ATTENTION: SCROLL DOWN to get TODAY'S article entitled in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. And PLEASE be sure to note the various PRAYER REQUESTS listed BEFORE and AFTER the posted article. (NOTE the list of DAILY prayer requests for the persecuted church.) They ALL deserve your intercession. THANK YOU.
8/6 - PRAY for the President and others in leadership (1 Tim. 2:1-3)
P.S. - 3/27: I just finished reading the newly released book, "The Faith of Donald J. Trump" that the public library had and sent to me. Greatly recommend you read it to better understand our 45th President.
BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION
"NEW STUDY SHOWS HUGE COST OF SANDERS' 'MEDICARE FOR ALL' PLAN" - Robert Moffit / July 31, 2018 / https://www.dailysignal.com/2018/07/31/new-study-shows-huge-cost-of-sanders-medicare-for-all-plan/
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” bill would cost a breathtaking $32.6 trillion over 10 years. (Photo: Janet Mayer / SplashNews/Newscom)
Socialism is expensive. In a new cost analysis, Charles Blahous, formerly a member of the Medicare board of trustees, concludes that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” bill (S. 1804) would cost a breathtaking $32.6 trillion over 10 years.
Given the growing commitment of House and Senate Democrats to this agenda, Blahous’ analysis is timely. His assessment of the federal government’s financial burden is also consistent with two other independent analyses.
Two years ago, the Urban Institute, a highly respected liberal think tank, estimated the total cost of the Sanders proposal at $32 trillion over 10 years, and professor Kenneth Thorpe of Emory University, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, estimated the cost at $24.7 trillion.
In both cases, the analysts estimated that the level of taxpayer funding would be much higher than Sanders and his colleagues assumed.
Central Control
Co-sponsored by 16 leading Senate Democrats—including Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Cory Booker of New Jersey—the Sanders bill is the quintessential prescription for comprehensive government-controlled health care.
In the House of Representatives, 123 Democratic members, more than half of the House Democratic Caucus, have co-sponsored similar legislation (H.R. 676).
The Sanders bill would create a national health insurance program; prohibit all Americans from having a private or employer-based health insurance plan; and abolish Medicare and Medicaid, absorbing their functions into the new national health insurance scheme. The bill would mandate that doctors, hospitals, and medical professionals be paid Medicare payment rates, and would restrict private agreements between doctors and patients outside of the national system.
Bottom Line
The $32.6 trillion in additional federal spending (2022 to 2031) alone would equal 10.7 percent of the national economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, and would rise to 12.7 percent of GDP by 2031.
Blahous grants Sanders and his Senate co-sponsors the benefit of the doubt. His estimates assume that their bill would be successful in reducing revenues going to doctors, hospitals, and other medical professionals. He also assumes that their legislation would achieve its goals of reducing the cost of prescription drugs as well as administrative costs.
Blahous cautions, however, that drugs account for only 10 percent of total national health expenditures, and the bill’s intention to replace brand names with generics would take effect within a market where generics already make up 85 percent of drugs sold.
Uncertain Savings
Concerning administrative costs, the replacement of private insurance with a single government program would, in theory, secure major administrative cost reductions. For the sake of his estimates, Blahous projects a substantial 7 percent reduction in administrative costs.
There are, he warns, methodological problems in simple comparisons between Medicare and private-sector administrative costs.
Moreover, the major government programs are plagued by persistent administrative failures that routinely jack up administrative costs. Medicare and Medicaid, for example, racked up an estimated $96 billion in improper payments in 2016 alone.
“Although government also polices fraud within its health insurance programs,” Blahous observes, “financial survival and business competitiveness are concerns from which government-provided insurance is generally exempt.” Even assuming gains from reductions in administrative costs, drugs, and the big reductions in provider payments, other features of the legislation, such as the abolition of all cost-sharing, would drive the costs of the program upward.
Huge Taxes
Taxpayers would face enormous burdens, assuming Congress enacted and the president signed the Sanders bill. In his earlier analysis, Thorpe estimated that those taxes would amount to 20 percent of payroll, and roughly 70 percent of working households would pay more than they do today.
For his part, Blahous says that the costs would be such that “doubling all federal individual and corporate income taxes going forward would be insufficient to fully finance the plan, even under the assumption that provider payment rates are reduced by over 40 percent for treatment of patients now covered by private insurance. Such an increase in the scope of the federal government operations would precipitate a correspondingly large increase in federal taxation or debt and would be unprecedented if undertaken as an enduring commitment.”
The promise of “something for nothing” is always appealing, but it’s never cheap.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
Robert E. Moffit, a seasoned veteran of more than three decades in Washington policymaking, is a senior fellow in domestic policy studies at The Heritage Foundation.
PRAYER MATTERS:
PRAYER ALERT:
1) Pastor Brunson -
7/25 - UPDATE: Pastor Brunson was suddenly moved from prison to his home in Turkey, though still under house arrest.[ "Trump, Congress Play Hardball on Brunson" - Tony Perkins, Washington Update, July 27, 2018; https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA18G42&f=WU18G15 PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY that this will finally lead to his being freed to return to the U.S.!] [PRAY that this will lead very soon to the pastor finally being released to return to the U.S.!]
2) SUPREME COURT NOMINEE - Let us be in prayer that - should he be confirmed - Judge Kavanaugh will be someone who will consistently uphold the Constitution in his/her decisions and in doing so will protect the cause of LIFE and of regligious freedom in America.
3) Continuing Wild Fires in California - PRAY that they will finally be put out.
PERSONAL UPDATE: 7/21 Note my latest entry in the JOURNAL section on the right side of this page.
8/6 - PRAY for the President and others in leadership (1 Tim. 2:1-3)
Heavenly Father,
I pray that you will guide President Trump to seek you with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength in the New Year. May he act with wisdom and strength against those whose actions would bring harm to this nation and the world now and for generations to come. I pray that you would strengthen his marriage and deepen the love he and his wife Melania share. Pray that you give them wisdom to speak into the life of their son Barron. Please protect him and his family and others in our leadership from physical harm that any might seek to do against them. May all that our President does bring honor and glory to YOU and cause him to draw in closer relationship with you. I ask this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ, Amen.P.S. - 3/27: I just finished reading the newly released book, "The Faith of Donald J. Trump" that the public library had and sent to me. Greatly recommend you read it to better understand our 45th President.
(from Intercessors For America) As the Lord Leads, please pray:
*For President Trump as he meets with supporters while resting today in New Jersey.
*For wisdom for President Trump and Secretary Pompeo as they determine the best course of action in addressing the relationship with Iran. The President is set to reimpose sanctions against Iran that were lifted as part of the Iran nuclear deal. Due to concerns about Iran’s human rights record, suspected involvement with terrorist organizations, and government corruption, the President determined not to recertify the existing deal.
*For guidance for US Senators as they meet with members of the Russian parliament today.
*For guidance as he and Congress work together to create initiatives and legislation to help the American people."
*For discernment for the Senate as they will have to vote on the confirmation of the Supreme Court Justice, that they make a decision which will have a lasting impact on the nation.
*For transparency and guidance for Judge Kavanaugh as he goes through the process and that God would make clear whether or not he is the right person for the position.
*For wisdom for President Trump as he continues to make decisions concerning those who will fill the vacancies in the government.
*For wisdom for President Trump as he makes decisions concerning trade, that his decisions (esp. regarding trade and tariffs) would have a positive impact on the economy.
*For God to use the elections in November to accomplish His will.
*For God’s will to be accomplished through the efforts of our leaders regarding foreign policy.
*For wisdom for President Trump and Secretary Pompeo as they determine the best course of action in addressing the relationship with Iran. The President is set to reimpose sanctions against Iran that were lifted as part of the Iran nuclear deal. Due to concerns about Iran’s human rights record, suspected involvement with terrorist organizations, and government corruption, the President determined not to recertify the existing deal.
*For guidance for US Senators as they meet with members of the Russian parliament today.
*For guidance as he and Congress work together to create initiatives and legislation to help the American people."
*For discernment for the Senate as they will have to vote on the confirmation of the Supreme Court Justice, that they make a decision which will have a lasting impact on the nation.
*For transparency and guidance for Judge Kavanaugh as he goes through the process and that God would make clear whether or not he is the right person for the position.
*For wisdom for President Trump as he continues to make decisions concerning those who will fill the vacancies in the government.
*For wisdom for President Trump as he makes decisions concerning trade, that his decisions (esp. regarding trade and tariffs) would have a positive impact on the economy.
*For God to use the elections in November to accomplish His will.
*For God’s will to be accomplished through the efforts of our leaders regarding foreign policy.
(...because ALL Babies Matter! - http://www.lifenews.com/2017/03/01/why-do-unborn-babies-matter-just-because-they-are/ : Go to: LIFE Training Institute - http://prolifetraining.com/resources/five-minute-11/
Be Prepared TO ENGAGE WITH THE PC CULTURE:Go to:"Tactics" -
http://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2016/04/29/tactics-n2154983
"Don't Argue the Exceptions - Beating Bad Arguments For Abortion and Transgenderism" - by John Stonestreet, Breakpoint.org, May 25, 2017; http://breakpoint.org/2017/05/breakpoint-dont-argue-exceptions/
"Don't Argue the Exceptions - Beating Bad Arguments For Abortion and Transgenderism" - by John Stonestreet, Breakpoint.org, May 25, 2017; http://breakpoint.org/2017/05/breakpoint-dont-argue-exceptions/
--------------------------------------------
Socialism is expensive. In a new cost analysis, Charles Blahous, formerly a member of the Medicare board of trustees, concludes that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ “Medicare for All” bill (S. 1804) would cost a breathtaking $32.6 trillion over 10 years.
Given the growing commitment of House and Senate Democrats to this agenda, Blahous’ analysis is timely. His assessment of the federal government’s financial burden is also consistent with two other independent analyses.
Two years ago, the Urban Institute, a highly respected liberal think tank, estimated the total cost of the Sanders proposal at $32 trillion over 10 years, and professor Kenneth Thorpe of Emory University, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, estimated the cost at $24.7 trillion.
In both cases, the analysts estimated that the level of taxpayer funding would be much higher than Sanders and his colleagues assumed.
Central Control
Co-sponsored by 16 leading Senate Democrats—including Sens. Kamala Harris of California, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Cory Booker of New Jersey—the Sanders bill is the quintessential prescription for comprehensive government-controlled health care.
In the House of Representatives, 123 Democratic members, more than half of the House Democratic Caucus, have co-sponsored similar legislation (H.R. 676).
The Sanders bill would create a national health insurance program; prohibit all Americans from having a private or employer-based health insurance plan; and abolish Medicare and Medicaid, absorbing their functions into the new national health insurance scheme. The bill would mandate that doctors, hospitals, and medical professionals be paid Medicare payment rates, and would restrict private agreements between doctors and patients outside of the national system.
Bottom Line
The $32.6 trillion in additional federal spending (2022 to 2031) alone would equal 10.7 percent of the national economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, and would rise to 12.7 percent of GDP by 2031.
Blahous grants Sanders and his Senate co-sponsors the benefit of the doubt. His estimates assume that their bill would be successful in reducing revenues going to doctors, hospitals, and other medical professionals. He also assumes that their legislation would achieve its goals of reducing the cost of prescription drugs as well as administrative costs.
Blahous cautions, however, that drugs account for only 10 percent of total national health expenditures, and the bill’s intention to replace brand names with generics would take effect within a market where generics already make up 85 percent of drugs sold.
Uncertain Savings
Concerning administrative costs, the replacement of private insurance with a single government program would, in theory, secure major administrative cost reductions. For the sake of his estimates, Blahous projects a substantial 7 percent reduction in administrative costs.
There are, he warns, methodological problems in simple comparisons between Medicare and private-sector administrative costs.
Moreover, the major government programs are plagued by persistent administrative failures that routinely jack up administrative costs. Medicare and Medicaid, for example, racked up an estimated $96 billion in improper payments in 2016 alone.
“Although government also polices fraud within its health insurance programs,” Blahous observes, “financial survival and business competitiveness are concerns from which government-provided insurance is generally exempt.” Even assuming gains from reductions in administrative costs, drugs, and the big reductions in provider payments, other features of the legislation, such as the abolition of all cost-sharing, would drive the costs of the program upward.
Huge Taxes
Taxpayers would face enormous burdens, assuming Congress enacted and the president signed the Sanders bill. In his earlier analysis, Thorpe estimated that those taxes would amount to 20 percent of payroll, and roughly 70 percent of working households would pay more than they do today.
For his part, Blahous says that the costs would be such that “doubling all federal individual and corporate income taxes going forward would be insufficient to fully finance the plan, even under the assumption that provider payment rates are reduced by over 40 percent for treatment of patients now covered by private insurance. Such an increase in the scope of the federal government operations would precipitate a correspondingly large increase in federal taxation or debt and would be unprecedented if undertaken as an enduring commitment.”
The promise of “something for nothing” is always appealing, but it’s never cheap.
[italics and colored emphasis mine]
Robert E. Moffit, a seasoned veteran of more than three decades in Washington policymaking, is a senior fellow in domestic policy studies at The Heritage Foundation.
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"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibility for EVERY believer." - Stan
“INTERCESSORS ARE THE RUDDER” – A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT - Wanda Alger, June 28th, 2017; https://www.getamericapraying.com/blog/
I was recently given a word by my good friend, Bill Yount. His word greatly encouraged me as an intercessor. Working for Intercessors for America, I soon realized it was not just a word for me, but for all who have been praying for our nation, wondering if their prayers are truly making any difference. Bill told me, “I kept seeing you as a small rudder on a huge ship. Hidden, but giving guidance. Although it seemed slow it was turning the whole ship. Patience was needed to see the impact of your…ministry. I sense the Lord saying, ‘Don’t jump ship! I’ve made you the rudder!’ ” I was immediately touched in my spirit by this encouragement, knowing that our seemingly small place in prayer was having a great impact.
James 3:4 talks about the power of a small rudder to steer a large ship. In this scripture about the power of our tongue, consider the power of prophetic intercession! In the Forerunner Commentary on this verse we read, “…rudders manipulate the course of immense ocean vessels with a slight movement of a pilot’s hand. Since it is underwater and aft, the rudder of a ship does its work UNSEEN. A passenger is ignorant of its movements most of the time. Yet, when it is in proper working order, the rudder holds more power over the ship than the wind. The wind will blow, toss, even destroy the ship’s rigging, but the rudder guides the ship exactly where it directs.”
This is God’s promise to the intercessors in this hour of national turbulence. Don’t stop praying! Your prayers have great power to turn the ship! Continue praying, interceding, and discerning the workings and movements of the Holy Spirit, being faithful to God’s commands. As we come together to declare God’s faithfulness, this nation will, once again, head in the direction that God intends. Don’t give up and don’t give in. Regardless of the winds of adversity and the fires of the enemy, God’s people have a power that cannot be matched. Let us join in faith and continue to pray and speak of God’s faithfulness in order to bring God’s people and this nation into the fullness of God’s plans. Note this additional encouragement from God’s word:
Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (ESV).
Psalm 33:8-11 – “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
Wanda Alger, IFA Field Correspondent
PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14) Short of that, we should not be saying "God Bless America"but instead "God be merciful towards America!"
PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS: 1) Pray for President Trump and his advisers, that they would select Godly leaders at the federal level who will be accountable to do an excellent job (or be fired!) ; that he would seek God's wisdom and be enabled to lead our country effectively in the years ahead; and 2) Pray our leaders at every level of government will Spirit-filled, leading us with Godly wisdom and integrity; that they will only pass legislation and enact policies that will benefit Americans today as well as future generations and NOT do any lasting harm.
SUPREME COURT: PRAY that the justices will only hand down decisions that are Constitutionally sound and in the best interests of our country now and for future generations.
World-Wide Prayer Requests:
1/1 - PRAISE GOD for the continuing recent successes against ISIS! Pray that coalition forces will be able to fully destroy the leadership and infrastructure of ISIS.
*For believers in Syria and in this region as they navigate so much uncertainty. May they remain faithful to God through these most difficult times as He sustains them with peace and His Spirit's strength.
1/1 - PRAISE GOD for the continuing recent successes against ISIS! Pray that coalition forces will be able to fully destroy the leadership and infrastructure of ISIS.
*For believers in Syria and in this region as they navigate so much uncertainty. May they remain faithful to God through these most difficult times as He sustains them with peace and His Spirit's strength.
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STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org
Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:To learn more, please go to -https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/
Praying for Central Asia- In countries like Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan And Kyrgyzstan, a Bible is a treasured gift—and in some places, a hard thing to come by. These believers rely on the Word of God to help them face increasing persecution. Throughout August, we’ll be focusing on bringing Scripture to this part of the world, and we ask you to join us.
August 6 | CENTRAL ASIA - Please pray with a secret group of believers as they fight for the
right to practice their faith. They have been fasting and praying for security and opportunities to meet together, preach, pray, have Bibles and worship.
*Names changed to protect identities
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan And Kyrgyzstan, a Bible is a treasured gift—and in some places, a hard thing to come by. These believers rely on the Word of God to help them face increasing persecution. Throughout August, we’ll be focusing on bringing Scripture to this part of the world, and we ask you to join us.
August 6 | CENTRAL ASIA - Please pray with a secret group of believers as they fight for the
right to practice their faith. They have been fasting and praying for security and opportunities to meet together, preach, pray, have Bibles and worship.
*Names changed to protect identities
STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org
At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 2 Tim.y 4:16
SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO SUFFER
The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves “brothers” and “sisters.” A former colleague who has done considerable travel among the persecuted says, “It is hard to believe that Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today. But it is even more difficult to believe that this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services. More Christians know the names of their favorite actors than their fellow believers who are in prison.”
He continues, “With every trip something in my heart breaks as I hear the echoes of suffering:
I remember the echoes of an Egyptian mother as she shared how her young boy was stuck in a haystack because she refused to deny Jesus.
I remember the sounds of weeping as fellow students in Indonesia shared how Sariman, their co-student, was hacked to death.
I remember the cries of anguish as we walked from church to church that was burned to the ground on the island of Lombok.
I remember the tears of Rebecca in Iran as she showed the picture of her father who was stabbed to death for sharing the gospel.
I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam as he shared how he was chained to the ground for six months.
I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan as she shared how her church was attacked and her friend was shot through the head.
Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea as he shared with tears how two dear friends were executed in front of him because of their faith.
And I remember the tears of Joy in the southern Philippines as she shared how her fiancé was shot to death in their church in Mindanao.
But, most all, I remember the deafening sounds of silence every time I return home.
RESPONSE
How can I be silent today? How can I not speak on behalf of those who suffer? How can I desert those that belong to the same body that I belong to and who desperately need the encouragement of my intervention on their behalf?
PRAYER
Lord, broaden my awareness of the needs of my suffering brothers and sisters. May I not be known for my silence.
Lord, broaden my awareness of the needs of my suffering brothers and sisters. May I not be known for my silence.
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