Links of the Day

This is a heartbreaking story. For anyone who has been a parent you have to know the pain that Ms. Granju is experiencing. Make sure and read the first post and then all of the subsequent posts. I found them all to be quite compelling.

I am always looking for good articles to read on relationships and these two caught my attention (see here and here). I have been a fan of Dennis Prager since my days listening to him on KABC Radio in Los Angeles back in the early 80s. I believe he is on the mark with his assessment about what (most) men and women want from their relationships. Read both articles and tell me what you think?

This is a great article on ways to save money. It has been my observation that people with money are generally that way because they practice good money management. Number 21 in the article is an issue for me that I am trying to work on, but with a busy life and two older daughters at home with busy lives of their own, I find myself quite often eating alone. It's no fun cooking for one.

Links of the Day

This commentary on the battle over collective-bargaining rights for public sector Unions makes some very good points that may be missed because of all the rhetoric.

First, there is a major difference between private sector unions and those in the public sector.

Public employee unions are unlike private sector unions. In the private sector some of the interests of employees and employers aren't aligned. Employers want to keep costs low; but employees want to maximize their pay and benefits, thus raising costs to employers. In order to strengthen their hand, employees unite to collectively bargain over wages and benefits.

Now consider the case of public sector unions. Public sector employees want to maximize their wages and benefits, too. But unlike their private sector counterparts, they have a very big role to play in choosing the employers on the other side of the negotiating table. They do this by taking funds earned through collective bargaining and sending them right back to the people they bargain with in the form of political contributions. If that sounds like a rigged system; well, that's because it is.

Second, there is a reason that labor leaders and politicians from both parties in the past opposed collective- bargaining for public employees. They saw the inherent conflict of interest that it created.

Third, it is the system that is "rotten" not the employees. Most public servants (yours truly included) are wonderful people that do take pride in their public service. However, the system has created an us verses them mentality that has become very counterproductive. There is also a great deal at stake for those in union leadership. The union movement (especially public sector unions) have ironically become big business, as this article makes clear. 

Finally, something has to give, we cannot continue on as we are. Painful decisions are going to have to be made, sacrifice is needed by all, not just public employees, but benefit recipients, politicians, corporations and even taxpayers.

Speaking of sacrifice, here is a good place to start. That $430 million could be used to get the ball rolling...

Who is surprised by this?

Even still, it’s enough for the government watchdog to warn that Medicare suffers from “pervasive internal control deficiencies.” Consequently, the GAO has dubbed Medicare a “high risk” program “because its complexity and susceptibility to improper payments, combined with its size, have led to serious management challenges.”

I am sure you can't wait for all of those "cost savings" when ObamaCare takes effect! (sarcasm alert)

This is no contest. I love this line: "Allowing individuals the chance to better their condition is a legitimate moral claim that citizens demand of government. Government’s goal should be to ensure equality of opportunity instead of equality of outcome; to work toward a society where everyone has a fair shot rather than one where government enforces equality." Amen!

Speaking of no contest...I always appreciate a good smackdown of Paul Krugman. For those who do not know, Krugman is a Nobel winning N.Y. Times Columnist/Economist. He has increasingly become shrill in his columns as it has become apparent that his beloved Keynesian model of economics is unworkable. Interestingly enough, Krugman believes that the reason the Obama stimulus didn't work is because it wasn't big enough!

Links of the Day

It's all about the narrative. My liberal friends scoff at the idea of media bias...but it is there in plain sight if you just look, but alas, you can't see what you don't want to see. My friend Nick posted some Pew research poll (I think that is what it was) claiming that there is no media bias. However, as I always like to point out, the media demonstrates their bias not only in what they do say and show, but also in what they DO NOT say and show, as is the case here.

Here's a good link on the benefits of tax competition between states...make sure and watch the video.

Compare that with this article by Michael Kinsley. I am a big believer in the concept of incentives...but when government gets involved there is always the danger that a tax credit aimed at a specific industry can develop into crony capitalism and lead to corruption.

As I have grown older, I have become more and more libertarian in my political philosophy. I believe that freedom to live our lives as we see fit is our fundamental right and anytime the government seeks to infringe on that right we are all in danger. I want the government to do what it was established to do and otherwise stay out of my life! I agree with this decision, as painful as it is for that soldiers family. If one individual loses their right to say what they want to, then we are all in danger of losing that right. Let me be clear, I DESPISE the people of Westboro Baptist Church. They are legalistic, hypocrites who have no idea what it means to be Christian. They are like the scribes and Pharisees that Jesus rebuked in Matthew 23. Ironically, while they condemn individuals to hell, they themselves are on straight path to that location!

As I stated above, I have become much more libertarian in my political views. There are however, a few reasons why I have not been able to go all the way as a Libertarian. One of those issues has to do with the so called war on drugs. As a Pastor, I have seen the great damage that illegal drugs like meth and crack have had on individuals and families. It is a devastating thing to know someone that is addicted and to witness the pain that it causes. Having said that, I think that there are also some very good arguments for legalizing drugs as well. Watch the video at the link and tell me what you think?

What does this say about our country?

How's that hope and change working out for you?

Links of the Day

I have been very neglectful in posting lately but I have been rather busy with my new job, school, parenting and life in general. I have several longer posts I have been working on, and hope to have them out soon…until then I thought I would start sharing some of my favorite articles from my internet reading during the day. So here are the links of the day.

With all the focus on Wisconsin and the battle over collective bargaining for government workers, here’s a good primer on government unions.

The GAO released a report on government waste. One section that caught my attention reads:

The report touches agencies and programs across the federal government, from the Transportation Security Agency to homeless programs and domestic food assistance, and what emerges is a kind of bureaucratic morass where sometimes enough is not even known about federal programs to provide an accurate evaluation.

I always thought it was odd that instead of concentrating homeless services in one agency (HUD for example), they are are spread across several agencies that do not work together or even have the same information management systems.

Here's a good article discussing the law of unintended consequences with regard to government regulation. When it comes to government regulatory legislation there is almost always unintended consequences. I believe some regulation is necessary, but over reaction to problems in the market place is not usually the right response.

For those who don't think the "rich" pay their fair share of taxes here is a interesting read.

This article made me laugh! Those Wisconsin legislators that are on the run and hiding out (fondly referred to here as "Flee Baggers") are being hunted down by some very resourceful Tea Party members in the state of Illinois. 

It seems the religious right and the religious left want to claim Jesus for their side!

I always am interested in reading insightful articles on relationships. This paragraph caught my attention (mature content warning).

Far worse in the bait and switch category is women’s stated preference for nice guys and actual attraction to bad boys. Now, clearly this is not true for all women. Many, maybe even most, want a guy with the sweetness of a Jimmy Stewart and sensitivity of Ashley Wilkes. But enough of them are partial to the Charlie Sheens of this world that one popular dating guru, David DeAngleo, lists “Being Too Much of a Nice Guy” as No. 1 in his “Ten Most Dangerous Mistakes Men Make With Women.”

I do wonder sometimes if being a "nice guy" is worth it...it sure seems to be a hindrance to finding a good relationship. It has been my experience that women take your "nice guyness" as a sign of weakness and assume you are a door mat..Just Sayin...

One of the biggest lies in the media is that the Republicans are the party of the rich. When you look at how many Wall Street firms and wealthy, well connected individuals supported Obama and the Dems you will see that this is not true. They have their own share of fatcats.

Romantic Comedy Top-Ten List

I spent the weekend rewatching numerous romantic comedies so that I could compile a list of my favorites. Other than giving me something to write about, I thought it also might help me get into the Valentines Day spirit. WRONG! Mostly what it did is remind my of how pathetic my love life is. Nevertheless, I pushed through the pathetic state of being to create this list of my favorite romantic comedies. As a disclaimer I want to state that this is not a list of my favorite romantic movies, but only of what some call RomComs. For example, not on the list are some of my favorites like the Notebook, Casablanca, Ghost and Dirty Dancing just to name a few. So given that proviso, here is a list of my Top-Ten favorite romantic comedies in reverse order.

#10 - Hitch

Why I love this movie? Because the good guy gets the girl! It doesn't always work this way in real life...most women seem to like the "bad-boys"...but the Kevin James character is not a bad boy...he is a very nice, down to earth guy...and he gets the girl! Plus, where else can you learn about the 90% rule?

I'm still waiting to have that last first kiss!

Read more »

The Homeless Census

On any given night, America has more than 650,000 homeless people. During the course of a year, 1.6 million Americans will experience at least one episode of homelessness. We know these statistics because every two years the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires communities across the country to set aside a 24-hour period within the last 10 days of January to count the homeless.

The biennial Homeless Census is a point-in-time count that gives our community a snapshot of homelessness in our area. On January 26th and 27th, the Homeless Collaborative set out to count the homeless in Kern County. Over 180 volunteers from 40 different agencies were dispatched throughout the County's 8200 square miles to accomplish the task. Beginning with the shelter count on Wednesday night, teams of volunteers continued the next morning looking for individuals and families who spent the previous night on the street, or in a car, or in a park, or in an abandoned building or in any other place not meant for human habitation.

So why do we go to all this effort? For a number of reasons.

• It helps us to determine the extent of homelessness in our community
• It helps us to gather important demographic information regarding the homeless (how many women are homeless? Children? How many homeless Veterans do we have? etc.)
• It provides an opportunity for direct contact with this segment of the population
• It helps us to track trends and strategically plan to target specific services and housing opportunities for the homeless
• It positions us to apply for as much as $3.5 million annually in federal funding to provide new transitional and permanent supportive housing projects.

Read more »

Saving My Life

Growing up I never had an issue with my weight. In fact, I was always on the smallish-side in school. I used to HATE class pictures because I was one of the boys that would get put in the front row. In high school I wrestled at 102 lbs my freshman year, and 115 lbs as a Sophomore. In the summer between my sophomore and junior years I started working at Miner's Drive-In, and over the next few years I did gain about 25 lbs (free Miner Burgers, what can I say?). Still, my weight was normal for my age and height (I am currently 5'7"...and yes I seem to have actually shrunk an inch-and-a-half since high school!). Even when I went off to college, my weight was still where it was supposed to be. So what went wrong? When did the weight gain begin? One word: Marriage!

Now, I am NOT blaming my marriage for my weight gain, I am only saying that it is when my issues and struggles with my weight really began. Due to some very poor choices while at Bible College, of all places, (and that is a whole other blog post), I found myself newly married living in Anaheim, California working a swing shift job at Kwikset Lockset Co., trying to figure out how I was going to support my new bride and a baby on the way!

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Social Ministry and the Local Church Pt. 4

Public and Private Partnerships

In my final post on social ministry and the church I want to talk about public private partnerships in social work, specifically faith based agencies working in partnership with the government to help provide the safety net in our Country. For my previous posts on this issue see here, here, and here.

Before the mid 1990’s there was a real hesitancy among both the Christian community and the government to work together to help the poor and needy. Most concerns were over the so called issue of church/state separation. Unfortunately, this led to too many people falling through the cracks in the system. But things began to change, first with passage of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996 and then second, with the establishment of the White House Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives early in the Bush Administration. Much of the literature on public/private partnerships focus on these two important events.

Charitable Choice. According to Donaldson and Carlson-Thies, welfare reform did three things. It shifted the focus of administrating welfare monies to state and local authorities. No longer would the Federal Government decide what the local welfare needs of a given area were, instead that would be up to those who were closer to the actual needs. Second, the welfare emphasis changed from writing checks to helping people become more self-supportive. Third, the government was encouraged to form partnerships with private charities and businesses. The section on private public partnerships became known as “Charitable Choice” (Donaldson & Carlson-Thies, 2003, 44-45).

Read more »

A New Sermon Series

When I renewed my blog I stated that one of the reasons for blogging again was that I wanted a forum to share many of my old sermons to leave as a legacy for my family.

I have a second blog entitled The Approved Workman where many of my sermons have already been posted. I have decided to continue using that blog for all my sermons.

While reviewing that blog, I noticed that I have at least two sermon series that I previously started that I have not yet completed (Philippians and Joshua). As I have time, I will post the remaining sermons I have on those two books along with my new series I want to post on the book of James.

James has always been one of my favorite books of the Bible, especially because of its practical nature. It deals with many of the social issues that are still relevant for today. I realize many of you will not be interested in reading sermons, but I challenge you to do so and then to follow up with your own studies.

I have no claim to any special knowledge or spirituality. However, studying for these sermons was a blessing to me, I hope in turn they will be a blessing to you! I am just one sojourner on the road to understanding, I hope what I have learned will give you some light on your journey to the truth!

My introductory post can be found here.