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.