Monday, December 21, 2009

The Great Nebraska Sell-Out

With all due respect to my Nebraskan friends, your US Senator Ben Nelson sold out.

NOw 49 other states will pay for Nebraska's medicare costs for new enrollees.

Call it a bribe, pay off, hush money or good old Chicago politics, but Senator Ben Nelson blinked, compromised his "values" and sold his vote for health care.

Here's the story.

Abortion? Federal dollars (yout tax dollars) will still pay for abortions.

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., who pushed through the restrictions in the House-passed bill, also rejected Nelson's deal. He called it "not acceptable" because it "would allow the federal government to subsidize insurance policies with abortion coverage." He said he intends to keep working to find a solution that would allow him to ultimately vote for the health care bill.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Senate Health Care Bill Creates New Marriage Penalty

Another bad element of the Senate Health Care bill has come to light. Not only will there be at least 17 new taxes to fund this monstronsity but married couples will also be penalized.

The Washington Times reports that Senate Democrats' health care bill would create a new marriage penalty by imposing a tax on individuals who make $200,000 annually but hitting married couples making just $50,000 more.

Here are the details. Sorry that this is long but the facts need to be known:

1. The new tax would rise from 1.45 percent to 1.95 percent for singles making $200,000 a year and couples making $250,000. Congress earlier this decade tried to reduce the marriage penalty in the income tax code by adjusting the standard deduction for single taxpayers and married couples and expanding the 15 percent tax bracket for couples filing joint tax returns.

2. Two single people, each making $30,000 per year, would pay $1,320 per year combined for private health insurance if the Pelosi bill was in effect now. But if they were to marry, they would then pay $12,000 a year (the estimated cost for private insurance for those who are not subsidized). This couple would be required by law to each year pay more than $10,000 in additional cost for health insurance under the House bill if they get married! The Senate bill works the same way.

3. The system works this way because it subsidizes those who make less than 400 percent of the poverty level. That benchmark is $86,640 per year for two people living together unmarried, but it is $58,280 for two people who are married — a window of $28,360, from $58,280 to $86,240, where two people are far better off living together unmarried as compared to being married.

4. This discriminatory system will have a big impact on people at lower income levels, too. They will realize that if they marry and improve their earnings, they’ll quickly reach a point where their health insurance premiums will skyrocket, increasing by over $10,000 a year. Only half of those insurance premiums will be tax deductible. This huge added cost will provide a powerful incentive to not marry and to also keep their income below certain levels.

5. There are powerful incentives in the bills for businesses to discontinue providing health insurance, which will force millions of couples into the individual insurance market. Once there, these individuals will receive their former health insurance benefits only if their combined income is below 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Many millions of couples will then see their insurance costs go up by that same $10,000 figure — if they stay married —a cost they won’t pay if they


Contact your US Senator now and voice your opinion.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Disaster for America

The latest news out of Washington, DC is that the Democrat-led US Senate is poised to vote in the affirmative for Obama Care.

It will be a disaster for our nation and for families in Colorado.

Here are a couple of reasons:

-You will be forced to buy health insurance or face severe IRS penalities.

-Your taxes and costs will increase. The simple economic fact is that as businesses are saddled with increased government taxes for health care, they will pass on the cost to you. By the way, your taxes are going to increase too.

-For your tax "investment" you will ultimately receive a dubious product. Its so clandestine that the full scope of this new program remains in the dark for average citizens to review. This is bad news.

My summation is not based on right or left, Republican versus Democrat but on its cost to our nation. If this passes we will rue the day our leaders did this.

Two responses. First, our elected leaders are ignoring the will of their constituents. In every state, the polls show that Americans get it and that this deal is a bad one. Thus, every US senator who votes for it needs to be out of office in their next election cycle. Second, contact your US Senator now.

Here is the list.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

A Tiger Moment

It is easy to rush to judge others, particularly when its someone who by the world's standards as everything in access.

Life has been good so far for Tiger Woods until this weekend. Now, that glass house is shattered.

Jesus encountered a shattered woman who had been caught in adultery. Jesus had several options. He could have confirmed the accusations of her accusers and acquised to her punishment, which in the Jewish culture of that time would have been death by stoning. Some of her accusers likely had stones in their hands. He also could have ignored the woman and left her to her fate at the hands of the mob. Or, he could take a third option. He took the third one.

In John 7:53-8:11, scripture records Jesus' response: Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. "If any of you is without sin, let him be the first one to throw a stone at her."

Judgement and retaliation are easy. Forgiveness is not. Let's hope that Tiger and Mrs. Tiger find reconciliation.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Illuminating the World

Illuminating the World
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12 NIV)

In 1879, Thomas Edison would make on of the greatest inventions ever. Edison was not the first light bulb inventor, but he would be the most successful one. His story of inventing a workable incandescent light bulb for indoor use is remarkable. In the period from 1878 to 1880 Edison and his associates worked on at least three thousand different theories to develop an efficient incandescent lamp in the basement laboratory of Edison’s home. While other inventors would perfect Edison’s lamp, his invention would literally bring light to the world.

In 1882, the first Christmas tree was lit by the use of electricity. Edward Johnson lighted up a Christmas tree in New York City with eighty small electric light bulbs. It should be noted that Edward Johnson created the first string of electric Christmas lights that were then mass produced around 1890. By 1900, department stores started using the new Christmas lights for their Christmas displays.

For many, Christmas is all about bright lights. While colorful lights adorn trees and homes, their use symbolizes a deeper message of the season-a hopeful light in a dark world. Today, while Edison’s bulb illuminates the homes of mankind and Johnson’s outdoor bulbs cover Christmas trees, it’s Jesus Christ who illuminates the hearts of humanity. Jesus said in John 8:12, that “I am the light of the world.”

So, what light do you believe in?

Whenever you are challenged by an environment that is corrupt and ungodly, you have an opportunity to let your light shine before those in that culture. We may have little control of those around us or of events which dominate the headlines. But what we do have control over is letting Christ work through us, illuminating those around us. The more corrupt a culture, the brighter your light should shine.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Christians Unite With Manhatten Declaration

Last Friday, 152 Christian leaders across America from the Catholic, Orthodox and Evangelical traditions signed a 4700-word document entitled “The Manhattan Declaration”. The statement, drafted by national Christian scholars including Robert George (Princeton University) and Timothy George (Samford University), affirms three key truths from American history. They are:

1.the sanctity of human life;
2.the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife;
3.the rights of conscience and religious liberty.

In an interview with Mike Huckabee Saturday, Chuck Colson, a member of the drafting committee, stated: “We pledge to one another that we will not compromise or be a party to a compromise to the fundamental principles on which the faith is based and on which our country is based as well.” Colson committed to Jesus’ command, to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's” (Matt 22:21), and quickly added: “under no circumstance will we render to Caesar what is God’s.”

He went on to say that the community of faith is taking a stand for what is just and good, and those signing the document are prepared to pay the price. Colson quoted from Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, “An unjust law is no law at all.” On Friday’s BreakPoint, Colson stated: “The Manhattan Declaration is a wake-up call—a call to conscience—for the church. It is also crystal-clear message to civil authorities that we will not, under any circumstances, stand idly by as our religious freedom comes under assault.”

This document is unprecedented in American church history. This document is not a political statement though many will try to spin it that way. Its neither right or left, Democrat or Republican. Its simply a unified call by believers from all Christian traditions to confront our toxic culture with biblical absolutes.

Yet, despite what many secular historical revisionists are teaching our children, faith played a huge role in the formation of the values which anchor our nation.

Christian thought has shaped the Western world for centuries. It was Christian ideas that swept into practice such noble ideas as the rights of all humans; the right of property; the right of conscience; the right of tolerance; and the right religion. Our world will be much different if these values slip away.

If you would like to sign the Manhatten Declaration, visit here.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Morality Without God?

WORLD Magazine editor Marvin Olasky has a superb dialogue Dartmouth University professor Walter Sinnott-Armstrong on whether there can be any morality with God.

Here is the article.

I say no. Without God, one man's morality can become an other's tyranny. Case in point-Hitler and the Jews.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Teach the Bible in School? Of Course...

Since President Obama is on a roll with holding conferences to address thorny issues, let me suggest another one: convene a conference to address the volatile issue of religion in public schools. In particular, let's talk about teaching the Bible again in public schools.

I happened to believe that teaching students the Bible in public schools is a good idea. We are making this debate too complicated.

Now I know this debate can lead to great passion, but let's use a little common sense.

Here's why.

First, its a key source for the historical founding of our nation. Every point made in the 1776 Declaration of Independence was preached from a church pulpit before 1770. Understanding the biblical concepts of liberty, property and justice is crucial for students in their studies of the beginnings of our nation.

Second, the Bible is filled with all sorts of different literature that students can study. There's historical passages, poetic passages, didactic ones, apocalyptic and wisdom literature all wrapped into one magnificent book.

Third, professors from many of America's leading universities-Yale, Princeton, Rice, Berkeley and Stanford have consensus that incoming college students need to be well-versed in the stories, themes and words of the Bible. The context- they cannot understand Shakespeare, Milton or Wordsworth.

Fourth, biblical knowledge is key to understanding today's pop culture. Here's the deal. Take Stephen Colbert's irreverent humor on Comedy Central. Or the devilishly clever title of the band White Stripes release, Get Behind Me Satan. There are many movies and other cultural expressions embedded with biblical themes or twisted ones too.

Finally, in a 2008 sociological publication, research showed that regular church attendance positively affected students academic performance. There are several ways to interpret this data, but I choose to see this in the light of the benefit gained from biblical literacy as it is applied to life.

Everyone wins with biblical teaching in school. Christian families will feel positive and hopeful that these elective courses on the Bible will improve the school environment while other parents who want their kids to be high achievers just might start taking them to church....

Your thoughts?

Monday, November 09, 2009

Making Sense of Fort Hood

Like me, I am sure you were appalled at the murders which occurred at Fort Hood last week. It's incomprehensible to me that an American would turn his weapon upon fellow unarmed soldiers and randomly murder them.

There is a great danger lurking here for our nation. Its not jihadists or radical islamists. Its not our policies in Iraq or Afghanistan. It is more insidious than these. It is the anger we could seed into the lives of our children. History shows that rage always worsens with succeeding generations (see Bosnia, etc.).

You may not want to hear this, but most Muslims are not evil. We may not agree with their religious tenants, but that does not make them terrorists.

The tough challenge about Fort Hood is that we must practice discernment and not racial profiling. Scripture tells us to be discerning and in particular, on the lookout for the presence of evil. As believers, when we see evil we are to react
to it.

Major Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of the Fort Hood murders, committed an act of evil. He needs to be tried in a court of law and if found guilty, held accountable for his actions. This is the appropriate action.

Uncontrolled anger fueled by fear is the wrong response to Fort Hood. We don;t need to nuke Muslims in the Mideast or drag peaceful Muslims from their homes. Racially profiling innocent Muslims is a throw back to some of the darker chapters of American history.

A Mandate for Action-Being a Gideonite

I am not sure what storms or life challenges you face today. Perhaps its a terminal illness. Perhaps its the loss of a job or mountains of debt. Perhaps its the end of a marital or friendship relationship. The fact remains that life is filled with storms, circumstances that can blow all of us off course.

I love the story of Gideon, the mighty Jewish warrior found in the pages of the Old Testament. Here was a guy from the smallest Jewish tribe, who found himself and his nation outnumbered and overwhelmed by fierce enemies.

In the Old Testament book of Judges, chapters 6-8, Gideon meets God who tells him to trust in Him. Gideon obeys and jumps into the deep end of the pool, trusting that God would provide the victories needed to deliver his people.

You can read the outcome of God's provision in Judges chapter 7. The takeaway for us today is this:

-God is just as trustworthy today as He was in Gideon's time.

-There is no storm to big or strong that God cannot provide a way for you to navigate through it.

-Overwhelming odds are no reason to give up what we know to be true. If Gideon had accepted defeat he would have never seen God work a miracle.

Whatever obstacles you face today, remember that God will go before you into your battle. Your response: to trust Him and jump in.

Friday, November 06, 2009

God Can Change Any Heart-40 Days of Life National Campaign

This is a must read story of a former abortion clinic's directors journey to God. Let me preface this one by affirming that God is in the business of redeeming dark human souls. Redemption and reconciliation is God's number one priority. Also, there is a great nation-wide effort to pray outside of abortion clinics touted as the "40 Days for Life Campaign." More below.

Here is the story.

For more information on the National 40 Days for Life Campaign, click here.

Unemployment Soars Hitting Families Hard

The latest national unemployment report is awful.

See the story here.

If your family where unemployment is ripping through you, there is not much immediate hope.

Our political leaders here in Colorado (Gov Ritter and crew) and in Washington, DC have acted obtusely in managing our economy, keeping taxes low and creating jobs.

In the long-run, government spending never spurs an economic recovery. The engine of our economy fires away when small businesses have the ability to create sustainable jobs.

The fact remains that sustainable job creation occurs when job creators have excess capital, low taxes and a profit incentive to produce. To our detriment, many Americas are clueless about the workings of our historic market economy.

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

Maine Affirms Traditional Marriage Definition

Defying the predictions of many, Maine voters repealed a law that had legalized homosexual marriage in this northeast state. In recent months, other New England states-New Hampshire, Vermont and Connecticut had joined Massachusetts in allowing gay partners to marry.

Gay marriage has now lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote. Gay-rights activists had hoped to buck that trend in Maine -- known for its moderate, independent-minded electorate -- and mounted an energetic, well-financed campaign.

However, pro-marriage forces under the banner of "Yes on 1" won the day.

Here is the story.

A couple of points to consider:

-Gay marriage has now lost in every single state -- 31 in all -- in which it has been put to a popular vote.

-Those who would argue that Jesus would have endorsed gay marriage argue from silence. Scripture is clear on the definition of marriage-Gen. 2:24; Matt. 19:4-5.

-Colorado passed a state constitutional amendment in 2006 defining marriage between one man and one woman.

-A vote for traditional marriage is a vote for our freedoms and liberties. As we preserve the family we preserve one of the historic hubs of freedom in our nation...

Monday, November 02, 2009

Abortion Alive and Well in Obama Care

Despite repeated attempts by pro-life legislators on both sides of the aisle, taxpayer funding for abortion is back with a vengeance in ObamaCare proposals.

Thus far, all 17 proposed amendments that would prohibit taxpayer funding for abortion in ObamaCare have been defeated, and pro-life Congressman Bart Stupak, a Democrat from Michigan, said of the House's 2,000-page bill (H.R. 3962), "Language in the bill still does not do enough to prevent federal funding from going to abortion services.

"I am disappointed the Capps Amendments has remained intact (in the House bill), mandating abortion services for the first time in the nation's history."

Here are some more details and facts:

-In the Senate version, the 10% of doctors who submit the most reimbursements for Medicare patients will have their pay docked by five percent. This inevitably will lead to rationing of care for seniors, and make "death panels" inevitable as doctors strain to stay below the threshold.

Finally, Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) describes the House bill this way: "This 2,000-page bill includes a job-killing employer mandate, an individual mandate that requires Washington bureaucrats to define what kind of coverage is acceptable, burdensome tax increases, Medicare cuts, and a huge expansion of Medicaid that will break already strained state budgets."

Let your congressional representatives hear your voice!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Origins of Halloween

This weekend a lot of us will be dressing up and playing ghosts and goblins. I am not trying to spook anyone, but I think as believers we should know the origins of Halloween.

Here is a fact sheet we wrote about Halloween...

Origins Of Halloween

For a proper understanding of the modern American celebration on October 31st, we must look at three early celebrations that have come together to form today's Halloween.

The first of these precursors to Halloween goes all the way back to pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland to a celebration of the Druids or Celtic priests. The Celtic year began on November 1st with the festival of Samhain. On the eve of Samhain, October 31st, laughing bands of young people disguised in grotesque masks carved lanterns from turnips and carried them through the villages. It was sort of a harvest festival, and in addition, it was thought of as a festival of the dead. The druids believed it was on that night when the earth comes into closest contact with the spiritual world; and consequently ghosts, goblins and witches supposedly destroyed crops, killed farm animals and wreaked havoc on the villagers. As these spirits of the dead roamed around, villagers lighted bonfires to either drive them away or to guide the spirits of the dead back to their homes.

The second precursor to Halloween goes back to the Dark Ages in central Europe. There, the Christian church destroyed many of the temples of various pagan gods and goddesses, such as Diana and Apollo. However, this pagan worship was never completely eradicated and took on the form of witchcraft. One of the most important aspects of witchcraft is a number of celebrations each year which are called "Witches' Sabbaths." One of the highest of the Witches' Sabbaths is the High Sabbath or the Black Sabbath of Witches on October 31st. Much of the Halloween folklore of today such as black cats, broomsticks, cauldrons and spells come from the Black Sabbath.

The third precursor to Halloween goes back to the early Roman Catholic Church. The church had appointed certain days to honor each saint and basically ran out of days in the year for all their saints to have a day, so they decided to have one day to remember all the saints. They called it All Saints' Day. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III changed All Saints' Day from May 13th to November 1st, and in the year 834, Pope Gregory IV extended this celebration to the entire Roman church. This event was called Allhallowmass, and as you might suppose, there was a celebration on the evening before on October 31st, called All Hallow E'en, "all hallow" meaning all of the hallowed ones. As you might guess, the contraction of hallow and e'en is where the word Halloween is derived.

The modern custom of going door to door begging for candy while dressed in costumes called "trick or treating," goes back to the pagan new year's feast in Ireland. The spirits that were thought to throng about the houses of the living were greeted with a banquet. At the end of the feast, villagers disguised as souls of the dead, paraded to the outskirts of the village leading the spirits away. This was done to avoid any calamities the dead might bring. Another way the villagers tried to appease the dead was to set out bowls of fruit and other treats so the spirits would partake of them and leave them in peace. Later when the belief in ghosts and goblins declined, youths dressed up as ghosts and goblins and threatened to play tricks on those who failed to be generous with treats.

The jack-o-lantern, also known as will-o-the-wisp, fox fire and corpse candle, among other things, was believed to be a wandering soul which could not find refuge in either heaven or hell because of a particularly evil deed committed in its lifetime. The Finns believed that it was the soul of a child buried in the forest. A corpse candle is said to be a small flame moving through the air in the dark and is believed by the superstitious to be an omen of the observers imminent death.

According to ancient folklore from many places, a will-o-the-wisp wanders about swamp areas, enticing victims to follow. These strange fires were also known as "foolish fire," because only a fool would follow them. Today's pumpkin face is symbolic of that mocking spirit. It is always wise to look into any customs associated with holidays and be aware of their roots.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Maine Evenly Split on Historic Marriage Vote

Latest polling from Maine show residents equally split two weeks ahead of a historic vote which will decide if marriage is redefined in that state.

Here is the story.

What's important here is not whether Mainites will vote for legitimizing homosexual marriage, but whether they will choose to redefine marriage.

In 2006 Coloradans added a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a relationship between one man and one woman, 57-43 percent.

Medical Marijuana Law a Front for More Marijuana Use?

I love social do-gooders. Much of the time I am one myself.

But, Colorado's medical marijuana law, passed with good intentions to help chronically illl Coloradans has gone bust.

Find this story here.

In 2000, Colorado voters approved Amendment 20 which legalized small amounts of cannabis to be used by patients under the care of a physician. The rationale- many Coloradans with serious illnesses would finally get relief with medical marijuana. Right.

Most of us knew what would eventually happen. Word would get out and the fraudulent schemes would occur. In essence, marijuana use would be legalized in Colorado. Now, the number of Coloradans claiming a need for it is soaring!

My opinion. This law needs to be repealed.

H1N1 Vaccine Shortages-How Did This Happen?

This may have been the biggest under reported story yesterday.

However you slice it, the government has botched up the H1N1 flu virus supply line.

If you missed this story, here it is...

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Montana judges smack down parental rights

Montana is not Colorado but its close.

This story should chill you particularly if your a parent.

What a Montana court has done is stand on its head the right of natural parents to have sole claim on their child. Instead, there is legal precedence for third parties to make a parenting claim on a child.

This is not new news in Colorado. Colorado law allows an individual (non-parent) to petition for parental responsibilities when he or she has had physical care of the child for at least six months.

What we object to is a court determining that a non-parent's claims to parenting time trumps those of a fit natural parent...


This is a bad decision that needs to be overturned.

Monday, October 12, 2009

One of the slickest statistics to rope in are marriage stats. Our friends at the Institute for American Values have develop a new tool that we will use in our work here in Colorado....Maggie Gallagher explains more below.

How do you measure a marriage culture?

The Institute for American Values, in conjunction with the new National Center for African-American Marriage and Parenting has just released a new "Marriage Index" that for the very first time in American history creates a tool to measure the health of marriage in America.

It's a brilliant conceptual idea, long overdue. This is a GDP for marriage, a way to statistically sum up complex trends in a way that allows us to capture a core truth: Is marriage getting weaker or stronger?

The report (available at www.americanvalues.org) begins by asking key questions: "What helps us the most to thrive, as individuals and as a society? Money or marriage? Assets or relationships? Here's what we know: A large body of research suggests that the status of our marriages influences our well-being at least as much as the status of our finances."

So why, the report's authors ask, do we work so hard to create a consensus measure of our leading economic indicators and not our marriage indicators?

The leading economic indicators are not mere dry statistical artifacts; they are a living part of our intellectual, social, media and political culture. "These indicators are generally accepted by elites and by the broad public as both accurate and important. As a result, they matter. We read about them in publications and hear about them on TV. Policymakers and opinion shapers pay attention to them. If they are improving, we tend to rejoice. If they are declining, we tend to fret, and ask, 'What can we do?'"

But these authors point out: "There is no equivalent effort to focus on marriage. ... Consequently, policymakers and opinion leaders rarely seem to care about marriage trends, or even notice them."

Until now.

The Marriage Index is the product of a bipartisan group of scholars and leaders who selected five indicators as fundamental. What are these five?

(1) A marriage rate measure -- the proportion of adults under age 54 who are married. (The focus on younger Americans is in order to avoid conflating longer life and more widows with the decline of marriage.)

(2) A divorce measure -- the proportion of first marriages that are still intact.

(3) A marital happiness measure -- the proportion of married people who say their marriage is "very happy" (because quality matters, too).

There are also two child-centered measures:

(4) The proportion of babies who are born to married people.

(5) The proportion of all children who live with their own two married parents.

These last two are to many of us the most important. "Why devote two-fifths of a Marriage Index to children?" the authors ask. "These last two indicators concern more than just children: Fundamentally, they reflect the link between adults and children that marriage is designed to create and secure. At its essence, marriage is a social institution that, when it's working, meets social needs -- and perhaps the greatest of these needs is supporting the helpless offspring that result from the sexual union of two people."

So how are we doing on marriage? No one will be surprised to hear the answer: not well. Overall, since 1970 the combined Five Leading Marriage Indicators dropped from 76.2 percent to 60.3 percent.

But the news is not all bad. Since 2000, three of the five leading marriage indicators have actually stabilized or begun to improve: The proportion of first marriages that are intact plunged from 77 percent to under 60 percent between 1970 and 2000; it actually climbed three-tenths of a percent since 2000. The proportion of children living with their own married parents similarly ticked up half a percentage point. And the proportion of marriages that are "very happy" has been stable. We can learn to do better.

Of course, the very best scientific indicators will capture only a portion of why we really care about marriage. Maps are not roads. But that is precisely why they are useful.

Friday, October 09, 2009

Letterman and Marriage- Do the Right Thing Dave..

David Letterman has a lot to learn about being married. We all do.

Let me say first off, that I am no marriage expert and I am not judging David Letterman or his wife.

Suffice to say, perfect marriages don't exist. Marriage is often a tough relationship between two flawed people. Don't let anyone tell you that there is a perfect marriage, because short of this side of heaven, marriage is a work in progress. Even the best marriages have their moments of failure, doubts, disagreements, etc.

So what about Letterman? Here is my advice to the late night comic:

Being married is not akin to having an affair. Toss out the jokes. The loser in all of this is your young son, Harry. Be a man Mr. Letterman. Admit your mistakes and seriously repair the relationship (if she will let you) with your son's mother...

Obama and the Nobel Prize-I Have Hope!

Once again, the great thing about Obama is that he gives hope to little guys like me!

Wow, not only is our President the messiah, the great communicator, world leader, rock star and soon, to star in his own movie series but now a Nobel Peace Prize winner.

I am still not sure what he has done to garner the award, but hey, style and sizzle carry the day. Substance does not.

All of this in only 9 months in office. I cannot possibly imagine what we will accomplish with the rest of his term!

Maybe, the Norwegians got some of our stimulus monies...?

Monday, October 05, 2009

Lessons for Colorado from California

Apologies to any Californians who may see this blog. I am a native Californian, but boy am I glad to only visit now not live there.

Let me just say that the bubble has burst in the Golden State. Pick your poison- wildfires, bankrupt state government, no economic growth, thousands of former homeowners, 12 percent unemployment rate, political gridlock, etc., etc. The list goes on and on.

California could become the first failed state in our nation's history. Another Obama bail-out/buy-up could be coming!

There are four lessons to be learned here in Colorado from the California implosion. Here they are:

1- The coming tax revolt. It will happen soon. Americans will rebel at some point and place and it will spread like wildfire. The Colorado lesson: Keep taxes low. Don't try and trick Coloradans by saying that new taxes are just "fairness fees."

2- The brain drain. Entrepeneurs (if any are still left) and job-creators are leaving California like rats from a sinking ship. The reason: stifling business taxes and regulations. The trickle up economic theory does not work. A poor man will never create a robust job for someone else. Colorado lesson: Create and maintain a healthy business climate with low business taxes and regulations. Remember that real jobs are created by folks who have a passion for a product and a profit motive to succeed.

3- Help the helpless and forego the clueless. I love helping the helpless and unfortunately today there are many of these folks. However, we have a growing cadre of the clueless, many of whom are well-educated but utterly dense when it comes to how life really works. Many of these folks wind up sticking to entities which advocate for issues that either don't work, are contrary to the laws of nature or are simply too expensive. Colorado lesson: The Guv and the legislature need to keep the temperature of the electorate front and center and not make public policy based on shrillness or political payoffs. Many of the clueless can be ignored.

4- Not everyone needs a handout or deserves a government solution. For years, Californians have spent public dollars creating huge entitlements and public dependencies. Now, that bill is coming due. With decreased tax revenue (see #1 and #2 above), the state government can no longer pay its bills. This is the worst conclusion-it would have been better off for families who now depend on these entitlements to have not had government support than to now cut them off. Colorado lesson: Its easy for politicians to promise goodies in exchange for votes. The problem is is that when revenue streams dry up, many families are left high and dry.

Colorado Democrats who currently rule the political roost here and many of the same proclivities of governance as their California cousins who have run that state into the ground. Let's pray that they follow a different path.

Your Tax Dollars at Work Stimulating the Economy

Before you read this let me make a couple of comments.

First, I love helping people who need help. Second, I love to see new jobs created, families prosper and Americans have most of their earned money in their wallet.

What you see below is a shame. Its a shame because of the title. This program will not create many jobs if any at well. After all, isn't that what a stimulus is supposed to do? This is nothing more than more government spending...At best, it is disingenuous.

Now, some people will get good services from private providers. But, don't call it something that it is not.

American Recovery Reinvestment Act of 2009 Communities Putting Prevention to Work Funding Opportunity Number: CDC-RFA-DP09-912ARRA09
CFDA Number(s): 93.724 -- Prevention and Wellness--Communities Putting Prevention to Work

Executive Summary: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), signed into law February 17, 2009, is designed to stimulate economic recovery in various ways, including preserving and creating jobs and promoting economic recovery, assisting those most impacted by the recession, stabilizing State and local government budgets in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases, and strengthening the Nation’s health care infrastructure and reducing health care costs through prevention activities. The Recovery Act includes $650 million for evidence-based clinical and community-based prevention and wellness strategies that support specific, measurable health outcomes to reduce chronic disease rates. The legislation provides an important opportunity for states, cities, rural areas, and tribes to advance public health across the lifespan and to reduce health disparities. The CDC will support intensive community approaches to chronic disease prevention and control in selected communities (urban and rural), to achieve the following prevention outcomes:

Increased levels of physical activity;
Improved nutrition (e.g. increased fruit/vegetable consumption, reduced salt and trans fats);
Decreased overweight/obesity prevalence
Decreased smoking prevalence and decreased teen smoking initiation; and
Decreased exposure to secondhand smoke.
Background: In the United States today, seven of ten deaths and the vast majority of serious illness, disability, and health care costs are caused by chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Key risk factors–lack of physical activity, poor nutrition and tobacco use–are major contributors to the nation’s leading causes of death. More than 75% of health care expenditures in the United States are spent to meet the health needs of persons with chronic conditions (www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/overview.htm). Many Americans die prematurely and suffer from diseases that could be prevented or more effectively managed.
communities in

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

A Common Sense Colorado Solution to Health Care

This story makes sense.

We need some sense right now regarding the health care debate and practical solutions. While our political leaders fight in D.C. about Obama care, Coloradans are enjoying new health care options in local Walmart stores or other storefronts.

Here is an encouraging story about the burgeoning growth of health care clinics in retail store outlets here in Colorado.

Increasingly, retail store health clinics (found in many Walmarts and Walgreen's) are offering low cost services which fill one of the major gaps in our current health care system.

The gap- access to reasonable pay as you go primary health care, like shots, care for broken bones, fever, etc.

Our political leaders need to take note. It shows American ingenuity and innovation without government interference.

What I like even more about these services is that the government has no role in them. Let free market entrepreneur's establish these services where customers receive quality care and a reasonable profit can be made.

The winners: Colorado families.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Colorado Republicans Claim They Are Back-We'll See...See My Checklist!

We will see if Colorado "R's" are back.

Colorado Republicans have taken their lumps over the last three election cycles. But, according to insiders, a fresh wind of hope, direction and palatable ideas are re-invigorating the GOP.

From my angle, I hope so. But, to make dreams become a reality, there is a short checklist that should be discussed before any victory laps:

-Money. Colorado Dems have a seemingly un-ending stream of money from a dedicated core of big-monied sympathizers. Unless the Republicans can trump the money gusher with superior candidates and ideas, they will be outspent and lose.

-On message. The "R's" have lacked a palatable statewide message on key issues like health care, taxes, jobs, education, transportation, etc. I think you get the picture. To their credit, good folks like State Senator Mike Kopp and others have tried to get the party apparatus on the same page saying the same thing. But, its not gained traction yet. No message equals no wins in 2010.

-Unity. There's an old Colorado proverb that goes like this- there are four parties in Colorado: Democrats, Independents, Liberal Republicans and Conservative Republicans. The bottom line is this: the Focus on the Family "R's" must make peace with the liberal and libertarian "R's" and decide that they do have common ground. Dems have exploited this breach for years, playing both sides off each other.

-Independents. They are now the majority party in Colorado. To win, the "R's" must address their concerns which are: health care, good jobs, the environment, education and fiscal restraint. If your ideas don't play here there will not be wins in 210.

2010 could be the year of the return of conservatism in Colorado. But it will only be carried in by a unified, on message Republican party...

Lack of Common Sense: Florida Teacher Finger Prints Her Students!

There's nothing like being accussed of something you did not do particularly when you are a youngster.

This is one of those see it to believe it stories....Click here.

I was not aware that teachers were really undercover law enforcement agents.

The teacher should have been fired.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Problems with New Health Care Lite

Democratic Montana Senator Max Baucus, a genuinely good and thoughtful man, has offered a new healthcare alternative.

Unfortunately, it still sounds like and looks like a duck.

The issue: the resurrection of the "co-op" versus the public health care option. Senator Baucus wants to replace the government option with a community based co-op system. This system has been tried before.

It's DNA is this: regional groups of employers and community leaders would use Federal subsidies to setup a health care co-op. They would then negotiate costs and services with local health care providers. They also would build a membership base many of whom would be poorer families buying policies with new federal subsidies. These members would in turn own the co-op. Costs would be controlled by emphasizing preventive and primary care versus expensive emergency room services.

Sound good? Not so fast. Here are some historic problems with co-ops. Problem one- since co-ops will not be mandatory, it will take years for these entities to gain enough membership to have any cost-cutting power in the marketplace. Problem two- they will attract patients who have expensive medical needs and are unable to secure coverage elsewhere. Finally, it will likely cost more money and procure less medical services that traditional plans.

These historic problems remain.

Sounds like another bad idea for your family.

World's Tallest Man Looking For A Wife

A quick sidebar fun story:

Let me preface this one by saying that marriage not only transcends race, ethnicity, age and economic status, but now height.

A towering Turk was officially named the world's tallest man last week. Measuring in at 8 feet 1 inches, Sultan Kosen, from Mardin, Turkey is looking for love.

He reports that in the past women were scared of him because of his height. Now, according to Kosen, "hopefully, now that I am famous, I'll be able to meet lots of girls and get married."

Any takers? If so, carefully considered how tall the kids could be...

Monday, September 14, 2009

Public Health Care and Abortions: Do You Trust the Fox in the Hen House?

In Colorado, our constitution prohibits public tax dollars being used on abortions. Its common sense and should remain so.

Currently, there is also a federal ban on using tax dollars to fund abortions.

However for years, liberals have wanted a public health care option that would include funding abortions with your tax dollars. And they are about the business of undoing these current restrictions.

That same storm is raising its ugly head again in Congress. Despite denials by the abortions rights crowd to contrary(akin to asking a fox in the hen house if the chickens are safe), Obama himself has affirmed that he wants health care reforms to cover reproductive services.

Congresswoman Louise Capps, a Democrat from California has introduced an amendment to one of the House bills that would allow abortions to be paid for with beneficiary premiums rather than federal dollars. This plan also requires private insurers who want to participate in government subsidized policies to offer two plans- one that would cover abortions and another one that would not. But that is a shell game and either way you slice it, directly or indirectly your tax dollars are going to pay for abortions.

So who is telling the truth?

So my question- do you trust the fox in the hen house to tell you if the chickens are well?

Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Colorado Budget Woes Pinch State Services

We have a dilemma in Colorado. Click here for the Denver Post's latest article. The subject du jour is how state services will affect Colorado's poor and needy.

For years, many of us foretold of this day. It has now arrived. There are some very tough choices for us and our leaders.

Here is the nexus: Colorado's state expenses are higher than our current tax revenue.

My point today is not to play "gotcha" or "I told you so" but to offer three sober solutions plus a bonus idea.

Here they are:

Option One: Cut expenses at the risk of snipping state services that many Coloradans have come to be dependent upon them. These soft programs are not constitutionally protected for annual funding hikes(like public education funding and Amendment 23 guaranteed) and are subject to funding cuts. A good example is the proposed cut of a nursing unit in Grand Junction which will save the state gov $1.3 million but will also displace many fragile patients. The folks at home are not going to like this one.

Option Two: Take a page from the federal government or the state of California playbooks and continue spending and hope someday that Santa Claus, the federal government or a lucky star falls into the state coffers eliminating the debt. Unlikely, because rat holes simply get bigger.

Or Option Three: Take a page from the book of business common sense and enact policies that will increase tax revenue, like cutting corporate taxes and lowering other tax rates on job producers and taxpayers. Less taxes means more income that will be spent on new jobs which creates spending which in turn creates more dollars for the state treasury.

Finally, the bonus option: offer private charities incentives to expand their services to Colorado's needy. A century ago, public compassion was done excellently through private charities. These entities are more often than not well equipped to offer excellent care for those in need.

We need a stiff wind to blow away the fog which is blinding our state's leadership.

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Give Obama A Break

Some folks on the right are acting like Barack Obama is Darth Vader. Maybe in time he will become the masked crusader for the evil empire.

But for now let's give him a chance. While the latest White House gaffe over positioning the President's desire to speak to public school students is yet another faux pas in a string of public relations fumbles, the President deserves an opportunity to speak to kids in a voluntary forum.

Many Presidents of have inspired students with the timeless challenge to succeed and for the most part their words inspired many students. There was Kennedy's speech in the 1960's; Carter in the mid- 1970's; Reagan in the '80's, etc., etc.I heard all of them and never considered their political orientation much.

Back in those days, our nation buried elections and the political aftermath the day afterwards. There were no 24 hour cable news channels and we all went back to being Americans. No one was talking then about the next presidential election 4 years down the road. Unfortunately, we now live in the future where many Americans are professional political partisans, earning a living by ripping the other side a new one.

Okay, I am a social conservative. I don't agree with Obama's leftist policies but it doesn't mean that I don't want him to inspire students as the President of the United States. Like it or not, he is the elected President of our nation for the next 4 years. He does have a compelling story which will inspire many young people. Now, I don't want schools to force students to watch it but it shouldn't be castigated either.

Relax, let him speak.

Monday, September 07, 2009

Honest Requiem on Ted Kennedy's Passing

Ted Kennedy's passing last week ends an era. The media tried to spin his passing as the end of a legendary statesman career, one built on his championing causes for the "little guy." But was this assessment true or was it yet another media spin job obfuscating Kennedy's real agenda and life?

One group of "little guys" that got no help from Kennedy were the unborn.

Many Catholics were appalled at Kennedy's policies and beliefs and deeply bothered that Kennedy was provided a full public Catholic funeral. And frankly, most of his ideas were no in adherence to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Reverend Thomas Euteneuer is the President of Human Life International. As a Catholic priest he accurately summarizes Kennedy's life. Here it is:

Human Life Internationale's Statement on the Passing of Senator Edward Kennedy.

We must, as a matter of precept, pray for the salvation of heretical Catholics like Senator Edward Kennedy, but we do not have to praise him let alone extol him with the full honors of a public Catholic funeral and all the adulation that attends such an event. There was very little about Ted Kennedy's life that deserves admiration from a spiritual or moral point of view. He was probably the worst example of a Catholic statesman that one can think of. When all is said and done, he has distorted the concept of what it means to be a Catholic in public life more than anyone else in leadership today.

Obviously we don't know the state of Senator Edward Kennedy's soul upon death. We don't pretend to. We are told by the family that he had the opportunity to confess his sins before a priest, and his priest has said publicly he was "at peace" when he died. For that we are grateful. But it is one thing to confess one's sins and for these matters to be kept, rightfully, private. It is another thing entirely for one who so consistently and publicly advocated for the destruction of unborn human beings to depart the stage without a public repudiation of these views, a public confession, as it were.

It is up to God to judge Senator Kennedy's soul. We, as rational persons, must judge his actions, and his actions were not at all in line with one who values and carefully applies Church teaching on weighty matters. Ted Kennedy's positions on a variety of issues have been a grave scandal for decades, and to honor this "catholic" champion of the culture of death with a Catholic funeral is unjust to those who have actually paid the price of fidelity. We now find out that President Obama will eulogize the Senator at his funeral-an indignity which, following on the heels of the Notre Dame fiasco, leaves faithful Catholics feeling sullied, desecrated and dehumanized by men who seem to look for opportunities to slap the Church in the face and do so with impunity simply because they have positions of power.

It is not enough for Kennedy to have been a "great guy behind the scenes" as we have seen him referred to even by his political opponents. It is also not praiseworthy to put a Catholic rhetorical veneer on his leftist politics that did nothing to advance true justice as the Church sees it or to advance the peace of Christ in this world. Every indication of Senator Kennedy's career, every public appearance, every sound bite showed an acerbic, divisive and partisan political hack for whom party politics were much more infallible than Church doctrines. Whatever one's political affiliation, if one is only "Catholic" to the extent that his faith rhymes with his party line, then his Catholicism is a fraud.

As the Scriptures remind us, there is a time for everything under the sun. This, now, is the time for honesty about our Faith and about those who are called to express it in the public forum. If we do not remind ourselves of the necessity of public confession for public sins such as Senator Kennedy was guilty of, then we are negligent in our embrace of the Faith and we are part of the problem. As Pope Benedict has reminded us recently, charity without truth can easily become mere sentimentality, and we must not fall into that error. A Catholic show of charity for the family must not eclipse the truth that is required of all with eyes to see and ears to hear.

Senator Kennedy needs to be sent to the afterlife with a private, family-only funeral and the prayers of the Church for the salvation of his immortal soul. He will not be missed by the unborn who he betrayed time and time again, nor by the rest of us who are laboring to undo the scandalous example of Catholicism that he gave to three generations of Americans.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Minneapolis Tornado and the ELCA's Embrace of Homosexuality

I am not a meteorologist, but a tornado struck the Minneapolis area this week while the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) was voting to allow homosexual clergy to actively minister to it's congregations.

Coincidence? Maybe.

But it makes you pause and wonder if there wasn't a message and a forewarning in that storm. Ironically, the ELCA may be inviting a divisive internal storm upon itself, much as the Episcopalian Church of America did a decade or so ago when it went down the slippery slope of homosexual clergy.

The dagger at the throat of the ELCA is not really whether homosexuals should be clergy or not but that of scriptural authority. While some ELCA apologists will claim that homosexuality is better understood now (and should be allowed)than it was when the Bible was written, the lurking danger is the reduction of scriptural authority. Here comes the slippery slope.

What other historic Christian theologies will now be reinterpreted in light of "modern revelations"-the inerrancy and authority of scripture; the deity of Christ; the sufficiency of the atonement?

Frankly, there are more pressing issues right now for Christendom than the ordination of homosexual clergy. The Church is commanded by Jesus Christ to be a light to world: the preaching of the Gospel, the making of disciples, the promotion of justice and equality, the care of the poor and sick, etc., etc.

Noted evangelical Christian author and pastor John Piper opined that:
"The tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction. Reaffirm the great Lutheran heritage of allegiance to the truth and authority of Scripture. Turn back from distorting the grace of God into sensuality. Rejoice in the pardon of the cross of Christ and its power to transform left and right wing sinners."

Amen.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Teach the Bible in Public Schools? We Use To...

Most Americans don't remember that the Bible used to be the prima-learning text for all American school children.

Historically, biblical teachings have formed the core bedrock of our nation's heritage. A study by the American Political Science Review on the political documents of the founding era, which was from 1760-1805, discovered that 94 percent of the period's documents were based on the Bible, with 34 percent of the contents being direct citations from the Bible. The Scripture was the bedrock and blueprint of our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, academic arenas and heritage until the last quarter of a century.

Today's USA TODAY offers a reasonable discussion on resurrecting the Bible as a source of literature and history for the public classroom.

I like the idea. Here are a couple of compelling reasons to bring back the Bible:

1-The Bible's timeless message pushes back the hopelessness of secularism. From a simple historical perspective, understanding the Bible's influence in the foundations of America is very important.
2-Having a versatile knowledge of the biblical themes and words aids students, particularly in understanding other great literary works such as Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth and Sidney.
3-Finally, research repeatedly shows that regular church attendance positively affects students and their academic performances.

Your thoughts?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Colorado's Economic Reality

"If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?"

Powerful words from 1 John 3:17.

In today's economic climate, many of desperate needs. Jobs have been lost, mortgages unpaid, and financial chaos is consuming many Coloradans.

Today's Denver Post contains a good article chronicling the plight of many Coloradans battle to find work and pay life's bills.

Perhaps today, there is someone or a family you know who could use a loan, a job, a bag of groceries or just some compassion.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Young Americans Still Want to Marry

News flash!

Young Americans still want to marry! With all things considered, that is good news.

Let's be honest though. The American marriage culture has taken a beating over the last few years. From the lingering cloud of low-fault divorce, the ongoing battle over homosexual marriage to a general disenchantment of marriage by the under 30's crowd, marriage in America is a bit wobbly.

However, Washington Times reporter Cheryl Wertstein has penned an informative article on the refreshing news that young Americans still want to be married or plan to be married somewhere in the future.

Here it is.

The bottom line-Americans still want to marry.

"Calibrate" Equipment Not Words

According to Webster, when you calibrate something, you are: "fixing, checking or correcting an item or machine."

You don't calibrate words.

President Obama, apologize when you misspeak. We all do it. Don't calibrate your words. It makes your apology appear very insincere.

Careful What We "Fix?"

Like most Americans, I would concur that our current health care system needs reform. I don't like the $1500 per month premium nor the 80/20 payout after my family's $3k cap. Oouch to my wallet. And to top it off, whenever I call for a little customer service, I get someone who cannot speak English or cannot find my account.

Over and over, the Canadian health care model is held out to by many reformers be a shining example of patient care and fiducial responsibility. Really?

Here's a thought. If the Canadian system is so good then why do thousands of Canadians motor south to the USA for immediate care? And, why do Mexican immigrants stop here and not continue onward to our northern neighbor?

These facts give me pause. Perhaps, our health care system is not all that bad when compared to other places...

Monday, July 27, 2009

The Next Frontier in American Marital Evolution

After the homosexual and transgenderedc communities, the polyamorists will be next.

Haven't heard of them yet? Here's the story and the definition of who they are.

Health Insurance is Not Health Care

Most Americans mix the two up.

Let's be clear. Access to health care is not health insurance. Let me explain.

Health insurance occurs when a group of people pool their money together to help pay for the costs of health care. But, health care was never designed to give the payer a free ride from health care costs. You use it to help pay in part your costs for health care. Great health insurance does not guarantee great health care.

Today, free health insurance has become an entitlement in the minds of many Americans. This notion has sprouted legs in our culture because many businesses, in order to retain good employees, either have given their employees free health insurance as a perk or have limited the cost. But still, its not free. Either the employee pays it or the employer pays it.

On the other hand, health care is not health insurance. Yet, like every other aspect of our nation's economy, it is a business which many people make their livelihood on. A profit motive here is not necessarily a bad thing. With the profit incentive comes research and development for new life saving drugs and clinical procedures. In my last blog, I wrote about a friend whose father has pancreatic cancer. Several years ago, this would have been a death sentence. Now through extensive research and development (fueled by profits), new drugs and therapies are extending his life.

Here are two facts about the future impact of a public health care option funded by the government:

1- Quality health care will diminish. The government plan will pay health care providers less money for their services, reducing the profit incentives. Plus, the government option will eventually put private insurers out of business. Less pay means fewer docs and other health care providers. Privately owned hospitals will also contract or be bought out by a government run option similar to the current VA system. Once again, see Canada if you want a peek about hospitals under government operation.

2- Taxes will increase. Conservatively, the additional tax burden on American taxpayers will exceed 1 trillion dollars each year if Obama's plan is implemented. This is a cost our families cannot afford to bear.

I am all for helping fellow Americans access quality health care. Helping the helpless is a big deal for me. Reforming our broken health care system is a family issue, something that the Rocky Mountain Family Council deems as vital to our families. But, helping the clueless is a different story.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Obama Care and Its Impact on Your Family

I want to give the President a chance to explain his health care plan. I agree that our current system is too expensive, too complicated and uncovers many Americans.

But please, a government solution? If you want to build your confidence in the proposed public option, take a peek at other current government businesses like Amtrak and the US Postal Service. Makes me feel safe!

Who is President Obama kidding?

Last night's prime time Presidential news conference was another foray into the fogbank. I am sorry but the man makes no sense. He has had his chance. I don't think he has read his own plan. Obama either does not know his own plan; lives in a parallel universe; has no understanding of a free market economy or simply thinks he can fake us all out.

Here are a few ideas to ponder:

-Competition will not happen. If private companies (who have to show a profit) have to compete with a public option (who does not have to show a profit), they will fail. Employers, when faced with the cheaper public option, will cancel their current health care plans and put employees in the cheaper public option.

-Cost. No one really has an answer for it. Not even Obama. Most estimates are probably too conservative. Few government run plans come in on time and at budget. The economic reality is that our nation cannot afford this program. Who do you think will pay for it?

-Quality of care. Eventually, health care decisions will be made by a government agent who will decide who gets what care and when. The days of your doctor diagnosing your condition and prescribing immediate care will end (for more info on this one visit Canada). Also, forget about your privacy. All medical records under the public option will be put on a CD and be housed in some office in Washington, DC. This one scares me.

-The development of new drugs and treatments. A good friend's father has advanced pancreatic cancer. Until recently, this was a death sentence. However, thanks to ongoing research and development over the last 20 years, new anti pancreatic cancer drugs are now available to put the cancer into remission. What drives research and innovation is not just the desire to find a cure but the financial reward for finding a life-saving drug. It's called the profit incentive and its the little secret behind a free market economy (See point #1). There will be no incentives for private companies to do research and to find those future drugs that will save people 20 years from now. Obama care will snuff this out.

-Finally, control. Do you want the government to control your health care decisions. I don't think that's what most American bargained for when they voted for Obama in November of 2008. But this is what "the change we can believe in" is coming to be. If the government takes over health care, one sixth of the American economy will be under its control.

Here is my bottom line: the current system is broken and in need of reform. The Obama plan will not solve any of the issues only worsen the system.

Here is an excellent link and analysis of the Obama plan.

Getting "High" in Denver

I will confess that I live near the "Mile High" city of Denver. It used to be that "mile high" proudly referred to the elevation of Denver, rooting for the Broncos, cool nights, close proximity to the Rocky Mountains, clear majestic views and all of the other good things that go with living at altitude.

However, its taken a new meaning. A smoky "haze" is now descending on the Mile High City. Here is the latest story on the medicinal use of marijuana.

The elected officials in Denver are caught up in this haze. It seems like the only adults in town right now are the Feds and local law enforcement (the folks that deal everyday with drug addicts).

Yesterday, the ubiquitous Denver Post ran a less than heartily followup story on medicinal marijuana. Unfortunately, the majority of confidential Denver registry of folks who claim pain and need medicinal marijuana are males with an average age of 24.

Sounds like a scam to me!

Here's the key quote the Denver Post (which I agree): "Pardon our skepticism, but that profile seems tilted awfully heavily toward young Coloradans."

Really. Here's more: "It's one thing for people who are at the end of their lives or who are truly suffering to find some relief in the use of marijuana. It's another entirely if people who want to see marijuana legalized are using medical marijuana provisions and friendly doctors to do an end run around drug laws."

This Denver law needs to be repealed. Clear away the haze!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Is There Hope for the American Marriage?

This was the title of a July 2nd article in TIME magazine (which I normally do not read).

This is an interesting article particularly from a reliably liberal news magazine like TIME. My parents used to get the old TIME magazine while I was growing up before it morphed into what it is today.

Here is the link to this article.

Here are a couple of thoughts.

First, I find it a bit humorous that the TIME staff would even be interested in such a topic. Afterall, TIME has been at the forefront championing homosexual marriage. They have led the party that is celebrating the advent of open homosexuality and its practices in our country.

Second, my skeptisicm is rooted in my piqued interest as to the true intent of this article. Its either a celebratory "I told you so" postmortem on traditional marriage or its a mea culpa that they have taken a bridge too far.

Third, Caitlin Flangan's premises (the authoress)are surprisingly accurate and conservative in tone. "There is no other single force causing as much measureable harship and human misery in this country as the collapse of marriage. It hurts children, it reduces mother's financial security, and it has landed with particular devastation on those who can bear it least: the nation's underclass." Wow. Right on...

Fourth, the marriage gap. Flanagan hits the nail on the head here. There is a growing marriage gap threatening our nation today. She is right on when she chronicles the plight of the underclass, who are uncoupling parenthood with marriage. One of the greatest predictors of poverty are under-educated single women having children. These fragile families are destined for the ash hill of public substinence. For the "priviledged" the marriage trend today is to battle middle-age boredom with realtional trysts which bring the wrecking ball to their families and children---see Governor Mark Sanford et al.

Fifthly, and this is the a-ha moment of the article. Quoting noted feminist researcher and author Sara McLanahan, she states that "Growing up without a father has a deep psychological effect on a child. The mom may not need that man, but her children do." Wow.

Perhaps there is a third reason for this article. Could it be that the folks who have tried to demolish marriage for decades are seeing the light?

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Obama and Homosxuals-Update # 2

Several months ago when we did our first "Obama and Homosexuals" update, we told you that we would continue this frequently and as new information came out.

Homosexuals are a major constituent group of the Democratic party. In recent weeks, homosexual activist groups have been clamoring to Obama for support payback. Frankly, it has gotten nasty.

Here is the latest since June 1st.

-The Obama White House has proposed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. If passed, this bill would add gender and sexual orientation to hate crime laws.

-Urging Congress to repeal the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

-Ensure national adoption rights for homosexual couples.

-Passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. This bill would expand it protections to cover sexual orientation and gender identity.

-Repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy towards homosexuals. This is controversial and will take time. Homosexuals would then be allowed to serve openly.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Ritter's Car Tax HIts Home

It's here. If you have not seen it yet, you will. Just wait until your annual car renewal license bill comes and it will be huge.

All of this courtesy of Guv Ritter and his Democratic allies in the state legislature.

Below is an excellent op-ed piece from our good friend and State Senator Kevin Lundberg on this issue. Read it and weep.

Senate bill 108 is a quarter of a billion dollar (per year) car tax. Some are calling it Bill Ritter's Car Tax.


Never in my legislative experience have I seen such a reaction from the people of Colorado after a law has taken effect. For the last several weeks hardly day goes by without at least one constituent calling me at home to complain about SB-108.


Not only do they resent the more than doubling of the cost of registering an older car, but the penalties for late registration are an incredible shock. It is a mandatory, one size fits all formula of $25/ month, up to four months ($100) for any late registration. This applies to even the little trailer you may have around that you rarely use.


How would you react if you expected a nominal ($10-30) registration cost and are handed a bill for well over $100? This late fee even applies for the months before the bill became law! Many people with multiple older vehicles or motorbikes have told me they may never register them. Others have threatened to go to another state.


But wait... there's more. SB-108 also set up a system for tolling existing roads and several new bureaucracies for administering these taxes, fines, and tolls. For all of these reasons not one Republican, in either house, voted for SB-108. We spent long hours in the Senate and the House arguing against this new car tax, but in the end the governor had the votes from his own party to pass both houses and then he signed it with great fanfare.


In the next session I will be introducing a bill to repeal parts of SB-108. I trust that the people will have, by that time, convinced enough legislators in the governor's party to agree to get rid of at least the worst parts of the Bill Ritter's Car Tax.


For more information about SB-108 go to: http://www.rscc.us/ActionAlerts/Index.html.


Elections have expensive consequences.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Colorado "Stimulus" Czar Makes $146,034

I have no beef with Don Elliman but I do have a big one with whoever hired him as Colorado's "stimulus" czar.

Here's the story.

In a time of budget deficits and less expenditures, Colorado now has a "stimulus" czar. I am sure that Mr. Elliman has busy days. After all, he oversees all budgets of state agencies and monitors how Colorado uses federal stimulus funds.

You can't tell me that there is someone already in the system who could do this?

This story seems to be exhibit A on wasteful government spending. Or, perhaps its one of those "shovel-ready" jobs Obama promised.

Sign me up!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Obama Giving Benefits to Federal Homosexual Employees Partners

Today, President Obama will put pen to paper and extend federal health care benefits to the partners of homosexual government employees. In doing so, he hopes to appease homosexual groups which supported his election.

This move comes in reaction to high pressure from homosexual groups who form a loud and financially lucrative group in the Democratic coalition. In recent weeks, homosexual activists have grown increasingly frustrated with what they perceive is a lack of action by the Obama administration on their issues. When Obama failed to lift the current military ban on openly homosexuals serving in the military, the tipping point had come.

The target point here is the Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program. Via executive order, Obama will order that these benefits be made available to homosexual partners of federal employees.

Again, the tidal wave of homosexual activism continues forward in America. Here in Colorado, Governor Bill Ritter signed a similar measure. Homosexuals and their political allies argue that these are rights they should have-that true equality cannot be achieved unless our society gives them equal rights and recognition previously enjoyed by heterosexual married couples.

It's important to remember these arguments in the face of this tidal wave:
-Marriage has always been seen as the socially acceptable relationship between a man and a woman.
-Society and the state have a vested interest in promoting and maintaining high numbers of successful marriages. Marriages provide the procreation of future generations; reduce unmarried infidelity and paternity; promote the creation and distribution of wealth; reduce sexually transmitted diseases et al.
-Thus, the distribution of "benefits" is so important. Because of society's and the state's vested interest in marriage, family benefits were distributed to encourage marital and familial stability.-Homosexual marriage provides none of these benefits other than the fulfillment of adult needs.

Here is the story.

Obama's act is in essence a de facto recognition of homosexual unions as marriage. This downward slide will continue and the fight is not over.

Elections have consequences.

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Tuesday, June 16, 2009

David Letterman Offers Mea Culpa

Earlier today, Daivd Letterman offered his mea culpa issuing an apology to Governor Sarah Palin and her daughters about his offensive joke last week.

The point here is that this joke broke new ground in television decency.
Whether you are Democrat or a Republican, liberal or conservative,we must agree that any joke about a woman being raped is beyond the pale. There is no room for this type of comment in ou culture.

As a father of two teenage daughters, I was deeply offended. My wife and I work hard to teach our children well about sexuality and the appropriate place for it in their lives. Granted, my daughters never saw the show, but many young women did.

Our nation is awash in a sea of nastiness and crudeness. The toxicity level of our discourse is appalling.

If my grandmother was still alive she would have driven to New York and washed Letterman's mouth out with soap.

Obama Health Care for Your Family

President Obama's announced number one domestic priority is to require healthcare of all Americans. His main vehicle to accomplish this goal: a government run health care program ala Canada and socialist Europe. Yikes...There is a reason why Canadians now come south of the border for their healthcare needs...

I did some digging and here's what it may look like if it passes Congress:

-Cost. The Obama campaign estimates his health care reform plan will cost between $50 and $65 billion a year when fully phased in. He assumes that it will be paid from savings in the system and from discontinuing the Bush tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 per year.I doubt the cost- it will be higher.

-Its broken into three parts: 1. Quality, Affordable & Portable Health Coverage For All 2. Modernizing The U.S. Health Care System To Lower Costs & Improve Quality, and 3. Promoting Prevention & Strengthening Public Health.

-Savings. Obama claims that his health care reform plan will save the typical family up to $2,500 every year. Yet, specifics are hard to find.

-Obama’s key components here include:

•Establishing a new public program that would look a lot like Medicare for those under age-65 that would be available to those who do not have access to an employer plan or qualify for existing government programs like Medicaid or SCHIP. This would also be open to small employers who do not offer a private plan.
•Creating a “National Health Insurance Exchange.” This would be a government-run marketing organization that would sell insurance plans directly to those who did not have an employer plan or public coverage.
•An employer “pay or play” provision that would require an employer to either provide health insurance or contribute toward the cost of a public plan.
•Mandating that families cover all children through either a private or public health insurance plan.
•Expanding eligibility for government programs, like Medicaid and SCHIP.
•Allow flexibility in embracing state health reform initiatives.

This Democratic proposal is all about access—getting just about everyone covered. Getting everyone into this unsustainable system will then make things even more unsustainable creating an imperative for a second wave of real cost containment when the feel good list of cost containment proposals now in their plans falls short. My sense is that most Democratic health policy experts already know this but see no other political alternative.

If this thing passes, get ready for some new terms: Cost containment (limiting medical practices; required medical coverage for your kids;

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Tiller's Abortion Clinic Closes

I can't say that we will miss George Tiller.

Earlier today, the family of slain abortion doctor George Tiller announced that his infamous clinic would close. See the whole story here.

Apparently, no one else was willing to pick up Tiller's scalpel. That alone should tell us all we need to know about the practices of George Tiller. While the liberal media has made Tiller out to be an iconic hero, my take is different.

George Tiller intentionally killed viable babies in later term abortions. His practice was gruesome by best accounts. While some may think his action are heroic, thousands of unborn Americans died at his hands. His death practice ushered darkness into his clinic and community. When one engages in practices that contradict the law's of nature's God, chaos ensues.

George Tiller is no hero. George Tiller has had to explain his actions to the ultimate Judge of life and death.

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

The Battle Continues for Life-The Tiller Legacy

Today's Denver Post op-ed (Wednesday, June 3rd) suggests that the abortion battle needs to tone down in the wake of the murder of the infamous Kansas abortion doctor George Tiller.

I would agree with the Post that this scorching debate need not become a shooting war, but the issue cannot be buried either. What the Post is subtly suggesting is that pro-lifers go away and accept the status quo. I say no.

Right now, abortionists hold the upper hand. Abortion is the law and legal in all 50 states. Our current Colorado state legislature is led by an pro-abortion majority. However, that does not make it right. In 1857, the United States Supreme Court concluded that Dred Scott, a black freeman, did not have the same constitutional rights as any of his white equals. Eventually, this law was rescinded and deemed by history as misguided. Similarly in 1973, our nation's highest court was wrong again, extracting the constitutional right to an abortion. This too in time will be overturned.

Pro-lifers, despite the liberal media barrage, need to be encouraged. National polling shows that most Americans lean towards life, seeing abortion as the last option. While the media wants to spin the story about the alleged damage done to the pro-life movement, I would take a different position. The kind of heinous abortion services that Dr. George Tiller was offering is evaporating. Most Americans remain offended that viable, unborn children are being killed.

More than ever now, the practice of late-term abortions needs to be outlawed. Let's start here in Colorado. That action will be the legacy of George Tiller.
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Monday, June 01, 2009

More on Tiller

A good friend sent me this note. I think it hits the nail on the head...

I wonder how this issue will be spun by the media and politicians. I don’t condone vigilante justice, but these things just seem to work themselves out. Even God-hating unbelievers understand the ‘live by the sword, die by the sword’ credo. Throughout Scripture and in the world today, evil unbalanced people are often killed by other evil unbalanced people. I will not miss Dr. Tiller, and I hope his clinic closes. The unfortunate fact is that abortion is legal. And, it is not right to murder someone for doing something legal, no matter how abhorrent it may be to you. We must find a peaceful way to end this horrible practice in our nation.



Am I the only person who sees the irony in the fact that a man who killed innocent viable unborn babies in a horrific way for a living was serving as an usher in a church!?! I’ve been praying that God will wake His Church up. Dr. Tiller was a man who needed to be changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Had that occurred, he would have stopped killing innocent children, and cared for them and their mothers instead, similar to Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe). Repentance, love and acts of contrition are marks of true belief. When the church begins to love justice, and to care for the innocent and those in the margins, our culture will change – one person at a time. We need to stop going to church – and start being the church. We can’t reach guys like George Tiller or Warren Hern by yelling at them, hating them, condemning them or threatening them. We need to show them compassion, to engage them in a dialogue, and to be welcoming positive examples of Jesus for them. I’m not sure how to do it, but when we figure out how to do that, something will change in this situation.



I think that some day, legal abortion will be viewed in the same way as whaling or Nazi concentration camps. Both of them were legal, and served a purpose that an entire culture and and nation thought was important. History has proven them both to be wrong, abhorrent and needless. Likewise, the objects of their slaughter are necessary, beautiful and important parts of God’s creation. Through abortion, we have slaughtered many wonderful world-changing people before they ever lived out their purpose. God weeps at this sin, and at our nation’s tolerance and promotion of it.



Perhaps one child who Dr. Tiller would have aborted today will be born instead, to live out a wonderful life, fulfilling their purpose in changing the world as God intended. And perhaps George Tiller decided on Sunday morning that he would follow Jesus and close his abortion clinic first thing Monday morning, and that God will have mercy on his soul. That is my prayer.

Tiller Murder Escalates Abortion Crisis

I guess ignorance is bliss.

I spent this weekend with about 250 Cub Scouts and their parents miles away from reality and the news.

I am sure by now that you have heard the news on the murder of abortion doctor George Tiller. Read the story here.

Obviously, we deplore this act of violence. You cannot be pro-life and engage in murderous acts. Violence only begets more violence. This act makes a key point: when mankind violates God's ordained statutes of life chaos ensues. Death births more death. While "justice" may have been served in the minds of some, what really happened is simply an evil human act. Pray for our pro-life friends and agencies. I believe that they will be targeted now by the pro-abortion forces in our nation.

Here's a sample of what some abortionists are already clamoring for: "Already organizations such as the National Organization for Women are blaming the tragedy on the pro-life movement. NOW has labeled the murder as an act of "politically-motivated domestic terrorism" and has called on the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security to put their full resources behind the effort to "root out and prosecute...the criminal enterprise that has organized and funded criminal acts for decades."

Pray that the "abortion war" does not become a shooting war....

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ." Philippians 1:27

Friday, May 22, 2009

Memorial Day: More than B-B-Q's, Parades and Ball Games

"We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

Those are words from Lincoln's Gettysburg address in 1863 on the heels of that bloodly Civil War battle.

Unfortunately, most Americans are at best hazy about the meaning of Memorial Day. For most, its a day off from work to enjoy around the b-b-q or at a ballpark. But there's a higher purpose which is memorialized: devoted, simple, sacrificial service by millions of Americans for their nation.

Some of these servants bled on battle fields will others came home and died in their beds. Yet they all share a common fibre, a thread of connectivity. They wore the cloth of their nation.

This weekend, pause a moment and consider the work of our heroes and the values many died for. Let your children know about this rich heritage of service and sacrifice.

For without it, our nation would not exist.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Governor Ritter Approves Special Rights for Homosexuals

In what's becoming an annual event, Colorado's Demnocrat-controlled legislature approved more special rights for homosexuals.

This year's addition was Senate bill 88, which will provide health and employment benefits to state employees with homosexual partners.

This week, Ritter went along with it and signed it under the darkness of night.

The tragedy about this whole episode is that in 2006, Colorado voters resoundingly defeated these benefits when they rejected Referendum I.

In the subsequent years, Democrats have attempted to quietly end-run the will of the voters and legislative these benefits.

Here's the latest episode.

Pastors, Are You Paying Attention?

Recent lawmaking in New Hampshire should send a chill down your spine if you are a pastor.

As you probably know, gay marriage is sweeping the Northeast states of our nation. However, this misguided process took a dark turn earlier this week in New Hampshire. The state legislature okayed a bill legalizing homosexual marriage and sent it to Governor John Lynch for approval. Surprisingly, Lynch sent it back instructing the legislature to include a provision for clergy who did not want to marry homosexual couples.

Guess what happened? State legislators voted against the Governor's recommendation for clergy protections.

If you are a pastor, I hope you understand the toxic winds of our culture. In Canada, if you use your pulpit to declare that homosexuality is a sin, you could be prosecuted for a hate crime. This same concept is just around the corner in America.

Homosexual activists will not be content to just get "married." They want to force you to perform the ceremony.

Click here for the story.

Thursday, May 07, 2009

The Value of Prayer-Its More than Just One Day in May

Each year on May 7th, the National Day of Prayer is celebrated by millions of Americans.

This event gathered annual steam thanks in part to the support of President George W. Bush, who held a formal White House event each year during his presidency. This year, President Barack Obama will not continue this tradition. I think that this is an unfortunate decision by Obama. Millions of Americans pray and believe in its power to change and transform lives. And, many would like to see the President of the United States take the lead.

But prayer is more than just an annual event. Prayer strikes close to home for many Americans. Its always been that way.

On April 30, 1863, at the apex of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln established a Day of National Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer. See his proclamation here

On March 3, 1801, President Thomas Jefferson penned this prayer .

These American presidents had a deep value of prayer. They saw its value to their countrymen and their nation. Apparently, Obama does not share this view. Neither did Bill Clinton. Obama and Clinton would do well taking a page from our founders who valued the importance of prayer and value of publicly leading the nation in this endeavor.

Monday, May 04, 2009

Measuring the King-Obama's 100 Days

Much was made the media last week about President Obama's first 100 days in office. While its often seen as a measurement of a President's style and substance, let's not forget that Obama still has approximately 1,360 days left in this term.

I thought it might be helpful to measure Obama's first 100 days from a pro-family point of view. I understand that often a President's policies cannot be segmented out specifically because they affect many aspects of our nation. However, marriage and family values are vital to the collective health of our nation. Here is a list of the marriage and family values President Obama has put forth so far. See if you agree with them:

-Increased funding for Planned Parenthood under the guise of promoting "health services." This is akin to inviting the fox to the hen house.

-Advocating the repeal of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act. You can't have it both ways. Either marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman or its defined to the whims of populist ideas.

-Broadening the definition of hate crimes to include anti-homosexual advocates like clergy. We are quickly heading down the flawed Canadian path where dissent is punished by jail terms for those who morally disagree.

-Attempting to implement new rules to gut conscience clause protections for pro-life medical providers who morally disagree with abortion. So much for freedom of expression particularly if your speech runs afoul of powerful government sanctioned groups.

-Repealing limitations on tax-payer funded embryonic stem cell research and abortions overseas. The best option right now for medical cures are adult stem cells. Embryonic cells have been very resistant to research.

The list goes on. To see more, go to this link.

These are not the values that the Rocky Mountain Family Council believes in nor do we believe that the majority of Americans hold to. The Obama presidency, despite its style and sizzle, could prove to be very damaging to the concept of and the definitions of marriage and family.

Giving Away Colorado's Election Influence

Colorado is not a large state and our ability to sway national public policy is limited.

Unfortunately, state Democrats want to give more of it away when it comes to national elections.

If House Bill 1299 becomes law, Colorado will join a pool of five other states who will award our electoral college votes (9 current votes/7 US House Reps and 2 US Senators)to the popular vote winner of a presidential election.

Our good friend, State Senator Ted Harvey wrote the following regarding this issue:

The Senate will soon debate HB 1299, a proposal to replace the Electoral College with a popular vote system for Presidential elections. This violates the spirit and the letter of the U.S. Constitution, as the founders designed our electoral system as a republic, not a pure democracy.

This bill will shift Presidential campaigns and policy towards the leftist population centers on the coasts: New York, Florida, California, and possibly Michigan. Presidential candidates will no longer have any reason to campaign in Colorado, let alone listen to the concerns particular to our state.

If House Bill 1299 passes, Colorado will become a fly-over state in Presidential elections. Our Western principles of individual liberty and responsibility will be ignored in favor of the socialist ideas popular in the liberal coastal enclaves: high taxes, unchecked government intervention, and a complete re-write of our country's basic moral values and constitutional principles.

The Democrats argue that a popular vote system will prevent another "stolen" election such as the 2000 Presidential election. What they mean is that a popular vote will give them a distinct partisan advantage in campaign season.

They ignore the fact that a popular vote will indeed repeat the 2000 election, but not in the way they imply: Americans will suffer through recounts not just in Florida, but in hundreds of counties across the nation. The results of the Presidential election will hinge not on the will of the people, but on the skill of attorneys and the partisan leanings of "nonpartisan" election judges.

If you want your Presidential vote to count, write the Senate and urge them to vote "no" on House Bill 1299, the Popular Vote bill.

Monday, April 27, 2009

An American Hero

Here's a great story about a 19 year old American hero. Read the story here.

While some young Americans may be confused about their country and the values we cherish, many are not. And, many are willing to give their lives for something bigger than themselves.

This young man is such a hero.

Its All About Character

By now, you have likely heard about the buzzing controversy regarding Miss California, Carrie Prejean and her comments regarding homosexual marriage.

This story is not about her comments per say nor the reactions of a misguided homosexual zealot. Instead its about the moral character of a young woman who stood fast in her belief.

While certain parts of today's toxic popular culture will try to crucify her and label her a bigot, Jesus exhorts us to rise above it. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus taught his disciples to "seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness."

Standing fast for godly beliefs, particularly the definition of marriage, will always be costly. But we need to keep in mind that we serve an eternal kingdom. We serve a God who will measure and test our faith and beliefs.

Carrie Prejean passed this test with flying colors. Here's the story.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

The End of Christian America?

If you haven't seen it, find Newsweek's Jon Meacham's article, The End of Christian America, here.

Before you erupt, read the whole article. This article is based on the recently released survey, the American Religious Identification Study. Its nexus conclusion: that self-identified Christians had fallen 10 percentage points since 1990 from 86 percent of all Americans to 76 percent.

Troubling, yes. Catastrophic for American Christianity, no. In the first century of the Church, Christians were very much in the minority. Persecuted, discriminated and even murdered by the state, today's culture would appear to them as a garden of eden.

Here are three conclusions to ponder:

-Our nation is shedding much of its institutional Judeo-Christian heritage for what I fear will be the worse. This trek into a social wilderness, guided by post-modern thoughts and beliefs, may lead our nation into a cultural and social train wreck. The very liberties we enjoy: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and freedom of or from religion all stem from the Judeo-Christian worldview that our culture seems so eager to ditch.

-More than ever, America is a cornucopia of religious faiths and beliefs. Every world religion has found our shores and is flourishing-and that is good news. Cultures with strong religious values tend to flourish. America's resiliency against the trends of post-Christian socialist Europe is due to our religious bulwark. Nonetheless, America is at a low point in terms of Christian influence in the public square and the societal sense that Christianity offers the best solutions to the problems of life. My concern though is not so much with the political sphere or cultural influence but with the role of evangelism for the hearts and souls of men and women who are now more than ever distant from the Gospel.

-Finally, let's not lose hope. In his article, Mr. Meacham also suggests that this new situation is perhaps healthy for the church. To this extent I agree – the church's mission clarifies any time the distinction between the church and the world is made more evident. Our witness is to lovingly show non-Christians that they are not Christians and that believers need to be reminded that what sinners need is the Gospel of Christ, not merely the lingering morality of the Christian memory.

The great news for the Church is that God is responsible for fruit of our labors. Our role is to till the fields and sow the seed.