LATEST NEWS ALERT! - "Ukraine Diplomacy Stalled, Congress Eyes Sanctions" - CBNNews.com, March 06, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Ukraine-Diplomacy-Stalled-Congress-Eyes-Sanctions/ "Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine are off to a very slow start, with talks between U.S., Ukrainian and Russian leaders going nowhere...Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress is rushing to impose stiff sanctions on Russia, whose troops have seized control of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula..."
NEWS /PRAYER ALERT! - Ukraine Accuses Russia of 'Invasion, Occupation'- By George Thomas, Friday, February 28, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Ukraine-Accuses-Russia-of-Invasion-Occupation-/ - SIMFEROPOL, Ukraine -- Russian troops now control an airport near their naval base in Sevastopol, Ukraine. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov is calling the siege a "military invasion and occupation." "It is in violation of all international treaties and norms," he charged. "This is a direct provocation to armed bloodshed on the territory of a sovereign state."... [Let's be in prayer as the Ukraine is facing an ever increasing threat of civil war. Pray esp. for beievers to be submitted to and guided by the Holy Spirit in how to BE JESUS during these turbulent times. May many who are and will encounter great suffering as a result of this continuing conflict find their hope and strength in Jesus by coming to faith in Him. - Stan]
NEWS/PRAYER ALERT! Divided Country: Ukrainians Count the Cost of Change - By George Thomas, February 25, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Ukrainians-Facing-Uncertain-Future/ KIEV, Ukraine
NEWS/PRAYER ALERT! "Ukraine President Becomes Fugitive from Justice "- By George Thomas, Monday, February 24, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Opposition-Takes-Presidency-in-Divided-Ukraine/ KIEV, Ukraine -- ...On Saturday, Ukraine's parliament stunned the nation by voting overwhelmingly to impeach Yanukovych. Hours later, members of parliament picked Oleksandr Turchynov, a prominent evangelical Christian, as interim president until new elections in May. "Christians were praying on Independence Square," Pastor Kaluzhny said. "We were praying in our churches. People around the world were praying for us, and God did a miracle! Ukraine is a new country." What happens next is uncertain.
As the Lord leads, please pray:
-That the turmoil in Ukraine will be resolved
-That the leaders of Ukraine will be able to peacefully resolve their impasse
-Safety for those trapped by the violence in the nation
SIGN NEW PETITION - (Jan. 27) American Pastor Saheed Abidini - An Iranian leader has said that clemency for the pastor after almost 1 and 1/2 years being falsely imprisoned. Please sign this new petition at: http://beheardproject.com/ 2/6 - PRAISE GOD that after pastor Abedini has been unjustly imprisoned for over a year and a half, President Obama finally spoke out himself for the pastor's release as well as that of Ken Bae from North Korea (see below)!
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
Oct. 23: "Christians Fleeing IRAQ Area Once Considered Safe," - CBNNews.com, http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/October/Christians-Fleeing-Iraq-Area-Once-Considered-Safe/ PRAY that believers in Iraq will know God's protection and provision; that believers will know[ whether they are called to flee or remain and persevere; and that their persecutors may come to hear the gospel and come to faith in Christ. - Stan]
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
Update on Kenneth Bae: "US Ready to Bargain with N. Korea for Bae's Release,"- CBNNews.com, Aug 14, 2013 http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/August/S-Ready-to-Bargain-with-N-Korea-for-Baes-Release/ - PRAY for 1) God's healing of and presence with Pastor Bae, 2) His earliest release by the North Korean government, and 3) God's comfort for his family and friends.]
November 04, 2013 - Saeed's Life in [Greater] Jeopardy After Prison Transfer - CBNNews.com, ; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Saeeds-Life-in-Jeopardy-after-Prison-Transfer/ IRAN - Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison.
November 04, 2013 - Saeed's Life in [Greater] Jeopardy After Prison Transfer - CBNNews.com, ; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2013/November/Saeeds-Life-in-Jeopardy-after-Prison-Transfer/ IRAN - Vigils Mark One Year Imprisonment of Pastor Saeed - CBNNews.com, Thursday, September 26, 2013 - Today marks one-year that American pastor Saeed Abedini has been held in an Iranian prison. He is serving an eight-year sentence because of his Christian faith. It has been a year of torment as he has suffered beatings, physical pain from untreated medical conditions, and separation from his wife and two children... The suffering has not dampened his passion for Jesus. Pastor Abedini has led more than 30 prisoners to Christ during his time in prison.
PRAY: - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- For leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
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"5 Things to Know About Obama’s Budget" - By Romina Boccia, March 5, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The President’s Budget — 212 pages long — included a wide range of proposals and Heritage experts shed light on a number of these in a Live Analysis [2] yesterday. Here are five things you should know about the President’s budget:
1. Higher Spending and No Balanced Budget—Ever. President Obama’s budget would increase spending by $250 billion above current spending projections in 2015 alone. Part of this increase would stem from a $55 billion increase in the 2015 discretionary budget above the bipartisan spending caps put in place in 2011. The remainder comes from higher mandatory spending, including on top-down transportation projects and education programs. Despite massive tax increases, higher user fees in a number of areas, and several spending cuts to healthcare programs, the President’s budget never balances.
2. $1.2 Trillion in Higher Taxes. Obama’s tax increases would push the tax burden to nearly 20 percent of GDP, near the all-time high last reached in 2000 [3]. The biggest single tax hike is a cap on itemized deductions for high-earning families which would include municipal bond income, retirement savings, and health insurance. The President also targets low-income Americans with an additional tax on cigarettes of 94 cents a pack which would come on top of the existing $1.01 in tobacco taxes.
3. Fails the Nation’s Defense. The defense budget suffers from many similar ailments as the domestic budget does. Personnel costs, in particular for healthcare and retirement entitlements, eat up about half of the defense budget and their share is growing. Just as spending on federal health care and retirement benefits is increasingly crowding out discretionary funding on defense and non-defense, entitlements in the defense budget are increasingly crowding out funding for modernization and weapons systems. Obama’s failure to make important structural reforms to the defense budget, including to inefficient acquisitions systems, is making the U.S. and its global allies less secure [4] in the long run.
4. Full of Budget Gimmicks. The President plays games with the economic projections in his budget. By assuming much higher levels of economic growth and lower levels of unemployment than the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the President’s budget pretends to pay for some of the new spending initiatives with inflated economic assumptions. The President also claims phony savings from reducing war spending [5] that will either be spent regardless or was not going to be spent in the first place.
5. Rolls Over for Special Interests. Good governance entails making difficult decisions to do what’s best for the country, even if doing so makes for bad politics at times. Instead of tackling the country’s important budget problems with entitlement reforms and substantive spending cuts, this budget rolls over for special interests and says “don’t worry about the future fiscal crisis we can see right around the corner, let’s keep this spending party going just a little bit longer.” Case in point is Obama’s stepping back from the chained CPI [6], a modest, bipartisan proposal to slow the growth in federal benefit programs like Social Security, while doubling down on a stimulus program that funds such local matters as a Kansas trolley car [7].
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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Article printed from The Foundry: Conservative Policy News from The Heritage Foundation: http://blog.heritage.org;URL to article: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/03/05/5-things-know-obamas-budget/
URLs in this post:
[1] Image: http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/8427858207_fed2d9875c_z.jpg
[2] Live Analysis: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/03/04/live-blog-heritage-experts-weigh-obamas-2015-budget/
[3] near the all-time high last reached in 2000: http://www.heritage.org/federalbudget/total-tax-burden
[4] less secure: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/03/05/presidents-defense-budget-request-making-u-s-less-secure/
[5] phony savings from reducing war spending: http://blog.heritage.org/2013/04/25/reid-suggests-exploiting-budget-gimmicks-for-sequestration/
[6] stepping back from the chained CPI: http://blog.heritage.org/2014/03/04/eight-ten-americans-want-president-congress-address-national-debt/
[7] Kansas trolley car: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/08/30/4447914/kcs-downtown-streetcar-wins-20.html
Copyright © 2014 The Heritage Foundation. All rights reserved.
"A Quick Guide to Obama's 2015 Budget" - By Kelsey Harris On March 5, 2014; http://blog.heritage.org/2014/03/05/quick-guide-obamas-2015-budget/print/ "Yesterday, Heritage experts dove into [1] President Obama’s new budget proposal. Check out our infographic to see just a few of the disturbing things they found..."
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