Government’s First Duty

“We’ve gone astray from first principles. We’ve lost sight of the rule that individual freedom and ingenuity are at the very core of everything that we’ve accomplished. Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” — Ronald Reagan

Neither candidate in this election can claim this as his position but one is a lot further away from it than the other is.  Should we consider this when we vote?  YES!  Now vote accordingly.

ESV Study Bible

I received my copy of the ESV study Bible today.  Wow, it is HUGE!  I look forward to checking out the notes and articles.  There is definitely enough to keep me busy for a while.  Westminster Books is still discounting them if you have not purchased one yet.

Obama’s Tax Plan Explained So Everyone Can Understand It

If you have ever wondered exactly what happens when taxes are increased on the businesses in our country this video will explain it.  Business pay NO taxes.  Let me say that again so you can grasp it.  Business pay NO taxes.  Now you are probably saying “of course they do, they file tax returns don’t they”.  Yes, they do but businesses only collect taxes and remit them.  Taxes are simply a cost of doing business.  When they go up a business has a couple choices, 1) it can absorb the increased cost and survive on less profit, 2) it can cut costs somewhere else to offset the increase in the taxes, or 3) it has to increase the price it charges on the goods or services it produces.  

Most business are not able to absorb the increased cost so they have to pass the cost along to others.  They do this by cutting costs in another area or by increasing their prices (or both).  If they choose to cut costs, their are two areas where this will fall – employees or suppliers.  The business will negotiate a cheaper price from its suppliers, thus passing the increased taxes on to the suppliers (where they cycle continues and is compounded), or the business will cut labor costs (meaning layoffs or salary cuts), thus passing the increased taxes on to their employees.  

ALL TAXES ARE ULTIMATELY PAID BY INDIVIDUALS.  This is basic economics.  When Obama says that he is going to increase taxes on businesses and wealthy people he either does not understand basic economics or he is hoping  that we don’t.  Either way, he is not someone we need as President.  Watch the short video, it explains this well.

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X2uCNIq0dI]

2008-2009 Tennessee Lady Vols Basketball Schedule

Click here to get a printable schedule for this year.

2008-2009 Tennessee Vols Men’s Basketball Schedule

Here is a link to the printable schedule.  Click here to see it.

Did Obama Really Say This?

I got another one of those chain emails that I normally delete without reading but I read this one.  It has quotes from Obama’s books.  Most are stuff I have heard before but one caught my attention.

From Audacity of Hope:”I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.“

No page citation was given and I don’t have the book.  No context is given in which the comment was made.  I am curious if this is really in his book or is this a hoax.  Do you know?  I can believe he would have said this but I can also believe people would make this up or take it out of context.

How Are You Planning To Vote

Thought it would be interesting to see how you all are going to vote. You can choose more than one answer.

Obedience: A Decision We Make Before It Is Called For

My Sunday School class is going through 1 Samuel this quarter.  As we have been looking at the Scriptures detailing Saul’s kingship, the concept of obedience cannot be ignored.  I made the following comment to my class a couple Sunday’s ago.  I said “Obedience is a decision we make before we are faced with a situation in which we have to obey.”  There were a few raised eyebrows.  Basically we have to decide to be obedient in whatever God allows, or causes, us to experience before we are actually obedient.  I am referring to a general principle here, not to specific situations that we will face.  No-one knows what tomorrow will bring so we can’t be prepared for specific situations.

Obedience starts with a proper understanding of who God is and who we are.  God is the sovereign creator of the universe.  We are His creation.  He is omnipotent, omniscient, immutable, and everlasting (just to name a few of His attributes).  With this proper understanding of who and what God is, how can we do anything but obey His commands.  A natural consequence of this proper understanding is that we want to and will obey God when faced with difficult situations.

The interesting thing is that we will make this decision (to obey) before we face the difficult situations.  We have all seen people experiencing very difficult situations and wondered how they could get through it  with such grace and humility.  It is because they know who is in control and they have chosen to accept His will in their lives no matter what it is.  There is comfort in knowing that God is in control.  There is liberty in obedience. 

Obedience is a choice and it is a world view.  The Bible speaks of its importance often.  Jesus said “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)  Could it be any more plain than that?  If we love Jesus then we will obey Him.  If we love Him, we will have an eternal perspective.  Once we have this eternal perspective, we can face the difficult situations with confidence (I will admit that it is easier said than done…but that is a different post).  Therefore, we do actually decide whether we will be obedient or not before we have to actually be obedient.

So, do you agree or disagree? 

The Tax Foundation Exposes Errors Made In The VP Debate

If you watched the Vice Presidential Debate you know that both VP candidates talked about taxes.  Both tickets are running on providing a tax cut.  Who gets it depends on the candidate and their plan.  It can get complicated.  I don’t pretend to understand all of the details on how each proposed plan will work but since it affects me (and you) directly, I try.  One of the resources that is a big help to me in keeping up with how things will really work is The Tax Foundation‘s website and blog.

They have posted a list of errors made by both Biden and Palin during the debate concerning tax issues.  Click here to read the article.  It is interesting to see what these mistakes were and to then consider if they were truly mistakes or attempts to mislead the voters.  You will have to look at the list and decide for yourself.

The Twelve Tribes of American Politics in the ’08 Election

Understanding the twelve religious voting blocs in America may be key to unlocking the 2008 election.  [1]

BeliefNet has an article out with the above title (click here to read the article).  It has done a survey and broken the respondants down into twelve groups.  I fall into the Religious Right group.  That did not surprise me at all because I know what I believe and why.

Which group do you fall into?  Are you surprised?

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[1]  The Twelve Tribes Of American Politics In The ’08 Election by John Green, Dan Gilgoff and Steven Waldman; published on http://www.beliefnet.com