Too ambitious...

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when at the White House

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

(For Obama has taken his wife and his daughters

To rest and relax by Hawaiian waters

$4 million a day is the price we must pay

For the First Family’s Christmas Vacay

$4 million’s a bargain to keep him out of our hair,

If there was only a way of keeping him there!)

Obama in red onesies, and Michelle in her cap,

Had just settled down for their Obamacare chat-

Yet Obama’s Press Lackey’s were all in a dither,

“In spite of our help, his poll numbers wither!”

For individuals’ insurance had gone out like a flash,

And Obamacare’s website did nothing but crash.

“You said we could keep our plans,” people cried,

But Obama’s promises turned out to be lies.

Unless the president owes you a favor,

You will not get an Obamacare waiver.

Besides the president’s terrible new laws,

His public behavior might give one pause;

For our dear leader could use a tutorial

On how to behave when he’s at a memorial.

Mandela may have been a Communist,

But Obama’s an even bigger narcissist.

There are many more reasons his numbers are down,

There are plenty of reasons we are sick of this clown!

Obama’s talents for ruining the country

Are far greater than my writing ability.

And if I were to list all the things he’s done wrong,

This silly poem would be far too long.

So I’ll end this thing here,

And wish you all a Happy New Year!

Middlemarch Analogy

One of my favorite books of all time is George Eliot’s “Middlemarch.” One of the more obvious analogies is found in the marriage of Dr. Tertius Lydgate (the long-suffering taxpayer), who marries the refined, pampered, and infantile Rosamund Vincy (the 47%, or the 99%, or whatever they like to call themselves). His dreams of making life-saving scientific discoveries are shattered as she spends money that they do not have. Every plea to economize is met with ridicule, disdain, and anger from Rosamund, who feels entitled to a big home and fashionable furniture and clothing (Big Social Welfare schemes modeled after socialist European countries Americans are always comparing themselves to). The debt she accrues compels Dr. Lydgate to do business with a corrupt businessman (China), which eventually leads to the loss of his reputation and early death.

Another analogy from the book comes when young, idealistic Dorothea Brooke (the young voter) marries the middle-aged, scholarly Rev. Casaubon (Obama), with whom she hopes to change the world for the better. Her enthusiasm is met with condescension and impatience, and eventually she discovers that her supposedly intellectual husband is little more than a selfish bore whose life’s work is unremarkable and useless. Unfortunately, Dorothea is stuck with him, and he even manages to punish her through his will after he dies. (John Nolte writes on Breitbart: “Those aged 18-24, a full 52% support a recall effort that would throw Obama out of office.” But we are stuck for another three years, and if an impeachment actually occurred, we’d be stuck with President Biden!)

A nursery rhyme for our Stompy-footed Toddler in Chief:

Barry had a little snit,
His malice reached new lows,
And every time that Barry spoke,
A park was sure to close.

Brave men who fought at Normandy
Had flown across the land
To find, because of Barry's grudge,
Their monument was banned.

And so Obama turned them out,
But still they lingered near,
And broke right through the yellow tape.
No bully did they fear.

"Why do the folks loathe Barry so?"
The eager lapdogs cry.
"Why Barry loathes us all, you know."
The people did reply.

The Narrative

Wow, I can't help but be impressed at sheer political audacity of the Democratic party.  The House has sent them three CR bills funding ALL of the government (including all of that wasteful spending from shrimp treadmills to Star Trek-themed training videos), except ObamaCare, which is the worst, and most unpopular, law ever enacted, and each bill has been flat-out rejected by Harry Reid's Senate.  I see the Republican-led House compromising in all sorts of ways, bending over backwards to accommodate liberals, and yet, the Democrats are winning the narrative that it's the GOP shutting down the government.


A government shut-down is the LEAST of our worries right now.  I think we can live without funding obesity studies for lesbians.  The ObamaCare exchange debut was a disaster.  Unfortunately, even if people are finding out just how expensive ACA-approved health care plans are, and turning against the law in even higher numbers, it's here now, and will be ever harder to remove.  If anything, Dems will now start making new laws to "fix" ObamaCare, instead of undoing the incredible damage they are responsible for.

Don't Fund Obamacare

Sign This! http://www.dontfundobamacare.com/

Getting rid of Obamacare must be the No. 1 priority of any politician who cares for the future of the country. My personal prediction is that if this horrendous act is not defunded and repealed, employment numbers will never go up, health care and insurance costs will both continue to go up, doctors will leave their practices, and quality if care will decrease. There are so many more reasons that this is a bad law--which is why so many of the powerful and well-connected are being granted waivers.

It's just a deer

Giggles the deer

I know, of all the breaking news going on, why focus on poor little Giggles? Because this is yet another example how much government intrudes in our lives, and wastes time and resources micromanaging even the tiniest details. Apparently, it is against the law to save wild animals unless you have the right permit. Children need permits to run lemonade stands. People are prevented from building or improving on lots that they own. Ordinances tell some that they are not allowed to grow gardens in their front yards.

Compulsory "Service"

Read these articles.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324021104578551291160259734.html?mod=us_most_pop_newsreel

http://spectator.org/archives/2013/06/25/coming-next-an-obama-corps-for

The old chicken and the egg question--which came first, the abandonment of individual responsibility and volunteer-ism, or the growth of government regulation and compulsory service?

People

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/06/07/Obama-press-conference-problems-here

http://dailycaller.com/2013/06/07/people-teleprompterless-obama-calls-to-aides-who-forgot-to-put-speech-on-podium/

"People!"
People who write speeches
For the greatest orator in the world
They’re children helping other children
To spin and cover, to lie and hide
All the pettiness inside
Acting more like children than children
Voyeurs
Are very special people
They spy on all the people in the world
For one person,
One very corrupt person
Who says to trust Big Brother
Or, “You’re going to have some problems here”
No more patriotic dissent
First you must trust in your government
People, people who use people
Are the ugliest people in the world.

original poem

‘Twas on my birthday, August the 9th,
President Nixon from his office resigned

But for the press, he could have escaped
Discovery of scandal, involving some tapes

Bill Ayers, Fast and Furious,
ObamaCare, Benghazi, and the IRS

But for the press, Obama could never have won
A second term, nor even one!

Boa Constrictor

In response to this article, and with apologies to Shel Silverstein...

Oh, I'm a target of Barack Obama,

Barack Obama,

Barack Obama.

I’ve been targeted by Barack Obama,

And I don’t like it

One bit.

Well, what do you know?

The IRS is at my door

What next? 

Here comes the ATF

Oh my

Now it’s the FBI

Oh heck

OSHA’s come to inspect

Oh dear!

The death panel is upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff . . .



(Here's Johnny Cash's rendition: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0cX1dogtk)

Rubio's Political Suicide

This entry is about Rubio's attempts to reach Hispanic voters through amnesty.  Now, I definitely think immigration laws need an overhaul, but who can trust the major players here?  McCain?  Graham?  Schumer?  If Rubio does, he shows himself to be naive.  A country cannot have open immigration and be a welfare state at the same time.  

My parody from the viewpoint of a disgruntled Tea Partier, and is set to contemporary singer Matt Hires' “Restless Heart”

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk4dKviGpXw)

 Pretty boys have many different faces

 Your heritage is Cuban

 Backstabbers like you are not hard to replace

 You’re definitely in Washington

 We followed you at the mid-term elections

 And we helped you defeat Charlie Crist

 I wish I had seen what was coming to us

 For the Tea Party you have dismissed

 Hey you’re in the gang of eight

 Granting millions of aliens amnesty

 But you have made a foolish mistake

 You say votes are all that you need

 Well you're not gonna get it from me

 Oh-no, oh-no, no you're not gonna get it from me

 You say that you want to reach out

 That you can find common ground with McCain

 But even the most optimistic of us

 Can see that it's all just a game

 But while you are looking for love

 Looking for new Republican voters

 We tried it before 27 years ago

 All we got were Democrat donors

 Hey you’re in the gang of eight

 Granting millions of aliens amnesty

 But you have made a foolish mistake

 You say votes are all that you need

 Well you're not gonna get it from me

 Oh-no, oh-no, no you're not gonna get it from me

 You’ve already lost the Primaries

 You’ve already lost

 You’ve already lost the Primaries

Best of the Web on Kermit Gosnell

I am unable to express my feelings on this, they are so tender. I'll just quote the apostle Paul for now:

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."

RIP Margaret Thatcher

Wall Street Journal

From The President, The Pope and the Prime Minister

Human Events article by John Hayward

The Grocer's Daughter by Sarah Palin

Margaret Thatcher and the Triumph of Conservatism by Jeffrey Lord

And on a different note, this is an article about another influential person from that time, CIA director Bill Casey.  Make sure you click on the link in the article which sends you to Herb Meyer's speech.  It is fascinating!

Lastly, on what seems to be a completely unrelated note, I started watching "Call the Midwife."  It's based on the memoirs of a woman who was a midwife (hence the title) in East London in the late 1950's.  It is very well done.  But in the two episodes that I've seen, writers have inserted public service messages in the most awkward way.  The scene goes something like this: a woman is about to die from pregnancy complications, and some doctor comes in and says, "It's a great thing that we have the NHS now, sending ambulances and providing life-saving treatments for these poor people!"  Not only is the dialogue out of place (like the Subway advertisements in "Chuck"), it's laughable.  Go to James Taranto's "Best of the Web," which he writes five days of the week for the WSJ, and you'll see countless examples of the great "progress" Britain's National Health Service has enjoyed.  We're heading that direction ourselves under ObamaCare.

Sadly, one of Margaret Thatcher's few failures was her inability to dismantle the NHS.  It was too entrenched by then.  It illustrates the perils of passing unwieldy legislation to begin with--once it's there, it's nearly impossible to remove, no matter how terrible it is.  That said, I pray for leaders here in the US who will continue to work for the repeal of Obamacare--my belief is that rather than losing elections, they will win by doing so.  Margaret would have agreed.  She said this of her own party's tendencies to "go wobbly":  "I was utterly convinced of one thing: there was no chance of achieving that fundamental change of attitudes which was required to wrench Britain out of decline if people believed that we were prepared to alter course under pressure.”

Have You Got Skiing On Your Mind

This was inspired by the news that Sasha and Malia had come skiing in Sun Valley on the heels of their first Spring Break vacation to Bermuda, after their earlier ski trip to Aspen, after their other vacations in New York, Hawaii, Spain, South Africa, Botswana, just to name a few...

Original song:  "Woman, Woman" by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

Woman oh woman

Have you got skiing on your mind, on your mind

Before you were the First Lady

Your goals weren’t realized

And of your country you were ashamed

But now you’re in the White House

We know you’re not satisfied

Woman oh woman

Have you got skiing on your mind, on your mind

You’ve traveled all around the globe

You vacation all the time

From Hawaii to Botswana, South Africa and Spain

All the places you’ve ever dreamed

On the taxpayer’s dime

Woman oh woman

Have you got skiing on your mind, on your mind

Most of us must make ends meet

Big vacations we cannot do

And those who visited the White House found it closed

But Sasha and Malia

Got not one Spring Break, but two

Woman oh woman

Have you got skiing on your mind

Oh woman oh woman

Have you got skiing on your mind.....

Little Lies

Within months, Ariel/Julia/duped voters realize their mistake, and wish they had voted for Romney instead.  Still, unable to take responsibility for their actions, and fearful of retribution in the form of drones, they sing this song (mostly) by Fleetwood Mac:
 

 If I could turn the page

 In time then I'd rearrange just a month or four

 Close my, close my, close my eyes

 But I couldn't find a way

 So I'll settle for a way to believe in four years more

 Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

(Chorus)

 Tell me lies

 Tell me sweet little lies

 (Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)

 Oh, no, no you can't disguise

 (You can't disguise, no you can't disguise)

 Tell me lies

 Tell me sweet little lies

 You promised more transparency

 But your backroom deals have doomed the economy

 Close my, close my, close my eyes

 No more White House Tours

 But we’re better off just blaming the other guys

 Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

 (Chorus)

 If I could turn the page

 In time then I'd rearrange just a month or four

 Close my, close my, close my eyes

 But I couldn't find a way

 So I'll settle for a way to believe in four years more

 Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

 (Chorus)

Poor, Unfortunate Soul

My analogy today comes from Disney’s Little Mermaid.  Ursula is Obama, and she gets Ariel/Julia/the uninformed voter to accept her agenda by lying, and promising the impossible and unaffordable. 

I admit that in the past I've been in a choom gang

They weren't kidding when they called me, well, “pot head”

But you'll find that nowadays

I've mended all my ways

Repented, run for office, and reduced the debt

True? Yes

And I fortunately know how to steal elections

It's a talent that I always have possessed

And here lately, please don't laugh

I use it on behalf

Of the miserable, lonely and depressed

(Pathetic)

Poor unfortunate souls

In pain

In need

This one longing for free health care

That one wants an Obamaphone

And do I help them?

Yes, indeed

Those poor unfortunate souls

So sad

So true

They come flocking to my campaign

Crying, "Favors, Obama please!"

And I help them?

Yes, I do

Now it's happened once or twice

Someone couldn't pay the price

And I'm afraid I had to rake 'em 'cross the coals

Yes, I've had the odd complaint

But on the whole I've been a saint

To those poor unfortunate souls

([Obama:] Have we got a deal?

[Julia:] If I vote for you, I’ll never live in freedom again

[Obama:] But you'll have your man—me! Life's full of tough choices, innit?

Oh - and there is one more thing. We haven't discussed the subject of payment.

[Julia:] But I don't have any -

[Obama:] I'm not asking much. Just a token, really, a trifle. What I want

from you is . . . your “fair share”.

[Julia:] But if I can’t keep what I earn, how can I-

[Obama:] You'll have your phone! Your unemployment benefits! And don't underestimate

the importance of food stamps! Ha! )

Washington elites don't like checks and balances

They think a filibuster is a bore

Yes, around here it's much preferred

For the Bill of Rights to be ignored

And after all, dear, what is idle prattle for?

Come on, we're not all that impressed with the Constitution

True politicians avoid it when they can

But they dote and swoon and fawn

On a constituent who’s a pawn

It's those who hold their tongues who get guns banned

Come on, you poor unfortunate soul

Go ahead!

Cast your ballot!

My wife’s a busy woman

And I've got some golf to play

It won't cost much

Just your wallet!

You poor unfortunate soul

It's sad

But true

If you want to cross a bridge, my sweet

You've got to pay the toll

Take a gulp and take a breath

And go ahead and sign the scroll!

Valerie, Michelle, now I've got her, gals

The boss is on a roll

This poor unfortunate soul

Red State?

I keep hearing that Idaho is a very "conservative" state.  On the contrary, it is a very establishment Republican state.

We have Butch Otter, who, as my friend says, "Never met a federal dollar he could refuse," is complying with the new rules of ObamaCare.  He thinks this will save the state money.  I guess he doesn't care about the people in his state whose taxes and penalties foot the federal bill.

Mike Crapo belongs to the go-along-to-get-along crowd--and now gets the dubious honor of a DUI on his record.   And then there's Mike Simpson.  See here.

Most disappointing is Raul Labrador, who was elected in 2010 on the heels of the Tea Party revolution.  He has done some good, granted, but he has caved in the fight against ObamaCare.  See:  http://www.redstate.com/2013/03/06/today-house-conservatives-will-corrupt-america/, and http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/03/05/30-Republicans-ask-Boehner-Cantor-to-defund-Obamacare  (note the lack of Idaho signatures.)

So far, every time I have checked on a vote by Jim Risch, he has been in alignment with conservative principles.  Unless I've missed something, that gives us 1/4 conservative representation.  I'd say that makes us a purple state.

In Memory of Andrew Breitbart

Ballad of the Great Breitbart
(Set to the tune of "Ballad of the Green Berets")

Fighting drudges from the press

Fearless men who never rest

Men who mean just what they write

The brave men of the Breitbart sites

At a rally, or in a pub

On rollerblades, or in his tub

Andrew Breitbart always fought

The powerful and corrupt

Taught to see through the narrative

That media lackeys always give,

Those blatant lies he tore apart

Courage deep, from the Great Breitbart

At a rally, or in a pub

On rollerblades, or in his tub

Andrew Breitbart always fought

The powerful and corrupt

A year ago we lost our mate

Our dear Andrew met his fate

He had lived for those oppressed

But leaves us now with this request

Take that cell phone in your hand

Use it all across the land

Expose injustice everywhere

And you’ll know that Breitbart’s here

Free College Courses

Check out Hillsdale online courses on Western Heritage, American Heritage, and the Constitution.

"There are things to know, they are lovely and ennobling to know."

Update:  I've just listened to two lectures from the Western Heritage course.  The second one is called, "The Hebrew Legacy."  Really, really good stuff.

This Land Is My Land

Inspired the State of the Union address, I  give you "This Land is My Land," with words by B. Hussein Obama, and music by Woody Guthrie:

This land ain't your land, This land is my land

From California to the New York island;  

From the Keystone pipeline, to the Gulf Stream waters

This land was made for Me, not you.

Though I sent weapons south of the border,

I’ll take your rifles, by executive order:

I like my gun runs, but you can’t have one

The Bill of Rights is for Me, not you.

I let four men die, stranded in Benghazi,

I didn’t miss that party with Jay-Z and Beyonce

I blamed a movie, and was helped by Crowley

This press is soft on Me, not you.

Those who have worked hard, and saved their money

Don’t pay their fair share; like Buffett’s secretary.

If you own a business, you didn’t build that

You must work for Me, not you.

As I went walking I saw a sign there

And on the sign it said "No Hiring."

Why don’t we raise the minimum wage?

Math is good for you, not Me.

Obamacare insured the nation,

Although your health care may now be rationed,

If you like your doctor, you won’t get to keep her

Health care was made for Me, not you.

For those who saw the CBO’s projection,

And may not vote for me with affection,

I’ll just buy more votes, through immigration

Elections are rigged for Me, not you.

Nobody living can ever top me,

As I go racing, that road to serfdom;

Nobody living can ever stop me!

This land was made for Me, not you.

Phony King of America

From Disney's "Robin Hood," and inspired by Obama's interview with Univision, in which he claimed, "I am not a king (yet)," here is my first submission:

Oh the world will sing of an American King

A thousand years from now

And not because he passed some laws

Or had that lofty brow

While bonny Gipper Reagan leads

The great crusade from beyond

We'll all have to slave away

For that good-for-nothin' ‘Bam

Incredible as he is inept

Whenever the history books are kept

They'll call him the wanna-be king of America

A pox on the phony king of D.C.!

He sits alone on a giant throne

Pretendin' he's the king

A little tyke who's rather like

A puppet on a string

And he throws an angry tantrum

if he cannot have his way

And then he calls for Frum while he's suckin' his thumb

You see, he doesn't want to play

Too late to be known as Hussein the First

He's sure to be known as Barry the worst

A pox on that phony king of America!

While he taxes us to pieces

And he robs us of our food

The U.S. Constitution keeps slippin' down

Underneath his pointed shoe

Ah! But while there is a merry man

in Palin's wily pack

We'll find a way to make him pay

And take our money back

The minute before he knows we're there

The Tea Party’ll snatch his underwear

The breezy and uneasy king of D.C.

The snivellin' grovellin'

Measly weasely

Blabberin' jabberin'

Gibberin' jabberin'

Blunderin' plunderin'

Wheelin' dealin'

Prince Barry, that wanna-be king of America

Yeah!

Every Friday, at the American Spectator, a commenter called TLP hosts a contest of sorts, using the comments section of one of the Spectator's articles for people to share analogies, poetry and verse about current events.  I think of it as an Underground Railroad of sorts, where disenfranchised Americans go to exercise their rights to free speech and political incorrectness.

Inspired by TLP and his Merry Men at AmSpec, I have been dabbling in humorous political verse myself.  It's funny that, considering the title of this blog, I have never tried to combine Politics and Poetry before, but I've decided to post my contest entries here for your pleasure.

Note--when I say "poetry," I really mean "parody."  Maybe I should change the name of my blog...

This is Interesting

What Happened at Haymarket?

Unable to answer a simple question, labor historian Timothy Messer-Kruse does a little research, and discovers that textbooks can be misleading.  I find it hard to excuse the academic laziness that preceded his epiphany, but appreciate the fact that he is now bringing the evidence to light.  The true hero of this story is the girl who asked, "“if what it says in our textbook is true, that there was ‘no evidence whatsoever connecting them with the bombing,’ then what did they talk about in the courtroom for six weeks?”

Sigh...

I have been hoping that the whole gun control debate would blow over.  Not likely, now, is it?

I don't love guns. My third grade class lost a classmate to an accidental shooting, and a few years later, a nine-year-old boy in my ward died shortly after Christmas, when he accidentally shot himself with his brand-new hunting rifle.  Those two examples demonstrate the need for great respect in the handling of guns.

However, gun control laws are a violation of the U.S. Constitution.  Among the many reasons I believe the Founders included the 2nd amendment, one of the most important reasons to me is simply the idea of equal protection under the law.  For every lawmaker who demands private citizens give up their guns, I'd say to him, "You first."

Update:

Someone named David Zamos posted a comment in a Wall Street Journal article, compiling a list of quotes from founding fathers about the right to bear arms.  I think they are worth reading.

"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
- George Washington

"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
- Benjamin Franklin

"The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
- Thomas Jefferson

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
- Thomas Jefferson

"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery."
- Thomas Jefferson

"Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion in private self defense."
- John Adams

"To disarm the people is the most effectual way to enslave them."
- George Mason (father of the Bill of Rights and The Virginia Declaration of Rights)

"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the people of other countries, whose leaders are afraid to trust them with arms."
- James Madison

"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
- William Pitt

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
- Richard Henry Lee

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.... The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone who is able might have a gun."
- Patrick Henry

"... arms ... discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property.... Horrid mischief would ensue were (the law-abiding) deprived the use of them."
- Thomas Paine

"The Constitution shall never be construed to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms."
- Samuel Adams

Hypocrisy Among Class Warriors

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/337123/new-liberal-aristocracy-victor-davis-hanson?pg=1

Speaking some more about class envy--the biggest irony is that it is being fed by those who are profiting from it.

Law of Consecration

The law of consecration is one of the the less-understood LDS doctrines, and one that doesn't get a whole lot of attention, save once every so often in Sunday School.  I, myself, haven't really done a lot of studying on the subject, and haven't even bothered to do so for this post, but to summarize:  the law of consecration, or the United Order, is something that Joseph Smith tried to implement in early days of the church, in which the members gave all of their earnings to the church, and in turn, every member was given according to his or her need.  The practice was discontinued, but is supposed to return when all of the members are ready for this higher law.  I think that the doctrine is often misrepresented, and I struggle with my own understanding of it.

I remember very clearly something a religion teacher taught during a class at the LDS Institute at the University of Utah, some time ago when I was a starving college student.  By way of comforting those of us who were uncomfortable with the doctrine, the teacher pointed out how the great wealth of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which wealth has not gone unnoticed by the world.  (Unless I am mistaken, tithing [10% of income or increase] is the primary source of the church's wealth, followed by other types of charitable donations.  The church uses tithing to pay for church buildings, including temples, and all of the things that go into running a world-wide organization.  Tithing funds are regarded as sacred, and the church makes every effort to use this money wisely.)  The teacher went on to say, if the church is doing so well with 10%, imagine how well it would do with 100%?  For, not only would we be sharing in the wealth of ordinary folks, we'd be sharing with the likes of Jon Hunstman, Sr.

At the time, I reveled a bit in the idea that I might be better off under the law of consecration. Like I said, I was poor.  But now, I think of what that teacher taught, and I am dismayed by the greed of those of us in the class whose belief in the law of consecration was founded on the idea that we'd be able to get our hands on John Huntsman's money.  Is this not what government leaders propose every time they demand that the "rich" pay their "fair share"?

In his famous talk on pride, the prophet Ezra Taft Benson said, "Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up."  Back in college, was I not an example of "pride looking up"?  In that same talk, President Benson warned that, "When pride has a hold on our hearts, we lose our independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to the bondage of men’s judgment."  Perhaps he was not talking about the United States' progressive tax policies, but I believe that "we, the people" are doing exactly that.

1st reaction

Happy New Year--we have all been "saved" from the "fiscal cliff".  This so-called "compromise" means that productive citizens, who are by no means millionaires, will get to see their increased taxes go towards increased spending.  The tax increase will by no means put a dent in the U.S. debt; and very likely will lead to decreased revenues.

Yes, according to the press, we've all been rescued.  The House hasn't even voted on it yet.  Whatever happens, Republicans are going to get blamed, and the economy will not improve.

Good WSJ article says it better:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323820104578215400767461788.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read

UPDATE:  The House passed the bill.  Yay.  Now those of us making less than $400K can breathe a sigh of relief, and feel good about "sticking it to the Man."  And then we can watch our economy NOT improve, and the debt grow at an ever increasing rate, and wait for the next round of class warfare.