On Saturday, November 7, 2009, freedom and liberty took a devastating blow. Congress passed a massive 1900+ page health care bill loaded with restrictions and requirements for everyone. If you have not read the bill, you need to. Big companies that already pay for benefits can continue right along. This bill will probably not affect them. However, it will hurt small companies the most and it will hurt middle income families who cannot afford much more at this time.
Companies that employ 10 or more people or have a payroll of $500,000 or more are going to be affected by this monster of a bill that is loaded with restrictions and will be a paperwork nightmare for more companies.
As a small business person who is already saddled with too much government paperwork to actually be productive as a business, this will add to my burden. Finanacially, I will not be able to compete with the fines and/or requirements in this. My family has already taken pay cuts in this economy and drained our savings to keep going. This will be the nail in the coffin for many small businesses. In addition, please be aware that if you don't want insurance, you will be forced to get it - however, your congressman is not forced to be on this plan.
The bill puts restrictions on your doctor. Faced with those restrictions, certain diagnoses will not be able to find doctors to treat them because doctors will not want to treat a patient and not get paid. If you have congestive heart failure, diabetes, or a host of other problems, doctors will see you as too big of a risk. Can you blame a doctor for not wanting to accpet paitent's if they know they will not be paid?
There are provisions for student loan forgiveness for veterinarians. Was your student loan just written off? When a Republican congressman questioned why this was in the health care bill, Louise Slaughter (D-NY) responded, "Have you ever heard of swine flu?" I actually watched the debates and witnessed this myself. I still am scratching my head trying to figure out this logic.
On Nov. 2, the Congressional Budget Office estimated what the plan will likely cost. An individual earning $44,000 before taxes who purchases his own insurance will have to pay a $5,300 premium and an estimated $2,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, for a total of $7,300 a year, which is 17% of his pre-tax income. A family earning $102,100 a year before taxes will have to pay a $15,000 premium plus an estimated $5,300 out-of-pocket, for a $20,300 total, or 20% of its pre-tax income. Individuals and families earning less than these amounts will be eligible for subsidies paid directly to their insurer.
Sec. 59b (pp. 297-299) says that when you file your taxes, you must include proof that you are in a qualified plan. If not, you will be fined thousands of dollars. Illegal immigrants are exempt from this requirement.
IT IS TIME TO WAKE UP AND REALIZE THAT WE ARE BEING CHANGED TO A COUNTRY THAT IS NOT FREE. Tim Ryan (D-OH), speaking on the floor, redefined freedom. He said "In 2009, we need to re-define freedom. And freedom in America in 2009 means being healthy and having access to a health care system that isn't just for the elite, but it's for everybody". Tell that to a veteran that gave their life fighting for freedom from countries that force people to do things their way. My father, a veteran of WWII, felt that freedom was being able to have choices, living the American Dream free of restraint from dictators.
This is a sad day for America and unless the sheeple wake up and quit voting for the "elite" who think they can control every aspect of our lives, we will soon look like a communist nation.
FREEDOM to me means living in a land where there is exemption from external control, interference, and regulation. We want to be free to pursue our own interest, free to give to the charity of our choice, free to have insurance or not have insurance, free to get a flu shot or not get the flu shot, and free to speak out against a government that tries to enslave us.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
How Does a full-time wife and mother find herself knee deep in defending the Constitution
Once upon a time, I was a wife and then I had 5 children. I shared my duties as a wife with being a mother and, as each new child came, I became more a mother and less a wife. My husband understood this because he became more a father and less a husband. Now don't get me wrong - I love my husband and my marriage is more important than it sounds, but the challenges of raising 5 children overshadow those of being a wife.
Now as a wife and mother, my job is the running of my household - paying bills, washing clothes, trying to keep order, maintaining the master schedule so everyone gets to everything, chauffeur (thank goodness I have other licensed drivers to help out with that one), doctor, nurse, boo-boo fixer (sometimes those boo-boos are emotional), spiritual adviser, teacher, and since I homeschool I need to teach essentials like God and country. Now in the course of teaching about country, I found that God was ever present in the founding of our nation. I would never had truly understood that because my crummy education failed to mention certain things. Imagine that - those darn socialists and humanists were at work way back when trying to change the face of our country. The more I learned (while teaching my children), the more I knew that I had to continue to teach them truth.
This brings us to today - We happen to use Downey Fabric Softener and we are out of this fabric softener. However,we cannot support P&G - makers of said fabric softener. We are boycotting P&G due to the removal of advertisements by P&G from the Glenn Beck show. In order to Defend the Constitution and all that is right in the world, we are going to have unsoftened clothes. I will teach my children once more about doing what is right and honorable. It seems a small sacrifice to pay when you look at what our soldiers are sacrificing or when you compare it to what our founding fathers were willing to give up to give us the country we live in.
So I will continue to defend my country and I will wear slightly unsoftened clothing; I will go without shopping at CVS; we will give up Sargento Cheese (boy those people were rude), Pringles, Hebrew National Hot Dogs, Orville Redenbacher, and a host of other brands and companies. I will do this willing to teach my children about free speech. I will continue to stand for right against all that is wrong. All I ask is that others stand with me and we cry out with one voice!
Now as a wife and mother, my job is the running of my household - paying bills, washing clothes, trying to keep order, maintaining the master schedule so everyone gets to everything, chauffeur (thank goodness I have other licensed drivers to help out with that one), doctor, nurse, boo-boo fixer (sometimes those boo-boos are emotional), spiritual adviser, teacher, and since I homeschool I need to teach essentials like God and country. Now in the course of teaching about country, I found that God was ever present in the founding of our nation. I would never had truly understood that because my crummy education failed to mention certain things. Imagine that - those darn socialists and humanists were at work way back when trying to change the face of our country. The more I learned (while teaching my children), the more I knew that I had to continue to teach them truth.
This brings us to today - We happen to use Downey Fabric Softener and we are out of this fabric softener. However,we cannot support P&G - makers of said fabric softener. We are boycotting P&G due to the removal of advertisements by P&G from the Glenn Beck show. In order to Defend the Constitution and all that is right in the world, we are going to have unsoftened clothes. I will teach my children once more about doing what is right and honorable. It seems a small sacrifice to pay when you look at what our soldiers are sacrificing or when you compare it to what our founding fathers were willing to give up to give us the country we live in.
So I will continue to defend my country and I will wear slightly unsoftened clothing; I will go without shopping at CVS; we will give up Sargento Cheese (boy those people were rude), Pringles, Hebrew National Hot Dogs, Orville Redenbacher, and a host of other brands and companies. I will do this willing to teach my children about free speech. I will continue to stand for right against all that is wrong. All I ask is that others stand with me and we cry out with one voice!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Bible Study - Quantum Physics
Today I attended a biweekly Bible Study that has been meeting for several months. The topic has been "Quantum Physics". While I am not a physicist and the people running it don't pretend to be either, they have shared their limited knowledge of how quantum physics ties into what the Bible says. It has been fascinating. The Bible begins to make more and more sense and things I didn't understand before are becoming new and exciting. As God reveals more of His Word to us, I feel a deepening sense of wonder and awe of God and creation.
My question is: Do scientists realize how ridiculous they sound and look when they attempt to explain things apart from God? Romans 1:25 says "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen".
As I continue to learn and grow, may I always look to my Creator for confirmation that I am following His Light and not the foolish ways of man.
I contrast this with watching "man" fall over themselves to watch and idolize "The King of Pop". As I watch the madness that followed Michael's death and funeral, I think - "they worshipped and served the created things rather than the Creator".
My question is: Do scientists realize how ridiculous they sound and look when they attempt to explain things apart from God? Romans 1:25 says "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen".
As I continue to learn and grow, may I always look to my Creator for confirmation that I am following His Light and not the foolish ways of man.
I contrast this with watching "man" fall over themselves to watch and idolize "The King of Pop". As I watch the madness that followed Michael's death and funeral, I think - "they worshipped and served the created things rather than the Creator".
Friday, May 29, 2009
Getting People to Read Your Blog
So, I am sitting here saying to myself - "How do you get people to read your blog?" and I google that. What do you think is the first site I find?- - - -It is a blog about getting people to read your blog. There are tons of helpful ways of getting people to your blog - I just need the time to implement some of them. I also need an understanding of what some of them are before I can do them. I guess I can always ask one of my children because children seem to inherently understand newer technology than their parents.
I remember when VCR's came out and my parents just couldn't get the hang of it. I never thought I would be on the end of "not getting the hang of technology", but I find myself feeling dumber and dumber when my kids say something and I have not even heard of the term. Do children have a place to go to find out all the "cool terms"? Look, I homeschool and my kids are with me a lot. If they were going someone to learn these terms, I think I would know about it. I am only 44. I absolutely refuse to let technology get the better of me. I will continue to conquer it.
Remember the "good old days" when kids thought their parents could do anything? I remember being 15 thinking my father was the smartest, most handsome guy I would ever know. I think my daughter Melissa (she is 15 now) thought that about her dad when she was 4 - and it lasted until she was 5. But I guess when I was 15 (back in the old days before color TV as my kids would like to think) we didn't have all this technology to make parents feel incredibly stupid. I think the real problem is that while I am busy raising a family and my husband is busy providing for that family, we don't have time to keep caught up on every new thing coming out. My kids, however, who seem to have endless amounts of time available to them to do such things as send 20,000,000,000,000 texts a month, seem to be able to keep up on technology and all the buzz words.
Maybe the answer is to let my kids figure out how to get people to read my blog.
I remember when VCR's came out and my parents just couldn't get the hang of it. I never thought I would be on the end of "not getting the hang of technology", but I find myself feeling dumber and dumber when my kids say something and I have not even heard of the term. Do children have a place to go to find out all the "cool terms"? Look, I homeschool and my kids are with me a lot. If they were going someone to learn these terms, I think I would know about it. I am only 44. I absolutely refuse to let technology get the better of me. I will continue to conquer it.
Remember the "good old days" when kids thought their parents could do anything? I remember being 15 thinking my father was the smartest, most handsome guy I would ever know. I think my daughter Melissa (she is 15 now) thought that about her dad when she was 4 - and it lasted until she was 5. But I guess when I was 15 (back in the old days before color TV as my kids would like to think) we didn't have all this technology to make parents feel incredibly stupid. I think the real problem is that while I am busy raising a family and my husband is busy providing for that family, we don't have time to keep caught up on every new thing coming out. My kids, however, who seem to have endless amounts of time available to them to do such things as send 20,000,000,000,000 texts a month, seem to be able to keep up on technology and all the buzz words.
Maybe the answer is to let my kids figure out how to get people to read my blog.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Allergy Season in Ohio
I know that I should be thankful that we finally have nice weather. I know that all winter I complained about the cold and snow. So, here we are with these beautiful days, and yet I still complain. I have constant drainage, my eyes are itchy and my throat is scratchy. My head hurts and I can't breath. It is called ALLERGIES IN OHIO.
I truly love Ohio. I love seasons. I love the green grass and the smell before it rains when you can walk outside and say, "It smells like it is going to rain". I love summer and catching fireflies and the sound of crickets at night. I love fall (my favorite) and the changing leaves. The colors of fall in Ohio are beautiful. The reds, yellows, oranges, browns, and greens mixed are just beautiful. I could never imagine not seeing a fall in Ohio. I love (although it is my least favorite for driving and actually being outside) winter. I love how the snow clings to the branches of the trees and creates a winter wonderland. How the fresh fallen snow glistens in the sunlight and moonlight. I love the crisp air and being able to "see your breath" when you talk. I love watching the kids make snowballs and snowmen. I love watching the snow fade away as the day gets warmer. I truly love the seasons we have.
I just hate allergies in Ohio.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Jon and Kate plus 8 - Saving their marriage
I never thought I would blog. It always seemed so silly. People writing random thoughts down for others to read - why would anyone do that? Today I found out why. Something grips you and you want to share it.
I don't pretend to be an authority on any subject, but having 5 children gives you the right to claim to know something about almost everything. With that being said, I will now explain what has "gripped me" today that I must share.
I watched Jon and Kate last night and this morning I googled to find out what people were saying. I am not a pro-Kate or pro-Jon. I realize that these people have cameras living with them several days every week and we only see glimpses of what the editors of the show think will sell. If someone captured my angry moments with my family or my flip remarks, I would look like a beast. On the other hand, if someone captured my husband's "lack of concern" they would think he was "Mr. Spock" reincarnated.
Well, I found a wonderful blog today. It is the only blog on my list of favorite websites. That means something. http://richardtgarner.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-can-honestly-say-jon-is-my-best.html#comment-form
This man simply asked for prayer for a hurting couple with 8 children. I thought it was a noble thing, something I wished I had thought of myself. When I began to read comments left by readers, I was appalled. Although many people said they would pray, there were too many people refusing to pray because Jon and Kate have money, or they felt they were exploiting their children. If I ask for prayer for a situation I have created, do I not deserve the prayer because I created the situation? Did Jesus tell us to only pray for people who deserve prayer, or who are innocent bystanders? Weren't we commanded to love everyone ---even our enemies? Couldn't praying be considered loving someone?
I did the unthinkable and I left an anonymous post. My post read:
YES, I will pray for this family. Thank you Rick for your servant's heart and willingness to do the work of the Father. I am appalled that people would even criticize praying for anyone. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO PRAY, please post your comments and I will pray for your heart to be softened. God's will for this family may have been for them to be in the spotlight, however, sometimes we in our human state mess things up. I know that I fail almost every day as a wife and mother and I don't have cameras following me around. If a camera catches an angry word spoken to your spouse and later he/she watches it, how easy it would be for Satan to plant doubt in your spouse's mind. Once that starts, it is so easy to break a family apart. I have 5 children and I know how hard it is on a marriage to have small children. I often tell people that the hardest points in our marriage have been while our children were under the age of 5. We have been married 25 years and because of spacing that has spanned about 20 years of our marriage. I cannot begin to imagine the stresses of small children compounded to the degree that Jon & Kate have. Imagine the financial stress of having 8 children. Imagine laying in bed out night worrying about raising them. It would seem that it was God's blessing to be able to not worry because you have a television deal and you can move out of a small house and get some property for the children to run about and be kids. Imagine the stress of moving with 8 kids.Instead of criticizing this family, imagine that you can't even begin to understand what their life is like and you haven't walked a mile (or inch) in their shoes. Imagine when you are going through a difficult time, people refusing to pray for you because you created the situation. Imagine a world without compassion.
Thanks again for the oppportunity to do something for someone else.
I not only am appalled but I am also discouraged that I live in a world where people are so anxious to condemn someone from watching a show once a week and from reading tabloids. Isn't that what was done to Jesus? People took snippets of what he said and what he did and condemned him? I beg you to consider praying the next time you have a thought like - "They deserve what they got" or "It's his fault for making bad choices". Maybe your prayer will be the one to save a person's soul or marriage or job or etc. Maybe collectively our prayers can save Jon and Kate's marriage, our country, and our world.
I don't pretend to be an authority on any subject, but having 5 children gives you the right to claim to know something about almost everything. With that being said, I will now explain what has "gripped me" today that I must share.
I watched Jon and Kate last night and this morning I googled to find out what people were saying. I am not a pro-Kate or pro-Jon. I realize that these people have cameras living with them several days every week and we only see glimpses of what the editors of the show think will sell. If someone captured my angry moments with my family or my flip remarks, I would look like a beast. On the other hand, if someone captured my husband's "lack of concern" they would think he was "Mr. Spock" reincarnated.
Well, I found a wonderful blog today. It is the only blog on my list of favorite websites. That means something. http://richardtgarner.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-can-honestly-say-jon-is-my-best.html#comment-form
This man simply asked for prayer for a hurting couple with 8 children. I thought it was a noble thing, something I wished I had thought of myself. When I began to read comments left by readers, I was appalled. Although many people said they would pray, there were too many people refusing to pray because Jon and Kate have money, or they felt they were exploiting their children. If I ask for prayer for a situation I have created, do I not deserve the prayer because I created the situation? Did Jesus tell us to only pray for people who deserve prayer, or who are innocent bystanders? Weren't we commanded to love everyone ---even our enemies? Couldn't praying be considered loving someone?
I did the unthinkable and I left an anonymous post. My post read:
YES, I will pray for this family. Thank you Rick for your servant's heart and willingness to do the work of the Father. I am appalled that people would even criticize praying for anyone. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO PRAY, please post your comments and I will pray for your heart to be softened. God's will for this family may have been for them to be in the spotlight, however, sometimes we in our human state mess things up. I know that I fail almost every day as a wife and mother and I don't have cameras following me around. If a camera catches an angry word spoken to your spouse and later he/she watches it, how easy it would be for Satan to plant doubt in your spouse's mind. Once that starts, it is so easy to break a family apart. I have 5 children and I know how hard it is on a marriage to have small children. I often tell people that the hardest points in our marriage have been while our children were under the age of 5. We have been married 25 years and because of spacing that has spanned about 20 years of our marriage. I cannot begin to imagine the stresses of small children compounded to the degree that Jon & Kate have. Imagine the financial stress of having 8 children. Imagine laying in bed out night worrying about raising them. It would seem that it was God's blessing to be able to not worry because you have a television deal and you can move out of a small house and get some property for the children to run about and be kids. Imagine the stress of moving with 8 kids.Instead of criticizing this family, imagine that you can't even begin to understand what their life is like and you haven't walked a mile (or inch) in their shoes. Imagine when you are going through a difficult time, people refusing to pray for you because you created the situation. Imagine a world without compassion.
Thanks again for the oppportunity to do something for someone else.
I not only am appalled but I am also discouraged that I live in a world where people are so anxious to condemn someone from watching a show once a week and from reading tabloids. Isn't that what was done to Jesus? People took snippets of what he said and what he did and condemned him? I beg you to consider praying the next time you have a thought like - "They deserve what they got" or "It's his fault for making bad choices". Maybe your prayer will be the one to save a person's soul or marriage or job or etc. Maybe collectively our prayers can save Jon and Kate's marriage, our country, and our world.
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