[FYI #1 - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
[FYI #2 - Be sure to be REGISTERED TO VOTE. To get details in doing that in your state, go to > http://www.cbn.com/special/register-to-vote/ For a review of the critical issues to consider in your voting, please go to > http://www.truthinaction.org/PDF/Final_Voters_Guide.pdf
ALSO, BEGIN PRAYING FOR THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS; Download a free prayer guide at > http://www.prayerconnect.net/resources/prayer-guides/2012-election-prayer-guide]
[NOTE: As usual on Sundays, please try to catch this week's broadcast of "Truth That Transforms" (In Central Florida, 9-9:30 am, 10-10:30 am, 5-5:30 pm; check your TV listings)or watch it at www.truthinaction.org. This week's message is entitled "The Importance of Marriage" and includes a feature entitled "Choosing Godly Leaders." - Stan]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(The following is PART 2; PART 1 is in previous post #295) - By: Regis Nicoll|, Breakpoint.org, July 13 // www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/breakpoint-columns/entry/2/19829
Judging vs. condemning
In the Pharisaical sting operation that nearly led to the stoning of an adulteress, neither the morality of her deed nor the mob’s authority to judge it were at issue. The woman had sinned, plain and simple, a fact acknowledged by Jesus in his parting instruction: “leave your life of sin.” Had the moral police done likewise, pointing the woman to the path to life, this biblical vignette might never have been recorded. Instead, they condemned her to death, and Jesus called into question their license to do so. Their response -- laying down their stones and walking away – was a reluctant acknowledgement that neither they nor anyone has the authority to condemn.
Condemnation requires more than just knowing when a moral standard has been breached; it requires knowing what is in a person’s mind (what did they know about the standard) and heart (what was their intent), places that no one has access to but God. And although those places were open to Jesus, even He didn’t see fit to condemn the sinful woman.
On the other hand, anyone can judge the morality of an act, knowing only the applicable standard. Applying God’s word, acts that are immoral at all times and circumstances include adultery, murder, slander, idolatry, and fornication (which, contrary to the moral lights of Carrie Underwood, includes same-sex couplings, committed or otherwise).
A Facebooker who was pleased with Underwood’s endorsement made a move -- straight from the social liberals’ playbook -- to silence moral objections by associating opposing viewpoints with hypocrisy. After duly lecturing Christians about sin in the camp, he trotted out Matthew 7:3 (“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”).
While it is all too true that heterosexual sin is a problem in the church, the moral state of the pew and pulpit has no bearing on the morality of homosexualism and the novel institutions it promotes, or of any other practice for that matter.What’s more, contrary to popular proof-texts, Jesus never said that one sinner can’t or shouldn’t judge the actions of another. Instead, in the context of Matthew chapter 7, Jesus teaches that we should be attentive to our own “specks,” so that we can “see clearly” (that is, discern readily and rightly) the specks of others and help with the removal process.
People who decline to do so -- particularly, who-am-I-to-judge Christians -- have much to answer for the moral pathologies of the church that they are quick to, uh, judge.They are like the village physician whose patients are dying off, one by one, for his failure to check for life-threatening conditions he finds too uncomfortable to tell them about or treat. Or the mom whose child has become a tyrant because of momma’s fear that a “no” landing on her budding prodigy’s delicate ears would damage the sense of exceptionalness that she has worked so hard to nurture.
Loving my brother
Love seeks the supreme good for others. Above all, love desires them to become the persons they were created to be: children of God, being transformed in the image of the Son, and enjoying unbroken fellowship with the Son and Father through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Love means that I am my brother’s keeper, with the duty to observe, question, challenge, and, yes, judge his actions -- not to condemn, but to guide, coach and encourage toward life abundant. To do otherwise is not love but indifference or cowardice.
Carrie Underwood was right: “Above all, God wanted us to love others.” However, we love others not by never having to say they’re sinning, but by helping them with their “specks” and allowing them to help us with ours.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Regis Nicoll is a freelance writer and a BreakPoint Centurion. Serving as a men’s ministry leader and worldview teacher in his community, Regis publishes a free weekly commentary to stimulate thought on current issues from a Christian perspective. To be placed on this free e-mail distribution list, e-mail him at centurion51@aol.com.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
#295 (8/18) - SATURDAY Special - “Can a Christian Judge AND Love? - All Things Examined” (part 1)
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER ALERT: Hundreds More Flee Massive Wildfires; Guard Joins Battle in Idaho, Thurs. August 16
"The Idaho National Guard is joining the fight against at least nine wildfires burning across the state, including the 68,000-acre Trinity Ridge blaze, one of 60 large U.S. fires being fought in one of the worst U.S. fire seasons. The Idaho National Guard is joining the fight against at least nine wildfires burning across the state, including the 68,000-acre Trinity Ridge blaze, one of 60 large U.S. fires being fought in one of the worst U.S. fire seasons. Most are scorching the dry and hot Western states, including Washington, where the 22,656-acre Taylor Bridge fire five miles outside Cle Elum has destroyed an estimated 60 homes. Thousands of people have been ordered from their homes..." - Source: NBC News, Fox News
As the Lord leads, please pray:
•For the thousands of families who have had to evacuate because of fire danger.
•For the hot shots and other firefighters, including those who pilot the slurry-dropping aircraft.
•About the weather-related incidents across the nation, whether wildfires in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and elsewhere, as well as the droughts and extreme temperatures.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(PART 2 is inthe next post) - By: Regis Nicoll|, Breakpoint.org, July 13
www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/breakpoint-columns/entry/2/19829
A meme has been circulating in the Christian community for some time now. It’s the curious notion that making judgments about the behaviors and lifestyles of others is unchristian.
Take singer Carrie Underwood, a professed Christian, who came out in support of same-sex “marriage,” crediting her faith for her position. In explanation, the songstress told the British press, "Above all, God wanted us to love others,” adding, “It’s not up to me to judge anybody.” But judge she has, for by her very endorsement of same-sex “marriage,” Underwood made a moral judgment on the practice and its practitioners, as well as a moral insinuation, if not judgment, about its critics.
Regrettably, Carrie Underwood, like most “nonjudgmentalists,” is oblivious to the logical inconsistency. If we are proscribed from judging the wrongness of actions, we are likewise proscribed from judging their rightness. And either way we come down is a judgment on the opposing view.
We can’t not judge
Conformance with the “anti-judgment meme” requires neutrality on all moral matters, but humans are anything but morally neutral. Regardless of our religious or anti-religious sympathies, it is commonly held that a number of things are universally wrong, like cheating, rape, exploitation, and greed, and that a number of others are universally good, such as honesty, fairness, charity, and selflessness.
Furthermore, in a fallen world where virtue and vice exist side-by-side, everyone must judge whom they will trust, what ventures they will pursue, what policies they will support.(You can bet that when Carrie Underwood becomes a parent she will make judgments aplenty, sniffing around for any hint of child abuse, pedophilia, or other behaviors she deems morally questionable in the backgrounds of prospective babysitters.)
The person who can’t or won’t discern truth from falsehood, good from evil, and healthful from harmful is someone destined to be a victim of those who are adept at parading one for the other. Thus, abstaining from moral judgments is not a hallmark of Christian character, but of foolishness.
Rather, the signature of the Spirit-filled life is the ability to make correct judgments to prevent, as St. Paul warns, being taken “captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Indeed, Jesus’ advice about “fruit” inspection was to help keep his disciples from falling in with bad teachers and their sophistry.
Specious reasoning
The popular meme persists, in large measure, by isolating what Jesus says a few verses up -- "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" -- from the rest of the chapter and coupling it with the second half of the Great Commandment. The reasoning goes something like this: I know that I would be offended if someone pointed out my moral failings, so loving my neighbor as myself means that I shouldn’t point out his. In that way, I can fulfill God’s commandment, escape His judgment, and relieve myself and my neighbor of any awkward moments, to boot. It has undeniable appeal.
For folks bothered by any lingering notion that anybody is qualified to make a judgment about anybody else, there's Jesus’ piercing challenge to a murderous mob of moralizers: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Yet, there’s his equally piercing instruction to his disciples, “If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Sounds like Jesus not only expects us to make moral judgments about others but, in fact, has authorized us to do so, as well as to confront them and invoke discipline when necessary.
The apostle Paul had some sharp words for a congregation that failed to do just that.
It had come to Paul’s attention that the Corinthian church was ignoring an occasion of sexual immorality in its midst. Scolding the assembly for its moral complacence, Paul ordered the expulsion of the offender, warning, “Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?” Paul’s instruction to turn the man “over to Satan” seems overly harsh and cruel – and certainly not loving -- until he explains, “so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.” This is the same Paul who told the Galatian believers, “if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” As taught by Jesus and practiced by the early church, moral judgment and church discipline are not about condemning people but restoring them, for their spiritual well-being and that of the Body. [end of part 1; part 2 in next post]
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Regis Nicoll is a freelance writer and a BreakPoint Centurion. Serving as a men’s ministry leader and worldview teacher in his community, Regis publishes a free weekly commentary to stimulate thought on current issues from a Christian perspective. To be placed on this free e-mail distribution list, e-mail him at centurion51@aol.com.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRAYER ALERT: Hundreds More Flee Massive Wildfires; Guard Joins Battle in Idaho, Thurs. August 16
"The Idaho National Guard is joining the fight against at least nine wildfires burning across the state, including the 68,000-acre Trinity Ridge blaze, one of 60 large U.S. fires being fought in one of the worst U.S. fire seasons. The Idaho National Guard is joining the fight against at least nine wildfires burning across the state, including the 68,000-acre Trinity Ridge blaze, one of 60 large U.S. fires being fought in one of the worst U.S. fire seasons. Most are scorching the dry and hot Western states, including Washington, where the 22,656-acre Taylor Bridge fire five miles outside Cle Elum has destroyed an estimated 60 homes. Thousands of people have been ordered from their homes..." - Source: NBC News, Fox News
As the Lord leads, please pray:
•For the thousands of families who have had to evacuate because of fire danger.
•For the hot shots and other firefighters, including those who pilot the slurry-dropping aircraft.
•About the weather-related incidents across the nation, whether wildfires in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California and elsewhere, as well as the droughts and extreme temperatures.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(PART 2 is inthe next post) - By: Regis Nicoll|, Breakpoint.org, July 13
www.breakpoint.org/features-columns/breakpoint-columns/entry/2/19829
A meme has been circulating in the Christian community for some time now. It’s the curious notion that making judgments about the behaviors and lifestyles of others is unchristian.
Take singer Carrie Underwood, a professed Christian, who came out in support of same-sex “marriage,” crediting her faith for her position. In explanation, the songstress told the British press, "Above all, God wanted us to love others,” adding, “It’s not up to me to judge anybody.” But judge she has, for by her very endorsement of same-sex “marriage,” Underwood made a moral judgment on the practice and its practitioners, as well as a moral insinuation, if not judgment, about its critics.
Regrettably, Carrie Underwood, like most “nonjudgmentalists,” is oblivious to the logical inconsistency. If we are proscribed from judging the wrongness of actions, we are likewise proscribed from judging their rightness. And either way we come down is a judgment on the opposing view.
We can’t not judge
Conformance with the “anti-judgment meme” requires neutrality on all moral matters, but humans are anything but morally neutral. Regardless of our religious or anti-religious sympathies, it is commonly held that a number of things are universally wrong, like cheating, rape, exploitation, and greed, and that a number of others are universally good, such as honesty, fairness, charity, and selflessness.
Furthermore, in a fallen world where virtue and vice exist side-by-side, everyone must judge whom they will trust, what ventures they will pursue, what policies they will support.(You can bet that when Carrie Underwood becomes a parent she will make judgments aplenty, sniffing around for any hint of child abuse, pedophilia, or other behaviors she deems morally questionable in the backgrounds of prospective babysitters.)
The person who can’t or won’t discern truth from falsehood, good from evil, and healthful from harmful is someone destined to be a victim of those who are adept at parading one for the other. Thus, abstaining from moral judgments is not a hallmark of Christian character, but of foolishness.
Rather, the signature of the Spirit-filled life is the ability to make correct judgments to prevent, as St. Paul warns, being taken “captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Indeed, Jesus’ advice about “fruit” inspection was to help keep his disciples from falling in with bad teachers and their sophistry.
Specious reasoning
The popular meme persists, in large measure, by isolating what Jesus says a few verses up -- "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" -- from the rest of the chapter and coupling it with the second half of the Great Commandment. The reasoning goes something like this: I know that I would be offended if someone pointed out my moral failings, so loving my neighbor as myself means that I shouldn’t point out his. In that way, I can fulfill God’s commandment, escape His judgment, and relieve myself and my neighbor of any awkward moments, to boot. It has undeniable appeal.
For folks bothered by any lingering notion that anybody is qualified to make a judgment about anybody else, there's Jesus’ piercing challenge to a murderous mob of moralizers: “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Yet, there’s his equally piercing instruction to his disciples, “If your brother sins, rebuke him.” Sounds like Jesus not only expects us to make moral judgments about others but, in fact, has authorized us to do so, as well as to confront them and invoke discipline when necessary.
The apostle Paul had some sharp words for a congregation that failed to do just that.
It had come to Paul’s attention that the Corinthian church was ignoring an occasion of sexual immorality in its midst. Scolding the assembly for its moral complacence, Paul ordered the expulsion of the offender, warning, “Don’t you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?” Paul’s instruction to turn the man “over to Satan” seems overly harsh and cruel – and certainly not loving -- until he explains, “so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.” This is the same Paul who told the Galatian believers, “if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” As taught by Jesus and practiced by the early church, moral judgment and church discipline are not about condemning people but restoring them, for their spiritual well-being and that of the Body. [end of part 1; part 2 in next post]
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Regis Nicoll is a freelance writer and a BreakPoint Centurion. Serving as a men’s ministry leader and worldview teacher in his community, Regis publishes a free weekly commentary to stimulate thought on current issues from a Christian perspective. To be placed on this free e-mail distribution list, e-mail him at centurion51@aol.com.
Friday, August 17, 2012
#294 (8/17) - The Not-That-Radical Ryan Plan; Link to Bio on Paul Ryan
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
[NOTE: Did you notice that the attack by a homosexual activist on Wednesday at the Washington D.C. headquarters of the Christian/conservative Family Research Council, just a day after a major homosexual activist group labeled it a "hate group" received no media follow-up after just one day? Once again, if a Christian/conservative had instead attacked a liberal activist headquarters, the mainstream press would have days of stories to label ALL Christians and conservatives as "violent extremists." The double standard is always so breath-taking. - Stan; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/August/FRC-Suspect-a-Volunteer-at-Gay-Community-Center/; ]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If Only Paul Ryan’s Plan Were as Radical as the Democrats Claim"; by Erick Erickson August 13th; http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/08/13/if-only-paul-ryans-plan-were-as-radical-as-the-democrats-claim/
It is mathematically indisputable that should President Barack Obama obtain his legislative desire and increase taxes on those making $250,000.00 a year or more the nation would not close even this year’s budget deficit. Never mind the $16 trillion in national debt, the income brought in through that tax increase would not balance this year’s federal budget.
It is also mathematically indisputable that should the Democrats’ obtain the ultimate fantasy of the grade school marxists routinely populating the ranks of left-wing economists, more commonly referred to as the “Occupy Wall Street” movement — confiscating 100% of income from all those making $250,000.00 a year or more — the nation still would not close this year’s budget deficit. Marxist sounding pablum about the rich paying their fair share and not building their businesses aside, the Democrats’ covetousness of American salaries accomplishes nothing more than temporarily satiating their addiction to spending.
Paul Ryan, as Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential nominee, has made a career of shining the spotlight on the Democrats’ addiction to spending.
Paul Ryan’s budget plan, called the “Path to Prosperity” has become a necessary lightening rod on the road to fiscal sanity. Because of the President’s spending addiction, the nation has been without a real budget for more than one thousand days. President Obama’s budget plans for the past few years have been too radical even for the most radical Democrats in Congress, failing to pass even the Democrat controlled Senate with a single vote.
Despite the rhetoric from spending addicts on the left, Paul Ryan’s plan is not the radical path conservatives would prefer. The plan does not balance the federal budget for three decades and is premised on the assumption that future congresses will show restraint. Three decades is an extraordinarily long time, but the plan does eventually balance, which is something the President’s own budget never does.
The Democrats will demagogue Paul Ryan’s budget plan. They already have run commercials showing a Paul Ryan look alike shoving a grandmother off a cliff. The hysteria ignores that under Paul Ryan’s plan senior citizens will not see their medicare benefits affected.
Under his slow moving plan, people 55 and younger begin to have choices they can make about their future retirement and healthcare needs. The Ryan plan moves people fully out of the present failing system into more modern options within the control of the taxpayer himself. But it only does so for people more than a decade away from retiring. For taxpayers who increasingly distrust Washington and who think the present system will not be their for them anyway, it gives them control of their future in a way Democrats only talk about about.
Choice for Republicans involves trusting the American people to handle their affairs and retirement. Choice for Democrats involves only the option to kill children, with everything else pre-packaged in one size fits all government bureaucracy. These two visions of choice will be at the heart of the 2012 Presidential campaign season.
Paul Ryan’s plan, sadly, is not nearly as aggressive as it should be or could be. It takes too long to balance the budget. It keeps too many people in the present entitlement system for too long. But it begins, at least, to fix the system and give choices about retirement and healthcare the present system does not.
More importantly, this “Path to Prosperity” tackles issues directly weighing on our economy and future that President Obama has had four years to tackle and chose demagoguery and passing the buck instead. As Ed Morrisey notes over at Hot Air, even Erskine Bowles of the Bowles-Simpson Commission called Paul Ryan’s plan “honest” and “serious” and took issue with President Obama “for dishonestly attempting to evade a true comparison and for back-loading cuts in order to claim $4 trillion in reductions over 12 years.”
Paul Ryan’s plan exists. Barack Obama’s is just three card monty.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a great bio on Paul Ryan, check the following:- "GOP idea man" May 22, 2010 http://www.worldmag.com/articles/16688
[NOTE: Did you notice that the attack by a homosexual activist on Wednesday at the Washington D.C. headquarters of the Christian/conservative Family Research Council, just a day after a major homosexual activist group labeled it a "hate group" received no media follow-up after just one day? Once again, if a Christian/conservative had instead attacked a liberal activist headquarters, the mainstream press would have days of stories to label ALL Christians and conservatives as "violent extremists." The double standard is always so breath-taking. - Stan; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2012/August/FRC-Suspect-a-Volunteer-at-Gay-Community-Center/; ]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"If Only Paul Ryan’s Plan Were as Radical as the Democrats Claim"; by Erick Erickson August 13th; http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/08/13/if-only-paul-ryans-plan-were-as-radical-as-the-democrats-claim/
It is mathematically indisputable that should President Barack Obama obtain his legislative desire and increase taxes on those making $250,000.00 a year or more the nation would not close even this year’s budget deficit. Never mind the $16 trillion in national debt, the income brought in through that tax increase would not balance this year’s federal budget.
It is also mathematically indisputable that should the Democrats’ obtain the ultimate fantasy of the grade school marxists routinely populating the ranks of left-wing economists, more commonly referred to as the “Occupy Wall Street” movement — confiscating 100% of income from all those making $250,000.00 a year or more — the nation still would not close this year’s budget deficit. Marxist sounding pablum about the rich paying their fair share and not building their businesses aside, the Democrats’ covetousness of American salaries accomplishes nothing more than temporarily satiating their addiction to spending.
Paul Ryan, as Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential nominee, has made a career of shining the spotlight on the Democrats’ addiction to spending.
Paul Ryan’s budget plan, called the “Path to Prosperity” has become a necessary lightening rod on the road to fiscal sanity. Because of the President’s spending addiction, the nation has been without a real budget for more than one thousand days. President Obama’s budget plans for the past few years have been too radical even for the most radical Democrats in Congress, failing to pass even the Democrat controlled Senate with a single vote.
Despite the rhetoric from spending addicts on the left, Paul Ryan’s plan is not the radical path conservatives would prefer. The plan does not balance the federal budget for three decades and is premised on the assumption that future congresses will show restraint. Three decades is an extraordinarily long time, but the plan does eventually balance, which is something the President’s own budget never does.
The Democrats will demagogue Paul Ryan’s budget plan. They already have run commercials showing a Paul Ryan look alike shoving a grandmother off a cliff. The hysteria ignores that under Paul Ryan’s plan senior citizens will not see their medicare benefits affected.
Under his slow moving plan, people 55 and younger begin to have choices they can make about their future retirement and healthcare needs. The Ryan plan moves people fully out of the present failing system into more modern options within the control of the taxpayer himself. But it only does so for people more than a decade away from retiring. For taxpayers who increasingly distrust Washington and who think the present system will not be their for them anyway, it gives them control of their future in a way Democrats only talk about about.
Choice for Republicans involves trusting the American people to handle their affairs and retirement. Choice for Democrats involves only the option to kill children, with everything else pre-packaged in one size fits all government bureaucracy. These two visions of choice will be at the heart of the 2012 Presidential campaign season.
Paul Ryan’s plan, sadly, is not nearly as aggressive as it should be or could be. It takes too long to balance the budget. It keeps too many people in the present entitlement system for too long. But it begins, at least, to fix the system and give choices about retirement and healthcare the present system does not.
More importantly, this “Path to Prosperity” tackles issues directly weighing on our economy and future that President Obama has had four years to tackle and chose demagoguery and passing the buck instead. As Ed Morrisey notes over at Hot Air, even Erskine Bowles of the Bowles-Simpson Commission called Paul Ryan’s plan “honest” and “serious” and took issue with President Obama “for dishonestly attempting to evade a true comparison and for back-loading cuts in order to claim $4 trillion in reductions over 12 years.”
Paul Ryan’s plan exists. Barack Obama’s is just three card monty.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
For a great bio on Paul Ryan, check the following:- "GOP idea man" May 22, 2010 http://www.worldmag.com/articles/16688
Thursday, August 16, 2012
#293 (8/16) - Say What!- Obama Lawsuit Against Military Voting Rights; Chicago Politics
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
Oppose Obama’s Lawsuit Against Military Voting Rights
Sign the American Center for Law and Justivce petition at: http://aclj.org/us-constitution/oppose-obama-lawsuit-against-military-voting-rights
The Obama Re-election campaign has filed a lawsuit to overturn a law that gives members of the military a few extra days to vote early. Men and women in the military sacrifice dearly for our country and they deserve and have the lawful and constitutional right to additional consideration.
Stand with the U.S. military. The ACLJ [American Center for Law and Justice] will file an amicus brief backing the Ohio law - giving our military men and women an opportunity to cast their ballots in a constitutional manner. Add your name to our brief defending the voting rights of the U.S. military today.
This challenge by the Obama Re-election Campaign is not only unconstitutional, but it is also offensive to millions of Americans. Our military heroes deserve to have this lawful courtesy extended to them - not more roadblocks making it even more difficult for them to participate in the election.
[Those in the military are willing to give their lives to protect our right to vote -among other cherished freedoms. And we want to restrict their ability to exercise that same freedom. Unbelieveable!- Stan]
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classic Chicago Politics At Work - from alert@grassrootsaction.com; Tuesday, August 14
Yesterday in Iowa during a Paul Ryan campaign stop, pro-Obama thugs disrupted his speech and attempted to storm the stage. The hecklers interrupted Ryan throughout his speech and then at one point began to climb the stage. Even liberal commentator Mark Halperin admitted these protesters were likely Democrats "on duty" -- meaning they were dispatched to disrupt the event.[Can you imagine the outcry from the mainstream press if a conservative activist did such a thing?(Of course, I can't recall that ever happeningl.) ALL conservatives would be branded as "violent extremeists" for days. This incident was hardly given mention. Naturally. - Stan]
This is classic Chicago politics. While Obama says nice words about Ryan, dispatched activists make it their goal to use any means to disrupt Romney and Ryan events. The goal is a massive “smear and fear” campaign to frighten senior citizens. It's the same warped mentality that drove the "occupiers" -- disorder and disruption to achieve their goals. And the liberal pundits are piling on. Newsweek’s feminist commentator, Eleanor Clift, wrote that Ryan is a “nightmare for seniors who’ve earned their Medicare benefits.”
Hope and Change of 2008 has become Fear and Intimidation of 2012.
[bold and italics emphasis]
Oppose Obama’s Lawsuit Against Military Voting Rights
Sign the American Center for Law and Justivce petition at: http://aclj.org/us-constitution/oppose-obama-lawsuit-against-military-voting-rights
The Obama Re-election campaign has filed a lawsuit to overturn a law that gives members of the military a few extra days to vote early. Men and women in the military sacrifice dearly for our country and they deserve and have the lawful and constitutional right to additional consideration.
Stand with the U.S. military. The ACLJ [American Center for Law and Justice] will file an amicus brief backing the Ohio law - giving our military men and women an opportunity to cast their ballots in a constitutional manner. Add your name to our brief defending the voting rights of the U.S. military today.
This challenge by the Obama Re-election Campaign is not only unconstitutional, but it is also offensive to millions of Americans. Our military heroes deserve to have this lawful courtesy extended to them - not more roadblocks making it even more difficult for them to participate in the election.
[Those in the military are willing to give their lives to protect our right to vote -among other cherished freedoms. And we want to restrict their ability to exercise that same freedom. Unbelieveable!- Stan]
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Classic Chicago Politics At Work - from alert@grassrootsaction.com; Tuesday, August 14
Yesterday in Iowa during a Paul Ryan campaign stop, pro-Obama thugs disrupted his speech and attempted to storm the stage. The hecklers interrupted Ryan throughout his speech and then at one point began to climb the stage. Even liberal commentator Mark Halperin admitted these protesters were likely Democrats "on duty" -- meaning they were dispatched to disrupt the event.[Can you imagine the outcry from the mainstream press if a conservative activist did such a thing?(Of course, I can't recall that ever happeningl.) ALL conservatives would be branded as "violent extremeists" for days. This incident was hardly given mention. Naturally. - Stan]
This is classic Chicago politics. While Obama says nice words about Ryan, dispatched activists make it their goal to use any means to disrupt Romney and Ryan events. The goal is a massive “smear and fear” campaign to frighten senior citizens. It's the same warped mentality that drove the "occupiers" -- disorder and disruption to achieve their goals. And the liberal pundits are piling on. Newsweek’s feminist commentator, Eleanor Clift, wrote that Ryan is a “nightmare for seniors who’ve earned their Medicare benefits.”
Hope and Change of 2008 has become Fear and Intimidation of 2012.
[bold and italics emphasis]
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
#292 (8/15) - "Civility Watch: The Romney-killed-my-wife Edition"
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
By: David Harsanyi, 8/7/2012, http://www.humanevents.com/2012/08/07/harsanyi-civility-watch-obama-super-pac-blames-romney-for-death/
“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized — at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do — it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.” – President Barack Obama
Do you think anyone at the pro-Barack Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action [unless exressly denounced by the candidate himself, do you honestly believe these PAC ads are run WITHOUT the candidate's blessing?]paused and thought about discourse before releasing an ad that personally blames presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney for the death of a steel worker’s wife?
[The ad, entitled]“Understands” takes aim at Bain Capital’s closure of an unproductive, union-heavy GST Steel plant in Kansas City, which, if we follow the logic of Obama’s economic theories, should, like Amtrak, stay in business no matter how much money it loses.
Joe Soptic, a worker that was laid off and lost his health benefits, explains that his wife later was found to have stage-four cancer and “there was nothing they could do.” (UPDATE:GST went under in 2001, two years after Romney made decisions at Bain. Soptic’s wife died in 2006.)
As tragic as this story is, it has little to do with Bain.By 1999 GSI had $53 million in net losses. How long does Mitt Romney owe Joe Soptic health care? And why is Soptic blaming Romney alone? Surely he could also blame unions for injecting tremendous costs into doing business, or blame the international marketplace for existing, or blame innovation in his own industry for making many jobs superfluous.And guess what? When investors reallocated money from a failing project to a productive one (as they occasionally do) a whole bunch of other people — sometimes more people — benefit from health care insurance. Not exactly the stuff of political ad copy.
Now, if you believe that private equity is killing people, you’re probably not voting GOP anyway. And if killing jobs were just like killing people, Obama would be in front of The Hague. But for Democrats, all this nastiness is effective in turning the conversation away from Obama’s historically unmatched failure on the economy. That’s what really matters.
But, it is worth pointing out that a few years back calls for “civility” — which can be loosely translated to mean “shut up, tea party” — was all the rage in Washington. These days, though, the Senate majority leader breezily accuses a presidential candidate of a felony (he’s delighted at the outcome) and the House’s minority leader claims matter-of-factly that Republicans are in the E. coli club. Now, Mitt Romney is not only a liar and a thief, but maybe even guilty of negligent homicide?
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
By: David Harsanyi, 8/7/2012, http://www.humanevents.com/2012/08/07/harsanyi-civility-watch-obama-super-pac-blames-romney-for-death/
“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized — at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do — it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.” – President Barack Obama
Do you think anyone at the pro-Barack Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action [unless exressly denounced by the candidate himself, do you honestly believe these PAC ads are run WITHOUT the candidate's blessing?]paused and thought about discourse before releasing an ad that personally blames presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney for the death of a steel worker’s wife?
[The ad, entitled]“Understands” takes aim at Bain Capital’s closure of an unproductive, union-heavy GST Steel plant in Kansas City, which, if we follow the logic of Obama’s economic theories, should, like Amtrak, stay in business no matter how much money it loses.
Joe Soptic, a worker that was laid off and lost his health benefits, explains that his wife later was found to have stage-four cancer and “there was nothing they could do.” (UPDATE:GST went under in 2001, two years after Romney made decisions at Bain. Soptic’s wife died in 2006.)
As tragic as this story is, it has little to do with Bain.By 1999 GSI had $53 million in net losses. How long does Mitt Romney owe Joe Soptic health care? And why is Soptic blaming Romney alone? Surely he could also blame unions for injecting tremendous costs into doing business, or blame the international marketplace for existing, or blame innovation in his own industry for making many jobs superfluous.And guess what? When investors reallocated money from a failing project to a productive one (as they occasionally do) a whole bunch of other people — sometimes more people — benefit from health care insurance. Not exactly the stuff of political ad copy.
Now, if you believe that private equity is killing people, you’re probably not voting GOP anyway. And if killing jobs were just like killing people, Obama would be in front of The Hague. But for Democrats, all this nastiness is effective in turning the conversation away from Obama’s historically unmatched failure on the economy. That’s what really matters.
But, it is worth pointing out that a few years back calls for “civility” — which can be loosely translated to mean “shut up, tea party” — was all the rage in Washington. These days, though, the Senate majority leader breezily accuses a presidential candidate of a felony (he’s delighted at the outcome) and the House’s minority leader claims matter-of-factly that Republicans are in the E. coli club. Now, Mitt Romney is not only a liar and a thief, but maybe even guilty of negligent homicide?
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
#291 (8/14) - The London Olympics - My Observations; Gabby's Faith Attacked
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS?]
AS I SEE IT - 1)PRAISE GOD that there were no terrorist attacks or even minor violent disruptions at the just concluded London Olymics. It would be natural to say that the security police did an admirable job, as I would have thought that especially which such a large Muslim population blended into the city population, terrorists would have made at least some attempt.(Are the police THAT much more effective since the subway bombings several years ago? Jihadists have not stated that they no longer want to attack Great Britan - as well as Israel and the US.) Also, it would be encouraging to think that maybe THEY are not that organized or well-funded but I tend to doubt that.
One thing that the world press will NEVER speculate is what part the SUPERNATURAL had a part in what DID NOT happen. Of course, I'm talking about the countless prayers that I assume were lifted up to God's throne during the Olympics that can only be fully known by God. What part HE might have played in answer to those prayers we will never know this side of Heaven. But intercessary prayer - inviting God into our needs - is such a mysterious thing in how it works that you just have to wonder. At least as believers, WE must be sure to thank God for HIS protection over the London Olympics of 2012.
2)The Opening and Closing Ceremonies. This was the first time that I watched the opening ceremony of any Olympics in many years. I was totally unprepared for the elaborate production that unfolded that night and kept wondering just what it all cost to produce. I was absolutely STUNNED to learn that just those few hours of entertainment cost $42 million!(I assume the CLOSING ceremony was also just as costly. I was so upset at the extravagance I ended up not watching most of that "ceremony.")
How has it come to be that just the OPENING CEREMONY of what is essentially an amateur sports event (granted one involving almost every nation on earth and watched by at least a billion people) involves the host city - which has already spent tens of billions of dollars to put on the Games - spending such an OBSCENE amount of money for a "ceremony?" I did some research and learned that a charity could dig 200 wells for that number of villages and provide clean water for probably more than 200,000 people for just $1 million! I wish that someone would finally say "Enough with trying to impress the world!"
What if the Olympic Committe limited the opening and closing ceremony to a budget of not more than $1 or $2 million each; maybe just decorations, an orchestra, and some fireworks? Let the host country impress the world by then giving an equal amount of money for something more practical,such as having clean water wells dug in several third world countries? Maybe someone could start a website dedicated to getting people to sign a petition urging such action beginning with the winter Olympics in 2014. - Stan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Attacking Gabby Douglas’s Faith? Really?"; August 6, 2012
http://aclj.org/free-speech-2/attacking-gabby-douglas-faith
It’s a sad commentary on modern life when I heard an exuberant 16-year-old thank God for the greatest success she might ever attain and immediately thought, “Someone’s going to attack her.” As surely as the night follows day, here comes Salon.com:
"As a Christian myself (albeit one of those really freaky papist kinds), I’ve often wondered what it is about Christians like Douglas that unnerves me so. The closest I’ve been able to figure it is that Douglas and her ilk seem to espouse a faith based on what is commonly referred to as “The God of Parking Spaces.” It’s the deity that grants wishes to those who ask nicely. Douglas is a girl who has described God as the figure who’s “waking me up every morning and keeping me safe in the gym every day.” She told People Thursday,“I was on the bus and it was raining and I thought, ‘It’s going to be a great day.’My mom used to tell me when I was little, ‘When it rains, it’s God’s manifestation, a big day’s waiting to happen.’ I texted my mom, ‘It’s raining. You know what that means.’[Added comment by writer of this article:]"It means that Russian girl is going down, I guess."
Thank you, Salon, for that oh-so-snarky takedown of a triumphant teenager. What makes it even worse, of course, is that Gabby’s life has hardly been full of sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns before this moment. She’s known more fear and heartbreak than the average teenager. Her father’s an NCO in the Air Force, and her parents are divorcing under the strain of multiple deployments:
The pressure to perform to the best of her abilities without her father by her side was at times too much for ‘The Flying Squirrel.’ While living with her coach in Iowa, Gabby would often wake up with anxiety about her father at war. She would rush to her computer and try to contact him on Skype.‘[I] Just had bad days in the gym, thinking about my dad,’ she said to NBC before the Olympics. ‘I’m just like “Whoa, what if he doesn’t come back (from Iraq)?” I was just horrified. I prayed every night.’
While Gabby gave most Americans a moment of joy last week, her family has been sacrificing in deep and profound ways far, far from the spotlight and far from Salon’s condescending “tolerance.” Had Salon done its homework, it would have seen that Gabby does not in fact simply pray to the “God of Parking Spaces” but instead to the God who watches over a father at war, to a God who provides comfort in the midst of family heartbreak, and yes to a God who gives good gifts to His Children including — very rarely — an Olympic Gold Medal.
If the writers at Salon can’t watch a child thank her Lord and Creator for a great day — maybe even her greatest day — without sniping at her faith, perhaps they are the ones who need to grow up.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
AS I SEE IT - 1)PRAISE GOD that there were no terrorist attacks or even minor violent disruptions at the just concluded London Olymics. It would be natural to say that the security police did an admirable job, as I would have thought that especially which such a large Muslim population blended into the city population, terrorists would have made at least some attempt.(Are the police THAT much more effective since the subway bombings several years ago? Jihadists have not stated that they no longer want to attack Great Britan - as well as Israel and the US.) Also, it would be encouraging to think that maybe THEY are not that organized or well-funded but I tend to doubt that.
One thing that the world press will NEVER speculate is what part the SUPERNATURAL had a part in what DID NOT happen. Of course, I'm talking about the countless prayers that I assume were lifted up to God's throne during the Olympics that can only be fully known by God. What part HE might have played in answer to those prayers we will never know this side of Heaven. But intercessary prayer - inviting God into our needs - is such a mysterious thing in how it works that you just have to wonder. At least as believers, WE must be sure to thank God for HIS protection over the London Olympics of 2012.
2)The Opening and Closing Ceremonies. This was the first time that I watched the opening ceremony of any Olympics in many years. I was totally unprepared for the elaborate production that unfolded that night and kept wondering just what it all cost to produce. I was absolutely STUNNED to learn that just those few hours of entertainment cost $42 million!(I assume the CLOSING ceremony was also just as costly. I was so upset at the extravagance I ended up not watching most of that "ceremony.")
How has it come to be that just the OPENING CEREMONY of what is essentially an amateur sports event (granted one involving almost every nation on earth and watched by at least a billion people) involves the host city - which has already spent tens of billions of dollars to put on the Games - spending such an OBSCENE amount of money for a "ceremony?" I did some research and learned that a charity could dig 200 wells for that number of villages and provide clean water for probably more than 200,000 people for just $1 million! I wish that someone would finally say "Enough with trying to impress the world!"
What if the Olympic Committe limited the opening and closing ceremony to a budget of not more than $1 or $2 million each; maybe just decorations, an orchestra, and some fireworks? Let the host country impress the world by then giving an equal amount of money for something more practical,such as having clean water wells dug in several third world countries? Maybe someone could start a website dedicated to getting people to sign a petition urging such action beginning with the winter Olympics in 2014. - Stan
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Attacking Gabby Douglas’s Faith? Really?"; August 6, 2012
http://aclj.org/free-speech-2/attacking-gabby-douglas-faith
It’s a sad commentary on modern life when I heard an exuberant 16-year-old thank God for the greatest success she might ever attain and immediately thought, “Someone’s going to attack her.” As surely as the night follows day, here comes Salon.com:
"As a Christian myself (albeit one of those really freaky papist kinds), I’ve often wondered what it is about Christians like Douglas that unnerves me so. The closest I’ve been able to figure it is that Douglas and her ilk seem to espouse a faith based on what is commonly referred to as “The God of Parking Spaces.” It’s the deity that grants wishes to those who ask nicely. Douglas is a girl who has described God as the figure who’s “waking me up every morning and keeping me safe in the gym every day.” She told People Thursday,“I was on the bus and it was raining and I thought, ‘It’s going to be a great day.’My mom used to tell me when I was little, ‘When it rains, it’s God’s manifestation, a big day’s waiting to happen.’ I texted my mom, ‘It’s raining. You know what that means.’[Added comment by writer of this article:]"It means that Russian girl is going down, I guess."
Thank you, Salon, for that oh-so-snarky takedown of a triumphant teenager. What makes it even worse, of course, is that Gabby’s life has hardly been full of sunshine, rainbows, and unicorns before this moment. She’s known more fear and heartbreak than the average teenager. Her father’s an NCO in the Air Force, and her parents are divorcing under the strain of multiple deployments:
The pressure to perform to the best of her abilities without her father by her side was at times too much for ‘The Flying Squirrel.’ While living with her coach in Iowa, Gabby would often wake up with anxiety about her father at war. She would rush to her computer and try to contact him on Skype.‘[I] Just had bad days in the gym, thinking about my dad,’ she said to NBC before the Olympics. ‘I’m just like “Whoa, what if he doesn’t come back (from Iraq)?” I was just horrified. I prayed every night.’
While Gabby gave most Americans a moment of joy last week, her family has been sacrificing in deep and profound ways far, far from the spotlight and far from Salon’s condescending “tolerance.” Had Salon done its homework, it would have seen that Gabby does not in fact simply pray to the “God of Parking Spaces” but instead to the God who watches over a father at war, to a God who provides comfort in the midst of family heartbreak, and yes to a God who gives good gifts to His Children including — very rarely — an Olympic Gold Medal.
If the writers at Salon can’t watch a child thank her Lord and Creator for a great day — maybe even her greatest day — without sniping at her faith, perhaps they are the ones who need to grow up.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Monday, August 13, 2012
#290 (8/13) - That's Outrageous! (8/12)
[FYI - My GENday is Sept. 19th. When is YOURS]
Iraq to Release Accused Killer of U.S. Troops - Newsmax.com; Sunday August 12, 2012
[NOTE: Because he is himself a Shiite, it has long been feared that the Iraq President would show favor to the Shiite government of Iran. Here may be another evidence of that. It doesn't help that our government has done nothing to prevent such things as this from happening. - Stan
Iraqi authorities have dropped charges against a high-profile Shiite terrorist accused of murdering American troops and are set to release him, as a Republican critic charges the Obama administration with botching the case.
Ali Musa Daqduq, a Lebanese national and one of the most senior Hezbollah figures ever to be in U.S. custody, was allegedly a key link between Hezbollah, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and violent Shiite groups held responsible by the United States for deadly attacks on American troops.
Daqduq is suspected in the 2007 killings of five American soldiers in Karbala by assailants wearing American-style fatigues. He was in U.S. hands until late last year when he was handed over the Iraqi authorities, CNS News reported.
At the time Republican Sens. John McCain, Mitch McConnell, and Lindsey Graham and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said they were “deeply concerned that Daqduq will never have to answer for his involvement in killing U.S. citizens, that he could be released from Iraqi custody for political reasons, and that he would then return to the fight against the United States and our friends.”
A U.S. military commission subsequently filed charges against Daqduq, including counts of murder and terrorism, and lodged a formal extradition application. But Iraqi courts dropped charges against him and last week the country’s Central Criminal Court tossed out the extradition request, according to CNS.
In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said: “The administration had years to transfer Daqduq to our detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, but because the president seemed to lack the political will to do so — I think because of campaign promises he improvidently made — one of the most dangerous, reprehensible terrorists ever in our custody will likely be allowed to go free.”
Obama as commander-in-chief “has a duty to those magnificent troops who have answered his call to go into harm’s way to execute U.S. policy,” Sessions stated. “Part of that duty is not to give away what they have fought and bled for. That includes not giving up prisoners whom these soldiers have, at great risk and effort, captured.
“With strong action we may be able to ensure that Daqduq is not released, that he is able to be tried for the murders he committed and the American soldiers he killed.”
Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said: “Baghdad wants to balance its relationships with Iran and Washington, and this case stands at the crux of the two. Accordingly, Washington must make clear at the highest levels of the Iraqi government that there will be tangible consequences to summarily freeing an Iranian proxy with American blood on his hands.”
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
$14 Billion in Jobless Benefits Overpaid in ’11
Newsmax.com; Sunday, August 12
The unemployment insurance system in America suffers the second highest rate for “improper payments” of any federal program, behind the National School Lunch Program, and overpayments topped $14 billion last year alone.
The overpayments accounted for 11 percent of all jobless benefits paid out by the federal government and states in 2011, according to reports from the U.S. Labor Department.
Of the overpaid funds, most end up in the hands of three types of people: those who aren’t actively searching for a job, those who quit voluntarily, and those who continue to collect after returning to work. All are ineligible for benefits.
A small number of cases constitute deliberate fraud of the system, using fake documents or identities, often involving prison inmates, illegal immigrants or even deceased persons, CNN Money reported.
“Unemployment checks are going to graveyards,” Vice President Joe Biden said in September as the federal and state governments launched an effort to stem the overpayments and collect those already made.
The Labor Department estimates that half of its overpayments are recoverable, but historically only about a quarter of the recoverable overpayments have actually been collected.
When the government finds an overpayment, it often sends a letter demanding that the claimant return the funds. Government attorneys can also seek to recoup the money by setting up payment plans, garnishing wages, or deducting money from income tax refunds. Punishment can also include probation, but jail time is rare.
Last year there were about 2,700 convictions for fraud related to unemployment benefits, according to CNN Money.
Among the states, Indiana was the worst offender for overpayments, dishing out more improper payments in 2011 than correct ones.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Iraq to Release Accused Killer of U.S. Troops - Newsmax.com; Sunday August 12, 2012
[NOTE: Because he is himself a Shiite, it has long been feared that the Iraq President would show favor to the Shiite government of Iran. Here may be another evidence of that. It doesn't help that our government has done nothing to prevent such things as this from happening. - Stan
Iraqi authorities have dropped charges against a high-profile Shiite terrorist accused of murdering American troops and are set to release him, as a Republican critic charges the Obama administration with botching the case.
Ali Musa Daqduq, a Lebanese national and one of the most senior Hezbollah figures ever to be in U.S. custody, was allegedly a key link between Hezbollah, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and violent Shiite groups held responsible by the United States for deadly attacks on American troops.
Daqduq is suspected in the 2007 killings of five American soldiers in Karbala by assailants wearing American-style fatigues. He was in U.S. hands until late last year when he was handed over the Iraqi authorities, CNS News reported.
At the time Republican Sens. John McCain, Mitch McConnell, and Lindsey Graham and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said they were “deeply concerned that Daqduq will never have to answer for his involvement in killing U.S. citizens, that he could be released from Iraqi custody for political reasons, and that he would then return to the fight against the United States and our friends.”
A U.S. military commission subsequently filed charges against Daqduq, including counts of murder and terrorism, and lodged a formal extradition application. But Iraqi courts dropped charges against him and last week the country’s Central Criminal Court tossed out the extradition request, according to CNS.
In a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday, Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said: “The administration had years to transfer Daqduq to our detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, but because the president seemed to lack the political will to do so — I think because of campaign promises he improvidently made — one of the most dangerous, reprehensible terrorists ever in our custody will likely be allowed to go free.”
Obama as commander-in-chief “has a duty to those magnificent troops who have answered his call to go into harm’s way to execute U.S. policy,” Sessions stated. “Part of that duty is not to give away what they have fought and bled for. That includes not giving up prisoners whom these soldiers have, at great risk and effort, captured.
“With strong action we may be able to ensure that Daqduq is not released, that he is able to be tried for the murders he committed and the American soldiers he killed.”
Matthew Levitt of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said: “Baghdad wants to balance its relationships with Iran and Washington, and this case stands at the crux of the two. Accordingly, Washington must make clear at the highest levels of the Iraqi government that there will be tangible consequences to summarily freeing an Iranian proxy with American blood on his hands.”
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
$14 Billion in Jobless Benefits Overpaid in ’11
Newsmax.com; Sunday, August 12
The unemployment insurance system in America suffers the second highest rate for “improper payments” of any federal program, behind the National School Lunch Program, and overpayments topped $14 billion last year alone.
The overpayments accounted for 11 percent of all jobless benefits paid out by the federal government and states in 2011, according to reports from the U.S. Labor Department.
Of the overpaid funds, most end up in the hands of three types of people: those who aren’t actively searching for a job, those who quit voluntarily, and those who continue to collect after returning to work. All are ineligible for benefits.
A small number of cases constitute deliberate fraud of the system, using fake documents or identities, often involving prison inmates, illegal immigrants or even deceased persons, CNN Money reported.
“Unemployment checks are going to graveyards,” Vice President Joe Biden said in September as the federal and state governments launched an effort to stem the overpayments and collect those already made.
The Labor Department estimates that half of its overpayments are recoverable, but historically only about a quarter of the recoverable overpayments have actually been collected.
When the government finds an overpayment, it often sends a letter demanding that the claimant return the funds. Government attorneys can also seek to recoup the money by setting up payment plans, garnishing wages, or deducting money from income tax refunds. Punishment can also include probation, but jail time is rare.
Last year there were about 2,700 convictions for fraud related to unemployment benefits, according to CNN Money.
Among the states, Indiana was the worst offender for overpayments, dishing out more improper payments in 2011 than correct ones.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
