Social Justice and Religion

Amongst the many conversations I have had about the health care takeover, one in particular has left me trouble. To be clear, I have been vehemently opposed to Obamacare. The way the bill was literally forced upon us and stole our freedoms, speaks volumes about its ethical nature. As a friend and I were debating this point, he stopped and said, “Mike, by being opposed to the health care bill, you are denying your Christian responsibility to take care of the poor.” Oh how often such a phrase is used. The classic case of the “religion” card being used to guilt others into changing their beliefs. What a load of crap. The Progressives (socialists) have been using this technique for well over a hundred years, since the days of Woodrow Wilson. See, they know that at its core, this country is a God fearing nation. Despite those who wish to remove God from every aspect of our national landscape, the majority of Americans believe that our foundation is based on God. The Progressives are using this deeply held religious belief to push through their agenda. President Obama says that the term “social justice” has nothing to do with socialism, but is simply a commandment from the Lord, a moral endeavor.

I guess maybe I should not doubt Obama’s intentions. He has been a religious man for most of his life. He attended the same church in Chicago for nearly 20 years. There he was taught by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. One might remember him from such stirring sermons as, “God Bless America. No, no, no. God Damn America,” and “The US believes in white supremacy and black inferiority and believes it more than it believes in God.” Ah, such kind words. I cannot imagine why we are not coming together as a nation. In all seriousness, Obama may believe in God, but his version of social justice has nothing to do with Christ’s version. Christ taught that we should take care of the poor, to help them climb out of the depths of poverty. Just as with many aspects of our life, this voluntary act is used to exemplify the life and love of Jesus Christ. The key word, as is used in the scriptures, is voluntary. No force of any kind should ever be involved, or we lose our free-agency. We lose our freedom. This is important. In its most basic sense, social justice is taking from one and giving to another. To TAKE is to steal, it is a theft. From everything that Obama has said and everything said by those who surround him, his version of social justice is FORCED redistribution of wealth under the guise of charity. Essentially, the government will forcibly take wealth (be it land, possessions, or money) and spread it around as they see fit, to level the playing field. The Progressives are using the Christian faith in God to gain even more control. There is nothing moral about this endeavor.

Additionally, social justice, as the term is now used, is not what Christ taught. He believed that to take care of the poor meant that you help them help themselves. This comes with the responsibility of those receiving aid to take what they are given and work to improve their situation the best they can. This is understood in the parable of the talents. In this, Jesus tells the story of a master who gave each of his three servants a sum of money. The amounts were set according to each servant’s previously demonstrated capabilities. The man then left for a long time. When he returned, he asked each of these servants to report what he had done with the money. The first two servants revealed they had doubled his investment. “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord,” was the master’s reply. The third servant then came trembling before his master. He had already heard what the others had reported and knew that he could not give a similar report. “I was afraid,” the servant said, “and went and hid thy talent in the earth.” The master was upset. “Thou wicked and slothful servant,” he said. Then he commanded, “Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.” The interpretation of this parable: Those who obtain other talents receive more talents in abundance, but those who do not obtain other talents shall lose even the talents they had initially. Government social justice simply TAKES from one and gives to another, to create a fair society. It does not take into account individual capabilities (as the parable did) and does not require the responsibility to improve one’s situation (to grow one’s talents). Under social justice, what is the incentive to work hard? What motivates one to improve themselves and their talents? Equality equals idleness, which is in direct conflict with Christian beliefs.

God’s way cannot be forced. We are given free-agency to choose for ourselves. The reason men and women came to this great land was to find freedom. Social justice is not freedom, but forced redistribution. The Progressives, just as socialist groups in the past, are using religious charity as a guise to push through their agenda. They do not believe in freedom, but in control. My friend believed I was shirking my Christian responsibility to the poor. He doesn’t know me, what I give, and the service I have provided. However, whether or not I take care of the poor should be of little concern to him or anyone else. That issue is between me and my maker. There is not and cannot be a perfect society where all receive equally. What we have is capitalism and capitalism fosters an environment where those with the will to succeed have a better chance at achieving their dreams. The key word is THE WILL. Motivation, incentive, work, productivity – those words do not exist in social justice.

The Fight for Control

Did you hear what Nancy Pelosi said over the weekend in relation to passing health care reform:

“We’ll go through the gate. If the gate is closed, we’ll go over the fence. If the fence it too high, we’ll pole vault in. If that doesn’t work, we’ll parachute in. We are going to get health care reform passed.”

Well, that is comforting. The fence she is referencing is the American people who have stood up in opposition to the proposed health care bill. That’s right, ignore what the people who elected you are saying. Call it “astroturf,” vilify those who speak out, and shamefully deny the real reason for the loss in Massachusetts. We must be too stupid to know or understand what we want. We need the government to save us.

Here is the thing, I don’t believe that Pelosi, Obama, or any of the Progressives truly think we are stupid. I’m sure they were hoping we wouldn’t pay attention to their evil doings, but whether we are stupid or not is of little consequence to them. Their arrogance prohibits them from being humbled. Did any of you watching the State of the Union last week feel that Obama showed humility in his speech? My point is, when Pelosi says that they are going to get health care reform passed regardless of what the American citizens want, one should worry. Why is passing this bill so important to them that they would risk their political future to get it done? I believe it is for the Progressive cause. It is taking one for the team to further the progressive takeover.

Obama said that passing health care reform would provide health insurance to all Americans. What he fails to mention is that when the government controls something, what it gives, it can take away. The type of spending it would take to implement and maintain Obama’s national health care program is not economically possible. When (not if) the health care program could not be fully funded, cuts would have to be made. As a result, not everyone would have access to health care. Except now, in such a situation, the government would have been given the power to decide who gets health care and who doesn’t. Kind of makes Ezekiel Emanuel’s “Complete Lives System” a little scary. Progressives want the power to control our lives. They are taking small steps toward this control. It is why Obama lies about the, as he said, “overwhelming” evidence supporting global warming. This “global” panic furthers the agenda for “green jobs.” Through green jobs the government can control the energy we use, the cars we drive, and the houses we build.. The Progressives wanted health care reform, not to provide health care to all, but to have control over who receives it.

You may ask yourself, in the aftermath of the Massachusetts special election, why I am concerning myself with health care. It’s dead, right? Well, if it is, why was Pelosi talking about pushing it on us just four days ago? I don’t have an answer, other than to believe it is not dead. My main point is that we need to be very careful. When a government of elected officials blatantly ignores those whom they represent, a red flag must be raised. What is their game? I believe they want total control. They don’t care about freedom. The Progressives feel the Constitution is a flawed document. They are socialists, with socialist beliefs. We must stay on top of these evil people and make public their secret desires. If Nancy Pelosi says that they are going to force health care reform through, we better figure out their game plan so we can stop them. What the government takes, they will never give back. When our freedoms our lost, that’s it folks, game over.

Massachusetts

As the crowd anxiously waited for Scott Brown to come to the microphone and deliver his victory speech, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney stepped to the mic. He likened Brown’s stunning victory over Democrat Martha Coakley to the 1773 Boston Tea Party. Both events represent the voice of a frustrated people. How ironic that both events occurred in Massachusetts.

I like the comparison to the Tea Party, but both are really just a moment in a long series of events. Study the roots of the American Revolution and one could summarize it in three words: "taxation without representation." WITHOUT REPRESENTATION. The Tea Tax was, in and of itself, not such a horrible deal. However, it represented the continuing arrogance of King George III and the governing British Parliament. Talk of independence really didn’t begin in the 13 Colonies until the beginning of 1776. Initially the fight was not for independence, but rather for representation. It was only after the people were continually ignored and belittled that a true revolution began.

Similarly, many hearts were troubled (mine included) when the senate passed their version of the health care bill on December 24th. How could they do this with public approval of the bill being at 38%? Who were they representing? The fact is, they were representing their own interest. Their progressive drive to “fundamentally transform” this country. They honestly believe that we, the people who placed them in office, are too stupid to know or understand what we want. The only stupid thing we did was fall for their lies. President Obama promised us that the health care debate would be broadcast for all of us to see. That turned out to simply be a campaign promise. He promised that under his administration there would be no earmarks or pork-barrel spending. Um, then what would you call the $100 million used to buy senate Democrat Mary Landrieu vote?

I am not so naive to believe that lies, special interests, pork-barrel spending, etc., have not existed in Washington for years. I point them out here to simply show how they contribute to the Progressive’s agenda. It is a win at all costs mentality. The end justifies any means necessary. In their arrogance they stopped representing the people. On Tuesday night they got the smiles slapped right off their ignorant faces. Why did no one care about the Massachusetts special election until about 10 days ago? Because it was a given. Ted Kennedy had held the seat for 47 years. This was a state that Obama carried easily in the 2008 election. Coakley had a 31 point lead over Brown just one month ago. What happened? This special election became a modern day Boston Tea Party. Just as they did 237 years earlier, the people of Massachusetts rose up against a overbearing government. Take your health care and go back to Washington with your tail between your legs. If Obama and his arrogant rabble still want to pass this bill, it would come at the cost of completely polarizing our nation. A risk I don’t think they will take, but I wouldn’t put anything past them.

Amongst the text messages, Facebook posts, and the celebration taking place on Fox News, I couldn’t help but think we must be careful. Massachusetts needed to happen. I was cheering for Scott Brown all night. Yet, I don’t know him or his beliefs. I only knew that he could stop a devastating bill from being passed. As November 2010 approaches, we must educate ourselves. This is no longer a fight between Republicans and Democrats. This is a fight between those of us who believe in the foundation upon which this country was founded, and the Progressive ideas that threaten this very foundation. Those of us who celebrated on Tuesday night cannot simply celebrate every Republican victory. Neither side is good and neither side is evil. Each political candidate should be judged solely on their ideas and beliefs. For me it is simple, either they believe in the system that our Founding Fathers set forth, or they do not. If you don’t, I have no use for you. I will not have my country “fundamentally transformed” without putting up a fight.

Fishy Behavior

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

The First Amendment. Freedom of speech. To me, this may be one of the single most important principles that our country is founded upon. Study the American Revolution and one will find that the desire to express ideas, speak freely, and be heard ultimately led to the freedoms we enjoy today. Our Founding Fathers were not radicals. Most of these men had no desire to fight the king or separate from Great Britain. Research the life of John Adams and one will find this to be true. They simply didn’t want decisions, which impacted their lives, to be made without representation. It was only after King George III and Great Britain treated the Colonies as if they were too stupid to take care of themselves that tempers began to flare. I promise you that freedom of speech was a core belief of the Founding Fathers when they established this great nation.

I know that it is a tired discussion. Freedom of speech has been analyzed up and down, time after time. Yet, I truly believe that this freedom is being threatened in today’s America. A lot of American’s have been speaking out lately. These same individuals are being criticized mightily for it. The White House has asked citizens to report on any “fishy information” from those speaking out against the health care bill. These vocal individuals are being represented by the media as right-wing, racist, nut jobs who are only seeking to hurt the President. Media bias is nothing new, but a coalition of community organizers is. President Obama, in his campaign, promised that community organizing groups such as ACORN and SEIU would have a place at the table with him in the White House. Why should this concern us? Because both groups fall under the Apollo Alliance (AA). The AA’s goal is to create a massive organized mobilization to reorganize society. By reorganizing they mean social justice, or taking from someone and giving to someone else. AA would create a super power group that bring together the elements of the social justice movement with labor unions and the green movement. By doing so, AA can access the power and money that comes from these groups and force their will upon America. It is this massive group that threatens our freedom of speech. If the public speaks out, as they have done with Obama-care, this group will attempt to use their power to speak louder and fight harder. Their goal is to shut you up so that their agenda can proceed unimpeded.

The following video shows SEIU at work outside the Russ Carnahan town hall meeting in St. Louis Missouri:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTXBOgPCh9w

While I firmly believe that the community organizing groups present the largest threat, I believe the media plays a crucial role as well. Bill Maher called us stupid. Others have called us thugs and even racists. Katy Abrams was someone like you or I. From “Main Street” as Obama might say. She is a mother who is worried about how certain Obama policies might hurt her husband’s business. She went to a town hall meeting and asked Senator Arlen Specter what he was going to do to restore this country back to the way our Founding Fathers intended it to be. She became somewhat of a hero for those of us speaking out against the change taking place in this country. She was asked to appear on MSNBC’s Hardball with Lawrence O’Donnell, and was humiliated by the man. She received phone calls, emails, and death threats just for standing up and speaking out. You can see the clip by clicking on the following link:

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/29355/

At times I feel this is a battle we cannot win. When people such as Van Jones, a self-proclaimed communist with clear ties to the Apollo Alliance, have a seat at the table with President Obama, I’m not sure we can be victorious. Yet, I refuse to let evil win. I refuse to see our most basic freedom, the freedom of speech, taken away. These groups like AA will attempt to harass and intimidate. They will poke, and poke, and poke to try and get a reaction. What these groups lack is real emotion. They are all about the show. Glenn Beck said the following:

And what you have to understand is this is a sign of their weakness. When they can't argue the truth, when they can't defend it and they need to bully and intimidate, when they need to take the, quite honestly Ahmadinejad type tactics and bully people and pillory them without talking about the facts. This is what Stalin did, this is what Ahmadinejad does. They all do it. If they can't defend it.

We cannot stop speaking out. The day we stop, we will never be able to regain this freedom.

The Glenn Beck Challenge

I don’t like politics, I really don’t. I hate the constant squabbling back and forth among the political parties. I hate that when one party gains a position of power they totally abuse that power. I hate the corruption that exists within our government. I hate that special interests exist. I hate that I can’t trust our politicians. I hate that George W. Bush and the Republican Party let us down. I hate that I wasted my vote on George W. Bush and the Republican Party in both 2000 and 2004. Although, I love that I didn’t vote for Al Gore. Still happy about that one! Yet, I hate that a bored Al Gore reenergized the global warming movement in his spare time. Or was it climate change. Well, whatever we’re calling Al Gore’s ideas now that global warming has been disproved (again). I hate that in a country founded on free speech, our elected officials are attacking us for opening our mouths. I hate that they are so arrogant that they dismiss us. I hate that I have been called a racist three times in the past two weeks. I hate that the race card is still being used even after the 2008 election. I hate that Barack Obama feels that he must fundamentally transform the greatest and most successful country in the world.

Why even have this blog? Is it because I am such an amazing writer? I know it’s not that. Is it because I have a vast amount of political wisdom to share? No. My interest in politics peaks for about three months, every four years at election time. My knowledge is, admittedly, limited. However, four weeks ago I was blindsided. In his first six-months in office, Barack Obama has been putting policies in place that potentially threaten my family, my business, and my country. When I was first made aware of these changes, I fluffed it off as politics as usual. Corruption has existed in every administration for as long as I can remember. Yet, as a dug deeper and became informed, I found that there is a very real evil that exist at the core of the Obama administration. This core influences every decision that is being made. Obama told us himself, to look at the people he surrounds and associates himself with, because they will be the ones helping to shape his ideas. In my previous entries I have discussed some of these individuals. It is this core that has me concerned.

It has been a hard week since my last post. I hesitated posting it because I worried what the reaction would be. Farfetched. Crazy. Paranoid. Republican. Conservative. Overly excited. Overly concerned. I have to admit, I didn’t count on being called a terrorist (thanks dad) and a racist. Those surprised me. Maybe I am crazy and paranoid, but don’t judge me until you at least inform yourself on the issues. This is the purpose of today’s post. I am going to ask you (all two of you) to do something. I am calling it the Glenn Beck challenge. The Glenn Beck show airs at 3:00 pm mountain time on the Fox News Channel. Starting Monday, August 24th, he is going to spend five days looking at the individuals Obama has surrounded himself with and the repercussions of these associations. I need you to put aside any feelings toward Fox News or Glenn Beck and just watch. I can’t ask you to watch the entire week. Just give me three nights. That is only three hours. Please watch it and determine for yourself whether the ideas I am presenting are crazy or not. If you think they are crazy, then please feel free to tell me. I am not saying I am right. I simply want to help others become informed. If you can commit to my Glenn Beck challenge, please leave your name in the comment section of this post. It should be an interesting week!

Health Care - Spread the News

There are so many angles to take. The challenge is to not become so longwinded in my writing that the message gets lost. Why am I against Universal Health Care in this country? Am I evil? Do I lack compassion for others? Am I, as Nancy Pelosi said, “un-American?” No, I just believe that Obama-care will financially be a gigantic failure. With the Medicare insurance trust fund on track to be insolvent by 2019 and Social Security projecting to run in a deficit within 11 years and bankrupt by 2037, why should I think differently about any government run health care program? Add to this that the United States national debt is larger than it has ever been, yet Obama has set aside $634 billion as a “down payment” on his health care program. Many estimate that the true cost of the plan will reach $1.5 trillion. This type of spending cannot be sustained without severe economic consequences. When we are in an economic crisis and the health care program cannot be fully funded, cuts will have to be made. Suddenly our government officials will be in the position of having to decide how to allocate these scarce resources. Do you trust them to make these decisions?

Let’s play my favorite game of “Six-degrees of Barack Obama.” The President’s Health Advisor is Ezekiel Emanuel. Zeek, as his friends call him, developed the Complete Lives System (CLS) for determining how to allocate health services. When implemented, the CLS produces a priority curve on which individuals aged between roughly 15 and 40 years get the most substantial chance, whereas the youngest and oldest people get chances that are attenuated. Within the CLS lies the idea of the youngest-first principle. Essentially, adolescents and young adults gain priority over infants in receiving health services. The belief is that through education and parental care, too big of an investment has been made in adolescents and young adults to not see them live a complete life. Infants, on the other hand, have not received these investments and have not yet earned “complete life” status. I guarantee to you that old Zeek will have a seat at the picnic table when Barack and his advisors discuss, over beer, how to allocate scarce health resources.

John Holdren works with Emanuel and Obama as the President’s Science Czar. In 1977 Holdren co-authored Ecoscience which discusses government control over population growth. In this book it is argued that there is nothing wrong with the government dictating family size. Holdren aks, “Why should the law not be able to prevent a person from having more than two children?” This prevention would include forced abortions and mass sterilization through drugs placed in the country’s water supply. Farfetched? Maybe, but Holdren said it, not me. Holdren is a man that believes neither my newborn child, nor my two-year old have reached “human” status yet. He feels that only after receiving proper socializing skills and nourishment during the years after birth can a “fetus” ultimately develop into a human being. John, how you can hold a newborn in your arms and not believe they are worthy of life is PURE EVIL! It is despicable that Obama surrounds himself with such a man.

I’m getting sick to my stomach, so let’s wrap this game up. Holdren and his mass sterilization buddies are good friends with Cass Sunstein, who serves as Obama’s regulatory czar. What? How many damn czars do we need? Anyway, simply put Sunstein’s job is to make regulations that will keep the country pointed in the right direction. This “right direction” is determined by the government because, as Sunstein firmly believes, we are simply too stupid to make our own decisions. This direction is being influenced by, as I already said, Holdren. It is also being heavily influenced by Sunstein’s good friend Peter Singer. Singer believes in the Complete Lives System and views the very young and old as expendable. His belief is that a baby should be able to be aborted 20 days AFTER birth.

I am not trying to create a panic. Maybe I am crazy. However, when anyone disregards the lives of my two children, I get angry and I start to pay attention. During the presidential election Barack Obama told us to look at the people he associates himself with, because they will help shape his ideas when he is in the White House. In relation to health care, he has surrounded himself with individuals like Ezekiel Emanuel, John Holdren, Cass Sunstein, and Peter Singer. When the government cannot fund Obama’s Universal Health Care plan and we are in an economic crisis, decisions will have to be made. These men will be helping to make the decisions. This is why I am against the health care plan. Based on their own thoughts and beliefs, how do you believe these men will allocate scarce resources? Is that a risk you are willing to take? If not, become informed and start speaking out.

Cash for Clunkers

Tuesday night my wife and I got the kids to bed then fired up the DVR to watch that day’s episode of the Glenn Beck show. I have to admit, I was more inclined to go get some sleep so I was halfheartedly watching the show. I had also already heard Beck’s rants on the radio earlier in the day. Yet, as I watched him piece together what the now famous “Cash for Clunkers” program really represents, I sat in stunned silence. Unfortunately, I have been unable to find the piece online. Beck presents it much better than I can, but I’ll give it a try.

To understand the gravity of this, one must first understand that the Apollo Alliance is ultimately behind the Cash for Clunkers program. I could spend hours explaining Apollo, but I can sum the group up in two words: SOCIAL JUSTICE. What is social justice? Essentially, you take money from someone and give it to someone else. This way, we can all be equal. It doesn’t matter that Joe has worked every day of his adult life to earn his money. Ron, who has been unemployed for the past five years and is waiting for, as he says, the “right opportunity” to come along, lost out in the “birth lottery” and therefore deserves Joe’s money. The pursuit of social justice in America sounds crazy, but I am telling you it is real. Just how much power does Apollo have in the Obama White House? The Apollo Alliance wrote the Stimulus Package and the Cap and Trade Bill. In addition, the community organizing groups, ACORN and SEIU are tied to Apollo. ACORN is well known from the 2008 election and members of SEIU have weekly meetings with Obama regarding the direction of the country. Finally, one of Obama’s 34 czars, Van Jones, was an original founder of Apollo. Jones is a self-professed communist and a huge part of the progressive politics movement in the United States. This progressivism is seeking to create a huge mobilization effort to reorganize society by combining the idea of social justice, with the power of the green (environmental) movement, and labor unions. I know right now you are wondering why Obama is working with a self-professed communist. Albeit scary, that is a whole other discussion. The real focus is that Apollo is hugely influential and makes the concept of a socialist American society very real.

With the bank bailout, the stimulus package, and the overall national deficit, why should one concern themselves with the few billion dollars spent on the Cash for Clunkers program? Because, in Cash for Clunkers the government is redistributing wealth. The program takes money from your tax dollars, gives it to the government, and then the government gives it to someone who can’t afford a new car. As a result, we have social justice because we are taking money from some and giving it to others. Add to this that the billions used in the program act as a second bailout for the auto industry. Finally, why are we all being told that the program is good? Because it cuts emissions, which is good for the environment (and the green movement). So, we have social justice + the auto labor unions that will benefit + the green movement that will benefit. Doesn’t this sound familiar? Yes, it is the socialist, progressivism that Van Jones, the Apollo Alliance, and ultimately Barack Obama are seeking. OH, by the way! Cash for Clunkers was designed by Brian Deese, who is tied to Podesta, who is part of Apollo. Wow, what a coincidence!

I was asked at lunch today why I was so upset by the Cash for Clunkers program. Given all the money spent by our government, why should I worry about such a small program? I care because Cash for Clunkers is the tip of the iceberg. It is representative of the evil that is at the core of the Obama administration. I know that corruption in our government is nothing new. One need only look at the people Clinton and Bush surrounded themselves with. However, Barack Obama says that he wants to fundamentally transform this country. He has put in place the individuals and organizations (Apollo) to do it. Unless we open our eyes and speak out against this change, he will achieve his goal.