Back to a Normal Routine

My kids and I have been off for our summer break for the month of July. Now we are back in the swing of things. I have given the kids more personal responsibility for their tasks and they really have stepped up and seem to be enjoying it.

Since I haven't posted anything in a month, I have all kinds of links I have been saving up.

Some are just depressing. Like the fact that Planned Parenthood can't account for 1.3 billion of our dollars. Or this one about the disconnect between teens attending church and teens actually living moral lives. Look at this quote for example.

Forty-seven percent of Protestant teens reported active involvement in their church’s youth group, compared to 38 percent of all teens. The majority of Protestant teens also reported that they attend Sunday School “a few times a month, participate in youth retreats, rallies, and conferences.”

In all, ninety percent of Protestant teens say they believe in God, compared to 85 percent of all teens; only 12 percent of all teens say they are “unsure about the existence of God.”

Clearly this generation is anything but irreligious; quite the contrary. However, further examination of the research begins to reveal the disconnect I mentioned earlier. According to the study, only 55 percent of Protestant teens believe in life after death—a belief held by 50 percent of all teens, including the nonreligious. In a further contradiction, 69 percent of Protestant teens say they have made “a personal commitment to live for God” and yet only 32 percent read the Bible once a week or more, while 19 percent report having had premarital intercourse in the last year compared to 22 percent of those who are unchurched. Additionally, 63 percent of Protestant teens report cheating in school compared to only 58 percent of all teens and 41 percent say that morals are relative—that “there are no definite rights or wrongs for everybody.”


Others made me think. Like this video about not having any kind of federal income tax.



Some made me smile. Like this one about the 2010 winners of the Stuck at the Prom contest from the makers of Duck Tape brand duct tape. The contestants design formal wear out of duct tape.

Good News and Bad News

Good News/ Bad News #1
I got a notice from the county tax assessor the other day saying that we would owe less property taxes next year because our homes value had gone down by about 12%. At first I was excited. Let's face it; less taxes is nice. Then I was slightlly concerned. Did that mean we could even get what we owe out of our house if we tried to sell it? Good thing we don't forsee moving anytime soon.


Good News/Bad News #2- In which the helpful IRS agent turns it into all good news
I got a notice on Thursday that we owed the IRS an additional $2,000 +. This is on top of the money withheld and the money I sent a check for back in March. So I panic and then carefully read the documents that came with the notice. Turns out I forgot my kids SSN on the first page. So I call the 800 number expecting a rude IRS employee to tell me it will take forever and three forms to get the matter resolved and in the mean time I am still responsible for the two grand. Instead I get a very friendly IRS agent who has me verify some information and give the SSN. He then put me on hold then came back and said my 1040 was ammended and I wouldn't owe anything. Then he asked me if I wanted to take a deduction that I hadn't taken for the kids. I didn't even know for sure what it was but I said OK. He put me on hold again and came back with the announcement that I would get about $800 in a refund. Go, IRS guy.

Now don't start thinking that I have changed my mind about the IRS needing to go and be replaced with the FairTax. But it is nice to deal with pleasant, helpful people.

Nurse vs IRS

NURSE WINS! The reason this made the top of Yahoo News is because it is amazingly rare for 1 person to take on the IRS without a lawyer and win. This is one of the reasons that I think our current tax system is unjust. How can a system be truly just when "[t]he IRS's rules on deducting work-related tuition are complicated and onerous"? This same line could be said of a great deal of the ever-expanding, ever-changing tax code. Even tax preparers and accountants have difficulty keeping track of what is allowed. It has taken her about 3 years of persistent battling to get her $14,000+ deduction. She indicates that she had faced many bullies through this process saying of the judge, "But he wasn't a bully. I had met with the bullies before." Do we really want a tax system with bullying as a major component?

I think we would be much better off with the Fair Tax. Or I would even be in favor of a flat tax over the current system.

Fair Tax Widget

I haven't mentioned the Fair Tax in a while. I still think it is a great idea. I encourage you to try out my new widget to the right. It calculates your tax burden now versus the proposed Fair Tax.

Free Churches

There are very few free churches in America. Most congregations are bound to the government via 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporations. Pastors and preachers are not free to speak their minds about politicians from the pulpit. In fact, a Catholic bishop may be in hot water for publishing a post comparing Obama to King Herrod. Americans United for the Separation of Church and State dropped a 100,000-piece mailing this week to churches, threatening them to stay silent on moral issues-or else.

According to Alliance Defense Fund, this has not always been the case. Here is a long quote from their website.

Historically, churches have emphatically, and with great passion, spoken Scriptural truth from the pulpit about government and culture. Historians have stated that America owes its independence in great degree to the moral force of the pulpit. Pastors have proclaimed Scriptural truth throughout history on great moral issues such as slavery, women’s suffrage, child labor and prostitution. Pastors have also spoken from the pulpit with great frequency for and against various candidates for government office.

All that changed in 1954 with the passage of the “Johnson amendment” which restricted the right of churches and pastors to speak Scriptural truth about candidates for office. The Johnson amendment was proposed by then-Senator Lyndon Johnson, and it changed the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit churches and other non-profit organizations from supporting or opposing a candidate for office. After the Johnson amendment passed, churches faced a choice of either continuing their tradition of speaking out or silencing themselves in order to retain their church’s tax exemption. The Internal Revenue Service, in conjunction with radical organizations like Americans United for Separation of Church and State, have used the Johnson amendment to create an atmosphere of intimidation and fear for any church that dares to speak Scriptural truth about candidates for office or issues.

So I pray for more pastors, preachers, bishops, etc. who are willing to speak out from the pulpit. I also pray for more free churches to form.

As far as free churches go, here are some interesting websites.
http://www.theantichurch.org/501c3churchinfo.htm
http://hushmoney.org/

All of this free church business also brings me to the FairTax. Under the FairTax there would be no more need for 501(c)(3)'s. If you don't know about the FairTax, go and check it out here.

Politicians on the Bailouts

HuckPAC has posted an article by Mike Huckabee about the bailouts. I thought you all might find it interesting. Here are a couple of paragraphs from it.

The idea of a government bailout in which we’d entrust $700 billion to one man without Congressional oversight or accountability is absurd. My party or not, that is insanity and I believe unconstitutional.

Will there be far-reaching consequences without some intervention? Probably, but we honestly don’t know since we’ve really never seen this level of greed and stupidity all rolled into one massive move. But may I suggest that letting “Uncle Sugar” step in and bail out the billionaires who made the mess will be far worse and will start a long line of companies and individuals who will demand the same of the government---which last time I checked means that they will be demanding it out of YOU and ME. This is not money that Congress is risking from THEIR pockets or future, but ours. Many if not most of us have already experienced lost value on our homes, retirement accounts, and pensions. Now they’d like for us to assume some further risks so they won’t have to.

I like Mike Huckabee. There are a lot more good parts to his article, but you will have to zoom over there and read it yourself.

As far as John McCain goes. . .
According to Yahoo News, he wants to his campaign in order to zoom back to DC and "work for a bipartisan solution". McCain also said that he would stop all advertising, fundraising, and campaign events.

So is McCain sacrificing politics for the good of the country, or is he just being a smooth politician?

For more opinions on McCain's move to ditch his campaign, go to Kevin Tracy.

OneMom also has an interesting post about Ron Paul's opinion on the bailouts. And as an aside, Ron Paul recently endorsed Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin for President.

Down with Church 501(c)(3)'s

A friend e-mailed me a great OneNewsNow.com article about the dangers of congregations being uder the authority of the government via 501(c)(3)'s. Here are some of my favorite clips, but I encourage you to read the whole thing.

"We haven't gotten political as Evangelicals," he asserts. "What has taken place is, the government knows [that] if it makes something political that the church will step out -- and that is exactly what has taken place. They are hijacking our moral issues and then telling us to be quiet about it ... and that isn't going to work."

The Seattle-area pastor believes the best thing that could happen to churches would be to lose the 501(c)3 tax-exempt status that liberal activists currently use to threaten pastors who might speak out on moral issues in the political realm. Then, perhaps, churches would "find [their] backbone again," Hutcherson says.

"The government did not give us our 501(c)3 because they like us," he shares. "The government gave us our 501(c)3 so they could control us."

This is one of the reasons I support the Fair Tax; it would do away with 501(c)(3)'s.

Differences Between Huckabee and McCain

K Street Mole has a great post about the two remaining candidates. Here is one difference I hadn't thought of.

Supply side tax cuts: McCain doesn't believe that lowering taxes helps the economy and ultimately boosts government revenue (opposed the Bush tax cuts); Huckabee supports pro-growth tax-cutting policies, recognizing they make the U.S. economy more competitive internationally and help create jobs.

I encourage you to go read the rest of it yourself.

Update:
I just got the FRC voter guide. Here are the differences between Mike Huckabee and John McCain according to them.

Bioethics/Stem Cells and Embryos
Mike Huckabee would not permit federal funds to be used for leftover embryos derived from in vitro fertilization or embryo destruction research. John McCain would.

Mike Huckabee would support a federal law prohibiting states from engaging in research in which a human embryo is destroyed. John McCain ?

Promoting Stronger Marriages
Mike Huckabee would support a U. S. constitutional amendment to define and Protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman. John McCain would not.

General Issues
Mike Huckabee supports legislative initiatives that emphasize border secutity. John McCain does not.

Mitt Romney Suspends Campaign

Mitt Romney has suspended his campaign as of today. To all of his supporters, I have a few words. If you are pro-life, consider Mike Huckabee. He is in favor of a national Human Life Amendment. His record as governor is 100% pro-life. In fact he was just endorsed by Kansas for Life. If you are pro-marriage, consider Mike Huckabee. He has been married one woman and plans to stay that way for life. He is no friend to the homosexual activists. If you are pro-second amendment, consider Mike Huckabee. He was the first governor to have a concealed handgun permit. He has been praised by the Gun Owners of America. If you are concerned about illegal immigration, consider Mike Huckabee. He has a 9 point plan including building a fence and has signed a no amnesty pledge. If you are concerned about taxes, consider Mike Huckabee. He supports the FairTax. He cut taxes 90+ times as governor.

HUCKABEE GRASSROOTS TO ROMNEY SUPPORTERS: GIVE MIKE ANOTHER LOOK

Huck's Army troops: Huckabee's conservative credentials are realMcCain will struggle to beat Hillary or Obama in the South -- Huckabee won't

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The 17,000 grassroots "troops" of HucksArmy.com are encouraging Gov. Mitt Romney supporters to take another look at Huckabee. They have set up a welcome and question and answer forum at http://forum.hucksarmy.com where Romney and Huckabee supporters can interact."Although many have been misinformed, we really believe that Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney have similar credentials and conservative positions," said Lucas Roebuck, Public Affairs Officer for HucksArmy.com.

NO TAX INCREASES: Both Huckabee and Romney signed the Americans for Tax Reform Taxpayer Protection Pledge. John McCain has not signed the pledge (atr.org).

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE: Both Huckabee and Romney have said energy independence is vital for American security and would make it a top priority of the administration.GUBERNATORIAL

EXPERIENCE: Both Huckabee and Romney believe that the experience of being governor is most beneficial when preparing for the presidency. Romney was governor for a term in Massachusetts; Huckabee was governor of Arkansas for over a decade.

SECURE THE BORDER NOW: Both Huckabee and Romney opposed amnesty. Both support getting the Mexican/American border fence done in the first months of the next president's term.

SANCTITY OF LIFE: "We must promote a culture of life," said Romney. No candidate has done more to promote life than Mike Huckabee, according to the National Right to Life PAC.Huckabee supporters also believe Huckabee is the most electable GOP candidate at this point. "Republicans don't win if they don't carry the south," Roebuck said. "McCain may be polling well in national polls, but how will he do against an Obama or Clinton in the critical Southern states? Both Barack and Hillary have a unique appeal to the South that only Huckabee can negate."If Obama is the candidate, Huckabee's oratory excellence will be critical in national Republican debates."Huckabee is clearly the best GOP debater," Roebuck said. "He's the one who will be able to face down the siren rhetoric of Obama in the general election."

About HucksArmy.comWith core values of faith, family and freedom, HucksArmy.com is an online grassroots movement not owned or operated by any candidate or political campaign. With more than 17,000 recruits, HucksArmy.com is dedicated to mobilize support for candidates who honor God and country.

Social Conservatives Taking a Stand with Huckabee

The Republican establishment has looked down its nose at social conservatives far too long, tolerating us because they need our votes. But now the tables are turned. The grass roots are looking up at the establishment with the will of a Lech Walesa, demanding that fiscal issues take a back seat to moral issues for a change. It’s long past time for the moral and social issues of our times to be given more than just lip service. It’s now time for our fiscal policies to be informed by our social policies rather than sacrificing our morality to our economic standing in the world.

This is a quote from an article by Paul Edwards. I personally will always vote moral issues first. I am a fiscal conservative, too (and think Huckabee is based on his stance on the Fair Tax, cutting taxes, in Arkansas, etc.), but that will always take a back seat to a baby's right to live, protecting marriage as between a man and a woman for life, government backing abstinence education, etc. By the way, Dick Morris agrees with me that Huckabee is a fiscal conservative.

In Arkansas, the income tax when he took office was 1 percent for the poorest taxpayers and 7 percent for the richest, exactly where it stood when he left the statehouse 11 years later. But, in the interim, he doubled the standard deduction and the child care credit, repealed capital gains taxes for home sales, lowered the capital gains rate, expanded the homestead exemption and set up tax-free savings accounts for medical care and college tuition.

Most impressively, when he had to pass an income tax surcharge amid the drop in revenues after Sept. 11, 2001, he repealed it three years later when he didn’t need it any longer.

He raised the sales tax one cent in 11 years and did that only after the courts ordered him to do so. (He also got voter approval for a one-eighth-of-one-cent hike for parks and recreation.)

He wants to repeal the income tax, abolish the IRS and institute a “fair tax” based on consumption, and opposes any tax increase for Social Security.

And he can win in Iowa.

When voters who have decided not to back Rudy Giuliani because of his social positions consider the contest between Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee, they will have no difficulty choosing between a real social conservative and an ersatz one.

Romney, who began as a pro-lifer and switched in order to win in Massachusetts, and then flipped back again, cannot compete with a lifelong pro-lifer, Huckabee.

Huckabee Blogger Conference Call

It was great to get to be in the conference call today with other Huckabee bloggers. Gov. Huckabee opened up by thanking the bloggers for keeping to the truth and facts and setting detractors straight. He also mentioned an article by a non-supporter saying that http://www.mikehuckabee.com/ was a very effective, honest website. He thanked everyone for helpful suggestions such as PayPal and the ticker still being available.

The first question went to Kerry at One Mom. She asked about a 1999 bill that some critics say restricted homeschooling in AR. It was signed by Gov. Huckabee. Gov. Huckabee said that law was proposed by a homeschool parent in response to the legislature wanting to pass a bill that would have required lots of hurdles for homeschoolers. It was supported by the homeschool community in Arkansas. She has a much better summary her question here.

Michigan Redneck asked how the Fair Tax would affect hotel taxes. Gov. Huckabee said that hotel chains have corporate taxes to deal with now that are passed on to the customer via rates. Those would be removed and replaced with the consumption tax. He said that there was to be a second FairTax book coming out soon that would answer a lot more questions.

O Baby That's What I Like asked about preparedness for the web traffic that will be coming after a win in Iowa. Gov. Huckabee said that there were measures in the works and that the servers had been upgraded several times already. He also mentioned that there had been some hacker attacks on their servers which had be thwarted.

My question was next. I asked if Gov. Huckabee had heard of the movement to make a Constitutional Amendment to protect parent rights. He said that he was not aware of it, but would look into it. He also stated that he was definitely against the UN Rights of the Child Convention.

Bob Morrison asked if Gov. Huckabee planned to talk more about education on the campaign trail. Gov. Huckabee said that he does in person and has not been afforded the chance in any televised debate. He is hoping to get a chance to talk about education on the YouTube debate in Florida this Wednesday.

Jeff Fresno asked what the governor's strategy was for Michigan now that it is officially second in the nation primary. Gov. Huckabee said that the media darlings are still Iowa, NH, and SC because they are traditional. Therefor the campaign plans to spend a lot more time there than in Michigan. He is hoping that a strong grass roots organization will give him a boost in Michigan.

Give Hope Another Chance asked about the immigrant kids scholarship thing. Gov. Huckabee reiterated that it was for kids that had gone through at least gone through high school in AR, had a 3.2 or higher GPA, were citizens or were in the process, and were drug and alcohol free.

Michael from the Gazette said that some say Mike Huckabee is to much of a populist. Gov. Huckabee responded that he has not made money on being an insider on Wall Street or K Street. He said that he is for a strong country that has fairer, lower taxes and an economy that looks out for the little guys and the big guys.

Brooklyn Blessings said that she works with lots of Russian Jewish legal immigrants. Many of them feel discarded because of all of this anti-illegal immigrant talk. Gov. Huckabee said that he is all for legal immigration and thinks that there should be a more orderly system for those that want to immigrate legally. He also said that wanted our country to welcome immigrants and uphold the laws and secure the border. These ideas are not in opposition to one another.

Nathan Dunn suggested that a Club for Growth response be added to the truth squad page. He wanted to know what type of questions Gov. Huckabee is looking forward to at the YouTube debate on Wednesday. Gov. Huckabee said that he hoped they had more health care, education, and energy independence questions. He also said that the truth squad page was at high priority status and there would soon be new articles.

Well, that's my summary. I hope you enjoyed it.

Freedom of Religion and the Fair Tax

One of the reasons I support the Fair Tax is that it will remove gag on clergy, pastors, elders, etc. speaking out about candidates and politics in general. How will it do that? There will no longer be 501(c)(3)'s. The Fair Tax rips out the IRS code by the roots and along with it the 501(c)(3)s. There will be no IRS to check up on whether a church is "propagandizing". I think that churches, pastors, preachers, elders, deacons, and everyone is entitled to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. In fact churches were only added to section 501(c)(3) because LBJ got tired of getting blasted from the pulpit. So in 1954, churches were offered the "benefit" of becoming a 501(c)(3) even though they were (and still are) automatically tax exempt and tax deductible. To read how this code is terrible for churches and the Church at large, click here.

There are many other reasons to be in favor of the Fair Tax, but this one is near to my heart. I think that the Church (as congregations and as individuals) need to be on the front lines of expanding the Kindgom of God. Part of that means taking part in the culture war that is exploding around us.