So, in my last post I promised that I would post the talk that I had heard when I was home in California. The man who gave it was the man who married me and Matt. He is such an amazing man who I really look up to. I hope all of you will take the time to read it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
OBEDIENCE TO A PROPHET’S VOICE VERSUS POPULAR OPINION AND THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES.
Shortly after organizing the Church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul continued his missionary journey. A brief time later he received communications from several sources that there was a disagreement between Church members and secular leaders where moral laws conflicted with popular public opinion. Some Church members felt obedience to God-given laws should take precedent; others, proposed such matters should be settled by judges in the pagan Corinthian courts. The saints wrote the Apostle Paul for his advice: The first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians’ was his reply.
In the opening paragraph of his letter, Paul states that he is a teacher not a judge: in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, his calling was “to teach correct principles and let the people govern themselves.” Without equivocation he establishes his God-given authority for the counsel he is about to give: “[I] am Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God unto the Church of God at Corinth and to those that are sanctified (make and keep such sacramental covenants) in Christ, Jesus” and who call themselves saints.” A modern parallel would be: President Thomas Monson, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ to the Laguna Hills Third Ward that are sanctified in Christ and who identify themselves as Latter-day Saints.
Paul then contrasts the power of his testimony with the wisdom of the world: “My preaching and speaking [is] not with the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power [of God.]” But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery (meaning it requires faith) even hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” Thus when we are confronted with decisions involving moral judgments and popular opinion, we have two choices: listen to a prophet’s voice or follow popular opinion and wait for history to unravel and reveal the results of bad decisions together with their unintended consequences.
Just before the passage of Proposition 8, defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, I officiated at a sealing and marriage of a beautiful young couple in the Newport Beach Temple. An individual familiar with temple marriage but apposing Proposition 8 asked if I was familiar with the new California Marriage License Form which replaced the words “Husband and Wife” with “Party A and Party B.” I informed the individual I was not only familiar with the Form but that under the authority of the State of California I had signed the Form as the person performing the marriage. I further noted that the Primary Signature on the form, “Party A” was the Bride, not the Groom, presumably a nod to political correctness. I was asked if changing two, little words would affect the eternal salvation of the couple. I said, “knowing the couple it would not.” Then he asked, “why is the Church making such a big issue out of such a trivial change?” My response was “because of the unintended consequences which surely follow as they always do whenever the laws of God conflict with secular opinion no matter how well intended those laws or opinions my be.
Let me illustrate: As a young boy growing up in a non-LDS home it was my practice to give my Father a carton of cigarettes for Christmas present. My Mother purchased the gift which was always decked out in bright Christmas colors and festooned over the years with pictures of famous, popular people such as Walt Disney, John Wayne, Mickey Mantle, Linda Darnell, Edward R. Murrow, Dick Powell, Arthur Godfrey, to name a few. When my parents allowed my baptism at eight years, and I had become familiar with the “Word of Wisdom”, I asked my Mother if it was appropriate to give my Father such a gift. She allowed that it was “ok because my parents were not members of that Church” --- as if the laws of God applied only to Church members. As time passed, I came to realize, I had given my Father a poisoned gift: those famous people advocating the popular practice of smoking had all died of an unintended consequence – lung cancer. In the 89th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, known as the Word of Wisdom, given over 165 years ago, the Lord through his prophet counseled that those who lived the Word of Wisdom by faith would find “wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden knowledge.” History eventually revealed those hidden treasures of knowledge and now laws are passed that prevent smoking in public places. Still, there are popular public voices today advocating the legalization of Marijuana, drugs and even prostitution with all kinds of claimed benefits. Yet, those advocates of breaking the Lord’s moral laws are only guessing at what the results will be because they lack the “sure word of prophecy” which our inspired Church leaders provide: therefore, unintended consequences will surely follow.
Another example of unintended consequences is public profanity. In the Epistle of James we read: “If any man among you seems to be religious and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.” (James 1:26)
The first use of profanity in motion pictures was a single word spoken by Thett Butler to Scarlett O’ Hara in “Gone with the Wind.” The Prophet President Heber J. Grant expressed concern to the movie industry about the precedent-setting use of profanity in such an important and influential medium. He was promptly ignored as you might expect. After all it was just a single word and a mild profane word at that. Moreover, it would interfere with First Amendment Right of Free Speech. Today we live in a gutter of profanity in nearly all aspects of public and private life. Apostle Dallon Oaks stated recently, “The nature and extent of profanity and vulgarity in our society is a measure of societies degradation, can it possibly get any lower?” It would be well for the advocates of profanity to heed the words of Matthew: 12:36; “But I say unto you, that every word men shall speak, they will give an account thereof in the Day of Judgment.” Fortunately, faithful members of the Church who honor the name of deity and avoid filthy, degrading language will not be subject to the unintended consequences of profanity, the full celestial implications of which are yet to come.
The first sexually explicit scene in film was in the Movie “Outlaw” starring Jane Russell and Walter Houston. The movie was schedule to be released in 1941 but was delayed for several years because it violated the Hays Code which set the standards of morally acceptable content in motion pictures. But clever publicity created a public outcry that censorship was an interference with artistic expression. We all know what moral cesspool the entertainment industry and the internet have become creating unintended consequences, never foreseen or mentioned by the advocates: broken marriages and families, illegitimate children and over crowded jails. Fortunately, the first Presidency saw this coming with the introduction of the Family Home Evening in 1905 and faithful members for the most part are not subject to the unintended consequences of the sexual revolution. One statistic provided by the First Presidency shows that the national divorce rate is 62%; the Temple marriage divorce rate is 6%; in many of the Temple divorces broken covenants were involved. The Church non-temple marriage divorce rate is 24%.
In 1986 Betty and I moved to California where I became President of a pharmaceutical company conducting clinical trials for the treatment of AIDS, Hepatitis C and other viral diseases. These were high-profile activities where I was called upon to speak before large groups of scientific and business leaders. This was a time of great civil unrest where speakers were frequently heckled and even spattered with blood and angry mobs. I had been asked to speak to the C.E.O’s of the Casualty and Underwriters Association of North America on the possibility of a cure of effective treatment for AIDS. Without getting into the technical details, I was prepared to tell these leaders that the only cure for AIDS is chastity before marriage and fidelity after marriage. This was not a popular message with some groups because of its moral connotations. To anticipate what reaction I might encounter, I consulted an acquaintance and California legislative leader who had been responsible for much of the Gay rights legislation in the State of California. He was an engaging and brilliant man whose partner had died of AIDS and he himself was in the latter stages of the disease. He read my paper and to my surprise said “I wouldn’t change a word. You are exactly right. When we started this movement we did not know what we were doing.” History was revealing the unintended consequences of a promiscuous, immoral life style among the gay and heterosexual communities.
Following forty years of work on their ten volume history of the world, The Story of Civilization, Will and Ariel Durant, distilled into a small follow-up volume, The Lessons of History, what history had revealed about the prospects for a society that ignores the God-given laws of chastity and fidelity. Their conclusion: “No one man, however brilliant or well informed, can come in one lifetime to such a fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experience in the laboratories of history. A youth boiling with hormones, may ruin his life before he sufficiently matures to understand that sex is a river of fire that must be banked and cooled by a hundred constrains if it is not to consume in chaos both individual and group. --- There is no significant example in history before our time of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion.”
Finally, I wish to apply these same principles to the Law of Tithing. Shortly, Betty and I will have the opportunity to visit Bishop Hick as part of tithing settlement to declare ourselves as full tithe payers, something we have done for each of the 57 years of our marriage. What a wonderful feeling it is to appear before the Judge of Israel knowing that we are in full conformity of the Law. We have never paid tithing with the expectation we would receive something in return; yet we have been blessed in so many ways. We agree with President Hinckley who said: “Tithing is not so much a matter of money as much as it is a matter of faith.” President Hinckley continues, “I have yet to find a faithful tithe payer who cannot testify that in a very literal and wonderful way the windows of heaven have been opened and blessings have been poured out upon him or her. Tithing is the Lord’s law of finance. There is no other law like it. It is a principle given with a promise spoken by the Lord himself for the blessing of His children.”
The Law of Tithing did not originate with the LDS Church. It applies to all people and all institutions. It is applicable to every member of the church, whether they are rich or poor. Tithing is the means that allows the Church to complete nearly 150 temples and buildings like this one at a rate of almost one building a day, completely free of debt and full operational; one only needs to compare the 50 words of Malachi counseling the payment of tithing to the thousands of pages in the Federal Income Tax Registry to recognize the simplicity that comes of the wisdom of God in contrast with the complexity that comes of the wisdom of men.
While serving as the President of the Cumorah Stake, I was invited by the leaders of the Rochester New York Catholic Diocese to explain how our Church manages its finances. They had heard we were a very wealthy Church at a time they were facing a financial crisis. They were about to lose a major Catholic seminary used for the training of priests. I said we did it in the Lord’s way. They asked: “what is the Lord’s way?” I read them the words of Malachi from their own Bible: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” They were very skeptical their people would be willing to give a tenth of their income and left the room feeling I had given them a very impractical advice. Subsequently, the Seminary structures were sold to the Eastman Kodak Company and converted into commercial buildings.
I leave with you my testimony of the blessing of tithing that I know God lives; Jesus Christ in our Elder brother and exemplar; that Thomas S. Monson is a modern prophet of God and that we would do well to heed his words. I leave with you as I began the words of the Apostle Paul: “But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.” In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Thanksgiving Nov. 2008 - Oh, what a trip! Family pics as well.
Journal to Madeline: Dec. 6, 2008
To My Dear Ms. Madeline,
You scared me this trip. As I told you before in your previous journal you had pneumonia. For the most part you were better, however because you had pneumonia your immune system was down. When we got to CA you contracted some sort of stomach virus. You were throwing up and pooping a lot!!! We figured you just had to get through this, since there was not really any medicine that could cure you. Well, on Thanksgiving you were very moody. You went diharrea about every hour. No matter what we did we could not get you to go down for your last nap either. Finally you fell asleep for about a half hour. We had about a half hour to shove down some Thanksgiving food at Grandma and Grandpa Deters house. You started crying again, so we went and got you. You then started crying uncontrollably. I was so scared and so was your Dad. Your Dad called the Urgent Care and tried to get us in at the last minute. Unfortunately they left before we were able to make it. We were quite angry about this by the way. It ended up being ok because we had to take you to the hospital anyway.
The hospital checked you out and decided that they needed to give you an iv. You were so dehydrated. You did not pee for about two days straight. When you cried you did not even cry tears. It was the saddest thing. In order for them to put the iv in, you had to be very still. Being the curious little girl you are, that was not very easy to do. I basically had to lay on top of you to keep you still. You were screaming so hard. They could not find a vain, so they had to poke you in your hand and both of your arms until they found one. You were of course crying, but you handled it so well. You are so strong. They had to put a catheter in you as well to see how dehydrated you were. I was hoping you would not have to experience that until you had kids of your own. I can't tell you how miserable it was, watching you got through so much. It makes me wonder how our Heavenly Father does it. I have to say however, the nurses were so sweet. They even put on Elmo for you, which you loved. I was scared they were going to make you stay over night, but they released us at about 11pm, after they filled you full of fluids.
By the time you read this I am sure you will know that I was hospitalized when I was 11 months for spinal meningitis. Of course what happened to you is not nearly as bad as what I had, however the thought did run through my mind. Since your Uncle Nicholas passed away at such a young age as well, I have to admit that I have a lot of fears inside me that can haunt my mind at times. In addition this is the time of year that he passed away, therefore some sad and difficult memories tend to be at the back of my mind as well as your Grandparents minds. It made me reflect on how strong my parents (your Grandparents) were and are. I love you so much and could not imagine life without you. I really don't know how my parents did it. I know they could not have done it as well as they did if it were not for their relationship with God. We have a lot of burdens to deal with in this life and if we are faithful and deal with them to the best of our ability, Heavenly Father will make those burdens lighter.
At the same time that all of this happened I was very grateful. I am not one to pray for trials, really I do not know anyone who does. However, I do know that there is a reason for everything and trials truly are blessings. With each trial comes a lesson and new found strength. Depending on how you react to your trials they can bring you closer to, or further from your loved ones. There have been many times in my life where I have heard people claim they are the way they are because of something that happened in their life. While I agree that the certain situations that take place in our lives definitely contribute to who we are, I believe that how we choose to react to those situations is what really shapes the person we are. I am trying to say that no matter how difficult the situation may be you still have choices. If you end up being a person who morns there entire life, or who attempts to get revenge, you can blame yourself for those choices. I hope that you will always be your own person and not use a scape goat to excuse any wrong doings in your life. When my brother passed away your Grandma and Grandpa could have reacted completely different. They could of gotten a divorce, they could have left the church, they could have blamed God, they could have neglected or become over protective of me. While I am sure all of us made our mistakes after he passed away your Grandparents stayed together. They kept going to church and we were in fact sealed in the temple, as a family for all eternity. They encouraged me to be anyone I wanted to be. They always supported me and I always knew and still always know that I am a very loved daughter. What great examples your Grandparents are.
About a week ago Elder Wirthlin, one of the 12 apostles, died at the age of 91. His wife had passed away 2 years earlier. This was a bitter sweet time for his family and for the members of the church. We are happy that he can return to be with his wife and our Heavenly Father, but we will surely miss him here. He gave such an amazing talk called "Come What May, and Love It."
I absolutely love this talk. I love what a sense of humor he has. He speaks about how we need to learn to laugh. We need to realize the eternal perspective of our trials, rather than say "why me." The answer to that is that our Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us and therefore allows to suffer that we may overcome obstacles and draw nearer unto him. I hope you take the time to read this talk whenever you may be going through adversity.
To continue on with our trip, it did not stop at your sickness. Every single person got sick besides me and Grandma Deter. Aunt Linda and Uncle Rich came to visit and to be able to meet you for the first time and even they got sick. It was so sad, but it will make for a trip that none of us will ever forget. I am sure we will look back and laugh sometime. I must say I rather be sick with the fam than be sick alone.
Despite all the germs going around we got to spend some good quality time with both sides of the family. One of the nights at Grandma and Grandpa Deter's house you entertained us all. I really like this band called Cold Play. Grandpa Deter had one of their concerts recorded. He put on the concert and then placed you on his stomach while he was laying down. You two were rocking out together for about an hour or so. It was absolutely hilarious. You were amazed with the lights on the television and you were seriously shakin it. I can't tell you how excited that makes me feel. I need someone to go crazy and rock out with me around the house. I am very happy that you like Cold Play as well. You already have great taste in music. While we were at your Grandparents house you picked up this hilarious laugh. You would laugh like crazy every time you saw or heard your Grandma Deter. The laugh was kind of like a cackle. I called it your curtious laugh. It made you sound like a little teenager. Here are some pics of our visit with the Deter side of the family.
One of the nights your Grandpa Peach got to babysit you alone. He has always loved you, but after this night he had this adorable attachment to you. He wanted to make sure he was there when you woke up in the morning. He would walk you around the house and show you family pictures we took when I was younger. You loved it and you loved being with him.
Us girls, Grandma Laurie, you, and I went to have your pictures taken with Santa. It was such a special day. Grandma bought you the cutest dress from Nordstroms, some tights and these adorable shoes to top it off. You were one stylin little baby. You didn't seem to mind to look at Santa, but you were not very happy when he held you. You cried a bit, but it was still so cute. I was mortified of Santa when I was little, so you did a lot better. After we saw Santa we went on the Merry-go-round. You loved it. What made your Grandma and I crack up was your little cheeks. Your cheeks were jiggling as the merry-go-round was moving. It was so adorable.
We also went to the the beach, we went shopping and we went to Ruby's diner with your Great Grandpa Rubin and your Aunt Patty. Your Dad and I went to a Ducks hockey game one night as well. Here are so pics of that night and our visit with the Peach side of the family.
)
So lately you have been very attached to me. This is very not like you. You have always been one of those babies who will go to anyone. Yet towards the end of our stay in CA you will not let anyone hold you if I am in your site. I have to hold you and then you will play with everyone around you. I must say I feel so loved by you. I wondered before if you recognized me as being your Mom. Now I know that you do. At the same time I hope this phase does not last too long. It is not that I do not love your affection and your love for me, but I always wanted to raise you to be independent and to be happy no matter where you are and who you are with. This is a very normal phase that most babies go through though and I know I need to enjoy it while I can. I am sure in the future I will be dying for your love and affection. You are my little snuggle bunny and it is so adorable. I also think you've been like this because you are teething like crazy. Your little gums are so white. I feel so bad for you. I can tell you are in a lot of pain.
While we were in CA I had the opportunity to go to church with my parents. You had to stay home both Sunday's because you were sick. Anyways, while we were there the man who married your Father and I, brother Rossiter, spoke. He gave the most amazing talk that I wanted to share with you. I will post the talk a little later.
We love you so much our sweet Madeline Rose. We will always be there for you no matter what. Thank you for being our daughter.
Family Pics:
Before we left for Thanksgiving we had some family pictures taken by my wonderful friend Kelly. She did an amazing job and she was done in just 15 minutes. I love them so much! If you like what you see you should check out her amazing, creative, simplistic and homemade blog: click here
To My Dear Ms. Madeline,
You scared me this trip. As I told you before in your previous journal you had pneumonia. For the most part you were better, however because you had pneumonia your immune system was down. When we got to CA you contracted some sort of stomach virus. You were throwing up and pooping a lot!!! We figured you just had to get through this, since there was not really any medicine that could cure you. Well, on Thanksgiving you were very moody. You went diharrea about every hour. No matter what we did we could not get you to go down for your last nap either. Finally you fell asleep for about a half hour. We had about a half hour to shove down some Thanksgiving food at Grandma and Grandpa Deters house. You started crying again, so we went and got you. You then started crying uncontrollably. I was so scared and so was your Dad. Your Dad called the Urgent Care and tried to get us in at the last minute. Unfortunately they left before we were able to make it. We were quite angry about this by the way. It ended up being ok because we had to take you to the hospital anyway.
The hospital checked you out and decided that they needed to give you an iv. You were so dehydrated. You did not pee for about two days straight. When you cried you did not even cry tears. It was the saddest thing. In order for them to put the iv in, you had to be very still. Being the curious little girl you are, that was not very easy to do. I basically had to lay on top of you to keep you still. You were screaming so hard. They could not find a vain, so they had to poke you in your hand and both of your arms until they found one. You were of course crying, but you handled it so well. You are so strong. They had to put a catheter in you as well to see how dehydrated you were. I was hoping you would not have to experience that until you had kids of your own. I can't tell you how miserable it was, watching you got through so much. It makes me wonder how our Heavenly Father does it. I have to say however, the nurses were so sweet. They even put on Elmo for you, which you loved. I was scared they were going to make you stay over night, but they released us at about 11pm, after they filled you full of fluids.
By the time you read this I am sure you will know that I was hospitalized when I was 11 months for spinal meningitis. Of course what happened to you is not nearly as bad as what I had, however the thought did run through my mind. Since your Uncle Nicholas passed away at such a young age as well, I have to admit that I have a lot of fears inside me that can haunt my mind at times. In addition this is the time of year that he passed away, therefore some sad and difficult memories tend to be at the back of my mind as well as your Grandparents minds. It made me reflect on how strong my parents (your Grandparents) were and are. I love you so much and could not imagine life without you. I really don't know how my parents did it. I know they could not have done it as well as they did if it were not for their relationship with God. We have a lot of burdens to deal with in this life and if we are faithful and deal with them to the best of our ability, Heavenly Father will make those burdens lighter.
At the same time that all of this happened I was very grateful. I am not one to pray for trials, really I do not know anyone who does. However, I do know that there is a reason for everything and trials truly are blessings. With each trial comes a lesson and new found strength. Depending on how you react to your trials they can bring you closer to, or further from your loved ones. There have been many times in my life where I have heard people claim they are the way they are because of something that happened in their life. While I agree that the certain situations that take place in our lives definitely contribute to who we are, I believe that how we choose to react to those situations is what really shapes the person we are. I am trying to say that no matter how difficult the situation may be you still have choices. If you end up being a person who morns there entire life, or who attempts to get revenge, you can blame yourself for those choices. I hope that you will always be your own person and not use a scape goat to excuse any wrong doings in your life. When my brother passed away your Grandma and Grandpa could have reacted completely different. They could of gotten a divorce, they could have left the church, they could have blamed God, they could have neglected or become over protective of me. While I am sure all of us made our mistakes after he passed away your Grandparents stayed together. They kept going to church and we were in fact sealed in the temple, as a family for all eternity. They encouraged me to be anyone I wanted to be. They always supported me and I always knew and still always know that I am a very loved daughter. What great examples your Grandparents are.
About a week ago Elder Wirthlin, one of the 12 apostles, died at the age of 91. His wife had passed away 2 years earlier. This was a bitter sweet time for his family and for the members of the church. We are happy that he can return to be with his wife and our Heavenly Father, but we will surely miss him here. He gave such an amazing talk called "Come What May, and Love It."
I absolutely love this talk. I love what a sense of humor he has. He speaks about how we need to learn to laugh. We need to realize the eternal perspective of our trials, rather than say "why me." The answer to that is that our Heavenly Father loves each and everyone of us and therefore allows to suffer that we may overcome obstacles and draw nearer unto him. I hope you take the time to read this talk whenever you may be going through adversity.
To continue on with our trip, it did not stop at your sickness. Every single person got sick besides me and Grandma Deter. Aunt Linda and Uncle Rich came to visit and to be able to meet you for the first time and even they got sick. It was so sad, but it will make for a trip that none of us will ever forget. I am sure we will look back and laugh sometime. I must say I rather be sick with the fam than be sick alone.
Despite all the germs going around we got to spend some good quality time with both sides of the family. One of the nights at Grandma and Grandpa Deter's house you entertained us all. I really like this band called Cold Play. Grandpa Deter had one of their concerts recorded. He put on the concert and then placed you on his stomach while he was laying down. You two were rocking out together for about an hour or so. It was absolutely hilarious. You were amazed with the lights on the television and you were seriously shakin it. I can't tell you how excited that makes me feel. I need someone to go crazy and rock out with me around the house. I am very happy that you like Cold Play as well. You already have great taste in music. While we were at your Grandparents house you picked up this hilarious laugh. You would laugh like crazy every time you saw or heard your Grandma Deter. The laugh was kind of like a cackle. I called it your curtious laugh. It made you sound like a little teenager. Here are some pics of our visit with the Deter side of the family.
One of the nights your Grandpa Peach got to babysit you alone. He has always loved you, but after this night he had this adorable attachment to you. He wanted to make sure he was there when you woke up in the morning. He would walk you around the house and show you family pictures we took when I was younger. You loved it and you loved being with him.
Us girls, Grandma Laurie, you, and I went to have your pictures taken with Santa. It was such a special day. Grandma bought you the cutest dress from Nordstroms, some tights and these adorable shoes to top it off. You were one stylin little baby. You didn't seem to mind to look at Santa, but you were not very happy when he held you. You cried a bit, but it was still so cute. I was mortified of Santa when I was little, so you did a lot better. After we saw Santa we went on the Merry-go-round. You loved it. What made your Grandma and I crack up was your little cheeks. Your cheeks were jiggling as the merry-go-round was moving. It was so adorable.
We also went to the the beach, we went shopping and we went to Ruby's diner with your Great Grandpa Rubin and your Aunt Patty. Your Dad and I went to a Ducks hockey game one night as well. Here are so pics of that night and our visit with the Peach side of the family.
So lately you have been very attached to me. This is very not like you. You have always been one of those babies who will go to anyone. Yet towards the end of our stay in CA you will not let anyone hold you if I am in your site. I have to hold you and then you will play with everyone around you. I must say I feel so loved by you. I wondered before if you recognized me as being your Mom. Now I know that you do. At the same time I hope this phase does not last too long. It is not that I do not love your affection and your love for me, but I always wanted to raise you to be independent and to be happy no matter where you are and who you are with. This is a very normal phase that most babies go through though and I know I need to enjoy it while I can. I am sure in the future I will be dying for your love and affection. You are my little snuggle bunny and it is so adorable. I also think you've been like this because you are teething like crazy. Your little gums are so white. I feel so bad for you. I can tell you are in a lot of pain.
While we were in CA I had the opportunity to go to church with my parents. You had to stay home both Sunday's because you were sick. Anyways, while we were there the man who married your Father and I, brother Rossiter, spoke. He gave the most amazing talk that I wanted to share with you. I will post the talk a little later.
We love you so much our sweet Madeline Rose. We will always be there for you no matter what. Thank you for being our daughter.
Family Pics:
Before we left for Thanksgiving we had some family pictures taken by my wonderful friend Kelly. She did an amazing job and she was done in just 15 minutes. I love them so much! If you like what you see you should check out her amazing, creative, simplistic and homemade blog: click here
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Get the facts!
The LDS church has been a main target for those who are against Prop. 8. My wonderful friend sent me this email that I wanted to share with all of you. I remember reading in the Bible about these vendors who were trying to sell things in God's temple. Jesus himself threw over a table letting these people know that what they were doing was wrong and a disgrace. Now in our day we have people who do not agree with our moral stance who are disturbing our place of worship; our temples. How history repeats itself. Maybe all of us should read the facts. We should have a little more respect for those of differing opinions. This includes myself of course.
1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California . There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.
2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8 Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims - all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California . Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do - we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.
1. Mormons make up less than 2% of the population of California . There are approximately 800,000 LDS out of a total population of approximately 34 million.
2. Mormon voters were less than 5% of the yes vote. If one estimates that 250,000 LDS are registered voters (the rest being children), then LDS voters made up 4.6% of the Yes vote and 2.4% of the total Proposition 8 vote.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) donated no money to the Yes on 8 campaign. Individual members of the Church were encouraged to support the Yes on 8 efforts and, exercising their constitutional right to free speech, donated whatever they felt like donating.
4. The No on 8 campaign raised more money than the Yes on 8 campaign. Unofficial estimates put No on 8 at $38 million and Yes on 8 at $32 million, making it the most expensive non-presidential election in the country.
5. Advertising messages for the Yes on 8 campaign are based on case law and real-life situations. The No on 8 supporters have insisted that the Yes on 8 messaging is based on lies. Every Yes on 8 claim is supported.
6. The majority of our friends and neighbors voted Yes on 8. Los Angeles County voted in favor of Yes on 8. Ventura County voted in favor of Yes on 8
7. African Americans overwhelmingly supported Yes on 8 Exit polls show that 70% of Black voters chose Yes on 8. This was interesting because the majority of these voters voted for President-elect Obama. No on 8 supporters had assumed that Obama voters would vote No on 8.
8. The majority of Latino voters voted Yes on 8. Exit polls show that the majority of Latinos supported Yes on 8 and cited religious beliefs (assumed to be primarily Catholic).
9. The Yes on 8 coalition was a broad spectrum of religious organizations. Catholics, Evangelicals, Protestants, Orthodox Jews, Muslims - all supported Yes on 8. It is estimated that there are 10 million Catholics and 10 million Protestants in California . Mormons were a tiny fraction of the population represented by Yes on 8 coalition members.
10. Not all Mormons voted in favor of Proposition 8. Our faith accords that each person be allowed to choose for him or her self. Church leaders have asked members to treat other members with "civility, respect and love," despite their differing views.
11. The Church did not violate the principal of separation of church and state. This principle is derived from the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ." The phrase "separation of church and state", which does not appear in the Constitution itself, is generally traced to an 1802 letter by Thomas Jefferson, although it has since been quoted in several opinions handed down by the United States Supreme Court in recent years. The LDS Church is under no obligation to refrain from participating in the political process, to the extent permitted by law. U.S. election law is very clear that Churches may not endorse candidates, but may support issues. The Church has always been very careful on this matter and occasionally (not often) chooses to support causes that it feels to be of a moral nature.
12. Supporters of Proposition 8 did exactly what the Constitution provides for all citizens: they exercised their First Amendment rights to speak out on an issue that concerned them, make contributions to a cause that they support, and then vote in the regular electoral process. For the most part, this seems to have been done in an open, fair, and civil way. Opponents of 8 have accused supporters of being bigots, liars, and worse. The fact is, we simply did what Americans do - we spoke up, we campaigned, and we voted.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Art time, football time, mohawk time and naked time (my favorite)!
Madeline and I have been stuck in the house for the past week or so due to her pneumonia. I AM GOING CRAZY! For all you who know me I can't stand staying in side all day. It turns out that Madeline is similar to her Mommy. I can tell she is getting a little stir crazy herself. Plus it is TOO cold to take her outside to play. I decided to mix it up a bit and try an attempt at creativity. I am sure most of you are aware that I am not exactly the artsy fartsy type :( I sure do admire those who are however. I do not want to rub my lack of creative ability onto my daughter, therefore I figured we should get the art projects started. I looked online if there was a recipe for edible finger paints for kids (what would I do with out the internet). Low and behold there is: here . I called some domestic friends to see if any of them had food coloring. They did! We made aztec blue, coral, lime green and purple. However the lime green kind of looked like booger green. We had a good time as always and the pics turned out pretty cute. I will post some to share.
I feel for all the wives out there who are married to a football lovin husband like mine. I LOVE MY HUSBAND, however I no longer have any desire AT ALL to watch sports on tv. I can't say I had much of a desire before I was married, but now I really DON'T. This lady asked me if I could change one thing about my hubby would I change his obsession with watching sports. While I almost answered YES, I stopped myself. Matt and I both have our passions. We knew about each others passions before we were married. I married him because I love him and his passion for sports is a huge part of who he is. So I guess I love that my hubby loves football. Here's to you hubby: GO GIANTS!!! I LOVE YOU!!!
Since I decided to dabble into the creative arts I felt that my daughter needed to have the appropriate hair style for art making; a mohawk. I LOVE IT. I felt naked time was very important to go along with mohawk time. Well, to be honest, we get naked time in as much as possible. I LOVE THOSE LITTLE BUNS!!!
Enjoy!
I feel for all the wives out there who are married to a football lovin husband like mine. I LOVE MY HUSBAND, however I no longer have any desire AT ALL to watch sports on tv. I can't say I had much of a desire before I was married, but now I really DON'T. This lady asked me if I could change one thing about my hubby would I change his obsession with watching sports. While I almost answered YES, I stopped myself. Matt and I both have our passions. We knew about each others passions before we were married. I married him because I love him and his passion for sports is a huge part of who he is. So I guess I love that my hubby loves football. Here's to you hubby: GO GIANTS!!! I LOVE YOU!!!
Since I decided to dabble into the creative arts I felt that my daughter needed to have the appropriate hair style for art making; a mohawk. I LOVE IT. I felt naked time was very important to go along with mohawk time. Well, to be honest, we get naked time in as much as possible. I LOVE THOSE LITTLE BUNS!!!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Ok, I am rational now. I feel rejuvenated today.!
I stayed up late last night, there was a lot on my mind.
I went to the doctor yesterday for our little munchkin. I figured the doctor was going to tell us that she had the flu, or a really bad cold. However, he was listening to her chest with the stethoscope for quite some time. I started to feel a little concerned. After he was done listening he informed me that Madeline has pneumonia!!! My heart sank, but I held back the tears. She is ok of course and this is nothing abnormal, but I am sure all of you Mothers could imagine how I felt. The doctor assured me that she would be fine and get better quite quickly. Matt (the most wonderful husband and Father in the world) rushed home from work so he could pick up Madeline's medicine. She woke up this morning all stuffy and congested, but with that sparkling personality which indicated to me that aaaaahhhhhhhh, she is feeling better.
So, I wanted to somewhat redeem myself from my ranting and raving regarding my political frustrations on my previous post. I am not saying that I would like to take back everything that said before, otherwise I would just erase the post. I am saying that I would like to clear up any misconceptions due to my poor delivery at times.
We live in a nation with three different political parties; Republicans, Democrats and Independents. I know there are conservative and liberal Republicans and the same for Democrats. I know there are many individuals who are members of these political parties who do not agree with every policy that their party supports and may not support. I apologize if it sounded like I think ALL liberals are bad people. I DO NOT feel that way at all. I believe that a good majority are very good people and truly do mean well. I am not speaking against the person; I am speaking against what the Democratic Party itself stands for. I do know many wonderful people who support the very policies that I am against. This does not make them a bad person (although i do question the person Obama is, due to his thoughts on abortion); it does not make me a bad person. However, I feel it to be my responsibility as an American to make sure my voice is heard. I know I do it in a blunt and sometimes angry way, but that is me. Everyone is so big on being politically correct and tiptoeing around on eggshells so no ones feelings are hurt. I do not want to be mean and wrongfully judgmental, yet I want there to be no qualms or lack of clarity as to where I stand. I do feel that harshness is even necessary at times. No, I do not feel it is right to make mean and harmful and immature accusations. However, at times when someone is speaking to me in a warm and fluffy manner I just don't listen, or give heed to what they are saying. At times I need an in your face speech that will really penetrate and wake me up from some of my nonsense. At times I like to speak in a warm and fluffy manner and at other times I feel the need to just say it like it is. I hope what I am saying here is not a bunch of gibberish. I really just wanted to clear the air and explain where I am coming from. I would like to explain a little more about why I feel so strongly against universal health care as well.
I was studying some information on the internet and I enjoyed this page that I came across and therefore thought I would share it with all of you. It outlines reasons why the government should provide universal health care and why it should not. Below the article I will expand a little about my feelings concerning the issue. Please enjoy:
Should the Government Provide Free Universal Health Care for All Americans?
In a Nutshell
It's no secret that health care costs are spiraling out of control in this country. On average, we now spend more per person on health care than both food and housing. Insurance premiums are multiplying much faster than inflation, which prevents economic growth and leaves businesses with less money to give raises or hire more workers. While the quality and availability of medical care in the United States remains among the best in the world, many wonder whether we'd be better off adopting a universal government-controlled health care system like the one used in Canada.
-Yes they should provide free universal health care:
The number of uninsured citizens has grown to over 40 million. Since health care premiums continue to grow at several times the rate of inflation, many businesses are simply choosing to not offer a health plan, or if they do, to pass on more of the cost to employees. Employees facing higher costs themselves are often choosing to go without health coverage. No health insurance doesn't necessarily mean no health care since there are many clinics and services that are free to indigent individuals. However, any costs not covered by insurance must be absorbed by all the rest of us, which means even higher premiums.
Health care has become increasingly unaffordable for businesses and individuals. Businesses and individuals that choose to keep their health plans still must pay a much higher amount. Remember, businesses only have a certain amount of money they can spend on labor. If they must spend more on health insurance premiums, they will have less money to spend on raises, new hires, investment, and so on. Individuals who must pay more for premiums have less money to spend on rent, food, and consumer goods; in other words, less money is pumped back into the economy. Thus, health care prevents the country from making a robust economic recovery. A simpler government-controlled system that reduces costs would go a long way in helping that recovery.
We can eliminate wasteful inefficiencies such as duplicate paper work, claim approval, insurance submission, etc. Think back to all the times in your life you've had to fill out a medical history, answering the same questions over and over. Think about all the insurance paperwork you've had to fill out and submit. Our current health care system generates an enormous amount of overhead. Every time we go to the doctor, a claim must be submitted, an approval department has to go over the claim, checks have to be mailed, patients are sent co-pay bills, and so on. The thing that's especially wasteful is that each doctor’s office usually maintains his or her own record-keeping system. A universal healthcare plan would allow us to build one centralized system. There would be no need for maintaining insurance information or wasting time submitting claims. The work savings in the banking and postal areas alone would be worth billions every year.
We can develop a centralized national database which makes diagnosis and treatment easier for doctors. Most doctor's offices maintain a separate record-keeping system. This is why you always have to fill out a lengthy health history whenever you go to a new physician. This is a problem for several reasons. First of all, it's wasteful of both time and money. Second of all, patients may lie, forget, or do a poor job of explaining past medical problems. Doctors need accurate information to make a proper diagnosis. Last of all, separate systems means we have a tougher time analyzing data at a national level. For example, are incidents of a certain disease dropping? How often is a certain illness associated with a specific set of symptoms? A centralized national system would allow us to do data analysis that we never dreamed possible; leading to medical advances and increased diagnosis efficiency. The main argument against a centralized database is that certain insurance providers may deny coverage if they find certain past medical problems. However, if the government is paying for everything that should never be a problem.
Medical professionals can concentrate on healing the patient rather than on insurance procedures, malpractice liability, etc. Doctors have to take classes now simply to understand all the insurance plans out there; they are often restricted by insurance practices, such as what tests can be ordered. Doctors must practice defensive medicine to avoid getting sued. Some physicians are even leaving the profession rather than deal with all these non-medical headaches. A simplified universal health system would allow doctors, nurses, and other medical professions to simply focus on doing what's best for the patient. Medicine is a complex enough subject as it is. Our current system just adds to an already mentally draining profession.
Free medical services would encourage patients to practice preventive medicine and inquire about problems early when treatment will be light; currently, patients often avoid physicals and other preventive measures because of the costs. Because many people are uninsured and those that do have insurance face high deductibles, Americans often forego doctor visits for minor health problems or for preventive medicine. Thus, health problems that could be caught at an early stage or prevented altogether become major illnesses. Things like routine physicals, mammograms, and HIV tests could prevent major problems. This not only affects the health of the patient but the overall cost of the system, since preventive medicine costs only a small fraction of a full-blown disease. A government-provided system would remove the disincentive patients have for visiting a medical professional.
-No they should not provide free universal health care:
There isn't a single government agency or division that runs efficiently; do we really want an organization that developed the U.S. Tax Code handling something as complex as health care? Quick, try to think of one government office that runs efficiently. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? The Department of Transportation? Social Security Administration? Department of Education? There isn't a single government office that squeezes efficiency out of every dollar the way the private sector can. We've all heard stories of government waste such as million-dollar cow flatulence studies or the Pentagon's 14 billion dollar Bradley design project that resulted in a transport vehicle which when struck by a mortar produced a gas that killed every man inside. How about the U.S. income tax system? When originally implemented, it collected 1 percent from the highest income citizens. Look at it today. A few years back to government published a "Tax Simplification Guide", and the guide itself was over 1,000 pages long! This is what happens when politicians mess with something that should be simple. Think about the Department of Motor Vehicles. This isn't rocket science--they have to keep track of licenses and basic database information for state residents. However, the costs to support the department are enormous, and when was the last time you went to the DMV and didn't have to stand in line? If it can't handle things this simple, how can we expect the government to handle all the complex nuances of the medical system? If any private business failed year after year to achieve its objectives and satisfy its customers, it would go out of business or be passed up by competitors.
"Free" health care isn't really free since we must pay for it with taxes; expenses for health care would have to be paid for with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas such as defense, education, etc. There's an entitlement mentality in this country that believes the government should give us a number of benefits such as "free" health care. But the government must pay for this somehow. What good would it do to wipe out a few hundred dollars of monthly health insurance premiums if our taxes go up by that much or more? If we have to cut AIDS research or education spending, is it worth it?
Profit motives, competition, and individual ingenuity have always led to greater cost control and effectiveness. Government workers have fewer incentives to do well. They have a set hourly schedule, cost-of-living raises, and few promotion opportunities. Compare this to private sector workers who can receive large raises, earn promotions, and work overtime. Government workers have iron-clad job security; private sector workers must always worry about keeping their jobs, and private businesses must always worry about cutting costs enough to survive.
Government-controlled health care would lead to a decrease in patient flexibility. At first glance, it would appear universal health care would increase flexibility. After all, if government paid for everything under one plan, you could in theory go to any doctor. However, some controls are going to have to be put in to keep costs from exploding. For example, would "elective" surgeries such as breast implants, wart removal, hair restoration, and lasik eye surgery be covered? Then you may say, that's easy, make patients pay for elective surgery. Although some procedures are obviously not needed, who decides what is elective and what is required? What about a breast reduction for back problems? What about a hysterectomy for fibroid problems? What about a nose job to fix a septum problem caused in an accident? Whenever you have government control of something, you have one item added to the equation that will most definitely screw things up--politics. Suddenly, every medical procedure and situation is going to come down to a political battle. The compromises that result will put in controls that limit patient options. The universal system in Canada forces patients to wait over 6 months for a routine pap smear. Canada residents will often go to the U.S. or offer additional money to get their health care needs taken care of.
Patients aren't likely to curb their drug costs and doctor visits if health care is free; thus, total costs will be several times what they are now. Co-pays and deductibles were put in place because there are medical problems that are more minor annoyances than anything else. Sure, it would be nice if we had the medical staff and resources to treat every ache and pain experienced by an American, but we don't. For example, what if a patient is having trouble sleeping? What if a patient has a minor cold, flu, or headache? There are scores of problems that we wouldn't go to a doctor to solve if we had to pay for it; however, if everything is free, why not go? The result is that doctors must spend more time on non-critical care, and the patients that really need immediate help must wait. In fact, for a number of problems, it's better if no medical care is given whatsoever. The body's immune system is designed to fight off infections and other illnesses. It becomes stronger when it can fight things off on its own. Treating the symptoms can prolong the underlying problem, in addition to the societal side effects such as the growing antibiotic resistance of certain infections.
Just because Americans are uninsured doesn't mean they can't receive health care; nonprofits and government-run hospitals provide services to those who don't have insurance, and it is illegal to refuse emergency medical service because of a lack of insurance. While uninsured Americans are a problem in regards to total system cost, it doesn't mean health care isn't available. This issue shouldn't be as emotional since there are plenty of government and private medical practices designed to help the uninsured. It is illegal to refuse emergency treatment, even if the patient is an illegal immigrant.
Government-mandated procedures will likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care. When government controls things, politics always seep into the decision-making. Steps will have to be taken to keep costs under control. Rules will be put in place as to when doctors can perform certain expensive tests or when drugs can be given. Insurance companies are already tying the hands of doctors somewhat. Government influence will only make things worse, leading to decreased doctor flexibility and poor patient care.
Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, etc. Universal health care means the costs will be spread to all Americans, regardless of your health or your need for medical care, which is fundamentally unfair. Your health is greatly determined by your lifestyle. Those who exercise, eat right, don't smoke, don't drink, etc. have far fewer health problems than the smoking couch potatoes. Some healthy people don't even feel the need for health insurance since they never go to the doctor. Why should we punish those that live a healthy lifestyle and reward the ones who don't?
A long, painful transition will have to take place involving lost insurance industry jobs, business closures, and new patient record creation. A universal health plan means the entire health insurance industry would be unnecessary. All companies in that area would have to go out of business, meaning all people employed in the industry would be out of work. A number of hospital record clerks that dealt with insurance would also be out of work. A number of these unemployed would be able to get jobs in the new government bureaucracy, but it would still be a long, painful transition. We'd also have to once again go through a whole new round of patient record creation and database construction, which would cost huge amounts of both time and money.
Loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay may dissuade many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession. Government jobs currently have statute-mandated salaries and civil service tests required for getting hired. There isn't a lot of flexibility built in to reward the best performing workers. Imagine how this would limit the options of medical professionals. Doctors who attract scores of patients and do the best work would likely be paid the same as those that perform poorly and drive patients away. The private practice options and flexibility of specialties is one of things that attracts students to the profession. If you take that away, you may discourage would-be students from putting themselves through the torture of medical school and residency.
Malpractice lawsuit costs, which are already sky-high, could further explode since universal care may expose the government to legal liability, and the possibility to sue someone with deep pockets usually invites more lawsuits. When you're dealing with any business, for example a privately funded hospital, if an employee negligently causes an injury, the employer is ultimately liable in a lawsuit. If government funds all health care, that would mean the U.S. government, an organization with enormous amounts of cash at its disposal, would be ultimately responsible for the mistakes of health care workers. Whether or not a doctor has made a mistake, he or she is always a target for frivolous lawsuits by money-hungry lawyers & clients that smell deep pockets. Even if the health care quality is the same as in a government-funded system, the level of lawsuits is likely to increase simply because attorneys know the government has the money to make settlements and massive payouts. Try to imagine potential punitive damages alone. When the government has the ability to spend several trillion dollars per year, how much will a jury be willing to give a wronged individual who is feeble, disfigured, or dying?
Government is more likely to pass additional restrictions or increase taxes on smoking, fast food, etc., leading to a further loss of personal freedoms. With government-paid health care, any risky or healthy lifestyle will raise the dollar cost to society. Thus, politicians will be in a strong position to pass more "sin" taxes on things like alcohol, high-fat food, smoking, etc. They could ban trans fat, limit msg, eliminate high-fructose corn syrup, and so on. For some health nuts, this may sound like a good thing. But pretty soon, people will find they no longer have the option to enjoy their favorite foods, even in moderation, or alternatively, the cost of the items will be sky high. Also, it just gives the government yet another method of controlling our lives; further eroding the very definition of America, Land of the Free.
Like social security, any government benefit eventually is taken as a "right" by the public, meaning that it's politically near impossible to remove or curtail it later on when costs get out of control. Social security was originally put in place to help seniors live the last few years of their lives; however, the retirement age of 65 was set when average life spans were dramatically shorter. Now that people are regular living into their 90s or longer, costs are skyrocketing out of control, making the program unsustainable. Despite the fact that all politicians know the system is heading for bankruptcy in a couple decades, no one is rushing to fix it. When President Bush tried to re-structure it with private accounts, the Democrats ran a scare campaign about Bush's intention to "take away your social security". Even though he promised no change in benefits, the fact that he was proposing change at all was enough to kill the effort, despite the fact that Democrats offered zero alternatives plan to fix it. Despite Republican control of the presidency and both houses, Bush was not even close to having the political support to fix something that has to be fixed ASAP; politicians simply didn't want to risk their re-elections. The same pattern is true with virtually all government spending programs. Do you think politicians will ever be able to cut education spending or unemployment insurance?...Only if they have a political death wish. In time, the same would be true of universal health care spending. As costs skyrocket because of government inefficiency and an aging population, politicians will never be able to re-structure the system, remove benefits, or put private practice options back in the system....that is, unless they want to give up hope of re-election. With record debt levels already in place, we can't afford to put in another "untouchable" spending program, especially one with the capacity to easily pass defense and social security in cost.
I like the paragraph about how government control will affect patient flexibility. I am sure most of you are aware that I LOVE the TLC channel. I am not sure if any of you saw the episode about the tallest living woman in the world? There was another episode called "Tree Man." This man had HPV, which caused his body to be covered in warts that formed into branch like limbs, covering his entire body and face. The woman, Yoa Defen, is from Eastern China. She has a brain tumor, which causes her body to produce mass amounts of growth hormone. Due to the abnormal amounts of growth hormone her body will not stop growing, causing her heart to work harder than it can handle. She also has an extreme case of osteoporosis and her bones are deteriorating. If the tumor is not removed it will continue to grow and she will die. A doctor from the United States offered her free surgery to remove the tumor, so she could live. Many of the people in China and the government in China will do anything to save face. They did not want the US to take care of her because it would make them look bad. The doctors in China met together regarding Yoa Defen's case to decide if they would provide the surgery for her. They elected not to. She was sent home with vitamins to help her nutrition improve; however they would not cure her. She lies at home with a blind hope that these vitamins will make her better. My heart broke as I watched this and I realized that I live in the US where I choose what type of health care I can have and no one votes as to weather I am worth saving or not. We have so many hospitals in the US, which are required to help those who cannot otherwise afford health care. These hospitals are required to accept individuals who do not have insurance.
The case of the tree man is another sad story. Dede from Indonesia is afflicted with warts caused by HPV. The doctors in Indonesia once removed the warts from Dede, however they grew back. A doctor in the US offered his help with Dede, but again their power hungry government was more concerned about saving face than the health and well being of this man. The US doctor was trying to inform the Indonesian doctors that treating the HPV would prevent regrowth, while surgically removing the warts could not only kill Dede (due to his declining health), but the warts would just grow back. The doctor from the US continually called Indonesia trying to offer his help. Yet one of the Indonesian officials lied on tv and said that every time they called the US for help we would just hang up on them. Again, another depressing story. So, you ask me why I sound angry at times. These are some of the reasons I am angry. This is the type of government we are heading towards when we invite the government to control our health care. Little by little our freedom of choice and individuality is being ripped out from under us.
Health is something that is very important to me. For the most part I try to take care of myself to the best of my ability. I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs. I exercise on a daily basis and do the best I can to stay emotionally sane and strong as well. The US is not exactly known to be a nation full of the healthiest people. I also remember going to school with many people that did drugs and I can assume that some of them still continue to do drugs. The US (or any other country really) is not renown for its spread of the teaching of abstinence either. Is it truly fair that while I can be saving money for my children to go to school, or for me and my husband to retire, that I will be forced to pay for those who do not take the time or energy to take care of themselves. We are enabling people who do not take care of themselves by providing free health care for them. Wouldn’t it be better to teach them personal responsibility, to educate them about eating healthy and exercise? Since it will most likely become so expensive to care for those who do not take care of themselves, I am sure our government will initiate some mandatory laws regarding what we eat, or how we exercise. Wow, more power to the government, less freedom of choice. I was enraged when the government wanted to take away unhealthy food in vending machines at schools. Don’t get me wrong I think that schools should offer just as much healthy food as they do unhealthy, but who is the parent here, those who gave life to their child, or the government? We need to realize that we are handing over our human rights to the very people that cannot even keep our social security system in check.
I am done for now, but I hope all of us really think about this and stand up for what is right. I care about the future of my daughter and don’t want her to suffer because of the mistakes of previous generations.
I went to the doctor yesterday for our little munchkin. I figured the doctor was going to tell us that she had the flu, or a really bad cold. However, he was listening to her chest with the stethoscope for quite some time. I started to feel a little concerned. After he was done listening he informed me that Madeline has pneumonia!!! My heart sank, but I held back the tears. She is ok of course and this is nothing abnormal, but I am sure all of you Mothers could imagine how I felt. The doctor assured me that she would be fine and get better quite quickly. Matt (the most wonderful husband and Father in the world) rushed home from work so he could pick up Madeline's medicine. She woke up this morning all stuffy and congested, but with that sparkling personality which indicated to me that aaaaahhhhhhhh, she is feeling better.
So, I wanted to somewhat redeem myself from my ranting and raving regarding my political frustrations on my previous post. I am not saying that I would like to take back everything that said before, otherwise I would just erase the post. I am saying that I would like to clear up any misconceptions due to my poor delivery at times.
We live in a nation with three different political parties; Republicans, Democrats and Independents. I know there are conservative and liberal Republicans and the same for Democrats. I know there are many individuals who are members of these political parties who do not agree with every policy that their party supports and may not support. I apologize if it sounded like I think ALL liberals are bad people. I DO NOT feel that way at all. I believe that a good majority are very good people and truly do mean well. I am not speaking against the person; I am speaking against what the Democratic Party itself stands for. I do know many wonderful people who support the very policies that I am against. This does not make them a bad person (although i do question the person Obama is, due to his thoughts on abortion); it does not make me a bad person. However, I feel it to be my responsibility as an American to make sure my voice is heard. I know I do it in a blunt and sometimes angry way, but that is me. Everyone is so big on being politically correct and tiptoeing around on eggshells so no ones feelings are hurt. I do not want to be mean and wrongfully judgmental, yet I want there to be no qualms or lack of clarity as to where I stand. I do feel that harshness is even necessary at times. No, I do not feel it is right to make mean and harmful and immature accusations. However, at times when someone is speaking to me in a warm and fluffy manner I just don't listen, or give heed to what they are saying. At times I need an in your face speech that will really penetrate and wake me up from some of my nonsense. At times I like to speak in a warm and fluffy manner and at other times I feel the need to just say it like it is. I hope what I am saying here is not a bunch of gibberish. I really just wanted to clear the air and explain where I am coming from. I would like to explain a little more about why I feel so strongly against universal health care as well.
I was studying some information on the internet and I enjoyed this page that I came across and therefore thought I would share it with all of you. It outlines reasons why the government should provide universal health care and why it should not. Below the article I will expand a little about my feelings concerning the issue. Please enjoy:
Should the Government Provide Free Universal Health Care for All Americans?
In a Nutshell
It's no secret that health care costs are spiraling out of control in this country. On average, we now spend more per person on health care than both food and housing. Insurance premiums are multiplying much faster than inflation, which prevents economic growth and leaves businesses with less money to give raises or hire more workers. While the quality and availability of medical care in the United States remains among the best in the world, many wonder whether we'd be better off adopting a universal government-controlled health care system like the one used in Canada.
-Yes they should provide free universal health care:
The number of uninsured citizens has grown to over 40 million. Since health care premiums continue to grow at several times the rate of inflation, many businesses are simply choosing to not offer a health plan, or if they do, to pass on more of the cost to employees. Employees facing higher costs themselves are often choosing to go without health coverage. No health insurance doesn't necessarily mean no health care since there are many clinics and services that are free to indigent individuals. However, any costs not covered by insurance must be absorbed by all the rest of us, which means even higher premiums.
Health care has become increasingly unaffordable for businesses and individuals. Businesses and individuals that choose to keep their health plans still must pay a much higher amount. Remember, businesses only have a certain amount of money they can spend on labor. If they must spend more on health insurance premiums, they will have less money to spend on raises, new hires, investment, and so on. Individuals who must pay more for premiums have less money to spend on rent, food, and consumer goods; in other words, less money is pumped back into the economy. Thus, health care prevents the country from making a robust economic recovery. A simpler government-controlled system that reduces costs would go a long way in helping that recovery.
We can eliminate wasteful inefficiencies such as duplicate paper work, claim approval, insurance submission, etc. Think back to all the times in your life you've had to fill out a medical history, answering the same questions over and over. Think about all the insurance paperwork you've had to fill out and submit. Our current health care system generates an enormous amount of overhead. Every time we go to the doctor, a claim must be submitted, an approval department has to go over the claim, checks have to be mailed, patients are sent co-pay bills, and so on. The thing that's especially wasteful is that each doctor’s office usually maintains his or her own record-keeping system. A universal healthcare plan would allow us to build one centralized system. There would be no need for maintaining insurance information or wasting time submitting claims. The work savings in the banking and postal areas alone would be worth billions every year.
We can develop a centralized national database which makes diagnosis and treatment easier for doctors. Most doctor's offices maintain a separate record-keeping system. This is why you always have to fill out a lengthy health history whenever you go to a new physician. This is a problem for several reasons. First of all, it's wasteful of both time and money. Second of all, patients may lie, forget, or do a poor job of explaining past medical problems. Doctors need accurate information to make a proper diagnosis. Last of all, separate systems means we have a tougher time analyzing data at a national level. For example, are incidents of a certain disease dropping? How often is a certain illness associated with a specific set of symptoms? A centralized national system would allow us to do data analysis that we never dreamed possible; leading to medical advances and increased diagnosis efficiency. The main argument against a centralized database is that certain insurance providers may deny coverage if they find certain past medical problems. However, if the government is paying for everything that should never be a problem.
Medical professionals can concentrate on healing the patient rather than on insurance procedures, malpractice liability, etc. Doctors have to take classes now simply to understand all the insurance plans out there; they are often restricted by insurance practices, such as what tests can be ordered. Doctors must practice defensive medicine to avoid getting sued. Some physicians are even leaving the profession rather than deal with all these non-medical headaches. A simplified universal health system would allow doctors, nurses, and other medical professions to simply focus on doing what's best for the patient. Medicine is a complex enough subject as it is. Our current system just adds to an already mentally draining profession.
Free medical services would encourage patients to practice preventive medicine and inquire about problems early when treatment will be light; currently, patients often avoid physicals and other preventive measures because of the costs. Because many people are uninsured and those that do have insurance face high deductibles, Americans often forego doctor visits for minor health problems or for preventive medicine. Thus, health problems that could be caught at an early stage or prevented altogether become major illnesses. Things like routine physicals, mammograms, and HIV tests could prevent major problems. This not only affects the health of the patient but the overall cost of the system, since preventive medicine costs only a small fraction of a full-blown disease. A government-provided system would remove the disincentive patients have for visiting a medical professional.
-No they should not provide free universal health care:
There isn't a single government agency or division that runs efficiently; do we really want an organization that developed the U.S. Tax Code handling something as complex as health care? Quick, try to think of one government office that runs efficiently. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? The Department of Transportation? Social Security Administration? Department of Education? There isn't a single government office that squeezes efficiency out of every dollar the way the private sector can. We've all heard stories of government waste such as million-dollar cow flatulence studies or the Pentagon's 14 billion dollar Bradley design project that resulted in a transport vehicle which when struck by a mortar produced a gas that killed every man inside. How about the U.S. income tax system? When originally implemented, it collected 1 percent from the highest income citizens. Look at it today. A few years back to government published a "Tax Simplification Guide", and the guide itself was over 1,000 pages long! This is what happens when politicians mess with something that should be simple. Think about the Department of Motor Vehicles. This isn't rocket science--they have to keep track of licenses and basic database information for state residents. However, the costs to support the department are enormous, and when was the last time you went to the DMV and didn't have to stand in line? If it can't handle things this simple, how can we expect the government to handle all the complex nuances of the medical system? If any private business failed year after year to achieve its objectives and satisfy its customers, it would go out of business or be passed up by competitors.
"Free" health care isn't really free since we must pay for it with taxes; expenses for health care would have to be paid for with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas such as defense, education, etc. There's an entitlement mentality in this country that believes the government should give us a number of benefits such as "free" health care. But the government must pay for this somehow. What good would it do to wipe out a few hundred dollars of monthly health insurance premiums if our taxes go up by that much or more? If we have to cut AIDS research or education spending, is it worth it?
Profit motives, competition, and individual ingenuity have always led to greater cost control and effectiveness. Government workers have fewer incentives to do well. They have a set hourly schedule, cost-of-living raises, and few promotion opportunities. Compare this to private sector workers who can receive large raises, earn promotions, and work overtime. Government workers have iron-clad job security; private sector workers must always worry about keeping their jobs, and private businesses must always worry about cutting costs enough to survive.
Government-controlled health care would lead to a decrease in patient flexibility. At first glance, it would appear universal health care would increase flexibility. After all, if government paid for everything under one plan, you could in theory go to any doctor. However, some controls are going to have to be put in to keep costs from exploding. For example, would "elective" surgeries such as breast implants, wart removal, hair restoration, and lasik eye surgery be covered? Then you may say, that's easy, make patients pay for elective surgery. Although some procedures are obviously not needed, who decides what is elective and what is required? What about a breast reduction for back problems? What about a hysterectomy for fibroid problems? What about a nose job to fix a septum problem caused in an accident? Whenever you have government control of something, you have one item added to the equation that will most definitely screw things up--politics. Suddenly, every medical procedure and situation is going to come down to a political battle. The compromises that result will put in controls that limit patient options. The universal system in Canada forces patients to wait over 6 months for a routine pap smear. Canada residents will often go to the U.S. or offer additional money to get their health care needs taken care of.
Patients aren't likely to curb their drug costs and doctor visits if health care is free; thus, total costs will be several times what they are now. Co-pays and deductibles were put in place because there are medical problems that are more minor annoyances than anything else. Sure, it would be nice if we had the medical staff and resources to treat every ache and pain experienced by an American, but we don't. For example, what if a patient is having trouble sleeping? What if a patient has a minor cold, flu, or headache? There are scores of problems that we wouldn't go to a doctor to solve if we had to pay for it; however, if everything is free, why not go? The result is that doctors must spend more time on non-critical care, and the patients that really need immediate help must wait. In fact, for a number of problems, it's better if no medical care is given whatsoever. The body's immune system is designed to fight off infections and other illnesses. It becomes stronger when it can fight things off on its own. Treating the symptoms can prolong the underlying problem, in addition to the societal side effects such as the growing antibiotic resistance of certain infections.
Just because Americans are uninsured doesn't mean they can't receive health care; nonprofits and government-run hospitals provide services to those who don't have insurance, and it is illegal to refuse emergency medical service because of a lack of insurance. While uninsured Americans are a problem in regards to total system cost, it doesn't mean health care isn't available. This issue shouldn't be as emotional since there are plenty of government and private medical practices designed to help the uninsured. It is illegal to refuse emergency treatment, even if the patient is an illegal immigrant.
Government-mandated procedures will likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care. When government controls things, politics always seep into the decision-making. Steps will have to be taken to keep costs under control. Rules will be put in place as to when doctors can perform certain expensive tests or when drugs can be given. Insurance companies are already tying the hands of doctors somewhat. Government influence will only make things worse, leading to decreased doctor flexibility and poor patient care.
Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, etc. Universal health care means the costs will be spread to all Americans, regardless of your health or your need for medical care, which is fundamentally unfair. Your health is greatly determined by your lifestyle. Those who exercise, eat right, don't smoke, don't drink, etc. have far fewer health problems than the smoking couch potatoes. Some healthy people don't even feel the need for health insurance since they never go to the doctor. Why should we punish those that live a healthy lifestyle and reward the ones who don't?
A long, painful transition will have to take place involving lost insurance industry jobs, business closures, and new patient record creation. A universal health plan means the entire health insurance industry would be unnecessary. All companies in that area would have to go out of business, meaning all people employed in the industry would be out of work. A number of hospital record clerks that dealt with insurance would also be out of work. A number of these unemployed would be able to get jobs in the new government bureaucracy, but it would still be a long, painful transition. We'd also have to once again go through a whole new round of patient record creation and database construction, which would cost huge amounts of both time and money.
Loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay may dissuade many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession. Government jobs currently have statute-mandated salaries and civil service tests required for getting hired. There isn't a lot of flexibility built in to reward the best performing workers. Imagine how this would limit the options of medical professionals. Doctors who attract scores of patients and do the best work would likely be paid the same as those that perform poorly and drive patients away. The private practice options and flexibility of specialties is one of things that attracts students to the profession. If you take that away, you may discourage would-be students from putting themselves through the torture of medical school and residency.
Malpractice lawsuit costs, which are already sky-high, could further explode since universal care may expose the government to legal liability, and the possibility to sue someone with deep pockets usually invites more lawsuits. When you're dealing with any business, for example a privately funded hospital, if an employee negligently causes an injury, the employer is ultimately liable in a lawsuit. If government funds all health care, that would mean the U.S. government, an organization with enormous amounts of cash at its disposal, would be ultimately responsible for the mistakes of health care workers. Whether or not a doctor has made a mistake, he or she is always a target for frivolous lawsuits by money-hungry lawyers & clients that smell deep pockets. Even if the health care quality is the same as in a government-funded system, the level of lawsuits is likely to increase simply because attorneys know the government has the money to make settlements and massive payouts. Try to imagine potential punitive damages alone. When the government has the ability to spend several trillion dollars per year, how much will a jury be willing to give a wronged individual who is feeble, disfigured, or dying?
Government is more likely to pass additional restrictions or increase taxes on smoking, fast food, etc., leading to a further loss of personal freedoms. With government-paid health care, any risky or healthy lifestyle will raise the dollar cost to society. Thus, politicians will be in a strong position to pass more "sin" taxes on things like alcohol, high-fat food, smoking, etc. They could ban trans fat, limit msg, eliminate high-fructose corn syrup, and so on. For some health nuts, this may sound like a good thing. But pretty soon, people will find they no longer have the option to enjoy their favorite foods, even in moderation, or alternatively, the cost of the items will be sky high. Also, it just gives the government yet another method of controlling our lives; further eroding the very definition of America, Land of the Free.
Like social security, any government benefit eventually is taken as a "right" by the public, meaning that it's politically near impossible to remove or curtail it later on when costs get out of control. Social security was originally put in place to help seniors live the last few years of their lives; however, the retirement age of 65 was set when average life spans were dramatically shorter. Now that people are regular living into their 90s or longer, costs are skyrocketing out of control, making the program unsustainable. Despite the fact that all politicians know the system is heading for bankruptcy in a couple decades, no one is rushing to fix it. When President Bush tried to re-structure it with private accounts, the Democrats ran a scare campaign about Bush's intention to "take away your social security". Even though he promised no change in benefits, the fact that he was proposing change at all was enough to kill the effort, despite the fact that Democrats offered zero alternatives plan to fix it. Despite Republican control of the presidency and both houses, Bush was not even close to having the political support to fix something that has to be fixed ASAP; politicians simply didn't want to risk their re-elections. The same pattern is true with virtually all government spending programs. Do you think politicians will ever be able to cut education spending or unemployment insurance?...Only if they have a political death wish. In time, the same would be true of universal health care spending. As costs skyrocket because of government inefficiency and an aging population, politicians will never be able to re-structure the system, remove benefits, or put private practice options back in the system....that is, unless they want to give up hope of re-election. With record debt levels already in place, we can't afford to put in another "untouchable" spending program, especially one with the capacity to easily pass defense and social security in cost.
I like the paragraph about how government control will affect patient flexibility. I am sure most of you are aware that I LOVE the TLC channel. I am not sure if any of you saw the episode about the tallest living woman in the world? There was another episode called "Tree Man." This man had HPV, which caused his body to be covered in warts that formed into branch like limbs, covering his entire body and face. The woman, Yoa Defen, is from Eastern China. She has a brain tumor, which causes her body to produce mass amounts of growth hormone. Due to the abnormal amounts of growth hormone her body will not stop growing, causing her heart to work harder than it can handle. She also has an extreme case of osteoporosis and her bones are deteriorating. If the tumor is not removed it will continue to grow and she will die. A doctor from the United States offered her free surgery to remove the tumor, so she could live. Many of the people in China and the government in China will do anything to save face. They did not want the US to take care of her because it would make them look bad. The doctors in China met together regarding Yoa Defen's case to decide if they would provide the surgery for her. They elected not to. She was sent home with vitamins to help her nutrition improve; however they would not cure her. She lies at home with a blind hope that these vitamins will make her better. My heart broke as I watched this and I realized that I live in the US where I choose what type of health care I can have and no one votes as to weather I am worth saving or not. We have so many hospitals in the US, which are required to help those who cannot otherwise afford health care. These hospitals are required to accept individuals who do not have insurance.
The case of the tree man is another sad story. Dede from Indonesia is afflicted with warts caused by HPV. The doctors in Indonesia once removed the warts from Dede, however they grew back. A doctor in the US offered his help with Dede, but again their power hungry government was more concerned about saving face than the health and well being of this man. The US doctor was trying to inform the Indonesian doctors that treating the HPV would prevent regrowth, while surgically removing the warts could not only kill Dede (due to his declining health), but the warts would just grow back. The doctor from the US continually called Indonesia trying to offer his help. Yet one of the Indonesian officials lied on tv and said that every time they called the US for help we would just hang up on them. Again, another depressing story. So, you ask me why I sound angry at times. These are some of the reasons I am angry. This is the type of government we are heading towards when we invite the government to control our health care. Little by little our freedom of choice and individuality is being ripped out from under us.
Health is something that is very important to me. For the most part I try to take care of myself to the best of my ability. I don’t drink, smoke, or do drugs. I exercise on a daily basis and do the best I can to stay emotionally sane and strong as well. The US is not exactly known to be a nation full of the healthiest people. I also remember going to school with many people that did drugs and I can assume that some of them still continue to do drugs. The US (or any other country really) is not renown for its spread of the teaching of abstinence either. Is it truly fair that while I can be saving money for my children to go to school, or for me and my husband to retire, that I will be forced to pay for those who do not take the time or energy to take care of themselves. We are enabling people who do not take care of themselves by providing free health care for them. Wouldn’t it be better to teach them personal responsibility, to educate them about eating healthy and exercise? Since it will most likely become so expensive to care for those who do not take care of themselves, I am sure our government will initiate some mandatory laws regarding what we eat, or how we exercise. Wow, more power to the government, less freedom of choice. I was enraged when the government wanted to take away unhealthy food in vending machines at schools. Don’t get me wrong I think that schools should offer just as much healthy food as they do unhealthy, but who is the parent here, those who gave life to their child, or the government? We need to realize that we are handing over our human rights to the very people that cannot even keep our social security system in check.
I am done for now, but I hope all of us really think about this and stand up for what is right. I care about the future of my daughter and don’t want her to suffer because of the mistakes of previous generations.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Another Journal to my Angel. 11/09/2008
So I figured after I vented I would write a journal to my girl. This is a lot more warm and fuzzy for those of you who are sick of my ranting and raving about politics. Enjoy!
Journal to my Angel Madeline 11/09/2008
What a time we live in. So much to tell you; I don’t know where to start. I will start with how bummed I am that you are so sick right now. You have the flu, which is the sickest you’ve ever been. You have had a cold before, but never the flu. You’ve had a fever for about three days now and you have been throwing up quite a bit. Your Dad and I have been scared that you might not have anything inside of you. I absolutely hate it when you are sick, I feel so helpless. I must say however, I have never met a happier sick baby than you. You still want to play and everything. We can’t let you play too much though because you start coughing more and it makes things worse. I would do anything to alieve your pain. It is part of being a parent though. These are the times I am happy you will not remember, well kind of. Your Dad gave you a blessing today. I cannot describe what a blessing it is to be married to a worthy Priesthood holder. During the blessing you were so calm and sweet. I bet you knew that Heavenly Father was blessing you. He spoke about how Heavenly Father has blessed you with such a sweet spirit. It is so true; you have a gentle calmness about you that I know did not come from me. You have such a mature personality for a little baby. You are my little soldier. In the blessing he also stated that your sickness will bring our family closer together. Isn’t that ironic? Through sickness and pain we become closer to one another. It is so true though. He said that because you are sick it will cause us to take a step back and realize how fortunate we are to be together and have one another. Even though you have been sick I have cherished the alone time we as a family have had together this weekend. Your Dad loves you so much and is so good to you. He got all choked up as he gave you the blessing. I have to admit, I shed a few tears myself. What a blessing you are in our life!
Recently I got a new calling. I am now the assistant for activity days for the young women in the ward, ages 8-11. It is funny to me because as soon as we moved into this ward I have been silently praying that I would be called to work with the young women. It is so important that young women have strong examples and icons in their lives. By no means am I saying that I am an ideal example, but I can say that I am certainly trying to be. In the world we live in today it is not exactly cool to believe in abstinence, or modesty. Everywhere you go, everything you listen to; schools, entertainment, music, sports; media of any sort, there will be people teaching you otherwise. People rather teach you what is morally convenient than what is morally right. All I can teach you and these young women, is, to be true to yourself. My lesson was about faith and I based it off of Alma 32 (one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon). This chapter is about how Alma compares faith to a mustard seed. He explains that in order for the seed to grow it must be nourished. This is an analogy I am sure you already know. In order for our faith you grow we have to nourish it with the scriptures, prayer, attending church, service and much, much more. For the lesson I went and bought some pots that we could eventually use to plant something to emphasize the Alma 32 analogy. For now I printed a bunch of scriptures from the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, D&C and Joseph Smith History, about faith. We cut them up and put them in our pots. The girls are supposed to read a scripture before they go to bed at night and before they leave the house in the morning. We decorated the pots with a turkey cut out. I wanted them to think of something they are grateful for every time they look at their pots, since we are closing in on Thanksgiving. After that we played “Faith Bingo.” This was a lot of fun. I had them write down words on a bingo board that made them think of the meaning of faith. Once their boards were filled I read them a recent Conference talk about faith. Every time I read a word on their board they put a skittle on it until they got four skittles in a row. They are the sweetest girls as well. You would think that they look up to us as their leaders, however I think I look up to them even more. These girls, including you, were chosen to live in the last days. You were chosen because our Heavenly Father knew you were strong enough to live in the most difficult time that this world has ever experienced. We live in a world with some of the worst and greatest people that have ever existed. No wonder Elder Tome Perry (I am pretty sure it was him) said that in heaven those who lived in previous dispensations will gather around us with the up most anticipation to hear what it was like to live in the last days. This is why you are my little soldier, to stand up for what is true and right and fight against the adversary. What was even more adorable was how excited you were when the girls came over. You squealed with delight. You LOVE other children. I am sure you can sense their sweet, innocent spirits. You just sat and stared and laughed at every word these girls spoke. You are too precious.
So, your recent accomplishments; YOU ARE CLAPPING YOUR HANDS NOW! I can’t describe how adorable this is. It is not just any clap either. If I were on stage and someone clapped for me the way you do I would gleam with pride and happiness. Your clap is so big and hilarious. You are incredibly proud of yourself as well, which makes it even more entertaining. We are expected to say “YYYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH every time you clap.” Oh the little things that are so much more entertaining when you have a child. You are not crawling yet, but you will stick your little bum in the air while you are on your stomach. You are still rolling quite a bit and doing your cute little pose with your head to the side. You now like to pat your hand over your mouth to make cute little noises. Also, there is a light at the top of the stairs that you think is so funny to laugh at when we take you down stairs in the morning and before you go down for bed at night. You and I stand under it and laugh for a couple of minutes with each passing. You are still in love with lights, trees, doorknobs and water bottles. Oh and your jumper as well.
So now I am going to return to the subject of politics. I know, sorry, it tends to be a repetitive subject in these journals. Barack Obama is now the President of the United States. This is another reason I know we are in the last days. If you can’t tell I am not too happy about him being our President. He is a VERY liberal Democrat and your Dad and I are very Conservative Republicans. The silver lining in this however is that Prop. 8 PASSED in California, Florida and Arizona. Our church does not get involved in politics pretty much ever. They never tell us who to vote for and they never donate money to any of the candidates running for office. Yet, we are obligated as members of the church to stand for what is morally right. Since Prop. 8 was a moral issue we were asked by the Prophet to vote YES on Prop. 8 and to do everything we could to promote and advertise our feelings about this Proposition. This Proposition was written to amend our Constitution to state that marriage is to be only “between a man and a woman.” Your Dad and I advertised our feelings on this Prop as much as we possibly could. We fasted and prayed for it to pass as well. If you do not know this already, California is a VERY liberal state to say the least. There was no question that CA was going to vote for Obama. So, the fact that Prop. 8 passed in CA is truly a miracle! This was divine intervention indeed. To those who think that their vote does not matter they are certainly mistaken. This was a very tight race and righteousness did triumph. There will be times that evil will triumph temporally, but it is righteousness that will reign in the end.
So, about Obama now. We went to my friend Kelly’s house to have our family pictures taken. I am so excited to see them by the way, she is an amazing photographer. Anyways, Kelly is a very political lady and I love it! I agree with her on basically every subject. She showed me a video about Obama’s view on abortion. I am going to post my view about him on my blog after I write this journal to you, but I wanted to mention this to you as well. He is in favor of 3rd term abortion. If the child does not die inside of the mother he is in favor of the mother having the child, then placing that child in a room, alone, and letting it die from neglect. I cried as I watched and listened to this video. I am sick to my stomach even writing this to you. I am sorry to end on such a depressing subject, but I want you to be aware of what and who is out there. This is just one of the many reasons I do not support Obama. I will respect his position as President of the US (as my friend Britney so eloquently put it), but I do not have to agree with his views and lack of morals.
I love you so much. I know there is a God, because the love I have for you is not of this world. It is the closest I can get to the love that God has for all of his children. You are our little angel and we thank Heavenly Father that you are our child.
Journal to my Angel Madeline 11/09/2008
What a time we live in. So much to tell you; I don’t know where to start. I will start with how bummed I am that you are so sick right now. You have the flu, which is the sickest you’ve ever been. You have had a cold before, but never the flu. You’ve had a fever for about three days now and you have been throwing up quite a bit. Your Dad and I have been scared that you might not have anything inside of you. I absolutely hate it when you are sick, I feel so helpless. I must say however, I have never met a happier sick baby than you. You still want to play and everything. We can’t let you play too much though because you start coughing more and it makes things worse. I would do anything to alieve your pain. It is part of being a parent though. These are the times I am happy you will not remember, well kind of. Your Dad gave you a blessing today. I cannot describe what a blessing it is to be married to a worthy Priesthood holder. During the blessing you were so calm and sweet. I bet you knew that Heavenly Father was blessing you. He spoke about how Heavenly Father has blessed you with such a sweet spirit. It is so true; you have a gentle calmness about you that I know did not come from me. You have such a mature personality for a little baby. You are my little soldier. In the blessing he also stated that your sickness will bring our family closer together. Isn’t that ironic? Through sickness and pain we become closer to one another. It is so true though. He said that because you are sick it will cause us to take a step back and realize how fortunate we are to be together and have one another. Even though you have been sick I have cherished the alone time we as a family have had together this weekend. Your Dad loves you so much and is so good to you. He got all choked up as he gave you the blessing. I have to admit, I shed a few tears myself. What a blessing you are in our life!
Recently I got a new calling. I am now the assistant for activity days for the young women in the ward, ages 8-11. It is funny to me because as soon as we moved into this ward I have been silently praying that I would be called to work with the young women. It is so important that young women have strong examples and icons in their lives. By no means am I saying that I am an ideal example, but I can say that I am certainly trying to be. In the world we live in today it is not exactly cool to believe in abstinence, or modesty. Everywhere you go, everything you listen to; schools, entertainment, music, sports; media of any sort, there will be people teaching you otherwise. People rather teach you what is morally convenient than what is morally right. All I can teach you and these young women, is, to be true to yourself. My lesson was about faith and I based it off of Alma 32 (one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon). This chapter is about how Alma compares faith to a mustard seed. He explains that in order for the seed to grow it must be nourished. This is an analogy I am sure you already know. In order for our faith you grow we have to nourish it with the scriptures, prayer, attending church, service and much, much more. For the lesson I went and bought some pots that we could eventually use to plant something to emphasize the Alma 32 analogy. For now I printed a bunch of scriptures from the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, D&C and Joseph Smith History, about faith. We cut them up and put them in our pots. The girls are supposed to read a scripture before they go to bed at night and before they leave the house in the morning. We decorated the pots with a turkey cut out. I wanted them to think of something they are grateful for every time they look at their pots, since we are closing in on Thanksgiving. After that we played “Faith Bingo.” This was a lot of fun. I had them write down words on a bingo board that made them think of the meaning of faith. Once their boards were filled I read them a recent Conference talk about faith. Every time I read a word on their board they put a skittle on it until they got four skittles in a row. They are the sweetest girls as well. You would think that they look up to us as their leaders, however I think I look up to them even more. These girls, including you, were chosen to live in the last days. You were chosen because our Heavenly Father knew you were strong enough to live in the most difficult time that this world has ever experienced. We live in a world with some of the worst and greatest people that have ever existed. No wonder Elder Tome Perry (I am pretty sure it was him) said that in heaven those who lived in previous dispensations will gather around us with the up most anticipation to hear what it was like to live in the last days. This is why you are my little soldier, to stand up for what is true and right and fight against the adversary. What was even more adorable was how excited you were when the girls came over. You squealed with delight. You LOVE other children. I am sure you can sense their sweet, innocent spirits. You just sat and stared and laughed at every word these girls spoke. You are too precious.
So, your recent accomplishments; YOU ARE CLAPPING YOUR HANDS NOW! I can’t describe how adorable this is. It is not just any clap either. If I were on stage and someone clapped for me the way you do I would gleam with pride and happiness. Your clap is so big and hilarious. You are incredibly proud of yourself as well, which makes it even more entertaining. We are expected to say “YYYYYYEEEEEEAAAAAAHHHHHH every time you clap.” Oh the little things that are so much more entertaining when you have a child. You are not crawling yet, but you will stick your little bum in the air while you are on your stomach. You are still rolling quite a bit and doing your cute little pose with your head to the side. You now like to pat your hand over your mouth to make cute little noises. Also, there is a light at the top of the stairs that you think is so funny to laugh at when we take you down stairs in the morning and before you go down for bed at night. You and I stand under it and laugh for a couple of minutes with each passing. You are still in love with lights, trees, doorknobs and water bottles. Oh and your jumper as well.
So now I am going to return to the subject of politics. I know, sorry, it tends to be a repetitive subject in these journals. Barack Obama is now the President of the United States. This is another reason I know we are in the last days. If you can’t tell I am not too happy about him being our President. He is a VERY liberal Democrat and your Dad and I are very Conservative Republicans. The silver lining in this however is that Prop. 8 PASSED in California, Florida and Arizona. Our church does not get involved in politics pretty much ever. They never tell us who to vote for and they never donate money to any of the candidates running for office. Yet, we are obligated as members of the church to stand for what is morally right. Since Prop. 8 was a moral issue we were asked by the Prophet to vote YES on Prop. 8 and to do everything we could to promote and advertise our feelings about this Proposition. This Proposition was written to amend our Constitution to state that marriage is to be only “between a man and a woman.” Your Dad and I advertised our feelings on this Prop as much as we possibly could. We fasted and prayed for it to pass as well. If you do not know this already, California is a VERY liberal state to say the least. There was no question that CA was going to vote for Obama. So, the fact that Prop. 8 passed in CA is truly a miracle! This was divine intervention indeed. To those who think that their vote does not matter they are certainly mistaken. This was a very tight race and righteousness did triumph. There will be times that evil will triumph temporally, but it is righteousness that will reign in the end.
So, about Obama now. We went to my friend Kelly’s house to have our family pictures taken. I am so excited to see them by the way, she is an amazing photographer. Anyways, Kelly is a very political lady and I love it! I agree with her on basically every subject. She showed me a video about Obama’s view on abortion. I am going to post my view about him on my blog after I write this journal to you, but I wanted to mention this to you as well. He is in favor of 3rd term abortion. If the child does not die inside of the mother he is in favor of the mother having the child, then placing that child in a room, alone, and letting it die from neglect. I cried as I watched and listened to this video. I am sick to my stomach even writing this to you. I am sorry to end on such a depressing subject, but I want you to be aware of what and who is out there. This is just one of the many reasons I do not support Obama. I will respect his position as President of the US (as my friend Britney so eloquently put it), but I do not have to agree with his views and lack of morals.
I love you so much. I know there is a God, because the love I have for you is not of this world. It is the closest I can get to the love that God has for all of his children. You are our little angel and we thank Heavenly Father that you are our child.
Why I am a Republican. Please read. I wrote a lot and worked hard on this.
So, I went to a friend’s house last night and we were speaking about politics. My friend showed me some amazing videos on YouTube that I wanted to share with all of you. These videos led to some much needed venting and I decided to do so on my blog. I hope all of you enjoy and feel free to share these videos with as many people as possible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG4uppI_ttc -
My friend showed me another video of Obama yesterday where he commented on his views about abortion. He said that he would do the best that he could to raise and teach his daughters to do what is right. However, if they made a mistake he does not want them PUNISHED with a child. PUNISHED! Are you kidding me? Last time I checked a child was a BLESSING!!! How I wish every infertile woman who has been filling herself with drugs to have a child, has been saving her pennies to adopt a child, who has been on her knees night and day praying that God would BLESS her with a child, would have watched that video. So many women begging to give life, and so many liberals in favor of taking that life away because it is not convenient for them. That makes me sick. Yet liberals say we should not have guns, we should not go to war against the very countries that are plotting daily on how to kill us. Talk about a walking and voting contradiction.
Also, lets teach our children that they do not have to pay the consequences of their actions and they can escape personal responsibility with just a quick little shot. Don't give them an "F" on their tests in schools because it might hurt their feelings and it is mean. That will definitely help them in the real world. Is it not mean for them to have an abortion and when that abortion does not work they can have the baby and leave it on a table to die from neglect. I love how you can justify murder for an innocent child, yet not a terrorist country who is planning daily on how to kill us and a criminal who has spent his life killing and raping.
In high school I was definitely not one of your model children. I would not say I was horrible, but I cannot say that I was proud of some of my actions. I remember going to parties where everyone was drinking and many smoking weed or cigarettes. You would think these high schoolers were throwing these parties while their parents were out of town. This surely was not the case. Low and behold I would see the mother of the child, who was throwing these parties, getting drunk with the rest of them. I am sure so many of us thought, "wow, her Mom is so cool, she doesn't even have to hide what she is doing." Although I was not making the best choice by attending these parties I looked at those Mothers and their children with pity. I don't care how stupid I was, I wanted a parent, not a friend who would rationalize my stupid actions. I fought with my parents quite a bit in high school. It wasn't their fault, it was mine. I am sure I told both of my parents that I hated them. I am positive I made them feel bad for not giving in on what I wanted like all the other parents. However, these are the many examples that show you what amazing parents I had and still have. They weren't selfish; they rather me hate them and teach me what is right than fit in with the crowd and have me grow up not knowing who I was and what I stood for. My Mom is a strong independent woman who I respect and look up to. She did not tell me what I wanted to hear, she told me what I needed to hear. I don't blame my parents for my dumb mistakes. Everyone wants a scape goat to point the finger at now days. Wake up America, if you keep pointing the finger at others for your screw ups all of you are going to end up pointing the finger at each other and you are going to run out of people to blame. If you mess up, accept it, suffer the consequences and I guarantee you that you will be a better person for it. For those who get pregnant at a young age out of wedlock you do not deserve to be shunned by society by no means. However, your child does not deserve to die for fear of your embarrassment either. Give that child to a loving family who could not otherwise have children if you are not ready. That is true selflessness you cannot find very often anymore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acQluy7nymw - why I am a Republican!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhYampIl7A -
Hmmmm. Why did I vote for McCain and not Obama you might ask? I love how he comments on how liberals are supposed to be open minded, yet everything they say and do contradicts what they supposedly stand for. I've stated my opinion about Prop. 8. I've stated my opinion about Obama. I've stated my opinion about many political issues. Yet every time my opinion does not coincide with my liberal friends, neighbors, fellow men, I've been called a bigot, heartless, a hater, a racist, and many names I cannot, or will not post here. Talk about class, or the lack of it. I am entitled to say what I want, when I want and I am NOT sorry if it does not coincide with your opinion. I am sorry that you have no respect for anyone but your own opinion. So who is close-minded, prejudice and immature? Grow up liberals; we do not all have to agree with you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRpIf2F9NA - Abortion, please have a box of tissues when you watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93cFOjDG-Ks - More on abortion. Please watch!
- Lets tax the rich, they make too much anyways and that is just not fair to the poor.
Please lets tax the rich and not the poor. Lets take from those who have worked and PAYED their entire lives to give to those who did not. I am so sick of people telling me that I should be REQUIRED to pay for those who are less fortunate than me. I love this quote and hopefully I am quoting it correctly: “Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he can eat for life.” Lets change this quote for the liberal now: “Give a rich man a fishing pole and let him give all of his fish to the poor.” Or wait, here is another one: “Give a man a fishing pole and as soon as he gets too many fish rip it away from him.” I just made those up myself, I hope you like them. My Father grew up in a one-bedroom apartment with a total of six children. He never complained and whined that the world owed him THEIR money. He got off his butt, he studied, and he worked hard at the bottom of the pay scale. Now he is a successful, independent business owner. He didn’t become the man he is today by mooching off the hard earned money of others, he earned his OWN money and his OWN position in life. Everyone can do this, everyone has the ability to become what he or she wants to become. If not, what is the point of dreams in the first place? Charity is a beautiful thing, should we take that away too? I am by no means a perfect person, but I would like to consider myself a pretty charitable person. I am sure I have much to work on however. Yet, if I am REQUIRED to be charitable, then charity ceases to exist. Charity is a voluntary action that we should do if we WANT to. I am not saying the world would not be a better place if everyone was charitable, but hey, we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people. I feel for those who suffer and do not have jobs, or struggle financially. To be honest however, some of the happiest and humblest people I know are poor. Lets return to my Dad. How did he become a successful business owner again? My Dad’s parents had very little money throughout his childhood. They really struggled. Through those struggles my Dad realized that if he wanted to have money he had to work hard and it was not always going to be EASY or FUN. Due to those struggles my Dad became strong and even though he now has plenty of money in his pocket he is still a humble man who appreciates what he has. Because he appreciates what he has he WILLINGLY and quite often gives to others. Not because someone told him to, but because he knows what it is like to start at the bottom and work your way up. Do we really want to take this away from our fellow man; to know what it is like to become what you want to become by the sweat of your own brow?
-Universal Health Care. Please lets enable all the drug users and those too lazy to pay and work for their own health care.
Universal Health Care, or should we call this Socialism? Lets take away the incentive to work hard. Why don’t we take away competition in general? In fact I say we should change the entire Olympics. The Olympics is all about competition. I don’t think it is fair that some can run, jump and throw faster and higher than others. We should ALL win the Gold metal. That way no one’s feelings would be hurt. What is that you say, “then no one would have the desire or motivation to run faster or jump higher?” We thrive on competition! Competition is the very essence of success. Not because we want others to fail, but because we want to be the best that we can be. Believe it or not competition is what creates happiness, it is what creates true quality. Because of competition we have some of the highest skilled doctors in the world. Why do the majority of people from other countries come to the US to get major surgeries done? Where are we going to go now if we need a major surgery done? Again, I am not completely heartless, I do feel for those who do have medical issues and are in debt because of those issues. Lets reflect on our Saviors plan vs. Satan’s plan. Ok, Heavenly Father said that he wanted to send us (all of his children) here on earth to be tested on every level. He knew there would be crime, there would be death, there would be evil. He even knew that many innocent people would suffer. Does this mean that he does not love us, that he sent us here to torture us? No, he is a loving Heavenly Father who knows what is best for us. Ether 12: 27 – “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness, I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto to them.” Oh, how I love that scripture! Now Satan’s plan: He said that we would all be sent to earth, there would be no evil and everyone would be equal and return to heaven and he would have all the power. That sounds pretty sweet doesn’t it? Pretty idealistic if I might say so. I am hearing bells of Socialism and Communism ringing right now. Satan wanted none of us to grow, none of us to learn. He wanted us to all depend on his power hungry self. He didn't want us to succeed. How can you stand up if you never fell down the the first place? How would you know the difference if you've never done both? We must know failure in order to know success. Do you truly believe our government does not want the same that Satan himself wanted? Why are we so set on giving them all the power and taking away what our forefathers fought for; “a government for the people and by the people.” No, we rather have a government that tells the people what to do and how to do it. While I feel sorry for those who are sincerely sick and suffer for it, I should not be made responsible by the government to pay for their medical needs. Hate to tell all of you this, but the majority of those who claim they cannot afford medical insurance are not exactly telling you the full truth. This is what I refer to as playing the victim card. The vast majority of these people opt not to pay for medical insurance so they will receive medical treatment for free, since it is funded by the government (our tax dollars in other words). These poor individuals who sit at home all day and do drugs and have countless babies because no one introduced them to condoms or birth control. I do not want to pay for their health care! Call me selfish; call me judgmental, I don’t care. I will look back at you and call you an enabler. What incentive do these people have to stop doing drugs, to stop having innocent children to use them for an additional paycheck from YOUR pocket book, and to go back to work and pay for their own medical care? I don’t have time, or the energy right now to speak to those of you who truly are not taking advantage of our medical system. My Dad is a financial advisor and sells health insurance for a living. Later I will post what those of you can do if this truly is your hardship. There is a way to afford medical care without making it Universal and forcing others to pay for your medical needs. My last thought on the subject: “why would any of you want a corrupt, power hungry government controlling your health care anyway?” I will post some more later.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uG4uppI_ttc -
My friend showed me another video of Obama yesterday where he commented on his views about abortion. He said that he would do the best that he could to raise and teach his daughters to do what is right. However, if they made a mistake he does not want them PUNISHED with a child. PUNISHED! Are you kidding me? Last time I checked a child was a BLESSING!!! How I wish every infertile woman who has been filling herself with drugs to have a child, has been saving her pennies to adopt a child, who has been on her knees night and day praying that God would BLESS her with a child, would have watched that video. So many women begging to give life, and so many liberals in favor of taking that life away because it is not convenient for them. That makes me sick. Yet liberals say we should not have guns, we should not go to war against the very countries that are plotting daily on how to kill us. Talk about a walking and voting contradiction.
Also, lets teach our children that they do not have to pay the consequences of their actions and they can escape personal responsibility with just a quick little shot. Don't give them an "F" on their tests in schools because it might hurt their feelings and it is mean. That will definitely help them in the real world. Is it not mean for them to have an abortion and when that abortion does not work they can have the baby and leave it on a table to die from neglect. I love how you can justify murder for an innocent child, yet not a terrorist country who is planning daily on how to kill us and a criminal who has spent his life killing and raping.
In high school I was definitely not one of your model children. I would not say I was horrible, but I cannot say that I was proud of some of my actions. I remember going to parties where everyone was drinking and many smoking weed or cigarettes. You would think these high schoolers were throwing these parties while their parents were out of town. This surely was not the case. Low and behold I would see the mother of the child, who was throwing these parties, getting drunk with the rest of them. I am sure so many of us thought, "wow, her Mom is so cool, she doesn't even have to hide what she is doing." Although I was not making the best choice by attending these parties I looked at those Mothers and their children with pity. I don't care how stupid I was, I wanted a parent, not a friend who would rationalize my stupid actions. I fought with my parents quite a bit in high school. It wasn't their fault, it was mine. I am sure I told both of my parents that I hated them. I am positive I made them feel bad for not giving in on what I wanted like all the other parents. However, these are the many examples that show you what amazing parents I had and still have. They weren't selfish; they rather me hate them and teach me what is right than fit in with the crowd and have me grow up not knowing who I was and what I stood for. My Mom is a strong independent woman who I respect and look up to. She did not tell me what I wanted to hear, she told me what I needed to hear. I don't blame my parents for my dumb mistakes. Everyone wants a scape goat to point the finger at now days. Wake up America, if you keep pointing the finger at others for your screw ups all of you are going to end up pointing the finger at each other and you are going to run out of people to blame. If you mess up, accept it, suffer the consequences and I guarantee you that you will be a better person for it. For those who get pregnant at a young age out of wedlock you do not deserve to be shunned by society by no means. However, your child does not deserve to die for fear of your embarrassment either. Give that child to a loving family who could not otherwise have children if you are not ready. That is true selflessness you cannot find very often anymore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acQluy7nymw - why I am a Republican!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxhYampIl7A -
Hmmmm. Why did I vote for McCain and not Obama you might ask? I love how he comments on how liberals are supposed to be open minded, yet everything they say and do contradicts what they supposedly stand for. I've stated my opinion about Prop. 8. I've stated my opinion about Obama. I've stated my opinion about many political issues. Yet every time my opinion does not coincide with my liberal friends, neighbors, fellow men, I've been called a bigot, heartless, a hater, a racist, and many names I cannot, or will not post here. Talk about class, or the lack of it. I am entitled to say what I want, when I want and I am NOT sorry if it does not coincide with your opinion. I am sorry that you have no respect for anyone but your own opinion. So who is close-minded, prejudice and immature? Grow up liberals; we do not all have to agree with you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYRpIf2F9NA - Abortion, please have a box of tissues when you watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93cFOjDG-Ks - More on abortion. Please watch!
- Lets tax the rich, they make too much anyways and that is just not fair to the poor.
Please lets tax the rich and not the poor. Lets take from those who have worked and PAYED their entire lives to give to those who did not. I am so sick of people telling me that I should be REQUIRED to pay for those who are less fortunate than me. I love this quote and hopefully I am quoting it correctly: “Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he can eat for life.” Lets change this quote for the liberal now: “Give a rich man a fishing pole and let him give all of his fish to the poor.” Or wait, here is another one: “Give a man a fishing pole and as soon as he gets too many fish rip it away from him.” I just made those up myself, I hope you like them. My Father grew up in a one-bedroom apartment with a total of six children. He never complained and whined that the world owed him THEIR money. He got off his butt, he studied, and he worked hard at the bottom of the pay scale. Now he is a successful, independent business owner. He didn’t become the man he is today by mooching off the hard earned money of others, he earned his OWN money and his OWN position in life. Everyone can do this, everyone has the ability to become what he or she wants to become. If not, what is the point of dreams in the first place? Charity is a beautiful thing, should we take that away too? I am by no means a perfect person, but I would like to consider myself a pretty charitable person. I am sure I have much to work on however. Yet, if I am REQUIRED to be charitable, then charity ceases to exist. Charity is a voluntary action that we should do if we WANT to. I am not saying the world would not be a better place if everyone was charitable, but hey, we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people. I feel for those who suffer and do not have jobs, or struggle financially. To be honest however, some of the happiest and humblest people I know are poor. Lets return to my Dad. How did he become a successful business owner again? My Dad’s parents had very little money throughout his childhood. They really struggled. Through those struggles my Dad realized that if he wanted to have money he had to work hard and it was not always going to be EASY or FUN. Due to those struggles my Dad became strong and even though he now has plenty of money in his pocket he is still a humble man who appreciates what he has. Because he appreciates what he has he WILLINGLY and quite often gives to others. Not because someone told him to, but because he knows what it is like to start at the bottom and work your way up. Do we really want to take this away from our fellow man; to know what it is like to become what you want to become by the sweat of your own brow?
-Universal Health Care. Please lets enable all the drug users and those too lazy to pay and work for their own health care.
Universal Health Care, or should we call this Socialism? Lets take away the incentive to work hard. Why don’t we take away competition in general? In fact I say we should change the entire Olympics. The Olympics is all about competition. I don’t think it is fair that some can run, jump and throw faster and higher than others. We should ALL win the Gold metal. That way no one’s feelings would be hurt. What is that you say, “then no one would have the desire or motivation to run faster or jump higher?” We thrive on competition! Competition is the very essence of success. Not because we want others to fail, but because we want to be the best that we can be. Believe it or not competition is what creates happiness, it is what creates true quality. Because of competition we have some of the highest skilled doctors in the world. Why do the majority of people from other countries come to the US to get major surgeries done? Where are we going to go now if we need a major surgery done? Again, I am not completely heartless, I do feel for those who do have medical issues and are in debt because of those issues. Lets reflect on our Saviors plan vs. Satan’s plan. Ok, Heavenly Father said that he wanted to send us (all of his children) here on earth to be tested on every level. He knew there would be crime, there would be death, there would be evil. He even knew that many innocent people would suffer. Does this mean that he does not love us, that he sent us here to torture us? No, he is a loving Heavenly Father who knows what is best for us. Ether 12: 27 – “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness, I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto to them.” Oh, how I love that scripture! Now Satan’s plan: He said that we would all be sent to earth, there would be no evil and everyone would be equal and return to heaven and he would have all the power. That sounds pretty sweet doesn’t it? Pretty idealistic if I might say so. I am hearing bells of Socialism and Communism ringing right now. Satan wanted none of us to grow, none of us to learn. He wanted us to all depend on his power hungry self. He didn't want us to succeed. How can you stand up if you never fell down the the first place? How would you know the difference if you've never done both? We must know failure in order to know success. Do you truly believe our government does not want the same that Satan himself wanted? Why are we so set on giving them all the power and taking away what our forefathers fought for; “a government for the people and by the people.” No, we rather have a government that tells the people what to do and how to do it. While I feel sorry for those who are sincerely sick and suffer for it, I should not be made responsible by the government to pay for their medical needs. Hate to tell all of you this, but the majority of those who claim they cannot afford medical insurance are not exactly telling you the full truth. This is what I refer to as playing the victim card. The vast majority of these people opt not to pay for medical insurance so they will receive medical treatment for free, since it is funded by the government (our tax dollars in other words). These poor individuals who sit at home all day and do drugs and have countless babies because no one introduced them to condoms or birth control. I do not want to pay for their health care! Call me selfish; call me judgmental, I don’t care. I will look back at you and call you an enabler. What incentive do these people have to stop doing drugs, to stop having innocent children to use them for an additional paycheck from YOUR pocket book, and to go back to work and pay for their own medical care? I don’t have time, or the energy right now to speak to those of you who truly are not taking advantage of our medical system. My Dad is a financial advisor and sells health insurance for a living. Later I will post what those of you can do if this truly is your hardship. There is a way to afford medical care without making it Universal and forcing others to pay for your medical needs. My last thought on the subject: “why would any of you want a corrupt, power hungry government controlling your health care anyway?” I will post some more later.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Vote YES on Prop. 8
http://www.millennialstar.org/2008/10/09/elder-ballard-asks-church-members-to-step-up-involvement-for-prop-8/
Please see the url address above. The church has asked us to take a stance on this issue. Please stand with us and vote YES on Prop. 8!!!
*Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children*
If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive “age appropriate” information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.
*Failure to pass proposition 8 will hurt Churches*
The court’s decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family.
*Unless Proposition 8 passes, California society will soon undergo a profound change in its basic understanding of marriage and family life* That will affect everyone in numerous ways. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs.
*Proposition 8 will not hurt gays*
· In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.
·
PLEASE spread the word. Post it on the sidebars of your blog, link to my blog if you don't want to write about Proposition 8. Please do your part as this affects everyone. Not just Californians.
http://www.preservingmarriage.org
http://www.protectmarriage.com/
Please see the url address above. The church has asked us to take a stance on this issue. Please stand with us and vote YES on Prop. 8!!!
*Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children*
If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive “age appropriate” information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.
*Failure to pass proposition 8 will hurt Churches*
The court’s decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family.
*Unless Proposition 8 passes, California society will soon undergo a profound change in its basic understanding of marriage and family life* That will affect everyone in numerous ways. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs.
*Proposition 8 will not hurt gays*
· In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.
·
PLEASE spread the word. Post it on the sidebars of your blog, link to my blog if you don't want to write about Proposition 8. Please do your part as this affects everyone. Not just Californians.
http://www.preservingmarriage.org
http://www.protectmarriage.com/
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