Tuesday, November 3, 2009
MY NEW BLOG CONSOLIDATING MY 3 BLOGS IS NOW UP AND RUNNING AT
http://ecdpilgrim.wordpress.com/
I HAVE ALSO ESTABLISHED A BLOG IN CONJUNCTION WITH A BOOK I AM WRITING ABOUT THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF MY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS AT
http://45from65.wordpress.com/
THANKS FOR READING AND FEEDBACK OVER THE YEARS HERE. JOIN ME AT THE NEW SITES FOR CONTINUED CONVERSATION
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Obamacare
They’reeee back…next week.
I have always felt better when Congress is out of session. Not only is the blathering and blithering reduced, no legislation can be passed! But, after Labor Day they will be back in session. And, of course, centre stage will be health care reform; or health insurance reform; or health care cost reduction; or whatever the “title of the week” this legislative initiative undertaken by Congress and the POTUS will be called. Let’s just call it Obamacare for short.
Although seemingly no one has read the bills reported out of the various committees, the massiveness of the bills and the apparent sweep of change is daunting. Each of the bills reported out creates a massive new bureaucracy to administer whatever the bills provide. Where is this all going? So far it has not been good for the POTUS since his approval rating has been falling rather precipitously. As for Congress, there approval rating was in the Mendoza Zone to begin with so it matters not to them what the folks think. That is until November 2010 when all members of the House and 1/3rd of the Senate is up for re-election.
Obviously, it would have been better for sitting politicians to have passed a controversial, massive reworking of the health care system in the USA this summer. That was the POTUS’s directive. The closer to the election, the harder it will be for those members in “contested” districts to do something drastic. But, the Dems do have commanding majorities in Congress now. So, if there is going to be big change now is the time. Because of leadership based on seniority, the chairs of House committees are usually from relatively safe districts. And, with majority of Dems on committees, bills get reported out. But now, which “principle” triumphs for the membership of the Dems…the belief in health care whatever or the belief in re-election?
It has been a rough couple months. It was announced today the POTUS will be addressing a joint session of Congress. Will he be taking back the debate? Will he be urging bi-partisanship? Will he be scolding the Repubs? Will he be urging “winning one for Teddy”? Will he be dropping the “public option”? Will he be demanding the “public option”? [What is the public option anyway…seems like a wax nose to be shaped in any way you want it to be or the camel’s nose under the tent?] One thing we can be sure of…he will be eloquent and charming, his strong points…but will he be substantive and concrete, understanding the outrage and disgust over confusion there is in the minds of the voters? Not his strong suit. Does he get that our elected officials are to serve the people not tell the people arrogantly and condescendingly what is good for them and try to push it through without explanation? This is the real test of leadership for the POTUS.
They’reeee back…next week.
I have always felt better when Congress is out of session. Not only is the blathering and blithering reduced, no legislation can be passed! But, after Labor Day they will be back in session. And, of course, centre stage will be health care reform; or health insurance reform; or health care cost reduction; or whatever the “title of the week” this legislative initiative undertaken by Congress and the POTUS will be called. Let’s just call it Obamacare for short.
Although seemingly no one has read the bills reported out of the various committees, the massiveness of the bills and the apparent sweep of change is daunting. Each of the bills reported out creates a massive new bureaucracy to administer whatever the bills provide. Where is this all going? So far it has not been good for the POTUS since his approval rating has been falling rather precipitously. As for Congress, there approval rating was in the Mendoza Zone to begin with so it matters not to them what the folks think. That is until November 2010 when all members of the House and 1/3rd of the Senate is up for re-election.
Obviously, it would have been better for sitting politicians to have passed a controversial, massive reworking of the health care system in the USA this summer. That was the POTUS’s directive. The closer to the election, the harder it will be for those members in “contested” districts to do something drastic. But, the Dems do have commanding majorities in Congress now. So, if there is going to be big change now is the time. Because of leadership based on seniority, the chairs of House committees are usually from relatively safe districts. And, with majority of Dems on committees, bills get reported out. But now, which “principle” triumphs for the membership of the Dems…the belief in health care whatever or the belief in re-election?
It has been a rough couple months. It was announced today the POTUS will be addressing a joint session of Congress. Will he be taking back the debate? Will he be urging bi-partisanship? Will he be scolding the Repubs? Will he be urging “winning one for Teddy”? Will he be dropping the “public option”? Will he be demanding the “public option”? [What is the public option anyway…seems like a wax nose to be shaped in any way you want it to be or the camel’s nose under the tent?] One thing we can be sure of…he will be eloquent and charming, his strong points…but will he be substantive and concrete, understanding the outrage and disgust over confusion there is in the minds of the voters? Not his strong suit. Does he get that our elected officials are to serve the people not tell the people arrogantly and condescendingly what is good for them and try to push it through without explanation? This is the real test of leadership for the POTUS.
Down From the Green Tunnel
I have just published my first volume of short stories entitled Down From the Green Tunnel. It is available from Booksurge and Amazon. Everyone loves stories…even those who reject meta-narratives with overall application. This little book recounts fact and delves into fiction with the intention of making the reader think about life, place, kin, culture and God. Check it out.
I have just published my first volume of short stories entitled Down From the Green Tunnel. It is available from Booksurge and Amazon. Everyone loves stories…even those who reject meta-narratives with overall application. This little book recounts fact and delves into fiction with the intention of making the reader think about life, place, kin, culture and God. Check it out.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
149th Edition of the Clearfield County Fair
Hank Snow & Ernest Tubb: County Music Kings
The Clearfield County Fair closed last Saturday night. Things have changed. Country Music used to be the staple of the fair. Now, its rockabilly, rock and pop country music. But, of course, that is the movement of our society and culture and the movement has reached Clearfield County. I can remember my father and grandfather listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights, and it was that kind of performers and performances that used to headline the fair. Two of the Country Music Kings were Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb; two of my dad’s favorites.
Hank Snow was born Clarence Eugene Snow on May 9, 1914, in Nova Scotia Canada. His parents divorced when he was eight and he went to live with his grandparents. At 12 he worked as a cabin boy on a fishing boat for four hard years. When he returned to land he held odd jobs. In 1929, his mother gave him some Jimmie Rodger’s records and that inspired him to become a performer. He even named his son Jimmie Rodgers Snow. He began playing and singing in Canada until the mid 1940s when he ventured into the U.S.
He moved around…Philadelphia; the Jamboree in Wheeling, W.Va.; two trips to Hollywood and finally to Dallas in 1948. It was here he met Tubb who was already a Grand Ole Opry star. Snow began playing at The Big D Jamboree. From 1949 through 1956 he recorded and played with his band the Rainbow Ranch Boys. In 1950, with the backing of Ernest Tubb he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He first hit on Billboard’s Country charts was in 1949 but it was his own “Movin’ On” in July of 1950 that propelled him to superstar status. “Movin’ On” is the longest standing number one in Billboard Country history. He had two number 1s in 1950; in 1951 a number 1, 4 and 6; two 2s a 4 and 6 in 1952; and “Let Me Go Lover” as a number 1 in 1954.
In 1961 he hit the charts with “Beggar to a King” written by the Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson who went down with Buddy Holly [When the music died!] two years before it hit the charts. “I’ve Been Everywhere” [heard sung by Johnny Cash on a motel commercial today] first recorded by Snow sent him back to number 1 in 1962. In 1963 he hit number 2 and number 5 in 1965. His last number one was in 1974, “Hello Love”.
Snow was an accomplished guitarist, and recorded with his producer, the legendary Chet Atkins, in 1964 and 1970. Yet, he is best known for his firm, sharp and perfectly controlled voice. His words were always clear and understandable and his pronunciation perfect as is heard on “I’ve Been Everywhere”. He was not a crooner, but sang intensely and precisely. His is a voice others tried to mimic without success. His distinctiveness set him apart for all generations of country music performers. He died in December 1999, at age 85.
Ernest Tubb, “The Texas Trubador”, was born the son of a sharecropper in 1914, the same year as Snow, in Crisp, TX. Also, like Snow, he was inspired when he heard the music of Jimmie Rodgers. Tubb worked at day jobs and taught himself to sing, yodel and play guitar in the Rodgers style. He met the widow of Rodgers and she helped him tour theaters and sing in 1936. In 1939, he had a tonsillectomy and returned to singing too soon thereby damaging his throat. This was a blessing since it allowed him to step away from being a Rodgers imitator to develop his own style.
He signed with Decca in 1940 and became a full time performer on KGKO in Fort Worth. He was the originator of the Honky Tonk Country style and his breakthrough “Walkin’ the Floor over You” defined him and sent him to the Grand Ole Opry in 1943. He was also an entrepreneur opening the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville in 1947. His establishment sold country records worldwide via mail. Also, in 1947 he headlined the first Opry show at Carnegie Hall in New York City. His own show, live from the record shop, debuted on WSN following the Opry in 1948. And, he was one of the individuals who convinced the industry to adopt “Country & Western” to replace the derogatory term of “hillbilly music.”
In 1949, he had a number 1 in “Slippin’ Around”, a song that treated adultery as a matter of fact in life. A 1950 duet with Red Foley, Leadbelly’s “Good Night Irene” was a top ten hit in country and pop music. He established Roger Miller as a songwriter supreme performing “Half a Mind”. His final top ten hit “Thanks a Lot” in 1963 was classic Ernest Tubb. In 1965 he sang “Waltz Across Texas” which was a departure from his drinking and womanizing tunes showing his versatility. Also, in 1965 he became the 6th inductee into the County Music Hall of Fame.
His life was a lot like his singing with legendary offstage honky tonk carousing. He was twice married and twice divorced and essentially lived on the road. His “Green Hornet” tour bus crisscrossed the U.S. and was home to the Troubadours. A heavy drinker and smoker, his health deteriorated and he had to use oxygen on the bus because of emphysema. He finally came off the road in 1982 when his weakened state forced him to retire after 46 years of touring! He died in 1984.
His legacy is not just performing. He helped many get started including Snow, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Stonewall Jackson and the Wilburn Brothers. He recorded duets with Loretta Lynn “Sweet Thang” and “Mr. & Mrs. Used to Be”. Jack Greene and Cal Smith were former members of Tubb’s group. And, Johnny Cash, who was heavily influenced by Tubb, was helped by the Texas Troubadour getting established in Nashville in the 1950s.
These two giants of “hillbilly” music helped transition Country & Western into an enormous business enterprise. They were not “one hit wonders” or make their money and run guys. They were performers who worked a lifetime at their craft. They were musicians who established styles and standards that have flourished through the years. Today, Country & Western has lost much of its edge, clarity and preciseness, but when you hear a Randy Travis or George Strait think Hank Snow, or when you hear an Alan Jackson or Toby Keith, think Ernest Tubb. For without Snow and Tubb, we would have no benchmark by which to judge what real Country & Western music is.
Hank Snow & Ernest Tubb: County Music Kings
The Clearfield County Fair closed last Saturday night. Things have changed. Country Music used to be the staple of the fair. Now, its rockabilly, rock and pop country music. But, of course, that is the movement of our society and culture and the movement has reached Clearfield County. I can remember my father and grandfather listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights, and it was that kind of performers and performances that used to headline the fair. Two of the Country Music Kings were Hank Snow and Ernest Tubb; two of my dad’s favorites.
Hank Snow was born Clarence Eugene Snow on May 9, 1914, in Nova Scotia Canada. His parents divorced when he was eight and he went to live with his grandparents. At 12 he worked as a cabin boy on a fishing boat for four hard years. When he returned to land he held odd jobs. In 1929, his mother gave him some Jimmie Rodger’s records and that inspired him to become a performer. He even named his son Jimmie Rodgers Snow. He began playing and singing in Canada until the mid 1940s when he ventured into the U.S.
He moved around…Philadelphia; the Jamboree in Wheeling, W.Va.; two trips to Hollywood and finally to Dallas in 1948. It was here he met Tubb who was already a Grand Ole Opry star. Snow began playing at The Big D Jamboree. From 1949 through 1956 he recorded and played with his band the Rainbow Ranch Boys. In 1950, with the backing of Ernest Tubb he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He first hit on Billboard’s Country charts was in 1949 but it was his own “Movin’ On” in July of 1950 that propelled him to superstar status. “Movin’ On” is the longest standing number one in Billboard Country history. He had two number 1s in 1950; in 1951 a number 1, 4 and 6; two 2s a 4 and 6 in 1952; and “Let Me Go Lover” as a number 1 in 1954.
In 1961 he hit the charts with “Beggar to a King” written by the Big Bopper, J.P. Richardson who went down with Buddy Holly [When the music died!] two years before it hit the charts. “I’ve Been Everywhere” [heard sung by Johnny Cash on a motel commercial today] first recorded by Snow sent him back to number 1 in 1962. In 1963 he hit number 2 and number 5 in 1965. His last number one was in 1974, “Hello Love”.
Snow was an accomplished guitarist, and recorded with his producer, the legendary Chet Atkins, in 1964 and 1970. Yet, he is best known for his firm, sharp and perfectly controlled voice. His words were always clear and understandable and his pronunciation perfect as is heard on “I’ve Been Everywhere”. He was not a crooner, but sang intensely and precisely. His is a voice others tried to mimic without success. His distinctiveness set him apart for all generations of country music performers. He died in December 1999, at age 85.
Ernest Tubb, “The Texas Trubador”, was born the son of a sharecropper in 1914, the same year as Snow, in Crisp, TX. Also, like Snow, he was inspired when he heard the music of Jimmie Rodgers. Tubb worked at day jobs and taught himself to sing, yodel and play guitar in the Rodgers style. He met the widow of Rodgers and she helped him tour theaters and sing in 1936. In 1939, he had a tonsillectomy and returned to singing too soon thereby damaging his throat. This was a blessing since it allowed him to step away from being a Rodgers imitator to develop his own style.
He signed with Decca in 1940 and became a full time performer on KGKO in Fort Worth. He was the originator of the Honky Tonk Country style and his breakthrough “Walkin’ the Floor over You” defined him and sent him to the Grand Ole Opry in 1943. He was also an entrepreneur opening the Ernest Tubb Record Shop in Nashville in 1947. His establishment sold country records worldwide via mail. Also, in 1947 he headlined the first Opry show at Carnegie Hall in New York City. His own show, live from the record shop, debuted on WSN following the Opry in 1948. And, he was one of the individuals who convinced the industry to adopt “Country & Western” to replace the derogatory term of “hillbilly music.”
In 1949, he had a number 1 in “Slippin’ Around”, a song that treated adultery as a matter of fact in life. A 1950 duet with Red Foley, Leadbelly’s “Good Night Irene” was a top ten hit in country and pop music. He established Roger Miller as a songwriter supreme performing “Half a Mind”. His final top ten hit “Thanks a Lot” in 1963 was classic Ernest Tubb. In 1965 he sang “Waltz Across Texas” which was a departure from his drinking and womanizing tunes showing his versatility. Also, in 1965 he became the 6th inductee into the County Music Hall of Fame.
His life was a lot like his singing with legendary offstage honky tonk carousing. He was twice married and twice divorced and essentially lived on the road. His “Green Hornet” tour bus crisscrossed the U.S. and was home to the Troubadours. A heavy drinker and smoker, his health deteriorated and he had to use oxygen on the bus because of emphysema. He finally came off the road in 1982 when his weakened state forced him to retire after 46 years of touring! He died in 1984.
His legacy is not just performing. He helped many get started including Snow, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Stonewall Jackson and the Wilburn Brothers. He recorded duets with Loretta Lynn “Sweet Thang” and “Mr. & Mrs. Used to Be”. Jack Greene and Cal Smith were former members of Tubb’s group. And, Johnny Cash, who was heavily influenced by Tubb, was helped by the Texas Troubadour getting established in Nashville in the 1950s.
These two giants of “hillbilly” music helped transition Country & Western into an enormous business enterprise. They were not “one hit wonders” or make their money and run guys. They were performers who worked a lifetime at their craft. They were musicians who established styles and standards that have flourished through the years. Today, Country & Western has lost much of its edge, clarity and preciseness, but when you hear a Randy Travis or George Strait think Hank Snow, or when you hear an Alan Jackson or Toby Keith, think Ernest Tubb. For without Snow and Tubb, we would have no benchmark by which to judge what real Country & Western music is.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Obamanomics
Cash for Clunkers…a Lesson
The Cash for Clunkers program is a big success. Well…sort of. Lots of cars were sold; lots of clunkers disabled by Uncle Sam. Another bail out of the auto industry accomplished! But, the program ran out of money so Congress voted to dump in another $2 billion before heading off on junkets and town hall meetings [which would you want to do as a Congressman?] during the August recess. There were other shortcomings…dealers not getting their money; people thinking they qualified who did not; the government web site crashing; cars taken out of circulation that could be used by charitable organizations; dealers running out of qualifying cars. Wow…unintended consequences that Congress did not think about.
Now, the lesson. If Congress cannot figure out how to run the Cash for Clunkers project, how are they going to do with health care? We keep hearing about how complex the health care issue is. And, some of the proposed bills exceed 1000 pages. Yikes! Cash for Clunkers was simple compared to this. Is the Congress the appropriate body to set up a complex system that manages 1/6th of the economy and touches the lives of every American? No one doubts there are issues to be addressed in health care. But, some adjustments can be made to correct inefficiencies and improve coverage without an entire makeover putting bureaucrats in charge of health care decisions for you and me. If you are tempted to think you want government involved with you health, remember Cash for Clunkers.
Cash for Clunkers…a Lesson
The Cash for Clunkers program is a big success. Well…sort of. Lots of cars were sold; lots of clunkers disabled by Uncle Sam. Another bail out of the auto industry accomplished! But, the program ran out of money so Congress voted to dump in another $2 billion before heading off on junkets and town hall meetings [which would you want to do as a Congressman?] during the August recess. There were other shortcomings…dealers not getting their money; people thinking they qualified who did not; the government web site crashing; cars taken out of circulation that could be used by charitable organizations; dealers running out of qualifying cars. Wow…unintended consequences that Congress did not think about.
Now, the lesson. If Congress cannot figure out how to run the Cash for Clunkers project, how are they going to do with health care? We keep hearing about how complex the health care issue is. And, some of the proposed bills exceed 1000 pages. Yikes! Cash for Clunkers was simple compared to this. Is the Congress the appropriate body to set up a complex system that manages 1/6th of the economy and touches the lives of every American? No one doubts there are issues to be addressed in health care. But, some adjustments can be made to correct inefficiencies and improve coverage without an entire makeover putting bureaucrats in charge of health care decisions for you and me. If you are tempted to think you want government involved with you health, remember Cash for Clunkers.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Summer Reading
Not a Review…an Invitation
Son Lucas has completed his first literary project. It is the first in what he hopes will be a series. The title of the first volume is The Wisdom of Brisbin Mindstorm: The Red and White Baton. It is an adventure story. It is a primer on friendship. It is about overcoming the struggles and disappointments of everyday life. In the stripe of Tolkien and Lewis, the story is both an exciting, entertaining adventure as well as a serious investigation of culture, man and God. It is a book of fun and of deep meaning. It is the perfect summer book for teenagers or as reading for beach goers. It will not disappoint.
For more on the book, and to purchase it, visit Lucas’s websites:
www.brisbinmindstorm.com
www.sgmideas.com
Enjoy!
Not a Review…an Invitation
Son Lucas has completed his first literary project. It is the first in what he hopes will be a series. The title of the first volume is The Wisdom of Brisbin Mindstorm: The Red and White Baton. It is an adventure story. It is a primer on friendship. It is about overcoming the struggles and disappointments of everyday life. In the stripe of Tolkien and Lewis, the story is both an exciting, entertaining adventure as well as a serious investigation of culture, man and God. It is a book of fun and of deep meaning. It is the perfect summer book for teenagers or as reading for beach goers. It will not disappoint.
For more on the book, and to purchase it, visit Lucas’s websites:
www.brisbinmindstorm.com
www.sgmideas.com
Enjoy!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Bloggy Mountain Breakdown
For a variety of reasons, blogging has broken down over the last few weeks. Not that there has not been an abundance of blogging material. Work, Church, travel, summer actvities...all have contributed to the breakdown. I have also had the problem of blogging to three different sites. That will be changing soon as I am going to consolidate into one site at WordPress which is a friendly, intuitive system. The new blog and another blog based on a book I am trying to finish for my 45th high school class reunion next summer will be debuting by 01 Aug 2009. So, stayed tuned.
For a variety of reasons, blogging has broken down over the last few weeks. Not that there has not been an abundance of blogging material. Work, Church, travel, summer actvities...all have contributed to the breakdown. I have also had the problem of blogging to three different sites. That will be changing soon as I am going to consolidate into one site at WordPress which is a friendly, intuitive system. The new blog and another blog based on a book I am trying to finish for my 45th high school class reunion next summer will be debuting by 01 Aug 2009. So, stayed tuned.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Global Warming
Cap and Trade...Round #1
I saw Carol Browner defending the narrow Cap & Trade victory of the Administration. She deftly avoided all issues concerning policy decisions based on the science of global warning. About all she would say is that the science is clear. However, in the interest of “fair and balanced”, take a gander at the following.
Washington, D.C., June 26, 2009—The Competitive Enterprise Institute is today making public an internal study on climate science which was suppressed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Internal EPA email messages, released by CEI earlier in the week, indicate that the report was kept under wraps and its author silenced because of pressure to support the Administration’s agenda of regulating carbon dioxide.
The report finds that EPA, by adopting the United Nations’ 2007 “Fourth Assessment” report, is relying on outdated research and is ignoring major new developments. Those developments include a continued decline in global temperatures, a new consensus that future hurricanes will not be more frequent or intense, and new findings that water vapor will moderate, rather than exacerbate, temperature.
New data also indicate that ocean cycles are probably the most important single factor in explaining temperature fluctuations, though solar cycles may play a role as well, and that reliable satellite data undercut the likelihood of endangerment from greenhouse gases. All of this demonstrates EPA should independently analyze the science, rather than just adopt the conclusions of outside organizations.
The released report is a draft version, prepared under EPA’s unusually short internal review schedule, and thus may contain inaccuracies which were corrected in the final report.
“While we hoped that EPA would release the final report, we’re tired of waiting for this agency to become transparent, even though its Administrator has been talking transparency since she took office. So we are releasing a draft version of the report ourselves, today,” said CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman.
Soooooooooo…maybe the science is not as compelling as Czar Browner asserts. Or, maybe the EPA data is faulty which would be an “inconvenient truth”. Have I heard that phrase elsewhere? Certainly, there is still much to be hashed out before a massive legislative remaking of our entire society and its energy use and production.
Cap and Trade...Round #1
I saw Carol Browner defending the narrow Cap & Trade victory of the Administration. She deftly avoided all issues concerning policy decisions based on the science of global warning. About all she would say is that the science is clear. However, in the interest of “fair and balanced”, take a gander at the following.
Washington, D.C., June 26, 2009—The Competitive Enterprise Institute is today making public an internal study on climate science which was suppressed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Internal EPA email messages, released by CEI earlier in the week, indicate that the report was kept under wraps and its author silenced because of pressure to support the Administration’s agenda of regulating carbon dioxide.
The report finds that EPA, by adopting the United Nations’ 2007 “Fourth Assessment” report, is relying on outdated research and is ignoring major new developments. Those developments include a continued decline in global temperatures, a new consensus that future hurricanes will not be more frequent or intense, and new findings that water vapor will moderate, rather than exacerbate, temperature.
New data also indicate that ocean cycles are probably the most important single factor in explaining temperature fluctuations, though solar cycles may play a role as well, and that reliable satellite data undercut the likelihood of endangerment from greenhouse gases. All of this demonstrates EPA should independently analyze the science, rather than just adopt the conclusions of outside organizations.
The released report is a draft version, prepared under EPA’s unusually short internal review schedule, and thus may contain inaccuracies which were corrected in the final report.
“While we hoped that EPA would release the final report, we’re tired of waiting for this agency to become transparent, even though its Administrator has been talking transparency since she took office. So we are releasing a draft version of the report ourselves, today,” said CEI General Counsel Sam Kazman.
Soooooooooo…maybe the science is not as compelling as Czar Browner asserts. Or, maybe the EPA data is faulty which would be an “inconvenient truth”. Have I heard that phrase elsewhere? Certainly, there is still much to be hashed out before a massive legislative remaking of our entire society and its energy use and production.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Obamanomics
The Devil is in the Details
So, now we have the “new GM”: Government Motors. The largest industrial manufacturer in the history of the US is in bankruptcy. And, when it emerges from Chp 11 reorganization, you and me, the American taxpayers will be the largest shareholders. Next will be the UAW. To get the “new GM” out of bankruptcy will cost another [conservatively] $50B and if one adds up all the cash poured into GM by all parties there will be a $100B price tag!
In its heyday, the “old GM” had a max capitalization of around $60 B. So, it appears that it will have to be fantastically successful for you and me to get our investment back. The POTUS says he wants to begin having the “government” [you and me] get out of its investment in 18 months. Good luck! The government has never run any venture successfully [Say: USPS]. And, the union has never been interested in business ownership because that is at cross purpose with their vision: labor, not ownership, should benefit from the business. As I have written before in this space…it will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
While there have been some hard decisions made that management and labor failed to do over the past twenty years, as my mother used to say “the devil is in the details.” First detail, the UAW has no change to current wages, benefits or pension plans. The “new contract” they negotiated with the US Treasury is re-negotiated in two years just in time for the re-election bid of the POTUS. Do you think that renegotiation will benefit the government owners [you and me] or the union owners and workers?
Second detail, part of the reorg plan is to sell Opel. But, it is a sale with a condition that the buyer cannot compete with the small Opel cars in the US or China. It is sort of the opposite of Chrysler/Fiat where Fiat was needed to provide Chrysler with needed small car technology. Detail three, closely connected with detail one and two, the cars now manufactured by GM overseas, the little green ones, cannot be imported to the US. The upshot of the whole matter is that the “new GM” will have to retool what factories are left to build new little green cars in the US without benefiting from already available little green overseas produced cars and without competition from Opel. How convenient for the workers…they will be guaranteed jobs to build the “new GM’s” new fleet! [Repeat Q. at the end of the forgoing paragraph.]
While the administration says it is not interested in managing the “new GM”, it has already fired the previous CEO and has guaranteed the head quarters will remain in Detroit. Not exactly passive ownership positions. This whole matter of “to big to fail” has lead us to a debacle of enormous scale. Debt owners all over the world have had their “priority claims” crammed down their throats. This includes small potato investors worth less than a million dollars who had $ in GM debt as a “safe, non risk investment”. Thousands of dealers have been shut down affecting thousands of jobs in towns and cities, small and large, throughout the land. There is a push to reformulate the auto business in the US moving the country to manufacturing of little green cars that we are not sure the consumer even wants.
All that is left of the old GM is…well…the UMW. The workforce, albeit smaller, soldiers on knowing it will have jobs at least for a while longer. As long as the taxpayers do not revolt and the administration needs to be re-elected, the “new GM” will be the poster child of a planned economy. Keep your eyes and ears open about the next big program to keep the “new GM” operating even if it cannot compete in the market place. The devil will be in the details.
The Devil is in the Details
So, now we have the “new GM”: Government Motors. The largest industrial manufacturer in the history of the US is in bankruptcy. And, when it emerges from Chp 11 reorganization, you and me, the American taxpayers will be the largest shareholders. Next will be the UAW. To get the “new GM” out of bankruptcy will cost another [conservatively] $50B and if one adds up all the cash poured into GM by all parties there will be a $100B price tag!
In its heyday, the “old GM” had a max capitalization of around $60 B. So, it appears that it will have to be fantastically successful for you and me to get our investment back. The POTUS says he wants to begin having the “government” [you and me] get out of its investment in 18 months. Good luck! The government has never run any venture successfully [Say: USPS]. And, the union has never been interested in business ownership because that is at cross purpose with their vision: labor, not ownership, should benefit from the business. As I have written before in this space…it will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
While there have been some hard decisions made that management and labor failed to do over the past twenty years, as my mother used to say “the devil is in the details.” First detail, the UAW has no change to current wages, benefits or pension plans. The “new contract” they negotiated with the US Treasury is re-negotiated in two years just in time for the re-election bid of the POTUS. Do you think that renegotiation will benefit the government owners [you and me] or the union owners and workers?
Second detail, part of the reorg plan is to sell Opel. But, it is a sale with a condition that the buyer cannot compete with the small Opel cars in the US or China. It is sort of the opposite of Chrysler/Fiat where Fiat was needed to provide Chrysler with needed small car technology. Detail three, closely connected with detail one and two, the cars now manufactured by GM overseas, the little green ones, cannot be imported to the US. The upshot of the whole matter is that the “new GM” will have to retool what factories are left to build new little green cars in the US without benefiting from already available little green overseas produced cars and without competition from Opel. How convenient for the workers…they will be guaranteed jobs to build the “new GM’s” new fleet! [Repeat Q. at the end of the forgoing paragraph.]
While the administration says it is not interested in managing the “new GM”, it has already fired the previous CEO and has guaranteed the head quarters will remain in Detroit. Not exactly passive ownership positions. This whole matter of “to big to fail” has lead us to a debacle of enormous scale. Debt owners all over the world have had their “priority claims” crammed down their throats. This includes small potato investors worth less than a million dollars who had $ in GM debt as a “safe, non risk investment”. Thousands of dealers have been shut down affecting thousands of jobs in towns and cities, small and large, throughout the land. There is a push to reformulate the auto business in the US moving the country to manufacturing of little green cars that we are not sure the consumer even wants.
All that is left of the old GM is…well…the UMW. The workforce, albeit smaller, soldiers on knowing it will have jobs at least for a while longer. As long as the taxpayers do not revolt and the administration needs to be re-elected, the “new GM” will be the poster child of a planned economy. Keep your eyes and ears open about the next big program to keep the “new GM” operating even if it cannot compete in the market place. The devil will be in the details.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Dare to be Daniel
Babylonian Dreaming
Nebuchadnezzar was a world leader. A man who had power and authority over an entire nation. But, like all of us, when he closed his eyes at night, he had no control over his sub-conscious hours. We are told in Daniel chapter 2 that he had a dream that left him troubled and anxious. He asked his advisors what the dream meant. Now, I do not know if the advisors in the White House, Kremlin or 10 Downing Street are presented with such tasks, but for Double Z, this was a big deal. Now, if these boys knew the dream and its interpretation, they could tell him what they thought he wanted to hear or what would put them in the best light. But, they were incapable, and admitted so, which is a virtue in itself. Their response was probably the wisest statement these wise men ever made: No man can do what you want; only the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh.
Double Z was not used to this type of response. These were his handpicked advisors. They should know these things…after all they are the best and brightest in Babylon. We receive two insights into Double Z. One, for all his power, wealth and authority he was terribly insecure. He was frightened by a dream for crying out loud. Secondly, when he could not get an explanation from his trusted cabinet, he fell into a rage. He ordered his cabinet dissolved in the most literal of fashions. He ordered them all destroyed! Just the kind of cool and calm leadership the country needed an egomaniacal despot who issues death penalties to those who cannot interpret his dream. Nice!
Daniel and his friends are sought out to do the dirty deed. What a turn of events. Now Daniel can do away with the most powerful of the king’s advisors and he and his friends can move into their positions. Now they will be in charge of the nation that overthrew Judah and make things right again. Well, remember, Daniel did not see himself as a rebel within the enemy capital waiting for the right time to topple the evil Chaldean government. He was serving his God in a foreign land. This is not exactly an argument for the theonomists or even the neo-Calvinists. Daniel was not interested in claiming Babylon for Christ.
He asked the captain of the king’s guard what was going on that these men had to be killed. Upon hearing about the dream, Scripture says Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint a time that he might show the interpretation to the king. What was he thinking? If the wise and powerful advisors could not tell Double Z about the dream where does Daniel get off making such a request? Was this an act of hubris on his part? No. When he was granted the opportunity, he called a prayer meeting. You see, Daniel and the advisors were kind of on the same page. The condemned cabinet said only the gods could know the dream. Daniel understood that the sovereign God of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, did know.
So, Daniel called a prayer meeting. The hit squad of the king became the prayer warriors of God. And, the prayers of the saints yielded the interpretation of the dream. Daniel knew that all actions of a believer should be bathed in prayer. Notice again what Daniel did not do. He did not rush out to Double Z and proclaim “I figured it out”. No, his immediate response was to render honor, glory and praise to God for his mercy and grace in revealing the dream. He praised God for His eternal wisdom and power, His governing of history and for making His will and way known to His people. Only after prayer and praise did Daniel make way to the king for interpretation of the dream.
Daniel's actions spared the lives of the king’s wise men. But, what the king and the court saw was only the end result of more obedience by Daniel, this time in prayer and worship. So now he could go to Double Z equipped by God Himself to speak the Truth in boldness. He assisted the oppressor king and saved the lives of those who lorded over him. What a corrective to us. We seem to think if we can get control of the government, all things will be better. Daniel sought to serve the king and save the lives of his enemies. He did not see himself as the agent of change for Babylon. He was an obedient man of prayer and worship used by His God.
We can discern many lessons from this incident:
1] Always be a life saver, not a life taker, even when it is your enemies.
2] Obey God but serve the king. Is this not what our Lord was saying in his render to Caesar talk?
3] Always bath your prospective efforts in prayer.
4] Seek the mercy and grace of God for you can…pagans cannot…that is why Daniel could obtain the answer and the advisors could not.
5] Always be thankful to the God Who provides. How often do we seek His wisdom and when He delivers we forget to be thankful?
6] God alone is to receive glory through our praise to Him for His eternal wisdom, governing of history and His fellowship with His people.
Many get hung up on the interpretation of the dream and are enthralled with the images in the dream. The message of the rise and fall of kingdoms of this earth not being an accident but an outworking of God’s judgment on the nations of the world for not following His word and law gets our end times motor running. This is important, because it applies to Judah, Babylon and the USA. But, those are matters in the eternal hands of God and His divine historical timetable. The message of Babylonian Dreaming for the individual Christian is to be obedient, faithful people of prayer and worship to the sovereign God of the universe. Dare to be Daniel as you live out your daily life in the company of all, even oppressors and enemies!
Babylonian Dreaming
Nebuchadnezzar was a world leader. A man who had power and authority over an entire nation. But, like all of us, when he closed his eyes at night, he had no control over his sub-conscious hours. We are told in Daniel chapter 2 that he had a dream that left him troubled and anxious. He asked his advisors what the dream meant. Now, I do not know if the advisors in the White House, Kremlin or 10 Downing Street are presented with such tasks, but for Double Z, this was a big deal. Now, if these boys knew the dream and its interpretation, they could tell him what they thought he wanted to hear or what would put them in the best light. But, they were incapable, and admitted so, which is a virtue in itself. Their response was probably the wisest statement these wise men ever made: No man can do what you want; only the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh.
Double Z was not used to this type of response. These were his handpicked advisors. They should know these things…after all they are the best and brightest in Babylon. We receive two insights into Double Z. One, for all his power, wealth and authority he was terribly insecure. He was frightened by a dream for crying out loud. Secondly, when he could not get an explanation from his trusted cabinet, he fell into a rage. He ordered his cabinet dissolved in the most literal of fashions. He ordered them all destroyed! Just the kind of cool and calm leadership the country needed an egomaniacal despot who issues death penalties to those who cannot interpret his dream. Nice!
Daniel and his friends are sought out to do the dirty deed. What a turn of events. Now Daniel can do away with the most powerful of the king’s advisors and he and his friends can move into their positions. Now they will be in charge of the nation that overthrew Judah and make things right again. Well, remember, Daniel did not see himself as a rebel within the enemy capital waiting for the right time to topple the evil Chaldean government. He was serving his God in a foreign land. This is not exactly an argument for the theonomists or even the neo-Calvinists. Daniel was not interested in claiming Babylon for Christ.
He asked the captain of the king’s guard what was going on that these men had to be killed. Upon hearing about the dream, Scripture says Daniel went in and requested the king to appoint a time that he might show the interpretation to the king. What was he thinking? If the wise and powerful advisors could not tell Double Z about the dream where does Daniel get off making such a request? Was this an act of hubris on his part? No. When he was granted the opportunity, he called a prayer meeting. You see, Daniel and the advisors were kind of on the same page. The condemned cabinet said only the gods could know the dream. Daniel understood that the sovereign God of the universe, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, did know.
So, Daniel called a prayer meeting. The hit squad of the king became the prayer warriors of God. And, the prayers of the saints yielded the interpretation of the dream. Daniel knew that all actions of a believer should be bathed in prayer. Notice again what Daniel did not do. He did not rush out to Double Z and proclaim “I figured it out”. No, his immediate response was to render honor, glory and praise to God for his mercy and grace in revealing the dream. He praised God for His eternal wisdom and power, His governing of history and for making His will and way known to His people. Only after prayer and praise did Daniel make way to the king for interpretation of the dream.
Daniel's actions spared the lives of the king’s wise men. But, what the king and the court saw was only the end result of more obedience by Daniel, this time in prayer and worship. So now he could go to Double Z equipped by God Himself to speak the Truth in boldness. He assisted the oppressor king and saved the lives of those who lorded over him. What a corrective to us. We seem to think if we can get control of the government, all things will be better. Daniel sought to serve the king and save the lives of his enemies. He did not see himself as the agent of change for Babylon. He was an obedient man of prayer and worship used by His God.
We can discern many lessons from this incident:
1] Always be a life saver, not a life taker, even when it is your enemies.
2] Obey God but serve the king. Is this not what our Lord was saying in his render to Caesar talk?
3] Always bath your prospective efforts in prayer.
4] Seek the mercy and grace of God for you can…pagans cannot…that is why Daniel could obtain the answer and the advisors could not.
5] Always be thankful to the God Who provides. How often do we seek His wisdom and when He delivers we forget to be thankful?
6] God alone is to receive glory through our praise to Him for His eternal wisdom, governing of history and His fellowship with His people.
Many get hung up on the interpretation of the dream and are enthralled with the images in the dream. The message of the rise and fall of kingdoms of this earth not being an accident but an outworking of God’s judgment on the nations of the world for not following His word and law gets our end times motor running. This is important, because it applies to Judah, Babylon and the USA. But, those are matters in the eternal hands of God and His divine historical timetable. The message of Babylonian Dreaming for the individual Christian is to be obedient, faithful people of prayer and worship to the sovereign God of the universe. Dare to be Daniel as you live out your daily life in the company of all, even oppressors and enemies!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Living in the World
Remembering
Decoration Day was started in Boalsburg, PA, by 3 women who wanted to honor the Civil War dead. A point of order: Decoration Day is May 30th not the manufactured or fake holiday the enables federal workers to have a three day weekend at the end of May. Now it is called Memorial Day and we celebrate the warrior dead of all wars, those who have served in the military, KIA or not, and all of our ancestors who have gone before us and through their sacrifices enabled us to have a better life. It is a time of remembering.
Each year I prepare for May 30th by attending those places where my relatives are buried and planting their graves with annuals. In St. Luke’s cemetery in Luthersburg, PA, my paternal grand parents and great grandparents are buried. It is the former German Reformed Church where they were married and my father baptized. Also, in Luthersburg, is the Union cemetery, one of thousands of Union cemeteries in the county first established for Union Civil War dead. It is there my parents are buried. Finally, on to Sykesville, PA, the place of my birth, where my maternal grandparents, my Uncle Milton and infant aunt are interred.
This year I added to my itinerary, a trip to Paradise, PA. Like Sykesville, it is in Jefferson County, between Sykesville and Big Run, PA. The reason was to find the graves of my mother’s grand and great grand parents have their graves. I needed assistance in finding the graves, so I journeyed to Punxsutawney, PA, to pick up my mother’s sole surviving cousin, Daryl Kicher. Daryl is 82, failing fast, and living in what he calls a “rest home” in Punxsutawney. After lunch we began our journey to Paradise; what a journey it was!
As I said, Daryl is failing, and he had difficulty in remembering exactly where the cemeteries were. So, we spent a pleasant May afternoon covering most of the eastern Jefferson County winding, macadam roads. It included a run through Wishaw, a town named after W. I. Shaw, the mine superintendent of what was the second largest bituminous deep mine in Pennsylvania at the beginning of the 20th century. Like all the old Pennsylvania bituminous deep mine towns such as Kramer, Snowshoe, Grassflat, and Helvetia, there is not much of the community and no prosperity left in these places. Eventually, we found the former churches of Paradise and their church burial yards holding ancestral Kichers.
Remembering. We do not do enough of that. We are busy folks, living life to its fullest [usually understood in a selfish manner] at breakneck pace. We have little time for remembering. But, the problem with that is not the remembering, it is the opposite side of the coin. Forgetting. We forget where we come from and who sacrificed and worked so that we could be better off than they were. We forget how we were blessed with caring and loving forbears. We forget who we are. Remembering is an antidote to self-centeredness and self-focus. So, on this coming Decoration Day take time to remember so you do not forget the people who make it possible for you to be who you are.
Remembering
Decoration Day was started in Boalsburg, PA, by 3 women who wanted to honor the Civil War dead. A point of order: Decoration Day is May 30th not the manufactured or fake holiday the enables federal workers to have a three day weekend at the end of May. Now it is called Memorial Day and we celebrate the warrior dead of all wars, those who have served in the military, KIA or not, and all of our ancestors who have gone before us and through their sacrifices enabled us to have a better life. It is a time of remembering.
Each year I prepare for May 30th by attending those places where my relatives are buried and planting their graves with annuals. In St. Luke’s cemetery in Luthersburg, PA, my paternal grand parents and great grandparents are buried. It is the former German Reformed Church where they were married and my father baptized. Also, in Luthersburg, is the Union cemetery, one of thousands of Union cemeteries in the county first established for Union Civil War dead. It is there my parents are buried. Finally, on to Sykesville, PA, the place of my birth, where my maternal grandparents, my Uncle Milton and infant aunt are interred.
This year I added to my itinerary, a trip to Paradise, PA. Like Sykesville, it is in Jefferson County, between Sykesville and Big Run, PA. The reason was to find the graves of my mother’s grand and great grand parents have their graves. I needed assistance in finding the graves, so I journeyed to Punxsutawney, PA, to pick up my mother’s sole surviving cousin, Daryl Kicher. Daryl is 82, failing fast, and living in what he calls a “rest home” in Punxsutawney. After lunch we began our journey to Paradise; what a journey it was!
As I said, Daryl is failing, and he had difficulty in remembering exactly where the cemeteries were. So, we spent a pleasant May afternoon covering most of the eastern Jefferson County winding, macadam roads. It included a run through Wishaw, a town named after W. I. Shaw, the mine superintendent of what was the second largest bituminous deep mine in Pennsylvania at the beginning of the 20th century. Like all the old Pennsylvania bituminous deep mine towns such as Kramer, Snowshoe, Grassflat, and Helvetia, there is not much of the community and no prosperity left in these places. Eventually, we found the former churches of Paradise and their church burial yards holding ancestral Kichers.
Remembering. We do not do enough of that. We are busy folks, living life to its fullest [usually understood in a selfish manner] at breakneck pace. We have little time for remembering. But, the problem with that is not the remembering, it is the opposite side of the coin. Forgetting. We forget where we come from and who sacrificed and worked so that we could be better off than they were. We forget how we were blessed with caring and loving forbears. We forget who we are. Remembering is an antidote to self-centeredness and self-focus. So, on this coming Decoration Day take time to remember so you do not forget the people who make it possible for you to be who you are.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Obamanomics
Credit Cards and Automobiles
Two revealing circumstances occurred this week before Memorial Day, which is celebrated early this year. One was the credit card legislation that the President wanted on his desk before the holiday. Amazingly, although some adjustments between the Senate and House bills is required, the deadline of Obama looks doable. This legislation is hailed as relief for the debtor who has had high balances and has had his rate or payment requirements changed in mid-stream. You know, the kind of folks who should not have credit in the first place. The government has now fixed that problem. Right?
Sure. But, what of the unintended consequences? Credit card companies have made big money from those who could not pay balances when due. The interest rates have always been high and a great profit source for the companies. That has made them greedy for more card holders. So, college kids out of college yet without work received credit card offers. Maybe their limits were only $500 but they charged to the limit and could not pay balances. Millions of interest payments on $500 balances equals real money. First unintended consequence: Those offers will now be non-existent, which is a good thing but there will also be many lower income folks, who could pay modest balances, who will also not be able to have cards. When their time is up…no new card. Some credit card companies seeing this coming are already offering to buy back credit cards from customers!
Second unintended consequence: Those who paid balances will become the new source of income for credit card companies. They are, after all, in business to make money. Someone has to pay. It had been a great ride for payers. They change a purchase with interest free money and if they pay their balance in dull when due they have used the bank’s money without an interest payment of any kind. When credit is restricted and high interest is not recovered from non-balance payer, how will money be made? Two ways seem to be the only option. One, charge interest from the date of purchase so that no one uses bank money for free. Two, charge fees again for all cards. Anyone over the age of 40 can remember the days of two.
Now this seems eminently reasonable. Credit card companies need to make money. But, what will card holder who have the wherewithal to pay balances do? Do you think they want to pay interest on purchases? I think not. There will be a flight to cash and those that have will spend and those on the margins will not. Unintended consequence three: Making the consumer economy weaker, which we are told is 2/3rds of our overall economy. Charging a fee for maintaining a card may not have the same disincentive, but we have an entire generation who never paid to have a card. So…who knows how the new way will be received.
Unintended consequence four: Many of the big banks make big money from credit card operations. At a time when we are worried about future “stress” on them we make “stress” for them by impacting a stream of revenue. So, Congress and the Administration have saved the “deadbeats” from the greedy credit card folks. There is blame to pass around on the credit card mess. But, the remedy may in fact be deleterious to those who used their cards correctly and the entire economy. But, that is not all….
The second big item of the week was the Obama Administration’s announcement of 39 mile per gallon fleet standards by the year 2016! This was done with apparent agreement by the Big 3 [or is it Little 3], major foreign makers, UAW and environmentalists. It was a Kodak moment with all the players smiling behind the President. The WSJ had an editorial with the sub-title “Are we nuts?” Automakers in this country have lost money to date trying to meet 20 something standards. Why? Because consumers want bigger cars that do not meet the standards but they have to build unwanted, what we used to call, “compact cars” folks do not want.
Living where I do where winters are tough and much travel is on I-80 with 60% of the traffic is 18 wheelers, I for one do not want a “compact car”. But, this is an example of why elections have consequences. BO has the banks in tow, is about to own Chrysler and GM with the UAW, and wants to forward his “green” agenda by building hybred “compact cars”. Notice how this lines up: Two of Bo’s constituent supporter groups are happy [unions and environmentalists]; he will have ownership of two of the three US auto makers; and Ford and the foreign makers have to play ball since they are still private enterprise [for now!] and will have to deal with credit markets and banks now controlled by the Treasury. It’s a perfect Strorm!
The feds justify this by saying this eliminates individual state CAFE standards the create inconsistency for the auto makers. But, the target is more ambitious than the 32 per gallon by 2015 standard heretofore established by those trying to balance mileage against profitability. The latter is obviously not a concern of the Obama Administration. These “green compacts” will be build, and we will all go along. So, how does this happen if the consumer doesn’t want the cars? Grab you wallet! Subsidized loans or tax credits for buyers will be the only way. Again, we all are in this together and short of outlawing any car over 4 cylinders or without a battery, subsidies from the government [the taxpayer] seems to be the only way.
We cannot stand many more weeks like this one. The Obamanomics policies are coming fast and furious. We have yet to get into cap & trade tax or health care reform. I guess I should look on the bright side. With the new “green compacts” I will travel less, walk more, create less green house gases and be healthier and we won’t need a carbon tax and government health care. Some how, I don’t think it will work out that way. The worse it yet to come from Obamanomics.
Credit Cards and Automobiles
Two revealing circumstances occurred this week before Memorial Day, which is celebrated early this year. One was the credit card legislation that the President wanted on his desk before the holiday. Amazingly, although some adjustments between the Senate and House bills is required, the deadline of Obama looks doable. This legislation is hailed as relief for the debtor who has had high balances and has had his rate or payment requirements changed in mid-stream. You know, the kind of folks who should not have credit in the first place. The government has now fixed that problem. Right?
Sure. But, what of the unintended consequences? Credit card companies have made big money from those who could not pay balances when due. The interest rates have always been high and a great profit source for the companies. That has made them greedy for more card holders. So, college kids out of college yet without work received credit card offers. Maybe their limits were only $500 but they charged to the limit and could not pay balances. Millions of interest payments on $500 balances equals real money. First unintended consequence: Those offers will now be non-existent, which is a good thing but there will also be many lower income folks, who could pay modest balances, who will also not be able to have cards. When their time is up…no new card. Some credit card companies seeing this coming are already offering to buy back credit cards from customers!
Second unintended consequence: Those who paid balances will become the new source of income for credit card companies. They are, after all, in business to make money. Someone has to pay. It had been a great ride for payers. They change a purchase with interest free money and if they pay their balance in dull when due they have used the bank’s money without an interest payment of any kind. When credit is restricted and high interest is not recovered from non-balance payer, how will money be made? Two ways seem to be the only option. One, charge interest from the date of purchase so that no one uses bank money for free. Two, charge fees again for all cards. Anyone over the age of 40 can remember the days of two.
Now this seems eminently reasonable. Credit card companies need to make money. But, what will card holder who have the wherewithal to pay balances do? Do you think they want to pay interest on purchases? I think not. There will be a flight to cash and those that have will spend and those on the margins will not. Unintended consequence three: Making the consumer economy weaker, which we are told is 2/3rds of our overall economy. Charging a fee for maintaining a card may not have the same disincentive, but we have an entire generation who never paid to have a card. So…who knows how the new way will be received.
Unintended consequence four: Many of the big banks make big money from credit card operations. At a time when we are worried about future “stress” on them we make “stress” for them by impacting a stream of revenue. So, Congress and the Administration have saved the “deadbeats” from the greedy credit card folks. There is blame to pass around on the credit card mess. But, the remedy may in fact be deleterious to those who used their cards correctly and the entire economy. But, that is not all….
The second big item of the week was the Obama Administration’s announcement of 39 mile per gallon fleet standards by the year 2016! This was done with apparent agreement by the Big 3 [or is it Little 3], major foreign makers, UAW and environmentalists. It was a Kodak moment with all the players smiling behind the President. The WSJ had an editorial with the sub-title “Are we nuts?” Automakers in this country have lost money to date trying to meet 20 something standards. Why? Because consumers want bigger cars that do not meet the standards but they have to build unwanted, what we used to call, “compact cars” folks do not want.
Living where I do where winters are tough and much travel is on I-80 with 60% of the traffic is 18 wheelers, I for one do not want a “compact car”. But, this is an example of why elections have consequences. BO has the banks in tow, is about to own Chrysler and GM with the UAW, and wants to forward his “green” agenda by building hybred “compact cars”. Notice how this lines up: Two of Bo’s constituent supporter groups are happy [unions and environmentalists]; he will have ownership of two of the three US auto makers; and Ford and the foreign makers have to play ball since they are still private enterprise [for now!] and will have to deal with credit markets and banks now controlled by the Treasury. It’s a perfect Strorm!
The feds justify this by saying this eliminates individual state CAFE standards the create inconsistency for the auto makers. But, the target is more ambitious than the 32 per gallon by 2015 standard heretofore established by those trying to balance mileage against profitability. The latter is obviously not a concern of the Obama Administration. These “green compacts” will be build, and we will all go along. So, how does this happen if the consumer doesn’t want the cars? Grab you wallet! Subsidized loans or tax credits for buyers will be the only way. Again, we all are in this together and short of outlawing any car over 4 cylinders or without a battery, subsidies from the government [the taxpayer] seems to be the only way.
We cannot stand many more weeks like this one. The Obamanomics policies are coming fast and furious. We have yet to get into cap & trade tax or health care reform. I guess I should look on the bright side. With the new “green compacts” I will travel less, walk more, create less green house gases and be healthier and we won’t need a carbon tax and government health care. Some how, I don’t think it will work out that way. The worse it yet to come from Obamanomics.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Living in the World
Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame
We in the Protestant world have experienced this for a long time. Our institutions of higher learning going the way of the secular world…think Harvard, Yale and Princeton. So, it is not a surprise to see a flagship university of the Roman Catholic world slipping away from its heretofore sacred principles. The fuming and agitating about an avowed baby killer speaking and being awarded an honorary degree by Notre Dame University recognizes the new world. It is more of an honor to have the POTUS speak at your institution than have your institution stand by virtues and principles of the church that sponsors the institution. If shows the enlightened stance of NEW Notre Dame.
At Lucas’ wedding I had an interesting discussion with one of his classmates at Catholic University of America, a Papal school, and another premier Roman Catholic university. Danny and his wife were quite perturbed at the invitation extended to President Obama by ND as well as the covering of the symbols of Catholic Christianity when BO spoke at Georgetown. Yet, they also recognized that BO was also helping to delineate true religion from the cultural Catholicity that is becoming prevalent in the United States.
Again, I believe the Protestants are ahead of the game here. For a long, long time, folks have realized there is a bright line of difference separating orthodox Reformed belief and practice and what much of the contemporary evangelical church believes and practices. Man driven worship because there is no God centered doctrine; discipleship in the Word missing because the Word is no longer central to life; discipline of the saints non-existent because there are no Biblical standards accepted as normative; a desire to be accepted by the world because we have no concept of what is pleasing and acceptable to a holy God. It is easy to see the difference between content less Christianity and true Biblical faith; the former adapted to the culture, the latter not so.
I told Danny it’s a good thing the Roman Church is stating to see their own bright line. BO is doing the church a big favor. He is clearly showing that there is a difference between what James calls “religion that is pure and undefiled before God” and what passes as Christian religion in the modern world. The President in his commencement speech said there are irreconcilable differences between the pro-life and pro-abortion positions. Yet, he called for mutual understanding and dialogue between the positions. Obviously, Jeremiah Wright and his other pastors through the years have not preached much from James. For the Lord’s brother goes on to define pure and undefiled religion as:
…to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world [Ja 1:27].
We live in the world, but we are not to be taken in by the world’s views, even when those views are held by one who professes to be a Christian and is a popular POTUS. Is dialog possible between means of life and death? Can good seek compromise with evil? If differences are irreconcilable, who is going to change their mind? It seems it was old Notre Dame.
As a kid, I remember the chorus from the ND “fight song”. ND has, and probably will continue to have, the largest following of college football fans in the land. We all used to joke that all the priests and nuns were praying for an Irish victory on every football Saturday. Success has been rare for the Fighting Irish in recent years. Maybe we are getting a glimpse of why…it is no longer OLD Notre Dame. The only thunder to be shaken down from the sky in the future may be the thunder of displeasure or wrath for the NEW Notre Dame. The NEW Notre Dame now stained by the world and the blood of millions of innocent children.
Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame
We in the Protestant world have experienced this for a long time. Our institutions of higher learning going the way of the secular world…think Harvard, Yale and Princeton. So, it is not a surprise to see a flagship university of the Roman Catholic world slipping away from its heretofore sacred principles. The fuming and agitating about an avowed baby killer speaking and being awarded an honorary degree by Notre Dame University recognizes the new world. It is more of an honor to have the POTUS speak at your institution than have your institution stand by virtues and principles of the church that sponsors the institution. If shows the enlightened stance of NEW Notre Dame.
At Lucas’ wedding I had an interesting discussion with one of his classmates at Catholic University of America, a Papal school, and another premier Roman Catholic university. Danny and his wife were quite perturbed at the invitation extended to President Obama by ND as well as the covering of the symbols of Catholic Christianity when BO spoke at Georgetown. Yet, they also recognized that BO was also helping to delineate true religion from the cultural Catholicity that is becoming prevalent in the United States.
Again, I believe the Protestants are ahead of the game here. For a long, long time, folks have realized there is a bright line of difference separating orthodox Reformed belief and practice and what much of the contemporary evangelical church believes and practices. Man driven worship because there is no God centered doctrine; discipleship in the Word missing because the Word is no longer central to life; discipline of the saints non-existent because there are no Biblical standards accepted as normative; a desire to be accepted by the world because we have no concept of what is pleasing and acceptable to a holy God. It is easy to see the difference between content less Christianity and true Biblical faith; the former adapted to the culture, the latter not so.
I told Danny it’s a good thing the Roman Church is stating to see their own bright line. BO is doing the church a big favor. He is clearly showing that there is a difference between what James calls “religion that is pure and undefiled before God” and what passes as Christian religion in the modern world. The President in his commencement speech said there are irreconcilable differences between the pro-life and pro-abortion positions. Yet, he called for mutual understanding and dialogue between the positions. Obviously, Jeremiah Wright and his other pastors through the years have not preached much from James. For the Lord’s brother goes on to define pure and undefiled religion as:
…to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world [Ja 1:27].
We live in the world, but we are not to be taken in by the world’s views, even when those views are held by one who professes to be a Christian and is a popular POTUS. Is dialog possible between means of life and death? Can good seek compromise with evil? If differences are irreconcilable, who is going to change their mind? It seems it was old Notre Dame.
As a kid, I remember the chorus from the ND “fight song”. ND has, and probably will continue to have, the largest following of college football fans in the land. We all used to joke that all the priests and nuns were praying for an Irish victory on every football Saturday. Success has been rare for the Fighting Irish in recent years. Maybe we are getting a glimpse of why…it is no longer OLD Notre Dame. The only thunder to be shaken down from the sky in the future may be the thunder of displeasure or wrath for the NEW Notre Dame. The NEW Notre Dame now stained by the world and the blood of millions of innocent children.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Obamanomics
Auto Politics…er…Policies
Yesterday was an insightful day on learning more about Obamanomics. At the deadline for Chrysler reorganization outside bankruptcy, 20 bondholders failed to agree with the government arranged Fiat-UMW-USA new Chrysler. So, Chrysler filed for the protection of the US Bankruptcy Court under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.
Here is the in sight. The President demonized the bond holders, claiming a priority position, for not giving it to the government proposal. It was their fault that Chrysler went bankrupt because they were greedy hedge funds. Wow! These lenders gave Chrysler life in 2007. Now, they are the cause of the failure of Chrysler? What about years of mismanagement and a UMW that negotiated pay without work or production?
Now, in bankruptcy, the rule of law should prevail. So, if the 20 lenders really should have a bigger piece of the pie, they will be able to put forward their case. After all, they were only trying to protect their stakeholders. It appears that the UMW would be receiving a big stake in the “new Chrysler”, about 39% and the bondholders only 10%. No wonder they were steamed. Trade in $6.9B in loans for $2.25 B and 10% of the common stock of the company having a lesser stake than Fiat, UMW and the government!
The judge who handled the Enron case will have to sort out the claims. The President talks of a surgical 30-60 day bankruptcy. What? How can such a complex case be dealt with in 30-60 days? If that does happen, we need to be wary for the rule of law would not have been applied with its right to be heard and due process. Heaven help us if the heavy hand of the government can be used to make a federal judge bend to the will of the Obama Administration. Avoidance of such a thing was the reason the Founders separated the judiciary from the executive and legislative branches.
Why such an effort to save Chrysler in the first place? It is a failed business with a failed business model. This is the auto politics. The UMW, as well as all unions, were big supporters of BO in his election campaign. This is the payback. Keep Chrysler, as well as GM, afloat with taxpayer $, get the companies re-organized, and save as many union jobs as possible. By working out a 39% stake for the UMW in the “new” Chrysler, the UMW is now in an interesting position. As owners, they want cost cutting and efficiency; as labor they want high wages and benefits and relaxed work rules. For years it has been the latter that has ruled with a predictable result.
Maybe it will be easier for the OA to get its auto vision of small, high mileage autos running on ethanol, wind and electric as the standard for US vehicles if the government controls the auto manufacturers. And, if not the Administration, its close allies the autoworkers. It should be interesting to see how this plays out in court and for GM with their June 1 deadline looming.
One thing for sure, Obamanomics is not good for the capitalism that has led to prosperity in the country. Control of more and more of the private sector by government sure does not make folks anxious to invest into private capital. It keeps people holding cash. It is mystifying to me that this same Administration that wants private capital to help in a government partnership to buy the asset backed securities ruining the banks lambastes private capital that helped Chrysler float the last two years as the cause of their bankruptcy. What are they thinking? That’s the problem with policies based on politics…they are inconsistent and not based on anything except raw political power. What a way to run a railroad, an auto company or an economy.
Auto Politics…er…Policies
Yesterday was an insightful day on learning more about Obamanomics. At the deadline for Chrysler reorganization outside bankruptcy, 20 bondholders failed to agree with the government arranged Fiat-UMW-USA new Chrysler. So, Chrysler filed for the protection of the US Bankruptcy Court under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code.
Here is the in sight. The President demonized the bond holders, claiming a priority position, for not giving it to the government proposal. It was their fault that Chrysler went bankrupt because they were greedy hedge funds. Wow! These lenders gave Chrysler life in 2007. Now, they are the cause of the failure of Chrysler? What about years of mismanagement and a UMW that negotiated pay without work or production?
Now, in bankruptcy, the rule of law should prevail. So, if the 20 lenders really should have a bigger piece of the pie, they will be able to put forward their case. After all, they were only trying to protect their stakeholders. It appears that the UMW would be receiving a big stake in the “new Chrysler”, about 39% and the bondholders only 10%. No wonder they were steamed. Trade in $6.9B in loans for $2.25 B and 10% of the common stock of the company having a lesser stake than Fiat, UMW and the government!
The judge who handled the Enron case will have to sort out the claims. The President talks of a surgical 30-60 day bankruptcy. What? How can such a complex case be dealt with in 30-60 days? If that does happen, we need to be wary for the rule of law would not have been applied with its right to be heard and due process. Heaven help us if the heavy hand of the government can be used to make a federal judge bend to the will of the Obama Administration. Avoidance of such a thing was the reason the Founders separated the judiciary from the executive and legislative branches.
Why such an effort to save Chrysler in the first place? It is a failed business with a failed business model. This is the auto politics. The UMW, as well as all unions, were big supporters of BO in his election campaign. This is the payback. Keep Chrysler, as well as GM, afloat with taxpayer $, get the companies re-organized, and save as many union jobs as possible. By working out a 39% stake for the UMW in the “new” Chrysler, the UMW is now in an interesting position. As owners, they want cost cutting and efficiency; as labor they want high wages and benefits and relaxed work rules. For years it has been the latter that has ruled with a predictable result.
Maybe it will be easier for the OA to get its auto vision of small, high mileage autos running on ethanol, wind and electric as the standard for US vehicles if the government controls the auto manufacturers. And, if not the Administration, its close allies the autoworkers. It should be interesting to see how this plays out in court and for GM with their June 1 deadline looming.
One thing for sure, Obamanomics is not good for the capitalism that has led to prosperity in the country. Control of more and more of the private sector by government sure does not make folks anxious to invest into private capital. It keeps people holding cash. It is mystifying to me that this same Administration that wants private capital to help in a government partnership to buy the asset backed securities ruining the banks lambastes private capital that helped Chrysler float the last two years as the cause of their bankruptcy. What are they thinking? That’s the problem with policies based on politics…they are inconsistent and not based on anything except raw political power. What a way to run a railroad, an auto company or an economy.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
The New America
No more partisanship?
Congress is back in session. They had the privilege of seeing Tea Parties in their districts and were away from Washington were the Obama Administration released what are being called the “torture memos”. With all the talk of pulling the nation back together, little has been seen of good old fashioned Tip O’Neill/Ronald Reagan working together to accomplish what the nation needs. Polarization is still on the rise. I thought our new President was looking ahead and bringing unity where partisanship reigned?
Witness the Senate and Congressional elections in MN and NY respectively. The “victory” margins are razor thin. Yet, the election moves out of the ballot box and into court rooms. I am not making un-American accusations toward those who are appealing voter decisions where there are serious questions of voter fraud and disenfranchisement of voters in an inconsistent manner in one jurisdiction. Interestingly, in MN the winners call the loser a sore-loser when it was that party’s Presidential nominee who sought the aid of courts in his quest to be President. Litigation following close elections is only indicative of the unwillingness to set aside partisan differences and move forward.
Our President is attempting to change the policy of discourse outside the country. He was apologetic in Europe and in the southern Americas he listened to anti-American screeds and shook hands with a sworn enemy of the USA for the world to see. Our President said this was what the electorate voted for…more dialog with those who have heretofore hated us. He has certainly succeeded in having world leaders, friends and foes, like him, but whether that will translate into better relationships abroad is still an open question. What happened with the Iranians and North Koreans does not bode well for success. Biden said Obama would be tested. There is one place Delaware Joe has been spot on.
Unfortunately, all the overseas angst and friendship to American haters has not helped. While he is right, there was discussion on the campaign trail of talking to enemies, I don’t think voters…for or against BO…believed he would be quite so apologetic for what others say the USA stands for without being more forthright and affirming in what “we” say we represent. He is, possibly unintendedly, giving photo ops and positive reinforcement to American haters who pummel the USA. And, without taking any steps to defend the country he represents. That does not help the division at home.
Millions are upset with a US President who sits quietly by while his and their country is bashed by the likes of Daniel Ortega. Who readily admits the shortcomings of the USA but fails to defend the USA. Who bows to Saudi kings, shares a warm handshake with tinpot dictators and generally takes the position that what happened in the past was not on his watch. So if you do not like it, don’t blame me, blame the country’s misguided policies by lesser lights than me. And, by the way, things will be different now that I am in charge. [Smile].
Obama is insufferable about his ability to change things. He proposes massive spending and deficits, expanding programs where government has failed to previously tread, yet promising to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term [Note to BO: No one is guaranteed a second term.]. Add to this is overseas machinations and the hint yesterday that he may permit prosecution of the authors of the “torture memos”. So, there is a looking forward for the man…forward to bigger government programs. That leads to division. But, there is a dwelling on the past too…policies of predecessors to bash and people of the same forerunners to prosecute. This too leads to division. Seems like partisanship still reigns supreme in the new America. Has it been one hundred days yet? When does the healing begin?
No more partisanship?
Congress is back in session. They had the privilege of seeing Tea Parties in their districts and were away from Washington were the Obama Administration released what are being called the “torture memos”. With all the talk of pulling the nation back together, little has been seen of good old fashioned Tip O’Neill/Ronald Reagan working together to accomplish what the nation needs. Polarization is still on the rise. I thought our new President was looking ahead and bringing unity where partisanship reigned?
Witness the Senate and Congressional elections in MN and NY respectively. The “victory” margins are razor thin. Yet, the election moves out of the ballot box and into court rooms. I am not making un-American accusations toward those who are appealing voter decisions where there are serious questions of voter fraud and disenfranchisement of voters in an inconsistent manner in one jurisdiction. Interestingly, in MN the winners call the loser a sore-loser when it was that party’s Presidential nominee who sought the aid of courts in his quest to be President. Litigation following close elections is only indicative of the unwillingness to set aside partisan differences and move forward.
Our President is attempting to change the policy of discourse outside the country. He was apologetic in Europe and in the southern Americas he listened to anti-American screeds and shook hands with a sworn enemy of the USA for the world to see. Our President said this was what the electorate voted for…more dialog with those who have heretofore hated us. He has certainly succeeded in having world leaders, friends and foes, like him, but whether that will translate into better relationships abroad is still an open question. What happened with the Iranians and North Koreans does not bode well for success. Biden said Obama would be tested. There is one place Delaware Joe has been spot on.
Unfortunately, all the overseas angst and friendship to American haters has not helped. While he is right, there was discussion on the campaign trail of talking to enemies, I don’t think voters…for or against BO…believed he would be quite so apologetic for what others say the USA stands for without being more forthright and affirming in what “we” say we represent. He is, possibly unintendedly, giving photo ops and positive reinforcement to American haters who pummel the USA. And, without taking any steps to defend the country he represents. That does not help the division at home.
Millions are upset with a US President who sits quietly by while his and their country is bashed by the likes of Daniel Ortega. Who readily admits the shortcomings of the USA but fails to defend the USA. Who bows to Saudi kings, shares a warm handshake with tinpot dictators and generally takes the position that what happened in the past was not on his watch. So if you do not like it, don’t blame me, blame the country’s misguided policies by lesser lights than me. And, by the way, things will be different now that I am in charge. [Smile].
Obama is insufferable about his ability to change things. He proposes massive spending and deficits, expanding programs where government has failed to previously tread, yet promising to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term [Note to BO: No one is guaranteed a second term.]. Add to this is overseas machinations and the hint yesterday that he may permit prosecution of the authors of the “torture memos”. So, there is a looking forward for the man…forward to bigger government programs. That leads to division. But, there is a dwelling on the past too…policies of predecessors to bash and people of the same forerunners to prosecute. This too leads to division. Seems like partisanship still reigns supreme in the new America. Has it been one hundred days yet? When does the healing begin?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Dare to be Daniel
How to Draw the Line
When the Babylonians took the best and brightest of Judah back to Babylon, it was not so they would be disgruntled captives or slaves. They decided to assimilate them into Babylonian culture by giving them an thoroughly liberal Chaldean University education. Kind of like what the dominant culture in this country does to our youngsters when they leave their homes and head off to State U. Daniel and his buddies were going to be indoctrinated into the ways of the Chaldeans.
These Judeans were uprooted from their homes, taught about things Babylonian, had their names changed and were given a new diet…the king’s food and drink. Note what Daniel and his buds DO NOT do. They do not organize protests walking around with placards saying “Hey, hey, ho, ho, I won’t go”. They do not boycott classes saying “we don’t want to b taught your junk”. They do not go on a hunger strike until they get the food they want. They did not refuse to be called by their new Babylonian names because it was an “insult to their native heritage”. There was not demand that they be granted the universal human rights inherent to all men. To be what they want.
No these 21st century tactics were not evident in Daniel. He accepted what was happening, but drew the line, with God’s grace, at eating the king’s food. He proposes in his heart to not define himself. He goes along with the whole assimilation project except the eating part. Why? Theories abound. Sure the food was not kosher but how about the vegetables he did eat, we cannot know they were either. Also, refusal to drink the wine was not associated with ceremonial cleanliness. The point is, Daniel took his first stand for his God in what seemed to be an insignificant matter. Faithfulness begins with the seeming insignificant matters. But, it begins…early in living life for our God. We must begin establishing a difference between ourselves and the world early on in our Christian walk so that we do not become so entangled that there is no difference between “us” and “them”.
Again, notice how Daniel draws the line. He requested not to eat the food and asked for a test. He made no demands. He was not seeking to be a spokesperson, champion for the good guys or a martyr for the cause of God. No, he took his stand with modesty and humility. After all, this was about his God not him. His resolve was about God’s holiness and glory. He wanted to be personally obedient not to be a hero. His desire was that his God would be glorified. Daniel was not the focal point of Daniel’s obedience. At an early stage and age of his captivity, Daniel established that he would live for his God in captivity. By beginning with obedience in little things, the stage was set for obedience later in bigger things.
We receive two wonderful life lessons from Daniel in this line drawing. Always take the first opportunity to show yourself to be a committed Christian. It is not always an easy thing, but you can be assured that it will never be easier to stand for Christ. If you refuse the first time to stand for Him, it is no easier the second. The world will be relentless in, as JB Phillips paraphrases Rom 12:1, 2, in “squeezing you into its mold.” Satan knows he cannot have God’s children, so he works overtime in neutralizing God’s own. Your flesh wants you to stand for you, not Christ. The sooner a Christian shows resolve for his God, the better able he is to glorify God with his obedience throughout his/her life.
Second, as we know from reading Scripture and observing the lives of Christians we know, trials and tribulations are constant companions. They help to gage our progress as a Christ follower. We want to see them as deviations and estrangements from the Christian life rather than part of what God uses to build character and strength in us. But that is not the case. James, Paul and Peter all agree that we should treat trials and tests of our faith as “maturity makers”. Sinclair Ferguson calls them “important and connected punctuation marks in the biography of grace His is writing in our lives”. So, there is no little test of our obedience to Christ. God uses what seems to be a minor matter to build up His faithful servants preparing us for bigger trials in which we can glorify Him.
Faithful Christians draw the line and stand for their Lord and Savior early and often in their Christian walk. Little trials, big trials, they are all treated as opportunities to grow in grace and serve God. They do so not to be applauded for their obedience but as a witness to their God. It is obedience to their God for the glory of their God alone.
How to Draw the Line
When the Babylonians took the best and brightest of Judah back to Babylon, it was not so they would be disgruntled captives or slaves. They decided to assimilate them into Babylonian culture by giving them an thoroughly liberal Chaldean University education. Kind of like what the dominant culture in this country does to our youngsters when they leave their homes and head off to State U. Daniel and his buddies were going to be indoctrinated into the ways of the Chaldeans.
These Judeans were uprooted from their homes, taught about things Babylonian, had their names changed and were given a new diet…the king’s food and drink. Note what Daniel and his buds DO NOT do. They do not organize protests walking around with placards saying “Hey, hey, ho, ho, I won’t go”. They do not boycott classes saying “we don’t want to b taught your junk”. They do not go on a hunger strike until they get the food they want. They did not refuse to be called by their new Babylonian names because it was an “insult to their native heritage”. There was not demand that they be granted the universal human rights inherent to all men. To be what they want.
No these 21st century tactics were not evident in Daniel. He accepted what was happening, but drew the line, with God’s grace, at eating the king’s food. He proposes in his heart to not define himself. He goes along with the whole assimilation project except the eating part. Why? Theories abound. Sure the food was not kosher but how about the vegetables he did eat, we cannot know they were either. Also, refusal to drink the wine was not associated with ceremonial cleanliness. The point is, Daniel took his first stand for his God in what seemed to be an insignificant matter. Faithfulness begins with the seeming insignificant matters. But, it begins…early in living life for our God. We must begin establishing a difference between ourselves and the world early on in our Christian walk so that we do not become so entangled that there is no difference between “us” and “them”.
Again, notice how Daniel draws the line. He requested not to eat the food and asked for a test. He made no demands. He was not seeking to be a spokesperson, champion for the good guys or a martyr for the cause of God. No, he took his stand with modesty and humility. After all, this was about his God not him. His resolve was about God’s holiness and glory. He wanted to be personally obedient not to be a hero. His desire was that his God would be glorified. Daniel was not the focal point of Daniel’s obedience. At an early stage and age of his captivity, Daniel established that he would live for his God in captivity. By beginning with obedience in little things, the stage was set for obedience later in bigger things.
We receive two wonderful life lessons from Daniel in this line drawing. Always take the first opportunity to show yourself to be a committed Christian. It is not always an easy thing, but you can be assured that it will never be easier to stand for Christ. If you refuse the first time to stand for Him, it is no easier the second. The world will be relentless in, as JB Phillips paraphrases Rom 12:1, 2, in “squeezing you into its mold.” Satan knows he cannot have God’s children, so he works overtime in neutralizing God’s own. Your flesh wants you to stand for you, not Christ. The sooner a Christian shows resolve for his God, the better able he is to glorify God with his obedience throughout his/her life.
Second, as we know from reading Scripture and observing the lives of Christians we know, trials and tribulations are constant companions. They help to gage our progress as a Christ follower. We want to see them as deviations and estrangements from the Christian life rather than part of what God uses to build character and strength in us. But that is not the case. James, Paul and Peter all agree that we should treat trials and tests of our faith as “maturity makers”. Sinclair Ferguson calls them “important and connected punctuation marks in the biography of grace His is writing in our lives”. So, there is no little test of our obedience to Christ. God uses what seems to be a minor matter to build up His faithful servants preparing us for bigger trials in which we can glorify Him.
Faithful Christians draw the line and stand for their Lord and Savior early and often in their Christian walk. Little trials, big trials, they are all treated as opportunities to grow in grace and serve God. They do so not to be applauded for their obedience but as a witness to their God. It is obedience to their God for the glory of their God alone.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Good Friday 2009
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Today is the Friday Christians call good. Why? Because today the ultimate sacrifice was given. Jesus Christ died on the cross. Yesterday, I posted on sacrifice or lack thereof in human terms. The sacrifice we commemorate today is unthinkable in human terms. He Who was very God and very Man died on the cross. Your Creator became your Substitute, Redeemer, Propitiation, the Sacrifice required to take away your sin and His wrath. He was the Price Paid to purchase you from slavery to sin. And yet, the world refuses to acknowledge this ultimate sacrifice.
Who needs a bloody sacrifice? Surely we are more sophisticated that that! What is wrong with the world can be cured with more education, more jobs, more cash, more programs to help the disadvantaged, more of anything but Jesus. Superstition can not help us, but human progress through science and technology can. Science will eventually solve all the so-called “mysteries” of life. Belief in a Savior other than man is a crutch for the weak. Not only is the foregoing the party line of the world, the world goes to great length to put out all manner of drivel to disprove Jesus, His life, death and resurrection.
Recently, one The ExChange dudes, Willie Mo, responded to whether he had considered what the crucifixion of Jesus Christ means to him in the following manner: “I saw on the Discovery Channel that crucifixion was impossible.” I bet that was news to the Roman Empire and the thousands they crucified! Why is it that there is a full court press every Easter season to disparage the death and resurrection of Christ? It is the absolute No. #1 threat to secular humanism. And for Christians, without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to Paul, we are helpless, hopeless and foolish, to be pitied above all men.
Christian, be of good cheer. Fear not. Science will not figure it all out, it will only discern what God reveals to science. And, He has already revealed His plan for the salvation of man. There is no better man-made or devised plan for man to be discovered by man. Last year at Oxford, Dr. Gary Habernas made a compelling presentation on why the resurrection happened. He has also made his case to skeptics who have always held that the resurrection was a “spiritual event”, that is it occurred in the hearts and minds of believers. Guess what, they admitted there was truth to the actual physical death and resurrection of Christ! Hallelujah…the world has been won for Jesus Christ!
Just one moment, please. While it may be factual that Jesus rose from the dead, the skeptics still choose not to believe. They do not want to believe regardless of the facts. And, is that not the real issue…unbelief? Folks just do not want to believe in the ultimate sacrifice. So, our loss of the desire to sacrifice personally so we can be what we want to be, is also translated into the loss of wanting to believe in the ultimate sacrifice. Why? Because it will not leave us as we are if we believe. We will be changed by it and that terrifies those who are comfortable in their sin and guilt. So, the world continues to choose not to believe in the ultimate sacrifice.
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Today is the Friday Christians call good. Why? Because today the ultimate sacrifice was given. Jesus Christ died on the cross. Yesterday, I posted on sacrifice or lack thereof in human terms. The sacrifice we commemorate today is unthinkable in human terms. He Who was very God and very Man died on the cross. Your Creator became your Substitute, Redeemer, Propitiation, the Sacrifice required to take away your sin and His wrath. He was the Price Paid to purchase you from slavery to sin. And yet, the world refuses to acknowledge this ultimate sacrifice.
Who needs a bloody sacrifice? Surely we are more sophisticated that that! What is wrong with the world can be cured with more education, more jobs, more cash, more programs to help the disadvantaged, more of anything but Jesus. Superstition can not help us, but human progress through science and technology can. Science will eventually solve all the so-called “mysteries” of life. Belief in a Savior other than man is a crutch for the weak. Not only is the foregoing the party line of the world, the world goes to great length to put out all manner of drivel to disprove Jesus, His life, death and resurrection.
Recently, one The ExChange dudes, Willie Mo, responded to whether he had considered what the crucifixion of Jesus Christ means to him in the following manner: “I saw on the Discovery Channel that crucifixion was impossible.” I bet that was news to the Roman Empire and the thousands they crucified! Why is it that there is a full court press every Easter season to disparage the death and resurrection of Christ? It is the absolute No. #1 threat to secular humanism. And for Christians, without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, according to Paul, we are helpless, hopeless and foolish, to be pitied above all men.
Christian, be of good cheer. Fear not. Science will not figure it all out, it will only discern what God reveals to science. And, He has already revealed His plan for the salvation of man. There is no better man-made or devised plan for man to be discovered by man. Last year at Oxford, Dr. Gary Habernas made a compelling presentation on why the resurrection happened. He has also made his case to skeptics who have always held that the resurrection was a “spiritual event”, that is it occurred in the hearts and minds of believers. Guess what, they admitted there was truth to the actual physical death and resurrection of Christ! Hallelujah…the world has been won for Jesus Christ!
Just one moment, please. While it may be factual that Jesus rose from the dead, the skeptics still choose not to believe. They do not want to believe regardless of the facts. And, is that not the real issue…unbelief? Folks just do not want to believe in the ultimate sacrifice. So, our loss of the desire to sacrifice personally so we can be what we want to be, is also translated into the loss of wanting to believe in the ultimate sacrifice. Why? Because it will not leave us as we are if we believe. We will be changed by it and that terrifies those who are comfortable in their sin and guilt. So, the world continues to choose not to believe in the ultimate sacrifice.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Living in the World
The Loss of Sacrifice
Waiting for a flight recently I sat next to a fellow who was bemoaning the lack of sacrifice in out society today. He told of his grandmother coming to the USA from Italy as a 16 year old and never seeing her mother and family again. She was seeking a better life at a high price. And, as a result of her willingness to leave kin and hearth, 80 years later her grandson now has a better life. It started me thinking about personal sacrifice, or the lack thereof, today.
It seems that is what is behind the government trying to “bail out” all manner of companies from financial collapse. No one wants to take the pain that is incumbent from failed policies and foolish decisions. As individuals, we have lost the definition of sacrifice in out culture. No one wants to sacrifice anything at anytime for any reason. Period.
The AIG dustup over bonuses magnifies this proposition. While many of the bonuses were based on contractual relationships, the contracts could be modified. Those due the bonuses could have refused them. For many that would not even be a sacrifice. But, for those who were dependent on the bonus for the lion’s share of their compensation, refusing it would be a sacrifice. While there has been a give back because of the backlash, such is not sacrifice because it was not the intent of those receiving the bonuses to sacrifice. They were forced to do so by the government and an angry public.
It is not just from corporate America where the “no sacrifice” mantra comes emanates. I have remarked many times that compared to the rest of the world, all Americans are “wealthy”. Two million people are born, live and die on the streets of Kolkata, India. Imagine that, living you whole life outside any shelter. These are not “homeless” they are “never homed”. In this country we consume far more resources than our population warrants. Yet we grouse when the price of fuel for our automobiles goes up. That is a “sacrifice” we do not wish to make. We want cheap gas! You see, even our sense of sacrifice, what it is, is warped.
Imagine that Italian grandmother leaving all she knew for that which she had no idea what it would turn out to be. Imagine you or me giving up our home and family to go to a place unknown to us to try and make a better life for those to follow us. For many years, we have lived with the idea that we would make circumstances better for our children and grandchildren. Instead, today we are saddling the future generations with back breaking debt because we do not want to have our nice, cozy lifestyle changed or modified in any way. Instead of sacrificing for the future, we want those to come to sacrifice for us. Come to think about it, there is not a loss of sacrifice. We have converted self-sacrifice into shifted sacrifice.
The Loss of Sacrifice
Waiting for a flight recently I sat next to a fellow who was bemoaning the lack of sacrifice in out society today. He told of his grandmother coming to the USA from Italy as a 16 year old and never seeing her mother and family again. She was seeking a better life at a high price. And, as a result of her willingness to leave kin and hearth, 80 years later her grandson now has a better life. It started me thinking about personal sacrifice, or the lack thereof, today.
It seems that is what is behind the government trying to “bail out” all manner of companies from financial collapse. No one wants to take the pain that is incumbent from failed policies and foolish decisions. As individuals, we have lost the definition of sacrifice in out culture. No one wants to sacrifice anything at anytime for any reason. Period.
The AIG dustup over bonuses magnifies this proposition. While many of the bonuses were based on contractual relationships, the contracts could be modified. Those due the bonuses could have refused them. For many that would not even be a sacrifice. But, for those who were dependent on the bonus for the lion’s share of their compensation, refusing it would be a sacrifice. While there has been a give back because of the backlash, such is not sacrifice because it was not the intent of those receiving the bonuses to sacrifice. They were forced to do so by the government and an angry public.
It is not just from corporate America where the “no sacrifice” mantra comes emanates. I have remarked many times that compared to the rest of the world, all Americans are “wealthy”. Two million people are born, live and die on the streets of Kolkata, India. Imagine that, living you whole life outside any shelter. These are not “homeless” they are “never homed”. In this country we consume far more resources than our population warrants. Yet we grouse when the price of fuel for our automobiles goes up. That is a “sacrifice” we do not wish to make. We want cheap gas! You see, even our sense of sacrifice, what it is, is warped.
Imagine that Italian grandmother leaving all she knew for that which she had no idea what it would turn out to be. Imagine you or me giving up our home and family to go to a place unknown to us to try and make a better life for those to follow us. For many years, we have lived with the idea that we would make circumstances better for our children and grandchildren. Instead, today we are saddling the future generations with back breaking debt because we do not want to have our nice, cozy lifestyle changed or modified in any way. Instead of sacrificing for the future, we want those to come to sacrifice for us. Come to think about it, there is not a loss of sacrifice. We have converted self-sacrifice into shifted sacrifice.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
History
The Rainbow Tour…Then and Now?
In 1947, Eva Perón conducted her Rainbow Tour of Europe. It resulted from an invitation to Juan Perón by Francisco Franco to visit Spain. The defeat of fascism in Europe had isolated Spain, and Spain was not part of the various reconstruction plans paid for by the US to rebuild Europe. Argentina was one of the few countries who maintained cordial diplomatic relations with Spain. So, it was a natural for the Generalissimo to invite the Argentinean leader to Spain.
However, all the reasons for Franco to invite Perón were also reasons not to go. Argentina had taken its place in the UN and improved relations with the US after the war. The mood in Buenos Aires was not to set back Argentina’s new place in the world. However, Argentina made a loan to Spain a year prior so that the Spaniards could purchase grain and beef from the Argentineans. As a compromise, it was decided that Eva should go to Europe, not just Spain, so that the world could see the woman who was unifying the poor and workers of Argentina. So, the Rainbow Tour was launched.
Eva meet with many European leaders starting with Franco. She was well received in Spain, receiving from Franco the highest award the government could grant to a non-Spaniard. She also handed out 100 peso notes to every poor child she met on her journey. She was hailed as a champion for the poor, the oppressed and the worker. She met with the Holy Father at the Vatican where she received an award for her husband and a rosary from the Pope. In France she went to Versailles and meet with de Gaulle. While in France things began to sour. She was advised that she would not be permitted to stay at Buckingham Palace. Citing exhaustion, she then canceled her trip to the UK. In Switzerland she was subjected to thrown stones and tomatoes. And, it was widely circulated that she was only in Europe to deposit funds in a Swiss bank account. Shortly after the Swiss incidents, she headed home.
The Europeans were critical of her form fitting dresses, big hairdos and extravagant lifestyle. Yet, during the tour she appeared on the cover of Time under the title “Eva Perón: Between two worlds, an Argentine rainbow”. Even that was a downer, however, since this was the first print story to mention her out of wedlock birth. For that mistake, Time was banned in Argentina for some months. The Rainbow Tour, its reasons and outcomes, was popularized by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber in the musical Evita. Evita was a heroine in her own country but the rest of the world came to see her as more flash than substance, a cult figure who was a rags to riches success story but who was a celebrity rather than a serious political figure.
Fast forward to the now concluded “Charm Tour” of President Obama. He is an extremely popular figure in Europe, a rock star type. He drew big crowds everywhere. The press is gushing over his tour. But, what was accomplished? He wanted Europe to climb on the stimulus bandwagon. They did not. He wanted more commitment to the war on terror [oops! That is non PC talk.] and for combat troops in Afghanistan. They did not. Apologists for the president say he started a “process” and there were no firm goals to be accomplished on the “Charm Tour”. He went to listen to Europe and apologize for US behavior over the last eight years. However, this process seems to be based on the same premise as the domestic economic recovery…undo what Bush did, or Bush bashing as Bush II supporters call it.
Is BO more flash than substance? He has had a meteoric rise on the public stage, another kind of rags to riches story. Does he have any answers to the world wide financial problem? Yes, spend, which the Europeans saw as no answer. Obama did not push the Europeans on any issue, and maybe that is why he is so popular. Instead, he admitted the prior administrations missteps and arrogance, chummed up to the G-20 leaders, lobbied for more support for whatever we now call the fight for survival against Islamic jihadists, stopped in Turkey and paid a surprise visit to Iraq where he praised the troops for a job well done [A war he opposed from the beginning]. Fortunately, he had no rocks or vegetables hurled at him…those were reserved for London Bobbies and the RBS. Is he more a celebrity than serious political figure? Hard to say, but leadership surely is more than cavorting around Europe being contrite about what the US has stood for and done and giving an I pod to the Queen with his speeches loaded on it. Celebrities have charm; leaders have firm policies and the determination, resolve and commitment to see them through. We will see.
The Rainbow Tour…Then and Now?
In 1947, Eva Perón conducted her Rainbow Tour of Europe. It resulted from an invitation to Juan Perón by Francisco Franco to visit Spain. The defeat of fascism in Europe had isolated Spain, and Spain was not part of the various reconstruction plans paid for by the US to rebuild Europe. Argentina was one of the few countries who maintained cordial diplomatic relations with Spain. So, it was a natural for the Generalissimo to invite the Argentinean leader to Spain.
However, all the reasons for Franco to invite Perón were also reasons not to go. Argentina had taken its place in the UN and improved relations with the US after the war. The mood in Buenos Aires was not to set back Argentina’s new place in the world. However, Argentina made a loan to Spain a year prior so that the Spaniards could purchase grain and beef from the Argentineans. As a compromise, it was decided that Eva should go to Europe, not just Spain, so that the world could see the woman who was unifying the poor and workers of Argentina. So, the Rainbow Tour was launched.
Eva meet with many European leaders starting with Franco. She was well received in Spain, receiving from Franco the highest award the government could grant to a non-Spaniard. She also handed out 100 peso notes to every poor child she met on her journey. She was hailed as a champion for the poor, the oppressed and the worker. She met with the Holy Father at the Vatican where she received an award for her husband and a rosary from the Pope. In France she went to Versailles and meet with de Gaulle. While in France things began to sour. She was advised that she would not be permitted to stay at Buckingham Palace. Citing exhaustion, she then canceled her trip to the UK. In Switzerland she was subjected to thrown stones and tomatoes. And, it was widely circulated that she was only in Europe to deposit funds in a Swiss bank account. Shortly after the Swiss incidents, she headed home.
The Europeans were critical of her form fitting dresses, big hairdos and extravagant lifestyle. Yet, during the tour she appeared on the cover of Time under the title “Eva Perón: Between two worlds, an Argentine rainbow”. Even that was a downer, however, since this was the first print story to mention her out of wedlock birth. For that mistake, Time was banned in Argentina for some months. The Rainbow Tour, its reasons and outcomes, was popularized by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber in the musical Evita. Evita was a heroine in her own country but the rest of the world came to see her as more flash than substance, a cult figure who was a rags to riches success story but who was a celebrity rather than a serious political figure.
Fast forward to the now concluded “Charm Tour” of President Obama. He is an extremely popular figure in Europe, a rock star type. He drew big crowds everywhere. The press is gushing over his tour. But, what was accomplished? He wanted Europe to climb on the stimulus bandwagon. They did not. He wanted more commitment to the war on terror [oops! That is non PC talk.] and for combat troops in Afghanistan. They did not. Apologists for the president say he started a “process” and there were no firm goals to be accomplished on the “Charm Tour”. He went to listen to Europe and apologize for US behavior over the last eight years. However, this process seems to be based on the same premise as the domestic economic recovery…undo what Bush did, or Bush bashing as Bush II supporters call it.
Is BO more flash than substance? He has had a meteoric rise on the public stage, another kind of rags to riches story. Does he have any answers to the world wide financial problem? Yes, spend, which the Europeans saw as no answer. Obama did not push the Europeans on any issue, and maybe that is why he is so popular. Instead, he admitted the prior administrations missteps and arrogance, chummed up to the G-20 leaders, lobbied for more support for whatever we now call the fight for survival against Islamic jihadists, stopped in Turkey and paid a surprise visit to Iraq where he praised the troops for a job well done [A war he opposed from the beginning]. Fortunately, he had no rocks or vegetables hurled at him…those were reserved for London Bobbies and the RBS. Is he more a celebrity than serious political figure? Hard to say, but leadership surely is more than cavorting around Europe being contrite about what the US has stood for and done and giving an I pod to the Queen with his speeches loaded on it. Celebrities have charm; leaders have firm policies and the determination, resolve and commitment to see them through. We will see.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Dare to be Daniel
How to view History
Those of you who were churched as young people remember this little ditty:
Dare to be Daniel
Dare to Stand Alone
Dare to Have a Purpose Firm
Dare to Make it Known
Daniel lived in a pagan culture not his own for 70 years. He lived in unwavering and uncompromising faithfulness to God. He is a good example for us today. Much of western culture is hostile to the Christian faith. Daniel and the lessons learned from the living of his life are timeless and appropriate for us today. Christians today must be willing to “stand alone”, have a “firm purpose” and let that purpose to be “made known” to all.
Right off the bat in Daniel, the context of all that happens to Daniel is set forth. The tone of all that happens to Daniel is revealed in the first two verses of the first chapter:
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And he Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand…
A timeless lesson is revealed to the reader. There is a spiritual answer to every historical event. God is in control of all things! There are no renegade molecules or acts in the universe. God gave over His own people to the Babylonians. Nothing [no thing] occurs outside the sovereign will of God. Man is at work in history; God is in control of history.
God was not surprised when Judah fell. He arranged it! It was predicted in His Word, even the carrying away of the young men [Is 39:6, 7]. The curse for disobedience by the House of Israel was prophesized by Moses long before fulfillment [Deut. 28: 45-52]. Jehoiakim did evil in the sight of God as did Manassas before him [2 Chron 36:5; 2 Kings 24:3,4]. God is faithful to His Word ALWAYS. The consequences to man are of no concern. Man had been forewarned. No matter how much we try, we cannot blame God for what He has promised.
Oh, the sovereignty of God is an unpopular topic to modern man. As, a result we think we are creating reality instead of living in the face of reality. Even, those who are faithful followers of God, have difficulty swallowing God’s sovereignty. Witness the prophet Habakkuk. He was one who was apprised of God’s plans, and he did not like it. In like manner to 21st century Christians lamenting the state of the church and/or the USA, Habakkuk cried out to God for justice. How long O Lord until justice comes?
God’s answer comes in Hab. 1:5-11. Babylon would overrun Judah thus ending Judah’s violence and faithlessness. Imagine the thoughts of Habakkuk. The Babylonians, they are a nasty, wicked and ruthless people! God, the cure is greater than the disease. God, how can you use such ungodly people to chastise Your own? Yes, even the OT saints have trouble with the sovereignty of God over history. They, as we, want it done their way even though they full well knew His will as set forth in Scripture.
Dr. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great Welsh preacher, spoke to the concerns of men in a rapidly disintegrating world during WW II. In his commentary on Habakkuk lays out four principles for the Christian to understand about God and History:
1] History is under God’s control: Every nation on earth is under God’s
control…Things are not what they appear to be. It seemed to be the astute military power of the Chaldeans that brought them into ascendancy. But it was not so at all, for God had raised them up. God is the lord of history…We must never lose sight of this crucial fact.
2] History follows a divine plan: The events of history are not accidental, though they may appear so to us. They follow God’s plan. There is a purpose in history, and what is now happening in this twentieth century is not accidental.
3] History follows a divine timetable: God says: I am going to do something in your days…not before or after or but precisely when He wanted it to happen.
4] History is bound up with the divine Kingdom: The key to the history of the world is the Kingdom of God…Let us not, therefore, be stumbled when we see surprising things happening in the world. Rather, let us ask: “What is the relevance of this event to the Kingdom of God?” Or, if strange things are happening to you personally, don’t complain, but say, “What is God teaching me through this? What is there in me that needs to be corrected? Where have I gone wrong and why is God allowing these things?”…WE should therefore judge every event in the light of God’s great, eternal and glorious presence.
It was this understanding of history that marks Daniel’s time in Babylonian captivity and measures his responses to various trials in Babylon. He did not know why he was a captive, but he understood that his God was still in control. There was a divine purpose for all that had happened. Pastor/theologian Sinclair Ferguson summarizes how Daniel could live for 70 years in Babylon: The principles that governed Daniel’s life –grace, faith, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, obedience, hope—provide the answer. Daniel knew he was not the master of his fate, the captain of his ship. He was not where he necessarily wanted to be. But, he accepted God’s sovereignty over all things which allowed him to sing the Lord’s song and be His witness as an exile in a foreign land.
This has tremendous practical import to us today. When matters seem to be “going to hell in a hand basket” as one of my old law partners used to say, take heart, God is still in control, His will will be done. In this era of prosperity, seemingly endless progress and the appearance of man having control over all things, we panic when matters seem to get out of our control. We fail to realize that they were always out of our control. Take a cue from Daniel. Understand that history is in God’s control, following a divine plan, happening when He wills it and that all is for a divine purpose. We too can live in difficult times with the principles of grace, faith, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, obedience and hope singing God’s song in a strange and hostile land. Christian in 2009…dare to be Daniel!
How to view History
Those of you who were churched as young people remember this little ditty:
Dare to be Daniel
Dare to Stand Alone
Dare to Have a Purpose Firm
Dare to Make it Known
Daniel lived in a pagan culture not his own for 70 years. He lived in unwavering and uncompromising faithfulness to God. He is a good example for us today. Much of western culture is hostile to the Christian faith. Daniel and the lessons learned from the living of his life are timeless and appropriate for us today. Christians today must be willing to “stand alone”, have a “firm purpose” and let that purpose to be “made known” to all.
Right off the bat in Daniel, the context of all that happens to Daniel is set forth. The tone of all that happens to Daniel is revealed in the first two verses of the first chapter:
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And he Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into his hand…
A timeless lesson is revealed to the reader. There is a spiritual answer to every historical event. God is in control of all things! There are no renegade molecules or acts in the universe. God gave over His own people to the Babylonians. Nothing [no thing] occurs outside the sovereign will of God. Man is at work in history; God is in control of history.
God was not surprised when Judah fell. He arranged it! It was predicted in His Word, even the carrying away of the young men [Is 39:6, 7]. The curse for disobedience by the House of Israel was prophesized by Moses long before fulfillment [Deut. 28: 45-52]. Jehoiakim did evil in the sight of God as did Manassas before him [2 Chron 36:5; 2 Kings 24:3,4]. God is faithful to His Word ALWAYS. The consequences to man are of no concern. Man had been forewarned. No matter how much we try, we cannot blame God for what He has promised.
Oh, the sovereignty of God is an unpopular topic to modern man. As, a result we think we are creating reality instead of living in the face of reality. Even, those who are faithful followers of God, have difficulty swallowing God’s sovereignty. Witness the prophet Habakkuk. He was one who was apprised of God’s plans, and he did not like it. In like manner to 21st century Christians lamenting the state of the church and/or the USA, Habakkuk cried out to God for justice. How long O Lord until justice comes?
God’s answer comes in Hab. 1:5-11. Babylon would overrun Judah thus ending Judah’s violence and faithlessness. Imagine the thoughts of Habakkuk. The Babylonians, they are a nasty, wicked and ruthless people! God, the cure is greater than the disease. God, how can you use such ungodly people to chastise Your own? Yes, even the OT saints have trouble with the sovereignty of God over history. They, as we, want it done their way even though they full well knew His will as set forth in Scripture.
Dr. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the great Welsh preacher, spoke to the concerns of men in a rapidly disintegrating world during WW II. In his commentary on Habakkuk lays out four principles for the Christian to understand about God and History:
1] History is under God’s control: Every nation on earth is under God’s
control…Things are not what they appear to be. It seemed to be the astute military power of the Chaldeans that brought them into ascendancy. But it was not so at all, for God had raised them up. God is the lord of history…We must never lose sight of this crucial fact.
2] History follows a divine plan: The events of history are not accidental, though they may appear so to us. They follow God’s plan. There is a purpose in history, and what is now happening in this twentieth century is not accidental.
3] History follows a divine timetable: God says: I am going to do something in your days…not before or after or but precisely when He wanted it to happen.
4] History is bound up with the divine Kingdom: The key to the history of the world is the Kingdom of God…Let us not, therefore, be stumbled when we see surprising things happening in the world. Rather, let us ask: “What is the relevance of this event to the Kingdom of God?” Or, if strange things are happening to you personally, don’t complain, but say, “What is God teaching me through this? What is there in me that needs to be corrected? Where have I gone wrong and why is God allowing these things?”…WE should therefore judge every event in the light of God’s great, eternal and glorious presence.
It was this understanding of history that marks Daniel’s time in Babylonian captivity and measures his responses to various trials in Babylon. He did not know why he was a captive, but he understood that his God was still in control. There was a divine purpose for all that had happened. Pastor/theologian Sinclair Ferguson summarizes how Daniel could live for 70 years in Babylon: The principles that governed Daniel’s life –grace, faith, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, obedience, hope—provide the answer. Daniel knew he was not the master of his fate, the captain of his ship. He was not where he necessarily wanted to be. But, he accepted God’s sovereignty over all things which allowed him to sing the Lord’s song and be His witness as an exile in a foreign land.
This has tremendous practical import to us today. When matters seem to be “going to hell in a hand basket” as one of my old law partners used to say, take heart, God is still in control, His will will be done. In this era of prosperity, seemingly endless progress and the appearance of man having control over all things, we panic when matters seem to get out of our control. We fail to realize that they were always out of our control. Take a cue from Daniel. Understand that history is in God’s control, following a divine plan, happening when He wills it and that all is for a divine purpose. We too can live in difficult times with the principles of grace, faith, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, obedience and hope singing God’s song in a strange and hostile land. Christian in 2009…dare to be Daniel!
Friday, April 3, 2009
PBC
Another season begins
The Pittsburgh Baseball Club…the Pirates…begin play for keeps next Monday at St. Louis against the Cardinals. Spring training is a wonderful time. Every hitter has the potential to hit over .300 and every pitcher the potential to win 15 or more games. Such is the exuberance of training in the sunshine of Florida or Arizona. But, now it is time for a healthy dose of realism. Returning north to the cool of spring also helps to cool down overheated expectations.
The fact is that the Pirates return the same players that lead them to a 95 loss season. In fact, over the past 4 years the PBC has averaged 95 losses a year. So, how can any sane fan believe they will be winners. It will take an additional 15 wins just to have the current edition break even. Last year they had the worst ERA for starting and relief pitchers in the National League. And, they have virtually the same staff. So, if the old saying rings true, “offense sells tickets but pitching wins games”, there is not much reason for optimism. There is no offense to bring in the folks and no pitching to put the Buccos on the winning path.
The Pirates are facing a major league record 17 straight losing seasons. Unfortunately, that seems much more plausible than a winning record in the 2009 season. I have been a Pirate fan all my life. From the O’Brien twins in the fifties; to the unbflievable 1960s team that won the Series on Maz’s bottom of the 9th homer; to the two championships of the 70s, 1971 starring the Great One and 1979 with the “We are Family” of Pops Stargell; to the present years of mediocrity broken only by the early 90s teams of Van Slyke, Bonilla and a drug free Bonds, I have hung with the PBC.
I would start each year watching and rooting for the Bucs until they were out of it…usually by Decoration Day! My dear Susan wondered why I wasted my time and frustrated myself on such a bunch of losers. So, beginning last year, I decided I would not watch them until they proved they could win through May. Needless to say, I saw no contests last year. Likewise, I will only read about them until they can prove they can win this year. Only then will I give of my time. I should get a lot done this spring!
Another season begins
The Pittsburgh Baseball Club…the Pirates…begin play for keeps next Monday at St. Louis against the Cardinals. Spring training is a wonderful time. Every hitter has the potential to hit over .300 and every pitcher the potential to win 15 or more games. Such is the exuberance of training in the sunshine of Florida or Arizona. But, now it is time for a healthy dose of realism. Returning north to the cool of spring also helps to cool down overheated expectations.
The fact is that the Pirates return the same players that lead them to a 95 loss season. In fact, over the past 4 years the PBC has averaged 95 losses a year. So, how can any sane fan believe they will be winners. It will take an additional 15 wins just to have the current edition break even. Last year they had the worst ERA for starting and relief pitchers in the National League. And, they have virtually the same staff. So, if the old saying rings true, “offense sells tickets but pitching wins games”, there is not much reason for optimism. There is no offense to bring in the folks and no pitching to put the Buccos on the winning path.
The Pirates are facing a major league record 17 straight losing seasons. Unfortunately, that seems much more plausible than a winning record in the 2009 season. I have been a Pirate fan all my life. From the O’Brien twins in the fifties; to the unbflievable 1960s team that won the Series on Maz’s bottom of the 9th homer; to the two championships of the 70s, 1971 starring the Great One and 1979 with the “We are Family” of Pops Stargell; to the present years of mediocrity broken only by the early 90s teams of Van Slyke, Bonilla and a drug free Bonds, I have hung with the PBC.
I would start each year watching and rooting for the Bucs until they were out of it…usually by Decoration Day! My dear Susan wondered why I wasted my time and frustrated myself on such a bunch of losers. So, beginning last year, I decided I would not watch them until they proved they could win through May. Needless to say, I saw no contests last year. Likewise, I will only read about them until they can prove they can win this year. Only then will I give of my time. I should get a lot done this spring!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Calvin @ 500
Preacher for the Ages
July 10, 2009, will be the 500th birthday of John Calvin. No one has had more influence on the church in the last 500 years. And, it is not waning. Did you notice that the 3rd of the 10 ideas Time says is changing the world today is the “new Calvinism”? John Calvin was one interested in education. He entered the university at 14 to study theology. He received a classical education that included Latin, logic and philosophy. He studied law at the University of Orléans and Greek at the University of Bourges. He was a humanist scholar his first book being a secular treatment of Seneca the Younger’s De Clementia. Before he became the pastor at St. Pierre’s in Geneva he became Professor of Sacred Scripture at the university there. He believed in education and the necessity of an educated pastorate.
He was a prolific writer and Biblical commentator. His Institutes still stand today as the most concise and informative explanation of the Biblical basis of the Reformed faith. Yet, by far his greatest influence was as a preacher of the Word of God. He was an expositional preacher moving verse by verse through books of the Bible. He preached without notes or manuscript and as a result we only have around 1500 of the over 4000 sermons he preached at Geneva and Strasbourg. He did not believe that preaching was a human invention but an accommodation by God to sinful man who could not hear directly the voice of God Himself without their destruction.
By preaching in an expositional manner, there could be no escaping difficult doctrines or avoiding difficult passages in God’s Word. Thus, the hearers received the whole counsel of God. The leading Calvin biographer T.H.L. Parker says this about Calvin’s methodology:
Sunday after Sunday, day after day, Calvin climbed up the steps into the pulpit. There he patiently led his congregation verse by verse through book after book of the Bible…In his mature years, Calvin preached on a NT book on Sunday mornings and afternoons [although for a period on the Psalms in the afternoon] and on an OT book on weekday mornings.
Through his thorough Biblical preaching and the Institutes, Calvin became the architect of Reformation theology and practice.
Calvin became the preacher for the ages. His preaching was fashioned by belief in the authority of Scripture. He truly believed Scripture was verbum Dei, the Word of God. In the Institutes he penned:
Their [ministers] whole task is limited to the ministry of God’s Word; their whole wisdom to the knowledge of His Word; their whole eloquence, to its proclamation.
Reformed scholar J.H. Merle D’Aubigné said this about Calvin’s relation of preaching to God’s Word:
In Calvin’s view, everything that had not for its foundation the Word of God was futile and ephemeral boast; and the man who did not lean on Scripture ought to b deprived of his title of honor.
Parker says that Calvin never entered the pulpit with his own dreams or fancies to relay to the congregation. Instead:
For Calvin the message of Scripture is sovereign, sovereign over the congregation and sovereign over the preacher. His humility is shown by submitting to this authority.
What a refreshing departure from what passes as preaching today. This is a far cry from meeting the “felt needs” of the pampered, unchallenged, self-centered congregations of today. The story is told that when Calvin returned from his exile from Geneva three years later, he picked up preaching on the next verse after that last verses he preached on three years earlier! He did not return with “lessons learned” from his interregnum, for himself or the Genevans. No, he returned to preaching God’s Word, verse by verse, precept by precept, book by book of Scripture.
Preaching, above all other things, was Calvin’s priority. For Calvin, it was the centerpiece of worship and a mark of the true church of God. Calvin lead to the removing of the communion table from the center to the pulpit and the Bible thereon being central to corporate worship. Calvin had a very high view of preaching based on three premises: a high view of God; a high view of God’s Word and an accurate view of man. Calvin believed:
Preaching is the living voice of God in His Church [Commentary Pentateuch of Moses]; God begets and multiplies his church only by means of His Word…It is by the preaching of the grace of God alone that the church is kept from perishing [Commentary The Psalms] and the subject to be taught was the Word of God…best done by the steady and methodical exposition, book after book [Commentary Ephesians].
As you contemplate Calvin’s influence in the world and church, which will be discussed at length over the next months, keep in mind his view of preaching God’s Word as what he believed his primary call in his life was. He believed he was God’s oracle, proclaiming His Word to be applied by the Holy Spirit to the lives of hearers to effect change in their minds, hearts and behavior. May there be raised up a new generation of Bible expositors in the contemporary church who proclaim the whole counsel of God that changes lives through the application of God’s Word by and through the Holy Spirit. That would be a fitting tribute to John Calvin, the Preacher for the Ages.
Preacher for the Ages
July 10, 2009, will be the 500th birthday of John Calvin. No one has had more influence on the church in the last 500 years. And, it is not waning. Did you notice that the 3rd of the 10 ideas Time says is changing the world today is the “new Calvinism”? John Calvin was one interested in education. He entered the university at 14 to study theology. He received a classical education that included Latin, logic and philosophy. He studied law at the University of Orléans and Greek at the University of Bourges. He was a humanist scholar his first book being a secular treatment of Seneca the Younger’s De Clementia. Before he became the pastor at St. Pierre’s in Geneva he became Professor of Sacred Scripture at the university there. He believed in education and the necessity of an educated pastorate.
He was a prolific writer and Biblical commentator. His Institutes still stand today as the most concise and informative explanation of the Biblical basis of the Reformed faith. Yet, by far his greatest influence was as a preacher of the Word of God. He was an expositional preacher moving verse by verse through books of the Bible. He preached without notes or manuscript and as a result we only have around 1500 of the over 4000 sermons he preached at Geneva and Strasbourg. He did not believe that preaching was a human invention but an accommodation by God to sinful man who could not hear directly the voice of God Himself without their destruction.
By preaching in an expositional manner, there could be no escaping difficult doctrines or avoiding difficult passages in God’s Word. Thus, the hearers received the whole counsel of God. The leading Calvin biographer T.H.L. Parker says this about Calvin’s methodology:
Sunday after Sunday, day after day, Calvin climbed up the steps into the pulpit. There he patiently led his congregation verse by verse through book after book of the Bible…In his mature years, Calvin preached on a NT book on Sunday mornings and afternoons [although for a period on the Psalms in the afternoon] and on an OT book on weekday mornings.
Through his thorough Biblical preaching and the Institutes, Calvin became the architect of Reformation theology and practice.
Calvin became the preacher for the ages. His preaching was fashioned by belief in the authority of Scripture. He truly believed Scripture was verbum Dei, the Word of God. In the Institutes he penned:
Their [ministers] whole task is limited to the ministry of God’s Word; their whole wisdom to the knowledge of His Word; their whole eloquence, to its proclamation.
Reformed scholar J.H. Merle D’Aubigné said this about Calvin’s relation of preaching to God’s Word:
In Calvin’s view, everything that had not for its foundation the Word of God was futile and ephemeral boast; and the man who did not lean on Scripture ought to b deprived of his title of honor.
Parker says that Calvin never entered the pulpit with his own dreams or fancies to relay to the congregation. Instead:
For Calvin the message of Scripture is sovereign, sovereign over the congregation and sovereign over the preacher. His humility is shown by submitting to this authority.
What a refreshing departure from what passes as preaching today. This is a far cry from meeting the “felt needs” of the pampered, unchallenged, self-centered congregations of today. The story is told that when Calvin returned from his exile from Geneva three years later, he picked up preaching on the next verse after that last verses he preached on three years earlier! He did not return with “lessons learned” from his interregnum, for himself or the Genevans. No, he returned to preaching God’s Word, verse by verse, precept by precept, book by book of Scripture.
Preaching, above all other things, was Calvin’s priority. For Calvin, it was the centerpiece of worship and a mark of the true church of God. Calvin lead to the removing of the communion table from the center to the pulpit and the Bible thereon being central to corporate worship. Calvin had a very high view of preaching based on three premises: a high view of God; a high view of God’s Word and an accurate view of man. Calvin believed:
Preaching is the living voice of God in His Church [Commentary Pentateuch of Moses]; God begets and multiplies his church only by means of His Word…It is by the preaching of the grace of God alone that the church is kept from perishing [Commentary The Psalms] and the subject to be taught was the Word of God…best done by the steady and methodical exposition, book after book [Commentary Ephesians].
As you contemplate Calvin’s influence in the world and church, which will be discussed at length over the next months, keep in mind his view of preaching God’s Word as what he believed his primary call in his life was. He believed he was God’s oracle, proclaiming His Word to be applied by the Holy Spirit to the lives of hearers to effect change in their minds, hearts and behavior. May there be raised up a new generation of Bible expositors in the contemporary church who proclaim the whole counsel of God that changes lives through the application of God’s Word by and through the Holy Spirit. That would be a fitting tribute to John Calvin, the Preacher for the Ages.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
History
Bonnie & Clyde and Art…75th Anniversary
The 1967 movie about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow was a sentimental, glossy Hollywood anti-hero flick that did not tell the real story of the two West Dallas bank robbers who went on a crime spree on back road America in the 1930s. But, Arthur Penn was not alone in creating the legend of Bonnie & Clyde. The newspapers of the day were so full of embellishment of the couple that they had earned a Robin Hood reputation with the public. It was, after all, the Depression and bank foreclosures, evictions and bank failures were commonplace [Sound familiar?]. They were striking back at the rich in the eyes of many.
But, it all changed 75 years ago tomorrow, April 1, 1934. Two Texas Highway Patrol motorcycle officers wandered upon the car of the pair outside Grapevine, TX. Bonnie & Clyde had a revolving door of accomplices during their crime spree and at this time, Henry Metvin was their partner in crime. Metvin was in the vehicle with the couple. In a gunfight that ensued when the officers approached the car, Metvin killed the first officer at pointblank range. The second officer was wounded and Metvin alighted from the car, stood over the officer and fired several more rounds into his prone body killing him. A false account had Bonnie firing the final, fatal shoots into H.D. Murphy who was to be married in a few weeks. The press and the public quickly turned on the couple.
Fifty three days later, after weeks of hunting down the couple, on May 23, 1934, a posse of lawmen, lead by Frank Hamer, ambushed Bonnie & Clyde on a dirt road in Louisiana. The car, with bodies still inside, was towed to Arcadia, LA, for public display. Bonnie Parker died in a hail of gunfire at 23. Clyde Barrow was 24. So, their lives ended 75 years ago in the violent fashion their public lives began
At the same time another man in his twenties was beginning a less spectacular and non-public career. 75 years ago, a young teacher in Clearfield, PA, started scholastic wrestling at the local high school. Art Weiss commenced a wrestling program that has produced lasted and thrived for ¾ of a century. He coached 14 undefeated teams and had 31 state champions more than any other coach in PA high school wrestling history. And, not only that, he has had a positive influence on several generations of young men. He has helped develop thousands of boys into men, teaching them lessons of wrestling and life. Unlike Bonnie & Clyde he did not squander his life. He lives today at the age of 100.
Art Weiss, while not notorious, has been recognized for a lifetime of achievement. He has been inducted into virtually every amateur coaching and wrestling hall of fame that he could be. It culminated with being inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 1991 along with national coaching legends Tom Landry and John Wooden. Not that you would know it as he lives as he always has as a humble and gracious man. He has poured his life into young people living by the principles of his Christian faith. His has been a life well lived. Seventy five years ago he made a commitment to better the lives of others through wrestling. He did not opt for a self-indulgent life as did Bonnie & Clyde. His was an effort to better and help others during the same Depression that the bank robbing pair, through crime and murder, tried to help themselves. Their program ended in death to them; Art’s brought life and hope to others.
So, in the coming days and months, if you are reminded of the 75th anniversary of Bonnie & Clyde, remember another 75th anniversary. One of construction not destruction; one of quiet, selfless contribution not brazen public displays of criminality; one that lives on in the lives of many, not dead on a rural dirt road, the life and legacy of Art Weiss.
Bonnie & Clyde and Art…75th Anniversary
The 1967 movie about Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow was a sentimental, glossy Hollywood anti-hero flick that did not tell the real story of the two West Dallas bank robbers who went on a crime spree on back road America in the 1930s. But, Arthur Penn was not alone in creating the legend of Bonnie & Clyde. The newspapers of the day were so full of embellishment of the couple that they had earned a Robin Hood reputation with the public. It was, after all, the Depression and bank foreclosures, evictions and bank failures were commonplace [Sound familiar?]. They were striking back at the rich in the eyes of many.
But, it all changed 75 years ago tomorrow, April 1, 1934. Two Texas Highway Patrol motorcycle officers wandered upon the car of the pair outside Grapevine, TX. Bonnie & Clyde had a revolving door of accomplices during their crime spree and at this time, Henry Metvin was their partner in crime. Metvin was in the vehicle with the couple. In a gunfight that ensued when the officers approached the car, Metvin killed the first officer at pointblank range. The second officer was wounded and Metvin alighted from the car, stood over the officer and fired several more rounds into his prone body killing him. A false account had Bonnie firing the final, fatal shoots into H.D. Murphy who was to be married in a few weeks. The press and the public quickly turned on the couple.
Fifty three days later, after weeks of hunting down the couple, on May 23, 1934, a posse of lawmen, lead by Frank Hamer, ambushed Bonnie & Clyde on a dirt road in Louisiana. The car, with bodies still inside, was towed to Arcadia, LA, for public display. Bonnie Parker died in a hail of gunfire at 23. Clyde Barrow was 24. So, their lives ended 75 years ago in the violent fashion their public lives began
At the same time another man in his twenties was beginning a less spectacular and non-public career. 75 years ago, a young teacher in Clearfield, PA, started scholastic wrestling at the local high school. Art Weiss commenced a wrestling program that has produced lasted and thrived for ¾ of a century. He coached 14 undefeated teams and had 31 state champions more than any other coach in PA high school wrestling history. And, not only that, he has had a positive influence on several generations of young men. He has helped develop thousands of boys into men, teaching them lessons of wrestling and life. Unlike Bonnie & Clyde he did not squander his life. He lives today at the age of 100.
Art Weiss, while not notorious, has been recognized for a lifetime of achievement. He has been inducted into virtually every amateur coaching and wrestling hall of fame that he could be. It culminated with being inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 1991 along with national coaching legends Tom Landry and John Wooden. Not that you would know it as he lives as he always has as a humble and gracious man. He has poured his life into young people living by the principles of his Christian faith. His has been a life well lived. Seventy five years ago he made a commitment to better the lives of others through wrestling. He did not opt for a self-indulgent life as did Bonnie & Clyde. His was an effort to better and help others during the same Depression that the bank robbing pair, through crime and murder, tried to help themselves. Their program ended in death to them; Art’s brought life and hope to others.
So, in the coming days and months, if you are reminded of the 75th anniversary of Bonnie & Clyde, remember another 75th anniversary. One of construction not destruction; one of quiet, selfless contribution not brazen public displays of criminality; one that lives on in the lives of many, not dead on a rural dirt road, the life and legacy of Art Weiss.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Obamanomics
GM-USA
We are all familiar with government bailouts since last fall. Along with the stimulus spending, our children, their children and their children’s children will be saddled with debt without benefit except saving a system now owned and controlled by the US government. Now, the US government is going into the car business. That should be a comfort. Last Friday they ousted GM’s CEO because his plan did not go far enough to save GM in the opinion of the Obama Car Czar Committee. Is this not the same government that is running a bankrupt postal department? Interestingly, the same government poured untold billions into the banking system without ousting any executives. Maybe running car companies is easier that running banks for bureaucrats. My only anticdoatoal evidence of government cars is when I was in Germany a couple years ago. I saw the last few of the East German cars, and they were not prized antiques. They were sitting in fields and yards rusting away to nothing.
It would be nice to understand the “plan” the Obama administration has to make all this bailing, spending and now firing work together to right the economic ship that is listing and taking in sea water. I cannot escape the notion that they are making this stuff up as they go while trying to placate the Democrat legislators who what to spend more than Bush to ensure their re-election for years to come.
The nice thing for politicians is that they do not have to meet a payroll and make a profit. All they need to do is get re-elected. And, those things are mutually exclusive. As the government becomes more involved in business and the taxpayers are the shareholders what will happen?. Maybe all our politicians will have to stand for re-election each year as boards of these companies. That way, everyone in the US would be able to vote on everyone. There would be no more save districts. Wouldn’t it be fun to vote on whether Barney and Chris should return to their positions every year instead of leaving that up to citizens in MA and CN?
Obamanomics gets stranger and stranger as the months roll past. They are doing things that will finally put them past the “Bush caused this problem” response. Telling GM to get new management and Chrysler to merge in 30 days is ambitious and novel ways to merge government with business. Lets say this all happens. What modifications in the business plan of US automakers will be satisfactory to the policy folk in DC? How many more billions will be poured into those compliant with Big Brother? What happens if government managed autos does not solve the problem? US automakers are not competitive. Until they are, they are doomed to failure, with or without government dollars. Does anyone seriously think the government can “plan” successful automaking?
The marketplace has spoken but Obamanomics is not about the marketplace. The real question is whether Obamanomics is anything more that ad hoc solutions to keep things going until BO can be re-elected so that his big plans for education, health care and generating power can be put in place. GM-USA may just be a foretaste of what is to come.
GM-USA
We are all familiar with government bailouts since last fall. Along with the stimulus spending, our children, their children and their children’s children will be saddled with debt without benefit except saving a system now owned and controlled by the US government. Now, the US government is going into the car business. That should be a comfort. Last Friday they ousted GM’s CEO because his plan did not go far enough to save GM in the opinion of the Obama Car Czar Committee. Is this not the same government that is running a bankrupt postal department? Interestingly, the same government poured untold billions into the banking system without ousting any executives. Maybe running car companies is easier that running banks for bureaucrats. My only anticdoatoal evidence of government cars is when I was in Germany a couple years ago. I saw the last few of the East German cars, and they were not prized antiques. They were sitting in fields and yards rusting away to nothing.
It would be nice to understand the “plan” the Obama administration has to make all this bailing, spending and now firing work together to right the economic ship that is listing and taking in sea water. I cannot escape the notion that they are making this stuff up as they go while trying to placate the Democrat legislators who what to spend more than Bush to ensure their re-election for years to come.
The nice thing for politicians is that they do not have to meet a payroll and make a profit. All they need to do is get re-elected. And, those things are mutually exclusive. As the government becomes more involved in business and the taxpayers are the shareholders what will happen?. Maybe all our politicians will have to stand for re-election each year as boards of these companies. That way, everyone in the US would be able to vote on everyone. There would be no more save districts. Wouldn’t it be fun to vote on whether Barney and Chris should return to their positions every year instead of leaving that up to citizens in MA and CN?
Obamanomics gets stranger and stranger as the months roll past. They are doing things that will finally put them past the “Bush caused this problem” response. Telling GM to get new management and Chrysler to merge in 30 days is ambitious and novel ways to merge government with business. Lets say this all happens. What modifications in the business plan of US automakers will be satisfactory to the policy folk in DC? How many more billions will be poured into those compliant with Big Brother? What happens if government managed autos does not solve the problem? US automakers are not competitive. Until they are, they are doomed to failure, with or without government dollars. Does anyone seriously think the government can “plan” successful automaking?
The marketplace has spoken but Obamanomics is not about the marketplace. The real question is whether Obamanomics is anything more that ad hoc solutions to keep things going until BO can be re-elected so that his big plans for education, health care and generating power can be put in place. GM-USA may just be a foretaste of what is to come.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Escape From Reason
Good Use of Reason
Man in neo-orthodox theology is less than fallen man. The Reformation and the Scriptures say that man cannot do anything to save himself, but he can, with his reason search the Scriptures which teach not only “religious truth” but also history and the cosmos. He not only is able to search the Scriptures as the whole man, including his reason, but he has the responsibility to do so.
Francis A. Schaeffer, Escape From Reason
Good Use of Reason
Man in neo-orthodox theology is less than fallen man. The Reformation and the Scriptures say that man cannot do anything to save himself, but he can, with his reason search the Scriptures which teach not only “religious truth” but also history and the cosmos. He not only is able to search the Scriptures as the whole man, including his reason, but he has the responsibility to do so.
Francis A. Schaeffer, Escape From Reason
Friday, March 13, 2009
Global Warming
Growing Cold
One of the controversial portions of the Obama Budget is the “cap and trade” for carbon emissions. Regardless of how that is to work, the entire process is built upon the idea of global warming from man made emissions of greenhouse gases. Although the Taliban of global warming is ferocious in holding on to the gw orthodoxy, cracks are beginning to show. Skeptics are being heard in public.
In September Brazil experienced on of their latest winter snowfalls and their coldest September in a century. Brazilian meteorologist Eugenio Hackbart pointed out that extreme cold and snowfall occurs in Brazil from la Ninas as well as periods of solar inactivity. August 2008 was the first month since 1913 with NO sunspot activity was recorded. Dr. Hackbart believes it “is no coincidence” that lack of solar activity enhanced the cold. So, one could ask, was unending solar activity of the past 70 years be the basis of temperature increase?
Other voices now heard include Don Easterbrook, a geologist from Western Washington University, confirms Hackbart through studying warming and cooling of the earth over the past four centuries. He believes that there is almost a exact correlation between solar activity and climate change and is convinced that we are in for 30 years of global cooling. Analytical chemist Michael J. Myers calls man made global warming “junk science” declaring that worldwide CO2 emissions on a yearly basis only equals about 0.0168% of the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Craig Loehle an American scientist who conducts modeling on climate change, confirmed earlier findings of the Medieval Warm Period that disputes the hockey stick idea of recent only global temperature increase. Studies of physical phenomena have confirmed that the period from 800 to 1300 AD was unusually warm, especially in Northern Europe.
But perhaps the biggest blow to gw was the paper of David Douglas and John Christy. For almost 30 years Christy has monitored the daily temperature readings of NASA’s 8 weather satellites. The authors conclude that manmade emissions may have a slight impact, the global temperature variations in global temperatures since 1978…cannot be attributed to carbon dioxide.” In using data from their paper, it appears that all the temperature increases of the past 30 years have be neutralized by the falling temperatures of the last 4! Not what the gw crowd wants to hear.
But, the gw crowd is not silenced by this flattening temperature issue. They acknowledge that there is no answer to the apparent cooling. Kyle Swanson of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is nevertheless undaunted by the thesis that man made gw is a problem. What is causing the cooling is a mystery and Swanson thinks it may continue for up to 30 years. Yet, he says it’s just a hiccup and "When the climate kicks back out of this state, we'll have explosive warming. Thirty years of greenhouse gas radiative forcing will still be there and then bang, the warming will return and be very aggressive."
What the gw forces reason is that all this gw is being stored up, although not reflected in our current climate. And, the day is coming when it will all be unleashed upon the earth with a rapid temperature climb that will bring the devastation promised with the inexorable march of temperatures upward that is no longer present! Wow. Sounds like something for the SciFi channel. This is what mother would say is “having your cake and eating it too.” If temperatures rise…we were right; if temperatures fall…we are still right…just wait and see. Is this a position upon which to erect public policy?
We may look back on 2008 as a watershed year in the gw debate. The consensus of gw may have finally been exposed for what is wasn’t…a consensus. Much of the dogma of gw advanced out of fear of opposition to the political correctness of the notion of man made gw. Many respectable scientists are now coming forward to question a theory based on computer modeling and now without proof of its ongoing nature. From a political standpoint, the costly “cap and trade” carbon tax needed to save the planet may not have the stamina to carry the day. Why should costly government policy be based on faulty science from incorrect premises?
The world wide financial crisis is also a problem for gw advocates. There is no reason to enter into expensive and costly programs at a time when people cannot afford them. Withdrawal from a foreign oil addiction is a worthy goal for national security purposes…we should not be enriching our enemies by buying their oil. But, to tie that together with gw to race to unproven technologies that can only supply a fraction of the energy we need is just ludicrous. In the US we will be generating electricity with coal and powering our motor vehicles with oil based products for years to come, no matter the initiatives adopted. Yes, we can and should look to alternative energy, but over a 30 year not 10 year period. And, if we have a 30 year cold snap, we may all conclude that gw has grown cold. Except, that is, for the gws [global warming storage] guys of whom there will be few, if any, left [no pun intended!].
Growing Cold
One of the controversial portions of the Obama Budget is the “cap and trade” for carbon emissions. Regardless of how that is to work, the entire process is built upon the idea of global warming from man made emissions of greenhouse gases. Although the Taliban of global warming is ferocious in holding on to the gw orthodoxy, cracks are beginning to show. Skeptics are being heard in public.
In September Brazil experienced on of their latest winter snowfalls and their coldest September in a century. Brazilian meteorologist Eugenio Hackbart pointed out that extreme cold and snowfall occurs in Brazil from la Ninas as well as periods of solar inactivity. August 2008 was the first month since 1913 with NO sunspot activity was recorded. Dr. Hackbart believes it “is no coincidence” that lack of solar activity enhanced the cold. So, one could ask, was unending solar activity of the past 70 years be the basis of temperature increase?
Other voices now heard include Don Easterbrook, a geologist from Western Washington University, confirms Hackbart through studying warming and cooling of the earth over the past four centuries. He believes that there is almost a exact correlation between solar activity and climate change and is convinced that we are in for 30 years of global cooling. Analytical chemist Michael J. Myers calls man made global warming “junk science” declaring that worldwide CO2 emissions on a yearly basis only equals about 0.0168% of the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Craig Loehle an American scientist who conducts modeling on climate change, confirmed earlier findings of the Medieval Warm Period that disputes the hockey stick idea of recent only global temperature increase. Studies of physical phenomena have confirmed that the period from 800 to 1300 AD was unusually warm, especially in Northern Europe.
But perhaps the biggest blow to gw was the paper of David Douglas and John Christy. For almost 30 years Christy has monitored the daily temperature readings of NASA’s 8 weather satellites. The authors conclude that manmade emissions may have a slight impact, the global temperature variations in global temperatures since 1978…cannot be attributed to carbon dioxide.” In using data from their paper, it appears that all the temperature increases of the past 30 years have be neutralized by the falling temperatures of the last 4! Not what the gw crowd wants to hear.
But, the gw crowd is not silenced by this flattening temperature issue. They acknowledge that there is no answer to the apparent cooling. Kyle Swanson of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, is nevertheless undaunted by the thesis that man made gw is a problem. What is causing the cooling is a mystery and Swanson thinks it may continue for up to 30 years. Yet, he says it’s just a hiccup and "When the climate kicks back out of this state, we'll have explosive warming. Thirty years of greenhouse gas radiative forcing will still be there and then bang, the warming will return and be very aggressive."
What the gw forces reason is that all this gw is being stored up, although not reflected in our current climate. And, the day is coming when it will all be unleashed upon the earth with a rapid temperature climb that will bring the devastation promised with the inexorable march of temperatures upward that is no longer present! Wow. Sounds like something for the SciFi channel. This is what mother would say is “having your cake and eating it too.” If temperatures rise…we were right; if temperatures fall…we are still right…just wait and see. Is this a position upon which to erect public policy?
We may look back on 2008 as a watershed year in the gw debate. The consensus of gw may have finally been exposed for what is wasn’t…a consensus. Much of the dogma of gw advanced out of fear of opposition to the political correctness of the notion of man made gw. Many respectable scientists are now coming forward to question a theory based on computer modeling and now without proof of its ongoing nature. From a political standpoint, the costly “cap and trade” carbon tax needed to save the planet may not have the stamina to carry the day. Why should costly government policy be based on faulty science from incorrect premises?
The world wide financial crisis is also a problem for gw advocates. There is no reason to enter into expensive and costly programs at a time when people cannot afford them. Withdrawal from a foreign oil addiction is a worthy goal for national security purposes…we should not be enriching our enemies by buying their oil. But, to tie that together with gw to race to unproven technologies that can only supply a fraction of the energy we need is just ludicrous. In the US we will be generating electricity with coal and powering our motor vehicles with oil based products for years to come, no matter the initiatives adopted. Yes, we can and should look to alternative energy, but over a 30 year not 10 year period. And, if we have a 30 year cold snap, we may all conclude that gw has grown cold. Except, that is, for the gws [global warming storage] guys of whom there will be few, if any, left [no pun intended!].
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Pastoral Principles
Declare the Whole Counsel of God
Declare the whole counsel of God. Paul says that because he declared the whole counsel of God, the lack of faith in Jesus Christ by any of the Ephesians is not his problem, he is innocent of their blood. Great, but what is the negative implication of that statement. A pastor who fails to proclaim the whole counsel of God is responsible for those in his care who have not heard from him the “whole counsel of God”. Need I make the point that such an attitude is missing in the contemporary church today? Paul did not shrink from declaring the entire scope of redemptive history. That is, the truth about who man is, who God is, what God has done and how we are to live as His children. You know what the Biblical and theological principles are. So…declare them. Do not shrink from declaring the difficult parts, including sin. We are where Paul told Timothy we would be: people have itching ears, accumulating teachers to suit their own passions turning away from the truth. Whether Westminster wants to hear it or not: Declare the whole counsel of God! You have been called to this church as its Pastor. If you do these four things: serve with humility and tears; proclaim repentance and faith in Christ; make testifying to the Gospel the priority in your life and declare the whole counsel of God, at the end of your ministry you too will be able to say the blood of the members of Westminster PCA is not on your hands because you have been faithful to your call and to your Lord as the pastor here.
Declare the Whole Counsel of God
Declare the whole counsel of God. Paul says that because he declared the whole counsel of God, the lack of faith in Jesus Christ by any of the Ephesians is not his problem, he is innocent of their blood. Great, but what is the negative implication of that statement. A pastor who fails to proclaim the whole counsel of God is responsible for those in his care who have not heard from him the “whole counsel of God”. Need I make the point that such an attitude is missing in the contemporary church today? Paul did not shrink from declaring the entire scope of redemptive history. That is, the truth about who man is, who God is, what God has done and how we are to live as His children. You know what the Biblical and theological principles are. So…declare them. Do not shrink from declaring the difficult parts, including sin. We are where Paul told Timothy we would be: people have itching ears, accumulating teachers to suit their own passions turning away from the truth. Whether Westminster wants to hear it or not: Declare the whole counsel of God! You have been called to this church as its Pastor. If you do these four things: serve with humility and tears; proclaim repentance and faith in Christ; make testifying to the Gospel the priority in your life and declare the whole counsel of God, at the end of your ministry you too will be able to say the blood of the members of Westminster PCA is not on your hands because you have been faithful to your call and to your Lord as the pastor here.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Pastoral Principles
A Life Testifying to God
Understand your life to be testifying to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a son, brother, husband, father, pastor and fellow pilgrim. The call the Lord has placed in your life is to be a minister of the Word and the Sacraments. Paul says his life was about testifying to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must make that your life not just in title but in practice. Being a pastor is not just you life’s work, it must be the passion of your life. Paul speaks to his passion in Phil 3. Always keep a marker in your Bible there. When you feel drained, discouraged, put upon, rejected and generally useless as a pastor, read Phil 3. I know, I know, there are those who say oh Paul was probably not married, he did not have “my 3 daughters”, he did not live in this pressure cooker we call now. Pulezzeeee! Put a marker in 2 Cor 11 so you can be reminded of Paul’s sufferings. The trials and pressures of your life are nothing like those of Paul. Remember this rock; your girls do. It is from Lystra. It is the kind of rock used to stone Paul on his first visit to Lystra [He returned twice!] when he was taken to the outskirts of town and left for dead. So, unless I hear the folks in Butler stone you and drag you out of town to be left to die, I don’t want to hear that you life as a pastor is more difficult than Paul’s was. Remember, the priority in your life is testifying to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and if you do, you will also be an outstanding son, brother, husband, father, pastor and fellow pilgrim.
A Life Testifying to God
Understand your life to be testifying to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a son, brother, husband, father, pastor and fellow pilgrim. The call the Lord has placed in your life is to be a minister of the Word and the Sacraments. Paul says his life was about testifying to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must make that your life not just in title but in practice. Being a pastor is not just you life’s work, it must be the passion of your life. Paul speaks to his passion in Phil 3. Always keep a marker in your Bible there. When you feel drained, discouraged, put upon, rejected and generally useless as a pastor, read Phil 3. I know, I know, there are those who say oh Paul was probably not married, he did not have “my 3 daughters”, he did not live in this pressure cooker we call now. Pulezzeeee! Put a marker in 2 Cor 11 so you can be reminded of Paul’s sufferings. The trials and pressures of your life are nothing like those of Paul. Remember this rock; your girls do. It is from Lystra. It is the kind of rock used to stone Paul on his first visit to Lystra [He returned twice!] when he was taken to the outskirts of town and left for dead. So, unless I hear the folks in Butler stone you and drag you out of town to be left to die, I don’t want to hear that you life as a pastor is more difficult than Paul’s was. Remember, the priority in your life is testifying to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and if you do, you will also be an outstanding son, brother, husband, father, pastor and fellow pilgrim.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Pastoral Principles
Repentance and Faith
Proclaim to all people, repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. If you read the account of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus in Acts 19, you see him preaching in synagogues, the lecture hall of Tyrannus and in homes. His ministry was an outreach everywhere to all people…public and private. When he speaks of his testimony or proclamation, it occurs not just in one place. So, also, you must take your proclamation outside the walls of this church.
And notice he makes it clear what he proclaimed: Repentance and faith. Aren’t you sick of what passes for repentance in our culture? “I’m sorry.” Or more correctly, “I’m sorry I was caught.” Repentance that Paul proclaimed was not bad feelings, an emotional catharsis and shame. That may very well be the reaction of a sinner. But, that is not repentance. Repentance is “turning away”, walking in a new direction away from the conduct that lead to your situation. Godly sorrow that seeks to live in accordance with the commands of Christ the Lord leads to repentance, real repentance. Always teach Biblical repentance.
Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. There is an object of our faith and it is not you, the church, ourselves, or some cosmic, ethereal force that will be with you. I suppose you have noticed the loosey, goosey way in which we speak of faith today in the church as if your personal definition of faith saves you. Do not succumb to such foolishness. Faith is always tethered to Christ or it is not Biblical faith. It is not faith that saves. It is faith in Christ because the saving power resides exclusively not in the act of faith, the attitude of faith or in the nature of faith, but in the object of the faith…Jesus the Christ! [Benjamin Warfield] Always proclaim faith in Christ.
Repentance and Faith
Proclaim to all people, repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. If you read the account of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus in Acts 19, you see him preaching in synagogues, the lecture hall of Tyrannus and in homes. His ministry was an outreach everywhere to all people…public and private. When he speaks of his testimony or proclamation, it occurs not just in one place. So, also, you must take your proclamation outside the walls of this church.
And notice he makes it clear what he proclaimed: Repentance and faith. Aren’t you sick of what passes for repentance in our culture? “I’m sorry.” Or more correctly, “I’m sorry I was caught.” Repentance that Paul proclaimed was not bad feelings, an emotional catharsis and shame. That may very well be the reaction of a sinner. But, that is not repentance. Repentance is “turning away”, walking in a new direction away from the conduct that lead to your situation. Godly sorrow that seeks to live in accordance with the commands of Christ the Lord leads to repentance, real repentance. Always teach Biblical repentance.
Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. There is an object of our faith and it is not you, the church, ourselves, or some cosmic, ethereal force that will be with you. I suppose you have noticed the loosey, goosey way in which we speak of faith today in the church as if your personal definition of faith saves you. Do not succumb to such foolishness. Faith is always tethered to Christ or it is not Biblical faith. It is not faith that saves. It is faith in Christ because the saving power resides exclusively not in the act of faith, the attitude of faith or in the nature of faith, but in the object of the faith…Jesus the Christ! [Benjamin Warfield] Always proclaim faith in Christ.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Pastoral Principles
Humility and Tears
[I had the blessing and privilege of giving the “Pastoral Charge” to my good friend Dan Ledford on Friday, 06 March 2008, when he was installed as Pastor at Westminster PCA, Butler, PA. The next few entries will be from the outline from which I made my comments.]
Serve the Lord with humility and tears. Humility and tears…we all know what tears are, but what about humility? This is a lost character trait in our culture. I think it all started with Cassius Clay…”I am the greatest!” he crowed. We all sort of smiled at the time, but the scene was changing. It was becoming more about us than others, the overall society, our families, and certainly God, whatever or whoever that is. But, Paul tells us this is not a new problem. A simple definition of humility is “freedom from pride or arrogance.” Paul certainly had that as an issue in his life…we all do.
Paul set out for us a test for humility in 1 Cor. 4:7:
1] How are you different from anyone else?
2] What do you have that you did not receive?
3] If you did receive it why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
One of the great results of the Reformation was the recapture of the priesthood of all believers. The magisterial Reformers dispatched the “special priesthood” as non-Biblical. You are the teaching elder here, but you are still and always a sinner saved by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone. Do not ever forget that!
Tears is used twice by Paul in this passage [v. 19 and 31]. No one would call Paul a touchy, feely guy. In fact femi-nazis in the mainline church criticize Paul as being an insensitive hater of women and therefore dismiss him as misguided by his culture. Paul is speaking here of empathy, identity with those to whom he ministered. Francis Schaeffer, although he dressed in a funny manner, was another who was not a “girlie man”. Yet, he maintained that tears were always appropriate in speaking truth that hurts, exercising the sanctions of church discipline and in separating from the brethren. And, the latter is demonstrated by Paul when he left the Ephesian elders for the last time. Never forget to struggle with the struggles and grieve with the grief of those you minister to with tears.
Humility and Tears
[I had the blessing and privilege of giving the “Pastoral Charge” to my good friend Dan Ledford on Friday, 06 March 2008, when he was installed as Pastor at Westminster PCA, Butler, PA. The next few entries will be from the outline from which I made my comments.]
Serve the Lord with humility and tears. Humility and tears…we all know what tears are, but what about humility? This is a lost character trait in our culture. I think it all started with Cassius Clay…”I am the greatest!” he crowed. We all sort of smiled at the time, but the scene was changing. It was becoming more about us than others, the overall society, our families, and certainly God, whatever or whoever that is. But, Paul tells us this is not a new problem. A simple definition of humility is “freedom from pride or arrogance.” Paul certainly had that as an issue in his life…we all do.
Paul set out for us a test for humility in 1 Cor. 4:7:
1] How are you different from anyone else?
2] What do you have that you did not receive?
3] If you did receive it why do you boast as if you did not receive it?
One of the great results of the Reformation was the recapture of the priesthood of all believers. The magisterial Reformers dispatched the “special priesthood” as non-Biblical. You are the teaching elder here, but you are still and always a sinner saved by grace alone through faith alone on account of Christ alone. Do not ever forget that!
Tears is used twice by Paul in this passage [v. 19 and 31]. No one would call Paul a touchy, feely guy. In fact femi-nazis in the mainline church criticize Paul as being an insensitive hater of women and therefore dismiss him as misguided by his culture. Paul is speaking here of empathy, identity with those to whom he ministered. Francis Schaeffer, although he dressed in a funny manner, was another who was not a “girlie man”. Yet, he maintained that tears were always appropriate in speaking truth that hurts, exercising the sanctions of church discipline and in separating from the brethren. And, the latter is demonstrated by Paul when he left the Ephesian elders for the last time. Never forget to struggle with the struggles and grieve with the grief of those you minister to with tears.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Economics 101
Sharing the Wealth
The election for POTUS has been over for some time and now the country is poised to inaugurate President Obama. The blather in the press has been over BO’s appointments, the Senate race in MN, the seating of Blago’s choice to replace BO and what the Obama team can do about the economic crisis that grips the country and the world. There stock market is rather stale, but there is hope for an Obama Rally.
With the economic crisis solutions being championed, there still is a holdover from the election campaign. That is President elect Obama’s comment to Joe the Plumber about “sharing the wealth”. What does this mean? How is it applied by the government? The idea of taking from the “rich” and giving to the “poor” is a romantic notion rooted in the heroic Robin Hood. But, there are complex issues here, not the least of which are definitions of “rich” and “poor”, and how much is to be shared.
It does appear that increasing taxes [or repealing the Bush tax cuts] is a bit of a back burner issue at the current juncture. In fact, there is talk of a $300B tax cut including some for business. That is a appositive step for which BO should be applauded. However, tax cuts, the enormous new stimulus being proposed by the Obama team, along with TARP and the numerous other rescues must be paid for at some time. Eventually, all what the government has done and will do has to be repaid. BO always talked of cutting taxes for 90% of the population. So, imagine the size of the tax increases on the remaining 10%. Tax increases to “share the wealth” are being delayed not scrapped.
It is no secret that some in society contribute more and earn more. Why? Opportunity, positioning, timing, all come into play. But, many produce more based on innate abilities and hard work. And, the reward for folks in our economic system is “more”…wealth, power and prestige. There are two obvious results from a system that rewards the able hard working individual…greed and envy. The greedy want more and the envious want what others have. Neither should be the driver in a re-distribution ethic. The politics of greed and envy are equally to be avoided.
When considering the question of “Who are the rich?” I submit that each and every American is “rich” vis a vis the rest of the world. Of course, that is not the majority view in this country where there is a desire to compare the “rich” with the “poor”. And, that is a moving target as witnessed by the changes in what earning level determines the middle class in the Obama campaign.
The state re-distributes that which was distributed originally through the economic system. This is done through the power of taxation. The excess of the “rich” is redistributed to the “poor” by taxing the “rich”. Can there be a more inefficient system? For the state to do this requires a massive bureaucratic system. Hundreds and thousands of employees at the state and federal level are required to carry out this redistribution. It costs millions of dollars in overhead before the “poor” receive a penny. And, what about the taxed “rich”? Why will they be willing to work hard or use their abilities to have their earnings diverted through the government to those who did not earn it? Why not invest in tax free investments or take their funds elsewhere. In a global economy, US citizens are not tied to the US economy. Or, what if taxes mollify greed to the point where the rich are satisfied with the status quo? Less work, overseas investment and just sitting on funds all leads to less income for the “rich” to be taxed and redistributed.
The welfare system shows how poorly redistribution works. Welfare begets more welfare. The recipient of welfare is not benefited if he has no idea of how to use the cash, except to be a consumer. There is no making the “poor” “rich” through redistribution. If the distributee has no ability or self-discipline to generate surplus, then they will obviously continue to need redistributed cash. Investment of excess has been the engine of capitalism, not redistribution by taxation. A redistribution scheme produces nothing and without wise investment of the excess, income ceases.
Redistribution is a threat to the formation of capital. Redistribution takes excess that could be invested and distributes it to individuals who do not invest. Redistribution programs also vest more and more authority in the state that holds the taxing power. The “poor” increasing look to the state to cure their plight of not being “rich”. It keeps individuals from looking to themselves for solutions. And, redistribution, by taxing the “rich”, asserts the proposition that the “poor” are “poor” because the “rich” are “rich”. Nannie State must make all her children equal. The “poor” are entitled to be “rich” and the “rich to be “less rich” for the sake of equity.
Socialism as an economic system has never lead to all being equally rich. Rather, it results in an equality of poverty. “Spreading the wealth” dissipates the wealth. Redistribution makes us all dependant on the state because its redistribution has undermined the source and process of wealth creation. Witness the intrusion of the federal government into the market place last year, and continuing. “Bailouts” to large corporations are welfare for the wealthy and, in the case of the financial system, stupid and/or corrupt decision makers. We are told, “It would be worse if we [Uncle Sam] did not intervene.” But, who can tell? It is clear that the state in now deeply involved in the free market system. Who will be next to request corporate welfare?
Christians never look to the Nannie State to being bout equality. A Christian also knows that equality of material wealth is not the goal of living on this earth. There will be rich and there will be poor. Jesus Himself says: You will always have the poor [Matt. 26:11]. Christians are to assist the poor; it is evidence of their Christianity. But, assistance is of a voluntary nature. It is not the involuntary taxation of the state leading to redistribution. Christians give to the poor because of a changed heart, changed by faith in Jesus Christ. The haves want to help the have nots in their community. This is not an impersonal, forced transaction. It is an outreach to those created in the image of God in a personal and compassionate way.
One who is not counted among the faithful Christians, or one who championed the people, Machiavelli, recognized the problems with forced redistribution through taxation:
One man should not be afraid of improving his possessions, lest they be taken away from him, or another deterred by high taxes from starting a new business, Rather the prince should be ready to reward men who want to do these things and anyone who wants in any way to increase the prosperity of his city or his state.
Machiavelli believed that the entrepreneur should not be punished with taxes for his personal improvement translates into improvement for the state. The Christian goes one step further. He sees such programs as a reliance on the state so as to make the state god. This displaces the God of the Universe with an idol. The Church must come forward and be the Church, reaching out to its own and then to the general community to help those in need. Love and charity have been central pieces in the Christian ethic. It is a giving freely of what is available to give, not taking. It is action without mandate, coercion or redistribution. It is part of the service and obedience of a Christian.
Sharing the Wealth
The election for POTUS has been over for some time and now the country is poised to inaugurate President Obama. The blather in the press has been over BO’s appointments, the Senate race in MN, the seating of Blago’s choice to replace BO and what the Obama team can do about the economic crisis that grips the country and the world. There stock market is rather stale, but there is hope for an Obama Rally.
With the economic crisis solutions being championed, there still is a holdover from the election campaign. That is President elect Obama’s comment to Joe the Plumber about “sharing the wealth”. What does this mean? How is it applied by the government? The idea of taking from the “rich” and giving to the “poor” is a romantic notion rooted in the heroic Robin Hood. But, there are complex issues here, not the least of which are definitions of “rich” and “poor”, and how much is to be shared.
It does appear that increasing taxes [or repealing the Bush tax cuts] is a bit of a back burner issue at the current juncture. In fact, there is talk of a $300B tax cut including some for business. That is a appositive step for which BO should be applauded. However, tax cuts, the enormous new stimulus being proposed by the Obama team, along with TARP and the numerous other rescues must be paid for at some time. Eventually, all what the government has done and will do has to be repaid. BO always talked of cutting taxes for 90% of the population. So, imagine the size of the tax increases on the remaining 10%. Tax increases to “share the wealth” are being delayed not scrapped.
It is no secret that some in society contribute more and earn more. Why? Opportunity, positioning, timing, all come into play. But, many produce more based on innate abilities and hard work. And, the reward for folks in our economic system is “more”…wealth, power and prestige. There are two obvious results from a system that rewards the able hard working individual…greed and envy. The greedy want more and the envious want what others have. Neither should be the driver in a re-distribution ethic. The politics of greed and envy are equally to be avoided.
When considering the question of “Who are the rich?” I submit that each and every American is “rich” vis a vis the rest of the world. Of course, that is not the majority view in this country where there is a desire to compare the “rich” with the “poor”. And, that is a moving target as witnessed by the changes in what earning level determines the middle class in the Obama campaign.
The state re-distributes that which was distributed originally through the economic system. This is done through the power of taxation. The excess of the “rich” is redistributed to the “poor” by taxing the “rich”. Can there be a more inefficient system? For the state to do this requires a massive bureaucratic system. Hundreds and thousands of employees at the state and federal level are required to carry out this redistribution. It costs millions of dollars in overhead before the “poor” receive a penny. And, what about the taxed “rich”? Why will they be willing to work hard or use their abilities to have their earnings diverted through the government to those who did not earn it? Why not invest in tax free investments or take their funds elsewhere. In a global economy, US citizens are not tied to the US economy. Or, what if taxes mollify greed to the point where the rich are satisfied with the status quo? Less work, overseas investment and just sitting on funds all leads to less income for the “rich” to be taxed and redistributed.
The welfare system shows how poorly redistribution works. Welfare begets more welfare. The recipient of welfare is not benefited if he has no idea of how to use the cash, except to be a consumer. There is no making the “poor” “rich” through redistribution. If the distributee has no ability or self-discipline to generate surplus, then they will obviously continue to need redistributed cash. Investment of excess has been the engine of capitalism, not redistribution by taxation. A redistribution scheme produces nothing and without wise investment of the excess, income ceases.
Redistribution is a threat to the formation of capital. Redistribution takes excess that could be invested and distributes it to individuals who do not invest. Redistribution programs also vest more and more authority in the state that holds the taxing power. The “poor” increasing look to the state to cure their plight of not being “rich”. It keeps individuals from looking to themselves for solutions. And, redistribution, by taxing the “rich”, asserts the proposition that the “poor” are “poor” because the “rich” are “rich”. Nannie State must make all her children equal. The “poor” are entitled to be “rich” and the “rich to be “less rich” for the sake of equity.
Socialism as an economic system has never lead to all being equally rich. Rather, it results in an equality of poverty. “Spreading the wealth” dissipates the wealth. Redistribution makes us all dependant on the state because its redistribution has undermined the source and process of wealth creation. Witness the intrusion of the federal government into the market place last year, and continuing. “Bailouts” to large corporations are welfare for the wealthy and, in the case of the financial system, stupid and/or corrupt decision makers. We are told, “It would be worse if we [Uncle Sam] did not intervene.” But, who can tell? It is clear that the state in now deeply involved in the free market system. Who will be next to request corporate welfare?
Christians never look to the Nannie State to being bout equality. A Christian also knows that equality of material wealth is not the goal of living on this earth. There will be rich and there will be poor. Jesus Himself says: You will always have the poor [Matt. 26:11]. Christians are to assist the poor; it is evidence of their Christianity. But, assistance is of a voluntary nature. It is not the involuntary taxation of the state leading to redistribution. Christians give to the poor because of a changed heart, changed by faith in Jesus Christ. The haves want to help the have nots in their community. This is not an impersonal, forced transaction. It is an outreach to those created in the image of God in a personal and compassionate way.
One who is not counted among the faithful Christians, or one who championed the people, Machiavelli, recognized the problems with forced redistribution through taxation:
One man should not be afraid of improving his possessions, lest they be taken away from him, or another deterred by high taxes from starting a new business, Rather the prince should be ready to reward men who want to do these things and anyone who wants in any way to increase the prosperity of his city or his state.
Machiavelli believed that the entrepreneur should not be punished with taxes for his personal improvement translates into improvement for the state. The Christian goes one step further. He sees such programs as a reliance on the state so as to make the state god. This displaces the God of the Universe with an idol. The Church must come forward and be the Church, reaching out to its own and then to the general community to help those in need. Love and charity have been central pieces in the Christian ethic. It is a giving freely of what is available to give, not taking. It is action without mandate, coercion or redistribution. It is part of the service and obedience of a Christian.
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