I am not sure who wrote this, but it is worthy of posting here:
Not long ago I read a joke ... It said all the politicians running forPresident are promising change to the American people. We send them billions andBillions of tax dollars and they send us the change. Funny? Not really; there is too much truth in it to be funny.
That got me to thinking .... They all promise change. How about if they run on a promise of restoration rather than change. A restoration that would take us back in time to a place where things ran better, smoother and life was more enjoyable.
Change? That, in truth, is what they have been giving us all along.
We used to have a strong dollar ... Politicians changed that.
Life used to be sacred .... Politicians changed that.
Marriage used to be sacred .... Politicians are changing that.
We used to be respected around the world ... Politicians changed that.
We used to have a strong manufacturing economy ... Politicians changed that.
We used to have lower tax structures ..... Politicians changed that.
We used to enjoy more freedoms ... Politicians changed that.
We used to be a large exporter of American made goods ... Politicians changed that.
We used to be an openly Christian nation ... Politicians changed that.
We used to teach patriotism in schools ..... Politicians changed that.
We used to educate children in schools ... Politicians changed that.
We used to enjoy freedom of speech ... Politicians changed that.
We used to enforce LEGAL citizenship ... Politicians changed that.
We used to have affordable food & gas prices ... Politicians changed that, too.
And one could go on and on with this list. What hasn't been changed, politicians are promising to change that as well if you will elect them.
When, oh when, is America going to sit back with open eyes and look at what we once were and where we have come and say, 'enough is enough?' The trouble is, America's youthful voters today don't know of the Great America that existed forty and fifty years ago. They see the world as if it has always existed, as it is now.
When will we wake up? Tomorrow may be too late. When will America realize...Politicians are what is wrong with America?
A Wayne post.
Love everyone, Trust a few, Harm none.
www.Capstone-Ministries.org
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
IS THIS THE FINANCIAL APOCALYPSE?
What do our enemies think? Following are a few representative quotes:
"U.S. foes gloat over financial crisis" (Associated Press)
"Iran hails world financial crisis as 'end of capitalism'" (Agence France Presse)
"We are witnessing the collapse of the American Empire." - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
"We are happy that the U.S. economy is in anarchy and the anarchy is reaching Europe. They are seeing the result of their own ugly doings and God is punishing them." - top Iranian cleric
The U.S. is experiencing the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. Our enemies know it. They smell blood in the water.
"Wall Street stocks plunged Wednesday in the second biggest single day point loss in history and their worst percentage fall in two decades, ravaged by fears the world's biggest economy is slipping into recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 733.08 points (7.87 percent) to close at 8,577.91 in the worst one-day point loss since last month's record 777-point decline and the steepest percentage drop since 1987. In an even more brutal decline, the broad-market Standard & Poor's index plunged 90.17 points (9.03 percent) to 907.84." (AFP)
"We are living through financial history of the tragic kind. As of Friday's close, America's stock market had declined in value by well over 40 per cent compared with its peak a year ago. Already, this ranks as the fifth biggest stock market decline since the 1920s." (U.K. Independent)
"U.S. stocks [in recent days have] plunged the most since the crash of 1987, hammered by the biggest drop in retail sales in three years and growing doubt that plans to bail out banks will keep the economic slump from deepening….The S&P 500 has tumbled 38 percent in 2008 as losses and writedowns from mortgage-related investments at financial firms worldwide topped $640 billion….The S&P 500 has tumbled 42 percent from its Oct. 9, 2007, record and the Dow has lost 39 percent from its peak the same day." (Bloomberg News)
"Japan's key stock index plummeted more than 11 percent, South Korean shares shed 9.25 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 4.8 percent. Floowing Asia's lead, benchmarks in Britain, Germany and France slipped about 3 percent. Russia's RTS also fell." (AP)
"U.S. Forces Nine Major Banks To Accept Partial Nationalization" - Washington Post
"The White House said G8 leaders were expected to meet this year on the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. Governments around the world have pledged $3.2 trillion in emergency measures - roughly an equivalent to the economic output of Germany or China - including taking stakes in banks to help them stabilize, rallying world markets on Monday and Tuesday. But optimism quickly gave way to fears that government intervention would not save major economies from recession." (Reuters)
This is not a temporary glitch in the global financial software. The problems are real, deep and systemic. The best explanations and analysis I have seen have come from Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, the nation's foremost business magazine (see Steve's recent columns).
The following is by Joel Rosenberg:
Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and Epicenter:
The big question now: What does it all mean and where do we go from here? A few thoughts on the implications of this financial apocalypse:
1. First things first: our national security is inextricably tied to our economic security. Economic weakness is an invitation to radical Islamic terrorists to hit us again. It's also an invitation to other rogue nations to pursue their evil plans while thinking we are unable or unwilling to stop them. The U.S. cannot lead the world in defeating tyrants and terrorists and creating an environment of peace and prosperity if we are collapsing at home. Stabilizing our economy, reforming our financial institutions, punishing and imprisoning those who have criminally undermined our economy, and getting us back on the road to free market growth and entrepreneurial health and vitality must be the top priority of the next Commander-in-Chief.
2. I don't believe one U.S. political party or the other is specifically to blame for our own financial crisis. There is plenty of blame to go around and the problems have been developing for years. That said, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that the U.S. stock markets are tanking especially hard right now in part because investors believe Sen. Barack Obama is going to win on November 4th. As polls for Obama and Congressional Democrats have risen - and Americans have begun to sense that Obama's election as president and expanded control of Congress by Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid and their liberal allies is inevitable - investors' fears have not been calmed. They have been exacerbated. True, investors don't see a complete and convincing economic rescue plan from Sen. McCain. But they see disaster in Obama's plan and the likelihood of full control of the U.S. government by the Democrats. The Obama-Pelosi-Reid prescription, after all, is the worst possible medicine for the economy - $1.3 trillion in new federal spending, dramatic tax increases on small businesses, dramatic tax increases on big businesses, dramatic tax increases on those who create wealth, a major new tax on energy producers, as well as nationalized health care system. We are not simply on the brink of a serious recession; we are on the brink of another Great Depression. How, then, will massive tax increases and massive government spending help us fight our way out of this crisis? Answer: it won't. And Main Street and Wall Street know it. Just ask Joe the Plumber.
3. Are there prophetic implications of this financial crisis? It is hard to be definitive. The U.S. does not show up specifically in any end times Bible prophecies. But this fact alone raises a sobering question: If we are really in what the Bible describes as "the last days" before the return of Jesus Christ, then how is it possible that the United States of America - the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the face of the planet in the history of mankind - does not play a significant, notable role in Biblical end times events? The honest answer: I don't know for certain. But here's what I wrote in Dead Heat (p. 154): "What Bennett had never really considered carefully until now was the possibility that something else might devastate the American people, rendering them ineffective heading into the last of the last days. A financial downturn on Wall Street. The sudden collapse of the dollar. The beginning of another Great Depression. A series of devastating earthquakes. Or hurricanes. Or other natural disasters, like a tsunami. [Or ] the most cataclysmic terrorist attack of all time - five nuclear warheads. And there might be more to come. None of it was clearly prophesied in the Scriptures. Not that he could find. But perhaps he should have foreseen the neutralization of America by more carefully reading between the lines. If so, what else was he missing? What exactly was coming next?"
4. Finally, let us consider the possibility that the Lord is allowing this economic meltdown in part to shake our confidence in anything but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Is it possible that God is trying to shake us loose from trusting in our wealth, from trusting in our political leaders, from trusting in our own ingenuity and our own hard work? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to shift our focus from worldly, materialistic things to how much He loves us, and the truth that the only person we can truly trust in life to never leave us or forsake us is Jesus Christ? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to read the Bible more, and the stock tickers less? To pray more, and to worry less? To store up our treasures in heaven, and not concentrate so much on our treasures on earth?
Anyone who is feeling fearful during this turbulent economic times would do well to meditate on the words Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 6:19-33 --
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also….No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Well… there you have it folks. We have nothing to fear.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Wayne
Capstone Christian Ministries
www.Capstone-Ministries.org
"U.S. foes gloat over financial crisis" (Associated Press)
"Iran hails world financial crisis as 'end of capitalism'" (Agence France Presse)
"We are witnessing the collapse of the American Empire." - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
"We are happy that the U.S. economy is in anarchy and the anarchy is reaching Europe. They are seeing the result of their own ugly doings and God is punishing them." - top Iranian cleric
The U.S. is experiencing the most serious financial crisis since the Great Depression. Our enemies know it. They smell blood in the water.
"Wall Street stocks plunged Wednesday in the second biggest single day point loss in history and their worst percentage fall in two decades, ravaged by fears the world's biggest economy is slipping into recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slid 733.08 points (7.87 percent) to close at 8,577.91 in the worst one-day point loss since last month's record 777-point decline and the steepest percentage drop since 1987. In an even more brutal decline, the broad-market Standard & Poor's index plunged 90.17 points (9.03 percent) to 907.84." (AFP)
"We are living through financial history of the tragic kind. As of Friday's close, America's stock market had declined in value by well over 40 per cent compared with its peak a year ago. Already, this ranks as the fifth biggest stock market decline since the 1920s." (U.K. Independent)
"U.S. stocks [in recent days have] plunged the most since the crash of 1987, hammered by the biggest drop in retail sales in three years and growing doubt that plans to bail out banks will keep the economic slump from deepening….The S&P 500 has tumbled 38 percent in 2008 as losses and writedowns from mortgage-related investments at financial firms worldwide topped $640 billion….The S&P 500 has tumbled 42 percent from its Oct. 9, 2007, record and the Dow has lost 39 percent from its peak the same day." (Bloomberg News)
"Japan's key stock index plummeted more than 11 percent, South Korean shares shed 9.25 percent, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was down 4.8 percent. Floowing Asia's lead, benchmarks in Britain, Germany and France slipped about 3 percent. Russia's RTS also fell." (AP)
"U.S. Forces Nine Major Banks To Accept Partial Nationalization" - Washington Post
"The White House said G8 leaders were expected to meet this year on the worst financial crisis since the 1930s Great Depression. Governments around the world have pledged $3.2 trillion in emergency measures - roughly an equivalent to the economic output of Germany or China - including taking stakes in banks to help them stabilize, rallying world markets on Monday and Tuesday. But optimism quickly gave way to fears that government intervention would not save major economies from recession." (Reuters)
This is not a temporary glitch in the global financial software. The problems are real, deep and systemic. The best explanations and analysis I have seen have come from Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, the nation's foremost business magazine (see Steve's recent columns).
The following is by Joel Rosenberg:
Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and Epicenter:
The big question now: What does it all mean and where do we go from here? A few thoughts on the implications of this financial apocalypse:
1. First things first: our national security is inextricably tied to our economic security. Economic weakness is an invitation to radical Islamic terrorists to hit us again. It's also an invitation to other rogue nations to pursue their evil plans while thinking we are unable or unwilling to stop them. The U.S. cannot lead the world in defeating tyrants and terrorists and creating an environment of peace and prosperity if we are collapsing at home. Stabilizing our economy, reforming our financial institutions, punishing and imprisoning those who have criminally undermined our economy, and getting us back on the road to free market growth and entrepreneurial health and vitality must be the top priority of the next Commander-in-Chief.
2. I don't believe one U.S. political party or the other is specifically to blame for our own financial crisis. There is plenty of blame to go around and the problems have been developing for years. That said, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that the U.S. stock markets are tanking especially hard right now in part because investors believe Sen. Barack Obama is going to win on November 4th. As polls for Obama and Congressional Democrats have risen - and Americans have begun to sense that Obama's election as president and expanded control of Congress by Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid and their liberal allies is inevitable - investors' fears have not been calmed. They have been exacerbated. True, investors don't see a complete and convincing economic rescue plan from Sen. McCain. But they see disaster in Obama's plan and the likelihood of full control of the U.S. government by the Democrats. The Obama-Pelosi-Reid prescription, after all, is the worst possible medicine for the economy - $1.3 trillion in new federal spending, dramatic tax increases on small businesses, dramatic tax increases on big businesses, dramatic tax increases on those who create wealth, a major new tax on energy producers, as well as nationalized health care system. We are not simply on the brink of a serious recession; we are on the brink of another Great Depression. How, then, will massive tax increases and massive government spending help us fight our way out of this crisis? Answer: it won't. And Main Street and Wall Street know it. Just ask Joe the Plumber.
3. Are there prophetic implications of this financial crisis? It is hard to be definitive. The U.S. does not show up specifically in any end times Bible prophecies. But this fact alone raises a sobering question: If we are really in what the Bible describes as "the last days" before the return of Jesus Christ, then how is it possible that the United States of America - the wealthiest and most powerful nation on the face of the planet in the history of mankind - does not play a significant, notable role in Biblical end times events? The honest answer: I don't know for certain. But here's what I wrote in Dead Heat (p. 154): "What Bennett had never really considered carefully until now was the possibility that something else might devastate the American people, rendering them ineffective heading into the last of the last days. A financial downturn on Wall Street. The sudden collapse of the dollar. The beginning of another Great Depression. A series of devastating earthquakes. Or hurricanes. Or other natural disasters, like a tsunami. [Or ] the most cataclysmic terrorist attack of all time - five nuclear warheads. And there might be more to come. None of it was clearly prophesied in the Scriptures. Not that he could find. But perhaps he should have foreseen the neutralization of America by more carefully reading between the lines. If so, what else was he missing? What exactly was coming next?"
4. Finally, let us consider the possibility that the Lord is allowing this economic meltdown in part to shake our confidence in anything but a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Is it possible that God is trying to shake us loose from trusting in our wealth, from trusting in our political leaders, from trusting in our own ingenuity and our own hard work? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to shift our focus from worldly, materialistic things to how much He loves us, and the truth that the only person we can truly trust in life to never leave us or forsake us is Jesus Christ? Is it possible that He is trying to get us to read the Bible more, and the stock tickers less? To pray more, and to worry less? To store up our treasures in heaven, and not concentrate so much on our treasures on earth?
Anyone who is feeling fearful during this turbulent economic times would do well to meditate on the words Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 6:19-33 --
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also….No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Well… there you have it folks. We have nothing to fear.
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Wayne
Capstone Christian Ministries
www.Capstone-Ministries.org
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Tax Lesson
Check this out! It came to me via email from a friend and I really
Like it. Wayne
Tax Lesson - Let's put TAX CUTS in terms everyone can
understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the
bill for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our TAXES, it
would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite
happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a
curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the
cost of your daily beer by $20."
Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay
our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink
for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How
could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair
share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if
they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth
man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to
reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out
the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing(100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to
drink for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He
pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar,
too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he
get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison.
"We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up!
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks,
so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay
the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough
money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college
professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get
the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for
being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start
drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For
those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Like it. Wayne
Tax Lesson - Let's put TAX CUTS in terms everyone can
understand.
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the
bill for all ten comes to $100.
If they paid their bill the way we pay our TAXES, it
would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do.
The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite
happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a
curve. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the
cost of your daily beer by $20."
Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay
our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink
for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How
could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair
share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if
they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth
man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.
So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to
reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out
the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing(100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to
drink for free.
But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
"I only got a dollar out of the $20,"declared the sixth man. He
pointed to the tenth man," but he got $10!"
"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar,
too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!"
"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he
get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!"
"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison.
"We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up!
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks,
so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay
the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough
money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college
professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get
the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for
being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start
drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.
David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed. For
those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Obama vs. McCain on important issues
This is their positions as of June 2008. They may have changed or softened their positions. I have done my best to present these without personal bias.
HERE are the positions of Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama and his Republican rival John McCain on the main issues in the US presidential campaign:
IRAQ
Obama: Said he was against the war in 2002 and has vowed to end the conflict and begin to withdraw the troops immediately. He is opposed to establishing permanent bases in Iraq, but says he would be prepared to send troops back in in case of a catastrophe or genocide.
McCain: Is a fervent supporter of the US surge launched in 2007. He has vowed "no surrender" and has said he is convinced that Washington is winning the war against the insurgency. He has come under fire from Democrats for suggesting that US troops could be left in Iraq for 100 years, modelled on the US involvement in Germany and South Korea.
IRAN
Obama: Is in favor of launching a dialogue with Iran, who he says presents a serious threat to the Middle East region and the United States. He has said he would be prepared to hold talks without pre-conditions with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But more recently he indicated talks would begin at a lower level first. He is in favor of using international sanctions to push Iran to be more transparent over its suspect nuclear program.
McCain: Says "there is only one things worse than military action and that is a nuclear-armed Iran." He is against any presidential level talks which he believes would only lend legitimacy to the regime's hardliners. He would like to tighten sanctions, mostly economic, outside the UN sphere if necessary.
MIDDLE EAST AND ISRAEL
Obama: The US commitment to Israel is "non negotiable." He envisages isolating Hamas and Hezbollah, as long as the Islamic militant groups refuse to renounce terrorism or recognize the right of Israel to exist. He has criticized Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories as unhelpful to the peace process, and is in favor of policies which can boost the influence of moderate Palestinians.
McCain: Supports US military aid to Israel and says he is Hamas' "worst enemy." He has repeatedly said Hamas would welcome an Obama victory. He encourages talks between Israel and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, and has called for Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria to be politically isolated. He believes the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006 was justified.
ECONOMY
Obama: Promises to cut taxes for working classes and low-income homes earning less than 75,000 dollars a year, while raising taxes for those homes with an average income of more than 250,000 dollars. On the housing crisis, he proposes setting up a fund to help stave off foreclosures and federal help to gain access to loans.
McCain: Pledges to maintain the tax cuts put in place under President George W. Bush. Firmly against public deficits, he has vowed to fight "porkbarreling" or congressional earmarks and has proposed a freeze for a year on non-military federal spending. On the housing crisis, he has suggested state guarantees for mortgages and for student loans.
HEALTH
Obama: Wants all Americans to be covered by a universal health care plan. His scheme, based on incentives and cost cuts, would be voluntary but oblige parents to insure their children.
McCain: Believes health care should be made more accessible. (Some 45 million Americans lack coverage.) He proposes greater oversight of insurance and pharmaceutical companies to prevent them from profiting unreasonably at the expense of consumers.
IMMIGRATION
Obama: Supports immigration reform which boosts border controls while legalizing under certain conditions the 12 million illegal immigrants.
McCain: Was a key mover in 2006 legislation to try to regularize the situation of illegal immigrants, but insists on the need to secure the borders before any other reforms can be carried out.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Obama: Has attacked the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico and says he would renegotiate it.
McCain: Supports NAFTA and sees free trade as an important tool in US foreign policy, notably in the Middle East. Unlike Obama, he supports a free trade accord with Colombia.
ABORTION
Visit: http://www.obama-mccain.info/compare-obama-mccain-abortion.php
Wayne
Capstone Christian Ministries
www.Capstone-Ministries.org
HERE are the positions of Democratic White House hopeful Barack Obama and his Republican rival John McCain on the main issues in the US presidential campaign:
IRAQ
Obama: Said he was against the war in 2002 and has vowed to end the conflict and begin to withdraw the troops immediately. He is opposed to establishing permanent bases in Iraq, but says he would be prepared to send troops back in in case of a catastrophe or genocide.
McCain: Is a fervent supporter of the US surge launched in 2007. He has vowed "no surrender" and has said he is convinced that Washington is winning the war against the insurgency. He has come under fire from Democrats for suggesting that US troops could be left in Iraq for 100 years, modelled on the US involvement in Germany and South Korea.
IRAN
Obama: Is in favor of launching a dialogue with Iran, who he says presents a serious threat to the Middle East region and the United States. He has said he would be prepared to hold talks without pre-conditions with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. But more recently he indicated talks would begin at a lower level first. He is in favor of using international sanctions to push Iran to be more transparent over its suspect nuclear program.
McCain: Says "there is only one things worse than military action and that is a nuclear-armed Iran." He is against any presidential level talks which he believes would only lend legitimacy to the regime's hardliners. He would like to tighten sanctions, mostly economic, outside the UN sphere if necessary.
MIDDLE EAST AND ISRAEL
Obama: The US commitment to Israel is "non negotiable." He envisages isolating Hamas and Hezbollah, as long as the Islamic militant groups refuse to renounce terrorism or recognize the right of Israel to exist. He has criticized Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories as unhelpful to the peace process, and is in favor of policies which can boost the influence of moderate Palestinians.
McCain: Supports US military aid to Israel and says he is Hamas' "worst enemy." He has repeatedly said Hamas would welcome an Obama victory. He encourages talks between Israel and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, and has called for Hamas, Hezbollah, and Syria to be politically isolated. He believes the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006 was justified.
ECONOMY
Obama: Promises to cut taxes for working classes and low-income homes earning less than 75,000 dollars a year, while raising taxes for those homes with an average income of more than 250,000 dollars. On the housing crisis, he proposes setting up a fund to help stave off foreclosures and federal help to gain access to loans.
McCain: Pledges to maintain the tax cuts put in place under President George W. Bush. Firmly against public deficits, he has vowed to fight "porkbarreling" or congressional earmarks and has proposed a freeze for a year on non-military federal spending. On the housing crisis, he has suggested state guarantees for mortgages and for student loans.
HEALTH
Obama: Wants all Americans to be covered by a universal health care plan. His scheme, based on incentives and cost cuts, would be voluntary but oblige parents to insure their children.
McCain: Believes health care should be made more accessible. (Some 45 million Americans lack coverage.) He proposes greater oversight of insurance and pharmaceutical companies to prevent them from profiting unreasonably at the expense of consumers.
IMMIGRATION
Obama: Supports immigration reform which boosts border controls while legalizing under certain conditions the 12 million illegal immigrants.
McCain: Was a key mover in 2006 legislation to try to regularize the situation of illegal immigrants, but insists on the need to secure the borders before any other reforms can be carried out.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
Obama: Has attacked the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico and says he would renegotiate it.
McCain: Supports NAFTA and sees free trade as an important tool in US foreign policy, notably in the Middle East. Unlike Obama, he supports a free trade accord with Colombia.
ABORTION
Visit: http://www.obama-mccain.info/compare-obama-mccain-abortion.php
Wayne
Capstone Christian Ministries
www.Capstone-Ministries.org
Sunday, October 12, 2008
It’s not a housing/mortgage issue; it’s the economy stupid!
The main stream media, especially the cable new stations would have you believe all of our economic woes are attributable to the wave of home mortgage foreclosures. That ain’t it pal… oh, I will admit that the increase in foreclosures in the United States is a contributing factor, but it is certainly not the whole enchilada. The truth is that the financial crisis is real, but it can, for the most part be blamed on a lot of people who behaved poorly. Our elected representatives in Washington and the greedy corrupt scum on Wall Street are mainly responsible for the economic meltdown that will cost us (you, me, our children and our grandchildren) hundreds of billions, or most likely trillions of inflated dollars.
Some truths:
Until 2005 our annual mortgage foreclosure was about .7%, and that is just about the historic annual rate.
The percentage of American Home foreclosures today is about 2.75%
While 2.75% is about 4 times the historic rate, it also means that 97.25% of homes in America are NOT in foreclosure! The media would have you believe that every other home is being foreclosed upon. Pay attention people… that is just not the case.
A disproportionate percentage of homes in foreclosure are investor properties, or rentals. It makes sense that investors with a small investment in their rental property will let it go when things get tough and appreciation stops.
There are a few states that have much higher per homeowner foreclosures than the others. Some of the highest on a percentage basis are: California, Arizona, Florida and Nevada. These also are states that had the highest reports of house-flipping, predatory lending and fraudulent borrowers.
There are 42 states that are BELOW the national average foreclosure rate. 42! That is 84% folks! 84% of the individual states are below the national average foreclosure rate. Its a few problem states that make the situation look much worse than it really is.
Yes, the financial crisis is real, and even the foreclosure crisis is real, but foreclosures are a result of the economic crisis… not the cause.
It’s the economy stupid…
Wayne
Some truths:
Until 2005 our annual mortgage foreclosure was about .7%, and that is just about the historic annual rate.
The percentage of American Home foreclosures today is about 2.75%
While 2.75% is about 4 times the historic rate, it also means that 97.25% of homes in America are NOT in foreclosure! The media would have you believe that every other home is being foreclosed upon. Pay attention people… that is just not the case.
A disproportionate percentage of homes in foreclosure are investor properties, or rentals. It makes sense that investors with a small investment in their rental property will let it go when things get tough and appreciation stops.
There are a few states that have much higher per homeowner foreclosures than the others. Some of the highest on a percentage basis are: California, Arizona, Florida and Nevada. These also are states that had the highest reports of house-flipping, predatory lending and fraudulent borrowers.
There are 42 states that are BELOW the national average foreclosure rate. 42! That is 84% folks! 84% of the individual states are below the national average foreclosure rate. Its a few problem states that make the situation look much worse than it really is.
Yes, the financial crisis is real, and even the foreclosure crisis is real, but foreclosures are a result of the economic crisis… not the cause.
It’s the economy stupid…
Wayne
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