Me-ology

What is meology? It is the study of me and everything that I am entitled to have. In its legal setting, meology tries to figure out how the law should be applied to others whilst I receive a pass. In its religious connotation, it refers to the efforts to conform God to my vision of what he should be. It pervades every aspect of our entitlement culture and has its greatest following in the Millennium Generation. Argumentation for meology usually concerns some form of fairness...of course it is unfair if my definition of fairness is not applied to the argument.

For this post, let us look at defining God in my image. How can I do that? It is simple. The Postmodern mindset has the reader being the chief translator of the message being conveyed and for our purposes, that means the Bible. So, If I don't like certain passages of the Bible, I can take a wink and a nod at the page and try to find something that is, let us say, more appealing to my sensibilities.

The popular Jesus is the soft and fluffy Jesus. We don't like judgment, so we conveniently leave out Jesus condemning sin (and people!) because that's too mean. We don't like to think that God would be condemning especially to people who don't receive the message of Jesus. When in reality, there is something we hold close and don't want to be judged for. This stems from a week view on repentance and an inflated view of human identity. I find it amazing that in Mark, arguably the first written Gospel, Jesus' first words are judgmental. "The Kingdom of God is near, repent...." Oh Dear! How do we change this? Simple, just focus on the second portion of the statement. "...Believe the Good News!" Huzzah to that! No repentance, just grace and faith.

I think we are all guilty of this to some degree. Most of us struggle with what we don't like in the Bible in a mature manner. We let the tension guide our understanding of who God has revealed himself to be. However, it is the immature thinker who cannot handle the tension and starts to excuse it as contradiction or unreasonable. Worse, it is the meologian who devises a whole new vision of God and revelation to suit his or her sensibilities. It is the height of self-focus to believe that God conforms to our needs. It also speaks to an ingratitude that has lost the vision of a gracious God revealing himself to humanity, saving humanity from its sin, and including humanity in His Kingdom.

One thing about the story of God's salvation in the world that I have observed concerns His highlighting of our ignorance and the revealing of what is true concerning who God is. Throughout the Bible, people have diminished certain aspects of God and elevated others. Sadly, this aspect of human nature has continued in the Church. If the Kings of Israel and Judah were meologists, why am I surprised to find the same thing today? I just don't like the fact that judgment (there is that bad word again) usually followed in the footsteps of the apostate Kings.

The Cheap Gospel of the West

I find in my anecdotal observations of Western Society and Culture that liberal enlightenment philosophy has worked itself out to a significant degree in common Christian Theology. I have been asking myself for a few years why there is so much emphasis on salvation through the distribution of material goods. Liberation Theology and Word Faith theology are naked purveyors of materialism. Social Justice theory and Comfort-and-Happiness-Suburban-Christian belief systems depend on what we have in the house and available to us in service. In both of these examples the not-having or the having of material goods is the focus.

If I were to matriculate with this subject in mind, my thesis would be such:

With its focus on the workings of the material world, the Enlightenment of the West sought to de-mythologize culture. With its focus on anti-supernaturalism, materialism grew in stature and was under-girded by man's increasing ability to manipulate his environment. With the growth of industry and agriculture, man no longer needed a provider. With the increase in knowledge of the human body, man no longer needed a healer. With the growth in abilities to manipulate the elements, man no longer needed a creator. With the assumption that soon the evils of the world would be solved as knowledge increased, man no longer needed a savior.

...Or something like that with less antagonistic rhetoric.

Here is the rub, I agree with the good that has come out of the Enlightenment. Capitalism has become the greatest engine at reducing poverty and famine the world has ever seen. The advances in health care are amazing and my parents would be long dead without them. The human capacity to understand our creation has gone a long way to sustaining the a world population of 7 billion. However, we will never solve the evils of this world. Each of these advances has been perverted and used for evil and no matter how hard we try to manipulate the systems of exchange and control, the reality remains that somewhere someone will abuse another person for gain...regardless of their station in life. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said it best when locked in the Soviet gulag, "It was lying on that bed of straw in that small cell that I discovered the line between good and evil runs through everyone's heart." (paraphrased).

Back to the material gospel, as much as the conservative and liberal wings of the Church say they do not agree, both have bought into the material gospel. The Social Justice crowd cannot speak of anything but the distribution of materials. Their bitterness and anger is evident in their writings and their speeches. They use the the prophetic tradition to teach the hatred of certain classes of people. Wait, there's more! The self-reliant crowd in the Church is to quick to point out how materially well-off they are, so they should not be bothered with the pleas of the poor because our Western Democracies give opportunity to those who are willing to work. A good life is measured by how much material you can provide for your family.

I think that there is an anti-supernatural bias living below the surface of our congregations. "Man's Effort" has become the focus of the the West and the Church has bought into it. Of course we will hear of God's work in someone's life, but I cannot help but question what that really means. In J.I. Packer's words the Gospel means, "God saving people." If we really believe that then we must see salvation as primarily spiritual and the biggest gift of salvation is not the material goodies of a plush western life. No the biggest gift is the Holy Spirit of God for the Jew and the Gentile, the slave and free, the male and female, the rich and poor.

Salvation is clearly a supernatural event, the gifting of the Holy Spirit. This is the line of demarcation. Instead of fussing over who has what bobble, Christian's should be wondering how we translate this supernatural event into the natural world in which we live. In the polite society of the chattering classes or in a group where the biggest toy wins, that is the truly hard part because the door has been slammed shut on the supernatural. How do we move away from the rubric of materialism that our societies base themselves upon and seek God's Kingdom when we make our decisions? How does the Church regain her composure away from the material and help believers understand the Holy Spirit?

Our Theology of Love...Is it in the Bible?

Of course love is in the Bible! I just used the title as a rhetorical tool similar to those edgy questions the less orthodox theologians like to use. For them, it is not always about good theology but questioning everything. For example, Trinitarian Theology is a target b/c "Trinity" is not found in the Bible. However, I do find it curious that the resurgence of Abelardian atonement theory seems to be used as a tools to rubbish other parts of God's character.

Indeed, the Apostle John says, "God is love" (1John4:8b, 1 John4:16b). Before you let the warm-fuzzies sink in, there is much context to be sorted through in that same passage. First, this letter is written against the Gnostics who are claiming special revelation and hidden truth concerning God. This part of 1 John declares God's revelation to be evident, unveiled for all to see. Finally, the Apostle is giving assurance to those under attack from the Gnostics. What you do is the sign that God is working in your life because God has given His Spirit, so do not fear those who say they have a special knowledge of things godly.

Crammed between the two God-is-Love statements above is this passage, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1John4:10). Oh Dear! How is whipping and beating and hanging your Son on a Cross love?

To my point: Jesus never claims to be Love. One would think that God himself would plainly reveal such a salient aspect to His character. Jesus said: I am the Bread of Life, the Light of the World, the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Resurrection and the Life, the Way the Truth and the Life, and the Vine. Jesus also called God Good and Holy. Jesus refers to the Father as a King full of power and glory. Where Jesus most directly addressed love in in the Great Commandment and the second: Love God and Love neighbor.

If I am to look upon the Cross and see only a divine example of how to live my life, then I walk away from that setting intellectually discourage because I am presented with and incoherent picture that does not reflect the full story of the Bible. I am forced to ignore much of the Old Testament, I must now think of the Letter to the Hebrews as extra-biblical, and 1John4:10 must be redacted from in between the two God-is Love statements that surround it. So, I am left in a conundrum. Either my emotional response to the violence of the Cross must be placated by denying that sin is the ultimate problem of this world. Or I must be intellectually curious and explore further what Jesus means when he says, "Only God is Good."

I think the philosophical underpinning of this overemphasis on Abelardian thought is tolerance. Our society, ironically, condemns intolerance. Everything is permissible except for declaring something impermissible. We want God to do the same. There is no judgment on the cross because then we must start wondering why God would be judgmental. So, God is not judging from the cross, his is shouting his love for us, desiring our attention. For when we see this love on the cross, we will seek to change and follow that example of good living in Jesus Christ.

This sounds somewhat good because there is real truth there. God does display love on the cross, although it does not come in the form of tolerance. The love on the cross is God himself meeting the full penalty of law under the curse...death. That God would subject himself to evil for the sake of relationship with his people is love. The atonement is more than affective it is also effective. I am glad that I understand God's judgment upon and intolerance of sin, for I can understand the great cost of salvation. It is with affection that I love God because the judgment upon and the atonement for sin has provided for intimacy with God that was lost in sin. The indwelling Spirit is the only reason that I do good because, "Only God is Good." Without the cross there is no Spirit, without the Spirit there is not Good, without Good we cannot properly love.

Government Goons

Here is a way to cut the budget, it is time for the TSA to be disbanded. Department of Homeland Security was by far Bush's worst policy. Here is the problem. Psychologically, when you randomly select someone for enhanced screening and there is the presumption of guilt by the state. Those individuals must now subject themselves to humiliation and violation (hereinafter violence). If the individual refuses, violence is threatened by the state. If you continue to refuse violence is then perpetrated by the state. Ultimately, what individual can withstand the violence of the state?

The last video is from the movie Airplane 2. That was 25 years ago and very relevant for today.

THE TERRORISTS HAVE WON!

Government Gone Wild

As we settle into year 3 of our economic troubles, it seems that the federal government continues its decadent lifestyle. A new survey finds that the richest counties in America center around Washington DC.

Only One Person in This Crowd of Our Intellectual Superiors

This video is great. At the Stewart/Colbert rally for the Democrats, this fellow has a great idea to test the indoctrination level of the attendees. At least one person understood the question. As I cannot adjust the size of the video, you will see the full screen if you watch it on YouTube.

(HT Proteinwisdom)

How the Division of Labour Innovates

I realize this is politicizing a great moment of joy, but it dovetails nicely with my previous post. The rescue of the Chilean miners was about as good as it gets when dealing with tragedy. The mine in Chile was a government owned and run. The suppliers of the rescue equipment and expertise were private companies and individuals. Precisely because these rescuers focused their attention on such skills their whole working career, they were able to develop the intricate tools needed for this amazing rescue. This is the result of the division of labour and market based capitalism rewarding innovation. For details please follow this link.

The best line from the editorial is from the Chilean Health Minister who said that he did not even know about copper-lined socks that kill bacteria on feet. Exactly Mr Minister! Innovation is the product of the mind and cannot be centrally planned, likewise it should not be controlled save for the moral and ethical values that most societies adhere to. Each of the products used in the rescue were ideas that people believed would benefit society, so they were developed and brought to the marketplace. Each community has unique needs and unique people filling those needs. Free trade simply allows communities to talk with one another to see if what they have will benefit another community. Chile was a microcosm of this reality.

Trolling For Insight

I have just spent a good while trolling multiple Christian web-logs with one aim in mind...to sniff out ideology that smuggles itself in a theology. I am increasingly dismissive of the anti-Capitalism Christians. I read them only to discover that some political rant-du-jour has become fashionable. I don't want to be dismissive, but all I read is, "we are being screwed by market based economics and if you don't see otherwise, your are a collaborator or worse not (very) Christian." I want to hear a Christian response to the market economy. Yet, I am force-fed some reworking of collectivism or worse the Utopian ideals of "radical ecclesiology" where everyone gets along with some new mindset of sharing and caring. Meanwhile, life goes on.

Chief among these anti free-market capitalism criticisms is the dislocation of the individual from the land, which in economic terms translates into, "the division of labor is problematic". Indeed, there are problems with the division of labor, but we cannot think that subsistence economies don't have their problems (think grinding poverty and starvation). The point that most of these pundits make that I think is germane centers around people being removed from production. The irony is that the Utopian ideas of 'living off our own land' has a romantic view of agrarianism and a deep seated ignorance of how integrated the division of labor is with production.

From a personal perspective, I have taken up gardening and construction over the past years and have come to appreciate the farmer and the tradesman on a higher level. The idea of sending people out to build a homestead and grow their food is fraught with real danger. You don't just stick seeds in the ground and then harvest. Similarly, you simply don't cut a tree down, plant it in the ground and call the house done. My garden has had meager yields, and my constructive efforts take about three times as long as someone with practice.

So, how do you avoid starving and homeless multitudes? The division of labour! People trained in specific skills tend to be more productive. If you have higher farm yields from someone who understands farming, is not that better than and ignorant person starving? Likewise, a tradesman who can frame a house in a couple days with confidence of structural integrity is far more beneficial to society than some rube like me who needs to refer to DIY videos before every new project.

As for people removed from the productive side of life, I would agree that is a problem, but it is not the private sector's problem; it is the government's and academy's problem. Someone working in the lumber industry is deeply concerned about the health of forests and the care thereof. They have seen the destruction caused by past abuses and have honed their skills to avoid such catastrophes. As for farming, few in North America do not know of the dust bowl...the largest agricultural catastrophe in history. There has not been another event because of knowledge gathered and applied by people trained in agriculture.

All this to say that the division of labour is a good thing. Yet, as with all human activities, there are abuses. A free market based division of labour is far more appealing than a forced division of labour which works out in feudalism (modern fascism), slavery (communism) and social injustice (restricted labour force) or a prescribed NO division of labour which is based in subsistence (fend for yourself). And, if we decouple the world economy from free trade, how is that not a regressive form of neo-tribalism? And who enforces such restrictions?

Underlying much of this call for tighter trade is control. Controlling how neighbors freely interact is a Pandora's Box. And regulating the actions of 7 billion humans is no small task. Who calls the shots? Why are those in power better equipped to know what is best in my community compared to me and my neighbor?

Translation

We cannot let this Gook from Saigon, Vietnam take our seat.

The Decalogue

Sorry for the absence; I have been diligently remodeling part of the house. Now back on topic:

There is a series of films by a Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski that goes by the name. The idea is to put into real life the realities of the Ten Commandments. The series is well done, and the crowning touch is that it all takes place in Communist (read deeply secular) Poland.

On to the question banging about in my head. The first film based on the First Commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me," has a family paying the price for science being their god. In this current age of bringing science and religion into dialogue (I am thinking of Francis Collins and Allister McGrath and Polkinghorne) of which I support wholeheartedly, has Christianity given up too much ground? Specifically, in the Post-modern mindset, is there room to draw a line when it comes to epistemology? Is the Church still willing to call out science when it claims god-like status?

A Christian on the 4th

As the US has wrapped up its 234th birthday, I wonder what the truly appropriate posture for the Christian is to be towards his or her country, in this case the USA. It seems there are two competing factions in the battle for the Christian's affection. On the left, we have Rev Jeremiah Wright (God damn America it says so in the Bible!) and for a little less radical position, Stanley Hauerwas (If your church has an American flag in the sanctuary, you better reconsider your salvation). On the right, there is D James Kennedy, posthumously (Taking back America for Christ by remembering our Christian foundations) to Sean Hannity (America is the World's last best hope). I am reluctant to use Hannity because his is first and foremost a political commentary and not theological, but I do not find many accomplished right wing theologians writing on God ordaining the USA.

Where there are extremes of patriotism and anti-Americanism in the Church I think represent two sides of the same coin. Both find an perverted and watered-down escahton in the realm of politics. To think that the USA is the pinnacle of God's work in history is ridiculous. Thinking that the USA will stand for God's justice with a mighty arm to put down evil fails to account for sin that infects every human and thus the institutions that humans form. America will decline and if history is any indicator, will someday be a repository for archaeological digs. This does not negate the realities of this time in history, it only speaks to the sovereignty of God who determines the time for all things. It is true that the right seeks for find morality embedded in the fabric of America and for the most part, it will be found. However, morality has never really been dictated by the government to the people, it is the other way round. Doing justice in the community and loving your neighbor has been the endeavor of the local population from the beginning, starting with the Church.

On the other side of this coin is the left that finds government's roll to be one of systemic justice dictated by the government. This country COULD be great if only true justice is achieved. The systems must be tinkered with and adjusted and studied until all the inequalities are removed. The system is the problem. Once again, sin is forgotten and the multitude of bureaucracies that seek to fix the system are actually adding sin into the system. When looking at American history, it is easy to find the commissions of evil. So why would the Church seek to abdicate its God-given roll of seeking Justice and doing Mercy and walking with God to the government?

A moral and just community is one forged at the individual level and transferred through meaningful relationships. By giving away its authority to the government, the Church has lost direction and focus...it has traded the Kingdom of God for a cheap substitute. In this headlong rush for justice and morality, I think we have lost sight of a greater reality. In all appearances, God has set things up so that even the wicked among us will find salvation. The wheat and the tares grow up together. This is the hard part of the Gospel, because the wicked can inflict such harm. I think the Church needs to believe it can make a difference and should be the one guiding the country by example, no matter how popular Her detractors may be.

What Real Dangerous Politcal Types Look Like

This is just a reminder to my myriad of readers. Last September 12, a substantial group of Americans gathered in Washington, DC to voice their disgust with outrageous government spending and the loss of liberty that inevitably occurs when statist policies become de rigeur. The conventional wisdom of the leftist press labeled these gathered folk dangerous to democracy and seething with anger that could lead to violence. Meanwhile, back in their academic caves and political dens, left-wingers continued their tirade against free enterprise and demonized business as the cause of the world's ills.

Jump ahead to Toronto last weekend and you have the outworking of a political philosophy that finds villains under all private business dealings. By beating the drum of "criminal capitalism" is it any wonder that groups of malcontents are emboldened to smash and burn the focus of such hate filled rhetoric? Once again, the philosophies of the left find their voice in division and violence.

Jealous Lefitist in America

Danny Glover sings his praises and Oliver Stone has a man crush on him. I am talking about Hugo Chavez, the guy that Jimmy Carter vouched for a few years ago (Jimmy still can't find a dictator he does not like unless he is an American president with and R after his name). This week, Chavez announced the nationalization of a US company's oil drilling platforms. Lefties in the US want more government in business dealings, and in the wake of the BP oil spill, they have called for increased strong arm tactics. Robert Reich, former labor secretary under Clinton and all around enemy of private dealings, made the case for seizure just last month. Various left-wing members of Congress and radicals on the left have endorsed nationalization policies when different people make different decisions. Indeed, it is far easier to take something than to do the hard work of creating economic activity that helps you and your neighbor. Ever wonder why little old ladies' purses are snatched or criminals use guns to take some guy's wallet after going to the bank?

Broken Window Theory

The US Government is trying to spend billions more in stimulus money. The same old excuse of "we need to stimulate the economy" is being used to increase government spending so that government employees don't need to participate in this extended recession. But, as we all know, politicians are no lovers of economics or the realities of life. They justify their position by claiming the money spent will be distributed to the community through the spending of the employed government worker, a form of trickle down economics determined by the government authority rather than the liberal position of individual determinants.

This is where the Broken Window Fallacy comes into play. Frederic Bastiat called it the seen and unseen costs of destroying personal property. But Mac, there is no destruction of personal property! Indeed there is, the $12,000,000,000,000 in accumulated debt has destroyed the wealth of the coming years. Business owners know that the day of reckoning is coming very soon, therefore they suspend their ingenuity because they understand that a stable environment is required for risky investment in unproven technologies. The tax requirements to service the debt will be laid on the productive workers in the US (private sector is the only worker that produces wealth). So, where the public service sector might stay employed at 150% the average private sector, the golden goose has been butchered for their magnificent meal. Instead of spending money on innovation and technologies that will employ productive workers and the workers spending money on other productive workers products, those funds will be demanded to service debt so that the government can continue its spending spree.

Our Nanny Government at Work

"...For the children!" The rallying cry for the vacuous political scoundrel. As we progressively bubble-wrap society and sand-down all of its sharp edges, we give more and more power to the central authorities (because someone needs to monitor and remedy dangerous situations). This mentality is derived from "the system is the problem" worldview. If we mollify the system, everyone will be happy and healthy, i.e. we will finally have justice or at least another step towards utopia.

So, what happens when there is a disturbance in the system, the central authorities put us back on track towards justice and utopia. Notice that the students doing the harm were somehow provoked by a system that allows sign-language. Safety first, for the children. Apparently, bullying is caused by a system that allows for individual expression. As is expected by any central authority bent on collective power, the individual must be crushed in the name of "safety" or "progress" or "justice" or whatever ends can justify the means.

The Market of Ideas

There are two professions that seem to avoid the heavy hand of government regulation. Can anyone guess what they are? Hint, they are the professions that seem to influence legislation the most. That's right, the Law and the Academy. These professions would argue that their very industries promote a certain self-governance that precludes any sort of government regulation, a 'free market' where scrutiny and process force the mediocre out. I guess this free market is good because the goals are noble (justice and truth!) where as free market enterprise has an ignoble goal of profits. The irony is that these two untouchable professions are the ones that stand strongest against a free market for goods and services.

That aside, when the Academy becomes a 'rent seeker', is it still a body where self-governance rules supreme? I am thinking of the current controversy here in Virginia where a politically-motivated Attorney General is challenging a politically-motivated academic. The governments of the world pour hundreds of billions of dollars into the academy for scientific research. By any definition, this is a huge market that individual communities within the Academic structure seek to capture through (let's hope quality!) research. This sounds a lot like a marketplace. Should the academy be held responsible when it rips off its customers? Virginia feels ripped off by a certain Academic when his work was shown to be shoddy and politically motivated.

Is it time to regulate the academy? With so much cash flung about it creates a temptation to do terrible research, publish quickly, and tell the rent givers what they want to hear.

Immgration Arrogance

I look at the debate over Arizona and its federally compliant immigration law, and I scratch my head in wonder. My bewilderment stems mostly from the outraged protests coming from the laws opponents...or is it feigned protests.

First, from the established political powers in the US. If the Washington leftists and the occasional rightist had read the laws wording they will note that the language matches the federal statute. What has changed concerns the requirement of State Law Enforcement to carry out what federal law enforcement is required to do by law. It is no coincidence that the American Feds are trying to deflect the reality of dead Americans on the Arizona border. Had the Feds done their job, people would be alive and the law would not be necessary.

Second, from the political powers in Mexico. Give me a break when talking about rights. If you actually cared for your people, they would not need to flee Mexico. I also know that the second largest part of your economy is money sent from the USA. Why would any government want its second largest sector of the economy impeded? Mexico, you should be ashamed that you force your sons and daughters into the hands of ruthless 'coyotes' at the expense of life and liberty. Why don't you develop an economy for the common person?

Third, from the intellectuals. Why don't you actually do something other than storming mount grievance to attack people who actually suffer under the oppression created by the current system of lawlessness. Is it because you want to come home and tell your gardener that you care for 'his people' in an effort to assuage your Imperialistic American guilt?

This current immigration problem can be traced back to the 1980s when it was promised by the central government to secure the border in exchange for amnesty. Nothing has happened except for a trashed environment, a list of dead Mexicans and Americans, and an emboldened drug trade that has the Mexican government on its heals and out of control of its northern border.

When Gaia Theory Meets Totalitarianism

Good grief, this video is ridiculous. If I could write the opening sentences for the state organ it would go like this..."This Enviro Jugend group wins contest from party leaders for showing their zeal for enviro purity and opposing those who threaten the good of the Mother. Party leaders were regaled by the smiling faces of these youth leading the next generation into the glorious future. The party leaders saw first hand how the peoples' monies are being spent to insure a lasting legacy of peace and justice."

Follow this link for the full story.

The Truth Behind GM's Government Loan Repayment

Dispatches from Western Utopia

Can someone please explain how this case is not murder. Don't get caught up in the emotion of the word murder, instead look at the situation and apply the strict definition. I really do not understand how people, and especially so-called Christians, can support a central government legitimizing such things as described. There will be no justice in this case. Just as the people of Queens, NY gawked that this poor man, so too will the self-styled human rights activists walk on by.

Goodbye Old Neighbor

Yesterday, we lost a grand old neighbor. This neighbor has been pillar in our community for all the years I have lived here. I trusted her with my friends who came to visit. She always watched over our area and was a landmark for all. She helped me navigate the ocean. Goodbye 47th street water tower. Now how do I give directions to my friends? Take the immediate right next to the .......

Left v Right Difference

Cops at Left and Right Protests. First is the Tax Protest from April 15 (Right wing). The Second is from the International Monetary Fund Protest (Left wing). Both protests occurred in Washington, DC. Notice the Protest that requires riot police. The officer sitting on his bike was quoted, “These people [Tea Party] are great. It’s like a day off, very relaxing.” The Life Magazine photo was documenting the IMF protests of 2002 when the Left-wingers were trying to close off streets and violently engage the police.

An Apology

As was the self-loathing chique of the American and ex-patriot left during the G W Bush years, I would like to apologize to the Canadians for our current president. Even though you love and adore President O!, he has treated your great country with contempt first by slapping your hand and banning Canadian products in the $813 billion stimulus package, now he wags his finger in the face of your Prime Minister. Compared to the US leadership, Mr Harper has masterfully led the Canadian economy through treacherous economic waters. I don't think our president likes to be overshadowed by solid leadership, thus Obama needed to belittle PM Harper.

American Tax Fairness

From this Article:

About 47 percent will pay no federal income taxes at all for 2009. Either their incomes were too low, or they qualified for enough credits, deductions and exemptions to eliminate their liability. [...]

The bottom 40 percent, on average, make a profit from the federal income tax, meaning they get more money in tax credits than they would otherwise owe in taxes. For those people, the government sends them a payment.

About 50% of the country does not participate in the stewardship of our nation. There is something fundamentally discouraging about this reality. Everyone should have a stake in the place where they live and move and have their being. The other distressing aspect to this tax lopsidedness is that a hit to income in the top 10% results in a vulnerability to 73% of tax revenues.

If, as I believe, the economy will continue to adjust away from consumer credit based consumptions, this necessarily means tighter profit margins and higher bankruptcies for the coming few years. These leaner times will result in lower tax revenues. All the while, the Democrats are increasing spending to levels never before imagined. Cloward Piven?

Again With the Canadian HRC

The Canadian Human Rights Commission has been petitioned by Ann Coulter (political pundit from the USA) to investigate the promotion of hatred against her by the University of Ottawa provost. After a letter was circulated by the provost, the ensuing riots and bedlam forced Miss Coulter to hire bodyguards for her safety and the University of Ottawa to cancel her speech due to actual threats to her safety. The U of O student union also had a hand in the incitement of hatred as they place placards about the campus calling for action against Miss Coulter.

The HRC's mandate calls for investigation when hatred is promoted against identifiable groups. Is there actionable evidence here with the riots and threats of personal violence?

Looking for the Good

Well Demcare has passed in the USA!! Hooray for us!! I am now restricted by federal law on what medical services my insurance savings plan can pay for. But that's okay because the faceless central authority should determine what is good for my health, right? If I do spend money on these 'unapproved' health costs, I will be charged a 20% penalty. So what have we just learned class? In this 'health care for all' bill is a tax increase of 20% on medical procedures.

So, here's the good: First, I will save $2,500 each year on health costs. President Obama promised!! Second, well there is no second. I want my $2,500!

A Point of Order

I watched as the Democrats voted to secure more power for the Federal Government last night. I was not surprised because politicians love power and they love to shove it down your throat. My gripe is with the speech Bart Stupak gave when defending his vote to nationalize abortion funding. Remember, this is the 'pro-life' Democrat. He trotted out the canard that being pro-life means you stand for life outside the womb. This is the same argument that Jim Wallis, Tony Campollo, Ron Sider and some other Christians use to justify government programs that pay for health insurance or whatever other benefit government can give in the name of helping 'the poor'.

My gripe is this: first, the argument assumes that the opponents want what is bad for people. Not only is this slanderous, but it is also very unchristian. Second, equating the active and planned killing a defenseless child with policy decisions is beyond intellectual dishonesty. It is bearing false witness. Last night, someone on the floor of the House called Stupak a baby-killer. CNN sniffed and harrumphed as the lack of decorum. However, I do not remember such tut-tutting by the newscasters when the Democrats were accusing the Newt Gingrich led congress of wanting to kill old people and starve children with their budget allocations during the 1990's.

Perhaps the abortion opponents have had too much decorum by claiming to be 'pro-life'. Now that the language has been lost to muddled political-speak, the abortions foes should re-brand themselves as 'anti-murder'.

Someone in Rhode Island is Smart

The USA was once considered a top-notch educated society. Much had to do with the K-12 education system. For the past 40 years, the US has more than doubled real spending on each student while the quality of graduate has plummeted. Wonder why? Maybe this article can shed light on some of the problem. Hopefully, there will be more gutsy superintendents around the nation.

One of the Many Reasons the Government is Broke

Public Service Unions are notorious for budget-braking contracts in Europe. Just look at Greece. The notoriety comes from their extortionist tactics of general strikes witch scares the nickers off of politicians. So, the government caves with the hope that the good-times tax revenues in the future will cover the extravagance. The only problem is when the bad times roll around and those negotiated increases come due. California is broke. Michigan is broke. New Jersey is broke. New York is broke. Read this article and breathe in the left-wing union madness.

Greece Looming

One of the many left-wing countries of Europe, Greece faces massive debt, a burgeoning deficit, and potential collapse. The country has demanded of its productive sector more and more sacrifice while its non-productive sector refuses to stop demanding more and more benefit. There has been months of strikes which have slowed down an already recessive economy leading to more economic hardship all in the name of that famous left-wing abstraction "Fairness". The country teeters while the unions fiddle.

Greece is a case study of how a centrally-planned mixed-economy is not the Utopia that so many in the US seek. When the state guarantees your pension, you are beholden to the budgeting of fools and scholars alike. A centrally planned economy, by definition, does not care for the local community. The theoretical always outweighs the practical until reality sets in and ruin is upon everybody. The sad reality is, people will do as little as they can to get as much as they can.

A government benefit does not come from the government, it comes from your neighbor. When your neighbor stops being productive fewer people must become more productive in order to support government benefits. No one is willing to give up their government benefit, but those same people will force the producers to give up their time with family, their time in the garden, their pay, and their savings. There is never a 'thank you' only the demand for more.

Taxes and Spending

There are few things more political than government taxation and government spending. The great Pres O! has put forward the largest deficit in the history of the US building upon the already massive deficit from the prior year. With no $800 billion stimulus package, I am left to wonder what constitutes the increase in spending over last year. Sure the Dems pay lip service (as did the Repubs during the 2000's) about capping discretionary spending, but that is only a tiny portion of the budget.

Entitlement spending is the key, and it is untouchable. No one will try to reign in the political lunch wagon that is free money. Otherwise, you want old people to die or the poor to starve. Never mind that the elderly are the wealthiest people in the country or that if we really helped only the destitute, we would have plenty of funds to support mental health services for those who need it to turn their lives around and Medicaid would not be broke in every state.

All that said, my wife did not get a raise and she make well below the national average. Funny...our federal income tax went up by 20%. Another 20% coming from the productive and going to the non-productive side of society.

Media Madness

I want to say that if a Democrat had won Kennedy's old seat in the Senate that the Right Wingers would have been just as ridiculous in their reasoning as to why the Republican candidate lost. This time, I really do not think I can make such an assertion. On MSNBC (I know but stick with me) the commentator slandered the senator elect as a sexual pervert who hates everyone not like him. But this host is simply a nasty bigot; he is filled with hate. He represents the lowest form of dissent.

In other commentary, the people of Massachusetts are sexists because they had the chance to elect a female and did not. Funny, I thought the idea of sexism was voting because of one's sex, so endorsing a female simply because of XX chromosomes seems, well, sexist to me. This is grievance dissent. As is the commentary claiming that Brown's white-maleness put him over the top.

Finally, a commentary in the Mass newspaper claimed that Brown's victory was eerily like date rape. This is humorless humor. The fellow is trying to be clever in covering up his sour grapes.

What all of these commentaries have in common is the typical left-wing 'you-are-so-stupid' undercurrent. Whether it is your susceptibility to emotional fervor, your inability to eclipse your primal instincts, or your weakness in the face of temptation, all of these commentators think you are too stupid to have made a reasoned decision. This is based on media bias which generally believes the left-wing agenda is good and the right-wing agenda is bad, so to vote for the right-wing is stupid.

Ad Hoc

I have not posted for a long time, mostly because I have not really had much to say, but I have also been observing the scenery. So I will try to cover the landscape with what I have observed.

First, I am still surprised that the water is being carried on this man-made global warming stuff. There is still talk of carbon taxes, co2 emissions limits, and massive funding going to a clearly politicized topic that tries to pass itself off as science. This worldwide fraud is funded by hundreds of billions of dollars and has become a self-important industry unto itself. It is time to stop funneling this money to arrogant and hostile persons who seek ambition and start using the money to actually clean up real environmental messes that exist around the world. Humans cannot control the environment no matter how much these empty cans rattle.

Second, I have watched the health insurance (not health care) reform debate in the US with interest and have noted a few things. There is no mention of limiting the costs created through the egregious medical tort system in the US. There is no reform giving people the ability to buy insurance across state lines. The current measures as they stand, take the individual out of the process and leave all decisions to government or other bureaucracies. Finally, there is a jail-time provision for people who do not purchase insurance. Talk about criminalizing poverty. I have some compromise proposals:

• First and the most obvious, eliminate the 7% income floor for making health costs tax-deductible.
  
• Let people buy insurance from any provider in the country
• Reform medical malpractice so that it is not 25% of the nations health costs
• Give small business the ability to pool resources and buy insurance at the large company discounts
• Set up a fraud detection system for Medicare and Medicaid similar to the systems used by credit card companies looking for illegal transactions (I get a call at least 3 times a year making sure things are on the up and up)
• If there is a government plan, give people the ability to opt out of the government plan and buy a policy with a Health Savings Account which the government would fund with the money the government would have spent on insuring this individual up to $4,000 per year. This is a great option for young people without the resources to buy insurance.

Finally, a Republican won Ted Kennedy's seat in the Senate. This is the third big loss for Democrats this election year (09-10). I hope the spending insanity in Washington will slow down. As much as the ruling class likes to trumpet their importance, it is the local community that must deal with the realities of waste and fraud emanating from the central authority. Perhaps we are rediscovering our roots of radical volunteerism in this country. The voluntary association is the hallmark of the free society.