Category: What’s Up!

Hypocrisy is defined as the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, ideals, thoughts, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have.  In other words, hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie.

During the recent Republican debates, there seemed to be unanimous agreement that the President’s stimulus package was a massive waste of taxpayer dollars while some were campaigning at businesses that benefited from stimulus funds.   Gov. Rick Perry said at the recent Tea Party Debate that the President “had $800 billion worth of stimulus in the first round of stimulus. It created zero jobs. Four-hundred-plus billion in this package (The American Jobs Act), and I can do the math on that one. Half of zero jobs is going to be zero jobs.”  However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus bill, “increased the number of people employed by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million” in the second quarter of 2010 alone. The Budget Office also states that well over half a million jobs were funded in each of the other three quarters of 2010.

In his book, Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America From Washington, Perry wrote: “We are fed up with bailout after bailout and stimulus plan after stimulus plan, each one of which tosses principle out the window along with taxpayer money”  In fact, Perry once made headlines by refusing $556 million in stimulus funds for his state’s unemployment insurance program.  But since February 2009, Texas government agencies and businesses have received more than $17 billion from the recovery act.  With only one exception, that’s more than any state in the union.  Hypocrisy at its finest, but it gets better.

Mill Romney recently told supporters, “he (Obama) came into office and said, ‘Oh I know how to create jobs, I’ll spend billions and billions, trillions of dollars.”  But Romney made at least two campaign appearances this past summer with stimulus beneficiaries.  For example, he spoke at a manufacturing plant run by Screen Machine Industries, Inc. where he and Bernard Cohen, the owner of Screen Machine Industries, bashed President Obama saying, “I think Obama doesn’t understand business and he’s hurting us.”  However, neither Romney nor Cohen ever mentioned that Screen Machine Industries received four different stimulus contracts from the Department of Veterans Affairs totaling more than $218,000.  In addition, Romney campaigned at the Iowa-based Vermeer Corporation which benefited from nearly $200,000 in stimulus funds.

Do you remember Republican Rep. Joe Wilson who became famous after yelling, “You lie,” during President Obama’s address to Congress, voted against the stimulus. Nonetheless, Wilson strong-armed his way into the battle for stimulus funds in a letter on behalf of a foundation seeking funding.

“We know their endeavor will provide jobs and investment in one of the poorer sections of the Congressional District,” he wrote Agriculture Secretary Vilsack.

“Congressman Wilson’s position on the stimulus bill is consistent,” said spokeswoman Pepper Pennington. She said Mr. Wilson opposed the stimulus as a “misguided spending bill,” but once it passed, he wanted to make sure South Carolina residents “receive their share of the pie.”  The hypocrisy continues:

Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah, another stimulus basher, also wrote to Secretary Vilsack seeking stimulus cash.  Bennett’s justification was that the stimulus would do what the Obama administration said it would.  As the Times reported:

“On Feb. 13, 2009, Sen. Robert F. Bennett, Utah Republican, issued a statement criticizing the stimulus–but two days earlier he privately forwarded to Mr. Vilsack a list of projects seeking stimulus money.  “I believe the addition of federal funds to these projects would maximize the simulative effect of these projects on the local economy,” he wrote.

Of course, the most out-spoken critic and vitriol head “stimulus basher” is Michelle Bachman.  Bachmann has repeatedly petitioned the Obama administration to send federal dollars — including stimulus funds — to her district.  “I voted against the stimulus and I was very public against the stimulus,” Bachmann, leader of the Congressional Tea Party Caucus, recently said on Fox News Sunday. “After the stimulus was passed and the money was there, why should my constituents or anyone else be disadvantaged?”  Does she have any principles whatsoever?

On at least 16 separate occasions, Bachmann petitioned the federal government for direct financial help or aid. A large chunk of those requests were for stimulus funds which Bachmann once labeled “fantasy economics.” Bachmann also made two more requests for stimulus funds to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an institution that she would eliminate if elected President.

Bachmann’s consistent hypocrisy further underscores what her critics describe as “a glaring distance between her campaign oratory and her actual conduct as a lawmaker.”  Combined with previous evidence that Bachmann personally relied on a federally subsidized home loan while her husband’s business benefited from Medicaid payments, it appears that one of the Tea Party’s most cherished members has demonstrated that the government does, in fact, play a useful — at least in her life and district.

For example, just a few weeks before Bachmann called for dismantling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during a House Financial Services Committee hearing, she and her husband signed for a $417,000 home loan backed by Fannie or Freddie to help finance their move to a 5,200-square-foot golf-course home.  Seeing problems with these Government run programs hasn’t stopped members of Congress as well as the public from taking advantage of the lower interest rates due to government backing.

PART II ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

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Most Americans seemed to understand that the President stepped into an economic and deep recession crisis that this country had not experienced since the great depression in the 1930’s.  Middle class Americans have been under attack for decades and people currently living in poverty are at the highest it’s ever been over the past few years.  To recover from this economic crisis, the economy must be rebuilt in a fair and effective way.  The first step in rebuilding our fractured economy has to begin with getting people back to work while simultaneously implementing an infrastructure to sustain ongoing growth.  To create jobs, the President recently submitted the American Jobs Act which he outlined before the American people in a Joint Session of Congress. According to the President, the purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: put more people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans. And it would do so without adding a dime to the deficit.  The following is a brief synopsis of a few of the Bill’s provisions:

1.Tax Cuts to Help America’s Small Businesses Hire and Grow

The President’s plan will cut in half the taxes paid by businesses on their first $5 million in payroll, targeting the benefit to the 98 percent of firms that have payroll below this threshold.

The President’s plan will completely eliminate payroll taxes for firms that increase their payroll by adding new workers or increasing the wages of their current worker (the benefit is capped at the first $50 million in payroll increases).

2. Putting Workers Back on the Job While Rebuilding and Modernizing America

This provides tax credits from $5,600 to $9,600 to encourage the hiring of unemployed veterans.

Preventing up to 280,000 teacher layoffs, while keeping cops and firefighters on the job.

Modernizing at least 35,000 public schools across the country, supporting new science labs, Internet-ready classrooms and renovations at schools across the country, in rural and urban areas.

3. Pathways Back to Work for Americans Looking for Jobs.

As part of an extension of unemployment insurance to prevent 5 million Americans looking for work from losing their benefits, the President’s plan includes innovative work-based reforms to prevent layoffs and give states greater flexibility to use Unemployment Insurance funds to best support job-seekers, including: (1) Work-Sharing; (2) Unemployment Insurance for workers whose employers choose work-sharing over layoffs; (3) The plan builds on and improves innovative state programs where those displaced take temporary, voluntary work or pursue on-the-job training; (4) States will also be empowered to implement wage insurance to help reemploy older workers and programs that make it easier for unemployed workers to start their own businesses; (5) A$4,000 tax credit to employers for hiring long-term unemployed workers; (6) Prohibiting employers from discriminating against unemployed workers when hiring; and (7) Expanding job opportunities for low-income youth and adults through a fund for successful approaches for subsidized employment, innovative training programs and summer/year-round jobs for youth.

4. Tax Relief for Every American Worker and Family

The President’s plan will expand the payroll tax cut passed last year to cut workers payroll taxes in half in 2012 – providing a $1,500 tax cut to the typical American family, without negatively impacting the Social Security Trust Fund.  The plan also allows more Americans to refinance their mortgages at todays near 4 percent interest rates, which can put more than $2,000 a year in a family’s pocket.

To ensure that the American Jobs Act is fully paid for, the President has called on the Joint Committee to come up with additional deficit reduction necessary to pay for the Act and still meet its deficit target.  The estimated cost of the Bill is 447 Billion Dollars.  Here is a link for a more detailed description of the Bill http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/08/fact-sheet-american-jobs-act

I believe that most logical and rational individuals would conclude that this Bill seems like an excellent start in resolving our economic dilemma.  But even though most if not all of the Bill’s provisions received past support of the Republicans, apparently nobody informed Tea Party Republican Rep. Louis Gohmert of Texas who doesn’t like any parts of the bill especially the part dealing with the unemployed.  “We’re adding in this bill a new protected class called ‘unemployed,’” Gohmert said on the floor of the House.”I think this will help trial lawyers who are not having enough work. We heard from our friends across the aisle, 14 million people out of work — that’s 14 million new clients.”  The President’s Jobs Bill has a section that would prohibit employers from not hiring someone just because they are jobless.  According to the National Employment Law Project, Gohmert is incorrect: The proposal would not make employment status a protected class like race or sex. It simply bans hiring discrimination against the jobless, and is modeled off of legislation drafted by Democrats in Congress earlier this year.  Gohmert is just another irrational and illogical Republican making up his own “facts”.

As a further element of disrespect, on September 15, 2001, Gohmert introduced his own bill and named it, “The American’s Job Act,” that’s right, the same name as the President’s bill.  Of course, Gohmert’s bill contains only two (2) pages (unlike the 155 pages of the President’s bill), and will accomplish one thing: eliminate the corporate tax.  Seems to me like further confirmation that the Tea Party Republicans do not care about middle-class America.  Ironically,  most of the Tea Party crew are probably part of the middle class.

It is difficult for many logical and rational people to understand why there is so much obstruction within the Republican Party when our country is in economic ruins and its members, especially the Tea Party, don’t seem to care about the American people.  When we send money abroad to help people in other countries, they call that Foreign Aid, but when we try to help our own people, Republicans call it Socialism.  If the Republicans gain control in 2012, their policies will undoubtedly set this country back at least 50 years.  All of the Republican Presidential candidates are consistent in: privatizing Social Security, eliminating Medicare, cutting taxes on the rich, abolishing the Health Care law, and passing the Ryan Budget plan.  If that happens, we can only blame ourselves.

Will the House pass the President’s Jobs Bill or portions of it, probably not as long as the Tea Party is in control unless the American people rally and put the pressure on their congressional leaders!  Government should be by the people, for the people and of the people, not by the Republicans, for the Republicans and of the Republicans.  That’s just my take.

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Well it’s Sunday once again and I decided to tackle a controversial subject among church leaders as well as parishioners on women in ministry.  Because of the in-depth research required and Biblical support, this entire session will be written in four (4) parts that will be posted on as many Sundays.

A few years ago, the African Methodist Episcopal Church elected Vashti McKenzie as the first women Bishop.  Over the years, I have come to realize that some pastors and Bishops do not allow women to even come into their pulpit let alone to preach.  I believe that God can call whomever He chooses, and if He can call 12-year old Samuel and 16-year old David to His service, He can surely call, appoint and anoint women in ministry.  First, I want to make a general statement:  The Bible cannot be read like a novel or storybook and we must view scripture in context and consider—what is being said, by whom, to whom, and in what context.  I also believe that some who may be reading this blog will strongly disagree with me but they can discuss their views in their blogs.  To understand God’s intentions, we must go back to the very beginning of creation to understand His original purpose for both man and woman.  But before we make that journey, however, we should lay the proper foundation and answer the last question first – Can we rely on what the Bible tells us?

LAYING A BIBLICAL FOUNDATION (KJV)

2 Timothy 3:16, 17 – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:  That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  The Apostle Paul wrote to his student Timothy that all Scripture was given by inspiration of God.

2 Peter 1:20, 21 – “Knowing this first, that no prophesy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” So, according to Peter, holy men composed the books of the Bible as they were “moved” by the Holy Spirit.

Based on 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, and 2 Peter 1:20,21, what do we know about the Bible?

• The Word of God;
• God inspired;
• Written by Holy Men;
• Profitable (or valuable) for doctrine (principles/guidelines);
• Profitable for reproof (scolding or telling people when they are wrong);
• For instruction in righteousness; and
• For correction.

We also know that the Bible is divided into two parts – Old Testament consisting of 39 books, and the New Testament consisting of 27 Books.

A covenant is a “contract.”  The books of the Bible are divided according to two blood covenants or contracts: old and new.

The Old Covenant was between God and Abraham (Genesis 15) and covered Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob.

The New Covenant was with Jesus as both parties, God and man; the sacrifice and the mediator  (As you may know, a mediator is someone like an attorney who works out the clauses to a contract with both parties)  and ratified by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 8:6-13), and extending God’s plan for reconciling man to himself to cover all races, nations and cultures (Galatians 3:23-29).

“Testament” or “covenant” also can mean what we today call a will—a last will and testament.  So in that sense, the new covenant is the spiritual way in which Jesus is willed the entire blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:14) to those who become born again under the new covenant and are also children of Abraham (Galatians 3:7).  In addition, He willed to us redemption for our Adamic sin natures that enables us to become new creatures of creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and have eternal life with God, the Father.

With Abraham, God “cut” a blood covenant to cover Abraham and his descendants until Jesus would come (Genesis 15:7-21). The Ten (10) Commandments and the other health, civil, and religious laws that were given to Israel some 400 years after the Abrahamic covenant spelled out certain principles God laid down for them to live by and by which the Israelites were to obey because of the covenant.  This became known as “the Law.”  The Law was God’s written word for that period and the standard by which man lived in order to receive the blessings or curses of the covenant. In any covenant, there are “assets” or good things that go with keeping it.  Breaking a covenant or contract, on the other hand, means trouble, which in Biblical terms means receiving curses (Romans 2:15).  Under the New Covenant, the Law or God’s standards are “written in our hearts” which means we have the Holy Spirit within us to remind us of right or wrong.  This is called “living under grace.”

Some critics of the Bible say it is simply a collection of man’s writings.  Others believe it is a great “literary masterpiece” but not the “Word of God.”  Those are the people who do not believe there is a God.  Others believe God’s Word is in the Bible but that the entire Bible is not God’s Words.  However, scholars have proven that the Bible is accurate in its depiction of historical events that have been documented elsewhere, so the rest of it should be considered true as well, in spite of the critics.  On the other hand, even if none of the Bible had any secular evidence, we still should believe it rather than the world’s knowledge, because it is the Word of God and is reliable. (2 Timothy 3:16,17 – “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

So now that I have laid a foundation in establishing that we can rely on the Bible because it is the Word of God, we can now proceed with answering our main question: What Does The Bible Say About Women in Ministry.”

 PART II NEXT SUNDAY

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