Some Bills to Look Into and Support

If you fought like I did against the new Health Care program, you may be happy to know that there are still representatives with good solutions working hard to fight this battle for us and are introducing bills to counteract it. Check these out and see if you would also like to contact your congressman.

H.R. 4995, the End the Mandate Act, repeals the recently-passed federal mandate requiring Americans to carry government-approved health insurance.

H.R. 5444, the “Private Option Health Care Act,” which would completely repeal ObamaCare and replace it with free market solutions.

In sharp contrast to mandates and force, H.R. 5444 would:

* Provide all Americans with a tax credit for 100% of health care expenses. The tax credit is fully refundable against both income and payroll taxes;
* Allow individuals to roll over unused amounts in cafeteria plans and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA);
* Provide a tax credit for premiums for high-deductible insurance policies connected with Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and allow seniors to use funds in HSAs to pay for medigap policies;
* Repeal the 7.5% threshold for the deduction of medical expenses, thus making all medical expenses tax deductible;
* Guarantee individuals can purchase health insurance across state lines;
* Permit a tax credit for negative outcomes insurance purchased before medical treatment, reducing expensive malpractice suits;
* Reduce barriers to importing FDA-approved prescription drugs.


Go here to find your congressman, and read the bills. :)
http://www.house.gov/

S.R. 519

Friends,
I disagree about the need for an amendment to the constitution because it already states that our rights are not limited to those specifically outlined in the constitution. If we keep making amendments to specify rights, soon nothing can be garaunteed which is NOT in the constitution. HOWEVER, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child basically severs parental rights giving them over to the state and federal governments. I support SR. 519 and have contacted my senators, please examine the issue and do the same. :)

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.6119/pub_detail.asp

I Believe...

I believe that all human beings are my brothers and sisters wether they pray to Alah, or Judeo Christian God.
I believe we were a spirit before we get bodies and that we were either male or female and that God doesn't accidentally get the spirits and bodies mixed up.
I believe that God expects me to protect the rights and property of myself and my family, then to help others where I can.
I believe that God created us with unalienable rights. The constitution garuntees them, but God created them in the beginning.
I believe God intends for us to be prosperous and that we will be if we follow principles that lead to it.
I believe there is no substitute for good parents, no, it does NOT take a community to raise a child.
I believe there is such a thing as a mistake, sin, transgression, bad choice.
I believe that true comfort comes in deep and lasting change, in the Master's hands.
I believe Governments are instituted for the protection of individuals from the Mob. (the majority who wants to take what you have or infringe otherwise on your liberty)
I believe the Bible to be the word of God, and that God still speaks to us today.
I believe God holds us in his hands until we jump out by not living according to his ways, and that he scoops us back up as soon as we'll let him.
I believe my marriage and children are my primary responsibility and that nothing else I do will ever compensate for failures in them.
I believe at the end of the day (and in the middle too) that it's what God thinks about me that counts, even before my own opinions.
I believe wars should be avoided if at all possible, but we should be prepared to defend all that's important to us.
I believe wisdom waits.
I believe that someday we will find out all the truth there is and when we do we'll be surprised how very different things are than we thought.
I believe it all works out in the end, if it hasn't worked out, it's not the end.

What's Wrong With Socialism?

I was responding to somebody's comment on Facebook, and it turned out so long I decided to blog it instead. My goal is to share what I know and express my opinions and views.

Unlike the political opportunist, the true statesman values principle above popularity, and works to create popularity for those political principles which are wise and just.
--by The Honorable Ezra Taft Benson
Former Secretary of Agriculture
[The Eisenhower Administration – ed.]
Published in 1968

Socialism always ends in communism. Communism always end up in further bankrupted countries with citizens who can no longer think for themselves and make of their lives what they most strongly desire. When you give government the power to give you all you want, you give them power to take it all away, and this type of government always has. America became a great nation because of the initiative of individuals and families under God. We were one nation under God. Initiative comes in knowing that it is our own responsibility to provide for ourselves and our families and to get through the problems we face together. More important than our self-reliance was our reliance on God.

There are at least two things that generally happen in the grip of socialism/communism. 1) Due to redistribution of wealth (meaning those who work hard and are successful have the fruits of their labors stolen from them by the government and given to those who have not earned it.) the successful money-makers become frustrated because they never see their earnings and either leave that country or purposely make a small enough profit that the government leaves what they have alone. 2) When people rely on government to make choices and solve their problems for them they lose initiative. The other thing that happens is that the government that was given excessive power in order to create "fairness" has so much power that when they abuse it the people have no recourse.

From a Spiritual standpoint socialism is wrong because it always excludes God. When you look back at the tyrants of modern history they have a few things in common. They spoke of their country's hardships in a manner that encouraged certain large groups of people to see themselves as victims. Then, they set themselves up as a savior who will lead them to victory over their "oppressors" (the group they taught the others to blame for their circumstances). Hitler taught people to blame the Jews for the ruin their country was in. The communists in Russia taught the poor class to blame the aristocracy for their poverty. The worst thing they have in common is turning the hearts of their nation against belief in God. This is partly done by creating a religiously hostile environment, in which people are afraid to talk about God and Godly standards in a public forum. In our country this has been happening by the misuse of "separation of church and state" (first amendment of the constitution). Anytime law becomes involved with religion to prohibit religious activities or speaking it is a violation of the first amendment. However, the current misunderstanding of it is that people in public office or even in a public school cannot express their deeply held beliefs without some kind of disciplinary action. That is religious persecution sanctioned by law-enforcers, not by law, but by the enforcers of law who are enforcing someone's opinion instead of law. To express a belief or opinion in favor of God is not forcing your opinion of someone else, but denying someone the freedom to speak about their beliefs is. The limiting of expressions concerning God in the public schools begins to displace God in the minds of the young, who after 12 years of this indoctrination see God as a separate and isolated "issue" rather than the center of all things. When we displace God in our minds and in the minds of our children, we open the door for all the evils that godly principles are designed to prevent. People who worship God and are surrounded by others who worship God are freer and safer because God requires us to interact with each other in integrity and love. People centered on God will not accept tyranny and it's offspring slavery because they know that we are all children of God, that's why tyrants promote atheism, when they get God out of their way the people are more easily swayed and manipulated. God's word never changes, but the opinions of specialists change all the time and in an atheistic environment specialists' opinions take the place of unchanging doctrine.

Socialism is wrong because it excludes God, robs people of freedom and initiative, and fosters victim complexes.

The Proper Role of Government.

This is an excellent speech given by
The Honorable Ezra Taft Benson
Former Secretary of Agriculture
[The Eisenhower Administration – ed.]
Published in 1968

http://laissez-fairerepublic.com/benson.htm

Check it out, it's a great explanation.

What I Have Learned from History and The Feelings of my Heart

I was restudying Greek history the other day. Once again as I perused the annals of a fallen empire, once as great as our own country, I saw the immense wisdom and inspiration the founding fathers had in drafting and signing the constitution. How it empowered and limited, checked and balanced. Truly, the calamities facing us in our country today are a repeat of what happened in Greece and also Rome (Not to mention Egypt, Babylon, etc.). The Constitution is a sacred trust, a gift to us from God and must be protected under that gravity. It is sound wisdom, a cap placed upon the sky-rocketting egos and power lust of man. It is a tether to bind us to when we're afraid and looking for a big strong government to save us, that will ultimately enslave us. History must only repeat itself if we suffer it to. I am convinced that God preserved the histories of these fallen empires, once GREAT societies, in order to warn us of the dangers. There are NO exceptions in any histories of nations, in EVERY case when the people stopped checking the government it led to enslavement and collapse. One part of the history I reviewed today was about a great leader who brought freedom which led to prosperity. After he died his son took over and fell into the power trap. He took away all their freedoms. The people revolted in violence, it was the only way to get their liberty back. The revolutionary war was fought for the same reason. Liberties were being denied and the government of Brittain was so unrelenting their only recourse was the shedding of MUCH blood. Letting our nations liberty fall into such disrepair as would render violent action in revolt necessary is preventable. We need to send our letters to the House of Reps, and daily prayers to God.

Here are some comments from friends on this subject:

"A great man once said that we should read the Constitution as often as we read scriptures, that it is the doctrine of our nation."--Charity Angel Heward Davis

In my heart and on my mind today is the principle of Charity, the pure love of Christ, vs government welfare and control. If the health care bill currently being discussed were truly a means for providing quality care for all, I'm sure that none of us would complain, and we'd all do what we could to lend a hand in achieving that goal. We have proven ourselves to be compassionate people, willing to help out through the many natural disasters in our own country and around the world. The problem is that these righteous desires for the well-being of others are being used against us. Hidden in this "health care bill" are invasions of privacy, license to kill, and loss of personal choices. What disturbs me the most, and weighs on my heart today, is how hard it is to explain these things to people who take rhetoric at face value, who believe because of their own virtue and goodness that the people fighting to push through this bill are proposing it out of love and concern for their fellow man. It breaks my heart.

How many dictators, tyrants, etc. have come into power by using a most precious gift of God (the loving and generous heart) to manipulate themselves and their sponsors into ultimate power and authority over people? The only person to whom we can give that kind of power without loss of liberty and freedom is God. All others are fallible and corruptible. History has shown that righteous stewardship soon becomes tyranny when too much trust and power are given to mortal men. Instead of turning to the government to solve problems and prevent problems, we should be having national discussions on the subject, formulating our own plans and carrying them out as free individuals, families, churches, and communities.

Here are some thought on bailouts, and handouts. I knew a woman who had cerebral palsy. She led a fairly normal life and was accomplished and happy. When I asked her what made the difference for her, she said that here mother had insisted on her learning to do for herself. Her mother didn't look at her as one who could never achieve, but as one who with a lot of hard work and effort could overcome obstacles in her life. Her wise mother new that she was capable of handling the challenges in her life. By not giving her all she needed and encouraging her to do for herself she not only facilitated independence, she facilitated happiness, self-esteem, and confidence. She provided her with tools contributing to her independence not dependence. Sometimes we like the capable feeling we get from helping out others and forget to let them feel that for themselves. This is how I see the damage we cause our fellowmen and our nation as a whole when we bailout people who could bailout themselves. When I have been denied the help I have asked for and done for myself it has been a building block for my character and my self-esteem.

What we could learn from the great depression is that government control made it worse and that the people of this nation can survive and learn new skills to thrive in the most difficult of circumstances, and that we pull together to help each other as much as we possibly can. We need to stop living in fear of what will happen and start making corrections in our own lives to make a difference in the outcome. The wealth of our nation at this time is a mask. Our apparent prosperity is a masquerade. A country as much in debt as ours which is not producing as much as we are importing cannot be said to be wealthy. Who really has more money, the guy in the neighborhood who drives a nice car wears nice clothes, has a huge home who owes more than he earns or the guy with a modest home, modest car, modest clothes and has no debt and puts aside money each month? Right now we are like the first. We have many nice things, many luxuries, but we are so far in debt that our grandchildren's children will still be trying to pay it off. We are in poverty, we are just trying to live as if we still had it all. We need to stop running around trying to rescue and start taking responsibility and expecting others to do the same.

I Believe the Constitution Was Divinely Appointed

The Divinely Appointed Constitution

1.
D&C 98: 5
5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.

2.
D&C 101: 77, 80
77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I (God)have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the brights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
• • •
80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.


1.
D&C 109: 54
54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.

As we consider the bills, amendments, acts, etc. for our nation, we must be ever focused on the constitution. Too few of us actually know and understand it. I don't. I'm studying it more now, I wish I would've sooner. God ordained the laws of our land in the constitution. God ordained the formation of this nation. Read your history.
Our forefathers were a group of underfunded, untrained, under-armed people, but they sought freedom, freedom that God gave them and others were seeking to destroy. The odds were so entirely against them. They had an empire with highly trained soldiers to contend with; well-funded, and well-armed. It was a miracle and an act of God that they succeeded.
Let us not throw away what God gave us through the sacrifice of fathers and sons of early Americans by failure to make our voices heard. We must follow the admonition of prophets and get involved in governmental procedure. If we continually communicate by e-mail, phone, fax-machine, personal visits to our representatives our support of constitutional principles and our rejection of unconstitutional mandates and are ignored, God will fight for us. If we shrink back in the shadows, ranting about the injustices of our day without raising our voices in the venues that may do some good we cannot then wonder why God has not intervened. Our lack of action communicates our blaring lack of true conviction. By not getting involved we essentially tell God , "We do not care." Actions speak louder than words. Why should God fight for us if we don't fight for ourselves. He loves us and will fight with us as we fight insofar as we CAN, and he will fight for us when we CANNOT, but our part is to try. We can only fail if we do not try.
It is not necessary for us to become consumed in the conspiracy theories of our time, some of which are probably real ( we know this because they are spoken of in scripture). Some research into them may be helpful in discerning between truth and lies. However, what we need to do is obey the servants of God. If we are prepared we shall not fear. The book of Revelations in the bible tells us that even the righteous will suffer, and Job, in the Old Testament reminds us that if we struggle and even die trusting in and serving the Lord, we shall see God. Job lost almost everything: posessions, family and friends, and even his health. The only thing he kept is the only thing we can truly control: his faith, trust, and testimony of God. I hope that I can become like Job; accepting both the blessings and sufferings that God has for me, not wavering in my devotion to him. I hope that whether it's in church, home or public that I can serve God and that he can count on me as he did Job.

God Will Fight With Us If We Keep Trying

With all the information and disinformation and the general upheaval in our nation at this time and the protesting of unjust laws that would rob us of basic rights and liberties, I was thrilled at this little bit of encouragement and confirmation of direction. I have been laboring under the theory that if we send in petition after petition to the White House and our Congress and Senate that God will fight our battles for us. Since I believe the Doctrine and Covenants to be the word of God (In addition to the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Pearl of Great Price), I can only take this as a confirmation that my theory is a fact, that feels good. Knowing the God has "got my back" is a great comfort to me. (Even if it is in HIS OWN TIME and WAY.:) Here's what we read tonight during our family scripture study. We read the whole section (all 100+ verses, here's the ones pertaining to pleading for protection of our rights).
Doctrine and Covenants 101
77 According to the laws and constitution of the people, which I have suffered to be established, and should be maintained for the brights and protection of all flesh, according to just and holy principles;
78 That every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.
79 Therefore, it is not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.
80 And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood.
81 Now, unto what shall I liken the children of Zion? I will liken them unto the parable of the woman and the unjust judge, for men ought always to pray and not to faint, which saith—
82 There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man.
83 And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him, saying: Avenge me of mine adversary.
84 And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself: Though I fear not God, nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
85 Thus will I liken the children of Zion.
86 Let them importune at the feet of the judge;
87 And if he heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the governor;
88 And if the governor heed them not, let them importune at the feet of the president;
89 And if the president heed them not, then will the Lord arise and come forth out of his hiding place, and in his fury vex the nation;
90 And in his hot displeasure, and in his fierce anger,IN HIS TIME, will cut off those wicked, unfaithful, and unjust stewards, and appoint them their portion among hypocrites, and unbelievers;
91 Even in outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.
92 Pray ye, therefore, that their ears may be opened unto your cries, that I may be merciful unto them, that these things may not come upon them.
93 What I have said unto you must needs be, that all men may be left without excuse;
94 That wise men and rulers may hear and know that which they have never considered;


So: we keep burning up the telephone lines, fax machines, e-mails, town hall meetings, we pray for their ears to be opened, and their hearts too. If they don't listen, God will fight the battle for us. (In His own way, and in His own time.) I think the thing we need to keep in mind is "boldness, but not overbearance". Not that I think ALL the representatives will suddenly listen to us if we're polite, but it's true that they will be more ready to listen to our views if we don't appear to be attacking them personally. Some of them might even deserve it, it doesn't mean WE have to give it. Also, if we can maintain a spirit of peace, and have open dialogue, we are more likely to have the spirit of God with us and our representatives are more likely to feel that. It's the addage, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Let's not give our representatives any reason to fight against us, let's provide them facts, with information, with our opinions of the bills and initiatives and leave the rest in God's hands.