlike many who hate capitalism without reservation, Bono is open to changing his mind. Here is Bono giving capitalism its due recognition during a recent speech at Georgetown University. As the musician put it, when it comes to poverty “free enterprise is a cure.”

Indeed, the evidence is overwhelming.

According to the World Bank, global poverty is declining rapidly. In 1981, 70 percent of people in poor countries lived on less than $2 a day, while 42 percent survived on less than $1 a day. Today, 43 percent live on less than $2 a day, while 14 percent survive on less than $1. “Poverty reduction of this magnitude is unparalleled in history,” wrote Brookings Institution researchers Laurence Chandy and Geoffrey Gertz in a recent paper. “Never before have so many people been lifted out of poverty over such a brief period of time.”

As far as Africa goes, inflation adjusted per capita incomes rose by an astonishing 97 percent between 1999 and 2010. That is good news for Africa and for humanity. More people should recognize it.

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Bono has the wrong answer for the poor of the world (Part 4)

October 11, 2011 – 8:50 am

Bono has the wrong answer for the poor of the world (Part 4) Bono praises the election of President Obama!!! _________________________ This is a series of posts that show that Bono (who I have been listening to since 1983) has the wrong solution to the problem of worldwide hunger. Max Brantley wrote on the Arkansas […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Current Events, Mike Huckabee, President Obama | Tagged , , , | Edit | Comments (0)

Bono has the wrong answer for the poor of the world (Part 3)

October 7, 2011 – 11:24 am

Bono has the wrong answer for the poor of the world (Part 3) Bono praises the election of President Obama!!! I love Milton Friedman’s film series “Free to Choose.” In that film series over and over it is shown that the ability to move from poor to rich is more abundant here than any other […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Arkansas Times, Cato Institute, Max Brantley, Mike Huckabee, President Obama | Tagged , , , | Edit | Comments (0)

Bono has the wrong answer for the poor of the world (Part 2)

October 5, 2011 – 8:56 am

Bono has the wrong answer for the poor of the world (Part 2) Bono praises the election of President Obama!!! _________________________ This is a series of posts that shows that Bono (who I have been listening to since 1983) has the wrong solution to the problem of worldwide hunger. Max Brantley wrote on the Arkansas […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Arkansas Times, Current Events, Max Brantley, Mike Huckabee, President Obama | Tagged , , , , | Edit | Comments (0)

Bono has the wrong answer for the poor of the world (Part 1)

October 4, 2011 – 6:14 pm

Bono praises the election of President Obama!!! _________________________ This is a series of posts that show that Bono (who I have been listening to since 1983) has the wrong solution to the problem of worldwide hunger. Max Brantley wrote on the Arkansas Times Blog: Politico reports here that a group of celebrities, including former Baptist […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

My favorite Johnny Cash song “God’s Gonna Cut You Down

July 1, 2013 – 8:37 am

Wikipedia noted: Johnny Cash recorded a version of “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” on American V: A Hundred Highways in 2003, with an arrangement quite different from most known gospel versions of the song. A music video, directed by Tony Kaye,[1] was made for this version in late 2006. It featured a number of celebrities, including: David Allan Coe (Intro) Travis Barker […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Johnny Cash (Part 3)

April 1, 2013 – 12:17 am

I got to hear Johnny Cash sing in person back in 1978.  Here is a portion of an article about his Christian Testimony. The Man Came Around   A Walking Contradiction Cash’s daughter, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, once pointed out that “my father was raised a Baptist, but he has the soul of a mystic. He’s […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

“Music Monday” All-American Rejects Part 2 (“Finding Satisfaction in Life”)

March 25, 2013 – 9:29 am

The All-American Rejects Music Interview Tyson Ritter Full Band only on The Artist Spotlight The All-American Rejects – The Last Song The All-American Rejects – It Ends Tonight I got to go hear the All-American Rejects in Little Rock on 12-13-12. Here are some of my reactions. Tyson Ritter admitted that he lost his way […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)

Johnny Cash (Part 2)

March 25, 2013 – 12:16 am

I got to hear Johnny Cash sing in person back in 1978 at a Billy Graham Crusade in Memphis. Here is a portion of an article about his Christian Testimony. The Man Came Around Cash also made major headlines when he shared his faith on The Johnny Cash Show, a popular variety program on ABC […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Tagged , , , , | Edit | Comments (0)

“Music Monday” Moby

February 11, 2013 – 3:05 pm

“The Next Three Days” Soundtrack – Be The One by Moby Moby – Extreme Ways (The Bourne Ultimatum soundtrack) I really enjoyed reading about Moby and his views on Christianity. Moby From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   Jump to: navigation, search For other uses, see Moby (disambiguation). Moby Moby in 2009 Background information Birth name […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Uncategorized | Edit | Comments (0)

Skillet is a Christian Heavy Metal Band from Memphis Part 2

February 7, 2013 – 6:40 am

  Visit http://www.skillet.com for more information. Skillet – Hero (Video) Uploaded on Jun 28, 2010 © 2009 WMG no description available ____________ Great band from Memphis and I heard about them in the 1990′s but until today I had not looked into what they were doing. Here is an earlier post I did on them […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Current Events | Edit | Comments (0)
By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Milton Friedman | Comments (0)

Dear Senator Pryor, here are some spending cut suggestions (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

November 14, 2013 – 1:15 am

Senator Pryor pictured below:

 Will Rogers has a great quote that I love. He noted, “Lord, the money we do spend on Government and it’s not one bit better than the government we got for one-third the money twenty years ago”(Paula McSpadden Love, The Will Rogers Book, (1972) p. 20.)

Why do I keep writing and email Senator Pryor suggestions on how to cut our budget? I gave him hundreds of ideas about how to cut spending and as far as I can tell he has taken none of my suggestions. You can find some of my suggestions here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here,  here, and  here, and they all were emailed to him. In fact, I have written 13 posts pointing out reasons why I believe Senator Pryor’s re-election attempt will be unsuccessful. HERE I GO AGAIN WITH ANOTHER EMAIL I JUST SENT TO SENATOR PRYOR!!!

Dear Senator Pryor,

Why not pass the Balanced  Budget amendment? As you know that federal deficit is at all time high (1.6 trillion deficit with revenues of 2.2 trillion and spending at 3.8 trillion).

On my blog www.thedailyhatch.org . I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. (Actually there were over 160 emails with specific spending cut suggestions.) However, I did not see any of them in the recent debt deal that Congress adopted although you did respond to me several times. Now I am trying another approach. Every week from now on I will send you an email explaining different reasons why we need the Balanced Budget Amendment or I send you specific spending cut suggestions. It will appear on my blog on “Thirsty Thursday” because the government is always thirsty for more money to spend.

IF YOU TRULY WANT TO CUT THE BUDGET AND BALANCE THE BUDGET THEN SUBMIT THESE POTENTIAL BUDGET CUTS PRESENTED BELOW!!

_______________

What Are the Dangers of Too Much Debt?

Published on Mar 20, 2012

Interest payments on U.S. government debt are three times spending in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars already, and that is with the lowest interest rate we have seen since the 1960s. A rise in interest rates would increase interest payments dramatically. What can the U.S. government do today to prevent a crisis from happening when interest rates go up?

__________

April 24, 2013 at 6:00 pm

highway

Newscom

The Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which funds most surface interstate transportation programs, from roads to bridges, faces insolvency in a few short years. In a House Budget Hearing today, one witness—Robert Poole of the Reason Foundation—offered lawmakers a near-term solution akin to what The Heritage Foundation has proposed: Recommit HTF revenue to funding highway and bridge programs only.

As Heritage experts have explained, the original purpose of the HTF was to fund the construction of the interstate highway system. Once the system was mostly complete, lawmakers decided to keep collecting the federal fuel tax that supports the HTF, expand the scope of the federal transportation program, and divert federal user fees to pay for the new programs.

Today, the diversions consist of programs such as transit, environmental mitigation, ferry boats, bicycle paths, and nature trails. In 2010, for example, transit received 17 percent of federal user fees, though its share of the nation’s surface travel amounted to about 1 percent. As Heritage visiting fellow Wendell Cox writes:

Overall, highway user fees supported each transit passenger mile 17 times more than each highway passenger mile ($0.1130 for transit; $0.0067 for highways).

BG-transit-shrinking-fed-dollars-chart-1

Transit, like the other non–general purpose road activities, is a truly state or local priority and should be funded at those levels of government.

The combination of overspending, inflation, increased vehicle fuel efficiency, and effects of the recession on gasoline consumption in recent years have caused funding shortfalls in the HTF. Rather than address its overspending problem, Congress chose to shore up the HTF with tens of billions of dollars in general fund cash transfers—an imprudent and unsustainable quick fix that worsens federal deficits. As the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reports:

If lawmakers chose to continue such transfers, they would have to transfer an additional $14 billion to prevent a projected shortfall in 2015.

In the long term, states will need to address how best to fund their transportation programs. Yet in the near term—indeed in the next highway reauthorization bill—Congress should do the following:

  • End cash transfers from the General Fund to the HTF,
  • Limit transportation spending to available HTF revenue,
  • Begin phasing out programs that are inefficient and locally or regionally based, and
  • Fund only programs that improve mobility and safety and relieve traffic congestion.

Taking these steps now would mark significant progress toward cost-effectively providing better mobility, increasing safety on roads and bridges, and reducing traffic congestion.

_______________

The Balanced Budget Amendment is the only thing I can think of that would force Washington to cut spending. We have only a handful of balanced budgets in the last 60 years, so obviously what we are doing is not working. We are passing along this debt to the next generation. YOUR APPROACH HAS BEEN TO REJECT THE BALANCED BUDGET “BECAUSE WE SHOULD CUT THE BUDGET OURSELF,” WELL THEN HERE IS YOUR CHANCE!!!! SUBMIT THESE CUTS!!!!

Thank you for this opportunity to share my ideas with you.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com www.thedailyhatch.org, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733

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Senator Mark Pryor responds to my email

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Dear Senator Pryor, why not pass the Balanced Budget Amendment? (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

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Dear Senator Pryor, why not pass the Balanced Budget Amendment? (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter to Senator Pryor)

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Open letter to President Obama (Part 453) (Laughing at Obama’s Fumbled Attempt to Extort More Taxes with FAA Flight Delays)

November 14, 2013 – 12:52 am

Open letter to President Obama (Part 453)

(Emailed to White House on 5-4-13.)

President Obama c/o The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

______________

When Governments Cut Spending

Uploaded on Sep 28, 2011

Do governments ever cut spending? According to Dr. Stephen Davies, there are historical examples of government spending cuts in Canada, New Zealand, Sweden, and America. In these cases, despite popular belief, the government spending cuts did not cause economic stagnation. In fact, the spending cuts often accelerated economic growth by freeing up resources for the private sector.

_________________________

Why did you act like the Sequester cuts would bring the world to an end!!! It clearly hasn’t.

You don’t enjoy many victories when you fight for liberty, so I’m not averse to spiking the football on those rare occasions when we win.

That’s why I shared this very funny cartoon last week to celebrate Obama’s belly flop on gun control.

Now we have another cartoon, this one by Henry Payne, mocking the Administration’s shameful effort to force a tax increase by deliberately making air travel less convenient.

Sequester Tax FAA

No wonder the President is behaving in such a petulant fashion. The sequester is an embarrassing defeat for Obama and other proponents of bigger government.

He thought he could bully Republicans into a class-warfare tax hike. Now he’s resorting to pathetic gimmicks.

And he lost on that issue now that Congress has made explicit that the FAA has authority to reallocate funds.

Let’s not just spike the football. Let’s do a dance in the end zone.

_______________________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

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By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in President Obama, spending out of control, Taxes | Comments (0)

Abortion debating with Ark Times Bloggers Part 1 “Is abortion a slippery slope to infanticide?”(includes the film DEATH BY SOMEONE’S CHOICE and editorial cartoon)

November 14, 2013 – 12:38 am

I have debated with Ark Times Bloggers many times in the past on many different subjects. Abortion is probably the most often debated subject and I have noticed that many pro-life individuals are now surfacing on the Arkansas Times Blog.  Here are some examples. Arhogfan501 asserted: This is the beginning of the end for recreational abortion in Arkansas. Songbird777 noted: Babies have a right to live and not be chopped up for someone else’s convenience. The person using the username “baker” commented: Planned Parenthood (PPA) does not nor cannot provide mammograms, indeed no affiliate has the necessary license. PPA is an abortion provider and at some 900 plus killings a day rather prolific.

Here is another debate I got into recently on the Arkansas Times Blog:

The person using the username “the outlier” on the Arkansas Times Blog on 3-5-13 wrote:

A fetus is not a human being. Abortion is not a slippery slope to infanticide and euthanasia.

I responded:

The outlier said “abortion is not a slippery slope to infanticide” however Justice Harry Blaackmun in his Roe v Wade related the two issues.

Abortion was present even in ancient times. Under Roman rule “[n]ot only [was] … abortion permitted; [but also] infanticide. The shriveled remains of exposed babies could be found in every countryside of the [Roman] Empire…” Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun referred to this culture in Roe v. Wade: “Greek and Roman law afforded little protection to the unborn … Ancient religion did not bar abortion.”

I truly believe that many of the problems we have today in the USA are due to the advancement of humanism in the last few decades in our society. Ronald Reagan appointed the evangelical Dr. C. Everett Koop to the position of Surgeon General in his administration. He partnered with Dr. Francis Schaeffer in making the video below. It is very valuable information for Christians to have.  Actually I have included a video below that includes comments from him on this subject.

In the film series “WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE HUMAN RACE?” the arguments are presented  against abortion (Episode 1),  infanticide (Episode 2),   euthenasia (Episode 3), and then there is a discussion of the Christian versus Humanist worldview concerning the issue of “the basis for human dignity” in Episode 4 and then in the last episode a close look at the truth claims of the Bible.

___________

From the website www.jeremiahproject.com:

The Slippery Slope

Once government begins to define life and humanity, there is no end to the possibilities for subjective and selective determination as to who will be allowed to live.

At one time, blacks were not recognized as human beings. This was the rationale behind the slave trade that brought black Africans to the United States. They were transported in slave ships that held them confined in the same manner that livestock is confined when shipped to the slaughter houses. In Nazi Germany, only the Aryan race was considered human, and we know the consequences of that thinking. The treatment of Jews and other non-Aryans was similar to that of animals. And the Nazi genetic experiments remain a source for horror stories even today.

Will a society which has assumed the right to kill infants in the womb – because they are unwanted, imperfect, or merely inconvenient – have difficulty in assuming the right to kill other human beings, especially older adults who are judged unwanted, deemed imperfect physically or mentally, or considered a possible social nuisance?

The next candidates for arbitrary reclassification as non-persons are the elderly. This will become increasingly so as the proportion of the old and weak in relation to the young and strong becomes abnormally large, due to the growing antifamily sentiment, the abortion rate, and medicine’s contribution to the lengthening of the normal life span. The imbalance will cause many of the young to perceive the old as a cramping nuisance in the hedonistic lifestyle they claim as their right. As the demand for affluence continues and the economic crunch gets greater, the amount of compassion that the legislature and the courts will have for the old does not seem likely to be significant considering the precedent of the non-protection given to the unborn and newborn. [Francis Schaeffer, Whatever Happened to the Human Race?]

Euthanasia
Joseph Fletcher, the popularizer of “situational ethics,” in his 1973 discussion of death with dignity gives this argument for euthanasia:

It is ridiculous to give ethical approval to the positive ending of sub-human life in utero as we do in therapeutic abortions for reasons of mercy and compassion but refuse to approve of positively ending a sub-human life in extremis. If we are morally obliged to put an end to a pregnancy when an amniocentesis reveals a terrible defective fetus, we are equally obliged to put an end to a patient’s hopeless misery when a brain scan reveals that a patient with cancer has advanced brain metastases. [Joseph Fletcher, “Ethics and Euthanasia,” American Journal of Nursing, 1973.]

One is reminded of the slave holders who devoutly espoused the theory that slavery was really for the good of the black man and that in the end he would be thankful for the opportunity to share in the white man’s culture, even from the distance of the garden shed. The Nazis also argued that their victims were being sacrificed for the high end of the general good of society. Many well-meaning people are attracted to what might seem to be the beneficial aspects of some sort of euthanasia program, because they think they can be free of the guilt of responsibility.

The “right-to-die” movement is not calling for a right to die, they’re mostly talking about a right to kill. The advocates of euthanasia are asking the government and courts to step aside and allow people who are feeble and elderly to be snuffed out.

Consider the people who were “assisted” in ending their lives by Dr. Jack Kevorkian. He wasn’t killing terminally ill patients – they had Alzheimer’s and were in a lot of pain, but they were alive and walking around. Dr. Kevorkian portrays another basic belief of humanist ideology – the extermination of the old, useless, and the infirm. Kervorkian believes that he has the right to help people out of their pain if they want to die. He claims to render “a medical service,” and his lawyer is clear that “he’s not going to stop … doing the right thing.” Already the suicide doctor has had an impact on our society’s views regarding suicide and euthanasia.

Language is an important tool in convincing others of your position. Euthanasia advocates have been skillful in masking their true intent with slogans like “death with dignity” and “a right to die.” These phrases easily capture people’s attention. Everyone believes in a death with dignity.

Though I’m sure the medical community is well intentioned, it is still a fact that their idea of mercy is increasingly to dehumanize their patients, to disguise the helpless person so that not even their family recognizes them. In time, the family’s love turns to pity, which turns to horror until, to our warped hearts, murder becomes mercy.

But these slogans take on new meaning when they are interpreted by our courts. The right to die may sound wonderful – until we realize that legally it means that you can kill yourself or someone can kill you, even if you don’t want to die. Language is powerful. But when it is interpreted by the courts it becomes much more than mere slogans. It becomes the law of the land, and often that interpretation is not at all what we expected.

  • Daily, senior citizens and accident victims are starved to death because their families have been convinced that even food and water are extraordinary means to preserve their life.
  • Over one-fifth of Medicare expenses are for persons in their last year of life. Thus in fiscal year 1978, $4.9 billion dollars was spent for such persons and if just one-quarter of those expenditures were avoided through adoption of living wills, the savings under Medicare alone would amount to $1.2 billion. [ WASHINGTON POST, June 22, 1977]
  • The drug company, Hoescht AG, has been granted the first patent for a euthanasia drug developed by Michigan State University. The drug is intended for use on animals but the patent is worded to include humans. (Source: UPI)

Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court’ Roe v. Wade decision have long claimed that legalized abortion would lead to legalized euthanasia. Supporters of Roe have often scoffed at the idea, insisting that decisions to eliminate a human fetus in no way devalue the lives of born persons. Yet recent court cases in Michigan and Washington have reversed the debate: Euthanasia supporters are openly citing Roe as precedent for a constitutional right to “rational” suicide. In the case of People v. Kevorkian, a trial judge has relied partly on Roe and the later abortion case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, to find a consitutional right to assisted suicide. Jack Kevorkian’s attorney, Geoffrey Fieger argues that such a right is even better grounded than a right to abortion, because no unwilling ‘third party’ is involved.

Citing Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, on May 3, 1994, Washington U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein struck down the Washington state law that banned physician assisted suicide. Judge Rothstein stated that the terminally ill “have the same right to hasten death that they have to choose an abortion…” “Like the abortion decision, the decision of a terminally ill person to end his life involves the most intimate and personal choices a person may make in a lifetime,” the judge wrote in her decision.

 

Francis Schaeffer Whatever Happened to the Human Race (Episode 1) ABORTION

Francis Schaeffer: What Ever Happened to the Human Race? (Full-Length Documentary)


Part 1 on abortion runs from 00:00 to 39:50, Part 2 on Infanticide runs from 39:50 to 1:21:30, Part 3 on Youth Euthanasia runs from 1:21:30 to 1:45:40, Part 4 on the basis of human dignity runs from 1:45:40 to 2:24:45 and Part 5 on the basis of truth runs from 2:24:45 to 3:00:04

Francis Schaeffer “BASIS FOR HUMAN DIGNITY” Whatever…HTTHR

Dr. C. Everett Koop pictured above.

__________

President Obama before appointing a Supreme Court Justice said that he wanted the judge to  be empathic. Pro-life people wanted to know if that judge would care about the smallest in our society? Here is an editorial cartoon that deals with that issue.

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James Madison famously noted: “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself”

November 13, 2013 – 6:40 am

_________________

James Madison famously noted: “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

November 1, 2013 1:59PM

Federal Overtime Pay Abuses

By Chris Edwards

Thank goodness for whistleblowers in the government, whether regarding intelligence activities or the mundane bureaucratic waste that occurs in every department. Congress does a generally pathetic job of oversight and presidential administrations are rarely transparent—despite their promises. So the citizens who pay for our $3.6-trillion government rely on federal workers who witness illegal and unethical activities to come forward and inform the press.

The Washington Post reports today:

Federal employees at the Department of Homeland Security call it the “candy bowl,” a pot of overtime money they have long dipped into to pad their pay even if they haven’t earned it, whistleblowers say. This practice, which can add up to 25 percent to a paycheck, has become so routine over the last generation that it’s often held out as a perk when government managers try to recruit new employees…

The problem with government is that bad behaviors and anti-productive cultures become engrained over time because there is no built-in mechanism to rout it out. In the private sector, that is the role of profit-seeking and competition.

More from the Post:

“It’s pickpocketing Uncle Sam,” [whistleblower] Ducos Bello said in an interview. “Employees will sit at their desks for an extra two hours, catching up on Netflix, talking to friends or using it for commuting time.” He estimated that 27 employees in the Commissioner’s Situation Room, which is part of Customs and Border Protection, improperly put in for a total of $696,000. They ranged from managers, who received up to $34,000 each, to border patrol agents, who received $24,500 each, he said. “It was such misuse that I felt I had a legal obligation to report. I will sleep better at night,” said Ducos Bello, a 24-year veteran of government employment.

Another whistleblower, Jimmy Elam, a supervisory paralegal specialist for Customs and Border Protection in San Diego, reported that eight administrative employees at his location received a total of $150,000 of improper [overtime pay] a year. “It happens day after day, year after year,” Elam said in an interview. “They are sometimes working, sometimes goofing off or just unaccountable completely.”

Thank you, Mr. Bello and Mr. Elam. You are patriots.

James Madison famously noted: “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”

Whistleblowers are one of those controls. They inform citizens not only how the government is feathering its own nest, but what the government is doing to us. Most federal departments have far too many tentacles manipulating the affairs of state and local governments, businesses, and individuals.

Stay tuned for upcoming analyses at DownsizingGovernment on slimming down DHS.

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