Do We Really Want To Destroy The Best Medical Care In The World?

From: The Pen of Hoover Institution economist Thomas Sowell

“Insurance is not medical care. Indeed, health care is not the same as medical care. Countries with universal health care do not have more or better medical care. The bottom line is medical care. But the rhetoric and the talking points are about insurance. Many people who could afford health insurance do not choose to have it because they know that medical care will be available at the nearest emergency room, whether they have insurance or not. This is especially true for young people, who do not anticipate long-term medical problems and who can always get a broken leg or an allergy attack taken care of at an emergency room — and spend their money on a more upscale lifestyle. This may not be a wise decision but it is their decision, and there is no reason why other people should lose the right to make decisions for themselves because some people make questionable decisions. If you don’t think government bureaucrats can make questionable decisions, then you haven’t dealt with many government bureaucrats. … People who believe in ‘universal health care’ show remarkably little interest — usually none — in finding out what that phrase turns out to mean in practice, in those countries where it already exists, such as Britain, Sweden or Canada. For one thing, ‘universal health care’ in these countries means months of waiting for surgery that American get in a matter of weeks or even days. … No one who compares medical care in this country with medical care in other countries is likely to want to switch. But those who cannot be bothered with the facts may help destroy the best medical care in the world by falling for political rhetoric.”

Rejoice

John Calvin

Quote by John Calvin:

“There is not one blade of grass; there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.”

Elementary Thoughts: Attitude – Part 3

Let us return to our analogy of the farmer caring for his crop. The farmer prepares the soil by breaking up the ground, providing water through irrigation, and adding fertilizer to provide a rich source of nourishment to encourage the healthy growth of the young plants. The farmer by his many diligent efforts seeks to provide his crop with a rich, stable environment that will facilitate the fruitfulness of his harvest. Parents must also prepare the environment in which they will rear their children if they truly desire for them to become well-adjusted and productive adults.

The first aspect of the child’s environment that will have an immediate and lasting impact upon his development is the attitude of his parents toward him. A parent’s attitude will create an environment that either welcomes and affirms the child or is, very simply, uninviting. If you consider your children an inconvenience on the road to your personal success, their position on your priority list will soon be evident to them.

Our attitudes, those hidden and obvious, prepare, water, and fertilize the environment in which our children grow. If the crop is important to us, we will be diligent and consistent in our care. If not, we may turn it over to “tenant farmers” with the expectation that we will still receive a good harvest while we pursue other activities. The problem is, that unlike plants, children imitate those who provide for their needs and feel neglected by those who do not.  Those who provide care for children influence their growth and development in ways that are totally different from plants. Unlike plants, the issue of who cares for them and the quality of the care they receive really does matter to children and often has a lasting influence on their lives. The results of the harvest that the parents eventually receive may have soured on the vine while under another’s care.

Once the soil has been prepared, the farmer then begins to sow the seeds. He will be careful to select good seeds. He will carefully choose a particular seed that will produce the exact crop that he wants to grow. He does not go to the store and ask the clerk to sell him whatever seeds he has in stock. The farmer asks for specific seeds. He knows what he wants to produce. He begins with a vision. He has a specific goal in mind from the very beginning of the growing season and he will plant only the seeds that will achieve that goal.

We would think it foolish if the farmer planted seeds not knowing what the product of his harvest would be. We would also think it foolish if the farmer wanted to produce corn but planted watermelon seeds. Yet, many adults approach parenting without a vision for the human life that has been placed in their care. The seeds they sow are carelessly distributed and often counterproductive to achieving the full benefits of their child’s human potential. (Continued tomorrow)

Election Day And Tax Day

Quoting Jonah Goldberg:

“I say let’s have Election Day on tax day. Let’s get what we’re paying for. Sign the check — for the full amount — and write in your preferred candidates on the back of the same check. Abracadabra … smaller government, here we come.”

The Murder Of George Tiller

I am a Christian and a pro-life advocate. I believe that abortion is murder.

Dr. George Tiller specialized in performing abortions. He killed many defenseless “unborn” human beings as part of the practice of his chosen profession. In spite of this, the murder of George Tiller was an act of evil. There was no justice in it. The perpetrator of this crime was wrong and his actions were wicked.

Dr. George Tiller was a human being with God given inalienable rights. The right to life was taken from him by a murderer. The alleged killer must now be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Abortion is wrong, but the murder of George Tiller was morally and criminally wrong. No private individual in our country has the right to determine and execute justice on his own terms. We are a nation of laws. Tiller’s murder was not only unjust, but it represents the worse characteristics of the sinful nature of man.

As our nation has continued to slip from its Christian moral foundations, the value of life has become diminished. What secular progressives do not understand is that to diminish the value of a life in the womb is to diminish the value of all human life. To devalue human life at one stage leaves the gate open to a culture of death that may, as the wind blows, expand its authority to assign value to one and not another. Everyone is at risk. Human beings become a disposable commodity.

Such thinking justifies, in the minds of troubled individuals, the murder of others who do not agree with their opinions. This is a phenomenon which may be observed among all groups of persons; including both liberals and conservatives. The Scriptures, however, teach that “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge. . . .” (Leviticus 19:18) Instead, we must apply this teaching to our lives: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)

As Christians we should pray for God to comfort the Tiller family in their time of mourning. But we must, however, also pray for God to change the hearts of those who participate in performing abortions and work actively to change the laws that allow abortions in the first place.

Is Satan The God Of This World?

From: The Pen of Gary DeMar

Satan is a creature. Like all creatures, he has certain limitations. Even under the Old Covenant, Satan had to be granted permission by God before he could act (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7). Satan’s limitations have been multiplied since the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus.

The Bible shows us that if we “resist the devil he will flee from” us (James 4:7). The only power that Satan has over the Christian is the power we give him and the power granted to him by God (2 Cor. 12:7–12). Scripture tells us that Satan is defeated, disarmed, and spoiled (Col. 2:15; Rev. 12:7; Mark 3:27). He has “fallen” (Luke 10:18) and was “thrown down” (Rev. 12:9). He was “crushed” under the feet of the early Christians, and by implication, under the feet of all Christians throughout the ages (Rom. 16:20). He has lost “authority” over Christians (Col. 1:13). He has been “judged” (John 16:11). He cannot “touch” a Christian (1 John 5:18). His works have been destroyed (1 John 3:8). He has “nothing” (John 14:30). He must “flee” when “resisted” (James 4:7). He is “bound” (Mark 3:27; Luke 11:20). Finally, the gates of hell “shall not overpower” the advancing church of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 16:18).  Surely Satan is alive, but he is not well on planet earth.

So then, what does Paul mean when he describes Satan as “the god of this world,” actually, “of this age”? (2 Cor. 4:4). To hear some people tell it, this verse teaches that Satan has all power and authority in this dispensation and in the locale of planet earth. Where God is the God of heaven and of the age to come, Satan is the god of this world and this present evil age. This dualistic view of the universe may be part of Greek philosophy, but it has no place in biblical theology.

While it’s true that the devil is said to be the god of this age, we know that God is “the King of the ages” (1 Tim. 1:17). Paul is simply stating that Satan is the chosen god of those who deny Jesus as God’s rightful heir of all things (Matt. 22:1–14).

Read this entire article. . . .