Dem wants a special tax on suburban houses
According to a Washington Post online article, Democrat John Dingell (the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee) is set to propose a lot of stupid ideas to combat so called man made climate problems.
He wants to add 50 cents per gallon to the federal gas tax and $50 per ton of carbon released from burning coal and petroleum. But, probably worst of all, he wants to phase out the interest tax deduction and houses over 3,000 sq ft. (i.e. he wants to raise taxes). He blames urban sprawl on those that buy and build the larger houses.
In too many areas of our lives, the government uses the tax laws to try to dictate how we should live. The rules should be the same for everyone.
It is easy to get a large portion of the population to support taxes on the "rich" or other perceived unfairly advantaged groups. The logic is: Greed is bad. Well, envy is probably worse. The self-righteous liberal left (progressive – as they now call themselves now) would never claim envy is the reason behind their philosophical deficiencies. While there are some that may arrive at their liberal foundation through self loathing and guilt, I submit that envy is the root.
If you cut off the tops of the weeds in your garden, the roots will regrow. Until the roots are gone, the weeds keep coming back.
Dingell has been in the House of Representatives for over 50 years. Over 50 years. Mr. Dingell, please retire, now.
Downtown
I work in downtown Mobile, but the building I am in doesn't have windows.
So, sometimes, when I like to make sure that the rest of the world still exists, I check out this site. It is a web cam that is usually pointing toward the cruise ship terminal. Ocassionally, it is pointed toward the new RSA Tower - the tallest building in Alabama at 745 feet.
Click on the image to the left to go to the site and see the latest view.
30 Days Muslim Prayer Focus for Christians
At Wednesday night Bible study we talked about the 30 Days call to prayer for Muslims. The prayer movement started in the early 1990s during a meeting of Christian leaders in the Middle East. It was planned to coincide with the Islamic month of Ramadan.
It "calls upon Christians to make a concerted but respectful effort during this time to learn about, pray for and reach out to Muslim neighbors—across the street and around the world."
From the material we discussed: The dates for Ramadan follow the lunar calendar and in 2007, Ramadan begins approximately on September 13th and ends on October 12th. The exact dates may vary from region to region because the period begins and ends with the sighting of the crescent moon.
Praying during the month of Ramadan does not mean that we conform ourselves to Muslim practices of fasting and prayer. Rather, it allows us to identify with Muslims by praying for them during a significant period of their spiritual lives. God is able to reach Muslims. He wants them to come to know Him. Join us as we lift them in prayer.
The Muslim "Night of Power" commemorates Mohammed receiving the revelation of the Qur'an. The date occurs during Ramadan and varies by sect, but is always during the last 3rd of the month. On this night, Muslims are often encouraged to stay awake all night and pray for blessings and forgiveness. On October 9th, pray that God will act during the Night of Power so that people may have a revelation of Jesus.
Pray that Muslims will see that God and Allah are not the same.
There’s somethin’ wrong with the world today…
I don't know what it is
Something's wrong with our eyes
To quote wisdom in song.
Actually, I think a big part of the problem is people like Hillary Clinton. Her latest version of HillaryCare is obscene. Not the least of the problems with the idea is the anticiapated cost: $110 Billion per year. There is no way her proposal will cost "only" $110 Billion per year. The government is not the solution to the problems with access to health care.
She wants to make insurance required and she can see the day when "you have to show proof to your employer that you're insured as a part of the job interview." The Democrats don't even want people to prove that they are legally in the United States before they get a job, now their presumed candidate is wanting employers to verify existing health insurance coverage.
According to the American Enterprise Institute, there are about 4 million people without insurance making over $75,000 per year. Almost 30% of the uninsured are between 18 and 24. How many of them could be covered under parent's insurance if they were in college? How many are just starting out in the work force and choose not to purchase insurance or work at jobs that can't afford insurance.
We offer our employees Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance. It is not cheap, but the company pays part and the employee pays part. Many of our employees decide not to purchase the insurance. The reasons vary, but most reasons boil down to priorities. They don't see insurance as important. Several employees, rather than have insurance, visit a free clinic near the office. It is first come first served and the wait can apparently be quite long, but they see this as an advantage over paying the employee portion to get Blue Cross coverage.
Then there is the SCHIP (State Child Health Insurance Program) that provide health insurance for children. I agree it is a very noble cause. Clinton has proposed widening and deepening the program by covering children in families making upto 400% of the federal poverty guidelines. At 400% of the poverty level, a family of four would be making $82,700 per year. The Heritage Foundation reports that there are 70,000 people that are poor enough to fall into this category, but rich enough to have to pay the Alterntative Minimum Tax (AMT) that is supposed to make rich people pair their "fair share."
There are problems with health care, but ClintonCare is not the solution. Insurance does not guarantee good health care.
Being a parent
Well, Olivia (my oldest) has been in kindergarten for about a month now. Where does the time go?
Many of my friends (the ones that are my age) tend to have children that are at least a few years older than mine. Cindy and I were married only 14 months after we met and our first child was born nine months to the day after we married. Having kids in your 30s keeps you young.
Having the support of your family, friends, and church play an important role in raising your children. It does NOT take a village to raise children, but the people you surround yourself with plays an import role is how you raise children.
I am who I am today because of all of the people who have come in (and gone out) of my life. As an adult, I got to choose who those people were and, thus, how my life was affected. My children do not have that choice. I have to decide for them.Â
My friends will affect my children in many way I can not even know. Everyone concerns themselves with where to send their children to school, how to discipline them when they do wrong, what TV shows to let them watch, and the list goes on. Cindy and I often have discussions about how to raise children and we often have these discussions with friends and family. But, these friends, good or bad, are a part of my children’s lives and so I must choose wisely.
I have been out of high school for 20 years now. This started me thinking about all the people I have known and what impact they have had on my life. Even though I may not think of many of these people often, it is amazing how much of an impact they had on who I am.
I’m not sure if we will have a 20 year class reunion, but it would be nice to catch up with many of those I knew in high school and lost contact with. It is apparent that I am not the same person I was then, just as is the case, I am certain, for everyone else. Although the length of time they spent in my life is now exceed by the number years since then, high school friends are a different sort of friend.
In the last 20 years I have met some people I called friends and the time and have since lost contact with, but you share something with friends from high school. You grow up quickly in those four years. When you grow that much along side someone, you have a special friendship.
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