Its All About Marketing….

Like other Republicans who have advocated a ‘bigger-tent’ philosophy for their party, US Senator Rand Paul says this doesn’t mean leaving behind strongly held principles Source: Rand Paul: ‘When Republican Party looks like the rest of America, we’ll win’ (+video) – CSMonitor.com. As any Madison Avenue type and he will tell you it is all about marketing. In other words you must show the masses what they want or what you want them to believe; they don’t have a clue themselves. I must admit that if you ignore much of Rand Paul’s libertarian philosophies about shutting down government he says things that … Continue reading Its All About Marketing….

Republicans And Democrats – A Definition

  “You see a Republican moves slowly. They are what we call conservatives. A conservative is a man who has plenty of money and doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t always have plenty of money. A Democrat is a fellow who never had any, but doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t have some.” – Will Rogers, 26 March 1933 Will certainly had it right about things of politics in his day and it is almost weird that the same hold true eighty years later.  The rich continue to get richer and the poor are almost exponentially increase month … Continue reading Republicans And Democrats – A Definition

A Little Vanity Goes A Long Way….

You’re so vain I bet you think this song is about you, don’t you?   This quote came from a song by Carly Simon in 1972.  I don’t think of myself as being very vain, but aren’t we all vain to one degree or another?  What is vanity? According to one dictionary I have it is:  characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance. All of us take pride in our accomplishments and rightfully so but when that we get carried away with it then it becomes a problem.  An excessive degree of vanity some say is the … Continue reading A Little Vanity Goes A Long Way….

We Are Just Cheap…

  We are a nation who puts top priority on everything being cheap. No, that doesn’t apply to our military. We throw so much money into our war machines their top priority has to be figuring out how to spend it all. But since there are so many outstretched hands  wanting to relieve us of our hard-paid tax dollars  that even ends up not a big problem. Getting back to the topic at hand. Among our European neighbors we in the U.S. are mostly known for the shabby goods we readily accept.  Don’t get me wrong, we know quality when … Continue reading We Are Just Cheap…

Red Letter Christians..

While I am on hiatus I highly recommend that you go over to RedLetterChristians for your daily dose of living Christ’s words in your life. I think my blog here actually precedes them but being a considerably size org they do a much better job than I ever could. Click on the logo above to go there. They ask for a donation but it is absolutely not needed to get onto their frequent posts. It is inspiring to see all the examples of those who read Christ’s words and actually take them to heart.  When I come back here I … Continue reading Red Letter Christians..

Being Contented…..

“If we only stopped to realize that it is really, after all, the little things that count, why, we would be a wiser and more contented race.” – Will Rogers, 18 November 1923 I hear your words Will but I have trouble putting them into practice.  I know that life is the little things that happen while we are waiting for something else. I try to sit back and enjoy the “simple” things but somehow that eludes me. I promise to, like you did in the photo to the right, just sit back and rock away some today and to … Continue reading Being Contented…..

The Me Generation….

The incidence of narcissistic personality disorder is nearly three times as high for people in their 20s as for the generation that’s now 65 or older, according to the National Institutes of Health; 58% more college students scored higher on a narcissism scale in 2009 than in 1982. Millennials got so many participation trophies growing up that a recent study showed that 40% believe they should be promoted every two years, regardless of performance They are fame-obsessed: three times as many middle school girls want to grow up to be a personal assistant to a famous person as want to … Continue reading The Me Generation….

China’s Place in the World….

Three years ago, Liu wrote a best-selling book called China Dream: Great Power Thinking and Strategic Positioning of China in the Post-American Age. In his hawkish tome, Liu explained that China needed a strong, martial leader and offered advice for his resurgent nation: “When China is threatened, it has no choice but to use war to protect its right to rise, to break through America’s military containment.”….. A nation that half a century ago counted Albania as one of its few trading partners is now the world’s second largest economy–and could eclipse the U.S. as the biggest within five years. … Continue reading China’s Place in the World….

It’s Time For You To Leave…..

  Two members of the liberal group Progress Kentucky have been identified as the secret recorders of a strategy session for the reelection campaign of Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the top Republican in the Senate. The Feb. 2 audio recording, which was leaked to Mother Jones magazine and posted online Tuesday, revealed plans by the McConnell campaign to go after actress Ashley Judd over her mental health struggles and religious views, had she decided to run against Senator McConnell. Ms. Judd has since decided not to run. Source: McConnell secret tape: Liberal group blamed, but Ashley Judd still an issue … Continue reading It’s Time For You To Leave…..

Nonprofit hospital makes billions…

America’s hospitals have been growing. The bigger they get, the more power they have — to set prices and force insurers to pay more. Patients foot the bill via higher premiums, copays, and deductibles. It’s one factor behind the nation’s increasing health care costs…. According to an audited financial statement, UPMC made $948 million in profits from 2011-2012. And while tax returns show it spends just two percent of its yearly budget on charity care…. Jeffrey Romoff, makes almost $6 million a year. That makes him the highest paid CEO of any large nonprofit hospital in the U.S., according to … Continue reading Nonprofit hospital makes billions…

Just What Is Boredom….

I seem to talk about boredom pretty frequently on this blog but I have never tried to specify just what that means to me. So let’s do a little of that for this post.  As usual we will go to Wikipedia; here are some bits and pieces: Boredom is an emotional state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do… The first recorded use of the word boredom is in the novel Bleak House by Charles Dickens, written in 1852 There are three types of boredom, all of which involve problems of engagement of attention. These include times when we are prevented from engaging in … Continue reading Just What Is Boredom….

A Bored Mind Is A Moody Mind….

The title of this post is a quote from a not very famous person but it has some deep meaning for me. Actually it is something I wrote in my personal journal about a year ago. :)  I often times like to look back to what I wrote about the previous year just to compare to where I am now. Last year I was just getting over some rather troubled times. I often wonder if I am living my life as fully and fruitfully as I desire. The feeling of a lack of personal accomplishment often drives me to various … Continue reading A Bored Mind Is A Moody Mind….

Mislabeling the Word of God – Red Letter Christians

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” – John 1:1, ESV The Bible is not the “Word of God.” It is inspired by the Holy Spirit. It contains words of God. It even talks about the Word of God… but it is still not THE Word of God. The Word of God is actually Jesus Christ. Not the words of Jesus, but Christ himself. This little misunderstanding has created a whole heap of confusion about the point Christianity and how we are to use Scripture in our lives. While I … Continue reading Mislabeling the Word of God – Red Letter Christians

Authorization for Use of Military Force: a blank check for war….

A handful of Democratic and Republican senators are considering a rewrite of 60 of the most consequential words to ever pass through Congress. The Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), passed after the attacks of 11 September 2001, and provides the legal cornerstone for the so-called US “war on terror”. Only one brave Congress member opposed it. It allows the US government to wage war at anytime, any place and on anyone deemed a threat to national security – with remarkably little evidence needed. via Authorization for Use of Military Force: a blank check for war without end | … Continue reading Authorization for Use of Military Force: a blank check for war….