Reformation
Fiscal Insanity and the National Day of Prayer
I’m in Washington, D.C. for the National Day of Prayer. There are many important gatherings this week both here and all around the nation.
The main prayer event will be a large gathering in the Cannon House Office building from 9-12noon on Thursday. Many leaders of government will be there. That same evening a cross-section of the “Church of the City” will gather on the west steps of the Capitol. The crowd will represent a broad rainbow expression of the Body Christ from many diverse ethnic backgrounds.
I’m been coming to America’s National Day of Prayer since it began in 1988. This year our youngest son, Jason, is along with me for a graduation trip. Shirley and I just completed twenty-five years of home schooling. What does America’s future hold for Jason and coming generations?
I’m fearful that woefully inept financial policies that our nation is currently engaged in–and their devastating consequences–will overwhelm our son’s generation (and ours) if we don’t get our house in order.
We live in a time of “fiscal insanity” that many of our current leaders seem oblivious to, that could lead the United States over an economic cliff. The danger signs include:
- Sixteen trillion dollars of staggering federal debt.
- One trillion more in national debt added each year, with no end in sight.
- The liberal U.S. Senate has not produced a budget for over three years.
- The college-educated of our nation owe over one trillion dollars in student loans.
- 46% of Americans spend more money than they take in each month–with 600 million active credit cards in use (or misuse) in the United States.
Fiscal insanity–including debt–is a symptom of wrong priorities (wanting more than one can afford), an immoral spirit (thinking immediate actions won’t have long term consequences), and a lack of trust in God (to guide and provide for our needs).
We need to pray for God’s perspective, change our ways both individually and nationally, and elect some leaders who will have the guts to do what’s right in the coming years.
I encourage you to start with yourself. Are you content with what you have? Do you live within your means on a monthly or annual basis? Is your debt-level prudent, and do you have a plan to be debt-free in the coming years? Are you using you time, talents and money wisely to glorify God in your life?
Check out this web-site for a sobering look at the personal debt crisis in this nation. Each of us must start with ourselves, admit our mistakes, ask God’s forgiveness and change our ways. Then we must get up off our knees and help bring our nation back to common sense and self control.
Next, I direct your attention to the Heritage Foundation who give us a helpful visual glimpse of the fiscal insanity the nation faces. Click on this link to view eight eye-popping charts that really tell the story of the danger we’re in.
Heritage and Daily Events also give great insights on the foolishness of the political theater that is currently taking place. Here are some excerpts:
Heritage Foundation
“‘Fairness,'” an elusive idea normally exploited by spoiled children, is now the foundation of the Democratic Party’s economy policy. If implemented, anyone earning $1 million a year or more would be required to pay at least 30 percent of his income in taxes. That would help reduce the deficit by raising $31 billion over 11 years according to congressional tax analysts — 2.8 billion a year, or less than a day’s worth of new debt incurred by Washington.”
“And the wealthy did not create our debt; government did. Government — this administration in particular but all of them in general — is, by nature, risk-averse and never deals with the consequences of its failed ‘investments.’ It is the un-entrepreneur. Really, should the head of an organization that annually spends $1.6 trillion it doesn’t have be setting the parameters for a discussion on ‘fairness’?”
Daily Events
“President Obama…[is] laying out his case for the Buffett Rule, a plan to drastically raise taxes on successful Americans and small businesses. The core of his argument is that the rich aren’t paying their fair share. It makes for great populist rhetoric, especially when families are hurting and angry under today’s high unemployment, but the result is terrible policy. Worse, it’s a distraction from the big issues facing the nation, like the deficit, the economy, jobs, gas prices, health care, and on and on, none of which are addressed by the President’s proposals, and none of which he wants to talk about.”
“Will the President’s tax hike at least tackle the country’s fiscal problems? No, it won’t.
According to a recent analysis by the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation, the Buffett Rule would raise a mere $47 billion over ten years. Meanwhile, President Obama’s budget calls for adding $6.7 trillion to the national debt. That means that the Buffett Rule will only cover one half of one percent of the President’s new spending. Soaking the rich cannot get deficits down, only spending reductions can do that.”
“When it comes to the biggest problem America is facing — a weak economy and high unemployment — the Buffett Rule would weaken the economy and make matters worse. Heritage’s J.D. Foster and Curtis Dubay write that the tax would fall most heavily on job creators (who pay taxes at the individual rate) and confiscate their resources that would otherwise be used to start new businesses, grow existing businesses, and hire more workers. As a result, economic growth will slow down right along with job creation.”
“The President says, ‘This is not about a few people doing well. We want people to do well, that’s great. But this is about giving everybody the chance to do well.’ Really? Raising taxes on the rich, weakening the economy, somehow gives everybody the chance to do well? Raising taxes on anybody somehow gives everybody the chance to do well? This is absurd even by the low standards of American political rhetoric.”
“Here’s what you really need to know about Obama’s plan. Under the Buffett Rule, businesses and families earning $1 million will pay a minimum 30 percent effective tax rate. The President says those Americans aren’t paying enough, and as proof he points to billionaire Warren Buffett’s secretary who reportedly pays a higher tax rate than her uber-wealthy boss. But right from the get go, the President is distorting the facts.”
“How can President Obama get away with saying that Warren Buffett pays lower tax rates than his secretary? Many wealthy Americans who have done well like Buffett receive dividends and capital gains — a form of investment income that is subject to multiple levels of tax. First, the investment income results from investment. This capital didn’t appear out of thin air. It was earned and taxed previously, often many times over at rates up to 35 percent.”
“Then, once invested, it generates income that is taxed at the corporate level at a 35 percent rate, and then it’s taxed again at the individual level at a 15 percent rate on dividends and capital gains. The combined rate on corporate earnings alone is over 45 percent, and this is all after the first layer of tax.”
“One way to think about this is to imagine you’re driving down a toll road, and you pay three separate tolls. The first toll of $3.50 is when you get on the highway. Then after a few miles you pay another $3.50 toll, and when you exit there’s a final toll of $1.50. A reporter asks you as you leave the last tollbooth how much toll you paid. What’s the most accurate answer — what you paid at the last tollbooth or what you paid altogether? Obviously, feeling some $8.50 lighter in the wallet, the correct answer is to respond with the total.”
“Conveniently for him, President Obama only talks about the last level of tax, the 15 percent portion, leaving out the rest. He only wants to talk about the last toll paid, not the total, and that’s how he makes his disingenuous argument. And all of this leaves out the final tax that many wealthy Americans pay — the death tax, which is set to return to its 55 percent level in 2013.”
“Then there’s the inconvenient fact that if you look at only the last level of tax, the data show clearly the highest-earning families and businesses in America are already shouldering the vast majority of the country’s tax burden. Heritage’s Curtis Dubay writes that the top 1 percent of income earners — those earning more than $380,000 in 2008 — paid more than 38 percent of all federal income taxes while earning 20 percent of all income. Meanwhile, those in the top 10 percent ($114,000 and above) earned 45 percent of income and paid 70 percent of all taxes. By comparison, the bottom 50 percent of income earners — those earning less than $33,000 — earned 13 percent of all income and paid less than 3 percent of federal income taxes.”
And once again from Heritage:
“Like clockwork, the President has returned to his favorite policy solution: raising taxes. When gas prices went up, he called for higher taxes on oil companies. When he wanted to try to create jobs, he called for higher taxes to pay for stimulus spending. When health care needed a fix, he called for higher taxes to fund Obamacare.”
“If President Obama truly wanted to be fair, he would pursue tax reform like The Heritage Foundation’s “New Flat Tax,” included in its Saving the American Dream plan. It’s simple, coherent, and comprehensive, encourages saving and investment, offers relief for seniors, and helps low and middle income families purchase health care and pay for higher education.”
“Leading with effective policy solutions, though, isn’t the name of the President’s game. Rather, his goal is to concoct a distraction from his failed leadership. Under his watch, the U.S. Senate has failed to pass a budget for the last 1,078 days, the House unanimously rejected Obama’s latest budget, and meanwhile the national debt is closing in on $16 trillion.”
“Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are careening toward implosion, gas prices have doubled, the economy is underperforming, 12.7 million Americans remain out of work, and the President’s signature legislation — Obamacare — has never been more unpopular. Instead of offering solutions, the President is offering class warfare..”
The myopia of our leaders toward our nation’s fiscal insanity is stunning. But in other ways, it’s not. We, the American people are also blindingly addicted to getting “something for nothing” and living beyond our personal means as well.
This National Day of Prayer may we wake up as individuals and as a nation, humble ourselves, and pray for God’s forgiveness. Then, let’s have the backbone and faith to reject this pathway of fiscal insanity, and restore God’s blessing to our individual families and nation.
Is Tiger Woods a Picture of the USA?
Because of my sports background and competitive nature, I enjoy watching athletes that are superb at their game. Their excellence is usually a combination of God-given skill (destiny) and what they do to maximize it (discipline).
When I first saw Tiger Woods play golf, I thought of that incredible combination: God-given talent and amazing focus. For a decade, Tiger reigned as the number one professional golfer in the world, winning over seventy tournaments and dominating the “majors” (the biggest tournaments which include the Masters, The British Open, the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship).
During his decade of dominance, Tiger won 14 majors–second only to Jack Nicklaus winning 18 during his illustrious career. Most of us thought Tiger would one day eclipse the “Golden Bear.”
But suddenly in 2009, Tiger fell from grace and prominence. Now he’s trying desperately to get back on his feet.
Is Tiger Woods a picture or analogy of the United States of America?
The U.S. rose to become the number one nation in the world during the twentieth century. I believe it happened due to the same combination–a God-given destiny and the character of a people. Through God’s calling and the American response of vision and resourcefulness, the USA became the greatest and freest nation in the history of the world.
But at the present time, America is falling. We have the highest tax rate in the world; our educational system barely ranks in the top twenty; a suffocating 15 trillion dollars in debt mortgages our future; and many of our people live their lives for individual consumption and entertainment and not for the glory of God.
America is falling. The luster is off. Can we learn something by looking at the fall of our native son, Tiger Woods?
It seems to me that Tiger’s life is similar to the path of the United States. He seems to be an eery symbol of where we are and what we need to do.
Here’s the comparison.
TIGER: At a very early age, Tiger Woods understood his destiny and skill and rose to dominate the game of golf. I’ll never forget watching him win his first Masters title by fourteen shots–a rout. He went on to win three more and multitudes of other trophies. As a very young man, he was idolized by the world.
THE UNITED STATES: America also emerged at a very young age as a great power among the nations. After our victory in World War I, we played our own “Masters” in World War II by defeating the Germans and the Japanese. Our economy became the engine of the world, we led the globe in missionary work, and everyone was talking about the American century. In the 1950s we were at the top of our game.
TIGER: On Thanksgiving Day 2009, Tiger Woods had a major falling out with his wife when she–and the entire world–learned that he’d been sleeping around with other women and had been living a debauched life. It was painful to watch as his life and marriage unraveled over the next two years. The stories of infidelity and orgy-like sex were difficult to read. Tiger had grossly cheated on his wife, lied to his kids and family, and pretended to be something he was not.
To put it back in sports language, the “golf destiny” was still there but the “character” part had rotted. Tiger fell from grace, went to sexual addiction rehab, stopped playing golf, and tumbled from his lofty position. It was a time of humiliation and soul-searching.
THE UNITED STATES: From the 1960s and to this present day, America also has fallen from grace. During the sexual revolution, we, too, cast off godly restraint and “went-a-whoring” into fornication, adultery, and many sexual perversions we called “freedom.” Drugs and violence soon followed, and after God was removed from the public schools and then the public squares, the entire nation got out of kilter.
We lost a war in Vietnam; the national debt began to grow exponentially; Hollywood began to saturate the world with visual immorality in many forms. Our once godly and self-controlled society became ungodly and self-obsessed.
Today we appear humbled before the world, a caricature of our former self, enslaved to debt, an immoral and bankrupt people, and staring at an uncertain future for the first time in our history. As stated in the prophetic book The Harbinger, the terrorism attack on America on September 11, 2001 and then the economic collapse of 2008 were humiliating wake-up calls to an immoral nation. Would we respond?
TIGER: After Tiger’s fall, he appeared to be sorry and desire to re-build his life and reputation. After rehab, he held a press conference to announce his plans–and though he was humbled by his demise, there was no depth of repentance. Instead of turning to God, he indicated a return to his Buddhist roots. Then he began to play golf again and try to regain his stature. To date, he hasn’t made it back to the top.
THE UNITED STATES: After the terrorism attack, American also seemed chastened and ready to turn back to God. Our leaders sang “God bless America” and for a time, the churches were crowded. But there was no deep repentance for our sin–and soon we went back to our secular ways and pretended we were still “America.”
But in the fall of 2008, the credit bubble burst, and we once again were reminded of our vulnerability. At this point, America has not returned to God.
TIGER: A few weeks ago, Tiger Woods won his first tournament in almost two years. He felt he had a shot at winning the 2012 Masters–and once again be at the top of the golf world. But he badly bombed and is now looking for answers. As far as I know, he still hasn’t changed his ways and turned to God for restoration.
THE UNITED STATES: In 2012 we stand at a cross roads as a nation. We, too, desire to return to prominence and prosperity, but are unsure as to how to get there. The once young and dominant nation is a shell of its former self. The future is uncertain. Will America repent and arise?
I believe we can learn from the saga of Tiger Woods. All the skill or glitz in the world doesn’t cut it. Without character, and trust in God, a life can never really arise or be restored to greatness. It is still an empty shell without the forgiveness and power of God.
The same is true of nations. America stands at a cross roads. Will we feign repentance, and try to reach for the top without it? Or will we follow the true path that leads to forgiveness and restoration:
“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land.”
It’s only destiny plus godly character that truly bring hope.
Political Correctness is Really Secular Intolerance
The recent Easter season got me thinking about the fight against faith in America.
I recently read an article in my local newspaper (Kitsap SUN) that described the evidence for the Genesis Flood that an engineer had discovered in rock formations in Arizona. It was a great article and even mentioned Noah’s Ark as a possible historical reality.
Two days later, a letter to the editor was posted that made fun of the article–even calling it “laughable” from a scientific standpoint. Why the shrill response?
Well, I think it’s time to give a true meaning to the term “political correctness.” Political correctness is nothing less than secular intolerance. And it’s becoming a menacing bully in many nations.
Here’s the Letter to the Editor, written by Dan Van Eycke, Poulsbo, Washington:
“Regarding Sunday’s article about the supposed proof of Noah’s flood: Could you possibly have found anything less newsworthy to publish? And on page A3 nonetheless!”
“To begin with, young-earth creationism is scientifically irrevelevant and intellectually vacuous–and has been for over a century. And yet the Kitsap SUN thinks its important to print a story about a tourist from Richland, Washington, who claims that a single geologic formation in Arizona is proof of the biblical flood myth, therefore disproving the scientific age of the earth.”
“This man was a tourist with no expertise in geology who thinks he knows better than the countless trained geologists the world over. That he is an engineer from Hanford gives him no more authority on the subject than a warehouse worker from Tacoma. In fact, emphasizing his engineering background is an obvious attempt to impress credulous readers.”
“If articles like this belong in the Kitsap SUN at all–and that’s an extremely big if–they belong on the religion or entertainment pages.”
Note the incredible condescension in the letter. It ends with Mr. Van Eycke relegating the engineer’s fair-minded opinion to the “Religion” section (does he mean the “Myth Section) or the entertainment pages (is that the “Mindless Section?).
C’mon. This is nothing less than bigoted prejudice.
I’ve studied the creation–evolution debate for about forty years. There are fair arguments on both sides. The evidence for an old earth is credible–though certainly not proven. There’s also substantial evidence on the other side that points to a young Earth. Even if the “old earth” theory is true, that doesn’t discount special creation or the main events recorded in the Bible.
Physician-geneticist Francis Collins is one of the most respected scientists in the world. He gave leadership to the Human Genome Project and currently serves as the director of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Dr. Collins believes in theistic evolution–yet doesn’t discount any of the biblical events. He is a committed Christian whose book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, states clearly how science and the Bible are not necessarily in conflict.
Another book I recently read was entitled the “The Draining Floodwaters: Geologic Evidence reflects the Genesis Text.” by John D. Morris Ph.D and James J.S, Johnson, J.D., Th.D. It presented a cogent scientific case for the evidence of a biblical flood. There are enough “Ds” behind those two names to make you pay attention.
Many of you know that I am completing a doctorate degree this year. The thesis produced detailed research of the cultures and religions of the world. An interesting thing stood out: Many of the world’s diverse cultures possess ancient creation and flood stories. It’s uncanny. I don’t know what the mathematical odds of this are, but they must be pretty slim. Here’s one that appears in my new book.
The Story of the Flood. “The Epic of Gilgamesh” remains one of the most famous tales of the Babylonian period, and gives an amazing parallel account of the global flood (Genesis 7, 8). In the story, Gilgamesh meets one of his ancestors, Utnapishtim, who recalls the story of the global deluge. Warning that the gods were going to destroy the earth, Utnapishtim built a large boat and took refuge in it with his wife and two each of all animals. After the flood waters subsided, Utnapishtim recounts what happened:
“All mankind was turned to clay…I opened the window and the light fell upon my face. I bowed, I sat down, I wept, and over my face ran my tears. I looked upon the world—all was sea…I sent forth a dove and let her go. The dove flew to and fro, but there was no resting place and she returned.”
“I sent forth a shallow and let he go. The swallow flew to and fro, but there was no resting place and she returned. I sent forth a raven and let her go. The raven flew away. She saw the abasement of the waters. She drew near; she waded, she croaked, and came not back. Then I sent everything forth to the four quarters of the heaven. I offered a sacrifice. I made a libation upon the mountains peak.”
“As a result of their obedience, Utnapishtim and his wife are rewarded with “the gift of immortality,” which they explain to Gilgamesh can be obtained by eating a plant that grows in the sea. Gilgamesh finds the plant, but before he eats it, a snake steals it away and gains immortality. A humbled Gilgamesh returns to his city of Uruk, (Erech in Genesis 10:10), and is painfully aware that he does not possess immortality. The story ends unresolved.”
I share portions of this narrative to demonstrate the “memory” of real events that ancient peoples passed down in a confusing culture of raucous polytheism. Of course, many of these stories are embellished–like the end of the “Epic of Gilgamesh.”
But did you notice the similarity to Genesis? You find these same “ancient memory stories” in India, China, Africa and even North and South America. What’s the only plausible explanation?
That the global flood was a real event that left a lasting impact on the scattered peoples of the world. When you add the scientific evidence for a global flood, the playing field is more than level with the explanations from the other side.
So I responded to the letter from the bellicose atheist in these words:
Letter to the Editor,
“I had a different reaction than Dan Van Eycke to your article on the world-wide flood and Noah’s Ark. I was encouraged by the SUN’s open mind on scientific theories and historical data. Just this week I read an article by an American Ph.D who shared similar evidence for a global flood. Of course dinosaur prints being found in sediment alongside human prints, seashell fossils found on mountain tops, and the worldwide presence of “oil,” presents quite a case for a global deluge.”
“As one who has traveled the world extensively, I am especially impressed by the common “flood story” that is found in the historical texts of many nations that seems to validate the biblical one. Van Eycke is welcome to his opinion. But his condescension in calling your article “laughable” was extremely rude. That type of political correctness is really secular intolerance—not a good thing in a free and open society.”
Sincerely,
Ron Boehme
One of the truths that I share in the doctoral thesis (and upcoming new book ) is that of the five views of God that exist in the world, two of them are extremely intolerant of other opinions. They are:
- Atheism secularism – espoused by Mr. Van Eycke above, and
- Islam – a religion that often silences contrary opinions.
Does that intolerant spirit tell you something? Any worldview that doesn’t allow other points of view is either extremely insecure or afraid of the freedom that leads to the truth.
The lesson? Choose your worldview wisely.