Evangelical Worship on www.thedailyhatch.org

I have been around some great men of God and two of them were Adrian Rogers and Robert G. Lee.
 
Dr Rogers was fond of this quote he got from Robert G. Lee:
 “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, Sin will keep you longer than you want to stay, Sin will cost you more than you want to pay.“
_________________

Pay Day – Someday by Dr. R. G. Lee

Uploaded by on May 22, 2007

Dr. R. G. Lee, 1886-1978, Biography –
http://www.swordofthelord.com/biographies/LeeRG.htm .

____________

I grew up listening to sermons by Adrian Rogers who was the longtime pastor of Bellevue Church in Memphis. In fact, since 1927 only four pastors have led Bellevue and I have had the opportunity to hear all four speak (Robert G. Lee [1927-1960], Ramsey Pollard [1960-1972], Adrian Rogers [1972-2005], Steve Gaines [2005- present]). Above is the complete sermon and below is a portion of the transcript.
 

Dr. Lee originally published the following message in 1926. It is said that he developed it following the suggestion of a deacon at a prayer meeting in 1919 and that he preached it at least once a year at his home church. All total, it is related that he preached the message 1,275 times.

Dr. Robert G. Lee was the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee for thirty-two years. During his lifetime he was a strong leader in the Southern Baptist Convention, known as a preacher’s preacher, and was highly respected among his peers. This sermon has been accepted as a classic by all that have heard and read it, and through its message, the Lord still speaks to mankind. We at Carl Graham Ministries hope you get a blessing from this message written by the prince of preachers.

___________________

Part 1 of transcript:

Payday Someday

“Go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel,

thou shalt speak unto him, sayingin the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.”

(I Kings 21:18,19)

 

“The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.”

 

(I Kings 21:23)

I introduce to you Naboth, a devout Israelite, who lived in the foothill village of Jezreel. From his home on the hillside he could look far down the valley of Esdraelon. He was a good man-a man who “abhorred that which is evil and clave to that which is good.” He would not exchange his heavenly principles for loose expediencies. He would not dilute the stringency of personal righteousness for questionable compromises.

 

Now Naboth had a vineyard surrounding his home. This vineyard, fragrant with blossoms in the days of the budding branch and freighted with fruit in the days of the vintage, was a cherished inheritance of the family. This vineyard was near to the summer palace of Ahab, situated about twenty miles from Samaria.

 

I introduce to you Ahab. Ahab had command of a nation’s wealth and commanded the armies of Israel, but he had no command of his lusts and appetites. Ahab wore rich robes, but had a sinning, wicked, and troubled heart beneath them. Ahab ate the riches food the world could supply, and this food was served him on fine dishes and by servants obedient to his every beck and nod, yet he had a starved soul. Ahab lived in palaces, sumptuous within and without, yet tormented himself for one bit of land more. Ahab was king, with a crown and scepter and a throne, yet he was under the thumb of a wicked woman.

 

Ahab is pilloried in contempt of all right-living, God-fearing men through history as a mean rascal, the curse of his country. The Bible gives us a better and more apt introduction in these words: “There was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up!” (I Kings 21:25)

 

I introduce to you Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, King of Tyre. (I Kings16:31) A woman infinitely more daring and reckless than her husband. A devout worshipper of Baal, she hated any and all who spoke against her false and helpless god. She was as blunt in her wickedness and as brazen in her lewdness, doubtless, as Cleopatra, fair sorceress of the Nile. She had something of the subtle and successful scheming of a Lady Macbeth, something of the genius of a Mary Queen of Scots, something of the beauty of a Marie Antoinette. Much of that which is bad in the worst of women foundexpression through this painted viper of Israel. She had all that fascinating endowment of nature, which a good woman ought always to dedicate to the service of her generation. But, alas, she became the evil genius, which wrought wreck and blight and death.

I introduce to you Elijah, prophet of God. Heir to the infinite riches of God, he! Attended by the hosts of heaven, he! Almost always alone, he, but never lonely, for God was with him. He wore a rough sheepskin cloak, but there was a peaceful, confident heart beneath it. He ate bird’s food and widow’s fare, but was a physical and spiritual athlete. He had no lease of office or authority, yet everyone obeyed him. He grieved only when God’s cause seemed tottering. He passed from earth without dying -into celestial glory. Everywhere where courage is admired and manhood honored and service appreciated he is honored as one of earth’s heroes and one of heaven’s saints. He was “a seer, and saw clearly; a hero, and dared valiantly; a great heart, and felt deeply.” And now with these four persons introduced we want to turn to God’s Word and see the tragedy of payday some day! We will see “the corn they put into the hopper” and then behold “the grist that came out the spout.”

A Real Estate Request

“Give me thy vineyard.”

And it came to pass after these things that Naboth, the Jezreelite, had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, “Give me thy vineyard that I may have it for garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard that it; or, if it seem good unto thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.” (I Kings 21:1-2)

Thus far, Ahab was quite within his rights! Perfectly fair was Ahab in this request, and, under circumstances ordinary, one would have expected Naboth to put away any more sentimental attachment for the pleasure of the king, especially when the king’s aim was not to cheat him or to defraud him.

Ahab had not, however, counted upon the reluctance of all Jews to part with their inheritance of land. By peculiar tenure every Israelite held his land, and to all land-holding transactions there was another party, even God, “who made heavens and earth.”

So, though he was Ahab’s nearest neighbor, Naboth stood firmly on his rights, and with an expression of horror on his face and in his words, refused to sell his vineyard to the king. Feeling that he must prefer the duty he owed to God to any danger that might arise from man, he made firm refusal. Fearing God most and man least, and obeying the one whom he feared the most and loved the most, he said: “The Lord forbid it me that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.” (I Kings 21:3)

True to the religious teachings of his father, with “real-hearted loyalty to the covenant God of Israel” he believed that he held the land in fee simple from God. His father and grandfather had owned the land before him. All the memories of childhood were tangled in its grapevines. His father’s hands, folded now in the dust of death, had used the pruning blade among the branches, and because of this every branch and vine was dear.

His mother’s hands, now doubtless wrapped in dust-stained shroud, had gathered purple clusters from those bunch-laden boughs, and for this reason, he loved every spot in his vineyard and every branch on his vines.

He felt that his little plot of ground, so rich in prayer and fellowship, so sanctified with sweet and holy memories, would be tainted and befouled and cursed forever if it came into the hands of Jezebel. So, with “the courage of a bird that dares the wild sea,” he took his stand against the king’s proposal.

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“Payday Someday” by Robert G. Lee (Part 4 of transcript and video)

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September 14, 2012 – 4:13 am Categories: Adrian Rogers | Post a comment

Evidence can be found in Archaeology that supports the historical accuracy of the Bible and here are some links posted here at www.thedailyhatch.org

The Bible and Archaeology (1/5)

The Bible maintains several characteristics that prove it is from God. One of those is the fact that the Bible is accurate in every one of its details. The field of archaeology brings to light this amazing accuracy.

_________________________-

Many people have questioned the accuracy of the Bible, but I have posted many videos and articles with evidence pointing out that the Bible has many pieces of evidence from archaeology supporting the view that the Bible is historically accurate. Take a look at the video above and below.

The Bible and Archaeology (2/5)

There are some unbelievable stories in the Bible that have evidence backing them up too. Take at the evidence given by John MacArthur concerning the city of Tyre.  At the end of this post I have several links to other posts concerning Biblical Archaeology.

Photo of John MacArthur

Prophecy–The Biblical Prophesy About Tyre.mp4

Uploaded by on Dec 5, 2010

A short summary of the prophecy about Tyre and it’s precise fulfillment. Go to this link and watch the whole series for the amazing fulfillment from secular sources.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvt4mDZUefo

________________

John MacArthur on the amazing fulfilled prophecy on Tyre and how it was fulfilled by historical events.

LESSON

I. BIBLICAL PROPHECY CONCERNING TYRE (Ezekiel 26:1–28:19)

A. The Forecast

1. The specifics

a) That King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon would destroy the mainland city of Tyre (26:7-8).

b) That many nations would rise up against Tyre. These nations would come like waves of the sea, one after another (26:3- 4).

c) That Tyre will be made like a flat rock (26:4, 14).

d) That fisherman will dry their nets there (26:5, 14).

e) That the rubble of the city would be cast into the sea (26:12).

f) That Tyre would never be rebuilt (26:14).

2. The setting

Tyre was a great city. It was one of the largest and most powerful cities of Phoenicia, which is modern day Lebanon.

It was well fortified. A great wall protected the city from land attacks while their world-renowned fleet protected them from attack by sea.

Tyre was a flourishing city during the time when Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. King Hiram, who began his reign during the rule of David, offered David cedars from Tyre to build his palace. He also loaned David his artisans to craft parts of the great palace (1 Chron. 14:1). Hiram also helped Solomon build the Temple by floating cedars down the shoreline to be picked up and hauled to Jerusalem (2 Chron. 2:16). So Tyre was a great city, and both David and Solomon looked to it for aid.

B. The Fulfillment

1. The prophetic call

a) To Nebuchadnezzar

Not long after the prophecy given by Ezekiel, Nebuchadnezzar did exactly what had been predicted–he laid siege against the city in 585 B.C. For thirteen years Nebuchadnezzar cut off the flow of supplies into the city. In 537 B.C. he finally succeeded in breaking the gates down, but found the city almost empty.

During the thirteen-year siege, the people of Tyre moved all their possessions by ship to an island one-half mile offshore. So Nebuchadnezzar gained no plunder (Ezek. 29:17- 20). Although he destroyed the mainland city (Ezek. 26:8), the new city offshore continued to flourish for 250 years. The prophecy of Ezekiel 26:12–“they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water”–remained unfulfilled.

b) To Alexander the Great

At age twenty-two, Alexander the Great came east conquering the known world with an army of between thirty and forty thousand men. Having defeated the Persians under Darius III, Alexander was on the march toward Egypt.

(1) The dilemma

Alexander arrived in the Phoenician territory and demanded that the cities open their gates to him. The citizens of Tyre refused, feeling they were secure on their island with their superior fleet.

(2) The decision

Realizing he did not have a fleet that could match Tyre’s, Alexander decided to build a causeway to the island using the ruins from the mainland city. It was about two hundred feet wide. The prophet said that the city would be thrown into the water, and that’s exactly what happened.

(3) The details

Arrian, a Greek historian, wrote about the overthrow of Tyre and how it was accomplished (The Campaigns of Alexander [New York: Penquin, 1958], pp. 132-43). The fortification of Tyre resembled Alcatraz. The city sat offshore like a rock with walls that came down to the edge of the water. Alexander set out to build the only means to approach the city–a land peninsula. Soldiers started pitching rubble into the water, leveling it off as they went so they could march on it. The water got deeper as they approached the island, and to make their task even more difficult, the people of Tyre bombarded them with missiles.

Werner Keller in The Bible as History tells us that to safeguard the operation, Alexander built mobile shields called “tortoises” (New York: Bantam, 1956], p. 361). Knowing that when they reached the city they would have to scale the walls, Alexander built “Hele-poleis,” which were mobile siege towers 160 foot high. The idea was to roll these structures across the causeway and push them up against the walls. A drawbridge on the front of the towers enabled the soldiers to march across the top of the walls and into the city.

Alexander’s men were under constant attack from people within the city and from the Tyrian navy. Realizing that he needed ships to defend his flanks, Alexander returned to the cities he had conquered and demanded their assistance. That fulfilled the prophecy that God “will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth its waves to come up” (Ezek. 26:3).

(4) The destruction

Alexander’s plan succeeded. Eight thousand people were slain and thirty thousand were sold into slavery. It took Alexander seven months to conquer Tyre. The causeway he built can be seen to this day.

2. The prophetic result

How did Ezekiel know all those things would happen? The only explanation is he expressed the mind of God. Historian Philip Myers said, “Alexander the Great reduced it [Tyre] to ruins (332 B.C.). She recovered in a measure from this blow, but never regained the place she had previously held in the world. The larger part of the site … is now as bare as the top of a rock–a place where the fishermen that still frequent the spot spread their nets to dry” (General History for Colleges and High Schools [Boston: Ginn and Co., 1889], p. 55). That fulfills the prophecies of Ezekiel 26:4-5, 14. The island city was repopulated, later to be destroyed by the Moslems in A.D. 1281. However, God said the mainland city would never be rebuilt–and it never has. Jerusalem has been rebuilt many times but Tyre will never be rebuilt because a prophet in Babylon said twenty-five centuries ago, “Thou shalt be built no more” (Ezek. 26:14).

Prophecy–Alexander The Great Siege of Tyre 6of6.flv

Uploaded by on Dec 5, 2010

This video by secular sources fulfills in amazing detail the prophecies made about Tyre by the Bible centuries in advance. Go here to see the Bible’s prophecies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K24uwdc-ato

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September 14, 2012 – 1:35 am Categories: Biblical Archaeology | Post a comment

Chicago school system is broke

The Machine: The Truth Behind Teachers Unions

Published on Sep 4, 2012 by

America’s public education system is failing. We’re spending more money on education but not getting better results for our children.

That’s because the machine that runs the K-12 education system isn’t designed to produce better schools. It’s designed to produce more money for unions and more donations for politicians.

For decades, teachers’ unions have been among our nation’s largest political donors. As Reason Foundation’s Lisa Snell has noted, the National Education Association (NEA) alone spent $40 million on the 2010 election cycle (source: http://reason.org/news/printer/big-education-and-big-labor-electio). As the country’s largest teachers union, the NEA is only one cog in the infernal machine that robs parents of their tax dollars and students of their futures.

Students, teachers, parents, and hardworking Americans are all victims of this political machine–a system that takes money out of taxpayers’ wallets and gives it to union bosses, who put it in the pockets of politicians.

Our kids deserve better.

“The Machine” is 4:17 minutes.

Written and narrated by Evan Coyne Maloney. Produced by the Moving Picture Institute in partnership with Reason TV.

Visit http://www.MovingPictureInstitute.org to learn more.

________________

Chicago needs the voucher system. The current system is broke.

Chicago, and Why Public School Unions Strike

Posted by Andrew J. Coulson

Source: Chicago Tribune / http://trib.in/RDzuo8

Chicago’s teachers have just walked off the job, and most of the media coverage is quick to point out that this is the city’s first strike in a generation. But is anyone really that surprised by a public school union striking just as kids are supposed to be heading back to class in September? Wouldn’t you be a lot more shocked if you logged on to Amazon.com and were greeted by the message that its site was down due to an employee walkout? Or if you took the kids to the movies to see the latest cartoon extravaganza and found picketing ticket-takers? What is it about public schools—and other government enterprises, for that matter—that have made their unions so much more dominant than those in the private sector? [Two thirds of the public school workforce is unionized compared to about 7 percent in the private sector].

Competitors. Or, rather, the lack of them. Private sector workers can only demand so much from their companies before the demands become self-defeating. Get a pension package that’s too cushy, a salary that’s too far above the market rate, and the employer will have to pass those costs on to customers. And if those higher prices aren’t accompanied by correspondingly better quality, customers will simply go elsewhere—hurting the employees who asked for more than the market would bear.

And there’s the problem with public schooling: there’s no “elsewhere.” If you don’t like the way your local school district is run, there isn’t a competing school district vying to provide your kids with a better education at a lower cost. You’ve got no place else to go, and unions know this. So they can ask for more employees to be hired, better pensions or health benefits, and they can demand that their compensation not depend on their performance. And there’s very little that parents and taxpayers can do about it.

That’s what’s happened in Chicago, where the average teacher’s salary is about $75,000 (almost 50% above the citywide private sector average), public sector retirement benefits are so generous that Illinois owes $203 billion for this purpose that it simply doesn’t have, and the teachers’ union has decided that it will not go along with the district’s plan to make salaries depend partly on classroom performance.

In the absence of real private sector competition and parental choice, public school unions have been able to drive up the system’s costs without needing to show improvement in performance. Sooner or later, Illinois will adopt a system, like education tax credits, that provides real choice and competition, because the current system will ultimately bankrupt the state.

September 13, 2012 – 3:10 pm Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Welfare programs are not the answer for the poor

Government Must Cut Spending

Uploaded by on Dec 2, 2010

The government can cut roughly $343 billion from the federal budget and they can do so immediately.

__________

Liberals argue that the poor need more welfare programs, but I have always argued that these programs enslave the poor to the government.

Food Stamps Growth Has Bipartisan Roots

Posted by Tad DeHaven

Republicans are jumping on the news that participation in the food stamps program hit a new record of 46.7 million individuals in June (about one in seven Americans). In a sluggish economy, an increase in food stamps participation is to be expected. Thus, it’s fair to hold up the increase in food stamps usage as being emblematic of the Obama administration’s failed economic policies. In addition, the president’s 2009 “stimulus” bill increased benefits and eligibility.

What Republicans don’t want to acknowledge is the role they played in expanding the food stamps program before President Obama ever took office. The 2002 farm bill—passed by a Republican-controlled House and signed by Republican President George W. Bush—expanded the food stamps program. As the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page correctly noted yesterday, “The food-stamp boom began with the George W. Bush Republicans, who expanded benefits in the appalling 2002 farm bill.”

The 2008 farm bill further expanded the program. However, on this the Journal lets the GOP off the hook when it says “But the supercharger was a 2008 bill out of the Pelosi Congress that goosed eligibility and rebranded the program as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to reduce the stigma of being on the dole.” Although Bush vetoed that farm bill (he didn’t cite the increase for food stamps in his veto message), congressional Republicans were instrumental in enabling the “Pelosi Congress” to override it. In the House, 99 (out of 195) Republicans joined most Democrats in voting to override the veto. In the Senate, only 12 Republicans voted to sustain Bush’s veto.

One of those Republicans who voted to override Bush’s veto—and who also voted for the 2002 farm bill—is Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama. Sessions, who is the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, has been a chief critic of the growth in food stamps under President Obama. Sessions has been particularly critical of the administration’s efforts to “recruit” new food stamps recipients. For example, a “Community Outreach Partner Toolkit” produced by the USDA in 2011 that suggests throwing a “great party”:

Host social events where people mix and mingle. Make it fun by having activities, games, food, and entertainment, and provide information about SNAP. Putting SNAP information in a game format like BINGO, crossword puzzles, or even a “true/false” quiz is fun and helps get your message across in a memorable way.

It’s probable, however, that the food stamps outreach is being driven by the bureaucrats at the USDA. To Sessions’s credit, he acknowledges as much in a press release on the USDA’s recent cessation of radio ads designed to attract Spanish-speaking individuals to the program. It’s important to note that these “radio novellas” were produced during the Bush administration. Similarly, a partnership with the Mexican government to make Mexican nationals more aware of U.S. welfare programs—including food stamps—was signed by Bush’s agriculture secretary Ann Veneman in 2004.

The Obama administration certainly deserves to be heavily criticized for the growth in government dependency. But attacks from Republicans (e.g., Newt Gingrich calling President Obama the “food stamps president”) have been too disingenuous. Yes, Republicans are now calling for the food stamps program to be cut, but given their culpability in its growth—and the fact that it’s an election year—it’s hard to view their sudden discovery of religion as anything more than standard politics.

Addendum: Here’s Chris Edwards’ recent chart showing the growth in food stamps spending under presidents Bush and Obama:

September 13, 2012 – 2:37 pm Categories: Current Events, spending out of control | Post a comment

Two big SEC games this weekend!!!!

Tennessee lineman Steven Fowlkes stops Georgia State quarterback Ben McLane as he drops back to pass at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess, Knoxville News Sentinel

Tennessee lineman Steven Fowlkes stops Georgia State quarterback Ben McLane as he drops back to pass at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. (AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

______________

I am still sad about losing ESPN Game Day to rival Tennessee Vols because we can’t finish against ULM. With less than 4 minutes left ULM shanks a punt 9 yards and we take over at the ULM 44 yard line and all we have to do is get the ball a few yards down the field and kick a fieldgoal to go up by 10 but instead we give the ball back to them and they end up winning.

It is quite strange to only have 2 SEC conference games the 3rd week of the football season. Last weekend we had several games and the rest of the season will be flooded with games. However, this weekend we only have two. Bama travels to Fayetteville to take on my Hogs and Florida travels to Knoxville, Tennessee to take on the Vols.

I am going with Tennessee to win by 1 with a last second fieldgoal in this game and I think the Hogs will play their best game of the year and the game will be decided on the final possession. This is assuming that Tyler Wilson will be back like I am hearing that he will be. He did practice on Wednesday but has not been cleared to play yet.

One thing is common on both of these series. The home team has gone a long time without winning. The hometown Hogs have not beaten Alabama in several years and the hometown Vols have not beaten Florida since 2004.

Wikipedia reports on the Tennessee Florida results of the past:

Florida victories are colored blue ██. Tennessee victories are colored orange ██. Ties are white

Date Location Winner Score
October 28, 1916 Tampa, FL Tennessee 24–0
October 22, 1921 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 9–0
December 8, 1928 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 13–12
December 6, 1930 Jacksonville, FL Tennessee 13–6
December 3, 1932 Jacksonville, FL Tennessee 32–13
October 28, 1933 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 13–6
October 26, 1940 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 14–0
October 14, 1944 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 40–0
November 15, 1952 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 26–12
November 14, 1953 Gainesville, FL Tennessee 9–7
November 13, 1954 Knoxville, TN Florida 14–0
November 12, 1955 Gainesville, FL Tennessee 20–0
December 27, 1969 Jacksonville, FL Florida 14–13A
October 24, 1970 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 38–7
Date Location Winner Score
October 2, 1971 Gainesville, FL Tennessee 20–13
October 23, 1976 Knoxville, TN Florida 20–18
October 22, 1977 Gainesville, FL Florida 27–17
October 13, 1984 Knoxville, TN Florida 43–30
October 12, 1985 Gainesville, FL Florida 17–10
October 13, 1990 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 45–3
October 12, 1991 Gainesville, FL Florida 35–18
September 19, 1992 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 31–14
September 18, 1993 Gainesville, FL Florida 41–34
September 17, 1994 Knoxville, TN Florida 31–0
September 16, 1995 Gainesville, FL Florida 62–37
September 21, 1996 Knoxville, TN Florida 35–29
September 20, 1997 Gainesville, FL Florida 33–20
September 19, 1998 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 20–17
Date Location Winner Score
September 18, 1999 Gainesville, FL Florida 23–21
September 16, 2000 Knoxville, TN Florida 27–23
December 1, 2001 Gainesville, FL Tennessee 34–32
September 21, 2002 Knoxville, TN Florida 30–13
September 20, 2003 Gainesville, FL Tennessee 24–10
September 18, 2004 Knoxville, TN Tennessee 30–28
September 17, 2005 Gainesville, FL Florida 16–7
September 16, 2006 Knoxville, TN Florida 21–20
September 15, 2007 Gainesville, FL Florida 59–20
September 20, 2008 Knoxville, TN Florida 30–6
September 19, 2009 Gainesville, FL Florida 23–13
September 18, 2010 Knoxville, TN Florida 31–17
September 17, 2011 Gainesville, FL Florida 33–23
September 15, 2012 Knoxville, TN – –

AThe Florida–Tennessee game played on December 27, 1969 was the 1969 Gator Bowl.

Series record sources: 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide,[53]2011 Tennessee Football Media Guide,[54] and College Football Data Warehouse.[55]

Georgia State quarterback Ben McLane runs 12 yards for a touchdown with just under one minute left in the game against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. UT won the home opener 51-13.(AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)<br /><br /><br />

Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess

Georgia State quarterback Ben McLane runs 12 yards for a touchdown with just under one minute left in the game against Tennessee at Neyland Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2012. UT won the home opener 51-13.(AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL)

Here is an article by John Adams on the Tennessee Florida series:

John Adams: The Streak has been one long chomp

John Adams
  • By John Adams
  • govolsxtra.com
  • Posted September 9, 2012 at 6:16 p.m

As soon as Tennessee’s game with Georgia State game ended, The Streak came to mind.

Why wouldn’t it?

The Tennessee-Florida rivalry, which will resume Saturday atNeyland Stadium, has become more of a streak than a series — a seven-game succession of Florida chomps and UT blunders.

Florida was streaking in the 1990s, too, when it beat the Vols five consecutive times (1993-97). But the Gators were dominating the SEC in those days. They’re an also-ran in the East now.

Florida has lost 11 games the previous two seasons. It has lost to Alabama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia in succession. It has lost back-to-back games to South Carolina. It has lost to Mississippi State. It has almost lost to Vanderbilt.

It still hasn’t lost to the Vols since 2004.

Depending on your side of The Streak, different names come to mind. Florida fans remember Tim Tebow converting on fourth-and-short or Brandon James going long. They remember Dustin Doe scooping up a fumble and running for a touchdown or Tony Joiner breaking up an ill-advised fourth-down pass from a freshman punter. They remember Janoris Jenkins intercepting in a crowd and Chris Rainey running free in the secondary.

Florida fans remember who scored. UT fans remember who fumbled.

Doe couldn’t have altered the course of Florida’s 59-20 victory in 2007 if UT running back Arian Foster hadn’t fumbled the ball his way when the Vols were only eight points down in the third quarter.

Britton Colquitt had to choose a pass over a punt before Joiner could become a fourth-down hero in 2005. And some coach had to sign off on kicking or punting the ball in James’ direction (pick any season between 2006 and 2009).

Obscured in those highlights and low-lights is my signature play of The Streak. It occurred in the last minute of the first half in 2008.

The Gators already had a 20-0 lead as UT lined up a yard away from their goal line. A third-down pass was incomplete. A fourth-down pass was intercepted by Jenkins.

Did I mention that the Vols had two downs to make 1 yard? You think someone with play-calling clout might have lobbied for at least one run?

Then again, maybe not. Two things the Vols haven’t done in The Streak: run the ball, or hold onto it as well as the Gators.

The rushing statistics are staggering in The Streak. The Gators rushed for 255 yards in the 2007 game. That’s only 80 yards fewer than the Vols have totaled rushing in the seven lost games. UT had -9 yards rushing against the Gators last season. They had -11 yards in 2006. Only once during what qualifies as the Dark Ages of the series have they rushed for more than 100 yards (117 in 2009).

Nor have the Gators had more turnovers than the Vols in any of the seven games. Florida has thrown just three interceptions in The Streak. UT might have thrown five last season if the Gators hadn’t dropped a handful of opportunities.

The Streak began with a drop.

The Vols were going for a third consecutive victory in the series in 2005 and looked capable of pulling it off at halftime. Then, early in the third quarter of a 7-7 game, Eric Wilbur punted the ball to UT’s Jonathan Hefney. He fumbled the ball back to the Gators, who took the lead on a field goal moments later en route to a 16-7 victory.

The series hasn’t been the same since.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns

Here is the series results between Arkansas and Alabama from Hogville:

Football Series History vs. Alabama

Winning team is bolded and Razorback Red.
 
Date Home Team Away Team Score
2012-09-15 Arkansas Alabama –
Coach: John L Smith Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
2011-09-24 Alabama Arkansas 38 – 14
Coach: Bobby Petrino Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL
 
2010-09-25 Arkansas Alabama 20 – 24
Coach: Bobby Petrino Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
2009-09-26 Alabama Arkansas 35 – 7
Coach: Bobby Petrino Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL
 
2008-09-20 Arkansas Alabama 14 – 49
Coach: Bobby Petrino Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
2007-09-15 Alabama Arkansas 41 – 38
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL – Alabama Forfeited this game
 
2006-09-23 Arkansas Alabama 24 – 23
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
2005-09-24 Alabama Arkansas 24 – 13
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL – Alabama Forfeited this game
 
2004-09-25 Arkansas Alabama 27 – 10
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
2003-09-27 Alabama Arkansas 31 – 34
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL
 
2002-09-28 Arkansas Alabama 12 – 30
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
2001-09-22 Alabama Arkansas 31 – 10
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL
 
2000-09-23 Arkansas Alabama 28 – 21
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
1999-09-25 Alabama Arkansas 35 – 28
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL
 
1998-09-26 Arkansas Alabama 42 – 6
Coach: Houston Nutt Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
1997-09-20 Alabama Arkansas 16 – 17
Coach: Danny Ford Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL
 
1996-09-21 Arkansas Alabama 7 – 17
Coach: Danny Ford Notes: Little Rock-AR
 
1995-09-16 Alabama Arkansas 19 – 20
Coach: Danny Ford Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL
 
1994-09-17 Arkansas Alabama 6 – 13
Coach: Danny Ford Notes: Fayetteville-AR
 
1993-09-18 Alabama Arkansas 43 – 3
Coach: Danny Ford Notes: Tuscaloosa-AL – Alabama Forfeited this game
 
1992-09-19 Arkansas Alabama 11 – 38
Coach: Joe Kines Notes: Little Rock-AR
 
1980-01-01 Alabama Arkansas 24 – 9
Coach: Lou Holtz Notes: New Orleans-LA – Sugar Bowl
 
1962-01-01 Alabama Arkansas 10 – 3
Coach: Frank Broyles Notes: New Orleans-LA – Sugar Bowl
September 13, 2012 – 6:56 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Throwing more money at education has not worked

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

Published on Aug 16, 2012 by

No description available.

___________

Throwing more money at education has not worked.

Obama Must Not Read Our Stuff

Posted by Neal McCluskey

The topic of this weekend’s weekly presidential radio address was education. The message? You guessed it: The federal government needs to “invest” more in education — as do other levels of government — but instead they are making cuts.

At this point I don’t know what more can be said to show how nonexistent is the connection between federal spending and actual education. As we at Cato’s Center for Educational Freedom have pointed out on countless occasions, federal and overall spending on public schooling has skyrocketed for decades as test scores have laid motionless; staffing has ballooned at the same time; Head Start has almost no lasting benefits; and federal higher ed spending largely enables massive price inflation and encourages people to enter college but not finish.

The evidence, frankly, is overwhelming that federal education “investment” is really just flushing precious money down the toilet. Which makes me think that maybe President Obama doesn’t read our stuff. Or maybe he just doesn’t care.

September 13, 2012 – 6:53 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Lane Kiffin a great coach? I doubt it but he will stretch the rules!!!

adam brimer/News Sentinel<br /><br /><br /> Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin reacts to a call during the Vols' 31-16 win over Vanderbilt in 2009.<br /><br /><br />

Photo by Adam Brimer // Buy this photo

adam brimer/News Sentinel Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin reacts to a call during the Vols’ 31-16 win over Vanderbilt in 2009.

I said in an earlier post that Lane Kiffin was silly recently when he talked about how they had overcome so much to earn the #1 ranking in the preseason poll. Sure enough he lost that ranking to Alabama a few days later and I pointed out that Kiffin was successful at only putting off the stiff NCAA recruiting sactions for 2 years and now he will have to reap the consequences in 2014-2015 when his junior and senior classes will be subpar for sure. Of course, these future penalties have not stopped Kiffin for bragging. The only thing I can think of that will do that will be Oregon or possibly a SEC team beat down in the national championship game.

John Robinson sounded pretty confident about USC when he spoke at the Little Rock Touchdown Club earlier this year. I do admit that the SEC can not continue to win the national championship every year. You would think that another team would come along and win it sooner or later.

Now a book has come along and claimed that Kiffin will be a great coach in the future, but he did stretch the rules while at Tennesseee.

Book says Lane Kiffin pushed NCAA envelope in taking on SEC

Anonymous emails to Hamilton questioned Kiffin

John Adams
  • By John Adams
  • govolsxtra.com
  • Posted September 10, 2012 at 4 a.m.

A book devoted to recent SEC national champions still had room for Tennessee football. Fans can thankLane Kiffin for that.

“How the SEC Became Goliath,” is the title of the book, which chronicles the conference’s ascent to preeminence in collegefootball. Former Knoxville sportswriter Ray Glier, who now works as a freelance journalist, features each of the conference’s six consecutive national champions (2006-11).

But he also includes an entire chapter on former UT coach Lane Kiffin’s brief, but determined, attempt to put the Vols back among the league’s elite programs.

“The real hook for me (on Tennessee) was that it’s an incredibly competitive conference, and people will stretch rules to win games,” said Glier, a former executive sports editor of the Knoxville Journal. “I think he’s a great coach. He’s a great play caller. What was going on in the SEC (in 2009) with three consecutive titles made him more ambitious.”

A series of emails from an anonymous UT employee to former athletic directorMike Hamilton reflected how ambitious, Glier said. One of the emails, which Glier obtained, questioned the videotaping of voluntary workouts in the early months of Kiffin’s tenure at UT.

According to the book, the email to Hamilton read: “When the team is working on the defensive end of Haslam Field, someone is set up in the stairwell in Stokely (Ath

letic Center) with a camera. They film from inside the stairwell through a glass window across the street. It just raises the question, ‘If filming these workouts is permissible, why not use some of the towers (on the practice field)? Why hide it?’ ”

Hamilton didn’t respond with an email, Glier said.

Glier quoted another email from an anonymous UT employee to Hamilton: “I hope you budgeted extra money for defending (NCAA) violations.”

The name of whoever sent the emails to Hamilton was redacted, according to Glier.

An NCAA investigation of UT’s football program turned up no major violations — just a number of secondary violations under Kiffin, who took the head-coaching job at Southern California after one year at Tennessee.

“I wanted to show the passion (of SEC football) and what teams go through to win a title,” Glier said. “Also, I think (Kiffin is) a great coach. He was on his way (at Tennessee) but he was taking some short cuts.”

Glier closed his chapter on UT and Kiffin with this: “If not this season, then one season soon, Kiffin will get a chance to show the SEC, after all the rigmarole, that he was not just talk, that he may be the next great coach in college football.”

Glier’s book will go on sale in the next two weeks.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns.

September 13, 2012 – 6:47 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Open letter to President Obama (Part 140)

Milton Friedman – Health Care in a Free Market

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

Dear Mr. President,

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

I believe in freedom and you believe in government control. Take a look at this article below. Milton is so good at addressing these issues.

It Just Ain’t So | Arthur E. Foulkes

Milton Friedman Is to Blame for Unsafe Food?

Krugman’s Cry Understates the Market’s Ability to Provide Food-Quality Assurance

October 2007 • Volume: 57 • Issue: 8

re is a “food safety crisis” in America and Milton Friedman is to blame, Princeton University economist Paul Krugman wrote on the New York Times op-ed page May 21. Friedman is responsible, Krugman wrote, because he legitimized a “sickening ideology” that rejects “even the most compelling” cases for government regulation of business.

Krugman’s “crisis” stems from several recent incidents with tainted food, including E. coli in spinach in 2006, which led to three deaths and several illnesses; salmonella in peanut butter; and melamine in pet food. More recently, food imported from China has caused concern.

He believes the government needs to guarantee food safety because market forces alone cannot. His case, however, both understates the ability of the market to provide food-quality assurance and disregards or ignores important arguments against relying on the government for this purpose.

Krugman writes that “the economic case” for government food-safety regulation is “overwhelming” because people buying food know much less about its quality than sellers do. This is the “asymmetric information” argument common in market-failure literature.

Yet asymmetric information problems are not unusual. For example, when I am hired, I know more about my work habits than the person doing the hiring. When I purchase auto insurance, I know more about my driving skills than the insurer. When I buy a lamp, I know far less about its quality than the manufacturer. Yet despite all this, somehow we engage in mutually beneficial exchanges every day.

Indeed, the existence of asymmetric information creates a market for assurance services that entrepreneurs quickly fill. Examples of private means of assurance range from neighborhood gossip to trusted brand names to Underwriters Laboratories to Consumer Reports. Brand names provide an informal means of quality assurance that companies and consumers are willing to pay for. Likewise, middlemen, such as department or grocery stores, also provide a reputation-conscious source of quality assurance that both consumers and producers are willing to pay for.

Food may be potentially more dangerous than many other goods, but this fact only adds to the incentives for private assurance. Indeed, a downside to using the government for food-quality assurance, such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is that it makes consumers less conscious of food safety in general. Furthermore, the existence of the FDA “crowds out” private (and more creative) assurance providers that would certainly emerge in its absence.

Krugman worries about Americans buying so much food from abroad, pointing out darkly that FDA inspectors check only a tiny percentage of the imports. This leaves the American consumer “dependent on the quality of foreign food-safety enforcement,” he writes.

Yet government food inspectors are not really the only source of quality assurance for imported food. Even though Krugman dismisses this point in his piece, sellers of imported food really do have an important incentive to avoid making their customers sick.

“The food industry bristles at the notion that a greater diversity of foreign ingredient suppliers could increase risks for consumers,” the New York Times reported on June 16. “Executives at food companies say that they willingly bear the burden of ensuring the safety of their suppliers’ plants and products.” The same article quotes an executive at Sara Lee saying, “[Food safety is] on us. We can’t sit around and wait for government to iron these things out.”

Of course, it is always possible for bad food to reach consumers. There will always be accidents and negligence in any human endeavor. Nevertheless, to dismiss the fact that companies have an incentive not to harm their consumers and imply that only government officials can do this, as Krugman does, is to leave out an important part of the food-safety picture.

Krugman also writes that corporations are at fault in the food crisis, citing salmonella contamination in ConAgra peanut butter that came to light in 2005. Krugman also notes that ConAgra officials, during a surprise two-day FDA inspection prompted by an anonymous tip about the contamination, refused to hand over company documents without a written request from the FDA.

While this certainly shows corporations can have food-safety problems, it may not be a persuasive case of corporate irresponsibility. ConAgra detected the salmonella during its own routine inspections and, a spokeswoman told me, none of the contaminated peanut butter ever left the company’s control or reached consumers.

As for why ConAgra refused to hand over documents without a written request, the spokeswoman said it wanted to be sure it handed over all the requested information and to keep any of its “proprietary information” from becoming part of the public record.

Some people will see something sinister in anything a corporation does, but in this case at least, the company seems to have responded effectively to the problem and acted reasonably when dealing with a surprise government inspection.

Industry Wants Regulation

Krugman also blames the Bush administration for the food crisis because it refuses to regulate private industries even when they ask for it. He quotes the president of a food-industry group calling for stronger government regulations.

Yet it is not unusual for business people to seek government regulations, nor does this demonstrate that the sought regulations are in the public’s interest. Often business people want regulations to cripple competitors or restore public confidence at taxpayer expense. The Meat Inspection Acts of 1891 and 1906 provide good examples.

Refrigeration changed the meatpacking industry dramatically in the late 1800s, allowing large centralized packers in Chicago to offer meat in greater quantities and at lower costs than before. Threatened by the new competition, smaller local slaughterhouses began to claim the Chicago packers were unsanitary. Demand for meat fell (along with prices)—leading the industry to ask for federal regulations to restore public confidence. (See E.C. Pasour, Jr., “We Can Do Better than Government Inspection of Meat,” The Freeman, May 1998.) The result was the Meat Inspection Act of 1891.

A similar situation led to passage of the Meat Inspection Act of 1906 as well. As Lawrence Reed has written, big meatpackers “got the taxpayers to pick up the entire $3 million price tag for [the Meat Inspection Act’s] implementation.” They also got new regulations placed on their smaller competitors. (“Of Meat and Myth,” The Freeman, November 1994.)

Finally, Krugman’s essay overlooks an important economic argument against the FDA itself. Economists have long understood that because of the perverse incentives its employees face, the agency weighs decisions heavily on the side of caution. As a result, it has often kept lifesaving drugs and products off the market at the cost of many thousands of lives.

______________

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

Sincerely,

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

September 13, 2012 – 6:27 am Categories: Milton Friedman, President Obama | Post a comment

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

Sadly Senator Pryor has voted against the Balanced Budget Amendment over and over in his long time in the Senate. Senator Pryor: “There are a lot of people who think a balanced-budget amendment solves all the fiscal problems. I completely disagree.” (Peter Urban, Pryor Tilts Balanced Budget, Southwest Times Record, 11/17/11)

Dear Senator Pryor,

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

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

Congressman Walsh Introduces Balanced Budget Amendment

04/07/11

 Washington, D.C. –  As part of his ongoing effort to restore fiscal responsibility in Washington, Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) today introduced H.J.Res.54, a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution that provides a framework for putting our country on a path economic stability. This amendment is the House-companion to the Senate amendment that all 47 Republicans unanimously introduced last week, which would require the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress prior to each fiscal year.

“The federal government cannot continue to burden our children with this crushing deficit,” said Congressman Walsh. “American families have been working through a recession for the past three years by spending less and saving more, yet the federal government continues to spend money it simply does not have. Congress has neglected the real root cause and continues to be part of the problem, not part of the solution.”

“This amendment is the solution. If the average American family has to find a way to balance their checkbook each year and live within their means, there is no reason that the federal government can’t do the same.”    

“It was important to me that my first piece of legislation as a United States Congressman serves the American people by easing the burden of the government in their daily lives.A key provision to this amendment is to ensure that the budget is not balanced on the backs of hard working Americans, and thus H.J.Res.54 would require a 2/3 super-majority in both Houses for any tax increase.”

“Most importantly, this amendment shows families and businesses across America that Congress is serious about stabilizing our economy long-term. It’s time to bring our country out of the red.”

The Balanced Budget Amendment resolution features the following key provisions:

  • Presidential requirement to submit a balanced budget and Congressional requirement to pass a balanced budget;
  • Federal spending cap that Congress must limit outlays to no more than 18 percent of GDP, in line with the historical average of revenues over the last 40 years (this year, the federal government is projected to spend close to 25% of GDP);
  • Prohibits the courts from ordering revenue increases.
September 13, 2012 – 6:22 am Categories: spending out of control | Post a comment

“THIRSTY THURSDAY” open letters to Senator Pryor displayed here on the www.thedailyhatch.org

For almost a year now I have been writing an open letter to Senator Mark Pryor every week in what I call “Thirsty Thursday” because the government is always thirsty for more of our money and the only way to stop it is to pass the BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT!!!!! I have electronically sent all of these letters to him before I post them on the blog. Below are some of the links. Check them out:

Dear Senator Pryor,

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

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

In this paper below you will read:

America cannot raise taxes to continue overspending, because tax hikes shrink our economy and grow our government. America cannot borrow more to continue overspending, because borrowing puts an enormous financial burden on the American children of tomorrow. A BBA will help address this long-term problem because, after the multi-year process for securing ratification of the BBA by three-quarters of the states, the BBA will keep federal spending under control in subsequent years.

Washington has not been able to cut spending so the BBA is needed to force Washington to do the right thing. Your father David Pryor was the governor of Arkansas and he knew what it meant to have a balanced budget by mandate.

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

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

Balanced Budget Amendment: Cut Spending Later, Cut Spending Now

March 31, 2011

 

Two key principles should govern congressional consideration of an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that requires the federal government to balance its budget:

  • First Principle: A Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) is important to help bring long-term fiscal responsibility to America’s future when the BBA takes effect after ratification by three-quarters of the state legislatures; it is equally important for Congress to cut spending nowto address the current overspending crisis.
  • Second Principle: An effective BBA will include three elements to: (a) control spending, taxation, and borrowing, (b) ensure the defense of America, and (c) enforce the requirement to balance the budget.

Cuts for the Future, Cuts for the Present

Federal spending is out of control—both obligations for the future and spending right now.

Congress must get spending under control in the long term. America cannot raise taxes to continue overspending, because tax hikes shrink our economy and grow our government. America cannot borrow more to continue overspending, because borrowing puts an enormous financial burden on the American children of tomorrow. A BBA will help address this long-term problem because, after the multi-year process for securing ratification of the BBA by three-quarters of the states, the BBA will keep federal spending under control in subsequent years.

Congress also must get spending under control in the short term. Federal overspending is not simply about the future, but also about the present. Under the President’s Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Submission, measured by the Congressional Budget Office, the federal government will spend $1.2 trillion more than it will take in, a gargantuan burden of additional debt forced on future generations to pay current bills.

Thus, America needs both a Balanced Budget Amendment for the long term and deep cuts in federal spending starting right now, without waiting for a BBA to take effect. As Congress considers budget resolutions, appropriations bills, appropriations continuing resolutions, and debt limit bills, Congress should take every opportunity now to cut federal spending, including for the biggest overspending problem: the ever-growing entitlement programs.

Congress should recognize that the best way to encourage state legislatures to ratify a BBA is to demonstrate, through consistent congressional cuts in spending, that the American people have the will to accept spending cuts to balance the budget.

Elements of a Successful Balanced Budget Amendment

A successful BBA will:

  • Control spending, taxing, and borrowing through a requirement to balance the budget.The BBA should cap annual spending at a level not exceeding either: (a) a specified percentage of the value of goods and services the economy produces in a year (known as gross domestic product, or GDP), or (b) the level of revenues. To ensure that Congress cannot simply balance the budget by continually raising taxes instead of cutting overspending, the BBA should require Congress to act by supermajority votes if Members wish to raise taxes. Any authority the BBA grants Congress to deal with economic slowdowns, by waiving temporarily the requirement that spending not exceed the GDP percentage or revenue level, should specify the amount of above-revenue spending allowed and require supermajority votes.
  • Defend America. The BBA should allow Congress by supermajority votes to waive temporarily compliance with the balanced budget requirement when waiver is essential to pay for the defense of Americans from attack.
  • Enforce the balanced budget requirement. The BBA should provide for its own enforcement, but must specifically exclude courts from any enforcement of the BBA, so unelected judges do not make policy decisions such as determining the appropriate level of funding for federal programs. A government that spends money in excess of its revenues must borrow to cover the difference. Therefore, to enforce the requirement to balance the budget, the BBA should prohibit government issuance of debt, except when necessary to finance a temporary deficit resulting from congressional supermajority votes discussed above.

America is in a fiscal crisis. Our government spends too much. Overspending must stop immediately. Overspending will stop only if Congress cuts spending now, including with respect to the ever-expanding entitlement programs. For the future, Congress and three-quarters of state legislatures can adopt and ratify a Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to anchor the American willingness to live within a balanced budget.

David S. Addington is Vice President for Domestic and Economic Policy, and J. D. Foster, Ph.D., is Norman B. Ture Senior Fellow in the Economics of Fiscal Policy, at The Heritage Foundation.

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, […]

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, […]

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 www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, I did […]

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 www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, I did […]

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 www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, I did […]

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 www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, I did […]

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 www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, I did […]

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 www.HaltingArkansasLiberalswithTruth.com I took you at your word and sent you over 100 emails with specific spending cut ideas. However, I did […]

September 13, 2012 – 1:48 am Categories: spending out of control | Post a comment