Current Events

http://www.serioustimes.com/

Bill Ayers, by many accounts, is a brilliant, sophisticated, cultured, very likable, helpful and caring man, as well as a friend of Barak Obama.  His many friends reject all suggestions or accusations that the man is in any way a danger to society.  His violent, bomb-tossing days of radical revolutionary activism are long over.  He is now a very respected and highly influential Professor of Education.  Exactly- that the problem now!  This position makes him more dangerous than ever.  He is educating future teachers and is wielding great authority over curriculum choices throughout the Country.  His old radical ideas are very much alive and well in his current work.  

http://www.city-journal.org/2008/eon1006ss.html

http://www.city-journal.org/html/16_3_ed_school.html

If Mr. Obama wins and the Democrats carry Congress, the Nation is in for at least four years of one Party Rule.  There will be no viable opposition to whatever the President, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid and the Congress want.  Here is an article with a worst case scenerio of what all this could mean for America.  It ain't pretty- it is downright scarifying.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122420205889842989.html

Never mind Iraq and Afghanistan, the War against Terror other foreign policy issues.  Never mind the problem of illegal Immigration.  Never mind Health Care and Education Reform or the Matter of appointing Judges and social issues like Abortion and Gay Marriage.  There are all kinds of issues to deal with but, to judge by the Media,  all any one is interested in now is the Economy and this one issue is driving the coming election.  This Issue will determine the vote of many people.  We must have a long view of our national Economy and not make decisions with very long term and negative consequences in order to have short term immediate consequences for this one Issue

Here is an article that helps keep our current economic crisis in proper perspective.  Today's Economy alone should not determine who our next President shall be for four or more years.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122437896036147837.html

I have problems with both the Democratic and the Republican tickets.  Neither is ideal, far from it. But the Republican Party traditionally embodies the classic, conservative and Biblical principles and values for both Government and the Economy.  The Democratic Party absolutely does not.  Therefore, I am voting McCain-Palin.

In writing this, I fully realize that in practice the US has a mixed economy and that the current Republican Administration has not been acting in line with traditional conservative principles.  Today's news demonstrates how "interventionist" our Government has become- nationalizing banks (whether they want it or not) and expanding its control in the housing and insurance markets, etc.  And both candidates are making sweeping promises to the voters without regard to how they will be paid for, expanding even more government largess and the "nanny" state.  However, I still maintain, in comparison to McCain, Obama is the worse candidate and if he wins he will probably also have a Democratic controlled Congress.  I loath to think of what they will cook-up for America together. 

Read my new Essay on Wealth and Capitalism just posted on my website at

http://www.reformedliving.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&layout=blog&id=7&Itemid=57

It seems to me that the beginning of this current fiscal crisis was in the well-meaning attempt during the 70's to provide affordable housing in all sections of a community.  It was to put an end to so-called red-lining and to make it possible for low-income minorities, in particular, to find mortgages at their local lending institutions and thus buy a house.  Over time, many low-income people, Realtors, lending institutions, social activists and  politicians (especially Democrats) foolishly used and serious abused legislation and policies for selfish gain.

It is a complex systemic evil we are facing.  Getting individual sinners saved is not going to unravel and fix it. That would be helpful, but it is more important to challenging the way Americans as a society live and do business and to bring Biblical, moral principles to bear on that.  Here are more helpful links-

http://www.reformedliving.org/

http://www.newsweek.com/id/161936/page/1

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NGRjODM1MTJlOGZiZDk2ODI4NTUzMWMxYjgwMjliMGQ=

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NDI1MzA0ZDBjODUyYTE5NTBiOWI0OGM0YTM5NWQxMmY=

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act

Here are two articles explaining the differences between Sen McCain and Sen Obama as differences in world views (and personalities) and life experience.  The comparison is between Modernist and Postmodernist.  There is interesting relevance to the difference between some pastors and Christians and churches, as well.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/161323

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2008/10/debates.html

As a Reformed Christian, I believe the role of Civil Government is, in a phrase, Law & Order.  Biblically, it is not the responsibility of Civil Government to be in the housing business, the insurance business, the health business or the education business.  It should not be in the business of underwriting farmers, oil companies, airlines or automobile manufactures.  These should all be private enterprises. The Civil Government's responsibility is to  legislate rules and regulations for honest and fair, non-exploitive, non-discriminatory and just practices in these enterprises  and to be sure everyone plays by the agreed upon rules of the game (Law & Order).  Government can not legislate morality, but it must enforce legality.  

That said, I understand the need for compromise and breaking the current deadlock.  But to be pressured into making far reaching decisions with unknown consequences for generations to come under political and public pressure for short term gains is foolish.  And to not hold people at every level responsible for their actions is irresponsible in the long term.  I know there have been precedents, but to bail out auto makers for their failed policies is wrong.  Americans can either drive their present cars longer or buy other models.  If autoworkers are out of their highpaying jobs, well that is hard but not the government's problem.  If people lose the houses they could not afford in the first place, that too is not the government's problem.  The American obsession with owning a house needs a reality check.  The current mess began in the Carter Administration in the late 70's with the then and still current social mandate to provide  "affordable" housing for people who could not afford it.  That was not then, or is it now, the Federal government's problem.  Biblical Christians must be wary of Big Brother big government and the Welfare State!  The latter is not the Kingdom of God.  I am praying for Sarah Palin tonight in her debate and for the defeat of Sen Obama on Election day.  But whoever wins the Presidency, Americans must heed this current wake-up call, remember that condemned Babylon (in the Bk of Revelation) is a grossly hedonistic, materialistic society and therefore change the values and morals many of us live by.  That is not Government's business either.  It is ours alone as private citizens who must one day give account for the stewardship of our lives and resources.