The Bad News

I have been convicted to renew my relationship with God.

So I decided to start where Martin Luther did, the book of Romans.

I came across this passage, which is taken from various parts of Isaiah and Psalms.

Roman 3:10-18
¹⁰As it is written:
"There is no one righteous, not even one;
¹¹there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
¹²All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."
¹³"Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit."
"The poison of vipers is on their lips."
¹⁴"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness."
¹⁵"Their feet are swift to shed blood;
¹⁶ruin and misery mark their ways,
¹⁷and the way of peace they do not know."
¹⁸"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

These give the characteristics of sinful man (italics are my thoughts).
Not righteous - immoral
Does not understand - no interest in God's instruction
Worthless - does not serve God's purpose
Does not do good - does harm or complacent
Deceitful - lies
Bitter - angry with the world
Murderous - full of hatred
No peace - internal struggle
No fear of God - does not respect God

That's the bad news, the good news is that Christ's redemption has given us the opportunity to be righteous.

My two cents

What's Next?

I think we may be in a dangerous time right now.

Obama's popularity and support are waning, ACORN is being exposed, Obama's advisors are being exposed, health care is losing steam, but...

When does the next crisis happen? As most well know, the dollar is losing value at frightening levels. The inflation we may see is just frightening. When the economy is tanking, and there is unrest (notice the race-baiting that is happening), there could be a massive domestic crisis. That is how many a dictator has taken control.

I am proud of the Americans who showed up in DC on 9/12. I am proud of the people doing the work to expose corruption. I just hope this stuff doesn't trigger something bad.

I hope I am just paranoid.

My two cents

Are You Kidding?!?

Our lovely elected officials...HAVE THEY READ THE FREAKIN' CONSTITUTION???

To quote Russ Feingold
"Lindsay Graham and I sponsored legislation to have pilot programs in five states," Feingold told the audience. "Maybe we should try some different things. There might be a single-payer state. There might be a co-op state. Let's get some evidence on the ground. This thing right now is not going in the right direction. We might be in a situation where there won't be a bill worth passing." (The Lakeland Times)

Anybody remember that 10th Amendment Thing...you know, Enumerated Powers.

This country was not founded so the federal government can use individual states as testing grounds. States decide for THEMSELVES what they think is best.

I would like to share my favorite tweet regarding this:

@topherbrenner (me) Anyone disturbed the Senate wants to tell different states what to do http://tinyurl.com/n7u3ue #tcot #tlot #gop #iamthemob

@betseyross "Disturbed" is one way to put it. I'd say madder than 40 hells is more like it.

Exactly,

@betseyross, couldn't have said it better myself

My two cents

We the Living

I am reading "We the Living" by Ayn Rand (mostly known for "Atlas Shrugged").

This book is downright frightening. It shows the slippery slope to socialism. Private industry is socialized and then there a few things that make or break a life
- Union membership (the workers)
- Free Professions (middle class)
- Private Traders (the rich)
- Unemployed (the unemployed)

The most troubling passage regarding this is as follows.

In discussing playing for a clogged chimney, the Upravdom (landlord?) gave the breakdown on how the house would pay for it.

"The workers pay three per cent and the Free Professions ten, and the Private Traders and umemployed - the rest."

Sound like anyone's tax plan?

My two cents

Constitutional Abomination

Amendment IV: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.(emphasis added).

Well, who feels safe now? If this health care/insurance reform bill passes, the government will be able to access financial records, medical records, etc. Bet they don't issue warrants for these records.

I guess my biggest issues with all of these bills (health care, cap and trade) come down to two things
1. The economic disaster they will cause
2. The increased hand of government in our lives

If we disagree, we get muscled and ridiculed. Don't remember anything in the constitution about that. It was patriotic to disagree with "W", but you are a racist to disagree with BHO. Without a watchdog for the media, I really don't think we have any hope of defeating these bills. By all means, unite with purpose, unite with peacefulness; but I am feeling really cynical about this.

I don't like what Washington (Democrat and Republican) is doing. And I don't know if we will be able to undo the damage if these bills pass. Let's hope "the mob" can keep them from passing in the first place.

My two cents

Is this a new smoke screen?

I have to give it to the folks in DC, all this calling town hall attendees "mob" nonsense should take the attention away from:
- Over one trillion dollars in debt
- Cap and Trade to be up for vote in senate
- Another activist judge on the Supreme Court
- Even if "Blue Dogs" get their way, health care reform still $900 billion
- Cash for Clunkers is a huge price fixing scheme

Also, where are the republicans? They seem to be happy with a compromise, but as a conservative, I would love to see a completely different bill, one with tort reform, less government regulation on insurance, tax deductions for doctors whose patients don't pay, etc. Republicans are fighting over minutiae, not a new bill.

Where are the conservative advocates in Washington? Where are the congress members defending the "mobs"? Let's face it, conservatives are not represented in congress, only the interest of those seeking reelection.

My two cents

Where did it go wrong

Where did it go wrong? The role of president I mean. This isn't just about BHO. It is also about those who came before him.

Here are the roles of the president as defined by the US Constitution.
-Commander in chief of the military
-Sign treaties as approved by the senate
-Approve or disapprove bills passed by the legislature
-Appoint ministers as approved by the senate
-Pardon those convicted of crime against US
-Ensure that the law is being executed

That's it

When did we lose our way?

My two cents

Quotes that shaped me

This isn't exactly the most original post, but here are some quotes that have shaped me into what I am.

At any rate, I am convinced that He [God] does not play dice.
-Albert Einstein

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
-Thomas A. Edison

The collection of taxes which are not absolutely required, which do
not beyond reasonable doubt contribute to the public welfare, is only
a species of legalized larceny.
-Calvin Coolidge

All great change in America begins at the dinner table.
-Ronald Reagan

I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite.
-G.K. Chesterton

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything.
-Mark Twain

Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.
-Winston Churchill

When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
-Yogi Berra

Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
-Thomas Paine

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Play Action Politics

Obama's stream of consciousness
"Let's see...

1. The largest tax increase in US history is on the table with Cap and Trade.
2. We are going to control life (a la "Brave New World") with nationalized health care.

People are kinda ticked about that so...

I know, I know...let's play the race card again. Neighbor sees guy trying to get into house forcibly. But wait, that is an African-American man (and even a friend of mine), and his door is jammed. Policeman follows up on call, asks for ID, man verbally assaults police officer, police officer arrests for disorderly conduct. Racism is such a problem in this country...yea...that's the ticket."

Harry, Nancy,

Now that everyone is distracted, think we can get those bills through?

My two cents

Health Care Reform = Tort Reform

One of the ways we can reform health care is by reducing cost. If we could lower malpractice insurance for doctors, I would think their cost would go down.

How to accomplish this?
1. Cap the amount of money that can be rewarded in a malpractice suit. I don't have a number off of the top of my head, but I would think malpractice insurance rates would go down.
2. Institute "loser pays" in lawsuits (idea from Mark Levin). If you have to pay all legal fees when you lose, you are less likely to file a frivolous lawsuit.

My two cents

Where are we?

I am on information overload.

In the past few weeks, I have read(by book or book on CD)
Fahrenheit 451
Brave New World
Common Sense
Liberty and Tyranny
The Promise of America - Thomas Paine

Where have we gone? A country that wanted independence from a corrupt English government. A country that wanted MINIMAL government involvement in life. A country that wanted the states to do most of the governing.

Now, our government is corrupt. Our government wants to be in every facet of our lives. Our government wants to disregard the rights of the states.

Let's be honest, I am freakin' scared. Increased taxes, hyperinflation, interest rates; all because we want to spend spend spend. And now there are rumblings of another stimulus - GOP included.

Stop it! Tell me where my money is going, to the last dime. Let me choose what I want to believe regarding the environment and global warming. I am sick of bailing out other states, paying for the health care of people whose path I will never cross, giving money to Social Security I will not see.

I want sovereignty, I want to be heard. But no one listens, no matter how much I yell, no one listens.

My two cents

Hold Them Accountable - Article I, Section 9

I was doing what the cool kids do on a Sunday nights, and was glancing over Article I, Section 9 of the constitution. (Online source, Cornell School of Law - http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.articlei.html)

Here is what I saw.

"No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time."

In Southern Indiana words, if you borrow our money so you can spend it, you best be telling us where it is ALL going. It is flat out in the constitution.

If congress can't tell us where every cent went, then they have no right whatsoever to use our money. I want to know.
- Where did ALL of the TARP money go?
- Where has ALL of the stimulus money gone?
- Where will ALL of the health care money go?
- Where will ALL of the cap and trade money go?

I am not talking a cute, little pie chart. I want to see it to the last cent. If it cannot be provided, than congress is violating the constitution.

Let's tell our congress that we want to know where ALL the money is going, and we will hold them accountable to the nation for either upholding the constitution, or violating it.

Another way to fight the tyranny.

My two cents.

Random Thoughts - 6/22/09

The dawning of a new year is upon me. Causes me to want to record some random thoughts.

Does the disputed election in Iran matter if they don't overthrow the Ayatollah and his council?

When does Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) become a government agency?

Who are half of the celebrities I see on "E! News"? If they are so famous, why don't I know who they are?

When do I get my own reality show?

I think if you want to change government, you need to vote all of congress out. Ron Paul is the only conservative I know of who is actually doing something, the rest of the Republicans seem to just talk a lot.

Is it just me or does President Obama make "W" look like a libertarian?

I wish someone would introduce a sport between NBA and NFL season. Baseball is as tedious as Sean Hannity.

Can someone really wealthy please put together a debate between Mark Levin and Barney Frank?

If someone brought up global warming for the first time today I may actually believe them. I sweat when I open the refrigerator.

Has Obama actually taken time to do anything? He must drive his kids nuts.

Is anybody else jealous that they didn't get to punch Perez Hilton?

Was that thought a hate crime?

Is 34 the new 33?

My two cents

Random Conspiracy Theory

Here is a random conspiracy theory(with assistance from "Taking of Pelham 123").

Is it possible that Geithner, Obama, Bernanke, Soros, or various proponents of creating a large deficit, have invested heavily in gold or yuan in the past ten years?

Because with all the printing of money and increased US debt, those two instruments should be skyrocketing shortly. Could someone have instigated the financial crisis as a get-rich-quick scheme? Just a random thought.

My two cents

Government Media Complex

Yes, I stole that from Michael Savage, but I think it is appropriate.

If the right doesn't get their stuff together, they will get smoked again in 2010. Why do I say this?

Here are my 2 examples.

Carrie Prejean makes her comment about gay marriage (which I agree with by the way). The media goes nuts attacking her. Therefore, much left and right wing media spend lots of time attacking/defending her.

Sarah/Bristol/Willow Palin. Letterman makes joke/comment, Palins are outraged (and for good reason). Left and right wing media spend lots of time attacking/defending Palin and Letterman.

While this is going on; government took control of tobacco, North Korea truly plays with fire with nuclear weapons, health care almost nationalized, etc. The point being, while the media runs on and on with Palin and Prejean, the government is taking over America. Keep watching the news, and you won't see what's going on.

If the right wants to take control, they will need to take action. First of all, get the focus on the really important things: economy, national defense, immigration; and off of personal matters.

Secondly, take action. Ron Paul's proposal to audit the fed is a great example of this. Don't whine and do something about what's going on.

We need to present solutions and actions, not just regurgitations of the problems. We need a strategy on how to take the power back (thank you Rage Against the Machine). We need a way to implement the strategy. While we spend our time talking about problems, the left is mobilizing and acting. Pay attention...

My two cents

Why Get Rid of Dealerships

Time for me to play a little devil's advocate.

I think it is good (financially) for Chrysler and GM to part ways with some of their dealerships (it would be nice if they were compensated, however).

Why? It limits supply, thus potentially creating demand. It is a gamble, but if it works, it could make both companies more profitable.

Not to sound like cold-hearted business guy (which I am not), but this happens in my industry a lot. I work in plastics, and when the price of plastic gets to low, the producers shut off their reactors to reduce the supply. Thus, when someone needs plastic, they are willing to pay more because it is harder to come by. The same goes with petroleum, when there is too much supply, producers turn off the pumps to raise prices. This is the basic premise of supply-demand that we learn in Econ 101.

Also, if the number of cars is limited, then those who truly need cars would be more willing to pay more. This is assuming that product produced by GM and DCX is equivalent or better to their competition (a big if). Higher prices, mean more % profit, which is the figure many shareholders find most important.

If there are less dealers, than GM/DCX need to produce fewer cars. This reduces labor costs, as well as the cost of running plants that are not being utilized to capacity. If fewer cars are made, than there is less aged inventory available. Why is that important? You cannot borrow against inventory over a certain age, which I believe is 18 months. Old inventory means less available credit.

Do I like this? No! I don't like people losing jobs, I don't like to see people lose their dealerships. I want to see this economy return to its vibrant self. However, due to our governments fiscal and monetary policies, I think we will see a lot more of leaner and meaner companies. I think this decision benefits GM/DCX, however it does hurt its employees and dealers as well. However, if they don't do this, they would possibly have to liquidate; which would be bad for our economy (that is why they are getting bailed out).

Personally, I would have liked to see GM and DCX go through Chapter 11 and reorganize to more profitable organizations, without government intervention. But whatever makes them profitable, increases the chance that our government will sell its share of the companies to private investors. These private investors will (if government allows it) be able to make these companies more successful, and perhaps introduce practices which will help them sustain their profitability.

My two cents.

A Different Kind of Crisis

Crisis surrounds us.

Financial crisis, moral crisis, ethical crisis, military crisis, liberty crisis, etc. However there is a crisis that affect those who can do nothing about it. The orphan.

Throughout the Bible, we are implored to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves; those mentioned most often being the widows and orphans. I happen to have a soft spot for orphans.

Why? Well my 2 readers would know that my son was adopted from Guatemala. We all know what brings about orphans: war, disease, death, poverty, etc. However, it has become more and more difficult to adopt internationally. Why? For one, the press has criminalized adoption, making it seem standard practice for mothers to sell their children. This is absolutely not true. Also, Unicef has given money to developing countries to basically stop international adoption, feeling it is better for the children to grow in their own countries. This is regardless of the country's poverty, disease, and lack of opportunity.

International adoption is an answer. Children are able to leave a situation in which there is little to no hope. They are given an opportunity they would not have in their native country. But even more importantly, a family is blessed with a cherished child to join their family. I can speak from experience that the blessing I receive from my son is much greater than any blessing I can give him.

At Saddleback, both presidential candidates mentioned that there needs to be some type of action to help with the adoption crisis. Now would be a good time for this president to act. This action would bless thousands of American families.

Evolutionary Double Standard

Picture a fictional animal we will call the white backed pig. This pig lives in the African Savannah. Everyone once in a while, a pig will be born without the white back. So, when the lions hunt these critters, they easily see the white backed pigs, and those without the white back survive more frequently. The non-white backed pigs breed with each other, and, "ta-da", natural selection has happened in favor of the non-white backed pig.

Now, this pig (without the white back) every so often produces a pig with the risky and stupid gene. These pigs taunt the lions, and then they often get eaten. Thus the stupid, risky pigs are selected against.

What's my point? Although I don't believe life came from nothing, I agree with the theory of natural selection to some extent. As does our secular humanist culture. The culture that forces evolution to be taught in school, the one that forces gay marriage on us, the one that tells us morals are relative. This culture is reflected by a majority of our government.

Then why doesn't our government practice what they preach. Natural selection tells us nothing is too big too fail. However, government feels AIG, California, GM, etc. are too big to fail. Unfortunately, some of these companies have taken risks, made bad contracts, had irresponsible fiscal policy, and other such behaviors that hurt income. If we followed the Darwinian model presented here, these entities would fail, or at least go into bankruptcy protection. Then they could adapt and develop traits that would make them successful.

We support those who don't want to support themselves. We bail-out bad companies. We provide mortgages to those who can't pay them. This just encourages behavior that cannot be self-sustaining.

I belive in creation. I believe in God. I don't believe life started as a single-celled progenote. But I do recognize natural selection. We should realize there is an economic, government, and cultural natural selection. Maybe we should see how that could play out.

My two cents

So Now What

How do we move forward?

We have increased our debt, we will be taxing our economy to death, and inflation is going to grow.

1. Cut spending! Our federal government exists to provide for national security, protect interstate commerce, and protect our rights. It is not there to provide welfare, regulate agriculture, take over businesses, create energy policy, health care, etc. Let the states take care of those types of things. Our nation was founded on a way for states to compete against each other under the same rules. Now our government is trying to buy the states. Cut spending, and we will see our deficit become more controllable.
2. After you cut spending, it is time to decrease those taxes. Some like the flat tax, some like no income tax (but an increased sales tax and tariffs), but taxes hurt the economy. If you cut corporate taxes, more jobs can be created, less cost is passed onto the consumer, more companies keep business in the US. It goes without saying all of these are good for the economy. The less you tax the individuals, the more money that can be spent. This has been proven time and time again throughout the world.
3. When 1 and 2 are successful, it is time to reduce government. Myself, I would only have the following departments; state, commerce, defense, treasury, homeland security. Start privatizing things that can be handled better by the private sector: interstates, welfare/charity, social security/medicare, etc.
4. All of the businesses that the government has bought stake in, sell them. Try to sell them at the best price possible, at a loss if necessary. Use that money to pay off the deficit.

My two cents.

Hate to Burst Your Bubble

Good news!! The economy is recovering. We can now all hold hands skipping through the meadow because the economy is fixed. Or is it...

It may be steadying, for now, but it will not grow like it did before the stimulus plan. And in my opinion, I think things could get much worse 5 years down the road.

Why?
1. Inflation - in our infinite wisdom, we basically started to print money, to buy stake in banks, car companies, and other financial institutions. We printed money for a "stimulus" plan to create temporary, make-work jobs, and further political initiatives. With this much money in circulation, with no backing, the value of the dollar will tank. I am not talking like it will be the Weimar Republic all over again, but it could be like the late 1970's, early 1980's.
2. Taxes - We got a tax break!! Except, that tax cut will expire, and we will have to start paying an unprecedented debt. Socialized health care, cap and trade, and various other programs will start tugging at the ole pocket book. More taxes = less discretionary income = less spending. Companies will do their best to get out of the USA so they aren't taxed to death.
3. Government - The government will now run health care, banking, and the automotive industry. Good news considering the bang up job they did with social security and medicare. We have put unions on the boards of car companies, it is like the fox guarding the hen house. We want to reduce the salaries of those in the financial sector, force the auto sector to make cars no one will want, and make us pay for our carbon emmissions.

I hope we don't go to a place of stagflation, but it looks pretty inevitable. I think there are ways to fix this, and I will share my ideas later.

My two cents

Role of Congress Distorted

The role of Congress has been much distorted.

Congress was designed by the Constitution to have congressman act as representatives for their constituents. Thus the nature of the republic we live in.

Instead, congress looks out for
1. Personal interest
2. Power
3. Party interest

If every democrat voted for it, and every republican voted against it; does that line out with what was wanted by their districts? Sounds like party interest to me.

My answer(s)
1. Force congress to poll their constituents
2. Eliminate political parties
3. Term limits to reduce personal interest in power

My two cents