Friday Free for All

How to live like a King in a world of Princesses. Avoid the princesses!

Nine beliefs of remarkably successful people. Hat Tip Nick

The Clinton Surplus myth. One of my friends on Facebook threw the "Clinton Surplus" out in a debate about the "terrible Republicans." I did not have time to argue and I did not want to violate my no politics on Facebook resolution. However, there is plenty of basic evidence that disproves this mainstream media myth. Additionally, during Clinton's "surplus" years the House and Senate were controlled by Republicans. Congress controls the purse strings. So if you are going to give Clinton credit, you have to give the Republican Congress credit as well. More accurately, both Clinton and the Republicans increased the National Deficit during Clinton's term. Additionally, both Bush and Obama have been irresponsible in their spending policies and Congress has as well, whether it is controlled by Republicans or Democrats. 

Who knew there were competing "Evil Overlord" lists? One appears to be based on James Bond Villains while the other has a Star Trek heritage. Both lists are funny.

What Facebook knows.

Boomers and their children and their money.

The next big legal battle with Obamacare.

The Bible and income inequality. I thought this was an excellent perspective that sometimes gets overlooked in the heated debate about the issue.

God addresses the topics of income and wealth as matters of personal virtue, not social morality. The only thing He explicitly says about other people's incomes and wealth is that we are not to covet them. Jesus goes further than that, implying in the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) that we have no business even noticing other people's incomes. In the parable, he specifically rebukes the human tendency to compare our wages with the wages of others. He does so, in fact, in the context of an expressly unequal situation in which some workers are paid the same amount for less work. Even in that case, according to the parable, we are not justified in making comparisons and drawing resentful conclusions.

I am often amazed at how many left-leaning Christians can be so quick to condemn greed, but fail to see the envy and covetousness that goes with their broad-brush condemnation of the wealthy.

That is manifestly His concern, too, regarding the attitude of the rich toward the poor (and, indeed, of the poor toward the rich). God is as concerned about the hearts of all people, including the rich, as He is about the material condition of the poor. The latter He can change at any time, without human assistance if He chooses; it's the former—the heart—that is His principal cooperative project with humankind. God is quite as serious about the poor not coveting what others have as He is about the rich not being hard-hearted and dismissive toward those in distress.

Why Christianity lost America. An enlightening, but sobering article.

The branding or perception of Christianity as a religion of faith, disconnected with truth, is tragic given the Judeo-Christian tradition is the only reason why any medieval, modern or postmodern person talks about "Truth" that can be stated in rational words and propositions (creeds or equations). The secular academy and science acquired the tuth-brand only because Secularism is a protestant heresy. The university exists because the Church was committed to knowing and believing truth. Secularism didn't create the university. It obtained that Christian institution because, liberal Protestantism surrendered to Rationalism and evangelicalism abandoned the life of the mind. That enabled Secularism to walk away with the rand Truth.

People forget (or don't know) that the so-called "great" universities were founded as religious institutions. Read the whole thing, it will be worth your time.

What really makes us fat. As someone that is predisposed to obesity, I am a firm believer in the low-carbohydrate lifestyle.

If we think of Dr. Ludwig’s subjects as pre-obese, then the study tells us that the nutrient composition of the diet can trigger the predisposition to get fat, independent of the calories consumed. The fewer carbohydrates we eat, the more easily we remain lean. The more carbohydrates, the more difficult. In other words, carbohydrates are fattening, and obesity is a fat-storage defect. What matters, then, is the quantity and quality of carbohydrates we consume and their effect on insulin. 

 Related: Does exercise really help you lose weight?

Want to contribute to the Obama campaign? Consider donating one of these gifts.

Here is a very nice reflection on the over-looked talents of some of the 60-70s TV Stars.

Although the "Roberts Rule" on healthcare is no laughing matter, this made me smile.

And we want the government to be in charge of our healthcare when our life may be in jeopardy? Welcome to the healthcare DMV!

From your lips (or pen) to God's ears!

Obamacare losers.

Whether it's called a tax or a mandate, the federal government has never opted to compel citizens to purchase something as a condition of breathing while American. Obamacare represents a major advance for the old FDR vision of turning sovereign citizens into clients of the state. It empowers an army of Bloombergs to do what they think is for your own good and to redefine your rights as mere perks of the system.

Seven credit myths even smart people believe.

My son Aaron posted this article on the 25 Most American Things You Can do Today. I just had to share. This is slightly crude so consider yourself warned!

A few of my favorites:

5. Place a beef-jerky bouquet on John Wayne's grave.

9. Visit the historical home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and drink a half pint of Old Darlin'.

13. Gape at the majesty of California's giant redwoods while watching Ax Men on an iPad.

19. Stand at the northern border and pass gas into Canada.

22. Catch a largemouth bass, release it, then drive to McDonald's in a Hummer and step up to a delicious McRib.

Your farts will never smell the same again! The Flat-D is real.

This guy could use one...

I know I'm sick, but that video is funny.

Liberals never cease to amaze me with their attacks on lonely Fox News, when the rest of the Mainstream Media (MSM) is in the bag for the left. Their hysteria about Fox News really is laughable.