Eyre Politics

Costs of Health Care Will Go Up

2010-04-26T23:49:00.000-07:00

One of the big justifications for the Health Care Reform Bill being rushed through was because it was intended to bring some financial stability as the nation is dealing with recession. According to this report from the American Spectator (which has also been covered via other venues), health care costs will actually go up. This particular excerpt is short enough to quote in full.

The economic report released last week by Health and Human Services, which indicated that President Barack Obama's health care "reform" law would actually increase the cost of health care and impose higher costs on consumers, had been submitted to the office of HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius more than a week before the Congressional votes on the bill, according to career HHS sources, who added that Sebelius's staff refused to review the document before the vote was taken.
"The reason we were given was that they did not want to influence the vote," says an HHS source. "Which is actually the point of having a review like this, you would think."
The analysis, performed by Medicare's Office of the Actuary, which in the past has been identified as a "nonpolitical" office, set off alarm bells when submitted. "We know a copy was sent to the White House via their legislative affairs staff," says the HHS staffer, "and there were a number of meetings here almost right after the analysis was submitted to the secretary's office. Everyone went into lockdown, and people here were too scared to go public with the report."
In the end, the report was released several weeks after the vote -- the review by the secretary's office reportedly took less than three days -- and bore a note that the analysis was not the official position of the Obama administration.

Note that the report was suppressed even though it was received before the vote on the health care bill.

Oral Health as a Model

2010-03-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

One last big-picture, foundational post, then I'm going to try to initiate some dialogue on some of the finer points of the Health Care Bill (as I understand it).

In oral health, the majority of disease boils down to caries (the disease of cavities) and periodontal disease. The outcome of caries could be as minor as a need for sealants or a filling. Or the extent of disease in a given tooth could require a crown or a root canal. Or it can result in an infection (accompanied by tooth pain - excruciating, from what I hear), requiring extraction as the worst case scenario. Actually, an even worse case-scenario of dental infection would be the case of Deamonte Driver, who suffered a brain infection and died. Less dramatic outcomes of extraction could involve bridges or implants or partial dentures or complete dentures. So you see, a lot of the dental profession deals with the outcome of caries. The potential outcomes of periodontal disease are gingivitis, gingival recession, bone loss, gum infections, tooth mobility, tooth loss.... These are almost certain, unless managed with proper brushing and flossing and routine visits to the dentist/hygienist or periodontist (gum disease specialist).

Both diseases - caries and periodontal disease - are actually infectious diseases. When we are young, our mouths are colonized with different strains of bacteria, usually transmitted by mother or other primary caregiver. Some of these bacteria are more effective at causing decay. Some are more effective at causing gum disease. I'm more familiar with the problem of dental caries, being a specialist in pediatric dentistry, so I'll spend more time writing about that.

The way we get cavities is that these strains of bacteria that cause cavities basically consume the sugar we eat. Then they produce acid, which breaks down the mineral in our tooth, resulting over time in a cavity. There are certain things that promote cavity formation - eating lots of sugar and not brushing or flossing away the sugar or the bacteria that are rapidly multiplying because they get lots of sugar. There are certain things that prevent cavity formation - not eating lots of sugar and brushing and flossing.... you get the idea. Now granted, there are some preventive factors that are completely out of our control, like immune response, quantity and quality of saliva...

Here's what I'm trying to get at. It's something one of my colleagues calls the "biobehavioral" model for oral health. There is certainly an aspect of oral health that is completely out of our control. It's just the biology we're dealt. But there's another aspect of health that is dependent on behavior - adding in healthy behaviors and avoiding unhealthy behaviors. So in pediatric dentistry, we counsel parents to decrease on-demand bottle or breast-feeding by the time a child is 12-18 months. We advise parents not to let children go to sleep with a bottle. We recommend avoiding juices and sodas until the child is of school age (and certainly not in the bottle). Not easy, huh? How about brushing a kid's teeth two times a day and/or flossing for them until they're able to do it themselves. These things to avoid and things to add have been shown to be associated with a reduced rate of dental caries.

But what if a parent of a child determined to be at high-risk for dental caries decides to ignore our advice? Is it the insurance company's responsibility? Is it the dentist's fault? We've seen it happen in our clinics. Families who bring child after child in to treat dental disease that is so severe that the kids have to be put to sleep in order to take care of all the cavities. We remind them of the behaviors that promote cavities and right after the dental procedure...here's your Big Gulp, baby...and two years later...here's our next kid, doc. Obviously, that doesn't happen all the time. There are certainly families who work with us to prevent disease, but still...

Overall health is like this also. There are some diseases we just can't prevent. But there are diseases that are worsened or even activated by our own choices. Diabetes and poor diet control. High blood pressure and diet control. Pulmonary diseases and smoking. Cervical cancer or STDs from early sexual activity or multiple partners. HIV...

One of my big-picture problems with the Health Care Bill was that the underlying philosophy seemed to remove responsibility from the individual and place it with government or employer. So if someone else is paying for treatment, why do the hard work to change unhealthy behaviors? If someone else makes global treatment decisions, why do the hard work of thinking through treatment options?

The problem is that we DO have a great deal of control over our health. So I feel we should also have a great deal of control over the means by which health care is compensated.

Your thoughts?

"That's what insurance is for"

2010-03-25T22:55:00.000-07:00

I hear it quite often. In my dental practice and in the clinics where I teach, we usually write up a treatment plan (an estimate of the procedures needed), along with an estimate of the fees, broken down into patient portion and insurance portion.

Sometimes, I show the fee estimate to the parent of a child and the parent will look at the 20% they are responsible for rather than the 80% the insurance company is covering. And the parents sometimes protest, "Why do I have to pay?" "I'm sorry," I sometimes reply, "I didn't put the cavities there. I'm just trying to fix them." "Oh, not you", they return, "shouldn't insurance cover that? That's what insurance is for."

Sometimes, I make a treatment decision for a procedure that isn't covered by insurance. Most often, it's a small child who won't be able to sit for a filling done to the standard of care. Rather than torturing the child with a perfect filling, I'll opt for a temporary solution that will just buy time until the kid is old enough for a real filling. I don't know why the insurance companies don't cover them. Maybe because they don't last as long as definitive fillings. But we don't expect them to. We just need to buy time. I can see the insurance company's point. Sometimes they last only 6 months. Sometimes they last 6 years. They only cost about 1/3 of the cost of the final filling. But quite often, parents get upset. "Why won't the insurance company cover that procedure. That's what insurance is for."

Sometimes, I go a little above and beyond the first time I see a patient for a checkup. I ask what insurance they have and I explain that even though the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends two checkups a year, some insurance companies only cover one (because that's what's acceptable for adult care). The family is then responsible to cover the cost of the second exam. I don't mention that as long as their kids don't have cavities, the $66 for the second checkup may be the only cost to the family the entire year. I do mention that if the family does not want to pay the $66 for the second checkup, they are welcome to schedule a cleaning for their child (which is covered) and remind me not to come in the room for the checkup. Quite often they get a bit peeved, sometimes at me because I've insinuated something about their willingness to pay, and more often at the insurance companies. "That's what insurance is for," they often protest. Only sometimes do I explain that it may not be the insurance company that made that decision. It may have been the employer who chose to make the specific insurance plan available to the insured individual. Some families come in with insurance that covers both recommended examinations.

I think we need figure out what insurance is for. Is it supposed be similar to auto insurance, where coverage extends only to accidents and catastrophe and big ticket expenses that we didn't expect, and not to routine maintenance (like the oil change we don't expect our insurance companies to pay for). Or should it be extended to cover prevention, in which case it would have to cost more, like the additional sum I paid for the maintenance plan on my VW. I mean we can't expect to pay a little to receive a lot, can we? To pay for one thing and get another more expensive thing,right?

The reservation I have about the current movement is that insurance companies seem to be operating from the assumption that their purpose is to help us cover the costs of major unexpected events. But what I hear from the biggest advocates of the current health care bill, is that the purpose of insurance should include regular maintenance. But I don't hear much acknowledgement that the costs of such an increase in services will raise premiums. My impression of the supporters of the health care bill is that there really is an expectation that it will be possible to try to pay very little to receive a lot. And I don't think that's financially feasible.

Context

2010-03-24T22:27:00.001-07:00

It's been one year since either Ian or I have posted on this blog. One year of sitting back and reading the writings of others and learning and absorbing and contemplating. But now I'm itching to comment again. And it's the new health care bill that has prompted my return to the blogging world.

I've actually been wanting to express my observations for a number of months, but...quite honestly...have been a little afraid to. I have dear friends who completely disagree with my political views. As long as we stay away from politics, things can stay happy. I guess, ultimately, there are more important things to agree on that we don't have to worry about political views. And I'm also afraid because I am an academic. We professors are supposed to be evidence-based in our pronouncements. And I just don't have the time or energy to do as complete a review of the evidence as I would prefer before publishing my opinions.

But the passage of this health care bill has become so important to me. It has stirred together my interest in politics with my work world. So the focus of my new hobby has impacted my workplace.

At any rate, for the few people who indicated they might be interested in my opinions on the health care process, I figured I should start with context. That way anything I write can be interpreted and applied more appropriately based on my perspective.

My political context:
-Born to immigrant parents who started out poor and voted Democrat. Said immigrant parents experienced the American dream, achieving financial success and switched to Republican. Said upper middle class parents started thinking about the influence of society on personal values (and vice versa) and became social conservatives.
-Raised in Orange County, the anomalous center of Republican activity in Blue state California. Influenced heavily by an incredibly diverse (ethnically and socioeconomically) pool of friends in college. Developed a concern for the poor. Started eschewing my knee-jerk, raised-to-be-Republican ways.
-Went to dental school in Boston. Harvard, no less. 'Nuff said. Heard only the New England context during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings. Started thinking that Republicans were nasty people. Increased the concern for the poor to a commitment to care for and live among the poor. Started preferring Democrat policies regarding the poor. Might have voted Democrat if the election cycles had worked out differently.
-Returned to LA politically confused and therefore, apathetic.
-Finished professional training and got a job. Tripled income in one year. Enlisted the services of an accountant. Started wondering where my income was going and whether it was being used effectively.
-Woke up on 9/11. Started wondering what on earth could make people in other nations want to hurt us. Was not convinced that it was because we are an imperialist nation. Developed an opinion that it was/is more about fundamental Islamic terror than American arrogance. Became very patriotic.
-Started teaching dental students. Started encountering some entitled, lazy dental students. Started wondering what they were learning in college and in life that made them express such entitlement. Became slightly disenchanted with the liberal (lefist?) mindset that seems to pervade the University.
-Started encountering international dental students - those who are already dentists in other countries who want US degrees to practice in the US. Heard story after story of struggle and hard work and persecution and perseverance...all accompanied by an incredible admiration for the American dream, the American promise, the American way. Freedom, liberty, opportunity, democracy..... Started loving this incredibly flawed, but amazing country.
-Started realizing that 90% of work and social environment was Democrat. Started listening to conservative talk radio and reading conservative blogs to learn. Ooops. Revealed my hand.
-Yep. I am a conservative. I don't like to call myself Republican, because, quite frankly, the politicians with that affiliation don't always perform that admirably. I've run the gamut and am now conservative because I think that it is people, not government, who have the greatest potential to perform acts of beauty, creativity, and intelligence. I think government sometimes gets in the way of people.

My healthcare context:
-Dual-trained as a Pediatric Dentist and an Orthodontist
-Spent most of professional training mainly treating low income individuals (who else goes to a dental school for 3 hour appointments?)
-Practiced in a huge HMO type practice
-Did not purchase my own health insurance (I thought I was healthy). Paid for all medical expenses out of pocket.
-Joined faculty at dental school. Received a great benefits package including health insurance.
-Enrolled in an HMO for my own insurance
-Switched to a PPO
-Decided on a health care plan with a Health Care Savings Account to take more responsibility for my own health care decisions.
-Started practicing in a fee-for-service, indemnity, high-end practice with a highly educated patient population.
-Started teaching in a low income, self-pay, and publicly assisted clinic with a minimally educated patient population.
-Worked for and with people who create public policy in oral health and focus on access to care.
-Stopped preferring Democrat policies regarding the poor.
-I've run the gamut in my experience as a patient and a provider and am not convinced that government options are the best by any stretch.

In a nutshell, I prefer conservative solutions. I think health care needs reforming, but not this way. I do see a role for government, but not as far-reaching as this bill seems to indicate.

So that's my context. Hopefully it helps as a framework for posts to come.

Hope for the future

2009-03-03T22:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wonder what on earth is going to happen to American politics in the future. The University has been incredibly successful in advancing a leftist/liberal agenda. There is no balance to the political perspective our young people are exposed to in college.

Then I hear someone like this 14 year old. And I have hope that the ideas of conservatism might not lose out to the ideas of the left.

I hope he doesn't lose it when he hits college.

Clarice

Practicing Islam in America's Public Schools?

2009-02-06T23:17:00.000-08:00

Read this special report especially if you have children in the 7th grade in public schools. The textbooks used to teach about Islam offer revisionist history (actually propaganda) and are being used to indoctrinate the next generation into accepting Islam and shariah law.

Sounds alarmist and ridiculous, but the report is well documented. Read your child's 7th grade history textbook to see if the mistreatment of women and violent history of Islam has been whitewashed. It seems that many of the textbook publishers have been pressured by the Council on Islamic Education to tell half truths and outright lies; claiming Islamic beliefs to be facts.

Islam's intent is jihad; stealthy and "peaceful" as long as Muslims are in the minority, violent and aggressive once they out-reproduce the majority and take over; as they did in Lebanon, a country that used to be majority Christian.

Ian

I just don't get it

2009-01-31T22:23:00.000-08:00

I just don't get why he cares so much about abortion.

Clarice

Choice Between A and A

2009-01-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

Exactly what choice does Planned Parenthood offer? Going to them for choice is like voting in North Korea, China or Zimbabwe.

Here's some insight from a former hippy who's been on all sides of the abortion issue.

Ian

The Daily Show's Take on the Inauguration Address

2009-01-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

My President

2009-01-20T09:33:00.001-08:00

Congrats to Obama on becoming my president. According to Romans 13, God has placed him in this position of authority. I pray for him regularly, especially for his journey as a Christian and his search for a church for his family to worship at in Washington. I pray for his family as they find new friends and community in their new environment. I have many doubts, but I'm also hopeful and expectant, trusting in God foremost and the power of the checks and balances built into our government process to limit the most extreme policies. I will give him the benefit of the doubt because I believe he is teachable and has a desire to let God transform him daily into a person more like His son Jesus. God bless you Mr. President and God bless America.

Miller Time

2008-11-13T22:16:00.001-08:00

Even if you don't agree with Dennis Miller, you gotta admit that he's pretty darn funny. Here he is on the O'Reilly Factor talking about the Election, Sarah Palin, President-elect Obama, AIG, and more. The one part that is rather admirable is his hope that Obama has a successful Presidency. A sampling of what Jackson and I listen to on 870 AM nearly every night as we drive home from UCLA.

Clarice

At Peace

2008-11-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

I'm back already. I went to bed last night with a heavy heart. Not so much about Obama being President, but more about what his election might say about the country. There are plenty of people out there who did their homework and voted for him out of convictions. I can respect that. But I also think there were plenty who had no clue and just voted based on the emotional appeal of "hope and change" or based solely on the color of his skin. And I wondered what that said about the values of the people of this country and its future direction.

But then I started visiting my usual bloggers and my usual talk radio shows and was reminded of how I felt two years ago when I had first heard of the historic election of a young black man from Illinois to the Senate. I had the hope that America was ready to get beyond issues of race and start to act in a color-blind fashion. This IS a historic election.

I am also starting to see the benefit of an Obama win. Now the other side of the political spectrum can taste victory. Perhaps the country can be relieved of some of the bitter vitriol from the far left and we can get beyond the resentment of the "stolen elections" of 2000 and 2004. Perhaps we can get to the business of moving America forward.

One of my favorite talk radio hosts, Dennis Miller, (of Saturday Night Live fame) expressed my thoughts in such a classy way today. He basically said that although Obama wasn't his guy, he hoped that Obama would turn out to be a great President after all because he loves this country. And he'd support him. That's exactly what I think is the right choice. So I am at peace.

And I was so happy to see that many of my favorite bloggers felt the same way:

Bill Whittle

It is with the utmost sincerity and genuine goodwill that I wish to congratulate Barack Obama and the millions who supported him on your historic win this evening.

My hope is that this will lift your spirits from the traumatic eight years they have endured, and restore to you the conviction that this is, and was, and always will be your country as well as ours....

When he is inaugurated, President Obama will be my president. He cannot be otherwise. I will disagree with him at just about every turn, likely, and that is my right and duty as an American. However, in an emergency he will have my unqualified support, and I will always wish him wisdom and hope that he may do what is best for this great country of ours. I do not wish – I do not ever wish – to see my country suffer so that I may gain political leverage. If at this same time four years from now, President Obama has acted in such a way to make us more prosperous, more safe and more free, it will be my greatest pleasure to admit I was wrong about the man. I look forward to that day. I hope to see it come to pass.

Regardless of all of that, we have together achieved something noble and magnificent tonight. We have, after a long and hazardous journey, taken the final step in erasing the one real stain on our nations history. That war is not over, but it is won. And we may all take a great deal of pride in that....

So again, to Senator Obama, Senator Biden, and all their families and supporters -- please accept my deepest congratulations on a spectacular victory.

Michelle Malkin

We pay respect to the office of the presidency. We count our blessings and recommit ourselves to our constitutional republic.

Baldilocks, whose father is from the same tribe as Senator Obama's father

Congratulations to President-elect Obama and to the Democrats.

As it became apparent that Barack Obama was going to be elected president, I called up my step-dad to see what was on his mind. We had a long conversation about the way history seemed to be heading and during the conversation, I looked up at the TV and noticed that the Electoral College Vote count was 287 for Obama. Done deal.

When I mentioned this to Dad, a man who is a Bible-believing Methodist pastor and staunch conservative Republican who voted for John McCain as did I, he said this: "Don't you ever go to bed at night without praying for that man."

I will not. He--and we--will need it.

The Anchoress

Good Luck, President-Elect Obama....Our President at this moment is still George W. Bush, and he deserves a good deal more respect than he’s been given. When you’re sworn in, you’ll have my respect, too. It won’t be uncritical - not that you’ll care what this little blogger thinks, for as long as bloggers continue to run free - but I will manage to be respectful and fair, which is more than most lefty bloggers managed for President Bush, so you’re already ahead of the game.

And finally, Betsy Newmark's comments on McCain's concession speech.

That was a very graceful and well-done concession speech. John McCain was much more appealing in defeat than he was as a campaigner. It's funny how often that happens. But he's absolutely right that whatever differences we might have with Senator Obama, we are at a difficult moment in our nation's history and if there is a hope of being a more united country, that would be good for all. Our conflicts are based on deep ideological differences that we won't ignore, but we can disagree without being ugly. Maybe Republicans can show the Democrats how to be a loyal opposition party without the total demonization that so many liberals have shown to prominent Republicans.

NOW I can take a break from political blogging. See you in a while.

Clarice

The American People Have Spoken

2008-11-04T23:28:00.001-08:00

Well, the American people have spoken. Some of them more than once. Needless to say, I am quite disappointed. I was hoping for a different kind of change. But the way I look at it...my hope is not in the White House. My hope is placed in Jesus. Ian and I prayed fervently for this election. Many people we know interceded as well. We trust that God knows better than we do what this country needs in a leader for people to have the best opportunity to encounter Him. So beginning this coming Sunday, we will be praying for President-elect Barack Obama every Sunday as we have done for President Bush for the nearly 4 years we have been married.

It's kind of funny. As I was writing our election eve post, Ian looked at me and said, "No more political blogging after tomorrow." I agreed. It's been a crazy season, studying and trying to craft reasonable arguments when new thoughts and information kept coming fast and furious. But I've really enjoyed the dialogue. I've admired the thoughtfulness Fobbiemom has put into this process. So maybe we're not done. I think I'd like to continue the discussion in preparation for the long road to 2012. And this time I'll want to have a more thoughtful discussion on political principles and not just objections to the candidate I opposed in this election.

And on that note...now that Obama has been elected I pledge to make every effort to be fair in my future assessments. I have been very bothered by what the conservative bloggers have called the "Bush derangement syndrome". I intend to be respectful of my President, while reserving the right to analyze the policies of his administration.

I think I'll take a break for a while. But I'll be back. Until then....

Clarice

Ending Election Eve on a Positive Note

2008-11-03T22:57:00.000-08:00

From John McCain's campaign:

From our friend Thena Dare, a song simply celebrating America and her political process:

Still Undecided?

2008-11-03T22:03:00.001-08:00

Happy Belated Halloween

2008-11-03T21:44:00.001-08:00

Social Justice Myth

2008-11-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hey, gotta get this thought out there. It's not my own thought but it makes sense. I think I heard it on Hugh Hewitt, but I can't remember and I couldn't find it online.

The argument is Compassion vs. Standards. Democrats claim to be the party that cares about the poor and downtrodden, but their compassion actually ends up hurting those they hope to help. For example, the desire to make house ownership available to the poor even if they had bad credit and couldn't afford the payments seemed like a compassionate thing to do. But in the end, after their houses foreclosed, they were worse off than if they had not been encouraged to buy a house.

Lets take the high road and practice compassion in the long term by keeping our standards high!

Ian

A Final Push on Prop 8

2008-11-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

From my friend Christina Lee Storm:

Hi Friends,

As promised, this will be my very last e-mail before the elections that you will receive from me regarding a YES Vote on Prop 8. Apologies if you have already received this e-mail.

This is a message from Rick Warren. You can also view it on YouTube

Rick Warren asks Obama and McCain their definition of marriage

This is a very serious vote. Please consider your YES Vote on Prop 8 and feel free to forward this to any friends you wish.

Sincerely,
Christina Storm

P.S. If you'd like to watch more videos on Prop 8, please check out:
Robb and Robin Wirthlin’s Story
David & Tonia Parker

From Pastor Rick Warren:

For 5,000 years, EVERY culture and EVERY religion - not just Christianity - has defined marriage as a contract between men and women. There is no reason to change the universal, historical definition of marriage to appease 2% of our population. This is one issue that both Democrats and Republicans can agree on. Both Barack Obama and John McCain have publicly opposed the redefinition of marriage to include so-called "gay marriage." Even some gay leaders, like Al Rantel of KABC oppose watering down the definition of marriage. Of course, my long-time opposition is well known. This is not a political issue, it is a moral issue that God has spoken clearly about. There is no doubt where we should stand on this issue.

This will be a close contest, maybe even decided by a few thousand votes. I urge you to VOTE YES on Proposition 8 - to preserve the biblical definition of marriage. Don't forget to vote!

Pastor Rick
Rick Warren
Saddleback Church
Purpose Driven Network

Clarice

Hating Bush

2008-11-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

Many people love to hate President Bush, but he has done some positive good. Here's one person's perspective.

Clarity on "Spreading the Wealth"

2008-11-03T00:36:00.001-08:00

The Governator gives some clarity on "Spreading the Wealth" in this funny endorsement of McCain:

He also shares some gratitude for the opportunities America has given him as an immigrant.

My Final Push for Decision '08

2008-11-02T23:50:00.000-08:00

Obviously, Ian and I have strong feelings about this election. Thankfully, we are pretty much in agreement with each other. There are a few issues where we don't necessarily agree, but they're rather minor. And we believe strongly enough in our political stance to have started this blog with the hope of persuading some people to join us. It's been an interesting ride. We have many very dear friends who stand on the opposite side of the political spectrum who we would love to persuade. And there have been the few readers and commenters who have made us really think through where we stand (thank you, FobbieMom!!).

For my final push I figured I would just tell my story of how I came to my current political convictions.

I grew up in Orange County, CA. This is one of the few hotbeds of Republicanism in left-leaning California. I didn't think much about politics growing up. I just knew that my parents were Republicans and that they thought it was the best representation of the values they wanted me to embrace. I went about my own merry way. My favorite presidents growing up were FDR and JFK (yep, Democrats). In fact, I named all of our hamsters after Roosevelt children and would have moved on to Kennedy children if it wasn't cost-prohibitive to continue breeding them. The idea of the New Deal appealed to me as a way of caring for all of society's members and Kennedy's charisma and call to service captivated me. By the time I hit college, I was drawn to the Democratic Party because of its value for social justice. However, I didn't care enough to actually vote.

Once I graduated from college, I moved to Boston for dental school. I probably don't need to explain what the political environment was like there. The election of Bill Clinton occurred during my time in Boston. I didn't vote. But I had started acting on my concern for the poor. I got involved in church ministries that targeted poor urban youths. I cared about that enough to move into Boston's Chinatown to make social concern a lifestyle instead of a hobby. And again, the value for social justice promoted by the Democratic Party captured my attention.

Then I moved back to Los Angeles - another Democratic hotspot. I think I abstained from voting in the 1996 election as well. However, a couple of events over the next 4 years started to wake me up to the values of the Democratic Party that weren't consistent with mine. The first was the reaction of people around me to the Lewinsky scandal. To me, it was simple. The President lied under oath while being investigated regarding the charge that he had raped someone. I couldn't understand why people I admired, fervent Democrats, kept complaining about how Republicans were trying to get Clinton because he had sex with an intern. I wasn't too impressed with the actions of the Republican party, but I was rather appalled at how easily Clinton's defenders (and Clinton himself) embraced moral relativity. The second was the reaction to the 2000 election. I thought Gore was incredibly disingenuous in the manner in which he contested the election results. I didn't buy the argument that he was trying to protect the voters when only certain voting districts were recounted. And I didn't care for the near civil disobedience that ensued in response to the "stolen election". Both reactions seemed irrational to me.

Then the events of 9/11 occurred. Something in me awoke. I realized that there are people in this world who absolutely hate America. And as I started to wonder why that was, I could not accept the idea promoted by the left that America is hated because of how badly she has behaved toward the rest of the world. As an immigrant's child, I have seen my parents' home country and seen how it operates. I am incredibly thankful for the blessings I have experienced as a result of my parents' adoption of this country as their own. And as I have worked with international students, I have been amazed by the admiration and respect they have for their adopted country. 9/11 woke me up to the idea of "American exceptionalism" promoted by Conservatives. I believe that America, for all her faults, is an amazing country of incredible opportunity.

So when the 2004 elections rolled around, I decided that I needed to be a part of the voting process. But first, I needed to understand what the parties were about. Since I wasn't too impressed with the Democratic Party in the wake of the Lewinsky scandal, the 2000 election, and the manner of protesting the Iraq war, I decided to start by learning about the Republican Party. I had heard Hugh Hewitt speak at a Christian faculty event I had attended and was very impressed with his political knowledge so I picked up his book If It's Not Close They Can't Cheat by Hugh Hewitt. I should have known it would be a polarizing book since the subtitle is "Crushing the Democrats in Every Election and Why Your Life Depends on It". He summarized the two political parties as being broken down into three sub-parties each.

He summarized the Democratic Party as the party of race, the party of government, and the party of license. The Republican Party was summarized as the party of faith, the party of wealth, and the party of national security. As I read, I began to see that the Republican Party best embodied my values.

I can't remember exactly what Hewitt said about the party of race within the Democratic Party, but it's rather clear that most minorities align with the Democratic Party. And I started to question the motives of Democratic leadership regarding their approach to minority voters. Quite frankly, I don't think race should enter into an individual's allegiance to political party. If we are truly going to post-racial, then voting should be color blind. And relevant to this particular election, I think that if it's racist for a white person to vote for a white candidate just because he's white, it should also be considered racist for a black candidate to vote for a black candidate just because he's black.

The party of government are those who align with the Democratic Party because they are in favor of big government. This includes Big Union. I wasn't too impressed with the negative impact of Unions. I had seen low-performing individuals in my workplace continue on year after year because their union status made it difficult to fire them. And I wasn't too impressed with the outcome of government programs. I had (and still continue) working with programs to serve the poor and I am not convinced that it is truly the poor who get served nor if it's ultimately in their best interest to be served by government programs rather than private organizations (ie church or non-profits who truly care for them). On the flip side, I had been involved in a church leadership style that operated from the bottom up, and had seen the power of releasing people to make decisions in their own sphere of influence.

The desires of the party of license within the Democratic Party were the least consistent with my values. These are the interest groups who want to promote policies that allow "license" in their lifestyles. Thus, the homosexual agenda and pro-choice movement, among others. I have no problem if people want to pursue their fleshly appetites. I mourn that they are missing out on the better life that God has for them, but I don't want those pursuits to be considered "mainstream" if they truly are not mainstream. And I don't believe that federal funding should go to organizations that allow people to pursue their appetites (ie Planned Parenthood).

The party of faith within the Republican Party is consistent with my values. I like the idea of using Biblical principles to guide legislative decisions. I don't want to impose Christianity on people, but I believe that the Creator of people has some insight on what's good for people.

The party of wealth is probably the thorn in my side regarding the Republican Party. These are those who want to limit government or lower taxes to maintain their own wealth. Although I don't agree with the bases for their policy desires, I do agree on fiscal conservatism. And I would rather support the vice of greed than I would the vice of licentious behavior, which is promoted by the Democratic Party. I hope that makes sense.

The last sub-party in the Republican Party is the party of national security. I hate war. But I think that America is far more suited to take up arms than any of the despotic regimes that dominate the rest of the world. If there has to be a world superpower, I would rather it be a democratic nation than a dictatorship any day. Although our country has messed up, we are also called upon by weaker nations. I think our system of government allows us to act more responsibly than most countries to protect our way of life.

The reason I have summarized the book and the two parties is because if Barack Obama is elected, the Democrats will lead Congress, the Senate, and the White House. And before long, the Supreme Court as well. Those aspects of the Democratic platform will move forward unchecked. So I urge you all to consider if the platforms of the Democratic Party are consistent with your values. In some sense, it doesn't matter what Barack Obama wants. If the entire government is Democratic, those are the values that will be promoted. As Hugh Hewitt writes, it's not just the candidate, but also the party he/she represents.

Wow. That was a long tangent away from my story. At any rate, the rest of the story involves my life in heavily Democrat environments and work activities and my study of conservatism through conservative blogs and political books. And the reason I mention all of this is to give a context for my support of John McCain. All of my adult life has set me up for a Democratic Party alliance, but what I have learned from reading and thinking convinces me that conservative principles allow America to be as successful as she is.

Now on to my push regarding the Presidential candidates themselves. I'll be honest here. I'm not all THAT excited about McCain. I wrote before about his optimism. I admire his service to the country and sacrifice. I agree with his desire to eliminate government waste. I do believe he has acted far more bipartisan than Obama. And he has shown wisdom. He was right on the surge and he was right on the Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac meltdown.

But what gets me really pumped up about this election is my distrust of Obama. My mom summarized most of it quite well. I don't want to go into too much detail.

Sure, he has associated with controversial figures and organizations. Perhaps the associations aren't that important. But look at how Obama responds. Silence. Cover-ups. Sudden denunciations. Denials.

And look at his record on abortion. Supports partial birth abortion. Did not support offering medical assistance to infants born alive after botched abortions. But he tried to cover that up also.

But another reservation my mom didn't hit is his approach to government. Obama has made it quite clear that it is his hope that America be "fundamentally transformed" with his election. Health care, energy, education, retirement accounts, mortgages. Obama wants to take all of these things under government control. If he can't be transparent about his past, how can we trust him to be transparent on all of these areas? And if he has never actually governed, how can we trust that he can handle such a big huge bite of American pie? And are we REALLY that bad off as a nation that our system of government needs to be "fundamentally transformed"? I think we just need some fine tuning and I distrust both his motives and his abilities to carry off what may only work in theory. And on top of it, I feel ill at ease with the way he and his campaign respond to those who disagree with his policy ideas. Joe the Plumber is attacked (not just by the media, but by O himself). People who don't like the idea of higher taxes are called "selfish". Reporters endorsing McCain are asked to leave the Obama campaign plane. I am concerned that our freedoms will be limited.

Well, it's getting very, very late. And this post is very, very long. It's short on eloquence, but heartfelt. I do not think that Barack Obama and the Democrats will lead this country in a positive direction. And I hope you join me and Ian in promoting McCain to the highest post in the land.

For some final summaries, check out these articles. Far wiser and far more eloquent than me.

Ed Morrissey and the "Young Guns" - The Comprehensive Argument Against Barack Obama
Charles Krauthammer's endorsement of John McCain
David Frum's endorsement of John McCain

Clarice

Final Thoughts Before Tuesday

2008-11-02T23:43:00.000-08:00

I'm kinda tired of this election and look forward to it being over. There have been so many articles in the blogosphere to point to and comment on these last few days that I've been overwhelmed and decided to be silent. The people that care to read what I read can peruse the vaults of my Favorite Blogs to the left.

I'm so glad that my Hope is in Jesus the God-Man and not in Washington or the White House. I am at peace with the outcome on Tuesday and with my little role as a blogger. Perhaps I have made a difference in somebody's life.

I will support the office of President of the United States of America, even if I don't fully support the decisions of whoever wins, and I will pray for that person to draw closer to our LORD, to become more like Jesus and to lead with wisdom and humility, making decisions with self-sacrifice and having a heart to pursue what is truly best for the people (not assuming that I know what that is).

I don't understand my friends who are voting Democrat because their families always vote Democrat. I could be wrong, but many of them don't seem to have really thought about Obama and what his words and voting history mean. I truly believe the statement that "the Democratic Party has left the Democrats," whoever said it.

I just had the thought that I would be okay with Obama winning the election IF I thought that all the people voting for him had really examined the man, his record and his worldview. Then I would accept that I was in the minority and that the majority of people really wanted to elect Obama (and his 3000 appointees alongside Pelosi, Reid, Frank, etc.). Instead, it appears to me that so many are swooning over his presence, delivery and rhetoric or voting out of knee-jerk reaction to their disappointments of Bush or out of some sort of false racial guilt.

I do know that this is a difficult decision for many and that the decision is getting harder and harder as the deadline to vote approaches and the seriousness of our freedom to choose our leaders is at hand. It's sad that we people so often vote against one candidate, instead of for the other candidate, with a lesser-of-two-evils mentality. I do pray that the uninformed voter would stay home and not vote. I do celebrate that voter turnout for this election is expected to break records. The people are passionate, that's for sure!

My Faith and Hope is in Jesus Christ my God. I am foremost a sinner and not worthy of God's love, grace and mercy and I will not judge the hearts of man.

One more day to figure out which presidential candidate to vote for. Don't forget all the propositions and local government offices that need an educated vote. Voting is our right and privilege!

Ian

Why Not Obama?

2008-11-01T23:26:00.000-07:00

My mom is probably even more aware and involved in the political process than we are. She listed her reservations with Barack Obama for us to post:

Unfortunately, there isn’t a near perfect candidate, on either side.

No doubt Obama is smart, articulate, cool, charismatic, focused, adored, and riding high in momentum. I don’t doubt his dedication in wanting to make a difference, to elevate the living standard of the poor, to advance the cause for better education. All these are well and good. I am for all that. Who would not be?

Why do I not want to vote for him? I commend him for having chosen a path to serve rather than a financially rewarding career as a corporate lawyer. I believe that his experience and choice of work at the early period in Chicago set the foundation for him to pursue public office. He has since pursued his goal with a passion.

Notice that I did not say anything about his character? That one is for you to decide if it is important for you.

Why I am not voting for him?

I will save my main concern for the last point.

1. His association of many persons who have demonstrated acts or speeches that are anti-American, questionable, even illegal. I will be fair to accept that you do not conclude with an opinion based on guilt by association. But the troubling fact is why he continued his association for the length of time that he did. He is a smart person. There is no way he did not know Rev Wright’s thoughts and philosophy having been his member and under his mentor for 20 years.

Obama claimed innocent saying that Bill Ayers committed illegal acts while he was eight years old. But one does not need to be someone’s contemporary to know what a person had done. He knows about JFK, Hitler. Does he not read history, learn ways to check background and references, make observation from the interactions to form judgment of character? Bill Ayers said in 2001 that he wished he could bomb more. How old does Obama needs to be to be able to judge someone’s philosophy that governs one’s actions?

Just yesterday, it was uncovered that Ayers and wife wrote a book “PRAIRIE FIRE” which they dedicated the book to, of all people, Sirhan Sirhan, the one who assassinated Robert Kennedy, friends of the people. Google the book name by Bill Ayers and you will find a string of sites about it. I don’t see it reported in CNN.com, probably not in the mainstream media either. Whether it has anything to do with Obama or not, this is not news?

It is hard for one not to conjecture that Obama’s ambition to rise to a position of power to effect his ideology gave way to political expediency, the end justifies the means.

He knew. He may have agreed with Ayer’s or Wright’s philosophy or may not. But he stayed. He gained. Until.

2. I am more concerned about the changes an Obama administration will bring by his socialistic leaning policy, and all the programs that will be enhanced, advanced, and prevailed by his supporters and organizations with the same interest.

I will leave out the discussion of economic policy which has been discussed everywhere. I don’t object to helping the poor, giving everyone equal opportunity. It is just that the government leaves so many loopholes for people to abuse the system. And sometimes I don’t think the government cares as long as they are in power and they are keeping the people who put them in that position happy.

I am concerned about the social and spiritual tone of the land.

Democrats are liberals, and Obama ranks number 1 in the senate. Liberal causes will flourish. Pro-choice, gay marriages, liberal interpretation of laws by judges, state or federal, ACLU, union bosses, trial lawyers will find a friend in Obama and his administration.

The liberal use of freedom allows exploitation. The entertainment industry is the number 1 exploiters. Have you seen any movie, TV show, not to talk about porn and porn in the internet, that does not contain sexually explicit scenes, story content? Even bill board advertising is full of such displays. Rap music contains words of hate, contempt, ridicule.
I am not talking about censorship or religiosity. And people do have freedom of choice to see or not to see the movies. But the liberal attitude and approach trumps any appeal for self regulations within the industry for the sake of our teens and young children. True you cannot legislate against greed and exploitation. What transforms attitude is personal and spiritual.

For now, discern for yourself why the majority of Hollywood has always voted democrat.

Personal responsibility. Liberal Court attitude. Do you still remember a woman who spilled her hot coffee, sued McDonald, and won.

Religious antagonism, more correctly anti-Christianity. Christian doctors who referred out a same-sex couple who want artificial insemination to another doctor based on their faith are sued for discrimination and lost.
Christian symbols and holidays are going to be a thing of the past if Christians let it be. Yet there is double standard. The liberals will not touch anything re Moslems traditions and holidays. It is not religious respect, but political correctness. Many examples of liberal hypocracies.

The history of the work of ACLU against Christian belief. They vote democrat. All the bills and laws to promote homosexual agenda in elementary schools. The authors and supporters are democrats.
Liberal press. Liberal colleges. Ridiculous curricula. Bill Ayers is a respected Chicago professor, in spite of his past deeds which he has not renounced. A general acceptance of free thinking without constraints of right or wrong.
In conclusion, conservatives are not morally superior than liberals. Christian conservatives sin as others. The difference is that a professed Christian is convicted in his heart by the commission of sins by the Holy Spirit. He knows that it is wrong. He knows to ask for forgiveness. He knows to ask for strength to not repeat. There is an inner compass to his behavior as well as the Bible.

Those who shy away or antagonize Christianity do not like the constraints. We do have do’s and don’t’s. Liberalism fits their philosophy.

They are the teachers, educators, legislators, professors for our children.

The concern of the liberal impact that shapes our kids’ thinking comes before all the merits of government sponsored benevolence

On this point, I’ll just end with Joe Biden as an illustration. All the big heart to help the needy shows in his personal contributions of $200-900, while relief work were underway for the Katrina tragedy, the cyclones in India and Thailand ,or the Sechuan earthquake. Ordinary people found it compelling to donate for such needs. Joe, a bouvuiac of the democrat leaders relies on the government to help.

Yes, I am Biased!

2008-10-27T21:58:00.000-07:00

I admit I am biased in the news and internet sources I frequent. I am trying to read other sources with an open mind, but I do process everything based on my biased worldview. And as a thinker on the Meyers Briggs Type Indicator test, I don't respond well to arguments based on feelings.

Therefore, I am biased in favor of McCain, but why? Here is a list of a few issues I care about, where the candidates stand and where I stand. In fact, I am not so much biased toward McCain, as I am biased toward anyone who shares my values and convictions. So if Obama wants to convert to what I hold dear and near, I'd gladly endorse him. As you can see, he's not very close to center and as McCain says; "it's hard to reach that far across the aisle."

Abortion: McCain against (considers life to begin at conception). Obama for (in an extreme way). I am against abortion (see previous post). In my opinion abortion is at best an extreme, violent act that reveals a person's worldview and permeates his thinking and perspective. Therefore, I have trouble trusting or voting for a person who supports abortion.

Here are a few more related issues with which I happen to side 100% with McCain (Also see this previous post). From Value Voters USA:

Gay Marriage: McCain against. Obama for. I don't believe the age-old definition of "marriage" should be tampered with. Gays already have legal rights that are equivalent to marriage - just call it something else. I don't believe gays really want to get married anyway since only about 2% have gotten married in countries that have made it legal; instead they desire their choices and beliefs to become mainstream.

Commander in Chief: McCain is experienced and I do not believe he is war/trigger happy but instead has a proper understanding of the costs of freedom and the role of government versus the individual when applied to protecting a people. Obama is not seasoned, experienced or mature in foreign policy and I believe will be tested, and the cause of the testing, as JFK was with the Cuban Missile Crisis. I believe Obama has a wrong perspective on America's place and responsibility in this world (another post to come). I don't care if the rest of the world and the U.N. disagree with America's choices, because doing what's right is not about being popular. Obama can be a citizen of the world if he wants to, but I do not believe the world has America's best interests in mind and our next president should not be swayed by world opinion. I think it's a shame that the intent of America's founding fathers is so often rejected when that solid foundation is the reason America has been so great. If you want to experiment with what doesn't work, move to Europe.

Unions: I don't know where McCain stands, but I'm not a big fan, especially when they give a percentage of my dues to charities I don't approve of such as Planned Parenthood. I do however strongly disagree with the power Obama wants to give unions.

There are issues that I'm not as opinionated on and which aren't as big a factor in deciding who I would vote for. Some issues where I'm not as decided on or as educated on are immigration, health, social security, trade, housing, economy and certain bailout plan details, although I always lean toward smaller government if possible and against socialist policies. There is a place for taxes and "giving unto Caesar" and there is a need for welfare and infrastructure and military. However, in our current economic downturn, why raise anybody's taxes until the recession turns around? Let's get rid of the corruption and waste first. Let's get rid of some of those deadbeat government employees that are so hard to fire. Let's enforce existing tax laws.

One issue where I'm against both candidates is stem cell research. I approve of research with stem cells. I disapprove of research with embrionic stem cells. I'm bugged when the two aren't differentiated. Again, this is my value of supporting a "culture of life." There is great hope for non-embrionic stem cells and it is unjustifiable and unnecessary to create a life to destroy it.

I disagree with both candidates on Global Warming, but that's another post coming as well.

Here's a good source on the platforms of the candidates.; from The Boston Globe.

Ian

My Joe the Plumber ad

2008-10-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

I decided to make a commercial for the "I'm Joe the Plumber" contest at JohnMcCain.com. What do you think?

Why I prefer FoxNews and conservative blogs

2008-10-23T23:12:00.000-07:00

I saw this cartoon on one of the sites I regularly visit. Exhibit A Press gets the credit for it. It basically summarizes my feelings about the mainstream media.

One of our commenters suggested that Ian and I are probably getting biased coverage of world and national events because Fox News is our main source of news and conservative blogs and talk radio are our main sources of commentary. It's interesting because our Pastor just suggested that we should try to balance ourselves by listening to the opposite end of the political spectrum from our own. My response? I'm pretty clear on the idea that I'm getting biased information and I agree that we should listen to the other side. However, I will likely continue with my news gathering practices for a while. Here's the thing. I live in Los Angeles, so I'm surrounded by Democrats. I am a University professor, so liberal thought is the norm. And a large portion of my work is geared toward policy and programs that will serve the poor, so the social justice advocates are my partners in this mission. My environment is full of left-leaning (or even full on leftist) individuals. So diving deep into the online conservative world is important for me so that I can arm myself with intelligent arguments. And I have learned a LOT from reading some of the smartest writers and brightest thinkers. Honestly, I have tried to listen to the opposite end of the political spectrum. Honestly. But after a few minutes of Air America (back before it went bankrupt) and Daily Kos, I just can't handle it. I just can't handle the negativity that I sense coming from hosts and commenters. So until an intelligent middle-of-the-road venue comes along, I'll stick with what I'm doing. Or maybe as soon as the election is over I'll quit my addiction to political news.

UPDATED:

The quote of the day from Hot Air

“Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not one of those people who think the media has been too hard on, say, Gov. Palin, by rushing reportorial SWAT teams to Alaska to rifle through her garbage. This is the Big Leagues, and if she wants to suit up and take the field, then Gov. Palin better be ready to play. The few instances where I think the press has gone too far - such as the Times reporter talking to Cindy McCain’s daughter’s MySpace friends - can easily be solved with a few newsroom smackdowns and temporary repostings to the Omaha Bureau.

No, what I object to (and I think most other Americans do as well) is the lack of equivalent hardball coverage of the other side - or worse, actively serving as attack dogs for Senators Obama and Biden. If the current polls are correct, we are about to elect as President of the United States a man who is essentially a cipher, who has left almost no paper trail, seems to have few friends (that at least will talk) and has entire years missing out of his biography. That isn’t Sen. Obama’s fault: his job is to put his best face forward. No, it is the traditional media’s fault, for it alone (unlike the alternative media) has had the resources to cover this story properly, and has systematically refused to do so.”

The whole article can be read here

Clarice

On Optimism....and Hope

2008-10-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

Okay. So we've ended up being more against Obama/Biden than for McCain/Palin in the majority of our posts. We're just trying to rally the undecideds in our teeny sphere of influence and I guess it sometimes seems easier to draw attention to Obama and Biden's negatives (because some of them are quite repulsive in my humble...and biased...opinion) than McCain and Palin's positives. Here's a positive post for the McCain/Palin team. This is a 2 minute clip of an interview with Chris Wallace. They talk about Palin and about the prospect of not winning the election.

McCain's perspective on losing the election - "Don't feel sorry for me....I'm the most fortunate person on earth." Perhaps an exaggeration, but throughout the clip, I was struck by the look in his eyes. His eyes had a hint of a smile throughout the interview. If not a smile, there was something optimistic...perhaps hopeful. I've seen that look before - in some of the best pediatric dentists I know (parents want to entrust their children to somebody optimistic when it comes to dental care).

I recognize that same gleam in Sarah Palin's eyes. It was a topic of conversation between Ian and myself early in Palin's selection as veep candidate. We noticed far more optimism in her than we ever saw in Hillary Clinton or Michelle Obama. And just think of how she's been responding to some of the pretty vicious attacks being made on her and her family. You gotta have some degree of optimism and positivity to stay mostly positive. I can't recall anything ungracious that she has said about the media in its coverage of her.

Overall, I see more optimism and hope in McCain's and Palin's eyes than I see in Obama's or Biden's eyes. And for me to draw any hope from a political leader, I have to believe that they are hopeful people, looking toward the future with the perspective of gratitude rather than pessimistic about the past or present. So on the idea of change and hope, my gut goes with McCain and Palin.

Clarice

Another Terrorist "Pal"

2008-10-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

From Gateway Pundit:
I can't believe how many of these radical Chicagoans that Obama has had symbiotic relationships with, until this campaign of course. It's unbelievable to me that 52% (Gallup poll yesterday) of Americans seem to believe in Obama's sudden conversion to moderate rhetoric as recently as April of this year when Obama's last twenty years have been spent agreeing with radical anti-American idealogues. Is he really proud of America?

Ian

P.S. How about this support for Hamas and Hezbollah? Obama's old church published an article by a senior member of Hamas in the church bulletin! Obama went to this church twice a month for twenty years and claims to have not heard anything suspect. Come on?!?! Obama's values and sensitivities must be far different than mine for this not to raise any red flags!

Abortion: In Their Own Words

2008-10-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

From Gloria TV:

Praise for America from Canada?

2008-10-21T21:46:00.000-07:00

I'm adding another blog to our list of favorites: Canada Free Press. Who'd a thunk that we'd have so much support from a few of our friendly northern neighbors. They live in a socialist state and I sense a level of discontent about it...

Also, check out this friendly Canadian lady:

Ian

Biden Predicts

2008-10-20T23:17:00.001-07:00

I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around this. It's my understanding that Joe Biden is considered to be an expert on foreign policy. This is from an ABC News report. Click here for the full story.

Two options that I can think of. One, he knows what he's talking about. That means we're in big trouble if Obama does in fact become President. We should expect some type of crisis that will require skillful diplomacy or military action. Two, he has no idea what kind of nonsense he's spouting. That still means we're in big trouble because he's supposed to supplement Obama's relative inexperience in foreign policy.

I don't know why he wants to be so emphatic about this prediction. I sure wouldn't want to proven right on something like this. At any rate, I sure hope he isn't right.

Clarice

No More Secrets!

2008-10-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

McCain and Palin claim to have open book pasts and certainly people have tried to dig up dirt on them. They've made mistakes, but they're not hiding from them. They even invite the scrutiny.

On the other hand, Obama's past is cloudy. There are plenty of questions and the ones that have merit will stay on the surface. And it's not just Fox News that's reporting these findings; even CNN has questions.

There is mounting evidence that Obama's claim that unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers was merely "a guy who lives in my neighborhood" is highly misleading. If you ask me, it takes more than mere acquaintance to get elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bill Ayers' Chicago Annenberg Challenge. Is Obama going to have to modify the claims on his website again?

Come on, Obama. Why the big mystery about your past? Why the misleading words? Own up to your pals. Open the books. What do you have to hide?

Ian

Yes on Prop 8

2008-10-17T23:25:00.001-07:00

For those of you who live in California, we have an important ballot measure on which to vote. My friend Christina is advocating for a "yes" vote on Prop 8. Ian and I agree. Here's her message to us to request that we join her in supporting Prop 8:

Hi Friends & Family,

Well, it’s in the air and politics is everywhere. For me personally, I have decided to help campaign a YES Vote on Proposition 8. This is probably the single most important proposition to me that I will be voting on in November.

It started for me when I heard Barbara Bradley-Hagardy on NPR give a report on Gay Rights and Religious Liberties http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91486340 (Barbara actually spoke at the Mosaic’s Women’s Brunch a few years ago). It was during her report that I realized that churches and other religious organizations could lose their rights and possibly their 501c3/non-profit status if they did not agree to conduct services for homosexuals (including counseling, ceremonies, etc). The report made me think, “What about the rights to the religious organizations?” Will we have to succumb to changing our values, ethics, and the way we run church due to the law?

This is why I taking advantage of our freedom in this still beautiful country and I am advocating YES on proposition 8. I’ve attached 2 flyers if you would like more information. (Fact Sheet & Questions and Answers). Please check out: www.protectmarriage.com

I hope you’ll join me and e-mail as many friends, neighbors, and family members in California that CAN make a difference and help protect the sacred bond of marriage between man and wife. Vote YES on Proposition 8.

Because of Him,
Christina Storm

At any rate, under California law, “domestic partners shall have the same rights, protections and benefits” as married spouses. (Family Code §297.5.). My opposition is that the world over understands that marriage is between one man and one woman. Any new definitions will take us down a slippery slope. I don't think same sex partners are being denied civil rights as they claim. They have the rights. This is an issue of accepted definitions. Please do some homework and support Prop 8.

Clarice

The Final Stretch

2008-10-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

So the last debate is over and we're coming into the final stretch. We had an interesting evening last night. We packed up the kids and went to a restaurant (and nightclub) in the Miracle Mile to watch the debate with members of the Los Angeles Republicans Alliance. It was rather surreal. A bunch of Hollywood-like people actually hooting and hollering over McCain.

I was glad to hear McCain bring up some of the issues that make me question Obama's judgement. I was a bit disappointed in his style. He seemed to jab and jab, but then retreat before the knockout. Obama had a few good comebacks and points. Ultimately, McCain ain't the smoothest talker, but he's earnest and seems far more trustworthy than Obama. There's something about Obama that creeps me out. Probably the way he obfuscates and talks his way around the issue at hand, like how he responded about his votes on the Born Alive Act and on William Ayers. So I'm with the Frank Lutz group in not wanting to trust Obama.

For your homestretch entertainment, here's a ten-minute rant by a local musician that has been linked by a number of my favorite bloggers. On why he's voting for McCain/Palin...and a hit piece on the far left. Opinionated, charismatic, controversial, but thought-provoking and funny.

Clarice

Debate Frustrations

2008-10-08T23:46:00.001-07:00

I was so disappointed and frustrated in the debate last night. Neither Obama nor McCain said anything they haven't really said before. In terms of their general policy differences, they didn't really seem that different. So, what probably counts more are issues of character. Obama's associations with folks like William Ayers, ACORN, Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezco really cast a shadow on his character...and his judgment, which he has been touting as a substitute for experience. McCain didn't take advantage of opportunities to bring attention to these associations. I was so disappointed. The mainstream media sure isn't covering much about these folks so these debates might be the only places for folks who don't follow the investigations of the conservative blogosphere to find out.

I'm starting to resign myself to the idea that Obama just might win it. I was telling Ian last night that I would really be bummed if that happened. But I would live. My hope is not in Obama. It's in Jesus. But I tell you what REALLY scares me beyond the Presidency. It's the idea of a Democratic President, Democratic Congress, and Democratic Senate. Losing division of power is incredibly dangerous. That means the judicial appointees over the next 4 years will not be constructionists. They will probably be marked with judicial activism. So for any of you fence-sitters who might happen to read this...think on that. Are we really ready to have all three branches of government dominated by the left?

Clarice

McCain FINALLY talking about the economic issues

2008-10-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we know McCain is supposed to be more experienced than Obama in foreign policy. But polls indicate that economic issues trump foreign policy right now. Now McCain finally seems to be talking about his understanding of the current financial crisis and the roles he (and the Republicans) and Obama and the Democrats played.

I trust him more than Obama on economic issues. And if we're talking political parties, I certainly trust the Republicans more on strategies to grow the economy.

Here's another one:

Clarice

Why Not Obama?

2008-10-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Why am I fearful of an Obama presidency? Because if Obama wins, there will be a loss of checks-and-balances in the executive, legislative and judicial branches of our government. Can you imagine the horror of Obama, Nancy Petocin, Harry Reid, Obama's liberal Cabinet appointees and the possiblity of 2-3 new liberal Supreme Court Justices? Way too much change in the extreme liberal direction.

Also, any new taxes is the exact wrong thing needed in our economy right now. Obama is for tax increases, letting tax cuts expire and $800 Billion in new spending. Biden says the economy might force them to spend and tax at a slower rate. I say none of the above.

Here are a few more doozies, from the National Republican Trust PAC and other easily found sources:

No solid denouncement of liberal extremists he has associated with; Wright, Ayers or Farrakan. And endorsements from Castro, leaders of Hamas, etc. Some Iranians actually hope McCain wins because they think Obama is more likely to unite the world against Iran. Obama has repeatedly announced choices that had he been in power to make those choices America would have suffered.

Obama wasn't even interested in church until he was advised that he'd better get in church if he wanted to get the backing of many Americans. There was no "faith" language in his speech even four years ago, but in the last eighteen months liberals figured out they needed to jump on the religion bandwagon. Obama's true feelings come through, though, when he talks about Americans clinging to their guns and religion.

100% Liberal Rating by the National Journal.

Most pro-abortion candidate in the history of America. 100% endorsed by Planned Parenthood, the leading abortion provider which receives obscene amounts of taxpayer money to be spent in ways I certainly do not approve of. This makes me sick.

Against gun rights. Rated "F" on gun positions by the NRA.

Approves of strong-arm tactics against free speech when the speech tries to reveal the truth of his past statements and associations.

Spouts vulgar language and racist remarks in his own book Dreams from My Father, which can be bought on tape, read by Obama himself. Read Wayne Perryman's other books on Why are most blacks in America Democrats? Why"for over 150 years, blacks were victims of terrorist attacks by the Democrats and their Klan supporters, including lynching, beating, rapes and mutilations. On the issue of slavery, the Democrats literally gave their lives to expand it; the Republicans gave their lives to ban it. Many believed the Democrats had a change of heart and fell in love with blacks. To the contrary, history reveals the democrats didn't fall in love with black folks, they fell in love with the black vote knowing this would be their ticket into the white house."

It's time for McCain to get the truth into the debates instead of hidden away on the internet. Looking forward to tomorrow's townhall style debate.

Ian

The Bailout

2008-10-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

I don't even want to talk about how ticked off I am at this entire situation. But I didn't think I could just keep on blogging away without mentioning it.

A video I saw a week ago went viral before being pulled off YouTube. It's been updated with new music. I must admit the original music was far more compelling to the entire video.

Clarice

Crossing Over

2008-10-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

One of our commenters, the mystery fobbiemom, said "Give me information favorable to conservatives from a liberal source, or liberals from a conservative source, and I will have an easier time getting to the truth." I've been trying to think of some such sources. May I present an alternative? I'm listing some of my favorite conservative bloggers, all of whom identified as Democrats until recently.

Betsy Newmark is a history and government teacher. Her blog is one of my first stopping places each morning. She has a phenomenal way of summarizing what she's been reading in the blogosphere.
The Anchoress is my second stopping place. She writes from a Christian/Catholic perspective. She is also great at summarizing the commentariat.
LaShawn Barber was one of my daily stopping places when she was writing about politics on a regular basis. She is now writing on a more diverse range of topics. She also writes from a Christian perspective.
I check out Baldilocks' site maybe once a week. Similar to LaShawn Barber.
And then there's Neo-Neocon...not only a recent convert to conservatism, but one who still lives in the Northeast and works as a therapist. I check out her blog about once a month.
And Tammy Bruce whose site I check out maybe every 6-8 weeks or so.

Hmmm. I didn't realize that my favorite bloggers were mostly crossovers from the Democratic Party...and women. Well to spice things up, here's a blogger Ian and I recently discovered that we keep intending to check out more - Queer Conservative.

But this is one pseudo-crossover that I found to be incredibly intriguing. One of Hillary Clinton's former fundraisers. Here's her explanation for why she's going to vote for McCain/Palin. Poor woman has taken a LOT of hits from announcing her intentions as such.

Clarice

Leadership

2008-09-25T14:01:00.000-07:00

I was quite impressed when I read that Senator McCain had decided to suspend his campaign to go to Washington to work on the "bailout bill". I thought it was a gutsy move given how close this race is.

I waited to hear how Senator Obama would respond when McCain suggested postponing the debate. I was disappointed to hear that he didn't want to postpone, indicating that he thought the American people would expect their President to be able to do multiple things at the same time, but that he would be available to help if needed.

I thought it was interesting that they both ended up in DC after all at the request of the current President.

Overall, I think it demonstrates leadership on the part of John McCain to act in the best interests of the country rather than that of his campaign.

Other sources that I read agree:

The Anchoress
Ed Morrissey here and here at HotAir (which inspired the name of this blog)
Mike Gallagher, whose talk radio show my sister-in-law recommends

Clarice

On the Financial Crisis

2008-09-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Did you see the Fox News story on Sept 24?

I know some would question the veracity of the report, assuming that Fox is skewed to the right. But if accurate, it gives us an idea of where both candidates and representatives of their respective parties stand on economic issues.

A series of articles offering more thoughts from Investor's Business Daily, which I just discovered. I would guess that a Business publication might also lean right, but who knows.

Clarice

Wow! Discourse!

2008-09-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

I've been quite busy the past week so I haven't stopped by this blog in a while. I didn't realize that we had comments to some of our posts. I'm very much looking forward to thinking through the issues that have been raised and starting new threads of conversation.

Clarice

The Widow's Mite vs. Other People's Money

2008-09-19T10:07:00.003-07:00

Why is it that the working poor give the most money to charities relative to their earnings? Remember Jesus' observations on charitable giving in the Bible?

The Widow's Offering
Mark 12:41-44 NIV (thanks to biblegateway.com)

41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,[a]worth only a fraction of a penny.[b]
43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

So, I've heard that conservatives far outgive liberals in money and time resources. Let's examine a few candidates...

Obamas: According to this Arthur C. Brooks's article, the Obamas gave less than one percent of their income during 2000-2004 when their average income was $244,000. After media fallout and their income raising to nearly a million dollars, then they generously started giving about 5% to charities.

BTW, the national average for charitable giving is 2.2%. The poor give the most, followed by the rich. The middle class gives the least.

Clintons: According to The Tax Foundation, the Clintons have averaged over 8% in charitable giving from 2000-2006, with a peak of over 12% in 2004. Not bad.

George W's: I couldn't find recent tax info, but this article gives early 1990s numbers typically over 10%.

Bidens: This record shows Bidens' giving since 2000 at far less than 1%. Biden's spokesperson David Wade claims he gives to his church - so I ask who gives to a charity and doesn't claim it on his taxes?

Gore: The Washington Post, for example, shows he gave about 0.2% one year, to the tune of less than $400, but he gave over 5% another year.

For contrast, try this giving level: In 2005, the Cheneys gave away 78% of their income to the tune of $6.9 million!!! Now, I don't think they do this every year.

But this takes the cake! R.G. LeTourneau, one of the world’s greatest inventors of earthmoving equipment and founder of LeTourneau University, gave away 94% of his income yearly before he died, according to his autobiography, Mover of Men & Mountains.

And any good Christian knows that Biblical tithing is a minimum of ten percent. When I was a toddler, my dad started giving me a weekly allowance of $1. I was taught to give a dime to the church as my tithe and a nickel toward a missionary. Thankfully, I wasn't taxed on the remaining 85 cents.

Here's a link with a few more fun facts about how liberals like to give away OPM (Other People's Money) through taxes and government socialism, but not their own.

So, who really cares about the poor?

Ian

Unequal Pay?

2008-09-19T10:07:00.002-07:00

During Obama's acceptance speak at the DNC, he said; "Now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work."

Hmm, so why, according to seattlepi.com's research or multiple listings if you google "obama female pay," does Obama pay his female Senate staff on average 83% of what he pays his male staff? And why is he getting away with accusing McCain of opposing equal pay for equal work when McCain actually pays his female staff slightly more than his male staff on average?

Who's the hypocrite?

Ian

Getting in their faces

2008-09-19T10:07:00.001-07:00

Barack Obama said something on the campaign trail that I found interesting...and a bit revealing.

He said:

“I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face.”

I found it interesting because as a follower of Jesus, I've made it a goal to tell people about the amazing kind of life I've found in Jesus just in case His way of living could make a profound difference in their own lives. Actually, I'm pretty convinced that Jesus' way is the best way possible, but I have to frame my mental thinking according to my first statement. See, any other way, then I'm accused of proselytizing, of trying to convert, of ramming my religion down the throats of others, of being intolerant of the beliefs of others, of (because I work for the University) violating the separation of church and state.

It seems to me that those who have been most ardent about taking religion out of government and education and anything public are usually from the left end of the political spectrum. So it's not okay to "argue" about religion or "get in their face" about their spiritual lives, but it is okay....even encouraged...no, let's call this mandated...to do the same about what Obama's campaign is promoting. So what's the difference? Aren't political views usually a reflection of a belief system? That's just one aspect of what he said that bugged me. There's a hint of hypocrisy there (and I am willing to admit that the right has its own hypocrisy...just not always so rabid). Here's the other. If a person really believes he/she has something great to offer me, I'm happy to discuss it and willing to be persuaded, because I'd love to pursue those things that might offer benefit to my life and the lives of others. But if a person's approach is to be invasive, then I start to think that it's not really about the common good, but instead about what he/she wants for self instead. And the argument seems rather self-serving.

I generally like to think more about good things to move toward rather than negative things to move away from. Thus, I would much rather spend time thinking about what the McCain/Palin ticket offers that would persuade me to vote for them rather than what dissuades me from voting for Obama/Biden. But this is one framework of thinking revealed in Obama's quote leaves a really bad taste in my mouth.

Clarice

Getting to know McCain

2008-09-16T00:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't been a big fan of John McCain up to this point. I suppose the "Maverick" title gave me a poor first impression. But when he made Sarah Palin his surprise choice for running mate, I was a bit more interested in what makes him tick.

Then I heard his speech at the RNC. I had heard that he wasn't a great speaker. I wasn't wowed by his speaking ability, but I was certainly struck by his story and his earnestness (at least what I interpreted as such).

A few days ago, I remembered that my sister-in-law told me that McCain's daughter, Meghan, has been on the campaign trail with him and has been blogging about her experience. I think you can tell a lot about a man by what his daughter thinks of him. She seems to think highly of him. You can check out her "musings" at mccainblogette.com. Oh, and she wrote a children's book about her dad. I think I'll be getting this for Jackson.

Clarice

Party Observations

2008-09-14T09:33:00.001-07:00

The candidates this election season seem to be more polar opposite on issues than I remember in past elections. I've been noticing a few gross generality differences between the two main parties, or even more generally, liberals and conservatives.

On the Meyers Briggs test: Democrats tend to make decisions based on feelings and Republicans tend to make decisions based on thinking.

On the glass half full/empty of water: Democrats tend to be pessimistic on America and Republicans tend to be optimistic.

On deferred gratification: Democrats tend to focus on short term fixes and Republicans tend to focus on long term fixes.

On media: Democrats seem to dominate TV news while Republicans dominate radio talk shows. But the blogosphere is the great equalizer.

On evil: Democrats tend to believe people do evil things if they didn't get enough hugs growing up and Republicans tend to understand that every person is capable of evil because of our sin nature and the presence of demonic spiritual influences.

As the saying goes; "If you're in your twenties and you're not a Democrat, you don't have a heart. If you're in your forties and you're not a Republican, you don't have a brain."

Fortunately, these party differences make for good checks and balances to protect us from extremism and corruption.

Ian

9/11 Censorship

2008-09-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Earlier this year, I flew to Jordan to stunt coordinate a stoning-to-death scene for director Cyrus Nowrasteh in a movie called The Stoning of Soraya M./ It's a daring true story of corruption in the name of religion; one of those horrible stories that needs to be told but too many people are afraid to stand up and tell the truth. Cyrus is one of my heros.

Cyrus wrote a movie called The Path to 9/11 that attempts to explain how the 9/11 attack was allowed to happen; another true story that needs to be told. But this TV miniseries is being censored by Bill Clinton, according to a new documentary called Blocking "The Path to 9/11" The Anatomy of a Smear, and Disney has chosen to take a loss of $40M rather than face the Clinton machine. Read more about it at Fox News.

Ian

9/11 Seven Years Later

2008-09-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today is historic for me because I swear in as an American Citizen. It's also seven years since the deadliest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. We can be grateful to all the Americans who have proactively kept America safe in the last seven years. And we can be grateful to President Bush for leading us.

Ann Coulter at Townhall.com compares liberal attitudes toward terrrorism to liberal attitudes toward reinforcing levees in New Orleans and bridges in Minnesota. We absolutely cannot be passive about terrorism or aging infrastructure because innocent lives will be lost if we forget our history and the realities of evil in many hearts. And yes, there is a cost to preventative measures.

During the DNC, terrorism was hardly if ever mentioned. We cannot be lulled into thinking that we are actually safe. Here is a list from Fox News of known terror plots thwarted by the U.S. government since Sept. 11, 2001.

• December 2001, Richard Reid: British citizen attempted to ignite shoe bomb on flight from Paris to Miami.

• May 2002, Jose Padilla: American citizen accused of seeking radioactive-laced "dirty bomb" to use in an attack against Amrica. Padilla was convicted of conspiracy in August, 2007.

• September 2002, Lackawanna Six: American citizens of Yemeni origin convicted of supporting Al Qaeda after attending jihadist camp in Pakistan. Five of six were from Lackawanna, N.Y.

• Click to view photos of suspected terrorists and attack sites.

• May 2003, Iyman Faris: American citizen charged with plotting to use blowtorches to collapse the Brooklyn Bridge.

• June 2003, Virginia Jihad Network: Eleven men from Alexandria, Va., trained for jihad against American soldiers, convicted of violating the Neutrality Act, conspiracy.

• August 2004, Dhiren Barot: Indian-born leader of terror cell plotted bombings on financial centers (see additional images).

• August 2004, James Elshafay and Shahawar Matin Siraj: Sought to plant bomb at New York's Penn Station during the Republican National Convention.

• August 2004, Yassin Aref and Mohammed Hossain: Plotted to assassinate a Pakistani diplomat on American soil.

• June 2005, Father and son Umer Hayat and Hamid Hayat: Son convicted of attending terrorist training camp in Pakistan; father convicted of customs violation.

• August 2005, Kevin James, Levar Haley Washington, Gregory Vernon Patterson and Hammad Riaz Samana: Los Angeles homegrown terrorists who plotted to attack National Guard, LAX, two synagogues and Israeli consulate.

• December 2005, Michael Reynolds: Plotted to blow up natural gas refinery in Wyoming, the Transcontinental Pipeline, and a refinery in New Jersey. Reynolds was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

• February 2006, Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman El-Hindi and Zand Wassim Mazloum: Accused of providing material support to terrorists, making bombs for use in Iraq.

• April 2006, Syed Haris Ahmed and Ehsanul Islam Sadequee: Cased and videotaped the Capitol and World Bank for a terrorist organization.

• June 2006, Narseal Batiste, Patrick Abraham, Stanley Grant Phanor, Naudimar Herrera, Burson Augustin, Lyglenson Lemorin, and Rotschild Augstine: Accused of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower.

• July 2006, Assem Hammoud: Accused of plotting to bomb New York City train tunnels.

• August 2006, Liquid Explosives Plot: Thwarted plot to explode ten airliners over the United States.

• March 2007, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: Mastermind of Sept. 11 and author of numerous plots confessed in court in March 2007 to planning to destroy skyscrapers in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Mohammedalso plotted to assassinate Pope John Paul II and former President Bill Clinton.

• May 2007, Fort Dix Plot: Six men accused of plotting to attack Fort Dix Army base in New Jersey. The plan included attacking and killing soldiers using assault rifles and grenades.

• June 2007, JFK Plot: Four men are accused of plotting to blow up fuel arteries that run through residential neighborhoods at JFK Airport in New York.

• September 2007, German authorities disrupt a terrorist cell that was planning attacks on military installations and facilities used by Americans in Germany. The Germans arrested three suspected members of the Islamic Jihad Union, a group that has links to Al Qaeda and supports Al Qaeda's global jihadist agenda.

Let's remember those who have given their lives and reputations for our safety by staying vigilant and electing John McCain.

Ian

Flip-Flopping

2008-09-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

There seem to be no lack of negative statements on all sides about a politician flip-flopping on an issue. I flip-flop if I make a statement without knowing all the facts and then learn more about the issue. Is flip-flopping always negative? It's sometime hard to find the truth or trust the source. But I would think that a public person would do more research, especially before voting in the Senate, for example. What I do dislike is when a politician skirts an issue or flip-flops seemingly in reaction to a poll. Why not state your conviction and stick with it?

So, here's an opportunity for you, my readers, to discuss your favorite flip-flops. Here's one to get us started:

Sarah Palin initially approved the Bridge To Nowhere, then defeated it, and now I hear that she kept the money. How much of this is fact and how much spin? Would there not have been a public outcry, especially from Democrats, if she had kept $400 Million of Federal taxpayer money for Alaska? Wouldn't somebody want to know where that money was going to be spent instead? I mean, if Sarah is being held accountable for accepting $50 per day to sleep in her own home when she's away from the governor's mansion, surely somebody would care about this apparent inconsistency of not really giving $400M back to the taxpayers, especially while bragging about reform? Unless it's a myth!

Talk amongst yourselves, then post a comment...

Ian

Smear Busting?

2008-09-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

Not Imposing

2008-09-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was talking to a friend recently about abortion and she said that she would never have an abortion herself, but she doesn't believe in imposing that belief on others. Not having a good answer at the ready and not wanting to appear instantly judgmental, I rambled on about other issues of imposing on others such as seat belt laws and motorcycle helmet laws.

But I do have an answer for the not-legislating-morality crowd. Government legislates all sorts of morality for the common good. Such morality is found in the Bible, which many reject, but more universally than that everybody has a born understanding of right and wrong through our consciences. Of course government should legislate against moral issues such as murder and abuse. Nobody questions that!

So, for those who wouldn't abort their own unborn baby but also wouldn't force others to save their unborn "fetal tissue," that unwanted baby has the potential of contributing to society, even if severely handicapped or unwanted, and needs to be protected at all stages of life. We humans do not get to choose who lives and who doesn't; we must do our best to save life when it is within our ability. Abortion is murder, and exceedingly violent, and government should impose legislation to protect all human life.

Ian

Joe Biden's Hot Air

2008-08-28T01:29:00.000-07:00

I cannot listen to Joe Biden anymore. He's a fiction writer. Did any of you watch his speech tonight at the DNC? Check out this rebuttal :

Lie #1

But John McCain doesn't seem to get it. Barack Obama gets it, though. Like many of us in this room, like many of us in this hall, Barack Obama has worked his way up. He is the great American story, you know?

Barack Obama is the Harvard educated son of a Harvard educated man. His grandparents sent him to a prep school in Hawaii that costs $17,000/year, and the student body consisted of actors and celebrities. That is not the typical American story. Most kids either go to public school or private school, not a prep school with celebrities.

Lie #2 (Also told by Michelle)

And, ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama could have done anything after he graduated from college. With all his talent and promise, he could have written his own ticket to Wall Street. But what did he choose to do?

How could Barack Obama go to Wall Street. He didn't study Finance and he's not an investment banker. What are his qualifications for Wall Street. Is this just another one of his inventions? And, he's already proven he knows nothing about economics with policies like raising taxes during a slowing economy.

Lie #3

And when he came to Washington, when he came to Washington, John and I watched with amazement how he hit the ground running, leading the fight to pass the most sweeping ethics reform in a generation.

John McCain has already said he was angry that Obama just gave up on the ethics bill. Just gave up.

Lie #4

And then he moved Congress and the president to give our wonderful wounded warriors the care and dignity they deserve.

Obama voted against funding the troops. Exactly what kind of care is he talking about?

Lie #5

And when John McCain proposes $200 million in new taxes for corporate America, $1 billion alone for the largest companies in the nation -- but no, none, no relief for 100 million American families, that's not change. That's more of the same.

John McCain is proposing lots of relief for 100 million American families, its Obama that doing away with the Bush cuts. Its Obama that wants to raise the capital gains rates and the dividend taxes.

Lie #6

Even today, as oil companies post the biggest profits in history, nearly $500 billion in the last five years, John wants to give them another $4 billion in tax breaks. That's not change. That's the same.

John McCain wants to get the economy moving by reducing corporate taxes, not just the oil companies. Obama wants to have a windfall tax on oil companies that will just get passed on to consumers, and you'll end up paying even more at the pump.

Lie #7

And during the same time, John voted again and again against renewable energy, solar, wind, biofuels. That's not change. That's more of the same.

John McCain has continually said that he believes in alternative energy and reducing dependence of foreign oil, he isjust way more practical about the situation and realized our economy will just stall if we don't drill now; alternative energy developments later.

Lie #8

Millions of Americans have seen their jobs go offshore, yet John continues to support tax breaks for corporations that send them there. That's not change. That's more of the same.

Tax breaks aren't going to send companies offshore, unions will. They simply go where there is cheaper labor. Americans need to retrain themselves. Factory jobs will not be here forever unless you are willing to make the same labor wage that someone in a third world country makes. You need to retrain yourself to learn computers, multimedia, and technology. And, McCain has plans for training programs for out of work Americans.

Lie #9

He voted 19 times against the minimum wage for people who are struggling just to make it to the next day. That's not change. That's more of the same.

Raising the minmum wage won't do a bit of good, it will just raise prices. If you are a grocery store and have to pay your employees more, you are just going to charge more for food. So, your higher wages, will buy you the same or less.

Lie #10

And when he says he'll continue to spend $10 billion a month, when the Iraqis have a surplus of nearly $80 billion, that's not change. That's more of the same.

McCain is not going to keep troops there if its not necessary. Only he has the judgement to make this decision about troop levels. If troop levels made the difference between losing the war in Iraq and winning why should we let Obama make that decision when he knows nothing about the military, and Biden even wanted to divide Iraq in three separate countries.

Lie #11

The choice in the election is clear. These times require more than a good soldier. They require a wise leader. A leader who can change -- the change that everybody knows we need.

McCain is more than a soldier, he has been a leader in congress, and passed several pieces of major legislation. Obama contributed in a minor way to legislation, but nothing major.

Lie #12

Barack Obama's going to deliver that change, because, I want to tell you, Barack Obama will reform our tax code. He will cut taxes for 95 percent of the American people who draw a paycheck. That's the change we need.

How is he going to cut taxes for 95 percent of the American people when he is going to raise the capital gains tax, and let the Bush tax cuts expire. Everyone will pay more under Obama's plan.

Lie #13

Barack Obama will transform the economy by making alternative energy a national priority and in the process creating 5 million new jobs and finally, finally freeing us from the grip of foreign oil. That's the change we need.

How will this transform the economy. He is just going to create subsidies for companies to develop alternative energy. This will take 10-20 years to develop. Its not like poof ok now that Obama is president we no longer need oil. McCain is the one who actually is putting incentives out there to develop better fuel batteries for automobiles to run on alternative fuels.

Lie #14

Barack Obama knows that any country that out-teaches us today will out-compete us tomorrow. That's why he'll invest in the next generation of teachers and why he'll make college more affordable. That's the change we need.

Its proven that throwing money to school is not the answer. All they do is waste the money on huge Olympic-sized pools, or whatever. That is definetly not the answer and he knows it. He just wants the teacher's votes.

Lie #15

Barack Obama will bring down health care costs by $2,500 for the average family and, at long last, deliver affordable, accessible health care for every American.

How is he going to reduce health care costs, his health care plan is going to raise the cost of health care because the system will be burdened by illegals who would be coming over with health problems to take advantage of the best health care system in the world. And, the average American will be going to the doctor uneccessarily and getting uneccessary tests done, because the hospitals want to bill now that Uncle Sam is picking up the tab. Specialized medicine will no longer be available, and the wait lines at doctor visits will be incredibly long.

Lie #16

Should we trust John McCain's judgment when he rejected talking with Iran and then asked, "What is there to talk about?" Or Barack Obama, who said, "We must talk and make clear to Iran that it must change"?

The US is already doing sanctions on Iran, and Obama thinks he can just talk to Iran and make things better.

Lie #17

Should we trust John McCain's judgment when he says we can't have no timelines to draw down our troops from Iraq, that we must stay indefinitely? Or should we listen to Barack Obama, who says shift the responsibility to the Iraqis and set a time to bring our combat troops home?

Now, after six long years, the administration and the Iraqi government are on the verge of setting a date to bring our troops home. John McCain was wrong, and Barack Obama was right.

Obama was WRONG, WRONG on Iraq. He wanted to have the troops home last March, and that would have been disaster for Iraq. Iraq would be part of Iran by now.

Our debt to our parents and our grandparents is too great. Our obligation to our children is too sacred. These are extraordinary times; this is an extraordinary election.

He's right its an extraordinary election to have someone this incompetent, yet so deceitful and popular. We will have to work really hard to defeat Obama in the 2008 election and in future elections. He should never be President of the United States.

McCain on Tonight Show

2008-08-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

John McCain was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Monday night:

I really liked his humor and he made some great points.

Regarding the fight between him and Obama for president; “We just have differences on political philosophy. Senator Obama was the most liberal, and Joe Biden was the third most liberal, Senator in the Senate, according to their voting record, and that’s what this is about. It shouldn’t be about our personalities or some of these minor issues that you really hear about.” “It has nothing to do with likes and dislikes…it has to do with what you think government should be doing, and how we’re going to stop the pork barrel spending and earmarking and the corruption that’s in Washington. “

Ian

My Beliefs on the Issues

2008-08-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

Why do I support McCain over Obama? Many reasons, including that my beliefs on the following issues align completely with McCain's:

Favors new drilling offshore US
Mccain: Yes Obama: No

Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it
McCain: Yes Obama: No

Served in the US Armed Forces
McCain: Yes Obama: No

Amount of time served in the US Senate
McCain: 22 YEARS Obama: 173 DAYS

Will institute a socialized national health care plan
McCain: No Obama: Yes

Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy
McCain: No Obama: Yes

Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately
McCain: No Obama: Yes

Supports gun ownership rights
McCain: Yes Obama: No

Supports homosexual marriage
McCain: No Obama: Yes

Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase
McCain: No Obama: Yes

Voted against making English the official language
McCain: No Obama: Yes

Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals
McCain: No Obama: Yes

I believe Republicans and Democrats care about most of the same issues; they just believe in different ways of accomplishing them.

I believe in the private sector and faith-based initiatives to accomplish helping the poor and downtrodden on a personal, individual level, not with inefficient government. I don't believe that taxpayers should be forced to support government initiatives while the politicians that support taxpayer funding don't set the example of sacrificially serving the poor and downtrodden on their own with their own resources.

Ian

Wetting Their Pants

2008-08-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

Every time I see an interview on the street of someone anticipating seeing Obama speak in person, they seem to be in emotional spasms of ecstasy, about to pee their pants. Here are some worst cases:

Chris Matthews responding to a speech; "The feeling most people get when they hear Barrack Obama's speech...I felt this thrill going up my leg..."

Jesse Jackson said regarding the DNC; “The event itself is so extraordinary that another chapter could be added to the Bible to chronicle its significance.”

Spike Lee said that after the upcoming presidential election, “You’ll have to measure time by ‘Before Obama' and ‘After Obama.’”

Louis Farrakhan said; “A black man with a white mother became savior to us” and “could turn out to be one who can lift America from her fall.”

Has Obama really risen, in nineteen months, from relatively unknown Senator rookie to this level of hype? Can we fault anybody from poking a little fun?

Ian

World's Largest Protest Sign

2008-08-27T16:04:00.000-07:00

Right To Life has created a Guinness World Record attempt in Denver. 530-foot tall and 666-foot wide!

Bill Clinton makes a good point.

2008-08-27T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today, Bill Clinton spoke at a forum of former world leaders less than a mile from the site of the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

“Suppose for example you’re a voter and you have candidate X and you have candidate Y,” Clinton said. “Candidate X agrees with you on everything but you don’t think that person can deliver on anything. Candidate Y disagrees with you on half the issues but you believe that on the other half, the candidate will be able to deliver. For whom will you vote?”

(BTW, If you think this picture is harsh, check this guy out.)

Sounds like Clinton isn’t totally on board with Obama, although he probably considers himself candidate Y and not McCain. I agree that Obama puts forth some good ideas, but I’m convinced most of his ideas are impossible to enforce or afford. And I especially disagree with his disvaluing of human life before and possibly even after birth and his desires to make government bigger.

Ian

Why I liked Michelle Obama’s DNC speech!

2008-08-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

Monday night, Michelle Obama gave an amazing speech about family and values. She was very poised and confident and had a great presence. I was not in favor of what she had to say before she spoke, but afterward I found myself admiring her. Then my wife made a point that she'd heard on talk radio.

Everything Michelle bragged about, her and Barack’s families achieving the American Dream through personal hard work, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH GOVERNMENT!

What a refreshing thought to come from a Democrat!

Ian

My Number One Political Issue

2008-08-27T15:28:00.000-07:00

The issue for me that trumps all other issues in politics is respect for life. No matter when you believe life starts, at birth or conception, abortion is an undeniably violent act. You don’t have to see graphic pictures to know about little body parts and blood.

Mother Theresa said many interesting things about abortion being a foundation of violence in our society that permeates every aspect of our society. I’m not impressed by everything she did or said, but I agree with her totally on respect for life.

I believe that a society that can justify and condone such violence against any potential member of society is on a losing downward spiral. How can someone really care about the poor and downtrodden if they don’t care about the most helpless members of our society? Abortion is one of those indicators of the loss of values that is threatening everything that makes this great nation great.

The most pro-abortion senator in America, based on voting record, is Barack Obama. In fact, he's become the media minister of Planned Parenthood. I may live in California where there is slim-to-none chance of defeating a Democrat politician, and even many of my Christian friends are voting for Obama, but I must do everything I can to help defeat Obama because I believe his judgment is faulty and his values are misguided and this great nation will suffer at his hand.

I believe with all my heart that the most important issue in politics, and life, is respect for life, even the pre-born and infirm, and that respect for life permeates and influences all other issues.

I become an American citizen on September 11 (9/11 ironically), in a few weeks. I will have the privilege to vote for President of the United States of America. I have a responsibility to vote my conscience. I will have to answer for how I live my life.

Ian

Coming Out of the Political Closet

2008-08-27T15:12:00.000-07:00

Since I am swearing in as a citizen of the United States of America, the greatest country in the world, on Sept 11, 2008, I have decided to start getting involved in politics.

Why am I proud of this great nation?

Because we are the most giving nation in the world. America gives by far the most to the UN Poverty Fund. Americans care more about the world's poor and disenfranchised, especially victims of natural disasters and religious persecution. Americans are the most willing to die for the freedoms of non-Americans. And America has given me so much opportunity and liberty.

Like Kobe Bryant said, "Our country, we believe, is the greatest county in the world and it's given us so many great opportunities and it's just this sense of pride that you have, that you say, you know what, our country is the best."

Ian