Assault on Capitalism

To say that there is an assault on capitalism in this country is an understatement. From the bailouts of wall street and motor companies to the calls for the Venezuela style take over of BP the assault is obvious. I have only two quick thoughts I'd like to share.

1. We don't currently have a capitalist system. The government is intertwined in both banking the motor companies, oil, just about every sector of the economy we see struggling is already highly regulated by our government. The arguments that it was capitalism that led to the economic troubles we see is a fallacy.

2. (And this was the real point of this post) Nearly every day I hear people whining and complaining about how much money the gas stations make on a gallon of gas. I hear people complaining about the cost of health care, insurance... etc.

The same question always remains. If you really believe they have such a high profit margin, then why haven't you opened your own business. You could undercut their price and make money hand over fist. You don't even have to become a doctor. Just open a clinic, hire some docs, charge a lower rate and watch the people flock in your doors. They will be glad you are charging less, and you can swim in all your profits like scrooge mcduck. But you don't. I wonder why. Either you are not willing to take the risk, or you don't really believe what you are claiming.

There is also another option. It is possible that you don't believe there should be a profit allowed. That clinics and doctors should be run as non-profits. In which case you are a hypocrite.

I think your industry should be non-profit.

Abortion Thoughts

I read a number of blogs of women who are ardently pro-choice. I don’t know why I read them. Perhaps it is just because I like to read the thoughts of people who have a radically different world view than my own. I am bored to tears reading the words of those who I agree with on most every subject. Especially if I disagree with the way the promote their ideas.

For some reason those who are pro-life have been labeled Super-Christians, murderers, haters, and so forth. I wish I could disagree with you, but when I look around I see much of the same even as a pro-life Christian. Here are some of my thoughts.

As a Christian you are called to love others. It is tough to do that standing in front of an abortion clinic holding a sign that calls scared teenage girls murderers.

As a Christian you are called to proclaim the good news of Christ, which is about forgiveness of sin. You are not called to convict others of their sin. That is the Holy Spirits job. You aren’t any good at it anyway.

Abortion is a sin…… So is hating someone. In fact it is the same as murder to God. I wonder if you are guilty of that. As you know, if you have broken just one of the laws you are guilty of breaking the whole law, hence the need for Christ and His good news.

Do I believe abortion is a good thing? No. But I believe as Christians we are fighting the wrong battle. Instead we should love those who are hurting, provide food for those in need. We should provide medical care for those in need, and show the lost world that there is a better way. Not doing so with an air of contempt, but with compassion and understanding.

Women who have had abortions have not done so on a whim, and many times they are hurting over the difficult decision. Standing in front of them calling them murderers is not what Christ would do. He would show compassion. Will you?

Another Pregnant Man

The headline to the story reads "Another Pregnant Man". I remember when the first of these stories came out a while back, and my reaction is the same the second time around. THIS IS NOT A MAN.

For some reason the media promotes this as though it were a man who by some freak of nature was able to conceive a child and carry it to term I don't know somewhere in his urethra. That is obviously not the case here. Just like the first time around we have a woman who has been changed surgically to look like a man. Fine. I don't care what you want to do to your own body. If you want to add a third eyeball because you feel that you were supposed to be born a tri-clops, whatever, that is your business. But please then don't act as though you are doing something special.

You may look like a man, but so what, all your parts are still woman on the inside. I mean for goodness sake the lunch lady at the high school has a moustache and is well on the way to a beard. That doesn't make her a man either. For the record, no man has EVER given birth to a child, and they never will.

To add to the odd factor here, the partner is also a woman. So, we have two women who are both surgically altered to appear like men. They then couple up and date another woman who looks like a man.

For the sake of this child I really pray these parents can provide some sort of positive identity to this life they have created. This baby will have two mothers pretending to be fathers, and no one to actually be a mother or is that father. You see the dilemma.

Change Your Insurance Expectations

Lets think for a moment about insurance. What are things you pay to have insured? You want to make sure you have life insurance to protect against the unlikely event of your death. (assuming you are in good health. If not you couldn't afford the premiums.) You want to insure against the unlikely event that some natural disaster such as tornado or perhaps a fire destroys your home. So you need home owners or renters insurance. You insure your car against the unlikely event that you lose control of your vehicle and create a new drive through window at a local convenience store. Insurance is designed to protect you from liability should some unlikely, but financially devastating circumstance occur in your life.

Have you ever wondered why you don't buy tire insurance. Just pay the premiums and if your tires wear out you can just pay the co-pay. There will of course be a small deductible. You don't because it is not unlikely that your tires will wear out. In fact it is an absolute certainty that sooner or later you will need new tires.

Insurance should be treated the same way. You know with absolute certainty that you and your family are going to need to see the doctor for minor cases of bumps, bruises, coughs and colds. Yet for some reason we want to purchase insurance to cover the costs. It doesn't make financial sense. Let me break it down for you.

Seeing the doctor = x
If you see the doctor and pay the bill yourself :

Your Bill = x.

If you buy insurance to pay for routine office visits you will pay the insurance company via your premiums:

premiums = x+administrative costs+profits.

Face it insurance companies are not in the business of loosing money. They are in the business of making money. If they are going to pay for your routine office visits which you KNOW are going to occur, you will pay more than if you paid them on your own.

The obvious flaw here is that the doctors' offices agree to take a smaller percentage of payment from the insurance companies for a visit and for certain procedures in exchange for guaranteed payment. However, You can do that on your own. Doctors offices are willing to take less if you ask. But you have to ask, then make payment in full. Start a health savings account to pay for routine office visits for you and your family. Then purchase a catastrophic health insurance plan to insure you against the UNLIKELY event that someone in your family be diagnosed with something as costly as cancer.

If you buy your own insurance this will save you money. Do the math. Even if you have a broken arm it is still cheaper to pay for it on your own than pay the huge costs associated with the "pay-for-everything insurance plans".

Big Brother Twisting Your Arm

Here it comes, employees of the government will no longer have control of their own bodies. According to this story from Newsday government health employees will not have a choice when it comes to the h1n1 vaccine.

Despite a planned rally in Albany Tuesday to protest a state regulation
requiring health care workers be vaccinated against influenza — both seasonal
and swine flu — New York’s top public
health official predicts dissenters will ultimately extinguish their anger and
roll up their sleeves.
The regulation, which was approved in August, comes
with a stinging addendum: Get vaccinated or get fired.

I have mixed feelings about this because the entire premise is screwed up.

First, I believe the employee/employer relationship works like this; the employer has the right to demand their employees do anything that isn't against the law. For example, many employers do not allow their employees to smoke, and will fire them if they discover they are doing so. They do this based on the premise that smoking employees get ill more often and cause cost increases in insurance. This is fine. If you are not comfortable with what the employer requires then you are free to find employment elsewhere.

In a normal situation the government via the judicial system is there to stand between the employee and employer to ensure there are no breaches of the constitution.

In this case the employer is the government, and as the government gobbles up more and more of the private sector you may soon find yourself unable to escape employer demanded vaccines. Followed presumably by further intrusions into your liberty.

Gun Toting Hate Mongers

Beginning late in the Clinton administration I've been noticing a growing gulf of ideals between the two major political parties in the United States. From Lewinsky to Bush Lied People Died, to now, town hall meetings with protesters carrying guns. Are these things just an example of citizens exercising their rights to disagree with government? Or, are we growing more and more divisive in our vision for this great country?

Maybe I'm the only right winger willing to be honest about this subject, but the carrying of guns to protest the health care bill is not a simple, "I'm carrying because it is my right to do so." It is instead, "I'm carrying this gun to remind you that the 2nd amendment exists to allow citizens to rise up against a corrupt government." And I'm a supporter.

Of course we don't want to say that is really what the "gun toting" is about. But it is. And that is okay. That is the purpose of the the right to bear arms, so that in the event of a government growing corrupt, the people have a means to remove them, forcibly if necessary, from their positions of power.

Imagine a world without this right. It really is the teeth in the constitution. Pretend if you will for a moment if all guns were removed from the people of this nation. Then imagine that legislators decide all on their own that they will no longer require an election to maintain power. How would you remove them? You couldn't. They would have the force of the military behind them and you would have no means of defense.

Are you okay with that?

Life Minus Men

Apparently a world with out men is closer than you think. Scientists have now created human sperm from stem cells. Of course this brings up the concept of life without men. As the sperm can be created from any stem cell, including that of women. You could literally have a child with only a mother. This prospect doesn't scare me. Even if women are able to somehow wipe out men, they will always keep a few around. Likely in a warehouse somewhere, or maybe each woman would have one in the closet. Men would be something along the lines of a vacuum, coffee maker, or other appliance. Women would pull out the man on occasion for specific purposes such as changing the oil in their car, killing a spider, and opening difficult pickle jars. Don't worry men you'll still have a place in this world.

If I had Voted for Barack Obama

I can only assume people voted for Barack Obama because they agree with his policy statements. So, if I had voted for President Obama, would I be happy with his performance to this point?

Obama Policy: Pull out the troops from Iraq. Keep them in Afghanistan.
Result: Well, I'm not exactly happy. Obama kept the EXACT time table set forth by Bush. But what else could he do. The war in Iraq was all but over, and the pull out would have been very difficult to have pulled off any sooner. There is now a major thrust in Afghanistan. Just where President Obama said we should be.

Obama Policy: Ensure every American has health care insurance.
Result: He is certainly pushing for it. I'm happy that possibly by next year I will no longer pay for health care what so ever.

Obama Policy: Improve diplomatic relations through talk as opposed to force.
Result: This is certainly what he is trying to do, thought it seems he is alienating some of our closest allies (the Brits, Israel) in an effort to be nice to Iran, Venezuela and others. This is what he said he would do. I'd like it if he could do this without upsetting our long time friends.

Obama Policy: Force "green energy on the public.
Result: While there have been some rumblings about this on a large scale cap and trade doesn't seem to be close to a reality yet. There are vouchers to buy greener cars. That is a step in the right direction. I'd still like to see Obama push to rid the world of coal fire power plants.

Obama Policy: Set up a system that rids us of the old model of "bubble and burst".
Result: Giving money to those troubled companies, and setting up government programs to ensure they are run properly in the future. Using tools like, pay czar, car czar x2. Economy seems to be getting better. Credit goes to Obama.

I guess if I'm an Obama supporter I have to be happy with his performance. I would have to say that as far as campaign promises go, Obama seems to be more serious about keeping them than most presidents. Or perhaps he just has the majorities to get it done.

Is the Sky Really Falling?

For days now, every time I see or hear the news all I hear about is how we are all going to die from this swine flu pandemic. Is it really that bad? I suspect not. There has been 1 death thus far from swine flu in the United States. Meanwhile since the first of the year there have been over 10 thousand deaths from the regular old boring flu. You know the kind you already had back in February.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we don't need to take a look at this strain, however I suspect it is only a slightly more dangerous version that the one I seem to get twice a year anyway.

If I were to venture a guess, I would think the only people at serious risk are the very young, very old, and those whose immune systems are compromised. So, the exact same people who need to be concerned about any strain of the flu.

Lets take a look at a segment from this article....

A 6 to 7 percent death rate would make the Mexican swine flu nearly three times
deadlier than the worst flu pandemic in the last 100 years — the 1918 Spanish
flu, which killed an estimated 20 million to 50 million people worldwide.

Seriously. Really. You gotta be kidding me. The swine flu which has killed less than 200 people worldwide is now worse than a flu which killed almost 50 million people. What world am I living in. I can only shake my hand at what passes for journalism.

What Do You Want From Your Government?

The basic decision in this year's election is whether you want the federal government to grow, or grow faster. In an effort to provide full disclosure I'll be voting for John McCain tomorrow morning when the polls open, however, if there were a candidate on the ticket who would shrink government, I'd be voting for them. And I don't mean a candidate who has no hope of attaining the presidency.

I feel like an orphan at this point. Left on the door step of the monastery by W, now 4 years later they are coming back pandering for my vote. Sad part is that just like an abused child who no matter how injured by the parent, continues to seek after their approval. Okay I'm getting off topic. Here is what I want my government to do.

1. Provide a military so powerful no one dares threaten our security.

2. Provide for a court system to settle disputes both civil and criminal.

3. Provide an interstate transportation system second to none.

4. Protect citizens abroad.

5. Ensure states make no law infringing on rights granted in the constitution and bill of rights.

I do not want my federal government to get involved in:

1. The economy

2. Education

3. Making life fair

4. Health care

5. Providing a safety net

If a state wants to get involved in those areas, great. As long as they don't infringe on your rights. What do you want your federal government to "do" for you?

Reporter Doesn't Get It

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has been called into question by a
radical new interpretation of a tablet found on the eastern bank of the Dead
Sea.
The three-foot stone tablet appears to refer to a Messiah who rises from
the grave three days after his death — even though it was written decades before
the birth of Jesus.
The ink is badly faded on much of the tablet, known as
Gabriel's Vision of Revelation, which was written rather than engraved in the
1st century B.C. This has led some experts to claim that the inscription has
been overinterpreted.
A previous paper published by the scholars Ada Yardeni
and Binyamin Elitzur concluded that the most controversial lines were
indecipherable.
Israel Knohl, a biblical studies professor at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, argued Monday that line 80 of the text revealed Gabriel
telling an historic Jewish rebel named Simon, who was killed by the Romans four
years before the birth of Christ: "In three days you shall live, I, Gabriel,
command you."
Professor Knohl contends that the tablet proves that messianic
followers possessed the paradigm of their leader rising from the grave before
Jesus was born.
He said that the text "could be the missing link between
Judaism and Christianity in so far as it roots the Christian belief in the
resurrection of the Messiah in Jewish tradition." -Fox News

What? This is the most ridiculous article I've ever seen. Really? "the missing link for the Christian belief in the resurrection of the Messiah in Jewish tradition." Hey Fox News, Next time let some one who has read the bible write the story.

Marriage Contracts In Saudi Arabia

Saudi marriage officiant Dr. Ahmad al-Mu’bi told Lebanese television viewers last week that it’s permissible for girls as young as 1 to marry — as long as sex is postponed.
Al-Mu’bi’s remarkable comments also included an explanation that “there is no minimal age for entering marriage.”
“You can have a marriage contract even with a 1-year-old girl, not to mention a girl of 9, 7 or 8,” he said. “But is the girl ready for sex or not?” What is the appropriate age for sex for the first time? This varies according to environment and tradition,” al-Mu’bi said. - Fox News

Democrat?

The other day I was sitting at the bar of a well known chain restaurant waiting for my take out food. The place was quite packed for a Monday evening. As I sat sipping on a pepsi the conversation around the bar turned from casual sports chit chat to politics. I promise I was not the instigator of this conversation. It was a matronly woman sitting one over to my right. I believe with the exception of the bartender she was the only woman in our little section of the restaurant.

The first statement had to do with the recent visit from Barak Obama to a local high school then to an Indian Reservation. The woman glowed as she spoke about how he dripped with charisma. I thought for sure I was in the presence of an Obamamaniac. However, she followed this up by saying, "of course I'll be voting for Hillary in the primary". This is when her husband got up and left.

Those of you who know much about me understand that holding my tongue is only rarely a quality which I espouse. This was not one of those occassions. As I proceeded to grill this woman about what she believed, why she believed it, and why she was voting democrat, this is what I learned.

She's voting for Hillary because:

She is tired of the government handouts.
She believes in the swift enforcement of the death penalty.
She doesn't belive in abortion.
She believes gun rights should be protected.
Wants lower taxes.
Wants to secure the border.

Wants to end the war.
Wants free healthcare.

She has never voted republican. Hates George W. Bush. I wonder how many other democrats don't know what their party really believes.

Kennedy has Tumor

Senator Ted Kennedy has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Prognosis: Not Good. Survival rates are 1 year for advanced aggressive tumors and up to 5 for the slower kinds. Most pro-life, defend the border, cut social program conservatives have found Sen. Kennedy to be one of their biggest hurdles in the past. So I ask, is your compassion for this man bigger than your desire to see your political agenda come to fruition? I hope so.

Life Isn't Fair

What a load of crap. Seriously where in the world do these people get their law degrees. What is wrong with the justice system today when "paper money" discriminates against the blind. We will now follow the fate of Russia as we spend our country into the toilet attempting to right every wrong that has happened through out life.

You will be forbidden from speaking because you might be discriminating against a deaf person in the room. At first you will think sign language is the answer but, no, there may be a blind person in the room missing out. The last straw will be the systematic adjustment of all toilets to a mere 11 inches off the floor. Sure it will be uncomfortable for you, but all those midgets around the country will be far more comfortable.

Terrible things happen. You can't fix them all. That is life. When I was a child a can remember crying because my brother had gotten more (insert whatever here). I bawled to my mother who told me "life isn't fair". Was my mother the only person in the country teaching this lesson?

More on Health Care

But Jay, Are you saying that I don't have the "right" to be seen by a doctor when I am sick? Yep. That is what I'm saying. I don't see anywhere in the constitution where you are guaranteed the right to medical care.

Now let me clarify. You have the right to health care in the way you have the right to eat a ham sandwich. Sure you can have it. No one has the right to stop you. But YOU have to pay for the ham sandwich, and you should have to pay for the health care if you want it.

Due to the way our system works, they do not turn people away in emergency situations. That is an oath they have taken, and it is a noble thing to do. However, YOU are still responsible for the services YOU have purchased.

Again redistribution of income is not the American way. More on this topic later.