I haven't posted much in the opinion section of this site for quite a few years now. If you look at my posts, you can see I've had opinions about many topics and haven't been afraid to share them. So what changed?
Well, several things, but all of them combined are in the process of bringing me to a place where I value being quiet more than I value speaking out.
This transcription of a talk by Marvin Olasky is well worth the read. It's a succinct summary of how Compassionate Conservatism died. He also talks about how things changed in the Bush administration, that I think explain why many people don't really seem to understand what Compassionate Conservatism is. Compassionate Conservatism is about charity performed by individuals. Not charity centralized in the Government. >
Here are a few thoughts (sorta rants) on politics this year. Largely just preaching to myself. Feel free to chime in in the comments.
The ratio between the attention we spend on Federal politics and the attention we spend on local politics is far to heavily weighted towards the Federal side. Yes, it is important. But you are much more likely to be able to influence local politics than Federal. So, spend more time paying attention to State, County, and City politics.
So, there's a lot of people saying that the rich aren't paying enough taxes. That they aren't paying their fair share. The Left successfully villianized Mitt Romney for being rich. The Occupy movement wants the Government to take the rich's money and give it to them. A friend of mine recently posted a status that sounded like he was mad a rich person was looking to move to a place where he wouldn't be taxed so much. On and on it goes...
Just read an article on the New York Times about how Obama and Congress are planning to tackle "job creation." So, I decided to post a message to them about the subject.
Dear President and Congress,
Right, everyone hates taxes. That's a given. But want to know why people get really mad? It's not because they have to pay the Government so it can do it's work. It's not because people are greedy. No, it's because they can be as careful as possible in reporting their income, and still get a bill telling them that they got it wrong.
Case in point. I got a letter today saying I own $300+ dollars in taxes to Oregon. Apparently I reported my scholarship income wrong.
First, go watch the video and read the interview at this link: http://www.black-and-right.com/2011/07/08/the-regretful-obama-voter-speaks/
In the video, she talks about how Obama lied about wanting a Single Payer Health Care System, as well as how the recession is mainly due to the <a href="/node/91">Left's policies</a>. Oh, and I found her comment about the WHO report to be very interesting, I'll have to look into it myself sometime soon.
I've heard parts of what is in this article, The True Story of the Financial Crisis, before. But seldom from a source that had the qualifications of Peter J. Wallison. The two takeaways:
So, remember this article as you vote in elections.
Now, I am mainly aiming this question at fellow Christians who support Leftist politicians and policies, but I left that adjective off the noun in the title because I believe non-Christians could have the answer as well. So, here is the question: What sinful policies and actions do people on the Right support and promote? I'm asking about things that are not debatable. Some could try to argue that the Rights opposition to Obamacare or economically devastating "Green" policies, is sinful, but some could argue the exact opposite just as easily.
Abortion is one of the most evil things. Next time someone you know supports abortion, tell them the story of Melissa Ohden. Then ask if they can still believe that she wasn't human when she was aborted.
I'll keep it short and sweet, I hope. Today is voting day! And, according to many opinions I have read, the GOP is going to win big. I tend to agree with them, but it doesn't really make me happy.
Obama was voted into office because people were tired of Bush and his policies. Obama then took the worst parts of Bush's policies and increased them a thousandfold. Big spending, big government, bad leadership in the wars, etc. Americans are rightfully ticked off by that, and today's votes will reflect that.
What do we do with home-schoolers? Pastor Stein sees the Public Schools artifically inflating their graduation rates by having deadbeat parents "say" they will homeschool their kids. His response? Have the Government Regulate homeschooling.
A good perspective that rather eloquently explains why the Republican Party has been, and is still the best choice for Christians. I've quoted a few of the best paragraphs below. Why Republican: A Christian Examination of History and Conservativism
Quick post to share some links. Project Vote Smart has pages on the three District 4 Congressional Candidates I get to choose from. Especially interesting were the Political Courage Tests: Arther B. Robinson Peter DeFazio Mike Beilstein Check those out before voting, and make sure you check out the rest of their info as well.
I generally pay little attention to local politics. I've moved around so much in my life, that I've never felt like they mattered to me. Thus, I hadn't really heard of any of the people in the title, other than DeFazio, before. Then a friend posted a link on Facebook to an article about DeFazio going after CTA (Concerned Taxpayers of America).
The Curious Logic of Our Governing Elites
Thought I'd share this with more than just my Facebook friends. It's a great article that I wish I'd have written. It pretty much encapsulates why I have a hard time believing anything coming from the left. Or from any of the politicians on either side, so much of what comes out of Washington is double thinking. Anyway, go read it. :D
I've heard a bit about this act before. But today I read an article that talked about how the National Right to Life Committee and other Pro-Life groups are opposing it. That caught my interest since I consider abortion to be the worst cancer on our society, ever. It's far worse than slavery. So I decided to do some research. Here is the summary of the bill from Open Congress.
So, everyone hates taxes, right? Personally, I don't mind paying the Government what I owe them. As much as I dislike how things may be running right now, the Government still deserves my money for keeping me safe and keeping various things running smoothly.
That said, the current tax system needs to be junked. It's a giant waste of money that only benefits rich people who can pay people to find the loopholes that let them pay fewer taxes. And it's a pointless waste of time for those of us with such low incomes, that we don't pay taxes, and don't receive much for a refund.
Update, day after this first posted, the Democrats decided not to be completely stupid. FoxNews story. So, there is still some hope for them.
So, I've tried to keep my posts relatively free of partisanship. I dislike all the Washington D.C. politicians, bar a few who actually have the guts to stand by their principles (though, Ron Paul and possibly Coburn are the only ones I know of.) Republican or Democrat, doesn't really matter to me.
One of the big reasons people choose to have abortion is that the baby is found to be disabled. Autism is one major example.
Look at the art on this page.
That's what abortion kills.
So, a friend on Facebook posted a note about <a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/show">this bill</a> that would create federal gun control. That prompted me to do a quick write up on gun control.
Number one, gun control on the federal level is definitely unconstitutional.
<blockquote>Amendment 2 - Right to Bear Arms. Ratified 12/15/1791.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.</blockquote>
So, a friend of mine recently came out of the closet, and has been trying to convince me that homosexuality is ok. I guess that is why he invited me to the International Day Against Homophobia. So I went to the event page and read the description. And was subsequently annoyed. Here's what it said:
If you've been reading this blog at all, you will have noticed that I have been posting quite a bit on political matters. Like cap and trade, health care reform, etc. Something I have been thinking about is why I care so much about these things. After all, as a Christian, my overriding goal is the salvation of souls. So, how does worrying about politics tie into being a Christian? 1 John 3:16
According to this article, illegal immigrants will be allowed to purchase health insurance under the House's version of Obamacare. They won't be able to get subsidized by our tax dollars, though.
So, I've thought that it was fairly obvious that Obamacare was designed to create a single payer system ever since I first read about it. Unfortunately some people actually believe the lies told by the left. Obama says he doesn't want a single-payer system, yet he was recorded on video as saying he wanted it in 2003. I haven't heard him explain that yet.