Fastbreak

Which popular U.S. president said this? "The soundest way to raise revenues in the long run is to cut taxes now. The purpose of cutting taxes now is... to achieve the more prosperous, expanding economy which can bring a budget surplus." To this I would add in August 2011. "...cut taxes now, and reduce spending..."

Regardless of your news source, this stinks for all of us. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/SampP-downgrades-US-credit-apf-821085521.html?x=0 http://finance.yahoo.com/news/China-flays-US-over-credit-rb-3974888722.html?x=0 http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/08/05/us-official-says-sp-reconsidering-us-credit-downgrade/

How many times have we seen or heard stories about people winning the lottery and ending up worse off just a few years later than they were before. I know of one individual who blew through a $27 million cash payoff (after taxes... he had a full $27 million at his disposal.) Three years later, he was completely busted. He had to sell everything he'd previously bought just to pay off his obligations. I know of small Christian schools that invest about a third of the public school average per student, that turn out superior scholars to their better financed public school counterparts. I know of home schooled kids that received far less in terms of money invested than their public school counterparts, who absolutely smoke the SAT and ACT tests and earn full rides for academics. It's not all about money. It's about solid morals and building character. A man with true character committed to God can accomplish far more than a fool with billions at his disposal. Until our government is committed to doing the wise and proper things with my tax dollars... I will be reluctant to hand over any more of them than I absolutely have to. I would prefer to be certain that my "giving" is directed to persons and causes I know are working toward the kind of change I can believe in.

Of the 535 members of Congress granted the authority to dfraft laws and set taxation... not one IMO rises to the level of "Apostle" in terms of godly wisdom or spiritual insight. Many however, have proven beyond a shadow of doubt their propensity for doing very much the opposite of what a true sold out to Jesus Christ Apostle would choose to do. The blind faith I see in some to trust severely flawed humans in an increasingly corrupt government system committed less to the good of all American people, but targeted at voting blocks that will preserve certain weasels' power bases is beyond disturbing. The apostles were accountable to God first, and to the growing flock of Christ second. They understood the weight of responsibility upon them to serve with wisdom, humility, self sacrifice and grace. I find it difficult to identify 5% of our current congressmen with even a distantly similar commitment.

Sadly Clyde, I must agree. (Not sad to agree with you, but sad that what you say is indeed the case. I would be sad about it if I said it too.) I have experienced a recent epiphany spiritually. I have been convicted about how far from God's holiness I am, and how deluded we all are in our current culture. God (if He is even acknowledged to exist) has been repackaged as a big cuddly cosmic teddy bear with nothing but love and acceptance for everyone and every belief and every practice. As long as someone is good and makes reasonable effort to be a decent person, they're in... whatever they call Him… whatever traits they attribute to Him… it's all good... This unfortunately is a lie straight from hell. If this were the case, why did Jesus have to suffer and die? Why did He preach that we must believe He's who He said He is and follow His teaching? Why did He teach that He alone is "the Way and the Truth and the Life everlasting"? Why did He teach that "no one comes to the Father but through Him"? Just as our parents may have asked, "So, if all your friends jump off the bridge, does that make it right for you to jump also?" Just because 95% of the people may believe certain sins are no longer a big deal, doesn't mean God has changed His mind or character about sin. He is holy, we are not. We do not even comprehend holiness. We do not even accept that gossip is as evil as calculated murder in the light of infinite holiness. We cannot begin to approach Him without a mediator, and Jesus ruled every other option out except for Him alone. Any other teaching is a lie. Not because Fastbreak says it, but because Jesus and Paul said so. We are free to believe them or not, but we are not free to water down what they taught just to sing Kumbaya with those who deny who Jesus Christ Himself said He is and how we are to approach God through Him alone. In this regard,all roads don't lead to God. As for me and my house, I would far rather have the keys for establishing laws, interpreting laws and enforcing laws in the hands of men and women humbly submitted to the supreme Law Giver. Not potheads, self-obsessed entertainers, egomaniacal politicians or superficial self-engrossed religious leaders. Feel free to point out my narrow and unreasonable viewpoint. I can take it… :lol:

I just don't consider him to be a spiritual or sociological sage worthy of deep contemplation. I have no doubt that many Americans share his sentiments. If by Bible Thumpers he infers the superficial and pompous types like Fred Phelps, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker and other megalomaniacs, I might agree as well. If on the other hand he is referring to all genuine Bible believing Christians, I couldn’t disagree more. True Christians… the humble, God fearing, morally grounded salt of the earth believers and followers of Jesus Christ are precisely the kind of people we used to have in our government. Bible Thumpers built this country. We could use more of them in D.C. instead of the morally bereft philanderers we have there now.

I suppose it all depends upon how you determine our "differences". In certain broad aspects we might appear to be virtually identical. In other more specific areas, we are a universe apart. In regard to our opinions... these are what separate or unite us. I'm in no way suggesting that Bobby Ritchie or Clyde or Fastbreak are not entitled to their opinions... and you are as free to side with Kid Rock as I am to think he is a bit of a misguided superficial buffoon. Thanks for the warm welcome... :thumb:

When I want clear headed, objective thinking on politics and religion, I immediately turn to a level-headed, unbiased source of such classics as "I Am the Bullgod" and "Devil Without a Cause", who also shills for Black Cherry Flavored Red Stag Bourbon. Yep... Bobby Ritchie is the dean of American history and the voice middle-America.

Kyle Macy played for his dad in Indiana in High School and has fond memories of it to this day. He was an All American at UK, so I guess it was successful.

Excellent work... :thumb: Keep it up.. oops!

Surely we can do better... "Wiener Pulls Out" "Wiener Shrivels Under Criticism" "Wiener Withdraws" "Wiener Shrinks into Shadows"

I've been on the road and could not respond until now. I have no doubt that God is big enough to address all the questions we may throw at Him. I do believe it is important for us to pursue Him with our questions, and not just pose the questions to each other and leave them at that. Jesus tells us to knock and keep knocking and the door will be opened to us.

Augustine argued that though Christians face the difficulty of explaining the presence of evil in the universe, the pagan has a problem that is twice as difficult. Before one can even have a problem of evil, one must first have a prior existence of the good. In other words… the acknowledgement of unrighteousness requires a prior awareness of righteousness. Without God there is no ultimate standard for the good. While there is no doubt that evil exists in the world, and if God is truly good and holy, He cannot be the instigator of evil. If He is truly omnipotent He must-in His goodness-allow evil to occur here and since His supreme decisions reflect the perfection of His being, we must assume that His choice to allow evil to exist is a good decision. I agree with you (I think) that life would be so much better without suffering or evil in this world. But, if that were the case, our conscious need for God would evaporate… even though it would be Him that made a blissful world possible. We are basically like many children… selfish and ungrateful. A world without evil would only exacerbate these traits. Why look to God when everything is rosy? I can honestly say that Heaven will be all the more sweet and appreciated after experiencing life separated from God and under the influence of evil.

Yeah, it's amazing what you can learn from our enlightened Congressmen. Similarly, I'm certain Israel would have no problem returning the Golan Heights, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip back to their kind and gentle Arab neighbors if they could figure out how to distance themselves a couple thousand miles away. :thumb:

Yeah, it was after repeated assaults by Hawaiians sworn to the annihilation of the United States. They kept lobbing artillery shells into California off the tops of Mauna Loa and Kilauea, back when Hawaii was located right off the west coast. Eventually, enough was enough so the US stormed the islands and in six days put an end to the aggressions. Then we hitched massive chains to each of the islands and towed them out to the middle of the Pacific where they could continue their hateful rhetoric about exterminating Americans, but could not use their limited weaponry to bomb and kill more Californians. We left San Clemente, Santa Catalina and several of the other Channel Islands, since their residents had not participated in the assaults, and they clearly learned their lesson after seeing what we did with those pesky Hawaiians. I wasn’t around when all that happened, but thankfully I have a close connection with Georgia Representative Hank Johnson, who gave me the inside scoop on how all this went down, and now has me concerned about Guam rowing toward California and picking up where Hawaii left off... http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-20001611-38.html I love history... especially the kind you can revise to make more interesting. :thumb:

Nothing like a good beverage filter to straighten things out... :thumb:

I may still be misunderstanding you. If so, be patient. If I'm understanding what you're saying, a miscarried baby does not rise to the same emotional level as the death of a child carried to term and born alive, because some believe a fetus that does not reach full term and is born alive, is not fully human. I won't presume to speak for anyone but myself here. I would very much mourn the loss of a son or daughter whether by miscarriage or later loss. Every child from conception to 100 years of age is a full card carrying member of the human race IMO. My point in saying that my wife and I do not go around telling everyone about our son that is no longer with us, is not because he's not incredibly special and important to us, but rather, it's a courtesy to others who typically don't have a clue about handling something like that. It's too personal for us, and too much for them. If we are reluctant to talk to anyone and everyone about our son... a full fledged human by all current and acceptable standards... I would imagine those who've experienced the heartache of a miscarriage feel and do the same... and not because that child was not a qualified human.

That's crazy... the nuns were right... I do feel hair growing on my palms...

Larry, losing our child was the most difficult thing I have faced in my life. The grief and loss were so great it nearly tore apart my marriage and family. I can honestly state that if it were not for God's love, God's Word, God's people and a weak but growing faith in Him, I honestly don't know how my wife or I would have pulled through it, or where we would be today. Because of the hope we have in Jesus Christ and faith that what we may experience here if we are blessed to live 100 years, it is only a drop in the bucket of eternity with Christ and in reunion with our son... and all our family. It's hard to keep in perspective sometimes, but I am absolutely confident that I will have a son greeting me in my future home, eager to show me all the cool things he's already enjoying there. I guess what I am trying to say is that instead of despair, I have hope and optimism and anticipation of something much, much better than the best this world has to offer. This is not because I deserve it, but because my King who was willing to take my place on a cross and die for me has made it possible. I cannot get my mind around such love. :thumb:

My wife and I have four children. Three are still with us on this side of eternity. One lived six months before graduating. He is very much a part of our family and we still love him very much. We look forward to seeing him again one day. So, if I am following your reasoning, the fact that he was actually born alive and lived with us for a time before his body gave out... he was even more real than a child that was miscarried. The point is, my wife and I both respond most often with "three" when asked how many children we have. This is a courtesy, as much as anything, to those asking. It certainly does not mean that our son is not loved and important to us, he absolutely is. It's just that few people we encounter are genuinely interested in our story. This is similar to how we respond, "very well, thank you" when someone inquires how we are doing. By saying, "How are you?" most inquirers are not actually seeking the full depth of our physical and emotional condition. They are merely being pleasant. They do not care to hear our details or travails. The bottom line is, regardless of the value humans place on these discarded or prematurely departed children, I know with all my heart they are very precious to our loving God.

I know many in both camps who accept abortion under the banner of “a woman’s right to choose”. There are persuasive arguments for intervention in cases of rape, incest, the mother’s health, and potentially debilitating disease or handicaps for the child. But even the most liberal interpretation of these does not comprise more than 4% of all abortions performed in the United States. Over 95% of the 50 million abortions performed in the U.S. since the passage of Roe vs. Wade in 1972 have been for little more than convenience as a form of post-conception birth control. That’s 47 million American children killed for little more than the convenience or social standing of the parents. That’s 47 million children unable to learn and grow and work and pay taxes to offset the burden of the now retiring Baby Boomers. That’s 47 million innocent lives snuffed out for no crime on their part whatsoever. And I can’t help but believe that we, as a people, are facing a stern judgment for allowing this murderous spree of innocents to occur.

I agree with Birdie... I do not view God as some cosmic watchmaker who constructed a universe of incomprehensible complexity, wound it, set it in motion and then retired to occasionally glance at it to see what time it is. I sincerely believe He is far more involved and interested in us and our existence than we can imagine. I'm probably closer to Alabama Larry in my feelings about abortion and the sanctity of each and every human life. I believe the Bible is very clear on this, and we amend and tamper with it to our own demise. I am 100% in favor of a woman’s right to choose… I just happen to believe it should occur prior to conception rather than after conception. :thumb:

Kinda makes me want to know why you think any of us should be here, or what qualifications must we have to justify our existence?

I absolutely love this kid. He works his tail off on the court and makes good things happen. ODU is getting a hard nosed, blue collar workman that will contribute on both ends of the floor. Congratulations Stauffers on a job well done!!! :thumb:

Netanyahu was amazing in the Oval Office today. I wish he could run for the Republicans in 2012.