Sermon in a Sentence

"Political ideology is a cause that regularly competes with Christ for the souls of men and women." from Spiritual Profiling by Tom Hovestol

Note: If you just read that and thought it referred to the people in the other political party then political ideology is winning the competition in your life.

Two for Tuesday-yadseuT rof owT

Driving to work this morning I saw this bumper sticker:

"Legalize the Constitution"

Huh?

My mind goes so many different directions...

Is this guy a firearms enthusiast? Is he against judges making laws instead of enforcing them? Or is he just all about the "pursuit of happiness"?



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Black Friday

What are you doing on Black Friday? It is usually a day of crazy early morning shopping for me - not because I'm so drawn by the deals, but because I love the crowds and the craziness of it all. I know, I'm weird! I'll be working this year but may try to sneak in a few stores before I have to be at work at 8:00 a.m.

Wikipedia says, " Although Black Friday, as the first shopping day after Thanksgiving, has served as the unofficial beginning of the Christmas season at least since the start of the modern Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924, the term "Black Friday" has been traced back only to the 1960s. The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit)."

So, what do you think the economy will do to the shopping? Are you changing your spending habits for Christmas this year? We certainly are.

Do you think the stores will reach that "in the black" zone? Even if they do, if this definition is accurate, what type of business principle has you operating in the red for 332 days out of the year and then trying to make up for it in the last 33 days? I've read that several retail companies have filed with the government of their intent to close, either a number of their stores or entirely, after the first of the year. Do you think they should be required to tell consumers ahead of time so they don't purchase gift cards that may be difficult or impossible to spend?

It's Over, It's Over, It's Over (or The Polls Are Now Closed)

Well, it's all over except the "spinning" by the newscasters. By morning, hopefully(barring anyone named Chad voting in Florida), we will know who will be our next president.

It has seemed like an extremely long campaign season with much discourse and many opinions - both extreme and resonable ones. I have been at odds with some of my friends and family and on the same page as others.

Either way, it is now a done deal. Whoever wins, as Christians we have our instructions on how to respond:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1

Are You Red or Are You Blue?

I saw this on the way to church this morning and just had to share it.

Does that mean democrats pay $1.97 and republicans pay $2.07 ?

The Choice

To me the choice seems clear,
One man promoting hope-
One man promoting fear.

Some Political Thoughts

WARNING***WARNING***WARNING

The opinions and observations expressed in this blog are purely those of this blogger and are just that, opinions! I will try to abstain from "politics as usual" by trying to claim that my opinions are statements of fact. They are not - they are just my opinion. I will try not to pounce on a politician's vote on any particular bill without having read the entire bill so that I may understand why they voted for or against it. I will try to remember, and I will remind you, that if we all saw things the same way as either political party this country would no longer exist as a democracy at all. Additionally, I am still regularly reading the blogs of people who have very different opinions from mine and hope that you, if your opinion differs from mine, will offer me the same courtesy. After all, in two weeks anything we've said will no longer matter since our obligation as an American and our biblical mandate is to honor and respect whichever leaders have been chosen.

Palin finally figured out her favorite movie when she arrived here in Indiana last week - she said "it's Hoosiers". Seriously? Did anyone buy that?

Further, it's being said that she brings environmental issues to the ticket. Really? I have an interest in environmental issues and I don't recall even knowing her name until McCain selected her. That seems odd since she can see glaciers melting from her house.

Maverick anyone? Interesting that this term has been latched on to as a positive character trait. Where did the term come from and what does it mean? According to Wikipedia the word originated with Samuel Maverick "a Texas lawyer, politician, land baron and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Maverick was considered independent minded by his fellow ranchers because he refused to brand his cattle. In fact, Maverick's failure to brand his cattle had little to do with independent mindedness, but reflected his lack of interest in ranching." (kind of like a lack of interest in changing anything?) Wikipedia further explains that "the word maverick entered the English lexicon, meaning both an unbranded range animal as well as a slang term for someone who exhibits a streak of stubborn independence."

Trickle down economics is not working! It worked for Ronald Reagan (a president who I voted for and respected , by the way) because we really were a "kinder, gentler" America. It worked before Clinton signed NAFTA and before the "Greed is Good" generation got in positions of power. It doesn't work now. Now companies take their tax breaks and bailouts and invest them in bigger bonuses for themselves or exotic retreat meetings or back in their company by building a new plant and creating new jobs - in China or Mexico.

Joe the Plumber - I'm glad you have big dreams of big income when you become a plumber. I wish you luck! At my job I work with plumbers every day - lots of them. I don't know too many who have Joe's particular concern - and even less so with the downturn in the housing market and the economy in general. What does the "Average Joe" really make? Here is an excerpt from an article in The New Yorker:

Income inequality—the gap between the richest and the rest—increased dramatically during the Bush Administration. The main reason was that the rich became very, very rich, while middle- and working-class families saw their incomes stagnate or decline. Long before the Wall Street meltdown, rising gas prices and health-care bills pinched even those American households with incomes that rank squarely in the middle classes. That is where the great majority of actual plumbers live, of course; they don’t make a quarter of a million dollars a year. In 2007, their average annual income was forty-seven thousand dollars, and that figure was buoyed by the recent housing boom. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an income roll call of other occupations with which McCain, once a modestly paid military officer, has evidently lost touch: kindergarten teachers, $47,750; firefighters, $44,130; roofers, $36,340; dental assistants, $32,280; security guards, $24,480; home health aides, $20,850. At the very bottom of the income ladder, the inflation-adjusted minimum wage—despite two increases in the past two years—remains essentially the same as it was when George W. Bush took office. That wage amounts to less than fifteen thousand dollars a year, before taxes—and, yes, there are taxes to be paid even at that level. The number of Americans living in poverty has grown by more than five million since 2000. And there’s no way to say that ain’t so.

This is me - stepping off of my soapbox now. In two weeks I'll cast my very split ballot for the candidates (not party) of my choosing. No matter who you are supporting at the national or the local levels - please exercise your right to vote.

Politics Unusual

I just have to say that I am already fed up with the presidential race. I don't know which frustrates me more, the lack of a clearly electable, reliable candidate or the news media's biased, opinionated coverage of everyone. Between some of their histories and some of their antics it is hard to know who to support. The media has created a racial spin that I don't think existed before they ran with it and the N.Y. press has blatantly attacked Giuliani. The media these days almost makes me embarrassed to admit I have a degree in journalism. They are quick to point out the downfalls and anything that anyone might be uncomfortable with in every candidates background.

Now, I don't want to shock you, but none of the candidates are perfect! Nor have any of our past presidents been. There is a small part of me that thinks we might be better off with less information instead of every unimportant or tawdry detail.

Here's the good news though!!! After a brief discussion with my sister, she has convinced me to support her candidate wholeheartedly. Following you will find her well thought out comments on why her candidate is the best choice:

Frankly I am ready to vote for Mickey Mouse. He seems to run his kingdom pretty well. Everyone gets along in his Small World, he has good knowledge of the space program, and the sea environment, he knows how to bring in the money, and as near as I can tell Minny hasn't had an abortion and Goofy is weird but not gay.

I told her I was willing to jump on that bandwagon and I thought we should volunteer for his campaign committee. She responded:

If we get Mickey elected maybe we can get lifetime passes to Disney World.

DON'T BE PICKY VOTE FOR MICKEY!!!!!!!!!!

Yep, I'm all in for Mickey!!!