Dave's Thoughts About the Election

Dave, which bozo should I vote for in this election? Who’s going to fix the economy? Who’s going to give me the most money?

Well, I’m here to remind you that you’re going to fix the economy because your personal economy is up to you. It's not Washington's job to fix what's going on with you. If you are waiting on Washington to change something, you've got a long wait!

You’re going to give yourself money as a result of your hard work and persistence. Waiting for money to be taken from others and given to you is a spirit of envy, and it's wrong.

I’m not here to tell you who to vote for. But I am here to tell you that the government doesn’t have the capacity to fix your problems. Washington is full of bozos, and I am doing my part to send a lot of them home!

This economic mess is a reality, but we can each only control one thing—our reactions. Does this stuff define you? Only if you let it. The weird thing about the economy is that YOU are the economy! I learned this the hard way. I got my real estate license when I was 18 years old. By the time I was 21, interest rates had risen to 17% fixed-rate … and I still sold houses. How? Because I worked hard.

As bad as USA Today meant a recent article to be about what we think of the suffering economy and upcoming election, I think it’s rather encouraging that no one thinks that President Bush or Barack Obama or John McCain can fix the economy!

This may be the beginning of the biggest level of prosperity this nation has ever known if we don’t look to a candidate to fix our lives. How about we say, "I’m going to vote for the candidate who’s going to fix the nation. I’m going to fix my life, so leave me alone and let me do my own thing."

Don't react based on fear or panic. Don’t look to Washington to fix your problems. Why would you do that? At what point did Bill Clinton fix any of your problems? At what point did he cause you to prosper? At what point did George Bush end your career or cause you to prosper? When did Ronald Reagan fix your problems? Guess what? I liked Reagan the most, and while he was in office, I hit rock bottom and filed bankruptcy—but it wasn’t Reagan’s fault. It was mine.

So when you go to the polls in a few days to cast your vote, don’t get caught up in following a political party or candidate without knowing the issues they support. Do your research so you can make educated decisions.


From: Dave Ramsey

Why Vote?

Today I Turn Thirty!

At this very moment, at 9:40 a.m., on October 2nd, I celebrate my 3oth birthday.

It was a Monday Morning back in 1978 when I entered this world. I don't remember that day or the events that unfolded. I am just glad that my parents allowed me to be here.

I don't feel any different today than I did yesterday. But I have grown and changed over those years.

I remember getting licks with a yard stick in Mrs. Halls Kindergarten class. I remember picking up my 2nd grade teacher (I was a strong one). I remember the leprechauns destroying our class that year as well.

I remember 1988 at the age of ten when our school was destroyed by three tornadoes. We spent the next year having school in a church. I also lost a great-grand mother that year.

It was the summer of 1990 that for the first time in 6 years that Lance Gipson and I didn't win the 3 legged race at field day.

It was in 1996 when my grandfather passed away.

I graduated high school in May 1997 and attended Boys State that summer.

I was married at the age of 22 in December 2000 to Phoebe. We moved away from family and started anew.

In 2001, I lost two great-grandparents. One was 96 and the other was 85.

Several years passed as we experienced marriage. At the age of 27, we had our first child Anna. That went well and then at the age of 28 we had another, Eli.

In my thirty years, I've been to Kansas, Virginia, Washington DC; Kansas City (3x), St Louis (5x), Branson (too many x's) and other Missouri cities; Houston (2x), Dallas (2x), San Antonio (2x), Texas; Louisville, KY; New Orleans, LA; Nashville (2x), Memphis (many x's), Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Springfield, Chicago, IL; San Diego, CA; Orlando, FL; and all across AR.

These are a few of my memories over the past 30 years. My memory has changed the most. I'll probably think of a few more things later. I found a few trivial tidbits on the Internet today about the year I was born. I hope you enjoy them.




Cost of Living 1978

Yearly Inflation Rate USA7.62%
Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 805
Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 11.75%
Average Cost of new house $54,800.00
Average Income per year $17,000.00
Average Monthly Rent $260.00
Cost of a gallon of Gas 63 cents
1LB of Bacon$1.20
Dozen Eggs 48 Cents

Technology

Illinois Bell Company introduces first ever Cellular Mobile Phone System

Popular Culture 1978

Popular Films

Grease
Saturday Night Fever
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
National Lampoon's Animal House
Jaws 2
Heaven Can Wait
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Revenge of the Pink Panther
The Deer Hunter

Popular Musicians

Bee Gees with " Night Fever and Stayin Alive "
Paul McCartney and Wings
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John
Rolling Stones
Commodores with " Three Times a Lady "
Boomtown Rats

Popular TV Programmes

Happy Days
Little House on the Prairie
The Rockford Files
Good Morning America
Jim'll Fix It (UK)
Saturday Night Live
Wheel of Fortune
Charlie's Angels
Quincy, M.E.
The Muppet Show
CHiPs
The Love Boat
Three's Company

Should "In God We Trust" Stay?

NBC is taking a poll on "In God We Trust" to stay on our American currency.

Please vote right away, before NBC takes this off the web page.

MSNBC poll is still open so you can vote.

CLICK HERE TO VOTE


Let your friends know!

Parental Warning: Golden Compass Movie

Parental Warning: Hollywood's Golden Compass cause for concern

The Golden Compass is a film from New Line Cinema based on the first book of a series, His Dark Materials, written by English atheist Philip Pullman. It is set to release December 7 in theaters nationwide. From watching the trailer, it's easy to see that the film has a C. S. Lewis/Narnia feel to it, but don't be deceived.

Pullman's book trilogy is the story of "a battle against the church and a fight to overthrow God," BBC News reported. The Guardian, a British newspaper, goes even further to describe the books as "metaphysical fantasies encompassing parallel worlds, the death of God and the fall of man ...."

"I don't know whether there's a God or not. Nobody does, no matter what they say," Pullman said in an interview posted on his website.

"One of the [book] series' main themes -- the rejection of organized religion and in particular the abuse of power within the Catholic Church -- is to be watered down," according to the Telegraph, a newspaper in the U.K. "But when the film is released in December the Magisterium will be shown as a critique of all dogmatic organizations, thereby avoiding a religious backlash."

Therefore, without yet seeing the film, OneMillionMoms.com and OneMillionDads.com is alerting Christians to the potential dangers of The Golden Compass. Because of Pullman's clearly articulated anti-Christian motives, we are warning all movie-goers to avoid the film.

ASU Needs A New Mascot

Arkansas State University is losing its mascot. The Indian name is going way after 78 years. Starting next year with football season ASU will have a new mascot.

No one knows yet what that will be. The university wants to hire a outside firm to select a name for them. On the other hand locals feel that it's their right.

A local radio station is giving those people a chance to have their voices heard and win $1000 in the process.

If you think you have a great mascot idea go here and enter their contest. If you win, just make sure and send me my cut for helping.

Coming Soon: Biblical Action Figures

The original maker of G.I. Joe is at work again. This time he is creating a Biblical Action Figure line. The new toy line will be called "Almighty Heroes."

The creator, Don Levine says, "It is my desire that these inspirational action figures and fashion dolls create excitement for kids,” explained Levine, in a statement, “and develop their interest in the characters and messages of the Bible."

You can read more at the Christian Post.

Outsourcing Drive-throughs?

I resently read an article about Wendy's. In order to cut cost and customer complaints, they are outsourcing several of their drive-throughs. You can read the entire article here.

I thought it was strange and wanted to share.

Why this scientist believes in God

Taken from CNN.com:

Editor's note: Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. His most recent book is "The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief."


ROCKVILLE, Maryland (CNN) -- I am a scientist and a believer, and I find no conflict between those world views.

As the director of the Human Genome Project, I have led a consortium of scientists to read out the 3.1 billion letters of the human genome, our own DNA instruction book. As a believer, I see DNA, the information molecule of all living things, as God's language, and the elegance and complexity of our own bodies and the rest of nature as a reflection of God's plan.

I did not always embrace these perspectives. As a graduate student in physical chemistry in the 1970s, I was an atheist, finding no reason to postulate the existence of any truths outside of mathematics, physics and chemistry. But then I went to medical school, and encountered life and death issues at the bedsides of my patients. Challenged by one of those patients, who asked "What do you believe, doctor?", I began searching for answers.

I had to admit that the science I loved so much was powerless to answer questions such as "What is the meaning of life?" "Why am I here?" "Why does mathematics work, anyway?" "If the universe had a beginning, who created it?" "Why are the physical constants in the universe so finely tuned to allow the possibility of complex life forms?" "Why do humans have a moral sense?" "What happens after we die?" (Watch Francis Collins discuss how he came to believe in God )

I had always assumed that faith was based on purely emotional and irrational arguments, and was astounded to discover, initially in the writings of the Oxford scholar C.S. Lewis and subsequently from many other sources, that one could build a very strong case for the plausibility of the existence of God on purely rational grounds. My earlier atheist's assertion that "I know there is no God" emerged as the least defensible. As the British writer G.K. Chesterton famously remarked, "Atheism is the most daring of all dogmas, for it is the assertion of a universal negative."

But reason alone cannot prove the existence of God. Faith is reason plus revelation, and the revelation part requires one to think with the spirit as well as with the mind. You have to hear the music, not just read the notes on the page. Ultimately, a leap of faith is required.

For me, that leap came in my 27th year, after a search to learn more about God's character led me to the person of Jesus Christ. Here was a person with remarkably strong historical evidence of his life, who made astounding statements about loving your neighbor, and whose claims about being God's son seemed to demand a decision about whether he was deluded or the real thing. After resisting for nearly two years, I found it impossible to go on living in such a state of uncertainty, and I became a follower of Jesus.

So, some have asked, doesn't your brain explode? Can you both pursue an understanding of how life works using the tools of genetics and molecular biology, and worship a creator God? Aren't evolution and faith in God incompatible? Can a scientist believe in miracles like the resurrection?

Actually, I find no conflict here, and neither apparently do the 40 percent of working scientists who claim to be believers. Yes, evolution by descent from a common ancestor is clearly true. If there was any lingering doubt about the evidence from the fossil record, the study of DNA provides the strongest possible proof of our relatedness to all other living things.

But why couldn't this be God's plan for creation? True, this is incompatible with an ultra-literal interpretation of Genesis, but long before Darwin, there were many thoughtful interpreters like St. Augustine, who found it impossible to be exactly sure what the meaning of that amazing creation story was supposed to be. So attaching oneself to such literal interpretations in the face of compelling scientific evidence pointing to the ancient age of Earth and the relatedness of living things by evolution seems neither wise nor necessary for the believer.

I have found there is a wonderful harmony in the complementary truths of science and faith. The God of the Bible is also the God of the genome. God can be found in the cathedral or in the laboratory. By investigating God's majestic and awesome creation, science can actually be a means of worship.

Mt Soledad Memorial Cross

More coming soon . . .

Trump in Trouble over the American Flag

I found this article on CNN about Donald Trump being fined for an eye sore. I can agree his hair does need work, but this time it's not his big hair causing the problem. Seems like he's getting in trouble because his American Flag and pole are too large for his nice neighborhood.

Why can't he just tell the commission, "You're Fired" and get it over with? But I have to say that I support Trump on this one.

The Importance of One Vote

The state of Florida has an interresting article on the importance of one vote. They have searched through the history pages and found important elections that were determined by one vote.

I thought it was pretty neat. I hope you like it.

Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak

By: John Piper

"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." - Jesus Christ

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.

7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.

8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.

9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.

10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.

11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.

12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.

13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.

14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.

15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.

What To Do About Life

Today the Senate passed a law allowing the use of embryos in research. President Bush has promised a veto. Here are a few quotes from our leaders. I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.
"The president believes strongly that for the purpose of research it's inappropriate for the federal government to finance something that many people consider murder. He's one of them," White House spokesman Tony Snow.
"I do not believe that a frozen embryo in a fertility clinic freezer constitutes human life. Now, I believe that being pro-life involves helping the living. Regenerative medicine is pro-life and pro-family," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
"It is human, and it's alive, and under H.R. 810 we say that the federal government is going to fund the destruction, the killing, of that embryo," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.
"There has been an upsurge of demand, Support for the legislation has crossed every line we could imagine, certainly partisan lines, ethnic, racial, geographic lines." said Sen.Hillary Clinton, D-NY.
"I strongly believe neither Congress nor independent researchers nor any human being for that matter should be allowed to, in effect, play God by determining that one life is inherently more valuable than another," Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
"These embryos are never going to be babies," said California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.