Today is a sad day indeed.  The following linked article once again reveals the dilemma between some people feeling that free speech is protected by the First Amendment, while others would disagree.  I will post some interesting quotes from the article so you can decide which group is right.

A former “Teacher of the Year”…has been suspended and could lose his job after he voiced his objection to traditional marriage on his personal Facebook page.

(He) was removed from his teaching duties this week as school officials…investigate allegations that what he posted was biased towards heterosexuals.

…he was stunned by the accusations. “It was my own personal comment on my own personal time on my own personal computer in my own personal house, exercising what I believed as a social studies teacher to be my First Amendment rights”.

(His) attorney strongly disagreed and accused the school system of violating his First Amendment rights.

“The school district is being anti-gay, anti-First Amendment and anti-personal liberty,” said (his attorney). “The idea that public servants have to whole-heartedly endorse heterosexual marriage is repugnant to the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

“There is an intimidation factor if you…make a statement against it… you are a bigot…you’re intolerant,” he said. “We should have the right to express our opinions and talk about things.”

Oh, I need to clarify one thing: I changed some of the words in the above quotes!

I guess you will have to read the article in order to see which words I changed (if you haven’t already guess)!

“Illustrating absurd to expose the absurdity”

As if raising the debt ceiling as much as $2,400,000,000,000 wasn’t enough, this administration saw it necessary to raise that ‘new’ debt ceiling over $242,000,000,000 (about 10%) in four short days!  Here is a telling quote from the article:

At the start of business on Tuesday, Aug. 2, according to the Daily Treasury Statement, the national debt subject to the legal limit was $14.293975 trillion. Obama signed legislation that day lifting the limit by as much as $2.4 trillion—with an initial and immediate increase in the limit of $400 billion. By the close of business on Friday, Aug. 5, according to the Daily Treasury Statement, the national debt subject to the limit had grown to $14.536130 trillion.

And, if that isn’t enough to get you scratching your head and wanting to read the entire article, check out this quote:

…the $242.155 billion in 2011 dollars that the Obama administration increased the debt between last Tuesday and last Friday is more in inflation-adjusted terms than the combined debt increases of the Truman and Eisenhower administrations in the ten-year period from the end of fiscal 1950 to the end of fiscal 1960.

At this rate, we will quickly exceed the ‘new’ debt ceiling.  No wonder we received a credit rating downgrade!

Oh, by the way: we lost another 500 points in the stock market today.

Sigh…..

Today, we continue exposing the finger pointing as our economy suffers.  Sadly, this time it is coming from our President.  Reminiscent of the days of Nero.  While Rome burned, Nero fiddled.  Please Mr. President, do us one of two things:

Either lead or get the hell out of the way…..

Sadly, it is becoming all too clear that he is genuinely “fundamentally transforming the United States of America” in ways many of us suspected all along.  That being the case, he must be simply bursting at the seams to want to hang up his own “Mission Accomplished” banner……

May God not only forgive us for voting with our hearts instead of our heads, but may He fundamentally transform this great nation back to Him.

A thumbnail timeline leading up to today’s posting includes a debt ceiling being raised and, the very next day, the government ‘borrows’ $239, 000,000,000.  The day after that the stock market drops over 500 points.  By the end of the week, the stock market has lost 700 points.  Then, S & P downgrades America’s credit rating from AAA to AA+ with a negative watch.

Then the finger pointing begins!

John Kerry and David Axlerod blame the Tea Party.

Barney Frank blames the military.

China blames America.

Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, floated another talking point over the weekend, blaming the downgrade on the “Roadblock Republicans”.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/08/dems-use-downgrade-to-amplify-anti-tea-party-charges/#ixzz1USorRMkZ

In the meantime, the stock market loses another 300 points (as of 9 am PDT) * and S & P downgrades mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

But, who is really at fault here?

Could it be that we have simply spent our way into a corner with no way out other than to print more dollars as Alan Greenspan advocates?

Regardless, as I have been advocating, no matter who is to blame, the answer is not found in going further into debt!  Now more than ever we need to curb needless spending, pay down existing debt where possible, and prepare for the coming economic tsunami.

UPDATE:

Obama has given a speech this morning addressing the current downgrade issue.  The impact on the stock market is as follows:

* As of 10:30 am it is now down 400 points.

* As of 11:30 am it is now down 550 points.

* As of 1:00 pm it is down at closing 635 points!

So much for the power of words of encouragement from our President!

Reading an article today, I came across this paragraph:

Investors are worried about debt not only because countries and many people are overwhelmed by it. Debt is what financed economic growth for decades. Now countries and people are cutting back on debt — deleveraging is what economists call that process — and that means economic growth in the future will be slower. Economists had widely expected the U.S. economy to pick up in the second half of the year after its soft patch in the spring. But the stock market, which looks six to nine months ahead, doesn’t see an improvement until well into 2012.

Now, what made this really interesting:

Some time ago I posted a link that revealed that the Vice President made it clear that, in order to avoid bankruptcy, we needed to spend more money.  At that time I thought it ludicrous.  However, after reading this article (and the above-mentioned paragraph) I can see in a twisted sort of way what I believe ol’ Joe was trying to say.

The fact is, anywhere from 60% to 70% of the economy is consumer driven.  That being the case, to see a marked decrease in spending due to people paying down debt (which is exactly the opposite of what the government is currently doing) there is the very real likelihood that it could further hinder an economic recovery.

Regardless, getting out of debt is a far wiser thing to do, especially if not spending money to support the economy is going to accelerate the pending financial crisis anyway.  Reason being:

The whole economic dilemma has to come crashing down sooner or later, and it is my contention that those who are as debt free as they can be when that tsunami hits will be better positioned to weather the storm.  Thus, they will be the ones in the position to rebuild the economy on the firm foundation of having learned to live within their means instead of ‘buying’ into the philosophy of having it now and paying for it later.

Which was the cause of the economic calamity in the first place.

Here is a link to an amazing speech given by Marco Rubio.  It is well worth the nine plus minutes.  The one thing that jumped out at me is this:

The government currently spends $300,000,000,000 EACH MONTH and only takes in $180,000,000,000.  That means they are borrowing $120,000,000,000 EACH MONTH to make up the difference.  Obviously, they are not borrowing it from me and you.  Nope.  They are borrowing it from other nations.  Nations that don’t like us all that much.  And if those nations ever say ENOUGH, what then?

This goes right in line with my continued drum beat to GET OUT OF DEBT if you are going to survive the coming tsunami that is even now lapping at our shoreline.  You might as well do it because the government isn’t.  And that is going to pose a huge problem in a few short years from now when they default on handing out any more candy to their constituents in the form of entitlements (read Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps, housing, etc.)

All I can add is:

Too bad Mr. Rubio isn’t eligible to one day run for President.  Although, even that is up for debate if the current occupant made it there regardless of where his citizenship originated…

In reference to the title of today’s posting, there is also a biblical phrase that goes something like this:

Sow bountifully, reap bountifully; sow sparingly, reap sparingly.

Now, you might think I am referring to a garden, but I am not.  I am actually referring to relationships.

That is to say:

If an individual wonders why things are the way they are in their life, would it be of any benefit to look at their own life to see if the reason their life is the way it is could be due to how they lived their life?

Another way of saying this by example, using relationships as a sort of garden:

If you find yourself all alone in your final years on planet Earth, could it be that this is due to how you ‘planted’ your life when you were fully independent, reliant on no one?

Dialing this example down even further:

If you sometimes find yourself wondering why family never visits, could it be a result of you having never visited family (unless of course you count all the times that family visited you)?

Recently, I had opportunity to visit a rehabilitation center that also cares for the elderly, including dementia patients, along with those who are just plain alone with no where else to go.  As I was leaving, I passed by the dining room.  Looking in, my heart ached for the many elderly that were assembled there, sitting in their wheelchairs, shoulders slumped, eating whatever food was placed in front of them.

There didn’t appear to be a smile to be had among them.

Of the many misfortunes that had found each of them at this juncture of their life, simply waiting for God or the Grim Reaper to take them from this mortal plain to where only each of them knew, I wondered if some of them had met their end due to sowing sparingly in their lives, thus fulfilling the title of this post (and the biblical result) of reaping sparingly.

I also wondered:

If this was the case, how many of them (if they were able to at all) are now full of regret?  Or, is it possible that some would rather entertain anger or resentment or even selfishly resent those they had ignored while in the prime of their lives because, now that they ‘needed’ them, they were selfishly living their own lives apart from the one now in need of their attention.

Thus came another thought:

Is it possible that, even though the one now bound to a wheelchair once lived their lives how they chose, they have actually passed that way of living life onto their descendants?  And, as result, is it possible that they should remind themselves that this is exactly how they raised their children, and therefore not expect the outcome to be any different?

You see, it is my contention that life is sort of like a garden.

When planting a garden, it is common knowledge that you don’t simply take seed and scatter it on the ground, expecting to then reap a harvest.  You must first prepare the soil, taking out all the weeds and rocks, tilling it and fertilizing it.  Then, you need to carefully choose what types of seed grow best dependent on weather conditions and the time of the year.  After this, you must plant the seed according to the directions, making sure that they are planted deep enough, close enough, and often enough to ensure a good crop.

Now that you have done all this, you must water and fertilize as needed, along with continuing to pull the weeds, shoo away the birds, and treat the soil to kill any plant eating bugs.

If this is all done, the likelihood that you will reap bountifully is all but guaranteed.  However, if you don’t follow through with every detail from start to finish, you could find that your efforts were in vain.

So it is when cultivating relationships.

It is not enough to simply expect that which you have sown (children) will one day bring forth a harvest.

You must continue to cultivate, protect, water, fertilize, etc., in order to provide a maximum potential of reaping a relationship when harvest time comes.  And, in this case, harvest time is that time of one’s life when nourishment is needed in the form of family helping family.

So, if you instead choose to buy all of your vegetables at the store (that is, to say, you would rather cultivate your relationships from those not of your own garden) instead of growing your own garden per the instructions already given, it is likely that you will need to continue shopping at the store instead of reaping from your own garden (children) in your latter days!

And, if that is what you choose, what goes around comes around…..

I haven’t posted anything for nearly a month.  Mainly because, in the face of what I believe to be impending financial armageddon, my wife and I have been frantically rearranging our remaining debt to take advantage of historically low interest rates.  The goal is to minimize our monthly financial obligations should that debt ceiling collapse upon our heads because those low interest rates equate lower monthly payments.  We are also taking what extra money we earn each month and paying down (and hopefully off) our remaining debt, realizing that a house payment could be all that we are left with once the Great Economic Crash occurs.  At least we will then be able to safely manage that!

It is my contention that, by avoiding any further unecessary debt, along with paying cash as much as possible, once the tsunami hits (most likely within the next two or three years), we will be able to absorb those soon to come hyper-inflated prices.  In addition, once the bottom is reached, we will be better positioned to take advantage of smokin’ hot deals because we believe our earnings from working hard now will at that time need to have tax shelters to invest in.  It is likely we will find ourselves positioned similar to those who saw the financial writing on the wall early into the 1930′s, commonly known as the Great Depression, and refused to believe the propaganda released by the government that all was well.  As a result, they were able to take advantage of low, low prices (and not just at Wal-Mart!).

It is still my conviction that, based upon the staggering amounts of money the current administration is throwing at the financial dilemma we find ourselves in (especially with nothing but ‘hope and change’ to back it up), a huge payment to the piper is bound to come due in the form of another Great Depression, only on a much grander scale than the last one.

Saying all that, here is a video from Steven Crowder that once again hits the nail squarely on the head when addressing the madness that our leaders in Washington D.C. on both sides of the aisle are embracing in a vain attempt to stave off the inevitable.  As more and more citizens dwelling in fly-over country are beginning to see, both Republicans and Democrats are more interested in covering up the truth in order to save their elected jobs than to turn this ship called America around and thus avoid hitting the proverbial iceberg that will most assuredly sink us.

Sadly, we may have entered a period of unsustainable debt that will only make that inevitability much more likely…..

Apparently, even though many today would not realize it (most likely because many today don’t take the time to read their history), persecuting the nation of Israel is not some new thing.  Consider the following biblical quote, taken from the book of Nehemiah, written approximately 2,400 years ago:

“But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.” (Nehemiah 4:1)

Now, consider this entry from Days Of Praise in light of today’s effort by the world at large and even the current administration in this country’s attempt to once again demonize Israel:

The art of mocking God and His people has changed little through the ages. The pagan enemies that surrounded the Jews as they were trying to rebuild Jerusalem 400 years before Christ, tried various means to defeat them–essentially the same devices used by God’s enemies today.

They tried political and sociological means, after their efforts at infiltration failed, but these also failed (see Ezra 5:6, 17; 6:6-7; 9:1; 10:11-12). Then, when Nehemiah actually began work on the city’s wall, they tried discouragement by ridicule (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:1-3), by threat of violence (4:7-8), and by attempted treachery (6:2).

Likewise, the enemies of God’s Word and God’s plan today are trying all these devices in a modern format. They use political means (such as the ACLU), compromising infiltration (liberal teachers in once-sound Christian schools), and even persecution (as in communist countries).

The strategy of “mocking” is often especially effective against Christians in education, science, or other professional fields. Such people place a high premium on peer recognition, and thus are sensitive to snide remarks about the Bible. Thus when, in the words of 2 Peter 3:4, latter-day scoffers come saying: “Where is the promise of his coming? . . . all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (which is essentially a denial of God and creation), there is great pressure to tacitly agree with the scoffers, and many Christians will seek some compromise.

But Nehemiah did not compromise, and neither should we. The Bible says that those who ridicule God’s Word are “willingly ignorant” (2 Peter 3:5), and there is no need to pander to willful ignorance of God’s invulnerable truth.

-Henry M. Morris

So, as you can see, what Solomon wrote oh so long ago in the book of Solomon still holds true (sadly) today: There is nothing new under the sun!

“When the boughs thereof are withered, they shall be broken off: the women come, and set them on fire: for it is a people of no understanding: therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them will shew them no favor.” (Isaiah 27:11)

Like a mighty tree towering over the forest, God raises up a mighty nation from time to time, with a great leader, to accomplish some purpose in the divine plan. He “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26).

But when that nation and its leaders become proud, and its people become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, it becomes like a tree whose branches wither and whose core becomes riddled with insect-caused decay. Finally, the boughs break, the kingdom will fall, and down will come that nation, its leaders and all!

That happened even to God’s chosen nation, Israel, though only for a time in her case, since God’s promises cannot fail. One after another, the mighty nations that God used to chastise His wayward people–Egypt, Assyria, Babylonia, Rome, etc.–have in turn been judged for their own rebellion against the God who “made them” and “formed them.” God has warned that “the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).

Is that about to happen to our beloved USA as well? The signs of self-seeking power and pride among our leaders and moral decay and spiritual rebellion among our people are widespread and growing worse. Our prayer should be that of the ancient prophet. “O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years, . . . in wrath remember mercy” (Habakkuk 3:2). “Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psalm 85:6).

-Henry M. Morris

Along with desiring to become debt free, thus  fulfilling the biblical mandate found in Romans 12 to “owe no man anything but to love one another”, I also am completely enraptured with reading through the Bible in a year.

This morning, my wife and I read out of 2 Kings 22, where Josiah became king.  Ten years into his reign, Hilkiah the high priest brought back a discovery: the writings that contained the Mosaic Law.  Long ago lost and forgotten, king Josiah was captivated by the words read to him and began a convicted purging of the nation from all false idol worship, including those who had served other gods.

The intent was to again find God’s people under His protection, provision, and general blessing.

The point that jumped out at me regarding this incredible move of God on the heart of Josiah was this:

How many who name the name of Christ have forsaken His Word today, trusting instead that those behind the pulpit are sufficient to invoke God’s blessing on them?!  And, as a result, how many have knowingly or unknowingly mingled God’s will for their lives with the world?

Is it possible that, just like the people of Josiah’s day, we have forsaken God’s Word in favor of life’s everyday demands?  And, if this is true, is it not surprising that we are seeking “God and…”?

If this is the case, would it not be wise to return to His Word on a daily basis to once again plant in our hearts the engrafted word that is not only able to save our souls and find us one day absent from the body and present with the Lord, but to also direct our steps in the here and now by once again trusting in Him alone and forsaking all other gods, that we might find ourselves as Josiah did casting down all other gods in favor of the One Who can truly save?

I’m just sayin…..

It has come to my attention that I have posted absolutely NOTHING for the past two weeks.

There is a very good reason for this:

I am taking my own advice and working hard with my wife to build her business in order to secure a financial income that will both allow us to get out of debt and have sufficient funds to be a help to others.

The fact is, the financial storm is still on the horizon, closer than ever.

So, my advice to you remains the same:

The government holds no hope for the financial future of this nation.  Their only answer is to print trillions of dollars, give it to those deemed too big to fail, and tax the real job creators, all in the name of spreading the wealth around.

Actually, it is all in the name of class envy!  Regardless:

It will be up to you the reader to pick yourself up by your own bootstraps and prepare for the coming storm.

You will need to cut up those credit cards, pay down your debts, and stock up on some food and water.

This is not from someone who is a survivalist.  This is from someone who desires to survive…..

My hope and prayer is that you feel the same.  In fact, it is my contention that this is the only true way in which this nation will survive.  It is what has and will continue to make America the greatest nation on the planet.

Despite all of the latest main stream media hoopla surrounding the release of Sarah Palin’s emails when Governor of Alaska, nothing came of it!  No salacious tidbits of hate speech or semi-nude twitter pics in the bunch!  To sum it up, even Jon Stewart saw it necessary to devote six plus minutes of his program to essentially throw his own under the bus.

http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=80050

Proof positive that Sarah truly is a good, law-abiding, clinging to her God and guns, successful Momma grizzly.  In fact, she is exactly what every feminist should trumpet as a shining example of their species finally breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling.

But, that would mean they would have to admit it…

And, you know that ain’t gonna happen!

Three part video exploring the financial quagmire this country now faces and what the leaders in government are (or are not) doing about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyIN4FkN2RA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcPxtEVsY1E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DubaKpgIpuc

This is well worth your time, especially when time is money!

From iowntheoworld comes this interesting link:

http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=79901

And, keep in mind that the following figures are nearly three years old!

Wal-Mart vs. The Morons

1. Americans spend $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart
Every hour of every day.

2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.

4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people, is the world’s largest private employer, and most speak English.

6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the world.

7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger and Safeway combined, and keep in mind they did this in only fifteen years.

8. During this same period, 31 big supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.

9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had five years ago.

11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at Wal-Mart stores. (Earth’s population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within fifteen miles of a Wal-Mart.

You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the economy..

This should be read and understood by all Americans, Democrats, Republicans, EVERYONE!!

To the President and all 535 voting members of the Legislature,

It is now official you are ALL corrupt morons:

A. The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.

B. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.

C. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.

D. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to “the poor” and they only want more.

E.  Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.

F. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.

G.  The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

You have FAILED in every “government service” you have shoved down our throats while overspending our tax dollars.

AND  YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM???

As you know, it is my desire to see as many as possible prepare for the coming economic storm by getting their financial affairs in order, including paying down as much debt as possible.  There are numerous signs and stats that prove out my belief that things are going to get a whole lot worse, in spite of the trillions of dollars being dumped into the economy by this current administration, all in the name of being “too big to fail”.

This being the case, I often have to wade into the political swamp in order to prove my point.  Today’s posting is one such case in point to help anyone taking the time to read this blog to hopefully wake up to the truth that ‘happy days’ is nothing more than a TV show from the ’70′s.

In the face of the fact that the truth may be a hard thing to swallow, many still cling to an old saying:

“My mind’s made up; don’t confuse me with the facts!”

More accurately, another saying comes to mind whenever someone attempts to skewer the statistics right in front of them:

“Figures never lie, but liars always figure”.

This sadly being the case, here is a two minute video that reveals just how entrenched the current administration’s mindset that ‘everything is getting better’ has become.  It is also worth noting that the interviewer (who is no friend of the previous president) is even hitting back hard when it comes to the facts!

In fact, the offering up in this video of how bad things were before Obama took office is proof that, if all else fails:

BLAME BUSH!

Which brings me to a final quote:

“Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.”

As is all too often the case, whenever someone in the spotlight makes a gaffe, depending on their political persuasion, it is either trumpeted from the housetops or shoved into a locked vault.

Those in the media often take the side of the liberal pontificator while exposing for all it’s worth the conservative’s faux pax.

Lest we forget, here is a five minute video perusing the current White House occupant’s major misspeaks.

And, may we remind ourselves: no one is perfect!

All Aboard!!

http://patdollard.com/2011/06/the-herman-cain-music-video/

As is all too often the case, whenever a conservative makes a statement that doesn’t jive with the liberal left, they are viciously attacked (does anyone remember Dan Quayle’s potato?).  This has been the case with something Sarah Palin said last week.

She spoke regarding the famous ride of Paul Revere, offering that he not only warned that the British were coming, but also warned the British that the Americans were coming!

Upon taking this position, the main stream media went wild!  They ruthlessly skewered her, making fun of her inability to accurately quote history.  The consensus was that this proved she was unfit to hold the highest office in the land.

However, it appears that she was right!

You can read about it here and here.

In addition, lest we forget, check out this link to the many errors spoken by our current batch of leaders in the White House.  I link this only because you won’t hear the MSM trumpet these as evidence that they don’t qualify to be where they currently are.

Double standard?

You betcha!

Here is the link to his web site that will tell you all you need to know about the next President of the United States of America.