http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2009/12/news-co2-levels-in-atmosphere-havent.html
Some more damning evidence that not only are the man made CO2 emissions data cooked up, but our human emissions are a tiny fraction of the overall CO2 cycle.
Now, does evidence have any effect on the Globablists who are straining to set up a one world government funded by a "carbon tax" (which would bypass national governments and be payable to der Furher to be spent on whatever he wanted.) Maybe Obama has put in for that position. Of course not! The goal is not climate control - that is just the latest excuse to spook the sheep into whatever direction the globalists want them to stampeded. No, the goal is total control - Limited Government be damned.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Grateful to be Alive
I reveived a number of calls and emails and cards and FB comments as a result of a heart attack on Christmas Eve. Big surprise. The following was something I wrote in response to someone who knows Christ as his Savior and Friend, as I do. Perhaps the thoughts will cause you to pause and consider, as these events did for me.
Hi Brother,
I got your email just a few minutes ago. I can check my business email from anywhere, but I just have not felt like doing much. I am real tired because I am not sleeping well. Lots of reasons, but mostly a combination of new meds, altered cardio-pulmonary function, and a sense that things must change in my lifestyle (eating, exercise, physical priorities, etc.) Things with my recovery seem to be getting better incrementally every day.
It was a profound surprise to have to leave out of my bedroom at 9:45 pm Thursday Christmas Eve, after self-diagnosing a heart attack, and then walk back in on Monday evening, seeing what I had left behind. My last view may have been my last view. I suppose that many things that I (and all of us, for that matter) thought were real important now look a bit tawdry and silly when viewed in the light of eternity.
“I know whom I have believed and am fully-persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day”, so I was not frightened of dying, believe it or not; it was not so much on my mind as we went in a rush to the emergency room, but had a sense of peace that whatever happened I was in His hands.
It was sobering though, as I thought about it on the operating table, that I could leave behind a wife who would really, really miss me and need me, however inept a husband and friend I may have been to her. I was not praying for life, but I was just trusting Him to have His will.
I have been given a great gift - a second chance to remove from the many nooks and crannies of my life things that were not totally given over to Him. It is not that failing to remove these things would invalidate my salvation - not that at all - but that I would squander another series of opportunities to show Him how much I love Him; another opportunity to cast self to the wind and do as the sinner-woman did in the house of Simon the Pharisee, weeping and washing Jesus' feet with her tears, wiping them with the hairs of her head (humbling her glory for His glory); anointing his head with oil, and not saying a word or clamoring for anything. She was already forgiven. She came to give, not get.
She didn't need to be there, if one thinks that the only reason to come to Jesus is to get something from Him. She already had it. (Jesus makes that abundantly clear as He proceeds to explain the facts of life to Simon). Why was she there? Why was she weeping, then? The answer is obvious. She was forgiven much, therefore she loved Him much. She took possibly her only opportunity to personally express that love to Him and bewail her former sins and lifestyle that now grieved her. She had been "frankly" forgiven a debt she could never pay; and she loved the One who not only could but did forgive her.
I want to emulate that woman.
I know that I have not exerted myself enough to show Him how grateful I am for His forgiveness and grace to me. Perhaps there is no "enough" that we can ever attain in that regard, but I sincerely want this to be a new beginning in my expression of personal devotion to Him, and availability of my life to Him. Really, I think that is the whole point of what it means to be a child of God. Everything else is a side show.
Thanks for your prayers. I gratefully acknowledge and appreciate the prayers of many, many friends all over the country. God took them and used them to not just heal me but to change me. That is a wonderful miracle.
Hi Brother,
I got your email just a few minutes ago. I can check my business email from anywhere, but I just have not felt like doing much. I am real tired because I am not sleeping well. Lots of reasons, but mostly a combination of new meds, altered cardio-pulmonary function, and a sense that things must change in my lifestyle (eating, exercise, physical priorities, etc.) Things with my recovery seem to be getting better incrementally every day.
It was a profound surprise to have to leave out of my bedroom at 9:45 pm Thursday Christmas Eve, after self-diagnosing a heart attack, and then walk back in on Monday evening, seeing what I had left behind. My last view may have been my last view. I suppose that many things that I (and all of us, for that matter) thought were real important now look a bit tawdry and silly when viewed in the light of eternity.
“I know whom I have believed and am fully-persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day”, so I was not frightened of dying, believe it or not; it was not so much on my mind as we went in a rush to the emergency room, but had a sense of peace that whatever happened I was in His hands.
It was sobering though, as I thought about it on the operating table, that I could leave behind a wife who would really, really miss me and need me, however inept a husband and friend I may have been to her. I was not praying for life, but I was just trusting Him to have His will.
I have been given a great gift - a second chance to remove from the many nooks and crannies of my life things that were not totally given over to Him. It is not that failing to remove these things would invalidate my salvation - not that at all - but that I would squander another series of opportunities to show Him how much I love Him; another opportunity to cast self to the wind and do as the sinner-woman did in the house of Simon the Pharisee, weeping and washing Jesus' feet with her tears, wiping them with the hairs of her head (humbling her glory for His glory); anointing his head with oil, and not saying a word or clamoring for anything. She was already forgiven. She came to give, not get.
She didn't need to be there, if one thinks that the only reason to come to Jesus is to get something from Him. She already had it. (Jesus makes that abundantly clear as He proceeds to explain the facts of life to Simon). Why was she there? Why was she weeping, then? The answer is obvious. She was forgiven much, therefore she loved Him much. She took possibly her only opportunity to personally express that love to Him and bewail her former sins and lifestyle that now grieved her. She had been "frankly" forgiven a debt she could never pay; and she loved the One who not only could but did forgive her.
I want to emulate that woman.
I know that I have not exerted myself enough to show Him how grateful I am for His forgiveness and grace to me. Perhaps there is no "enough" that we can ever attain in that regard, but I sincerely want this to be a new beginning in my expression of personal devotion to Him, and availability of my life to Him. Really, I think that is the whole point of what it means to be a child of God. Everything else is a side show.
Thanks for your prayers. I gratefully acknowledge and appreciate the prayers of many, many friends all over the country. God took them and used them to not just heal me but to change me. That is a wonderful miracle.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
What Would it Take?
In view of Joe Lieberman's and Ben Nelson's capitulation to Harry Reid on the Senate Healthcare bill - and in view of the overarching necessity to defeat this odious bill, what would it take for someone in the Democratic Party to stand up and oppose it? Are there no principled Senate Democrats left in the entire Party?
I would like to believe that there are a number of them, but they are afraid to break ranks. Maybe, when the chips are down, they might take some courage from a certain Joseph, hailing from Aramathea in Israel, who finally threw caution to the winds and went into the hall of Pontius Pilate the Roman governor and begged the body of Jesus, to thwart the intent of the Jewish leaders (of which group he was a member). They intended for Jesus' body to be thrown into the garbage pit in the valley of Hinnon and consumed by the dogs. He knew that he would be publically exposed as a disciple of Jesus - a very risky exposure for one in his position - if he took action on behalf of Jesus. But history records that he finally gathered up his courage and broke away from his fears and took the body down and donated the use of his own newly-hewn tomb for the burial. He was not exactly keeping a safe distance from the political and religious wrath of the Sanhedren in doing what he did.
Perhaps there are a few uncomfortable "Joseph's" in the body of the Senate Democrats who are wondering what to do as the scheduled vote is nearing at 1:00 am Monday 12/21/09 - just a few hours from the time this blog is being written.
What will it take to stir them to do the right thing?
I pray to the God of Battles that He grant them the courage of their convictions. Otherwise, the old American Republic is at an end.
I would like to believe that there are a number of them, but they are afraid to break ranks. Maybe, when the chips are down, they might take some courage from a certain Joseph, hailing from Aramathea in Israel, who finally threw caution to the winds and went into the hall of Pontius Pilate the Roman governor and begged the body of Jesus, to thwart the intent of the Jewish leaders (of which group he was a member). They intended for Jesus' body to be thrown into the garbage pit in the valley of Hinnon and consumed by the dogs. He knew that he would be publically exposed as a disciple of Jesus - a very risky exposure for one in his position - if he took action on behalf of Jesus. But history records that he finally gathered up his courage and broke away from his fears and took the body down and donated the use of his own newly-hewn tomb for the burial. He was not exactly keeping a safe distance from the political and religious wrath of the Sanhedren in doing what he did.
Perhaps there are a few uncomfortable "Joseph's" in the body of the Senate Democrats who are wondering what to do as the scheduled vote is nearing at 1:00 am Monday 12/21/09 - just a few hours from the time this blog is being written.
What will it take to stir them to do the right thing?
I pray to the God of Battles that He grant them the courage of their convictions. Otherwise, the old American Republic is at an end.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Health Care Letter to my Democrat Senator
My wife and I are constituents of yours in Florida and are nearing retirement age. We are both 63. We are well-informed about government issues, and vote in every election.
We want you to know that we are unalterably opposed to the healthcare legislation being debated in Congress. We don't want any of it.
Does the US have a healthcare crisis? Yes, of course. It was created by Congress, and is being made even worse by Congress and the President. There is nothing the Congress or the President can do to “solve” this crisis except to back off and stop trying to control everything.
You might not pay any attention to this communication, but it would not only be wise for you to do so as an incumbent, but as a citizen of a country that values personal liberty as a fundamental right. What is at stake is far more than making healthcare available to a larger pool of people, or controlling costs - it is about a power grab of a big part of the entire economy, and a huge stab in the back to personal Liberty for all of us.
We urge you in the strongest terms possible to vote NO to any health care bill this session. This is not the time to expand the Federal Government's role in healthcare - it is a time to reduce it to almost nothing.
The country is already bankrupt and in a Depression rivaling that of the 1930’s. Heaping further debt, taxes, controls and restrictions on our economy will make things far worse and precipitate a collapse. There are some who have said that this is the secret agenda of the President and many of his Chicago associates. We don’t know this to be true, but we are wondering how much more damage is going to be done to our economy before you in Congress say “enough.” We, and a majority of the voting population have already said it.
You were not elected to be a “yes” man for any party or any president. You represent US, not them. Check for your self to see just how much opposition there is to a government takeover of healthcare. The people don’t want it. Listen to them.
Perhaps that is not what your caucus is telling you to do, but please vote what is right and not what is expedient. Future generations will appreciate you for it. So will we.
We want you to know that we are unalterably opposed to the healthcare legislation being debated in Congress. We don't want any of it.
Does the US have a healthcare crisis? Yes, of course. It was created by Congress, and is being made even worse by Congress and the President. There is nothing the Congress or the President can do to “solve” this crisis except to back off and stop trying to control everything.
You might not pay any attention to this communication, but it would not only be wise for you to do so as an incumbent, but as a citizen of a country that values personal liberty as a fundamental right. What is at stake is far more than making healthcare available to a larger pool of people, or controlling costs - it is about a power grab of a big part of the entire economy, and a huge stab in the back to personal Liberty for all of us.
We urge you in the strongest terms possible to vote NO to any health care bill this session. This is not the time to expand the Federal Government's role in healthcare - it is a time to reduce it to almost nothing.
The country is already bankrupt and in a Depression rivaling that of the 1930’s. Heaping further debt, taxes, controls and restrictions on our economy will make things far worse and precipitate a collapse. There are some who have said that this is the secret agenda of the President and many of his Chicago associates. We don’t know this to be true, but we are wondering how much more damage is going to be done to our economy before you in Congress say “enough.” We, and a majority of the voting population have already said it.
You were not elected to be a “yes” man for any party or any president. You represent US, not them. Check for your self to see just how much opposition there is to a government takeover of healthcare. The people don’t want it. Listen to them.
Perhaps that is not what your caucus is telling you to do, but please vote what is right and not what is expedient. Future generations will appreciate you for it. So will we.
Health Care Reform - John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Marketplace
This article by the CEO of Whole Foods hits on almost every important point that would help solve a major portion of the healthcare problem in this country. It would certainly get the free market back into operation, which would automatically lower the cost of healthcare significantly.
But, one thing he did not mention is the necessity for a gradual phaseout of Medicare and Medicaid, socialist programs which are not only actuarily unsound but also are off-loading costs into the rest of the healthcare system. Healthcare reform in this country will not work properly or be complete until we also deal with these huge socialist programs. They tilt the scales too much otherwise.
One other subject that he highlighted - and I appreciate his analysis of this point - is the erroneous notion that we have a presumptive and intrinsic right to healthcare - "to universal and equal access to doctors, medicines, and hospitals. " He cogently points out that even in countries like Great Britain and Canada, such a right does not exist. He says: "A careful reading of both The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter, because there isn’t any. This “right” has never existed in America."
Finally, he brings the healthcare issue back to each of us by reminding the reader that we are responsible for our own health first. We have an obligation to take care of our bodies and not abuse them with junk food, and lack of exercise; and with obesity.
Mr. Mackey has done us a service in publishing his eight points and the example that Whole Foods sets for their own employees.
But, one thing he did not mention is the necessity for a gradual phaseout of Medicare and Medicaid, socialist programs which are not only actuarily unsound but also are off-loading costs into the rest of the healthcare system. Healthcare reform in this country will not work properly or be complete until we also deal with these huge socialist programs. They tilt the scales too much otherwise.
One other subject that he highlighted - and I appreciate his analysis of this point - is the erroneous notion that we have a presumptive and intrinsic right to healthcare - "to universal and equal access to doctors, medicines, and hospitals. " He cogently points out that even in countries like Great Britain and Canada, such a right does not exist. He says: "A careful reading of both The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter, because there isn’t any. This “right” has never existed in America."
Finally, he brings the healthcare issue back to each of us by reminding the reader that we are responsible for our own health first. We have an obligation to take care of our bodies and not abuse them with junk food, and lack of exercise; and with obesity.
Mr. Mackey has done us a service in publishing his eight points and the example that Whole Foods sets for their own employees.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The United States and the Roman Empire - Larry Reed
As precient as it might appear, this article is even more impressive when you consider that it was written in 1990, almost twenty years ago. It is even more up to date today, except that the debt figures are about ten times worse.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Republican Party first, last, and always?
In response to a FB thread comment: “I have no room on my list for third party candidates. I am only accepting those who are members and supporters of the Republican Party. Reagan was a member of the Republican Party, not the Conservative Party.”
My friend, you are entitled to feel that way, but if the Republican party does not cleanse itself of RINOs (like Reagan urged, btw), then the Conservative wing may well secede and join with many Conservative Independents and Democrats to form a new Party. I’ll be right there with them.
Frankly, I am a constitutional conservative first and a Republican second (or third). Our loyalty must be to the principles, not to a party anyway. The Republican Party has shown itself incapable of principled conservative constitutional leadership over the years since Reagan. Having seen huge wins at state and national levels, and nevertheless seen our ideals denied or frittered away or stabbed in the back, I am no longer going to trust party first.
The recent debacle in upstate New York demonstrates just how corrupt and unprincipled the Northeastern Republican party has become. The candidate put forth by the Republican Party was more liberal than the Democratic candidate. These things ought not so to be. Thank God that Hoffman stood up and announced that he would run as a Conservative Party member. (NY has a Conservative Party, unlike many states.) Had the "Republican" candidate not stabbed the Republican Party - her endorsing party by the way - in the back by turning around and endorsing the Democrat, then maybe we would have Hoffman - a genuine conservative constitutionalist - in Congress right now. We would have a dependable principled voter in Hoffman. What would we have had with the RINO?
The Democrat win was not the fault of the Hoffman people "splitting the vote" - it was a sin to be laid plainly at the door of the hapless Republican local and state committees, who themselves need to be jettisoned because they are so far steeped in anti-Republican principles that they could even think about putting forth such a rancid candidate.
I am unwilling to continue to support a Party that is either too inarticulate to defend conservatism with force and conviction against the stupidity of the Liberals, or is shot through and through with the same career politician types as the Democrats who don’t know or don’t care about the constitution or our liberty.
And you can take the “big tent” and put it where the sun does not shine. If the Republican Party becomes an “also ran” for Abortion and sodomy, then what reason does it have to exist?
There are more important and fundamental things than Party and Power. There is the simple notion of being able to go to bed each night with a good conscience and reliance on God. That ought to be enough for anyone of good intentions.
My friend, you are entitled to feel that way, but if the Republican party does not cleanse itself of RINOs (like Reagan urged, btw), then the Conservative wing may well secede and join with many Conservative Independents and Democrats to form a new Party. I’ll be right there with them.
Frankly, I am a constitutional conservative first and a Republican second (or third). Our loyalty must be to the principles, not to a party anyway. The Republican Party has shown itself incapable of principled conservative constitutional leadership over the years since Reagan. Having seen huge wins at state and national levels, and nevertheless seen our ideals denied or frittered away or stabbed in the back, I am no longer going to trust party first.
The recent debacle in upstate New York demonstrates just how corrupt and unprincipled the Northeastern Republican party has become. The candidate put forth by the Republican Party was more liberal than the Democratic candidate. These things ought not so to be. Thank God that Hoffman stood up and announced that he would run as a Conservative Party member. (NY has a Conservative Party, unlike many states.) Had the "Republican" candidate not stabbed the Republican Party - her endorsing party by the way - in the back by turning around and endorsing the Democrat, then maybe we would have Hoffman - a genuine conservative constitutionalist - in Congress right now. We would have a dependable principled voter in Hoffman. What would we have had with the RINO?
The Democrat win was not the fault of the Hoffman people "splitting the vote" - it was a sin to be laid plainly at the door of the hapless Republican local and state committees, who themselves need to be jettisoned because they are so far steeped in anti-Republican principles that they could even think about putting forth such a rancid candidate.
I am unwilling to continue to support a Party that is either too inarticulate to defend conservatism with force and conviction against the stupidity of the Liberals, or is shot through and through with the same career politician types as the Democrats who don’t know or don’t care about the constitution or our liberty.
And you can take the “big tent” and put it where the sun does not shine. If the Republican Party becomes an “also ran” for Abortion and sodomy, then what reason does it have to exist?
There are more important and fundamental things than Party and Power. There is the simple notion of being able to go to bed each night with a good conscience and reliance on God. That ought to be enough for anyone of good intentions.
How to Capture Wild Hogs
This is the message my friend Larry Reed delivered to a group of Conservatives - Republicans mostly - in South Florida last week.
It describes the destruction of the Roman Republic by making clients of the people of Rome by giving them grain for free. Somebody had to pay for it, and the percentage of public "welfare" recipients grew and grew until the entire Roman state was consumed, along with the public morals, work ethic, military readiness and wealth. Larry pointed out that Roman history is marked by two great epochs: the Republic and the Empire. Each lasted roughly 500 years.
We are witnessing the destruction of the Republic of the United States before our very eyes. We have had a little more than 200 years of the Republic; yet with the speed of the electronic age we may see the total loss of our Republic, along with our liberties and wealth before the end of this Obamanation administration. I think that if the Roman model plays out again, the empire phase will be a One World Government as described in Daniel.
Daniel 7:7 "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns." And ...
Dan 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
I am not suggesting that Obama is the anti-Christ. Actually, I don't think he fits the scriptural qualifications, but the coming world government is going to be brutal and especially hard on the Saints of the Most High.
The Hog Capture is just about complete.
It describes the destruction of the Roman Republic by making clients of the people of Rome by giving them grain for free. Somebody had to pay for it, and the percentage of public "welfare" recipients grew and grew until the entire Roman state was consumed, along with the public morals, work ethic, military readiness and wealth. Larry pointed out that Roman history is marked by two great epochs: the Republic and the Empire. Each lasted roughly 500 years.
We are witnessing the destruction of the Republic of the United States before our very eyes. We have had a little more than 200 years of the Republic; yet with the speed of the electronic age we may see the total loss of our Republic, along with our liberties and wealth before the end of this Obamanation administration. I think that if the Roman model plays out again, the empire phase will be a One World Government as described in Daniel.
Daniel 7:7 "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns." And ...
Dan 7:19 Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;
Dan 7:23 Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.
I am not suggesting that Obama is the anti-Christ. Actually, I don't think he fits the scriptural qualifications, but the coming world government is going to be brutal and especially hard on the Saints of the Most High.
The Hog Capture is just about complete.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
All the President's Climategate deniers - Michelle Malkin
More grist for the mill.
How long will the stonewall continue?
How long will the stonewall continue?
More Comments on fixing health care
A dialog on healthcare reform with someone who wants a universal system so they will be "covered."
Yeah, we need healthcare reform all right: get the government out of our pockets and out of our lives. I don't have insurance, and I have medical issues - but there is absolutely no way I would authorize the government to come to your house and take your money to pay for my medical care. And you should not support the immorality of authorizing government thugs to come to my house and beat the crap out of me until I give up money to pay for yours. Both of us are losers when government transfers money from one citizen to another and then dictates every aspect of our lives. That is where this is going.
The strait jacket of Socialized healthcare is a one-way street - a dead end, not only for our healthcare industry, but for our entire system of Liberty under Law, and free enterprise.
I did my homework and I can plainly see where this is going. I am utterly oppposed to it. It is not about heathcare; it is a power grab.
But to your point:
"Everybody needs to be covered so that they access to treatment" - that is a pipe dream! Who is going to pay for it? where are the additional doctors going to come from? how can the system we have now be able to take on millions of additional people who want a hammock instead of being responsible for themselves? There is no such thing as universal access without rationing, higher and higher costs, lower and lower service, and eventual bankrupcy of the system, and oh, by the way, loss of Liberty.
Aesop's fables tells of a hog rooting acorns at the base of the tree which produced the acorns. When confronted with the fact that he was killing the tree by digging up the roots of the tree, he replied: "I don't care as long as I have acorns."
No one has any claim on me or what I earn to fulfill some "need" they have. Sorry, Karl Marx might approve, but a much higher authority decreed that charity is voluntary not mandatory. And I opt out. No I am not wealthy. In fact I do have affordable catastrophic insurance for some "biggies" - but if the bill runs to the hundreds of thousands, I am out of money. Despite that fact, I still don't think I have a presumptive claim on you to pay for my exorbitant medical bills either.
This becomes emotional because of the high cost of medical care. Why is it so high? It is driven by government. Socialist Medicare and Medicaid have already done a number on us, bribing the elderly (and many younger folk) with the idea that they have a "right" to unlimited medical care - far beyond any contributions they might have made.
This is so sad. Millions of people look first and in some cases, only to the government (nanny state) to "fix" their need for medical care. It is sad because we once had a genuine free enterprise medical system, but we have mostly given it away in the name of subsidized medical care - we are more than fifty percent there now, and many folks don't even realize it, but feel that what we have now is free enterprise.
Somehow, in those "bad old days" when I was a young married man and had my first child, the bill was about $450, all in; hospital stay and all. 1967. Inflation aside, you can't have a baby today for less than, I would guess $10,000. What has changed?
Everyone got in on dipping into the vast river of federal subsidy dollars, and the lawyers' guild got in on the liability lawsuit game (assisted by lots of low-ethics people who wanted to get independently wealthy through frivolous lawsuits), and the insurance companies (yes, they are guilty too) got in on the "let's be regulated" game (it is safer that way, you know!) - and private companies were encouraged by the government to offer (tax deductable to the companies) medical plans to their employees as a perk (thus training them that other people were going to pay for their medical care), and governments at all levels got in on the insurance game for their employees - best in the West!!! No reductions in those plans, no matter whether the government is going bust or not! (n.b. see California)
So here we are with structural rigidities – and unrealistic expectations - built into our system and in many people’s minds, with the main fault being the stimulus starting at the Fed level. Now they want to take over the whole system to “fix” it. But they are the main culprits!
The solution is to dismantle the socialist state, not expend it.
While eating the nuts under the tree, you ought to look up and wonder what is happening to that once-flourishing tree. It is beginning to look kind of sickly. The nuts will run out very suddenly. What will you do then?
Yeah, we need healthcare reform all right: get the government out of our pockets and out of our lives. I don't have insurance, and I have medical issues - but there is absolutely no way I would authorize the government to come to your house and take your money to pay for my medical care. And you should not support the immorality of authorizing government thugs to come to my house and beat the crap out of me until I give up money to pay for yours. Both of us are losers when government transfers money from one citizen to another and then dictates every aspect of our lives. That is where this is going.
The strait jacket of Socialized healthcare is a one-way street - a dead end, not only for our healthcare industry, but for our entire system of Liberty under Law, and free enterprise.
I did my homework and I can plainly see where this is going. I am utterly oppposed to it. It is not about heathcare; it is a power grab.
But to your point:
"Everybody needs to be covered so that they access to treatment" - that is a pipe dream! Who is going to pay for it? where are the additional doctors going to come from? how can the system we have now be able to take on millions of additional people who want a hammock instead of being responsible for themselves? There is no such thing as universal access without rationing, higher and higher costs, lower and lower service, and eventual bankrupcy of the system, and oh, by the way, loss of Liberty.
Aesop's fables tells of a hog rooting acorns at the base of the tree which produced the acorns. When confronted with the fact that he was killing the tree by digging up the roots of the tree, he replied: "I don't care as long as I have acorns."
No one has any claim on me or what I earn to fulfill some "need" they have. Sorry, Karl Marx might approve, but a much higher authority decreed that charity is voluntary not mandatory. And I opt out. No I am not wealthy. In fact I do have affordable catastrophic insurance for some "biggies" - but if the bill runs to the hundreds of thousands, I am out of money. Despite that fact, I still don't think I have a presumptive claim on you to pay for my exorbitant medical bills either.
This becomes emotional because of the high cost of medical care. Why is it so high? It is driven by government. Socialist Medicare and Medicaid have already done a number on us, bribing the elderly (and many younger folk) with the idea that they have a "right" to unlimited medical care - far beyond any contributions they might have made.
This is so sad. Millions of people look first and in some cases, only to the government (nanny state) to "fix" their need for medical care. It is sad because we once had a genuine free enterprise medical system, but we have mostly given it away in the name of subsidized medical care - we are more than fifty percent there now, and many folks don't even realize it, but feel that what we have now is free enterprise.
Somehow, in those "bad old days" when I was a young married man and had my first child, the bill was about $450, all in; hospital stay and all. 1967. Inflation aside, you can't have a baby today for less than, I would guess $10,000. What has changed?
Everyone got in on dipping into the vast river of federal subsidy dollars, and the lawyers' guild got in on the liability lawsuit game (assisted by lots of low-ethics people who wanted to get independently wealthy through frivolous lawsuits), and the insurance companies (yes, they are guilty too) got in on the "let's be regulated" game (it is safer that way, you know!) - and private companies were encouraged by the government to offer (tax deductable to the companies) medical plans to their employees as a perk (thus training them that other people were going to pay for their medical care), and governments at all levels got in on the insurance game for their employees - best in the West!!! No reductions in those plans, no matter whether the government is going bust or not! (n.b. see California)
So here we are with structural rigidities – and unrealistic expectations - built into our system and in many people’s minds, with the main fault being the stimulus starting at the Fed level. Now they want to take over the whole system to “fix” it. But they are the main culprits!
The solution is to dismantle the socialist state, not expend it.
While eating the nuts under the tree, you ought to look up and wonder what is happening to that once-flourishing tree. It is beginning to look kind of sickly. The nuts will run out very suddenly. What will you do then?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Free Internet Tool Paints Picture of Stealthy Attacks
http://www.darkreading.com/vulnerability_management/security/intrusion-prevention/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221901483&cid=nl_DR_DAILY_2009-12-01_h
I gotta say, one of the most baffling aspects of the various kinds of vicious attacks against our computers is the hidden nature of what is going on behind the scenes. For many years, it has been obvious that when your computer has been, or is being hacked, data is flowing in and out of your internet IP connection, but it seems impossible to catch the suckers in the act. Only after you suffer damage and know for sure that your are the subject of their tender ministrations will you take action to wipe them out - if you can.
This tool answers that need.
It allows a view of the various amounts and kinds of IP traffic in and out of your computer and by clever viewing of the logs of activity, it can give you insight into what is happening, and who - at least the attacker's IP address/domain - is the offending party.
I read the pdf file that comes with the article, and I must admit that I still am over my head as to most of the aspects of what and how it does its magic. So using this tool, which is a major advance in diagnostic software for IP traffic tracking, will still require some user training and education into the working of the IP system itself to be of much use. IE: you have to learn something.
But the payoff seems to be enormous. You can find out if anyone is hacking your system - even if it is some very subtle worm that only sends info once in a while, or receives info from multiple sources. A clever analysis of the types of transmissions to and from your computer can reveal a stealth culprit - even of the "storm worm" variety.
Unless a virus or worm disables the logging features or attacks this software itself, then the bad guys won't be able to remain hidden because they are forced to use the IP system to do their dirty work after they have gotten into your system. If they disable the software, that is kind of a "duh!" clue that someone with evil intent has been busy in your computer.
You may have a problem keeping them out, but using this tool, you ought to be able to catch them at work. Knowing they are there and active is 90% of the battle.
Kudos to the developers! Kudos also to them for making it available, even in its prototype form, to the public for free! Thanks also to the darkreading.com site that keeps an eye out for such developments and clues us in.
This tool is going to be one that I will be following from now on. It is something that could be automated and sold as a simple package for novices to gain some insight into what is happening to their computers, even if they lack the sophistication to get subtle with their queries.
Maybe for a while, we can get a handle on the noxious vermin that have made life miserable and expensive for many innocent users of the internet.
I gotta say, one of the most baffling aspects of the various kinds of vicious attacks against our computers is the hidden nature of what is going on behind the scenes. For many years, it has been obvious that when your computer has been, or is being hacked, data is flowing in and out of your internet IP connection, but it seems impossible to catch the suckers in the act. Only after you suffer damage and know for sure that your are the subject of their tender ministrations will you take action to wipe them out - if you can.
This tool answers that need.
It allows a view of the various amounts and kinds of IP traffic in and out of your computer and by clever viewing of the logs of activity, it can give you insight into what is happening, and who - at least the attacker's IP address/domain - is the offending party.
I read the pdf file that comes with the article, and I must admit that I still am over my head as to most of the aspects of what and how it does its magic. So using this tool, which is a major advance in diagnostic software for IP traffic tracking, will still require some user training and education into the working of the IP system itself to be of much use. IE: you have to learn something.
But the payoff seems to be enormous. You can find out if anyone is hacking your system - even if it is some very subtle worm that only sends info once in a while, or receives info from multiple sources. A clever analysis of the types of transmissions to and from your computer can reveal a stealth culprit - even of the "storm worm" variety.
Unless a virus or worm disables the logging features or attacks this software itself, then the bad guys won't be able to remain hidden because they are forced to use the IP system to do their dirty work after they have gotten into your system. If they disable the software, that is kind of a "duh!" clue that someone with evil intent has been busy in your computer.
You may have a problem keeping them out, but using this tool, you ought to be able to catch them at work. Knowing they are there and active is 90% of the battle.
Kudos to the developers! Kudos also to them for making it available, even in its prototype form, to the public for free! Thanks also to the darkreading.com site that keeps an eye out for such developments and clues us in.
This tool is going to be one that I will be following from now on. It is something that could be automated and sold as a simple package for novices to gain some insight into what is happening to their computers, even if they lack the sophistication to get subtle with their queries.
Maybe for a while, we can get a handle on the noxious vermin that have made life miserable and expensive for many innocent users of the internet.
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