Philosophy

Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans, State Convention

Where Was She Then?

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Schuitmaker has opportunity To defend Colbeck at the most appropriate time, yet chokes.

Pat Colbeck was a champion for Michigan.

And for a couple more months he still will be a champion.  I’ll not mince words about it.  I support our nominee wholeheartedly, but truly I believe Pat was a man who by all measure attempted to find solutions and serve the people of this state with principles solutions, honor, and substance.

Pat had a long road to get to the point where he decided to run.  His eight year service as State Senator was solid, and he was/is unafraid to face down the jackals like Richardville and Meekhof; two of the swampiest representatives to ever find leadership roles in Lansing.

Still serving his constituents in Lansing until the end of this year, Pat Colbeck lost all committee assignments, and had all office control removed.  Why?  Because he wouldn’t play kiss the pollywog’s ass’ with Senator Arlan Meekhof. This is not a common occurrence in Michigan’s robust history, and could only happen with the thinnest skinned critters in leadership.

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Michigan, Philosophy

State Of Our Union

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Isaiah 32:1-8; Matthew 5:1-18

This Independence day message is from this last Sunday’s Sermon

Well, we celebrate Independence Day this week.

It is always a very patriotic time, at least for most of the nation. So, I have once again changed our readings around so that I might talk about the State of the Union. And I am going to start with the Pledge of Allegiance.

The first thing we should know about the pledge is that it was not composed by the Founding Fathers. It was written especially for children in the summer of 1892 to commemorate that year’s celebration of Columbus Day.

The pledge first appeared in print on September 8, in The Youth’s Companion, an educational publication. In its original form, it read: “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which is stands — one nation indivisible– with liberty and justice for all.”

Its author was Francis Bellamy, an assistant editor of The Youth’s Companion, who intended it for a one-time recitation by public school children across the country. But its immediate popularity transformed it first into an annual Columbus Day tradition – and then into a daily classroom ritual. It became one of the earliest verses memorized by students.

Since its debut, Bellamy’s pledge has undergone two major alterations. In 1923, the National Flag Conference of the American Legion replaced the somewhat ambiguously personal “my Flag” wording with the more explicitly patriotic “the Flag of the United States of America.” And in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill that added the words “Under God.”

The pledge of allegiance, then, comes to us in its present form after having been shaped and transformed over time. So too, ours is a nation which has had its character shaped by specific factors over time.

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Michigan, Philosophy

Should We Be Surprised?

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Idealism don't pay the bills too well, do it?

Several years ago, crockumentary maker and liberal activist Micheal Moore said “I think I will start a film festival in Traverse City”

As a part of the effort, it required renovation of the downtown State Theater, so Moore found people willing to cough up money to do so.  Mind you it wasn’t HIS money, but rather the folks who thought that it would be cute to have the old decrepit theater fixed up and operational again.

In addition to Moore and Wilson, Richard and Diana Milock of Torch Lake, The Herington Fitch Foundation, and a person wishing to remain anonymous have collectively contributed $600,000 in recent months. Moore expects another $100,000 to come in from the opening weekend ceremonies. And he remains busy seeking out another couple of angels who might be willing to contribute the final $150,000 to complete the renovations, in what will be only $850,000 in restoration costs versus the three to nine million dollars people kept telling Moore it would be.

Note that the “In addition to Moore” reference was to how he was acquiring free things from those who thought he was bringing them something.

The theater renovated, and then a briefly raised question of the non profit being able to run new releases in competition with the other local movie houses.  It was full steam ahead, and the film festival was on.

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All the Other Stuff, Conservative News, Democrats, Liberty, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Fractured Fairy Tales and other flights of fancy finding their fantastic and far-fetched fables in a Michigan Classroom near you very soon.

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Did you know that Harvey Milk and Huey Newton were very important figures in early American History?

Even moreso than the likes of say Dr. Joseph Warren or Patrick Henry?

Did you know that the federal government is not actually a creation of the states and is therefore superior to them?

Did you know that the Southern Poverty Law Center is an unbiased and trustworthy source of information ?

Did you know that the MDE actually proposed expanding a study of Islam in public schools (despite the fact Christianity has been essentially removed from the classroom beginning in the 1960‘s)?

And my personal fav: Did you know that America was founded as a democracy?

Yeah, that one surprised me, too.

If the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) has their way, THESE are changes that you might see in the K-12 curriculum in a classroom near you.

Unless you do something about it.

{Find out how after the fold}

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Philosophy

Sunday Sermon – Not My Fault

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Genesis 3:8-15

The Word of God – through which the Holy Spirit will be guiding our hearts and minds today – is recorded in our reading from Genesis. (3:8-15)

It is a familiar story to all of us, as it speaks to the origin of mankind. In this story, the only fruit in the Garden of Eden that is forbidden is that which hangs from the tree in the midst of the garden, but Adam and Eve eat from it anyway. So, God first approaches man and asks if he has eaten the forbidden fruit and man responds, “well, the woman gave it to me.” In other words, “it’s not my fault.” God then turns to the woman and asks, “what have you done?” And woman responds, “well, the serpent deceived me.” And again she was saying, “it’s not my fault.”

King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes “There is nothing new under the sun,” but many in the modern world may disagree. They consider the modern world more advanced, more sophisticated. We have devices and technology un-imagined years ago. But has the world – or the people in it – really changed? Are people innately different now than years ago? Has human nature fundamentally changed because we have cars and space shuttles, televisions and computers? Have we learned anything about ourselves from those who lived long ago?

Motivational speaker Travis Robertson writes: consider the statements below and see if any of them resonate with you:

  • It’s not my fault that I’m overweight. My parents were overweight and it runs in the family.
  • It’s not my fault that I have anger issues. My dad physically abused me when I was a kid.
  • It’s not my fault that I lie a lot. I had to in order to survive growing up.
  • It’s not my fault that I lost my job. My company was mismanaged and went out of business.
  • It’s not my fault that I’m addicted to pain pills. I am in constant pain after the accident.
  • It’s not my fault that I..

…well you get the idea.

He goes on to say that all of these things may in fact be true. Many things that happen to us may not be our fault. It’s unfortunate that we live in a world where things happen to us that are outside of our control. Kids are abused and abandoned. They grow up in terrible environments with terrible parents. People are permanently injured in accidents that weren’t their fault. Lives are altered sometimes through no fault of our own.

But here’s the reality: just because something isn’t our fault, that doesn’t mean it’s not our responsibility.

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Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Disgracing The Uniform

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An unnecessary urinating contest risks two primary frontrunners canceling each other out.

It’s a given to the point of predictability, in contested republican primaries, that eventually someone will defensively mis-invoke Reagan’s Eleventh Commandment. Naturally, this will require someone to explain that the intent of “thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow republican” is a prohibition against personal attacks, but that calling someone out on an accurate understanding of their actual record is always fair game. That said, I can honestly say that I never expected to have to explain one of the Ten Commandments in the context of a political campaign, nor that I would have to do so as a remonstration to a political attack that is not only blatantly personal, but also patently false (to the point of being willingly, deliberately, and knowingly deceptive).

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2018 Michigan Gubernatorial Race, Government Incompetence, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Milton Friedman For Governor

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If you wanted the best economic outcome for Michigan, wouldn't he get your vote?

Today’s economists aren’t.

I mean they aren’t around anymore. Not since November 2006 anyhow.  That was when Milton Friedman took his last breath.

No one understood markets based on how people respond to incentive like Milton Friedman.  While sympathetic to our desire to do good for others, he recognized the nature of how we prioritize (en mass) when making spending decisions.

The first time I heard the “four ways to spend money” was not Friedman however.  It was during a presentation on health care options for Michigan by Pat Colbeck.  He wasn’t a candidate for Governor at that time, but he was clearly advocating a sensible approach on how we pay for our health care needs.  Part of it is returning the incentive to those who will watch more closely how well the money is spent to achieve the best results and at lowest cost.

A recent newsletter from the Mackinac center reminded me of this, which is the way Colbeck had put it a year and a half ago.

There only four ways to spend money.

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Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Rent Seeking

Blowing Us Away

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Only SANCTIONED thievery is allowed in Michigan's cronyism environment.

It wasn’t just Granholm.

Rick Snyder got the ball rolling back not too long after Jennifer Granholm was blushing behind a privacy screen on the dating game, but well before she became our state’s executive Monte Hall.

Rick Snyder was the first CEO of the MEDC, and don’t let this fact escape anyone.

The MEDC has given BILLIONS of dollars to ‘winners’ since its inception in the 90s.  Granholm was certainly more embarrassed however, to find out that it was the MEDC under her watch which gave $9 million to a guy running an international corporation out of a trailer in flint. He just got out of prison.

That guy didn’t really have a business, and he went to jail.  He didn’t create the jobs and suffered penalties for fraud.

Of course there were others who abused the system and also paid.

But then there were others who legitimately, and legally stole from us under Rick Snyder’s creation, have not created those jobs, and none are screaming for heads. (free market minute audio here)

Why do you suppose that is the way its done?

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Michigan, Philosophy

Sunday Sermon – Palm Sunday

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Rejoice Over Your King - Zechariah 9:9

Today marks the opening of a very serious and yet enjoyable time of year for Christians.

It’s the week we call Holy Week. We have been planning events, making arrangements and preparing ourselves for this special season of worship. And we call it “Holy Week” because we celebrate the events which led up to the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

It is this series of events which point to the most significant time in human history – a point which all prior history had looked forward to with expectancy, and all history since has looked back upon with wonder.

Certainly the ministry of Jesus Christ spanned more than a week, but this one week in His life was filled with so much significance. Every moment was driving toward the culmination of His rising following His propitiatory work on the cross.

Holy Week begins today with the very memorable scene from Scripture.

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