It's been awhile....I have to catch up!

I knew it had been awhile since I had posted, but I hadn't realized it had been almost a year!!  So much has happened!!  Let me rant on the most recent fiasco, and I'll try to catch up after that.

There has been a spate of gay couples trying to get Christian businesses to make cakes or photograph their "weddings".  I say spate...it's probably only two or three, but since the media reports and reports on them, it makes it seem like a lot.  That's a whole other rant, the way the media blows things WAY out of proportion - like rape, abduction, evil Republicans, Israel being mean to the Palestinians - but I digress.

Anywho...Indiana just passed a Religious Freedom Restoration Act.  The federal government passed a similar act back in the 1990s and I think I read that 29 other states have one.  The media is up in arms about this one, though, because it's different.  Indiana codifies the idea of a BUSINESS being allowed to turn away those that it might disagree with because of religious beliefs.  It also allows businesses to fight back, even if fighting back is again a person, not the government.  Apparently that restriction irritates those who dislike this bill.

The reason the part about the business is in there is because of the Hobby Lobby case against the federal government and the requirement that it pay for the morning-after pill and IUDs for its employees.  Hobby Lobby refused on religious grounds - and WON.

I've seen articles and opinion pieces written all over the place.  "Jesus ate with prostitutes, so you should bake the cake."  "Gays will be discriminated against and it's not fair."

As a reminder, these businesses are not saying they won't bake a cake for homosexuals.  They aren't saying they won't take their picture.  What they're saying is that they will not participate in a ceremony that is completely contrary to their religious beliefs.  The outrage out there is mind-boggling.  Apple doesn't want to do business in Indiana anymore.  Yet, they do business in Tehran.  Do you have any idea what happens to gay people in Iran?  They're executed.  Pretty sure being turned down for a cake is less brutal than being executed.

Yes, Jesus ate with prostitutes.  But He never once brought them a condom (I know, I know, they didn't exist then!).  He never said, "go ahead, keep having sex outside marriage - it's fine."  What He did was love them, while making very plain that their sin was NOT OKAY.  He certainly didn't help any of them commit their sin.

Here's the thing.  I think you should be able to turn anyone away that you want from your business.  I also believe you should be able to handle the consequences - whatever they are.  I don't think it's okay that businesses that turn away gay marriage business should be threatened with death or arson or any other of the nasty things that so-called "tolerant" gays are doing.

Patrolling our borders

My great-grandparents immigrated here from Ireland - legally.  My father-in-law immigrated from Germany - legally.  I do NOT understand any argument that says that those who come here illegally should be allowed to stay. It can be done that way and it should be done that way.

We have too many politicians that want to allow "those in the shadows" to simply stay - ignoring their crimes.  I especially despise the viewpoint that we should only deport those who have "committed crimes," ignoring the fact that they have already committed a crime by coming here illegally!

I am dumbfounded by those who talk about "securing our borders" and I wonder why that hasn't yet been done....and then it occurred to me....those in charge don't want our borders closed.  Don't believe me?  Consider this - when one drives into California, you are stopped and asked about any fruit that you might be transporting into the state.  How many roads come into California?  And how does that compare with the 137 mile-border with Mexico?  I don't know, but my guess is that there are many more miles of roadways.  And yet - they somehow can't control that 137 miles.

No.  I don't buy it.  I've driven in southern California.  I hate that the speed limit - on the highway - drops to 25 mph.  There are bright lights and signs showing a huddled family running across the road.  You cannot tell me that they KNOW about the crossings and yet they CAN'T do anything about it.  Nope - I believe it's a choice.

Why?  That's a more difficult question to answer.  I could never understand why people said that there were those that hate our country - and then along came Obama, who wanted to "fundamentally change" our country.  I know now that there are citizens who hate this country and will do anything to change it into a socialist/Communist/whatever they think is better than a free country.

I choose to fight back.  What about you?

Old Debts

Ya gotta love it....

After the news broke of a couple of people being held responsible for debt incurred when these people were LITTLE, the Social Security Administration has decided to "suspend" the program.  Isn't that special?  

Here's a quote from the article,' "While this policy of seizing tax refunds to repay decades-old Social Security overpayments might be allowed under the law, it is entirely unjust," Democratic Sens. Senators Barbara Boxer of California and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland said in a letter to Colvin." '  

I don't care for Barbara Boxer's politics, but at least she didn't vote for the bill that allows this....Mikulski, however, did.  She didn't read the bill.  Stunned, aren't you??

Here's another fun quote, '"We want to assure the public that we do not seek restitution through tax refund offset in cases when the debt in question was established prior to the debtor turning 18 years of age," Social Security spokesman Mark Hinkle said in an email...'  I think that can be firmly established to be a load of horse manure.

Why don't AP and FOX News call these people on their voting for such garbage and lying about what's happening??

Coke is most certainly NOT it

I watched the Super Bowl (along with however many other millions of people) on February 2nd.  I very much enjoyed the recitation of the Declaration of Independence before the show started.  I thought the opera singer did a great job of the nation anthem.  I thought the commercials were pretty lame.  And then I saw the Coca-Cola ad.  You know, the one where "America the Beautiful" was sung in several different languages.  My instant reaction was "no more Coke for this house!"  The next day I started seeing different blog postings with all sorts of different reactions to the ad.

One of the most common arguments on the side of  Coca-Cola seems to be that we are a nation of immigrants (true) and that most of our ancestors spoke a language other than English when they arrived in this country (also true).  However, I would say the biggest problem with this line of reasoning is that OUR ancestors came to this country and KNEW they'd have to assimilate to American culture and HAVE to speak English.  My great-grandparents didn't come here expecting Americans to cater to their Gaelic and help them out.  They had to speak English to survive - and they did.  My father-in-law came here, speaking no English at all, but he learned.  He didn't expect people to speak German and help him.  Let's not even talk about the hoops they all had to jump through to get here - paperwork, waiting, money, a reference, a job, an address...

If you move to Germany, you damn well better learn German.  If you move to Mexico, you damn well better speak Spanish. Come to America, and you'd better know English!  Assimilate!  That melting pot??  That was YOU melting into America - we would absorb things from your country (spaghetti, chopsticks, corned beef and cabbage, hamburgers), but you would become an AMERICAN.

You want to represent the many different cultures, then you show different American houses, Americans in different national garb, in different religious buildings.  But they need to speak English. Just like all the other immigrants.

So, yeah, I will never again buy Coke.  Not just because of the other languages used (Arabic??  Hindi??  Was there one European language??), but also because of the gay couple prominently featured. Homosexuality is wrong - end of story.

Quick fix

I have such an easy fix for this little story.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/02/california-grants-law-license-to-illegal-immigrant/?intcmp=latestnews

Grant the law license, then deport his sorry ass back to wherever it is he came from.

TADA!  Problem solved!

A list

This link makes me want to cry...and then go join a revolution.

http://investmentwatchblog.com/the-complete-list-of-barack-obamas-scandals-misdeeds-crimes-and-blunders/

YOU LIE!

Someone ought to give a medal to the guy who shouted, "you lie!" at Obama.

Obama lies A LOT!!

We all know the "if you like your doctor/plan, you can keep it."  That's pretty well documented to be bull.

Remember this one?  "No family making less that $250,000 will see any sort of tax increase."   This article refuting that claim is from 2010.  http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/515/no-family-making-less-250000-will-see-any-form-tax/

Let's talk about current law.  Americans have been able to deduct medical expenses that are more than 7.5% of our annual income....that rises to 10%.  I consider that a tax increase.

All medical devices have a 2.3% tax added to them.  That's a tax increase.

Every health plan has a 2% tax added to it.  http://nypost.com/2013/12/25/new-obamacare-fees-coming-in-2014/

FSA contributions are slashed to $2,500 from $10,000.  Oh, and you can't use that money (or HSA or HRA funds) to buy any over-the-counter medication.

A 40% tax on "Cadillac health-care plans."  You know, if Obama and his little minions REALLY wanted people to have good health care (as they claim), why would you tax someone for having an excellent plan??  Oh wait, it wouldn't be "fair."  Wake up, people - life ain't fair.  Get over it.

And let's not forget the tax if you choose not buy into the Obamacare lie - starting at 1%.