Category Archives: Current Events

House Passes Huge Spending and Tax Bill Expanding Size of IRS and Green Energy Handouts 

August 12, 2022 – 9:56 pm

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House Passes Huge Spending and Tax Bill Expanding Size of IRS and Green Energy Handouts

Fred Lucas / /

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking to reporters Friday, praises the contents of Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

On a party-line vote, the House narrowly passed a $737 billion measure Friday to dramatically expand green energy subsidies and health care programs while nearly doubling the size of the Internal Revenue Service.

As Republicans decried the inclusion of about $740 billion in new tax revenues, the bill that Democrats dub the Inflation Reduction Act cleared the House at 5:42 p.m. by a vote of 220-207 along party lines.

Four Republicans didn’t vote.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced the vote total and said, “The motion is adopted,” spurring cheers from fellow Democrats.

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The vote followed hours of debate.

“Today we make good on our promise to take on climate change and climate justice with historic investment in green technology that will cut carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, create over 9 million good-paying jobs, put $60 billion into environmental justice, and cut energy costs for the average American family by almost $1,000 per year,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said in remarks on the House floor.

“For the first time we take on big pharma’s price gouging, finally allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices,” said Jayapal, who was first elected in 2016 and chairs the House’s Progressive Caucus.

The Senate voted Sunday evening, also along party lines, to pass the package, which President Joe Biden has said he would sign.

Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, accused House Democrats of having “unicorn” energy policies.

“My colleagues now today are going to dump hundreds of billions of dollars into corporate America, screwing over the American people every single day with tax audits, increased energy prices, and increased taxes,” Roy said. “Congratulations. Take that to the polls.”

The bill allocates $79.6 billion to expanding the IRS to boost revenue to pay for Democrats’ pet programs.

Estimates show that 57.3% of the Treasury Department’s estimated 86,852 new IRS agents—or fewer than 50,000—would be assigned to tax enforcement. That calculation is based on $45.6 billion of the $79.6 billion increase for the IRS being dedicated to enforcement activities.

Biden and other Democrats have argued that no American making less than $400,000 per year would be audited by the IRS.

Although Biden and the Democrats assert that no one earning less than $400,000 a year will face new taxes, other analysts project that the bill will impose a $4,500 tax increase on the average American over the next decade.

The bill also includes limits on the sale of oil and natural gas leases on federal lands.

The nonpartisan Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation determined that taxes would increase by up to $16.7 billion for Americans making less than $200,000 in 2023, and increase by $14.1 billion for those earning between $200,000 and $500,000.

The next Congress and next president should reverse Democrats’ legislation, said Matthew Dickerson, director of the Hermann Center for the Federal Budget at The Heritage Foundation, parent organization of The Daily Signal.

“The new spending, tax increases, manipulative subsidies, and price controls in the act will only make stagflation worse. [A total of] 87,000 new IRS agents will increase audits for small businesses and middle-class and working taxpayers,” Dickerson said in a prepared statement, adding:

Harmful new taxes will reduce investment and be shouldered by workers, violating President Biden’s pledge to not increase taxes on working Americans. Hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded corporate welfare will subsidize special interests and drive up energy costs for consumers. And the bill will reduce access to life-saving medical advances.

An analysis of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act by the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania says, in part: “The Act would very slightly increase inflation until 2024 and decrease inflation thereafter. These point estimates are statistically indistinguishable from zero, thereby indicating low confidence that the legislation will have any impact on inflation.”

“Americans are suffering,” Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., said in remarks on the House floor. “Are we here to debate how we alleviate that suffering?  No. We are debating what Democrats call the Inflation Reduction Act, which everyone from the Congressional Budget Office to 230 different economists—even Sen. Bernie Sanders—says will not actually reduce inflation.”

Smith said that stripping away the “fake sunset policies,” the bill would spend $745 billion and add $146 billion to the national debt, with $54 billion of that debt in the first five years.

“Lots of spending up front, lots of debt up front, and maybe savings eight years from now?” Smith asked rhetorically, adding:

How is that going to put out the fire of inflation when the price of groceries is up 13.1% over the past year? … [The bill] doubles the size of the IRS so it can target and audit more middle-class families and snoop into their bank accounts. I’m not sure how subjecting Americans to more audits solves the inflation crisis.

However, Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., called the legislation a bold step forward that his party should be proud of.

“I am proud of what we are doing here. I am proud that we are finally allowing drug prices to be negotiated, to lower those costs,” McGovern said, adding:

I’m proud that we are extending the biggest expansion in health care in a decade. I’m proud that we are reducing future energy costs for thousands of families. I am proud that we are making the biggest investment to combat climate change ever. … We have done it. We have moved the ball.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

Several scholars have pointed out that Lois Lerner waived her right to invoke the 5th!!!! The Heritage Foundation, The Washington Post, and The Week, all have articles on this issue. Here is one below I found on Townhall.com:

There was no way Lois Lerner’s part in the IRS saga would end quietly, even as she invoked her right to remain silent.

Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,  boldly asserted this afternoon that Lerner “waived” her right to plead the Fifth Amendment when she made an opening statement at this morning’s hearing. From POLITICO:

The California Republican said Lerner’s Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination was voided when she gave an opening statement this morning denying any wrongdoing and professing pride in her government service.

“When I asked her her questions from the very beginning, I did so so she could assert her rights prior to any statement,” Issa told POLITICO. “She chose not to do so — so she waived.” …

“The precedents are clear that this is not something you can turn on and turn off,” he told POLITICO. “She made testimony after she was sworn in, asserted her innocence in a number of areas, even answered questions asserting that a document was true … So she gave partial testimony and then tried to revoke that.” …

“I understand from her counsel that there was a plan to assert her Fifth Amendment rights,” he continued. “She went ahead and made a statement, so counsel let her effectively under the precedent, waive — so we now have someone who no longer has that ability.”

Essentially, he argues, her opening statement, in which she proclaimed her innocence, constituted a forfeiture of Fifth Amendment protection because she spoke on her own behalf about her involvement in the matter. Issa intends to invite Lerner before the committee again in the hopes of conducting a proper grilling, and others–including Rep. Trey Gowdy–agree that she must now give testimony.

“Mr. Cummings just said we should run this hearing like a courtroom, and I agree with him,” Gowdy thundered. “[Lerner] just testified. She just waived her Fifth Amendment right. You don’t get to tell your side of the story and then not be subjected to cross examination — that’s not the way it works. She waived her right to Fifth Amendment privilege by issuing an opening statement. She ought to stand here and answer our questions.”

However, it’s not so simple as that. Legal scholars say that the Fifth Amendment works differently in Congressional fact-finding hearings than in a court of law–one cannot simply conflate the two, as they exist for different purposes. Fifth Amendment expert James Duane gave the following explanation (h/t to Allahpundit for the link):

First, unlike in a trial, where she could choose to take the stand or not, Lerner had no choice but to appear before the committee. Second, in a trial there would be a justifiable concern about compromising a judge or jury by providing them with “selective, partial presentation of the facts.” But Congress is merely pursuing information as part of an investigation, not making a definitive ruling on Lerner’s guilt or innocence.

“When somebody is in this situation,” says Duane, a Harvard Law graduate whose 2008 lecture on invoking the Fifth Amendment with police has been viewed on YouTube nearly 2.5 million times, “when they are involuntarily summoned before grand jury or before legislative body, it is well settled that they have a right to make a ‘selective invocation,’ as it’s called, with respect to questions that they think might raise a meaningful risk of incriminating themselves.”

In fact, Duane says, “even if Ms. Lerner had given answers to a few questions — five, ten, twenty questions — before she decided, ‘That’s where I draw the line, I’m not answering any more questions,’ she would be able to do that as well.” Such uses of selective invocation “happen all the time.”

Unfortunately for Issa and company, it seems Lerner was within her rights to make a statement and then clam up. Of course, drawing greater attention to her silence could, ultimately, help in the investigation of the IRS; if they ask her back and she stonewalls, the public might want to know why. Hopefully, in any event, someone–anyone–will bear some legitimate responsibility for the whole affair, and lose the job they clearly never should have had in the first place.

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We could put in a flat tax and it would enable us to cut billions out of the IRS budget!!!!

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With 87,000 New Agents on Way, 4 Facts About IRS Gun Arsenal

August 12, 2022 – 9:42 pm

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With 87,000 New Agents on Way, 4 Facts About IRS Gun Arsenal

Fred Lucas / /

With congressional Democrats voting to add 87,000 agents at the Internal Revenue Service, here are some surprising facts about the IRS gun arsenal. (Photo: Stefani Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)

Some of the 87,000 new agents whom Democrats propose to hire at the Internal Revenue Service could come with some extra firepower.

On Friday, House Democrats gave final passage to the tax and spending bill they dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, which, among other things, would double the size of the IRS with 87,000 new agents to beef up enforcement.

As of two years ago, the IRS had an arsenal of 4,600 guns, reported OpenTheBooks, a government watchdog group.

Two federal investigations in the past decade found that IRS agents had not been sufficiently trained and were accident-prone with the weapons they have. Armed IRS raids on nonviolent taxpayers surfaced as a concern almost 25 years ago during a Senate hearing.

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Democrats’ bill, which the Senate passed Sunday, awaits the signature of President Joe Biden should it clear the House as early as Friday.

The legislation, which unwinds from 2023 through 2031, would devote $80 billion to expanding the IRS and boosting tax revenue to pay for Democrats’ green energy subsidies and other  pet projects.

Americans for Tax Reform, a conservative group that opposes the legislation, assembled information about the IRS arsenal from government and media reports.

During the House floor debate Friday, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., raised concerns about arming IRS agents.

“This bill has new IRS agents and they are armed, and the job description tells them that they need to be required to carry a firearm and expect to use deadly force if necessary,” Boebert said. “Excessive taxation is theft. You are using the power of the federal government for armed robbery on the taxpayers.”

Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., suggested that no IRS agents are armed.

“The idea that they are armed—I know that Ms. Boebert would like everybody to be armed, but that’s not what IRS agents do,” Yarmuth said. “I would implore my Republican colleagues to cut out the scare tactics. Quit making things up.”

In a posted job opening for a special agent, the IRS specified that applicants should be “willing and able to participate in arrests, execution of search warrants, and other dangerous assignments,” and able to carry “a firearm and be willing to use deadly force, if necessary.”

After sparking some controversy amid the proposed expansion of the agency, the IRS deleted “willing to use deadly force” from the job description.

The IRS referred questions to the Treasury Department as to whether the arsenal would increase as the number of personnel multiplies.

The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment for this report.

Here are four key things to know about the Internal Revenue Service and weapons.

1. IRS Guns and Ammo

The current IRS workforce includes 78,661 full-time employees, so Democrats’ legislation, if passed as written, would more than double the agency’s employees.

A 2020 report from OpenTheBooks, titled “The Militarization of the U.S. Executive Agencies,” shows that the IRS Criminal Investigation division has a stockpile of 4,600 guns.

The firearms include 3,282 pistols, 621 shotguns, 539 rifles, 15 fully automatic firearms, and four revolvers, the report says.

The Government Accountability Office, a federal watchdog agency, reported in 2018 that the IRS had 3.1 million rounds of ammunition for pistols and revolvers.

The tax agency had 1.4 million rounds of ammunition for rifles, the GAO report said, along with 367,750 shotgun rounds and 56,000 rounds for automatic weapons.

2. Armed Agents ‘Not Properly Trained’ 

The IRS’s National Criminal Investigation Training Academy has the responsibility to implement firearms training and a related qualification program nationwide.

However, IRS agents assigned to the Criminal Investigation division regularly failed to stay up to date with training or to report incidents of improper firearms use, according to a 2018 report from the Treasury Department’s inspector general for tax administration.

The inspector general’s report notes that “there is no national level review of firearms training records to ensure that all special agents meet the qualification requirements.”

“Special agents not properly trained in the use of firearms could endanger the public, as well as their fellow special agents, and expose the IRS to possible litigation over injuries or for damages,” the report says.

For qualification, each agent must score 75% or higher on the firing range, but the IRS lacked documentation showing its agents met the standards, according to the inspector general.

The report says that 79 of the 459 special agents in the agency’s long gun cadre failed to meet standard qualification requirements. Further, the report says the IRS could not provide information about whether 1,500 special agents were trained in tactical equipment proficiency.

In fiscal year 2016, the inspector general’s report determined, the IRS Criminal Investigation division “did not maintain documented evidence that 145 out of 2,126 special agents met the firearm standards established by CI [Criminal Investigation] and therefore were not qualified law enforcement officers.”

3. More Unintended Discharges Than Intended Ones

The poor firearms training for IRS agents has led to more accidental firings than intentional firings, according to a separate inspector general’s report from 2012.

“Having the availability of deadly force puts hiring so many new agents into perspective,” Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, told The Daily Signal.

The inspector general for tax administration “found they fired their guns more times by accident than on purpose,” Norquist said. “I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.”

The poor training was not a new problem, since the 2012 report from the inspector general found similar issues with firearms training.

“If there is insufficient oversight, special agents in possession of firearms who are not properly trained and qualified could endanger other special agents and the public,” the report says.

The 2012 report not only found that IRS agents fired their weapons by accident more times than intentionally, but that the agency concealed details about the accidental discharges.

“There were a total of eight firearm discharges classified as intentional use of force incidents and 11 discharges classified as accidental during FYs 2009 through 2011,” the report says.

And, the inspector general’s report continues, “we found that four accidental discharges were not properly reported.”

It says that “the accidental discharges may have resulted in property damage or personal injury.”

The public report, however, redacts four references to unreported accidental discharges of firearms.

4. IRS History of Armed Raids

In 1998, the Senate Finance Committee held investigative hearings into IRS abuses that featured testimony from a Virginia restaurant owner.

The restaurant owner said that armed IRS agents with drug-sniffing dogs burst into his restaurant during breakfast hours and ordered customers to get out.

Agents took his cash register and records, the restaurant owner told the Senate committee. When he returned home, he found that his door had been kicked open and his residence had been raided.

A tax preparer from Oklahoma gave similar testimony, saying that about 15 armed IRS agents came to his business and harassed his clients.

The owner of a Texas oil company recounted that agents came to his office and told employees: “Remove your hands from the keyboards and back away from the computers. And remember, we’re armed!”

In each case, the agents came up empty-handed.

The Washington Post reported at the time that Democrat and Republican lawmakers alike expressed dismay, and that the Clinton administration’s IRS commissioner, Charles O. Rossotti, promised an investigation of such actions.

At a separate hearing that year before the same Senate committee, Treasury Department’s inspector general, Harry G. Patsalides, told senators that the IRS had tolerated car thefts and anonymous bullying by promoting an agent accused of sexual harassment and allowing agents to conduct armed raids on nonviolent taxpayers.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

Should the IRS Get More Money or Less Money?

April 18, 2022 by Dan Mitchell

April 15 is usually the worst day of the year, giving Americans ample reasons to both laugh and cry.*

Because of a holiday in Washington, D.C., however, tax returns this year are due on April 18.

So let’s celebrate (or commiserate) this awful day by wading into the debate about whether the Internal Revenue Service should have a bigger budget.

Proponents usually claim the IRS is under-funded by comparing today’s budget to how much the bureaucracy received in 2011.

But that was a one-year spike because of all the money in Obama’s failed stimulus package. If you review long-run data, you can see that the IRS’s budget has increased significantly.

And these numbers are adjusted for inflation.

But perhaps proponents are right, even if they use deceptive numbers.

The Washington Post has a new editorial on this topic, arguing that the bureaucracy needs more money.

The IRS is currently limping along without enough staff or funding. Congress, especially Republicans, needs to face up to reality. …It’s not a mystery how the IRS deteriorated. …the core problem is that Republicans slashed the IRS budget about 18 percent in the past decade. That’s not belt-tightening, it’s gutting an agency. …The Biden administration is rightly asking for a big increase for 2023 (a request of $14.1 billion). This isn’t some Democratic wish list item; it’s about restoring the basic functions of America’s tax collection agency.

When this topic was being debated last year, Ryan Ellis explained that the IRS will target small businesses if it gets a bigger budget.

Here are some excerpts from his piece in National Review.

…the idea is that if taxpayers fund the IRS to the tune of $40 billion over the next decade, the IRS will step up audits and collect an additional $100 billion in tax revenue, penalties, and interest. This is lauded as a good because of the supposed “tax gap,”… Apparently, it doesn’t occur to anyone that the IRS, which is seeking this extra $40 billion in taxpayer funding, has every incentive in the world to exaggerate this “tax gap” and to make wild promises about the new money that additional enforcement will yield for the Treasury. …Giving money to IRS bureaucrats to conduct fishing expedition audits on millions of honest self-employed people? The same IRS behind the Lois Lerner scandal a decade ago, when the IRS inappropriately targeted conservative political groups during the 2012 election season, when Obama was running for reelection?

Ryan is right to point out that the IRS is undeserving because of bad behavior.

He mentions the Lois Lerner/Tea Party scandal. I think the recent leak of taxpayer data is equally reprehensible.

Advocates of more funding will argue that the bureaucracy’s malfeasance is a separate issue and that more employees and more audits are needed regardless of whether criminals at the IRS are caught and punished.

But this brings us to another important topic, which is whether it would be best to fix the underlying tax laws instead of throwing more money at the IRS.

In a column for the Louisville Courier-Times, we get this point of view from Richard Williams of George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.

…money won’t fix this problem. …Another approach would be drastically reducing the complexity of federal taxes. …The Tax Foundation estimates that we give up 3.24 billion hours and $37 billion to comply with federal taxes each year. Given the headaches and anxiety that come with this, Americans don’t need more IRS workers. We need a leaner agency…individual filers and small businesses represent a huge proportion of the public who would gain from simplification. …There is no need to hire more people to oversee a reformed system. What’s not to like?

Amen.

When proponents say the IRS needs more money, they implicitly are arguing for the current, convoluted tax system.

They want the IRS to be in the business of collecting revenue. But that’s just one role.

And that’s just a brief list of the things that the IRS now does in addition to generating revenue.

Get rid of these added roles, ideally as part of a total replacement of the tax code with a flat tax, and the discussion would be about how much money could be saved by reducing the IRS’s budget.

But that means less power for politicians, so don’t hold your breath waiting for genuine tax reform.

That being said, supporters of good policy should feel no obligation to help prop up the current system by shoveling more money to the IRS.

An underfunded corrupt IRS administering a bad tax code is better than a well-funded corrupt IRS administering a bad tax code.

*April 15 may be the worst day of the year, but there’s an argument to be made that October 3 is the worst day in history.

P.S. From my archives, here are some examples of the bureaucrats who will benefit from a bigger IRS budget.

P.P.P.S. And since we’re recycling some oldies but goodies, here’s my collection of IRS humor, including a new Obama 1040 form, a death tax cartoon, a list of tax day tips from David Letterman, a cartoon of how GPS would work if operated by the IRS, an IRS-designed pencil sharpener, two Obamacare/IRS cartoons (here and here), a sale on 1040-form toilet paper (a real product), a song about the tax agency, the IRS’s version of the quadratic formula, and (my favorite) a joke about a Rabbi and an IRS agent.

IRS not only hated Tea Party but also the Constitution!!!

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 11:57AM

Targeting the Constitution

By NICHOLAS QUINN ROSENKRANZ

[Cross-posted from The Volokh Conspiracy]

It is now well known that the IRS targeted tea party organizations. What is less well known, but perhaps even more scandalous, is that the IRS also targeted those who would educate their fellow citizens about the United States Constitution.

According to the inspector general’s report (pp. 30 & 38), this particular IRS targeting commenced on Jan. 25, 2012 — the beginning of the election year for President Obama’s second campaign. On that date: “the BOLO [‘be on the lookout’] criteria were again updated.” The revised criteria included “political action type organizations involved in … educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

Grass-roots organizations around the country, such as the Linchpins of Liberty (Tennessee), the Spirit of Freedom Institute (Wyoming), and the Constitutional Organization of Liberty (Pennsylvania), allege that they were singled out for special scrutiny at least in part for their work in constitutional education. There may have been many more.

The tea party is viewed with general suspicion in some quarters, and it is not difficult, alas, to imagine the mindset of the officials who decided to target tea party organizations for special scrutiny. But federal officers swear an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” It is chilling to think that these same officials who are suspicious of the tea party are equally suspicious of the Constitution itself.

What is most corrosive about this IRS tripwire is that it is triggered by a particular point of view; it is not, as First Amendment scholars say, viewpoint-neutral. It does not includeobfuscating or denigrating the Constitution; only those “involved in … educating on the Constitution” are captured by this criterion. This viewpoint targeting potentially skews every national debate about politics or government. And the skew in not strictly liberal; indeed, it should trouble liberals as much as conservatives. The ultimate checks on executive power are to be found in the United States Constitution. Insidiously, then, suppressing those “involved in … educating on the Constitution” actually skews national debate in favor of unchecked executive power.

For example, this IRS tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the NSA should collect the phone records of every American citizen. But it would be triggered by teaching that the Fourth Amendment forbids “unreasonable searches and seizures.” This tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the president should unilaterally suspend politically inconvenient provisions of federal law, like ObamaCare. But it would be triggered by teaching that, under Article II, section 3, the president “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” This tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the president should appoint NLRB members unilaterally. But it would be triggered by teaching that, under Article II, section 2, such appointments require “the Advice and Consent of the Senate.” This tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the president should target and kill U.S. citizens abroad. But it would be triggered by teaching that, per the Fifth Amendment, no person shall “be deprived of life … without due process of law.” This tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the president should declare war unilaterally. But it would be triggered by teaching that, under Article I, section 8, “Congress shall have Power … To declare War.” In short, the IRS was “on the lookout,” not for those who preach unlimited executive power, but for those who would teach about constitutional constraints.

Even more to the point, perhaps, this IRS tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the IRS should discriminate against the tea party. But it would be triggered by teaching that such discrimination constitutes unfaithful execution of the tax laws. And thus, alas, there is a perverse logic to targeting constitutional educators alongside tea party organizations. Political discrimination in the administration of the tax laws is not merely “outrageous,” as President Obama has said; it is an assault on our constitutional structure itself. For an official who has chosen to go down this road and target the tea party, there is an Orwellian logic to targeting constitutional educators as well. After all, they are the ones who might shed light on this very point.

This is a new low for American government — targeting those who would teach others about its founding document. Forty years ago, President Richard Nixon went to great lengths to try to conceal the facts of his constitutional violations, but it never occurred to him to conceal the meaning of the Constitution itself, by targeting its teachers. Politicians have always been tempted to try to censor their political adversaries; but none has been so bold as to try to suppress constitutional education directly. Presidents have always sought to push against the constitutional limits of their power; but never have they targeted those who merely teach about such limits. In short, never before has the federal government singled out for special scrutiny those who would teach their fellow citizens about our magnificent Constitution. This is the new innovation of Obama’s IRS.

“We the People” do not yet know who first decided to target “political action type organizations involved in … educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.” But there is at least one person who does know. Ironically, though, Lois Lerner, former director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS, is making full use of her own constitutional education: “I have been advised by my counsel to assert my constitutional right not to testify …. One of the basic functions of the Fifth Amendment is to protect innocent individuals, and that is the protection I’m invoking today.”

Five years ago, President Obama, our constitutional law professor-in-chief, presented his first, ringing Constitution Day proclamation: “To succeed, the democracy established in our Constitution requires the active participation of its citizenry. Each of us has a responsibility to learn about our Constitution and teach younger generations about its contents and history.” Quite so. Perhaps this year, Obama could explain why his IRS would target those who answered this call.

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Open letter to President Obama (Part 436) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 4 (includes editorial cartoon)

October 23, 2013 – 12:32 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama,spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

Open letter to President Obama (Part 434) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 3 (includes editorial cartoon)

October 21, 2013 – 12:27 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama,spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

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

October 18, 2013 – 5:23 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama,spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

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

October 16, 2013 – 12:29 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, Healthcare, President Obama, spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

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

August 14, 2014 – 11:42 am

_ 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 emailing 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 […]

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

Open letter to President Obama (Part 644) Why the IRS persecuted the Tea Party

August 8, 2014 – 12:09 am

Open letter to President Obama (Part 644) (Emailed to White House on 6-10-13.) 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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, President Obama | Edit | Comments (0)

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

July 31, 2014 – 1:40 am

___________________ Senator Pryor pictured below: Why do I keep writing and emailing 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 […]

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

Open letter to President Obama (Part 637 1/2) Abolish the Dept of Transportation and return the responsibility to the States!!!

July 30, 2014 – 9:28 am

________ ________________ Pres Obama talking to a youngster outside Arthur Bryant’s BBQ tonight in KC on July 29, 2013. What It’s Like To Get Invited By Obama For Dinner President Obama spends the night in downtown Kansas City Kansas City is ready to host President Obama President Obama has dinner at Arthur Bryant’s Raw: Obama […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama | Edit| Comments (0)
By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in President Obama | Comments (0)

Fact-Checking Team Biden on Who Those 87,000 New IRS Agents Would Audit

August 12, 2022 – 5:13 pm

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Fact-Checking Team Biden on Who Those 87,000 New IRS Agents Would Audit

Rachel Greszler /

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, pictured July 28 at a press conference, writes: “I direct that any additional resources—including any new personnel or auditors that are hired—shall not be used to increase the share of small business or households below the $400,000 threshold that are audited relative to historical levels.” (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The Biden administration has promised not to raise taxes on anyone making under $400,000 a year. And despite estimates from official congressional scorekeepers that the Schumer-Manchin-Biden tax increase indeed would raise taxes on those Americans, the administration has doubled down on the claim as a final vote nears on Democrats’ bill.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent a letterWednesday to IRS Commissioner Charles P. Rettig that includes this statement:

Specifically, I direct that any additional resources—including any new personnel or auditors that are hired—shall not be used to increase the share of small business or households below the $400,000 threshold that are audited relative to historical levels.

Yellen’s directive follows Rettig’s Aug. 4 letter to U.S. senators declaring the same objective:

These resources are absolutely not about increasing audit scrutiny on small businesses or middle-income Americans. As we’ve been planning, our investment of these enforcement resources is designed around the Department of the Treasury’s directive that audit rates will not rise relative to recent years for households making under $400,000.

But considering the sheer magnitude of 87,000 new IRS agents and an estimated $204 billion in new revenues from enforcement, is it possible for all those new audits and revenues to involve only taxpayers making over $400,000?

—Returning to 2010 audit rates for all individuals making over $400,000 would  generate only 28%, or $9.9 billion, out of the estimated $35.3 billion in new IRS enforcement revenues in 2031.

—Even increasing recent audit rates thirtyfold for taxpayers making over $400,000—including 100% audit rates on taxpayers with incomes over $10 million—still would fall more than 20% short of raising the estimated $35.3 billion in new revenues in 2031.

Note: This assumes a 98% increase in the number of tax filers making over $400,000 between 2019 and 2031, based on annual growth rates between 2014 and 2019. Audit rates from 2010 to 2019 by income group and additional tax per individual tax return audited for 2021 is available here from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office.

Estimated revenues from a thirtyfold increase in audits almost certainly is overstated, since 30% to 40% of audits in these income groups result in no additional tax being owed, and audits already target returns with higher likelihoods of underpayments.

—Auditing every single taxpayer with annual income over $1 million would require only 25,000 new IRS enforcement agents, but Democrats’ bill calls for 87,000 new agents. What will all those extra agents be doing?

Note: Estimates are based on the Treasury Department’s estimated new full-time-equivalent agents, and the Government Accountability Office’s estimated hours per audit by individual income level.

Calculations conservatively assume that only 57.3% of the Treasury Department’s estimated 86,852 new IRS agents (49,754 in total) would be assigned to enforcement, based on $45.6 billion of the bill’s $79.6 billion increase for the Internal Revenue Service dedicated to enforcement.

Calculations also assume that 8.9% of IRS enforcement agents would be assigned to corporate audits, based on the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate that corporations account for 8.9% of the tax gap. Enforcement agents are assumed to spend 75% of their paid time auditing tax returns.

Despite the Biden administration’s claims, it’s almost certain that households making less than $400,000 a year would face increased audits under Democrats’ bill.

And that seems to be the true intent of the IRS. According to a 2021 report from the Government Accountability Office, “From fiscal years 2010 to 2021, the majority of the additional taxes IRS recommended from audits came from taxpayers with incomes below $200,000.”

https://youtu.be/KCjqZ4vRxI8

That recommendation is based on audits of lower-income tax returns producing more bang for the buck, as the report noted:

Audits of the lowest-income taxpayers, particularly those claiming the EITC [earned income tax credit], resulted in higher amounts of recommended additional tax per audit hour compared to all income groups except for the highest-income taxpayers.

The Treasury Department’s report on the proposed new funding includes a footnote highlighting the already-high prevalence of IRS audits among low-income households:

“Work by former IRS economist Kim Bloomquist points out that the five counties with the highest audit rates are predominantly African-American, rural counties in the South,” the report says.

High rates of return from auditing low-income households alongside the average large corporate tax filing totaling nearly 6,000 pages says that our current tax code is far too complex.

Instead of increasing taxpayer audits, policymakers should simplify taxes across the board. That way, it would be easier for everyone to pay the correct amount to the government.

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

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Several scholars have pointed out that Lois Lerner waived her right to invoke the 5th!!!! The Heritage Foundation, The Washington Post, and The Week, all have articles on this issue. Here is one below I found on Townhall.com:

There was no way Lois Lerner’s part in the IRS saga would end quietly, even as she invoked her right to remain silent.

Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee,  boldly asserted this afternoon that Lerner “waived” her right to plead the Fifth Amendment when she made an opening statement at this morning’s hearing. From POLITICO:

The California Republican said Lerner’s Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination was voided when she gave an opening statement this morning denying any wrongdoing and professing pride in her government service.

“When I asked her her questions from the very beginning, I did so so she could assert her rights prior to any statement,” Issa told POLITICO. “She chose not to do so — so she waived.” …

“The precedents are clear that this is not something you can turn on and turn off,” he told POLITICO. “She made testimony after she was sworn in, asserted her innocence in a number of areas, even answered questions asserting that a document was true … So she gave partial testimony and then tried to revoke that.” …

“I understand from her counsel that there was a plan to assert her Fifth Amendment rights,” he continued. “She went ahead and made a statement, so counsel let her effectively under the precedent, waive — so we now have someone who no longer has that ability.”

Essentially, he argues, her opening statement, in which she proclaimed her innocence, constituted a forfeiture of Fifth Amendment protection because she spoke on her own behalf about her involvement in the matter. Issa intends to invite Lerner before the committee again in the hopes of conducting a proper grilling, and others–including Rep. Trey Gowdy–agree that she must now give testimony.

“Mr. Cummings just said we should run this hearing like a courtroom, and I agree with him,” Gowdy thundered. “[Lerner] just testified. She just waived her Fifth Amendment right. You don’t get to tell your side of the story and then not be subjected to cross examination — that’s not the way it works. She waived her right to Fifth Amendment privilege by issuing an opening statement. She ought to stand here and answer our questions.”

However, it’s not so simple as that. Legal scholars say that the Fifth Amendment works differently in Congressional fact-finding hearings than in a court of law–one cannot simply conflate the two, as they exist for different purposes. Fifth Amendment expert James Duane gave the following explanation (h/t to Allahpundit for the link):

First, unlike in a trial, where she could choose to take the stand or not, Lerner had no choice but to appear before the committee. Second, in a trial there would be a justifiable concern about compromising a judge or jury by providing them with “selective, partial presentation of the facts.” But Congress is merely pursuing information as part of an investigation, not making a definitive ruling on Lerner’s guilt or innocence.

“When somebody is in this situation,” says Duane, a Harvard Law graduate whose 2008 lecture on invoking the Fifth Amendment with police has been viewed on YouTube nearly 2.5 million times, “when they are involuntarily summoned before grand jury or before legislative body, it is well settled that they have a right to make a ‘selective invocation,’ as it’s called, with respect to questions that they think might raise a meaningful risk of incriminating themselves.”

In fact, Duane says, “even if Ms. Lerner had given answers to a few questions — five, ten, twenty questions — before she decided, ‘That’s where I draw the line, I’m not answering any more questions,’ she would be able to do that as well.” Such uses of selective invocation “happen all the time.”

Unfortunately for Issa and company, it seems Lerner was within her rights to make a statement and then clam up. Of course, drawing greater attention to her silence could, ultimately, help in the investigation of the IRS; if they ask her back and she stonewalls, the public might want to know why. Hopefully, in any event, someone–anyone–will bear some legitimate responsibility for the whole affair, and lose the job they clearly never should have had in the first place.

Related posts:

Cartoonists show how stupid the IRS is acting!!!

We got to lower the size of government so we don’t have these abuses like this in the IRS. Cartoonists v. the IRS May 23, 2013 by Dan Mitchell Call me perverse, but I’m enjoying this IRS scandal. It’s good to see them suffer a tiny fraction of the agony they impose on the American people. I’ve already […]

Dear Senator Pryor, why not pass the Balanced Budget Amendment? (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter 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 http://www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, […]

Video from Cato Institute on IRS Scandal

Is the irs out of control? Here is the link from cato: MAY 22, 2013 8:47AM Can You Vague That Up for Me? By TREVOR BURRUS SHARE As the IRS scandal thickens, targeted groups are coming out to describe their ordeals in dealing with that most-reviled of government agencies. The Ohio Liberty Coalition was one of […]

IRS cartoons from Dan Mitchell’s blog

Get Ready to Be Reamed May 17, 2013 by Dan Mitchell With so many scandals percolating, there are lots of good cartoons being produced. But I think this Chip Bok gem deserves special praise. It manages to weave together both the costly Obamacare boondoggle with the reprehensible politicization of the IRS. So BOHICA, my friends. If […]

Obama jokes about audit of Ohio St by IRS then IRS scandal breaks!!!!!

You want to talk about irony then look at President Obama’s speech a few days ago when he joked about a potential audit of Ohio St by the IRS then a few days later the IRS scandal breaks!!!! The I.R.S. Abusing Americans Is Nothing New Published on May 15, 2013 The I.R.S. targeting of tea party […]

Dear Senator Pryor, why not pass the Balanced Budget Amendment? (“Thirsty Thursday”, Open letter 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 http://www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, […]

We could put in a flat tax and it would enable us to cut billions out of the IRS budget!!!!

We could put in a flat tax and it would enable us to cut billions out of the IRS budget!!!! May 14, 2013 2:34PM IRS Budget Soars By Chris Edwards Share The revelations of IRS officials targeting conservative and libertarian groups suggest that now is a good time for lawmakers to review a broad range […]

The IRS has thuggish employees and the President was right to condemn their latest actions

The IRS has thuggish employees and the President  was right to condemn their latest actions. Let’s Thank President Obama for Reminding Americans that They Should Distrust the IRS May 14, 2013 by Dan Mitchell Last week, while writing about the latest IRS scandal, I noted that the IRS has a long record of abusive actions. It has thieving employees. […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

Garland Says He Approved Search Warrant for Trump Raid

August 11, 2022 – 6:43 pm

______

Garland Says He Approved Search Warrant for Trump Raid

Fred Lucas / /

Attorney General Merrick Garland tells reporters that he won’t take questions about the FBI raid of Donald Trump’s Florida home after delivering a prepared statement Thursday at the Justice Department in Washington. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Attorney General Merrick Garland said Thursday that he signed off on the FBI raid of former President Donald Trump’s home in Florida, but provided few more details other than to announce that the Justice Department had asked a court to unseal the search warrant.

“I personally approved the decision to seek a search warrant in this manner,” Garland told reporters in reading from a prepared statement, adding: “The Department does not take such a decision lightly. Where possible, it is standard practice to seek less intrusive means as an alternative to a search and narrowly scope any search that is undertaken.”

The attorney general did not explain why standard practice wasn’t possible in Trump’s case.

The Justice Department earlier Thursday filed a motion in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida to unseal the search warrant used by the FBI to raid Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estateMonday.

President Joe Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 election, appointed Garland as attorney general; the former federal judge had been nominated unsuccessfully to the Supreme Court in 2016 by President Barack Obama. Trump has hinted that he would run again for president in 2024, which could mean a rematch with Biden.

Garland, speaking for just under four minutes Thursday afternoon, said he would let public court documents speak to specifics of the Trump raid. The attorney general declined to take questions from reporters, after noting that such investigations typically are conducted outside the public eye.

The Justice Department also asked the federal court in Florida  to release the property receipt, Garland said, referring to a document listing what was seized that law enforcement agents are required to leave with a property owner after a search.

The Justice Department asked the federal court for a “redacted Property Receipt listing items seized pursuant to the search.” A redaction could be necessary if the information sought were classified.

“The department filed a motion to make public the warrant and receipt in light of the former president’s public acknowledgment of the search and the surrounding circumstances and the substantial public interest in this matter,” Garland said.

Garland’s announcement Thursday came after a federal judge ordered the Justice Department to respond by next Monday to a lawsuit over the search filed by Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group.

“Judicial Watch legal pressure forced this important first step by the Biden Justice Department to disclose Attorney General Garland’s role in the abusive Trump raid and other urgent information to the American people,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a written statement.

“It remains to be seen exactly what documents are ultimately released about this unprecedented, reckless, and dangerous raid on the home of former President Trump,” Fitton said.

Initial media reports suggested the FBI raid pertained to the Presidential Records Act and potentially classified information taken from the White House to Trump’s Florida home after he left office in January 2021.

However, the unprecedented FBI raid of a former president’s home came after suggestions of a potential prosecution in relation to a House special committee’s investigation of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Garland said in his brief remarks that Trump’s lawyers were privy to the basis of the search warrant executed at Mar-a-Lago while Trump was in New York.

“The former president publicly confirmed the search that evening, as is his right,” Garland said. “Copies of both the warrant and the FBI property receipt were provided on the day of the search to the former president’s counsel, who was onsite during the search.”

Garland, repeating a familiar sentiment, said the Justice Department is “applying the law without fear or favor.”

“Federal law, longstanding department rules, and our ethical obligations prevent me from providing further details as to the basis of the search at this time,” Garland said.

The search of a former president’s home drew immediate criticism from Republican lawmakers, who argued that it violated norms and vowed accountability from the Justice Department. That agency already has weathered criticism from its own Office of Inspector General for past probes of Trump while he was in office.

Speaking to reporters, Garland defended the actions of the department he leads.

“The men and women at the FBI and the Justice Department are dedicated, patriotic, public servants,” Garland said. “Every day, they protect the American people from violent crime, terrorism, and other threats to their safety while safeguarding our civil rights.”

Have an opinion about this article? To sound off, please email letters@DailySignal.com, and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.

Should the IRS Get More Money or Less Money?

April 18, 2022 by Dan Mitchell

April 15 is usually the worst day of the year, giving Americans ample reasons to both laugh and cry.*

Because of a holiday in Washington, D.C., however, tax returns this year are due on April 18.

So let’s celebrate (or commiserate) this awful day by wading into the debate about whether the Internal Revenue Service should have a bigger budget.

Proponents usually claim the IRS is under-funded by comparing today’s budget to how much the bureaucracy received in 2011.

But that was a one-year spike because of all the money in Obama’s failed stimulus package. If you review long-run data, you can see that the IRS’s budget has increased significantly.

And these numbers are adjusted for inflation.

But perhaps proponents are right, even if they use deceptive numbers.

The Washington Post has a new editorial on this topic, arguing that the bureaucracy needs more money.

The IRS is currently limping along without enough staff or funding. Congress, especially Republicans, needs to face up to reality. …It’s not a mystery how the IRS deteriorated. …the core problem is that Republicans slashed the IRS budget about 18 percent in the past decade. That’s not belt-tightening, it’s gutting an agency. …The Biden administration is rightly asking for a big increase for 2023 (a request of $14.1 billion). This isn’t some Democratic wish list item; it’s about restoring the basic functions of America’s tax collection agency.

When this topic was being debated last year, Ryan Ellis explained that the IRS will target small businesses if it gets a bigger budget.

Here are some excerpts from his piece in National Review.

…the idea is that if taxpayers fund the IRS to the tune of $40 billion over the next decade, the IRS will step up audits and collect an additional $100 billion in tax revenue, penalties, and interest. This is lauded as a good because of the supposed “tax gap,”… Apparently, it doesn’t occur to anyone that the IRS, which is seeking this extra $40 billion in taxpayer funding, has every incentive in the world to exaggerate this “tax gap” and to make wild promises about the new money that additional enforcement will yield for the Treasury. …Giving money to IRS bureaucrats to conduct fishing expedition audits on millions of honest self-employed people? The same IRS behind the Lois Lerner scandal a decade ago, when the IRS inappropriately targeted conservative political groups during the 2012 election season, when Obama was running for reelection?

Ryan is right to point out that the IRS is undeserving because of bad behavior.

He mentions the Lois Lerner/Tea Party scandal. I think the recent leak of taxpayer data is equally reprehensible.

Advocates of more funding will argue that the bureaucracy’s malfeasance is a separate issue and that more employees and more audits are needed regardless of whether criminals at the IRS are caught and punished.

But this brings us to another important topic, which is whether it would be best to fix the underlying tax laws instead of throwing more money at the IRS.

In a column for the Louisville Courier-Times, we get this point of view from Richard Williams of George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.

…money won’t fix this problem. …Another approach would be drastically reducing the complexity of federal taxes. …The Tax Foundation estimates that we give up 3.24 billion hours and $37 billion to comply with federal taxes each year. Given the headaches and anxiety that come with this, Americans don’t need more IRS workers. We need a leaner agency…individual filers and small businesses represent a huge proportion of the public who would gain from simplification. …There is no need to hire more people to oversee a reformed system. What’s not to like?

Amen.

When proponents say the IRS needs more money, they implicitly are arguing for the current, convoluted tax system.

They want the IRS to be in the business of collecting revenue. But that’s just one role.

And that’s just a brief list of the things that the IRS now does in addition to generating revenue.

Get rid of these added roles, ideally as part of a total replacement of the tax code with a flat tax, and the discussion would be about how much money could be saved by reducing the IRS’s budget.

But that means less power for politicians, so don’t hold your breath waiting for genuine tax reform.

That being said, supporters of good policy should feel no obligation to help prop up the current system by shoveling more money to the IRS.

An underfunded corrupt IRS administering a bad tax code is better than a well-funded corrupt IRS administering a bad tax code.

*April 15 may be the worst day of the year, but there’s an argument to be made that October 3 is the worst day in history.

P.S. From my archives, here are some examples of the bureaucrats who will benefit from a bigger IRS budget.

P.P.P.S. And since we’re recycling some oldies but goodies, here’s my collection of IRS humor, including a new Obama 1040 form, a death tax cartoon, a list of tax day tips from David Letterman, a cartoon of how GPS would work if operated by the IRS, an IRS-designed pencil sharpener, two Obamacare/IRS cartoons (here and here), a sale on 1040-form toilet paper (a real product), a song about the tax agency, the IRS’s version of the quadratic formula, and (my favorite) a joke about a Rabbi and an IRS agent.

IRS not only hated Tea Party but also the Constitution!!!

SEPTEMBER 23, 2014 11:57AM

Targeting the Constitution

By NICHOLAS QUINN ROSENKRANZ

[Cross-posted from The Volokh Conspiracy]

It is now well known that the IRS targeted tea party organizations. What is less well known, but perhaps even more scandalous, is that the IRS also targeted those who would educate their fellow citizens about the United States Constitution.

According to the inspector general’s report (pp. 30 & 38), this particular IRS targeting commenced on Jan. 25, 2012 — the beginning of the election year for President Obama’s second campaign. On that date: “the BOLO [‘be on the lookout’] criteria were again updated.” The revised criteria included “political action type organizations involved in … educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”

Grass-roots organizations around the country, such as the Linchpins of Liberty (Tennessee), the Spirit of Freedom Institute (Wyoming), and the Constitutional Organization of Liberty (Pennsylvania), allege that they were singled out for special scrutiny at least in part for their work in constitutional education. There may have been many more.

The tea party is viewed with general suspicion in some quarters, and it is not difficult, alas, to imagine the mindset of the officials who decided to target tea party organizations for special scrutiny. But federal officers swear an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” It is chilling to think that these same officials who are suspicious of the tea party are equally suspicious of the Constitution itself.

What is most corrosive about this IRS tripwire is that it is triggered by a particular point of view; it is not, as First Amendment scholars say, viewpoint-neutral. It does not includeobfuscating or denigrating the Constitution; only those “involved in … educating on the Constitution” are captured by this criterion. This viewpoint targeting potentially skews every national debate about politics or government. And the skew in not strictly liberal; indeed, it should trouble liberals as much as conservatives. The ultimate checks on executive power are to be found in the United States Constitution. Insidiously, then, suppressing those “involved in … educating on the Constitution” actually skews national debate in favor of unchecked executive power.

For example, this IRS tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the NSA should collect the phone records of every American citizen. But it would be triggered by teaching that the Fourth Amendment forbids “unreasonable searches and seizures.” This tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the president should unilaterally suspend politically inconvenient provisions of federal law, like ObamaCare. But it would be triggered by teaching that, under Article II, section 3, the president “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.” This tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the president should appoint NLRB members unilaterally. But it would be triggered by teaching that, under Article II, section 2, such appointments require “the Advice and Consent of the Senate.” This tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the president should target and kill U.S. citizens abroad. But it would be triggered by teaching that, per the Fifth Amendment, no person shall “be deprived of life … without due process of law.” This tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the president should declare war unilaterally. But it would be triggered by teaching that, under Article I, section 8, “Congress shall have Power … To declare War.” In short, the IRS was “on the lookout,” not for those who preach unlimited executive power, but for those who would teach about constitutional constraints.

Even more to the point, perhaps, this IRS tripwire would not be triggered by arguing that the IRS should discriminate against the tea party. But it would be triggered by teaching that such discrimination constitutes unfaithful execution of the tax laws. And thus, alas, there is a perverse logic to targeting constitutional educators alongside tea party organizations. Political discrimination in the administration of the tax laws is not merely “outrageous,” as President Obama has said; it is an assault on our constitutional structure itself. For an official who has chosen to go down this road and target the tea party, there is an Orwellian logic to targeting constitutional educators as well. After all, they are the ones who might shed light on this very point.

This is a new low for American government — targeting those who would teach others about its founding document. Forty years ago, President Richard Nixon went to great lengths to try to conceal the facts of his constitutional violations, but it never occurred to him to conceal the meaning of the Constitution itself, by targeting its teachers. Politicians have always been tempted to try to censor their political adversaries; but none has been so bold as to try to suppress constitutional education directly. Presidents have always sought to push against the constitutional limits of their power; but never have they targeted those who merely teach about such limits. In short, never before has the federal government singled out for special scrutiny those who would teach their fellow citizens about our magnificent Constitution. This is the new innovation of Obama’s IRS.

“We the People” do not yet know who first decided to target “political action type organizations involved in … educating on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.” But there is at least one person who does know. Ironically, though, Lois Lerner, former director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS, is making full use of her own constitutional education: “I have been advised by my counsel to assert my constitutional right not to testify …. One of the basic functions of the Fifth Amendment is to protect innocent individuals, and that is the protection I’m invoking today.”

Five years ago, President Obama, our constitutional law professor-in-chief, presented his first, ringing Constitution Day proclamation: “To succeed, the democracy established in our Constitution requires the active participation of its citizenry. Each of us has a responsibility to learn about our Constitution and teach younger generations about its contents and history.” Quite so. Perhaps this year, Obama could explain why his IRS would target those who answered this call.

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Open letter to President Obama (Part 440) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 6 (includes editorial cartoon)

October 28, 2013 – 12:46 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama,spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

Open letter to President Obama (Part 438) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 5 (includes editorial cartoon)

October 25, 2013 – 12:38 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama,spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

Open letter to President Obama (Part 436) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 4 (includes editorial cartoon)

October 23, 2013 – 12:32 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama,spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

Open letter to President Obama (Part 434) A suggestion to cut some wasteful spending out of the government Part 3 (includes editorial cartoon)

October 21, 2013 – 12:27 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama,spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

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

October 18, 2013 – 5:23 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama,spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

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

October 16, 2013 – 12:29 am

(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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, Healthcare, President Obama, spending out of control | Edit | Comments (0)

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

August 14, 2014 – 11:42 am

_ 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 emailing 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 […]

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

Open letter to President Obama (Part 644) Why the IRS persecuted the Tea Party

August 8, 2014 – 12:09 am

Open letter to President Obama (Part 644) (Emailed to White House on 6-10-13.) 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 […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, President Obama | Edit | Comments (0)

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

July 31, 2014 – 1:40 am

___________________ Senator Pryor pictured below: Why do I keep writing and emailing 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 […]

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

Open letter to President Obama (Part 637 1/2) Abolish the Dept of Transportation and return the responsibility to the States!!!

July 30, 2014 – 9:28 am

________ ________________ Pres Obama talking to a youngster outside Arthur Bryant’s BBQ tonight in KC on July 29, 2013. What It’s Like To Get Invited By Obama For Dinner President Obama spends the night in downtown Kansas City Kansas City is ready to host President Obama President Obama has dinner at Arthur Bryant’s Raw: Obama […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, President Obama | Edit| Comments (0)
By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in President Obama | Comments (0)

August 8, 2022 READING A PROVERB A DAY (PROVERBS 8) King Solomon on Wisdom (Verses listed by Adrian Warnock) series on King Solomon’s words Proverbs chapters 8, 13, 15 and 16

August 8, 2022 – 2:22 am

–

Proverbs 8 New Living Translation

Proverbs 9
New Living Translation

9 Wisdom has built her house;
    she has carved its seven columns.
2 She has prepared a great banquet,
    mixed the wines, and set the table.
3 She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come.
    She calls out from the heights overlooking the city.
4 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
    To those who lack good judgment, she says,
5 “Come, eat my food,
    and drink the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live;
    learn to use good judgment.”

7 Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return.
    Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt.
8 So don’t bother correcting mockers;
    they will only hate you.
But correct the wise,
    and they will love you.
9 Instruct the wise,
    and they will be even wiser.
Teach the righteous,
    and they will learn even more.

10 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.
    Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment.

11 Wisdom will multiply your days
    and add years to your life.
12 If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit.
    If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.

Folly Calls for a Hearing

13 The woman named Folly is brash.
    She is ignorant and doesn’t know it.
14 She sits in her doorway
    on the heights overlooking the city.
15 She calls out to men going by
    who are minding their own business.
16 “Come in with me,” she urges the simple.
    To those who lack good judgment, she says,
17 “Stolen water is refreshing;
    food eaten in secret tastes the best!”
18 But little do they know that the dead are there.
    Her guests are in the depths of the grave.[a]

Book of Proverbs: Part I, Pastor Bob Rice (Northeast Bible Church) 10.21.12 (Proverbs 1)

Published on Oct 30, 2012

Part I in Sermon Series the “Book of Proverbs”. Delivered by Sr. Pastor Bob Rice.
Northeast Bible Church, Plano TX
http://www.northeastbiblechurch.com

___________________________

King Solomon on Wisdom (Verses listed by Adrian Warnock)

Read below and these answer these easy questions with the scripture reference and answer:

1.Is it hard for people to hear the voice of wisdom?

2. What healthy fear leads to wisdom?

3. What are some of the advantages of wisdom?

___________

If a person was paid $10,000.00 every morning to wake up and read a chapter in the Book of Proverbs then would the money or the wisdom you receive from God’s word be worth more?

Prov 8:11
for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Prov 16:16
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

_______________________

WHO DO YOU HANG OUT WITH? ARE THEY VERY WISE?

Prov 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Prov 15:12
A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.

____________________

Where do you get wisdom from?

Prov 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Is it hard for people to hear the voice of wisdom? Apparently it is very hard because many people do not want to listen to the voice of wisdom.  It may be because these fools think they are wise already or maybe they don’t want to submit to God’s leadership in their lives and they love their sin? However, the wise person will be glad to be reproved.

Prov 1:20
Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;

Prov 3:7
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Prov 9:8
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

Prov 10:8
The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Prov 13:10
By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.

____________________

Once a person becomes wise then they should be willing to tell other souls about the source of wisdom. How many of your friends need wisdom?

Prov 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.

Prov 13:14
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

_____________________________

What are some of the advantages of walking in wisdom?

Prov 2:7
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Prov 3:35
The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

Prov 24:14
Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

_________________________

Rejecting wisdom will take a person down a very hard road.

Prov 10:13
On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

______________________

PROVERBS – Get wisdom! Get Understanding!

September 4, 2006 By
People often say that common sense is not common. Last Sunday Tope began a sermon series at my church. His sermon is available online and forms a fantastic introduction to this amazing book of the Bible. The audio of this sermon is available online.To me, it seems that as well as simply reading the book through, this book lends itself well to collecting verses together by subject. I have had some fun using my Logos Bible Software to do just this with the book of Proverbs, and thought I would share some of the results of my searches here. So to begin with, here is what Proverbs says about wisdom . . .Wisdom in ProverbsProv 1:2
To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight,Prov 1:3
to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity;Prov 1:5
Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,Prov 1:6
to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles.Prov 1:7
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.Prov 1:20
Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice;

Prov 2:2
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;

Prov 2:6
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

Prov 2:7
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

Prov 2:10
for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

Prov 3:7
Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

Prov 3:13
Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding,

Prov 3:19
The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens;

Prov 3:21
My son, do not lose sight of these— keep sound wisdom and discretion,

Prov 3:35
The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

Prov 4:5
Get wisdom; get insight; do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.

Prov 4:7
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight.

Prov 4:11
I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.

Prov 5:1
My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding,

Prov 6:6
Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

Prov 7:4
Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,” and call insight your intimate friend,

Prov 8:1
Does not wisdom call ? Does not understanding raise her voice?

Prov 8:11
for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Prov 8:12
“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.

Prov 8:14
I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.

Prov 8:33
Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it.

Prov 9:1
Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn her seven pillars.

Prov 9:8
Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

Prov 9:9
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

Prov 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Prov 9:12
If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

Prov 10:1
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.

Prov 10:8
The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

Prov 10:13
On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.

Prov 10:14
The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.

Prov 10:23
Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

Prov 10:31
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.

Prov 11:2
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

Prov 11:29
Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

Prov 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.

Prov 12:15
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Prov 12:18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Prov 13:1
A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Prov 13:10
By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.

Prov 13:14
The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.

Prov 13:20
Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Prov 14:3
By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Prov 14:6
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

Prov 14:8
The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deceiving.

Prov 14:16
One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless.

Prov 14:24
The crown of the wise is their wealth, but the folly of fools brings folly.

Prov 14:33
Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding, but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.

Prov 14:35
A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor, but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

Prov 15:2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

Prov 15:7
The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.

Prov 15:12
A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise.

Prov 15:20
A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Prov 15:31
The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.

Prov 15:33
The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Prov 16:14
A king’s wrath is a messenger of death, and a wise man will appease it.

Prov 16:16
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

Prov 16:21
The wise of heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

Prov 16:23
The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

Prov 17:2
A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

Prov 17:16
Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom when he has no sense?

Prov 17:24
The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

Prov 17:28
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deem
ed intelligent.

Prov 18:4
The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.

Prov 18:15
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Prov 19:20
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.

Prov 20:1
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

Prov 20:18
Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war.

Prov 20:26
A wise king winnows the wicked and drives the wheel over them.

Prov 21:11
When a scoffer is punished, the simple becomes wise; when a wise man is instructed, he gains knowledge.

Prov 21:20
Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.

Prov 21:22
A wise man scales the city of the mighty and brings down the stronghold in which they trust.

Prov 21:30
No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the Lord.

Prov 22:17
Incline your ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply your heart to my knowledge,

Prov 23:15
My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad.

Prov 23:19
Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.

Prov 23:23
Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

Prov 23:24
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

Prov 24:3
By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established;

Prov 24:5
A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might,

Prov 24:6
for by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Prov 24:7
Wisdom is too high for a fool; in the gate he does not open his mouth.

Prov 24:14
Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.

Prov 24:23
These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good.

Prov 25:12
Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.

Prov 26:5
Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

Prov 26:12
Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

Prov 27:11
Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me.

Prov 28:11
A rich man is wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.

Prov 28:26
Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

Prov 29:3
He who loves wisdom makes his father glad, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

Prov 29:8
Scoffers set a city aflame, but the wise turn away wrath.

Prov 29:9
If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Prov 29:11
A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.

Prov 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.

Prov 30:3
I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One.

Prov 30:24
Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise:

Prov 31:26
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

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May 31, 2013 – 1:17 am

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

Solomon was right in his cynicism–unless……unless there is a God who created us and cares about us

May 22, 2013 – 1:34 am

Ecclesiastes 8-10 | Still Searching After All These Years Published on Oct 9, 2012 Calvary Chapel Spring Valley | Sunday Evening | October 7, 2012 | Pastor Derek Neider _______________________ Ecclesiastes 11-12 | Solomon Finds His Way Published on Oct 30, 2012 Calvary Chapel Spring Valley | Sunday Evening | October 28, 2012 | Pastor Derek Neider […]

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

The Humanist takes on Solomon and the Book of Ecclesiastes

May 20, 2013 – 1:13 pm

Ecclesiastes 8-10 | Still Searching After All These Years Published on Oct 9, 2012 Calvary Chapel Spring Valley | Sunday Evening | October 7, 2012 | Pastor Derek Neider _______________________ Ecclesiastes 11-12 | Solomon Finds His Way Published on Oct 30, 2012 Calvary Chapel Spring Valley | Sunday Evening | October 28, 2012 | Pastor Derek Neider […]

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

Tom Brady , Coldplay, Kansas, Solomon and the search for satisfaction (part 3)

December 23, 2011 – 11:12 am

Tom Brady “More than this…” Uploaded by EdenWorshipCenter on Jan 22, 2008 EWC sermon illustration showing a clip from the 2005 Tom Brady 60 minutes interview. _______________________ Tom Brady ESPN Interview Tom Brady has famous wife earned over 76 million dollars last year. However, has Brady found lasting satifaction in his life? It does not […]

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

Adrian Rogers on gambling

July 18, 2013 – 12:44 am

Adrian Rogers: How to Be a Child of a Happy Mother Published on Nov 13, 2012 Series: Fortifying Your Family (To read along turn on the annotations.) Adrian Rogers looks at the 5th commandment and the relationship of motherhood in the commandment to honor your father and mother, because the faith that doesn’t begin at home, […]

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

Book of Ecclesiastes

July 17, 2013 – 1:40 am

Ecclesiastes 1 Published on Sep 4, 2012 Calvary Chapel Spring Valley | Sunday Evening | September 2, 2012 | Pastor Derek Neider _____________________ I have written on the Book of Ecclesiastes and the subject of the meaning of our lives on several occasions on this blog. In this series on Ecclesiastes I hope to show how secular humanist man […]

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

Adrian Rogers: Are fathers necessary?

July 16, 2013 – 12:43 am

Adrian Rogers – How to Cultivate a Marriage Another great article from Adrian Rogers. Are fathers necessary? “Artificial insemination is the ideal method of producing a pregnancy, and a lesbian partner should have the same parenting rights accorded historically to biological fathers.” Quoted from the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, summer of 1995. […]

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

Tom Brady, Coldplay, Kansas, Solomon and the search for satisfaction (part 2)

December 22, 2011 – 11:56 am

Tom Brady “More than this…” Uploaded by EdenWorshipCenter on Jan 22, 2008 EWC sermon illustration showing a clip from the 2005 Tom Brady 60 minutes interview. To Download this video copy the URL to http://www.vixy.net ________________ Obviously from the video clip above, Tom Brady has realized that even though he has won many Super Bowls […]

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

By Everette Hatcher III | Comments (0)

MUSIC MONDAY Christian Rock Pioneer Larry Norman’s Songs Part 9 more on Album “Only Visiting This Planet”

August 8, 2022 – 1:47 am

Christian Rock Pioneer Larry Norman’s Songs Part 10 more on Album “Only Visiting This Planet”

I posted a lot in the past about my favorite Christian musicians such as Keith Green (I enjoyed reading Green’s monthly publications too), and 2nd Chapter of Acts and others. Today I wanted to talk about one of Larry Norman’s songs. David Rogers introduced me to Larry Norman’s music in the 1970’s and his album IN ANOTHER LAND came out in 1976 and sold an enormous amount of copies for a Christian record back then.

My Top 50 Larry Norman Songs

10.Larry Norman

So Long Ago the Garden(1973)

Up In CanadaOnly Visiting This Planet

9.Larry Norman

Only Visiting This Planet(1972)

The Great American NovelIn Another Land

8.Larry Norman

In Another Land (1976)

The Rock That Doesn’t RollOnly Visiting This Planet

7.Larry Norman

Only Visiting This Planet(1972)

I Am The Six O’Clock NewsLiberator: The Essential, Vol. 3

6.Larry Norman

Liberator: The Essential, Vol. 3(2004) [Compilation]

Everybody Work

5.Larry Norman

So Long Ago the Garden(1973)

Nightmare #71Only Visiting This Planet

4.Larry Norman

Only Visiting This Planet(1972)

Righteous RockerOnly Visiting This Planet

3.Larry Norman

Only Visiting This Planet(1972)

I Wish We’d All Been ReadySo Long Ago the Garden

2.Larry Norman

So Long Ago the Garden(1973)

Be Careful What You SignOnly Visiting This Planet

1.Larry Norman

Only Visiting This Planet(1972)

Why Don’t You Look Into Jesus

1. Only Visiting This Planet – Larry Norman

Posted March 4, 2010 by low5point in ccm, christian, christian alternative, christian cd, christian music, christian rock, jesus music, music, Uncategorized.

ONLY VISITING THIS PLANET

Larry Norman

Prophet…scoundrel…poet…thief…comedian…clown…rock star…fallen star…

A living, breathing contradiction in terms, Larry Norman passed away on February 24th, 2008 at the age of 60. I attended the funeral, arriving late and “listening” to it from outside the doors of a Church near Salem, Or.

*          *          *          *          *

Also included on this album would be the first version of the song that would define both him and the Jesus Movement for all time, “I Wish We’d All Been Ready.” The song would be covered an inordinate number of time, not only by other artists but by Norman himself, appearing on more than just a handful of albums that would follow.

The Jesus Movement had a focal point of its ministry the idea of the soon coming secret Rapture of the Church. Theologians CI Scofield and Louis Sperry Chafer were primary influences as well as the Latter Rain Movement, a Pentecostal movement that emerge after World War ll that taught that the return of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Charismatic “gift” experiences would be a sign of the end times. Evangelist and “hippie prophet” Lonnie Frisbee would also play a major in the burgeoning musical genre.

The above coupled with the growing popularity of the unique “Dispensational” position on eschatology, the “Secret Rapture” was a major component of the Jesus Music and his rapture-ready song became the movements anthem. The song would even play a major role in the popular evangelical movie, “A Thief In the Night.”

Normans’ music and appearance would not play well in mainstream Christian circles that still argued that drums were inherently evil and the use of modern musical styles violated God’s ordinance. there is no doubt there was also a racial component to this issue as well. Norman’s music was heavily influenced not only by modern folk and rock of the time, but by Black Gospel music as well.

It would be the last nationally distributed album for Norman until the release of “Only Visiting This Planet” in 1972. In the years in between he would record and release two independent projects called “Street Level” and “Bootleg.” Both would feature grainy, underground looking black and white artwork. Both would also be “double albums” mixing live concert recording, studio demos of previously unreleased songs and future classics.

These albums would also reveal the smart and piercing humor Norman would always be noted for. Norman concerts were part rock and roll show, part revival meeting and part stand up comedy. This facet of his life and ministry would be introduced on these two albums. One section from “Bootleg” in particular really shines as he addressed the National Youth Workers of America Conference introducing “Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation.”

Larry Norman- Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation

Several songs from the two “independent” releases would find their way on to what is known as the “The Trilogy.” The Trilogy of albums include Only Visiting This Planet, So Long Ago the Garden and In Another Land. Though recognized as a trilogy of records Norman only stated that they were informally created to deal with the present, past and future (respectively) with each album focusing on one of those topics.

Norman had left Capitol after “Upon This Rock” and singed with MGM to release “Only Visiting This Planet” as well as the following album, 1973’s “So Long Ago the Garden.” On both albums he received production help from George Martin, the famed producer of the The Beatles.  Norman stated that he had previously met Paul McCartney and that Paul had tracked him down to talk about his music. This is interesting as we will discuss when we talk about “Only Visiting This Planet.”

The album was decidedly more “secular” in content than any of Norman’s other releases. But much of the controversy in Christian circles came from the original cover (pictured above) because many argued the picture of the lion in the field superimposed onto Norman’s body was an attempt to cover the fact that Norman is naked in the cover as his navel is clearly visible. The later cover (below) would be cropped at a much higher point.

But it is true that the content was not as blatantly spiritual as other Norman releases. This may have caused him to not perform those songs as often in concert, which in turn may have impacted the general longevity of many of the songs. Mus9ically the album was very “current” for the time and flawlessly produced. Martin brought in the same “mellotron” keyboard used on the Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” to use on the song, “Lonely By Myself.” There is a story that while recording the album in one studio Paul McCartney was in the adjoining studio recording “Live and Let Die.”

The album combined Norman’s penchant for 60’s blues, 50’s pop vocals and current social commentary to create a true classic worthy of more attention than it ever really received. Highlights include Fly, Fly, Fly, Be Careful What You Sing, Baroquen Spirits, Nightmare #71 and the haunting beautiful, “She’s a Dancer.” One interesting note is the “cover” of “Christmastime.” The song originally appeared on Randy Stonehill’s “Born Twice” album and is credited as being written by Stonehill. On this album the songwriting credit is given to Norman.

In response to many critics that he had “sold out” his Gospel message on the previous album, Norman followed up with “In Another Land.” It would take nearly three years to record and release this album that ranks a VERY close second in the list of great Larry Norman albums. This album would be released on Norman’s Solid Rock label and receive distribution by Word records in 1975.

“In Another Land” would mark the first nationally distributed “Christian” album for Norman and would also mark the on again, off again love/hate relationship Norman would have with the Christian music industry and, in turn, the industry would have with him. Consider that despite his in arguable multiple contributions to the industry he was not inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame until 2001.

The album was not free of controversy despite its very evangelical content. The first and most obvious issue was the unseemly longhair he sported, which in 1975 was simply unacceptable at the time. The cover also received complaints because Norman’s thumbs are supposedly switched with the right thumb on the left hand and vice versa, and that, it is claimed, is some sort of Satanic imagery.

SERIOUSLY!

“In Another Land” would contain many of Norman’s classics that would remain favorites for all time. The production is stellar and the use of limited spacing between songs keeps the record moving in non-stop fashion. Highlights would literally include the entire album! But I will note some interesting points.

The cover of Stonehill’s “I Love You” in a little odd since the only line from Stonehill’s original from “Born Twice” is the first line of the song. “The Rock That Doesn’t Roll” continues the theme of “Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music” and would inspire countless musical defenses of Christian Rock. But rather than being a song about Christian Rock it is simply a play on words to describe Jesus. It is also the song that contains the lyric the album titles is based on.

__________________________________

larry norman – the rock that doesnt roll

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1978 Prolife Pamphlet from Keith Green’s ministry has saved the lives of many babies!!!!

July 29, 2014 – 1:11 am

Francis Schaeffer Whatever Happened to the Human Race (Episode 1) ABORTION _____________________________________ 1978 Prolife Pamphlet from Keith Green’s ministry has saved the lives of many babies!!!! Francis Schaeffer “BASIS FOR HUMAN DIGNITY” Whatever…HTTHR Dr. Francis schaeffer – The flow of Materialism(from Part 4 of Whatever happened to human race?) Dr. Francis Schaeffer – The Biblical […]

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

Tribute to Keith Green who died 32 years ago today!!!

July 28, 2014 – 7:58 am

This is a tribute to Keith Green who died 32 years ago today!!! On July 28, 1983 I was sitting by the radio when CBS radio news came on and gave the shocking news that Keith Green had been killed by an airplane crash in Texas with two of his children. 7 months later I […]

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

“Music Monday” My favorite Christian music artist of all time is Keith Green.

October 21, 2013 – 1:23 am

My favorite Christian music artist of all time is Keith Green. Sunday, May 5, 2013 You Are Celled To Go – Keith Green Keith Green – (talks about) Jesus Commands Us To Go! (live) Uploaded on May 26, 2008 Keith Green talks about “Jesus Commands Us To Go!” live at Jesus West Coast ’82 You can find […]

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MUSIC MONDAY:Keith Green Story, and the song that sums up his life (Part 10)

July 29, 2013 – 1:16 am

To me this song below sums up Keith Green’s life best. 2nd Chapter of Acts – Make My Life A Prayer to You Make my life a prayer to You I want to do what You want me to No empty words and no white lies No token prayers, no compromise I want to shine […]

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

MUSIC MONDAY:Keith Green Story (Part 9)

July 22, 2013 – 1:00 am

Keith Green – Easter Song (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “Easter Song” live from The Daisy Club — LA (1982) ____________________________ Keith Green was a great song writer and performer.  Here is his story below: The Lord had taken Keith from concerts of 20 or less — to stadiums […]

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

MUSIC MONDAY:Keith Green Story, includes my favorite song (Part 8)

July 15, 2013 – 1:13 am

Keith Green – Asleep In The Light Uploaded by keithyhuntington on Jul 23, 2006 keith green performing Asleep In The Light at Jesus West Coast 1982 __________________________ Keith Green was a great song writer and performer and the video clip above includes my favorite Keith Green song. Here is his story below: “I repent of […]

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

Keith Green’s article “Grumbling and Complaining–So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt?” (Part 4)

July 11, 2013 – 4:35 am

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt” live at West Coast 1980 ____________ This song really shows Keith’s humor, but it really has great message. Keith also had a great newsletter that went out […]

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

Keith Green’s article “Grumbling and Complaining–So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt?” (Part 3)

July 9, 2013 – 1:34 am

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt” live at West Coast 1980 ____________ This song really shows Keith’s humor, but it really has great message. Keith also had a great newsletter that went out […]

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

MUSIC MONDAY:Keith Green Story (Part 7)

July 8, 2013 – 4:12 am

Keith Green – Your Love Broke Through Here is something I got off the internet and this website has lots of Keith’s great songs: Keith Green: His Music, Ministry, and Legacy My mom hung up the phone and broke into tears. She had just heard the news of Keith Green’s death. I was only ten […]

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

Keith Green’s article “Grumbling and Complaining–So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt?” (Part 2)

July 4, 2013 – 1:33 am

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt” live at West Coast 1980 ____________ This song really shows Keith’s humor, but it really has great message. Keith also had a great newsletter that went out […]

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

I’m recycling this video because President Biden and his allies in Congress are poised to enact a revised version of the “Build Back Better” plan to expand the burden of government!

August 6, 2022 – 12:01 pm

—

A.F. Branco for Oct 21, 2021

Big Government, Biden, and Big Corruption: Part I

Since I went to the archives for a video yesterday, let’s do the same thing today. Here’s my 2009 videoabout the close link between the size of government and the level of corruption.

I’m recycling this video because President Biden and his allies in Congress are poised to enact a revised version of the “Build Back Better” plan to expand the burden of government.

The legislation has all sorts of awful provisions, such as shoveling more money at a corrupt IRS, hurting jobs with higher taxes on “book income,” price controls on prescription drugs, and green-energy pork.

But today’s column will focus on process rather than policy.

To be more specific, I want to emphasize the video’s message about bigger government leading to more corruption.

And I’m going to cite an unexpected source – a left-leaning news outlet – to make my point.

In an article for the Washington Post, Yeganeh Torbati and Jeff Stein share various examples of how Biden’s misnamed Inflation Reduction Act is fattening bank accounts of lobbyists.

As Democrats hurry to finalize $739 billion climate, health-care and tax legislation…, business lobbyists and issue advocates are…using television and newspaper ads and personal outreach to try to sway Democrats to their side before the Senate votes. Much of the fiercest lobbying has focused on the bill’s health-care provisions. …The bill also provides hundreds of billions…to fight climate change… The Zero Emission Transportation Association…is asking senators to consider extending the deadlines by a year or more… Small businesses successfully stripped higher taxes on pass-through entities, while bigger firms succeeded in keeping the corporate rate at 21 percent.

The story focuses on the battle over the legislation, so allow me to add two points.

  • First, fighting over what is in the package is just the tip of the iceberg. Assuming the bill becomes law, there will then be countless opportunities for lobbyists to get rich by manipulating the regulations that will define how the law is implemented, as well as yearly opportunities for lobbyists to cash in by influencing how money is spent.
  • Second, not all lobbyists are bad. If a group of people hire lobbyists to get money or favors from the government, that is obviously immoral. But if a group of people hire lobbyists in hopes of protecting themselves (i.e., they don’t want to be taxed or burdened with more red tape), that is completely legitimate.

I’ll close by reiterating a point in the video.

Whether lobbyists are on the right side or wrong side, the ideal scenario is to shrink government. For instance, a simple and fair flat tax would radically reduce the incentive for influence-peddling.

Getting rid of various needless departments (Education, Transportation, Agriculture, Energy, Housing and Urban Development, etc) also would diminish opportunities for graft and sleaze.

P.S. If you want some lobbyist-themed humor, click here and here.

March 31, 2021

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

Dear Mr. President,

Please explain to me if you ever do plan to balance the budget while you are President? I have written these things below about you and I really do think that you don’t want to cut spending in order to balance the budget. It seems you ever are daring the Congress to stop you from spending more.

President Barack Obama speaks about the debt limit in the East Room of the White House in Washington. | AP Photo

“The credit of the United States ‘is not a bargaining chip,’ Obama said on 1-14-13. However, President Obama keeps getting our country’s credit rating downgraded as he raises the debt ceiling higher and higher!!!!

Washington Could Learn a Lot from a Drug Addict

Just spend more, don’t know how to cut!!! Really!!! That is not living in the real world is it?

Making more dependent on government is not the way to go!!

Why is our government in over 16 trillion dollars in debt? There are many reasons for this but the biggest reason is people say “Let’s spend someone else’s money to solve our problems.” Liberals like Max Brantley have talked this way for years. Brantley will say that conservatives are being harsh when they don’t want the government out encouraging people to be dependent on the government. The Obama adminstration has even promoted a plan for young people to follow like Julia the Moocher.  

David Ramsey demonstrates in his Arkansas Times Blog post of 1-14-13 that very point:

Arkansas Politics / Health Care Arkansas’s share of Medicaid expansion and the national debt

Posted by on Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 1:02 PM

Baby carrot Arkansas Medicaid expansion image

Imagine standing a baby carrot up next to the 25-story Stephens building in Little Rock. That gives you a picture of the impact on the national debt that federal spending in Arkansas on Medicaid expansion would have, while here at home expansion would give coverage to more than 200,000 of our neediest citizens, create jobs, and save money for the state.

Here’s the thing: while more than a billion dollars a year in federal spending would represent a big-time stimulus for Arkansas, it’s not even a drop in the bucket when it comes to the national debt.

Currently, the national debt is around $16.4 trillion. In fiscal year 2015, the federal government would spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.2 billion to fund Medicaid expansion in Arkansas if we say yes. That’s about 1/13,700th of the debt.

It’s hard to get a handle on numbers that big, so to put that in perspective, let’s get back to the baby carrot. Imagine that the height of the Stephens building (365 feet) is the $16 trillion national debt. That $1.2 billion would be the length of a ladybug. Of course, we’re not just talking about one year if we expand. Between now and 2021, the federal government projects to contribute around $10 billion. The federal debt is projected to be around $25 trillion by then, so we’re talking about 1/2,500th of the debt. Compared to the Stephens building? That’s a baby carrot.

______________

Here is how it will all end if everyone feels they should be allowed to have their “baby carrot.”

How sad it is that liberals just don’t get this reality.

Here is what the Founding Fathers had to say about welfare. David Weinberger noted:

While living in Europe in the 1760s, Franklin observed: “in different countries … the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.”

Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee (15 October 1747 – 5 January 1813) was a Scottish lawyer, writer, and professor. Tytler was also a historian, and he noted, “A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits with the result the democracy collapses because of the loose fiscal policy ensuing, always to be followed by a dictatorship, then a monarchy.”

Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Milligan

April 6, 1816

[Jefferson affirms that the main purpose of society is to enable human beings to keep the fruits of their labor. — TGW]

To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, “the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry, and the fruits acquired by it.” If the overgrown wealth of an individual be deemed dangerous to the State, the best corrective is the law of equal inheritance to all in equal degree; and the better, as this enforces a law of nature, while extra taxation violates it.

[From Writings of Thomas Jefferson, ed. Albert E. Bergh (Washington: Thomas Jefferson Memorial Association, 1904), 14:466.]

_______

Jefferson pointed out that to take from the rich and give to the poor through government is just wrong. Franklin knew the poor would have a better path upward without government welfare coming their way. Milton Friedman’s negative income tax is the best method for doing that and by taking away all welfare programs and letting them go to the churches for charity.

_____________

_________

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

Williams with Sowell – Minimum Wage

Thomas Sowell

Thomas Sowell – Reducing Black Unemployment

By WALTER WILLIAMS

—-

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Ronald Reagan with Milton Friedman
Milton Friedman The Power of the Market 2-5

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Welfare reform part 3

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“Feedback Friday” Letter to White House generated form letter response July 10,2012 on welfare, etc (part 14)

I have been writing President Obama letters and have not received a personal response yet.  (He reads 10 letters a day personally and responds to each of them.) However, I did receive a form letter in the form of an email on July 10, 2012. I don’t know which letter of mine generated this response so I have […]

By Everette Hatcher III | Also posted in Cato Institute, Economist Dan Mitchell, Founding Fathers, Milton Friedman, President Obama, spending out of control, Taxes | Comments (0)

Keith Green Crash Investigated Cessna 414 kills 12 – TakingOff

August 5, 2022 – 8:24 pm

–

Keith Green Crash Investigated Cessna 414 kills 12 – TakingOff

Plane Crash

“‘ If I don’t come back, raise Rebekah to be woman of God'”…
“‘What about this one?’ I [Melody] said with a slight laugh, patting my just-pregnant tummy.’
”If it’s a boy, name him Daniel!’
‘You mean you don’t want me to name him after you?’
I said it playfully, but suddenly I really felt like I needed to know what Keith wanted. The conversation was starting to take on serious tones.
“Okay if it’s a boy, you can name it after me’ Keith said with a grin.”
–Keith’s last conversation with Melody (Green, 1989; pg 431-432)
 
    Keith had a wife, Melody, four kids, Josiah, Bethany, Rebekah and unborn Rachel, and he was a successful Christian musician, one of the first contemporary Christian artists too. The Smalleys, a missionary family, promised their kids a plane ride so Keith helped them out since LDM now had its own plane. Before entering the car that would go to the plane Keith brought Josiah and Bethany because they wanted to come, even though Melody was against them going and she herself refused to get on the plane but rather stayed behind with their baby daughter Rebekah. Keith and Melody had one last  conversation which was about if Keith didn’t make it back though they both doubted that possibility highly.
 
    Melody went back to house when Keith left in the car and a few minutes late she received a phone call. The girl who called wanted to tell Keith that their plane had just gone down and in response Melody ran out her door with the car keys. When she came to the air strip she could see the smoke high above the woods and she prayed “Jesus… Jesus… Jesus… this can’t be happening” (Green,1989; pg 433) as she ran to the the smokey area. At first she thought everyone was fin since she hadn’t heard any screaming or anything and figured that must mean because no one was hurt. Everyone was quiet but Melody kept denying the fact, scared of what had just happened.  Melody realized everyone on the plane, Keith, Josiah, Bethany, the Smalleys, and their pilot, Don  had been killed instantly when the plane crashed. The Cessna, their plane, had only been designed to hold seven people and in that plane ride they had brought 12 people.
 
    Melody was crying as she felt “Like my [Melody’s] insides had been ripped out” and felt an unbelievable amount of pain. Many friends helped out Melody in that time including Leonard and Martha Ravenhill, Leland Paris, Jimmy and Carol Owens, Chris and Carole Beatty, John Dawson, and pretty much all of Keith’s friends. On July 30, 1982, Melody heard a voice from the Lord in her mind ‘A Grain of Wheat’ and immediately looked it up. John 12:24 (NASB): “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit”
 
On July 31st they had Keith’s funeral.
Keith & Melody during “Songs for the Shepherd” 1982

Lifestory: Full circle for Melody Green but still “no compromise” in her ministry

DAN WOODING

ASSIST News Service

Despite suffering a terrible tragedy when she lost her husband, the wonderful composer-singer, Keith Green, and two young children in a plane crash, Melody Green is continuing to keep Keith’s music and ministry alive and available, while moving forward with her own messages, similar to her shared vision with Keith, but in a new season, with her own unique style of wit and wisdom.

Now back in Hollywood, California, her birthplace, she has the chance, as she says, to “sow as I go,” serving whoever God puts in her path, whether they are wealthy and successful, or homeless and addicted.

Melody Green

“I wasn’t bitter but I was very mad at Keith for taking the kids and I think that was probably a deflected anger at the Lord. I don’t remember consciously being mad at the Lord. It’s just one step at a time. I was glad that I had the Lord because for quite a while, I wanted to die and might have done something about it if I wouldn’t have known Jesus and had supportive friends.”

– Melody Green, speaking about the loss of her husband Keith and two children in a 1982 plane crash

Melody has continued Last Days Ministries (LDM), which she began with Keith. Much of her time is taken up by speaking and writing, but she always looks for chances wherever she is, to bring comfort to the homeless and needy of Tinsel Town, many of whom had moved there to seek fame and fortune.

She certainly understands pain, as she suffered a terrible blow in her own life when tragically, along with eleven others, Keith Green died at the age of 28, on 28th July, 1982, when the Cessna 414 leased by Last Days Ministries crashed after takeoff from the private airstrip located on the LDM property in Lindale, East Texas.

The small two-engine plane was carrying twelve passengers and the pilot, Don Burmeister, for an aerial tour of the LDM in Lindale, Texas, property and the surrounding area.

Green and two of his children, three-year-old Josiah and two-year-old Bethany, were on board the plane, along with visiting church planters, John and Dede Smalley and their six children. Green’s wife Melody was at home with one year old Rebekah and six weeks pregnant with their fourth child, Rachel, born in March 1983.

In late June, I caught up with Melody the night before she appeared at The Upper Room, a Christian Coffee House in Mission Viejo, California, to share about her life and plans for the future, and I began my interview for my Front Page radio show by asking her to recount that terrible experience of losing both her husband and two of her children.

She said that they had two friends from a Vineyard church in California, John and Dede Smalley and their six children, who were visiting their huge 500 acre LDM ranch, and Keith called their pilot, Don Alan Burmeister, who had been a member of the United States Marine Corps and was the pilot, to prepare the small, two engine plane for takeoff.

“Our old farmhouse was across the road from the ranch property, and Keith came to get me and wanted me to go up with them,” she recalled. “I was six weeks pregnant at the time, and I didn’t want to join them, and I also felt uncomfortable taking the kids – Bethany, two and Josiah, three – up in the plane unless we were really going somewhere.”

Her other child, daughter Rebekah, who just turned one, stayed at home with Melody. “Then Josiah and Bethany ran out the door after Keith before I could stop them,” she said.

Did she watch the plane take off? “No, we lived down the hill from the airstrip so I didn’t,” she told me.

Not long afterwards, she received a phone call from the LDM office, saying that the plane had gone down.

“I didn’t know what it meant so I ran out there and discovered for myself, that all had died,” she said.

In a few short minutes, Melody had gone from being the wife of one of the Christian world’s most famous musicians, and the mother of their three young children, to a widow, with one child left and another on the way.

I asked her how she had been able to deal with such a tragedy, and if she was bitter at God for allowing such a thing to occur.

“I wasn’t bitter,” she said, “but I was very mad at Keith for taking the kids and I think that was probably a deflected anger at the Lord. I don’t remember consciously being mad at the Lord. It’s just one step at a time. I was glad that I had the Lord because for quite a while, I wanted to die and might have done something about it if I wouldn’t have known Jesus and had supportive friends.

“It would have been selfish too, with Rebekah grieving in her one-year-old way, and two more of her family gone  – me and her unborn sister – both girls a remaining gift from Keith and God.

“It has taken years to get through it. It’s not light; it’s not a small thing.”

Courageously, Melody was able to participate in the memorial service at the Agape Force property nearby, for all those who died in the crash, and so I asked her how she was able to do so.

“It was because of the sheer grace of God,” said Melody. “I felt like I was supposed to speak and I did. The Lord just really he helped me and has continued to do so for all these years since.

“A day later, there was a private burial service at a small church cemetery near the Last Days Ministries property.

Has she been able to get over what happened?

“You never get over it,” she replied. “I don’t cry every day and I don’t think of it every day like I did during the first two or three years, but progressively, the Lord’s helped me to go on. Sometimes, I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like if Keith was still here, especially when I watch four grandkids and I see so much of Keith in them. I know he’d just have been bananas over them and his own beautiful daughters that never got to know him, yet are so much like him”

Both Melody and Keith Green are Jewish followers of Jesus, and she told me that they had first met at a video tape recording studio where she worked and he arrived to look around it, sporting a huge beard and a long hair ponytail.

“I gave him the tour and that was that. He just kind of chased me down really,” she laughed.

She said that at that time, neither of them were believers in Jesus, the Messiah.

“We were searching,” she revealed. “Keith had a little cross around his neck – he decided that since most religions thought Jesus was OK in some way, he thought he’d read the Red Letters only to see what Jesus had to say, and I trailed along with him. We did get married and then about a year and a half later we gave our lives to Jesus.

Melody Green with husband Keith.

“We both changed dramatically. It was just insane. It was so exciting and we had been looking and searching through everything for so long and both of us, even before we met, had been through all kinds of spiritual stuff – mostly New Age. Knowing Jesus was like getting shot out of a cannon.”

– Melody Green, speaking about the change Jesus brought into the lives of Keith and herself.

It was at an early Vineyard Bible study led by Kenn Gulliksen in a home they were house-sitting in the Beverly Hills area.

Later on, this became Bob Dylan’s church, but Melody said, “It was pre-Dylan and we just walked in and Keith raised his hand the first night and I raised my hand the next week. We both changed dramatically. It was just insane. It was so exciting and we had been looking and searching through everything for so long and both of us, even before we met, had been through all kinds of spiritual stuff – mostly New Age. Knowing Jesus was like getting shot out of a cannon.”

It wasn’t long before both of them were composing incredible new worship music, and Melody’s most well-known songs were There Is a Redeemer, and Make My Life A Prayer. Keith recorded both of them. Overall they co-wrote about 40 songs.

Hit after hit came from Keith, including You Put This Love In My Heart, Soften Your Heart, Oh Lord, You’re Beautiful, Your Love Broke Through, Asleep In The Light, My Eyes Are Dry, So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt, Grace By Which I Stand, Easter Song (written by Annie Herring) and He’ll Take Care Of The Rest, to name just a few of them.

Soon, Keith was performing to huge crowds around the country, with Melody joining him as she operated the sound board until he moved from churches and theaters to arenas when a professional soundman was brought in.

I told Melody that Keith had been described as a prophet by many and I wondered what he thought about that.

“He didn’t like the word prophet and he wouldn’t use it, and he didn’t like it when people used it; he didn’t like that label,” she said. He just wanted to be known as a regular follower of Jesus. “But obviously, looking back, he was very prophetic. Way ahead of his time. There are things I remember he said that have since come to pass. Like the fledgling Christian music industry of that day. He once said, ‘Mark my words. In 25 years Christian music companies will become like every other big music business’. Basically run by the bottom line, is what he meant.”

To start with, the couple began their Last Days Ministries, with seven houses in Woodland Hills, California, which they filled up with some 75 people off the streets that were bikers and pregnant girls, as well as kids coming off of drugs. After leading them to Jesus, they began to disciple them.

“But we felt that it was too tempting for them to do that right in the Valley, so we were looking for land outside the temptation zone and found a log ranch house and barn on 120 acres near Lindale, Texas. We moved, and began discipleship schools and also produced huge amounts of free literature,” she said.

Melody recalled it was quite an area where many Christian ministries, leaders, and musicians, were based.

“We had David Wilkerson and his ranch, Leonard Ravenhill, two very large YWAM properties, one becoming Mercy Ships, Dallas Holm and Praise, Barry McGuire, and Agape Force where Winkie Pratney lived half of the year. 2nd Chapter of Acts even bought land adjoining ours. It was an amazing amount of fun and formed lifelong friendships.”

But then came the plane crash that changed Melody’s life forever, and for a time she moved to Kansas City, but has now returned to Hollywood, where she was born

My favorite Christian music artist of all time is Keith Green.

Keith Green passed away on July 28th, 1982 almost 39 years ago to the day!!! I want to remember him with a series of posts!!!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

You Are Celled To Go – Keith Green

Keith Green – (talks about) Jesus Commands Us To Go! (live)

Uploaded on May 26, 2008

Keith Green talks about “Jesus Commands Us To Go!” live at Jesus West Coast ’82

You can find more info on http://www.keithgreen.com

If you want to buy this DVD go to the online shop on his website.

And if you want to know more about this man and why he followed Jesus look at my profile for the video about his life.

______________________________________________________

You are called to go
Keith’s concerts were evangelistic and exhortational. He was the Lecrae of the 70’s. Here is what he has to say about the great commission:

“The world isn’t being won today because we’re not doing it. It’s our fault. This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the earth. And no where in the world is the gospel so plentiful as here in the United States. No where. And I don’t want to see us stand before God on that day ans say, ‘but God I didn’t hear you call me.’ Here is something for all you to chew on, you don’t need to hear a call, you’re already called. In fact, if you stay home from going into all nations you had better be able to say to God, ‘You called me to stay home God, I know that as a fact.'”

Keith Green – Asleep In The Light (live)

Uploaded on May 26, 2008

Keith Green performing “Asleep In The Light” live at Jesus West Coast ’82

You can find more info on http://www.keithgreen.com

_________________________

Keith wasn’t messing around, watch his biography and see how he backed up what he said with his life:

The Keith Green Story (FULL)

Uploaded on May 14, 2009

Keith Green was an intense and radical man of God. He was taken from this Earth at a relatively young age. His legacy lives on through his music and his sermons. This video is about his life.

Posted by at 7:36 PM

25 Things You Never Knew About Keith Green

Wayne and I were very close to Keith from 1978-1982. We both served on the leadership of Last Days Ministries, and have many wonderful memories of Keith and those developing years of Last Days Ministries. Here are some inside Keith-facts.

1. Did you know that Keith wore flip flopseverywhere he went?

2. Did you know that Keith always had to share his food with everyone, because if he liked it, he knew you would too? It was the Jewish mother in him.

3. Did you know Keith was a real family man? He couldn’t stand to be separated from Melody or his kids for long.

4. Did you know that Keith was very soul searchingand could be harder on himself then he was on others?

5. Did you know Keith would sometimes cut his own hair; and even played barber shop with some of the other brothers at the ministry?

6. Did you know that Keith was a real night owl? He often got his best revelation late at night and would commonly call people at 2-3am to share his fresh insights.

7. Did you know that Keith used to mow the grassin Texas on a big tractor as a way to relax and to clear his head?

8. Did you know that Keith invited so many family and friends to witness the birth of his children, that it nearly became a public event?

9. Did you know that he always had a team of people praying while he was in the studio? Along with his talent, there were hours and hours of intercession that went into each album.

10. Did you know that Keith had a deep love for people and would get really involved with people he was ministering to?

11. Did you know that Keith would read the bible in the bathroom and got some of his best revelation in there?

12. Did you know that he loved to play racket ball? He also played tennis and ping pong, and was very competitive.

13. Did you know he loved to try new things? He learned to milk a cow, drive a tractor and run a printing press.

14. Did you know that he loved to go to auctions, and was able to furnish our facilities in East Texas saving thousands of dollars?

15. Did you know Keith shaved his beard when we moved to East Texas from California, to avoid offending the locals.

16. Did you know that Keith could type faster with 2 fingers than most of us can with 10?

17. Did you know Keith was really close friends with the famous revivalist, Leonard Ravenhill, and often went to him for counsel and advice?

18. Did you know he was the same off stage as he was on stage? With Keith, what you saw was who he was, he was genuine, sincere and real in all he did.

19 Did you know that Keith once drove the bus off the road in Hell’s Canyon, Utah leaving it dangling over a 2000 foot cliff? It took 2 bulldozers to lift it back onto the road.

20. Did you know Keith borrowed money on his house to sponsor the “So You Wanna Go back To Egypt”album so we could make them available to people for whatever they could afford?

21. Did you know Keith never received a salaryfrom the ministry?

22. Did you know that in spite of his success and popularity Keith lived a very simple life?

23. Did you know Keith loved to walk when he prayed? He could often be seen in an animated prayer walk going along the edge of our ministry property.

24. Did you know Keith led worship every Friday night at a prayer meeting led by Leonard Ravenhill near our ministry in East Texas?

25. Did you know Keith had a vision to do a restaurant that would offer food for whatever you could afford as a ministry outreach to the community?

Did you know Keith wasn’t perfect, but he held nothing back in serving Jesus and bringing others into God’s Kingdom.

Related posts:

My favorite Christian music artist of all time is Keith Green.

May 7, 2013 – 7:22 am

My favorite Christian music artist of all time is Keith Green. Sunday, May 5, 2013 You Are Celled To Go – Keith Green Keith Green – (talks about) Jesus Commands Us To Go! (live) Uploaded on May 26, 2008 Keith Green talks about “Jesus Commands Us To Go!” live at Jesus West Coast ’82 You can find […]

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

Keith Green’s article “Grumbling and Complaining–So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt?” (Part 4)

February 22, 2012 – 12:36 am

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt” live at West Coast 1980 ____________ This song really shows Keith’s humor, but it really has great message. Keith also had a great newsletter that went out […]

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

Keith Green’s article “Grumbling and Complaining–So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt?” (Part 3)

February 20, 2012 – 12:29 am

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt” live at West Coast 1980 ____________ This song really shows Keith’s humor, but it really has great message. Keith also had a great newsletter that went out […]

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

Keith Green’s article “Grumbling and Complaining–So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt?” (Part 2)

February 16, 2012 – 12:34 am

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt” live at West Coast 1980 ____________ This song really shows Keith’s humor, but it really has great message. Keith also had a great newsletter that went out […]

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

Keith Green’s article “Grumbling and Complaining–So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt?” (Part 1)

February 14, 2012 – 12:03 am

Keith Green – So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “So You Wanna Go Back To Egypt” live at West Coast 1980 ____________ This song really shows Keith’s humor, but it really has great message. Keith also had a great newsletter that went out […]

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

Keith Green Story (Part 9)

February 8, 2012 – 12:42 am

Keith Green – Easter Song (live) Uploaded by monum on May 25, 2008 Keith Green performing “Easter Song” live from The Daisy Club — LA (1982) ____________________________ Keith Green was a great song writer and performer.  Here is his story below: The Lord had taken Keith from concerts of 20 or less — to stadiums […]

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

Keith Green Story, includes my favorite song (Part 8)

February 6, 2012 – 12:28 am

Keith Green – Asleep In The Light Uploaded by keithyhuntington on Jul 23, 2006 keith green performing Asleep In The Light at Jesus West Coast 1982 __________________________ Keith Green was a great song writer and performer and the video clip above includes my favorite Keith Green song. Here is his story below: “I repent of […]

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

Keith Green Story (Part 7)

February 2, 2012 – 12:36 am

Keith Green – Your Love Broke Through Here is something I got off the internet and this website has lots of Keith’s great songs: Keith Green: His Music, Ministry, and Legacy My mom hung up the phone and broke into tears. She had just heard the news of Keith Green’s death. I was only ten […]

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

Keith Green Story (Part 6)

January 30, 2012 – 12:46 am

The Keith Green Story pt 7/7 I remember when I first Keith Green. He had a great impact on me. Below are some quotes on Keith: Quotes   “It’s time to quit playing church and start being the Church (Matt. 18:20)” — Keith Green, as quoted by Melody Green in the introduction to A Cry […]

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

Keith Green Story (Part 5)

January 27, 2012 – 12:35 am

The Keith Green Story pt 6/7 When I first heard Keith Green in 1978 it had a major impact on my life. Below is his story: LEGEND   Keith Green CBN.com – When musician Keith Green died in a plane crash on July 28, 1982, the world lost a special man whose heart was aflame […]

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

Little Rock Touchdown Club Reveals 2022 Lineup

August 2, 2022 – 5:56 pm

_________

Little Rock Touchdown Club Reveals 2022 Lineup

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Simmons Bank

Aug 02, 2022, 13:35 ET

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — On Tuesday, the Little Rock Touchdown Club announced its 2022 speakers at a news conference at War Memorial Stadium. Little Rock Touchdown Club president and Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame inductee David Bazzelannounced that Arkansas Razorback Head Coach, Sam Pittman, will kick off the 18th season of the Little Rock Touchdown Club.

The 2022 lineup features Super Bowl victors, NCAA National Championship coaches, former college football stars, highly regarded sports journalists and college head coaches from around the state. The Little Rock Touchdown Club serves as the Arkansas chapter for the National Football Foundation, and College Football Hall of Fame, partnering with Simmons Bank as a lead sponsor.

“Simmons Bank is a proud presenting sponsor of the Little Rock Touchdown Club,” said George A. Makris, Jr. chairman and CEO of Simmons Bank. “For eight seasons we have had the great opportunity to hear inspiring stories from world-class athletes. We look forward to another exciting year of camaraderie at the Little Rock Touchdown Club.”

The Little Rock Touchdown Club meets at the DoubleTree Hotel, located at 424 W. Markham St. in Little Rock. Membership dues start at $90 and can be paid online at LRTouchdown.com. Lunch is served at 11 a.m. each week with the program beginning at 11:50 a.m.

The Little Rock Touchdown Club began in August 2004 when a small group gathered at what was then the Little Rock Hilton to discuss football. The club now has more than 500 members.

Other 2022 speakers include:

  • Monday, Aug. 15:       Sam Pittman
  • Monday, Aug. 22:       Kirk Herbstreit
  • Tuesday, Aug. 30:      Jon Gruden
  • Tuesday, Sept. 6:       Ed Orgeron
  • Monday, Sept. 12:      Paul Finebaum
  • Monday, Sept. 19:      Hunter Yurachek
  • Monday, Sept. 26:      Marty Smith
  • Monday, Oct. 3:          Peter Burns
  • Monday, Oct. 10:        Robbie Bosco
  • Monday, Oct. 17:        Nathan Brown
  • Monday, Oct. 24:        Tim Brando
  • Monday, Oct. 31:        Butch Jones
  • Monday, Nov. 7:         Chris Robinson and Doc Gamble
  • Monday, Nov. 14:       Houston Nutt
  • Monday, Nov. 21:       Dari Nowkah
  • Friday, Jan. 13:          Joe Theismann

About Simmons Bank

Simmons Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Simmons First National Corporation (NASDAQ: SFNC), a Mid-South based financial holding company that has paid cash dividends for 113 consecutive years. Simmons Bank operates more than 230 branches in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas. Founded in 1903, Simmons Bank offers comprehensive financial solutions delivered with a client-centric approach. In 2022, Simmons Bank was named to Forbes list of “America’s Best Banks” for the second consecutive year and was named to Forbes list of “World’s Best Banks” for the third consecutive year. Additional information about Simmons Bank can be found on our website at simmonsbank.com, by following @Simmons_Bank on Twitter or by visiting our newsroom.

SOURCE Simmons Bank

Cowboys VP: Don’t be surprised if we change quarterbacks

<p>Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones</p>

Follow @SportsDayDFW websports@dallasnews.com

Staff

Published: 12 October 2015 05:33 PM
Updated: 12 October 2015 10:46 PM

Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones spoke at the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday. Some highlights via @LRTouchdownClub and â@chase_shannon :

On possibly changing quarterbacks from Brandon Weeden to Matt Cassel: “Don’t be surprised if we think about a quarterback change with Cassel”

On the Cowboys: “I like our football team. Reinforcements are on the way”

On Greg Hardy: We have things in place with the Cowboys to make Greg Hardy a better person and player.

Stephen Jones said his father Jerry wanted him to go to Princeton, where Jason Garrett was the QB — Stephen wanted to be an Arkansas Razorback. Stephen got his wish and graduated from Arkansas in 1988 with a degree in chemical engineering.

On Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema, who is 2-4 this season: “No bigger fan of coach B than myself. Our scouts love what Bret Bielema is doing with his players! I am a huge supporter of his!

On what Jerry has told Stephen: Dad use to tell me “In life you have to be accountable, you have to work for what you want.”

Little Rock Touchdown Club – October 12, 2015

Streamed live on Oct 12, 2015

Stephen Jones speaks to the Touchdown Club

Related posts:

Nortre Dame’s Weis was one of the best speakers we have had at the Little Rock Touchdown Club!!!

September 10, 2015 – 7:00 am

________ I really enjoyed listening to Charlie Weis on Tuesday. Nortre Dame’s Weis was one of the best speakers we have had at the Little Rock Touchdown Club!!! Little Rock Touchdown Club – September 8, 2015 Weis adapts to life away from football Share on facebookShare on twitterMore Sharing Services2 By Jeremy Muck This article […]

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

Little Rock Touchdown Club – August 31, 2015 with Felix Jones and Peyton Hillis

August 31, 2015 – 3:15 pm

___   Little Rock Touchdown Club – August 31, 2015 Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis talk to LR Touchdown Club Share on facebookShare on twitterMore Sharing Services0 By Brandon Riddle This article was published today at 1:38 p.m. Two former Arkansas running backs spoke to the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday, telling stories of their […]

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

Bret Bielema at Little Rock Touchdown Club entertained the sellout crowd of more than 700 with humor and homespun stories!

August 25, 2015 – 5:56 am

_________ Streamed live on Aug 24, 2015 Bret Bielema speaks to the Touchdown Club ____________ Bret Bielema is first speaker in 2015https://cm.g.doubleclick.net/push?client=ca-pub-4836457508486497&srn=gdnBy Harry King Arkansas News Bureau King: Bielema Draws, Keeps Big Crowd – See more at: http://arkansasnews.com/harry-king/king-bielema-draws-keeps-big-crowd#sthash.ipmj1pOi.dpuf — Working out before 8 a.m. Monday, a regular at the neighborhood gym planned to […]

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

Video of Bret Bielema’s great speech at Little Rock Touchdown Club on August 24, 2015!!!

August 24, 2015 – 6:38 pm

_________ Streamed live on Aug 24, 2015 Bret Bielema speaks to the Touchdown Club ____________ Bielema speaks to sold-out crowd at LR Touchdown Club Share on facebookShare on twitterMore Sharing Services3 By Brandon Riddle This article was published today at 12:53 p.m. Arkansas coach Bret Bielema addressed a sold-out meeting of the Little Rock Touchdown […]

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

2015 LITTLE ROCK TOUCHDOWN CLUB SPEAKERS INCLUDE Bret Bielema, Peyton Hillis, Felix Jones,Charlie Weis, Tim Brown, Jeff Long, Heath Shuler, Jay Barker, Stephen Jones, Mack Brown, Blake Anderson, Tony Bua, and George Schroeder!

August 12, 2015 – 6:09 am

_______________________ Bret Bielema is first speaker in 2015 George Schroeder — USA Today is the last speaker of the year In an earlier post I praised David Bazzel for the job he did putting together another great lineup of speakers for the Little Rock Touchdown Club in 2015 and today I want to take a look […]

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DAVID BAZZEL COMES UP WITH ANOTHER GREAT LINEUP OF SPEAKERS FOR 2015 at LITTLE ROCK TOUCHDOWN CLUB!!!!!

August 11, 2015 – 2:08 pm

________________ David Bazzel pictured below: I have written about my past visits to the Little Rock Touchdown Club many times and I have been amazed at the quality of the speakers. One of my favorite was  Phillip Fulmer, but Frank Broyles was probably my favorite, and  Paul Finebaum, Mike Slive, Willie Roaf,Randy White, Howard Schnellenberger, John Robinson, […]

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

Shawn Andrews at Little Rock Touchdown Club

December 1, 2014 – 8:58 am

Andrews supports athletes Share on facebook Share on twitter More Sharing Services0 By Jeff Halpern This article was published November 25, 2014 at 2:37 a.m. PHOTO BY JEFF HALPERN Former Arkansas offensive lineman Shawn Andrews was the guest at the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Nov. 24, 2014. Comments aAFont Size It’s been 11 years […]

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Rocket Ismail does a great job at Little Rock Touchdown Club (with Video of full event)

November 10, 2014 – 6:52 am

_______ Little Rock Touchdown Club – November 3, 2014 I really enjoyed the stories that Rocket told about Lou Holtz. I noticed another big crowd today at the lunch when I looked around at the audience. Lou told Rocket to make the play Share on facebookShare on twitterMore Sharing Services0 By Jeremy Muck This article […]

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SEC Network Analyst Dari Nowkah said at the Little Rock Touchdown Club that those outside the SEC say the conference is overrated but that obviously is not true!

October 21, 2014 – 7:57 am

________ SEC Network Analyst Dari Nowkah said at the Little Rock Touchdown Club that those outside the SEC say the conference is overrated but that obviously is not true!!!! With SEC teams winning seven consecutive national championships in 2006-2012 and having at least one team in each of the past eight BCS Championship Games, Nowkah […]

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Lee Roy Jordan does a great job at Little Rock Touchdown Club!!!

October 13, 2014 – 10:29 am

___________ Little Rock Touchdown Club – October 6 2014 This is what the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette had to say about Lee Roy: After last season, Alabama lost a three-year starter at quarterback, AJ McCarron, who led the Crimson Tide to national championships after the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and was a fifth-round draft pick of the […]

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MUSIC MONDAY Christian Rock Pioneer Larry Norman’s Songs Part 8 more on Album “Only Visiting This Planet”

August 1, 2022 – 1:47 am

Christian Rock Pioneer Larry Norman’s Songs Part 9 more on Album “Only Visiting This Planet”

I posted a lot in the past about my favorite Christian musicians such as Keith Green (I enjoyed reading Green’s monthly publications too), and 2nd Chapter of Acts and others. Today I wanted to talk about one of Larry Norman’s songs. David Rogers introduced me to Larry Norman’s music in the 1970’s and his album IN ANOTHER LAND came out in 1976 and sold an enormous amount of copies for a Christian record back then.

My Top 50 Larry Norman Songs

20.Larry Norman

Only Visiting This Planet(1972)

Why Should the Devil Have All the Good MusicSomething New Under the Son

19.Larry Norman

Something New Under the Son(1981)

Born To Be UnluckySo Long Ago the Garden

18.Larry Norman

So Long Ago the Garden(1973)

ChristmastimeOnly Visiting This Planet

17.Larry Norman

Only Visiting This Planet(1972)

Reader’s DigestTourniquet

16.Larry Norman

Tourniquet (20

15.Larry Norman

Upon This Rock (1969)

Sweet Song of SalvationIn Another Land

14.Larry Norman

In Another Land (1976)

666In Another Land

13.Larry Norman

In Another Land (1976)

I am a ServantStranded in Babylon

12.Larry Norman

Stranded in Babylon(1991)

Step Into The MadnessCollaborator: The Essential, Vol. 4

11.Larry Norman

Collaborator: The Essential, Vol. 4(2002) [Compilation]

Jesus Is God

Larry Norman – 6 – I Am The Six O’Clock News – Only Visiting This Planet (1972)

Larry Norman – Only Visiting This Planet – The Great American Novel

1. Only Visiting This Planet – Larry Norman

Posted March 4, 2010 by low5point in ccm, christian, christian alternative, christian cd, christian music, christian rock, jesus music, music, Uncategorized.

ONLY VISITING THIS PLANET

Larry Norman

Prophet…scoundrel…poet…thief…comedian…clown…rock star…fallen star…

A living, breathing contradiction in terms, Larry Norman passed away on February 24th, 2008 at the age of 60. I attended the funeral, arriving late and “listening” to it from outside the doors of a Church near Salem, Or.

*          *          *          *          *

Pastor Steve Wilkins spoke of the great Scottish warrior William Wallace several years ago at a conference. In his introductory remarks he noted that we actually know very little historical “facts” about Wallace and that most of what we believe about Wallace comes from an epic poem by an English Minstrel named Blind Harry a century or two after the death of Wallace.

Blind Harry’s poem stretches, twists and turn the truth on many occasions as it was compiled through oral traditions in which “legends” entered and merged, mixed and meshed with historical fact to create the larger than life character portrayed in the movie, Braveheart. And now even centuries later dissecting the truth from the legend and lore has proven to be nearly impossible.

But Wilkins argues that there is no real harm in the fabricated additions to the lore and legacy of Wallace, and in fact they play a very important role in actual history. Wilkins explains that it was the “legend” of Wallace that inspired many Scottish Christians to seek a new land in the Americas and eventually take up arms for the same freedoms they believed and perceived Wallace had fought for many centuries previous. It was not the actual truth that inspired them and carried them through difficult times and decisions, but the “legend” built upon the truth.

Larry Norman was born in Corpus Christi, TX but spent most of his formative years in Northern California near or in the Bay Area of San Fransisco. He was introduced to God and the Church early in his life at a Black Pentecostal Church in the neighborhood he grew up in.

In his late teens he joined a band called People! out of the Bay Area that took their name on as a response to the common use of animals or insects for rock band names like The Animals, The Beatles and The Byrds. A psychedelic, blues band People! only scored one hit with the song, a cover of the Zombies (which was OK I guess because they used to be people) hit song, “I Love You” that did crack the Top 20.

The album also contained the song “What We Need Is a Lot More of Jesus, and A Lot Less Rock and Roll,” which in reality comes off as a parody of mainstream evangelical Church life and thought. There was really nothing very “Christian” about the song despite its title. This is a bit odd as Norman would later claim that the album was supposed to be named after that song and that the supposed original artwork was changed to just a photo of the band and the title changed to simple. “I Love You.” Other band members would dispute this claim.

This would begin a long list of revisionist history claims by others regarding Norman’s version of things.

People! would record one more album for Capitol Records but Norman will have left previous to its release and end up only appearing one song. Along with the above claim of censorship by Capitol Records, Norman claimed that band members were being forced to embrace Scientology or forced to leave. This too is denied by band members.

The band would reunite 5 years later for a benefit concert at UCLA that would later be released under the name, “The Israel Tapes.”

Larry would record his first solo album, Upon This Rock, in 1969 for Capitol Records, the same label he claimed censored his work with People! This album is a very “Christian” album in all respects and would kick off a solo career that would last until his death in 2008. It is as the result of this album that Norman is credited with being the father of Christian Rock.

Christian Rock was born!

Upon This Rock is considered one of Norman’s finest works combining both blatantly Christian and evangelical messages as well as social and political commentary. This would remain a constant for Norman, who was the first Christian artists to make very progressive commentary on many issues that would conflict with mainstream Christianity.

The album would contain many Norman classics that would endure for decades including You Can’t Take Away the Lord, Moses in the Wilderness, Nothing Really Changes and Sweet Sweet Song of Salvation (which would become a youth group and Young Life favorite).Norman was influenced by Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and Black Gospel Music and it shows here and on every album that would follow.

Moses – Larry Norman

Uploaded on Sep 20, 2007

Larry performs a very old song that he rarely plays. Recorded at Cornerstone 2000.

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