Happy Easter...

It's another Easter, another year when the world takes pause to recognize the Empty Tomb, and if they don't realize the significance, the unparalleled hope that Christ followers have from it. Yet, in all of history, perhaps np one can aprreciate that hope as much as Peter, Christ follower and trusted friend...
Only hours earlier Peter had denied knowing Jesus, not once but three times, after swearing he would follow Him to the death. Can you imagine how devistated Peter must have felt, how totally devoid of hope, of courage, of vision after that? Wow. And yet, in the midst of that despair comes the report, "He is not here". The tomb is empty. The Christ has risen! And hope floods anew...
I hope this Easter season you take pause and remember Peter, and remember that no matter how desolate life seems there's always hope in Jesus. Happy Easter my Friends.
Food for thought...

Gripe Thursday...

It's "Gripe Thursday" and I have one to get off my chest... I got a letter in my mail today, from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, informing me that my new premium is going to be 29.43% higher, effective May 1st. Now this is on the heels of a price increase at the end of February, which would have increased my premium by over 13%, except that I opted for a higher deductible to absorb the cost. I've had no claims in over a year, and previous to that all were part of my deductible... So what do I get for my increase? I pay an outrageous deductible ($3500/yr), and that didn't go down. I don't have any extras, like maternity, or dental, oe eye glasses, so my coverage isn't any better. I get absolutely nothing for the obscene increase in my premium... A special shout out of thanks to Obamacare for making healthcare so affordable to all... I read a report of three seperate Congressional committees that found that once Obamacare is fully implemented in 2014 the average premium will be a little over 200% higher than today. Millions will be unable to afford this "affordable" healthcare...
I picked up my income taxes from my accountant and was surprised to find I was getting a refund! But after looking it over I found an error and we have to refile- and my accountant said he's sure I can kiss my refund goodbye... So to continue my gripe, I make less money than I have maybe ever made in my adult life, mainly because I have chosen to pay my help, my bills, and my vendors before myself. A special shout out to you Obama, for doing such a bang-up job on the economy... Here's a clue, you clueless idiot- if it hasn't worked for the last five years it probably isn't going to work your last three. Try something different. Here's an idea- quit spending taxpayer money like it's your own- because it's not! You're a lousy steward of my money...
So to recap- my utilities are up, my income way down, my property values so low they're in the dumpster, and now my health insurance way up... I guess I'll soon be out of the middle class and into the working poor- good news, 'cause then I'll be eligible for all of Obama's government handouts!
Food for thought...

Warm Fuzzies...

I had a chat with my oldest son last night, my son with his Doctorate in Sociolgy and teaching at the University of Nebraska. He returned my call as he was picking up his 15 month old daughter and heading for home... We chatted about different things and throughout the course of the call he had to address or attend to my grand-daughter's needs aand attentions. At one point, as she was begging him for his I-pad, he commented, "I was thinking the other day, at my age you had a 9 yr old, a 6 yr old, and a 3 yr old- and I have a hard time handling one! Every day, every day, I appreciate you as a dad more and more". What a warm fuzzy! For as they were growing up I felt my kids (my boys especially) didn't think I was a very good father- too strict, too protective, too disciplined... I don't know, I just felt like I failed in their eyes, though I tried to be a good and engaged father.
Hearing Jonathan's comments really validated my fatherhood, even though my kids are long grown and gone. I was further amazed when he shared that now he appreciated how I always made time my kids, even after a long day at work. As he tries to remain engaged with all life's distractions I'm so glad he recognizes and appreciates my efforts now. And in all fairness, my second son, who's also a father of a 16 month old, I'm sure has had a change of perspective on parenthood... Kids have a way of doing that.
Toward the end of our call Audrey, my granddaughter, said to me, "aye-a oh", which, loosely translated from baby means, "I love You". What a warm fuzzy!

Fun Fact of March 4th...

Today's fun fact- a duck's quack does not echo, and no one knows why.

Today's stupid joke: What happens when a  duck flies upside-down?
It quacks up!
Ok, one more: What do you get when you have a cow hanging out with ducks?
Milk and quackers!

Two Democrats Respond to our POTUS...

I don't like to come off all political, and lately it seems I've written some pretty harsh things about our President and his administration, but I'm so truly concerned about the state of our nation, and the future of my kids and grand kids, so I've spoken out. Yet there are always two sides to every argument so I decided to post two leading Demecratic polsters' opinions of our President and his actions. The men are Patrick Caddell, polster for President Jimmy Carter, and Doug Schoen, polster for President Bill Clinton. The article is as follows:

Obama is trying to destroy the Republican Party by dividing Americans, the two write on Politico. Caddell was President Jimmy Carter’s pollster, while Schoen served that role for President Bill Clinton.

The president’s protestations about the horror that will result from the automatic spending cuts (sequester) that began today aren’t above board, they write in Politico.

“The president is obviously going all-out — but not to avoid the $85 billion in spending cuts,” Caddell and Schoen say. “Obama doesn’t want to make a deal with Republicans. His fear-mongering is part of a concerted plan that extends far beyond the sequester crisis: to obliterate the Republican Party as a viable force in American political life.”
And they offer a scathing denunciation for how Obama is going about it. “His self-righteous rhetoric obscures a bitter truth: Obama is not trying to unite the country,” the duo writes.

“He’s waging a class-based battle for political gain. His goal is to win back the House for Democrats in 2014, giving him a united Congress for his last two years in office and allowing him to pursue the most expansive government in American history.”

To see even the staunchest of Democratic supporters recognize the deplorable actions of our commander-in-chief and be willing to go on record against it gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling toward these Democrats, and a glimmer of hope that, if enough get fed up on both sides of the political aisle perhaps we can fix our country despite our president...
Food for thought...

Obama- Leader or Liar? An Average Joe speaks out...

So I'm watching the Sunday morning news shows today and Meet the Press had first Speaker of the  House Bohner followed by Obama's representative Gene Sperling, talking about the sequester cuts. I was a little bit proud of Bohner as he stood up to the moderator Gregory as Gregory repeatedly attacked him on the Republicans blame for the situation. Bohner was right- twice last year the House passed bills to deal with the sequester cuts and neither the Senate Democrats nor the President put forth any alternate plan to deal with it. Both sides blame the other for the lack of a deal, but the reality is that negotiations cannot go forward with only one side proposing a solution. The way the political process works is the House passes a bill and if the Senate doesn't like it they pass their version, then the two sides sit down and hammer out a compromise. When Senate Democrats repeatedly fail to respond with their version then negotiations are futile, for there is no way for House Republicans to know what they're negotiating against. Forget all the rhetoric and place the blame where it belongs- on politicians that refuse to do what they were mandated to do.
But back to the sequester cuts- Bohner rightfully pointed out that the deal struck was that the Republicans would give on increasing revenues, which they did the first of the year, and the President would give on cutting spending- which he is fighting tooth and nail. The President got all his tax increases for Obamacare, then an additional $6oo billion the first of the year. Now, when it's his turn to man up and keep his word, he's changing the game and insisting on more "revenues" (or call it what it is- more taxes), before he will honor the tax cuts. The Republicans balked at this, because they honored their end of the deal, so the President again demagogued them as the reason these cuts are going through. But here's the facts- not lies, or rhetoric- the Republicans honored and upheld the deal, the President did not. The Republicans passed a bill to give the President flexibility to move the cuts around to do the least amount of damage and the President refused it! Why? So he can play the political "blame game" down the road and blame Republicans for any pain the sequester might cause.
So does our President (and by extention, his administration) lie? Let's look at the facts-
1, Obama claimed the sequester cuts were not his idea, they were Congress. They were his.
2. Obama claimed the cuts would never happen if he were re-elected- he would not allow it. Not only did they happen, they happened because he refused to honor the deal he proposed after he got what he wanted out of it.
3. Obama claimed massive layoffs, job losses, etc if the sequester happened then Friday, March 1st, he said it won't be the apocalypse some were forcasting. (He also said he will be sure that Republicans' districts will feel the effects of the cuts first).
4. The administration released hundreds, if not thousands, of criminal illegal aliens tabbed for deportment into our society because they couldn't afford to keep them locked up due to sequester cuts. They were released prior to any cuts taking effect.
5. The Administration claimed teachers were being laid off and told they "won't be back in the fall" due to the cuts. When pressed for specifics they quoted a W Virginia district. Any cuts had nothing to do with the sequester cuts.
6. Many, many statements the President has made not only bear no truth, but are politically motivated to cast blame on the Republicans. Instead of constantly fighting his political opponents perhaps someone should teach him how to reach out and find common ground to compromise on. Not everything has to be "my way or the highway" Mr. President.
In conclusion, I believe I have discovered a foolproof way for Americans to tell when Obama or other politicians are lying. Watch their lips- when they move, they lie.