Kim Wade - No Excuses!

When people make statements that are completely at variance with reality and they continue to repeat them and you know they are not crazy, it’s only natural to wonder, what’s going on?
I’ve concluded that for some people on the left, political beliefs are like a false religion in which the parishioners become unable to distinguish myth from reality. How else can you explain the statements of Donald Berwick, President Obama’s recess appointee to run Medicare and Medicaid, on his way out of office the other day? For starters, he claimed that the Affordable Care Act (what some people call ObamaCare) “is making health care a basic human right.” Then he went on to say that because of the new law, “we are a nation headed for justice, for fairness and justice in access to care.”

Now I can’t claim to have read everything in the 2,700-page law, but I can assure you that “making health care a right” just isn’t in there. Nor is there anything in the new law that makes the role of government more “just” or “fair.” To the contrary, a lot of knowledgeable people (not just conservative critics) are predicting that access to care is going to be more difficult for our most vulnerable populations. That appears to have been the experience in Massachusetts, which Obama cites as the model for the new federal reforms. It’s not that Massachusetts tried and failed to expand access to care. It didn’t even try.

True enough, Massachusetts cut the number of uninsured in that state in half through Governor Romney’s health reform. But it didn’t create any new doctors. The state expanded the demand for care, but it did nothing to expand supply. More people than ever are trying to get care, but because there was no increase in medical services, it has become more difficult than ever to actually see a doctor.
And far from fair, the new federal health law will give some people health insurance subsidies that are as much as $20,000 more than the subsidies available to other people at the same level of income. In fact, the new system of health insurance subsidies is about as arbitrary as it can be. Berwick isn’t alone in making bizarre statements about health reform. Right after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, administration health advisors Robert Kocher, Ezekiel Emanuel and Nancy-Ann DeParle announced that the new health reform law “guarantees access to health care for all Americans.”

In fact, nothing in the act guarantees access to care for any America, let alone all Americans. Far from it. Again, take Massachusetts as the precedent. The waiting time to see a new family practice doctor in Boston (63 days) is longer than in any other major U.S. city. In a sense, a new patient seeking care in Boston has less access to care than in just about every other U.S. city!  The disconnect between belief and reality is not unique to our country. With the enactment of the British National Health Service after World War II, the reformers claimed that they too had made health care a “right.” The same claim was made in Canada after that country established its “single-payer” Medicare scheme.
Yet in reality, neither country has made health care a right. They didn’t even come close. Neither British nor Canadian citizens have a right to any particular health care. A patient with a mysterious lump on her breast has no right to an MRI scan in either country. A cancer patient has no right to the latest cancer drug. A cardiac patient has no right to open heart surgery. They may get the care they need. Or they may not. Sadly, all too often they do not.
The British and the Canadians not only have no legally enforceable right to any particular type of care, they don’t even have a right to a place in line. For example, a patient who is 100th on the waiting list for heart surgery is not entitled to the 100th surgery. Other patients (including cash paying patients from the United States!) may jump the queue and get their surgery first.

Imagine a preacher, a priest or a rabbi who gets up in front of the congregation and gets a lot of things wrong. Say he misstates facts, distorts reality, or says other things you know are not true. Do you jump up from the pew and yell, “That’s a lie”? Of course not. But if those same misstatements were made by someone else during the work week you might well respond with considerable harshness. What’s the difference? I think there are two different thought processes that many people engage in. Let’s call them “Sunday morning” thinking and “Monday morning” thinking. We tolerate things on Sunday that we would never tolerate on Monday. And there is probably nothing wrong with that, unless people get their days mixed up.

In my professional career I have been to hundreds of health policy conferences, discussions, get-togethers, etc., where it seemed as though people were completely failing to connect with each other. One day it dawned on me that we were having two different conversations. Some people were engaged in Monday morning thinking, while everyone else was engaged in Sunday morning thinking.

Here’s the problem. Whether the beliefs are true or false, if people didn’t come to their religious convictions by means of reason, then reason isn’t going to convince them to change their minds.
This same principle applies to collectivism and health care. If people didn’t come to the false religion of collectivism by means of reason, you are not going to talk them out of it by means of reason. If you remember this principle, you will save yourself the agony of many, many pointless conversations.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
John C. Goodman is president and founder of the National Center for Policy Analysis, a free-market think tank established in 1983. Goodman’s ideas on health policy can also be found at his own blog, where he provides daily analysis and lively discussion on a wide range of health care topics.

Kim sat in for Matt Freideman on August 20th, 21st and 24th. Each show is in three parts.

Kim has been a regular talk show host on WJNT News Talk 1180 am in Jackson, MS and more recently has been and is a guest host on the Matt Friedeman Show on AFR Talk on the American Family Radio Network. His is a fresh, vital voice to Christians of all races to get involved in political activism for the Kingdom's sake. Listen to Kim's perspective by clicking on the play button below. You will be enlightened and challenged!

The programs are dated: July 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 2009 respectively.

Click on the play buttons below to listen to the show. There are three parts in order from top to bottom.

Sadly I don't think there are a large number of people who could actually benefit from this book but I think YOU will!

Get it & read you won't be sorry. Click on the book cover to learn more about it, read excerpts, and order the book.

“Is it not High Time for the People of this Country explicitly to declare, whether they will be Freemen or Slaves? It is an important Question which ought to be decided. It concerns us more than any Thing in this Life. The Salvation of our Souls is interested in the Event:

For wherever Tyranny is establish'd, Immorality of every Kind comes in like a Torrent. It is in the Interest of Tyrants to reduce the People to Ignorance and Vice. For they cannot live in any Country where Virtue and Knowledge prevail. The Religion and public Liberty of a People are intimately connected; their Interests are interwoven, they cannot subsist separately; and therefore they rise and fall together. For this Reason, it is always observable, that those who are combin'd to destroy the People's Liberties, practice every Art to poison their Morals.

How greatly then does it concern us, at all Events, to put a Stop to the Progress of Tyranny. It is advanced already by far too many Strides. We are at this moment upon a precipice. The next step may be fatal to us. Let us then act like wise Men; calmly took around us and consider what is best to be done. Let us converse together upon this most interesting Subject and open our minds freely to each other. Let it be the topic of conversation in every social Club. Let every Town assemble. Let Associations & Combinations be everywhere set up to consult and recover our just Rights.”

" The Country claims our active Aid.
That let us roam; & where we find a Spark
Of public Virtue, blow it into Flame."

VALERIUS POPLIC0LA.

Samuel Adams - October 5 1772
http://www.fullbooks.com/The-Writings-of-Samuel-Adams-volume-II-1770-5.html

Above excerpted from:
 
ARTICLE SIGNED "VALERIUS POPLICOLA."1

[ Boston Gazette, October 5, 1772.]

Messieurs EDES & GILL,

"Is there a Prince on Earth, who has power to lay a single Penny
upon his subjects, without the Grant and Consent of those who are
to pay it, otherwise than by Tyranny and Violence? No Prince can levy it unless through Tyranny and under Penalty of Excommunication. But there are those who are Bruitish enough not to know what they can do or omit in this Affair.

Such is the language of a great and good Historian and Statesman,
a Subject of France . Had the English Politicians and Ministers
been either half as honest or half as wise as he, they would never
have driven the American Revenue without the Grant or Consent of
those who pay it, to such a length, as to cause an Alienation of
affection which perhaps may not easily if ever be recovered. By
this kind of politics, says the worthy Frenchman, Charles the
seventh brought a heavy Sin upon his own Soul and upon that of his
Successors, and gave his Kingdom a Wound which would continue long to bleed. The British Ministers, possibly, may entertain different Ideas of Morals from those of the French Historian, if indeed they have any such kind of ideas at all. However, the Nation, I fear, will have Occasion to rue the day, when they suffer'd their
Politics so far to prevail, as to gain such an Influence in their
Parliament as they certainly did in the last, to say nothing of
the present. The Impositions upon the French, says Mr. Gordon,2
grew monstrous almost as soon as they grew arbitrary. Charles the
seventh, who began them, never rais'd annually more than one
hundred and eighty thousand Pounds. His Son Lewis the eleventh
almost trebled the Revenue; and since then, all that the Kingdom and People had, even to their Skins, has hardly been thought
sufficient for their Kings." An awakening Caution to Americans!
Lest by tamely submitting to be plundered, they encourage their
Plunderers to grasp at all they have.

The Merchants of this Continent have passively submitted to the
Indignity of a Tribute; and the Landholders, tho' Sharers in the
Indignity, have been perhaps too unconcern'd Spectators of the
humiliating Scene. Posterity, who will no doubt revenge their
Fathers Wrongs, may also be ashamed, when in the Page of History they are informed of their tame Subjection. Had the Body of this People shown a proper Resentment, at the time when the proud Taskmasters first made their appearance, we should never have seen Pensioners multiplying like the Locusts in Egypt , which devoured every green Thing. I speak with Assurance; because it seldom has happened if ever, that even a small People has been kept long in Bondage, when they have unitedly and perseveringly resolv'd to be Free.

At that critical Period, we hearkened to what we then took to be,
the Dictates of sound policy and Prudence. We were led to place a
Confidence in those, whose Protection we had a right to claim, and
we hoped for Deliverance in dry Remonstrances and humble
Supplication. We have petition'd, repeatedly petition'd, and our
Petitions have been heard, barely heard! The Grievances of this
Continent have no doubt "reached the Royal Ear"; I wish I could
see reason to say they had touch'd the Royal Heart. No - They yet
remain altogether unredress'd. Such has been the baneful Influence
of corrupt and infamous Ministers and Servants of the Crown; that
the Complaints of three Millions of loyal Subjects have not yet
penetrated the Royal Breast, to move it even to pity.

Have not our humble Petitions, breathing a true Spirit of rational
Loyalty, and expressive of a just Sense of those Liberties the
Restoration of which we implored, been followed with Grievance
upon Grievance, as fast as the cruel Heart and Hand of a most
execrable Paricide could invent and fabricate them? I will not at
present enumerate Grievances; they are known, sufficiently known,
felt and understood. Is it not enough, to have a Governor, an
avowed Advocate for ministerial Measures, and a most assiduous
Instrument in carrying them on - moddel'd, shaped, controul'd, and
directed-totally independant of the people over whom he is
commissioned to govern, and yet absolutely dependent upon the
Crown - pensioned by those on whom his existence depends, and paid out of a Revenue establish'd by those who have no Authority to
establish it, and extorted from the People in a Manner most
Odious, insulting and oppressive. Is not this, Indignity enough to
be felt by those who have any feeling? Are we still threatned with
more? Is Life, Property and every Thing dear and sacred, to be now
submitted to the Decisions of PENSION'D JUDGES, holding their
places during the pleasure of such a Governor, and a Council
perhaps overawed! To what a State of Infamy , Wretchedness and
Misery shall we be reduc'd if our Judges shall be prevail'd upon
to be thus degraded to Hirelings, and the Body of the People shall
suffer their free Constitution to be overturn'd and ruin'd.
Merciful GOD! Inspire Thy People with Wisdom and Fortitude, and
direct them to gracious Ends. In this extreme Distress, when the
Plan of Slavery seems nearly compleated, 0 save our Country from
impending Ruin - Let not the iron Hand of Tyranny ravish our Laws
and seize the Badge of Freedom, nor avow'd Corruption and the
murderous Rage of lawless Power be ever seen on the sacred Seat of Justice!

Is it not High Time for the People of this Country explicitly to
declare, whether they will be Freemen or Slaves? It is an
important Question which ought to be decided. It concerns us more
than any Thing in this Life. The Salvation of our Souls is
interested in the Event: For wherever Tyranny is establish'd,
Immorality of every Kind comes in like a Torrent. It is in the
Interest of Tyrants to reduce the People to Ignorance and Vice.
For they cannot live in any Country where Virtue and Knowledge
prevail. The Religion and public Liberty of a People are
intimately connected; their Interests are interwoven, they cannot
subsist separately; and therefore they rise and fall together. For
this Reason, it is always observable, that those who are combin'd
to destroy the People's Liberties, practice every Art to poison
their Morals. How greatly then does it concern us, at all Events,
to put a Stop to the Progress of Tyranny. It is advanced already
by far too many Strides. We are at this moment upon a precipice.
The next step may be fatal to us. Let us then act like wise Men;
calmly took around us and consider what is best to be done. Let us
converse together upon this most interesting Subject and open our
minds freely to each other. Let it be the topic of conversation in
every social Club. Let every Town assemble. Let Associations &
Combinations be everywhere set up to consult and recover our just
Rights.

" The Country claims our active Aid.
That let us roam; & where we find a Spark
Of public Virtue, blow it into Flame."

VALERIUS POPLIC0LA.

1 Attributed to Adams by W. V. Wells. See above, page 256.
2 Rev. William Gordon, of Roxbury, author of The History of the
Rise, Progress, and Establishment, of the Independence of the
United States of America .

Monday, March 8, 2010, Jim Hoft

“Would socialized medicine lead to socialization of other phases of life? Lenin thought so. He declared socialized medicine is the keystone to the arch of the socialist state.” 1945 AMA Pamphlet Warning.

The Communist Workers Party published an article recently in defense of state-run medicine like the proposal that democrats are wanting to ram through in the next 10 days.

(Quipster)
From the Socialists Workers Party–
When the administration of John F. Kennedy discussed a plan for government health care that would cover people of Social Security age, the American Medical Association (AMA) fought back, along with the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, with a well-funded campaign–complete with a commercial featuring actor Ronald Reagan, who was determined to talk to America about an “imminent threat”:

Now, back in 1927, an American socialist, Norman Thomas, six times candidate for president on the Socialist Party ticket, said the American people would never vote for socialism. But he said under the name of liberalism, the American people would adopt every fragment of the socialist program…

One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project…Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it.

…Of course, the danger of creeping socialism is a much less compelling argument today among ordinary people than it was during the Cold War. If anything, socialism is becoming a preferred alternative to the mess that capitalism has made of working-class living standards…

…According to the Physicians for a National Health Program’s (PNHP) Karen Palmer, the AMA assessed its members an extra $25 each to resist national health insurance, and in 1945, it spent $1.5 million on lobbying efforts, which at the time was the most expensive lobbying effort in American history. An AMA pamphlet warned, “Would socialized medicine lead to socialization of other phases of life? Lenin thought so. He declared socialized medicine is the keystone to the arch of the socialist state.”

We are only 10 days away (or less!) from the final vote on ObamaCare. If the House votes yes on the Senate bill that is now before it, THE GAME IS OVER. Since the Senate already passed it, once the House passes it on March 18, Obama’s signature on it (which will be immediate) MAKES IT LAW.

We are about to become a Socialist country. For if this passes, it will be virtually unrepealable. Health entitlement programs, once enacted, have proven to be permanent.

Think about it. Ten days from now: Permanent taxpayer funding of abortion. Permanent death panels (yes, those are in the bill), with no appeal of their decisions. Permanent forcing of pro-life doctors to refer for abortions, under penalty of loss of their license to practice. Within five years, no more freedom to buy private policies of your choice (only policies approved by the federal government). Small insurance companies, such as the one that took such incredibly good care of my husband during his illness, will very quickly be permanently out of business.

The Democrats KNOW that nationalizing health care is the single most effective step in making the USA a socialist country. Lenin said it first:

WE MUST DO WHATEVER IT TAKES IN THE NEXT TEN DAYS TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING!
Now is the time to act.
Hat Tip Kathy

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/03/vladimir-lenin-socialized-medicine-is-the-keystone-to-the-arch-of-the-socialist-state/

Prophetic Bulletins
          What would the perfect President be like? What would the perfect Senator or Congressman be like? Of course, we do not have perfect people to choose from for these positions, but if we set the standard of what we’re looking for, and then start looking for the right people to fill the positions, we would likely end up with much better leaders than we have now.

          This is how Ronald Reagan was found. Conservative movements began looking for what they needed in a candidate rather than just looking at the available pool, who at the time, were clamoring to be chosen. Reagan was not a perfect President, but he seemed to be the perfect one for the times. Under his leadership, the nation not only emerged from its worst economic problems in half a century, but vision and hope for an even greater future were restored. It was this faith that ultimately unraveled the power of our greatest enemy—the Soviet Union. Nearly two decades of prosperity followed until the recipe for this was forgotten.

          We can have the best form of government but will still have bad government if we put bad people in it. We have the best form of government, but we are not putting the best people in it, and we have an increasingly shallow pool of people to choose from. A reason for this is because the system that has evolved for choosing our leaders and representatives favors the wrong kind of people—the lower forms of self-promoting politicians. It penalizes the right kind of leaders, those who are of the character that produces the kind of servant-citizen-leaders for which our government was designed.

          There is a difference between a politician and a leader, and we are in desperate need of not just a leader, but a great leader. It is not the government that needs changing as much as the election process. America is now facing some of the most potentially deadly crises we have ever faced, in a time when the world is more dangerous than it has ever been. It is understandable that so many would be pining for another Reagan, but for what we are facing, we need a combination of Washington, Lincoln, Churchill, and Moses. 

          At one of our Oak Initiative Summits, Dr. Alan Keyes shared a brilliant insight about the flawed system we now use to choose our leaders. He pointed out how the great leaders promoted in Scripture and by our Founding Fathers were not the ones begging to be chosen, but were actually reticent to even pursue office. King David was busy doing his job tending sheep when Samuel came and anointed him. Elisha was busy plowing his fields when Elijah came and threw the mantle on him. George Washington did not even know he had been nominated for President, and did nothing to pursue it, but was elected by a people who recognized great leadership.

          The process we have today attracts the very kind of people both Scripture and the Founding Fathers warned us about. This system favors the self-promoting and those who can best beat down their competition. Conventional wisdom says this process helps vet our future leaders and prepares them for the intensity of the office. This may be true to a degree, but this reasoning is basically and obviously flawed. If it were true, then how did we elect someone to the most powerful office in the world who has never led anything in his life before and likely could not have received even a security clearance?

          This kind of “conventional wisdom” has gotten us into the mess we’re in, and it will not get us out of it. We need a new breed of leadership, and it will take a new kind of vision to recognize them. Our present system is not working. Again, it is not the fault of our government, but the process that has evolved for choosing the people we put in it. We may think that it is too far evolved to change now, but that is not true. We must change it or we will lose our form of government, and our Republic will fail.

          If the politicians and pundits who laud the present process are right, why did we feel so slimed when this process passed through our state? We were not left with vision, hope for the future, or excitement about the coming elections and possibility of making a difference. We just wanted them to leave and take all of their negative commercials with them. If this is such a good thing, then why did Obama’s approval rating go up 9 percent since it started, and why does he now look like the only adult in the group?

          As a longtime, faithful Republican, I have never been more ashamed of my party than I have watching the nominating process this year. Certainly there were some highlights and some good things; however, not only the Republican Party but the nation as well will be in great trouble if we cannot do better than we’ve been doing in picking our leaders.

          Americans are now possibly as divided as they have been since the Civil War, but there is one thing that unites virtually every American—the sense that our government is broken. It has fallen to a level of incompetence and dysfunction that could not survive in any other field and it will not likely survive much longer as our government if basic changes are not made in the way we choose those we put in it.

          The following are some of the basic qualities that the greatest leaders have had, and that we must resolve to seek in those we support for any office in the land if we are going to continue to be a great nation:
 

1) CHARACTER: The greatest leaders are the greatest followers of a noble cause. They do not lead because they want the honor or benefits of leadership, but out of a depth of conviction and devotion to something much greater than themselves. The great combine their conviction with a devotion to truth and the transparency that proves this devotion.

2) KNOWLEDGE: The deeper and more expansive the knowledge, the more capable a leader will be to discern the important issues of the times and be able to effectively address them.

3) WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING: This is the ability to apply knowledge correctly. Not everyone who has great knowledge can apply that knowledge wisely, so we must not be impressed by knowledge alone.

4) COURAGE: This is the ability to pursue actions and solutions because they are the right, not just because they are politically expedient. This requires a deep and strong moral compass.

          Courage is actually one of the most politically expedient things we can have because people in every age have proven willing to follow courage.

5) VISION: If we are leading others, we must know where we are going. Our vision must be defined and clear enough for those who would follow us so they will know why they’re following us.

           There is one direction that will get us out of any crisis or situation—FORWARD. Do we have a positive vision of the future, or are we basing our leadership on the negative of just not doing what others have done?

6) FOCUS: As President Truman once said, “Many people are defeated by secondary successes.” Good can be the worst enemy of best. Just as great ballplayers keep their eye on the ball, great leaders keep their focus on the ultimate goal.

           Just as great athletes don’t celebrate too much over one advance or score but wait until the game is won, great leaders don’t celebrate too much over smaller victories, but keep their focus on the ultimate victory. As General MacArthur once said, “It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.” We need to define the ultimate victory and not settle for anything less.

7) RESOLVE and ENDURANCE: Anything that happens too fast or too easily is usually insignificant. Great leaders must have the resolve and endurance to stay in the fight until the victory is complete. This has proven to be a very rare quality in leaders. It is much more exciting to start a war than to slog it out to the end.

8) THE ABILITY TO PLAN: The ability to create workable plans is the foundation of accomplishment. Any job is doable if broken down into small enough steps. Knowing where you want to go or what you want to accomplish is the easy part—developing a plan that will get you there is another matter, and few have proven able to do both.

9) THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE: The greatest leaders know where they are going, do the necessary planning, and they are able to convey it to others in a way that inspires them to follow.

           In a republic, the people are the sovereign, and they have the right to know what we are doing and why. So do all of those who will be required to carry out the plans. However, this too requires great wisdom. If we get so tedious in conveying the details of the plan, we will bore instead of inspire, and even worse, can get bogged down in “the paralysis of analysis.”

10) THE ABILITY TO MOBILIZE: You are not a leader if someone is not following. The most effective leaders will not just mobilize the greatest number of people, but the right people. Getting the right people in the right places is critical to success.

11) THE ABILITY TO BUILD AND LEAD A TEAM: This is one of the most important abilities for the office of the President. Many have knowledge and vision that can inspire and mobilize, but fail at this, and thereby fail in their administration.

           The more immature or insecure we are as leaders, the more we will want all of the credit for success and none of the blame for failure. The greatest leaders give credit where it is due, especially to subordinates, and they take the blame for failures whenever they can, even when the failure was by subordinates. The buck really does stop with the leader. Few can do this, which is why there are so few great leaders in history.     

12) HUMILITY: This is required if we are to have one of the most valuable assets of a leader—the ability to learn from mistakes and thereby not keep repeating them.

           The Southern General Robert E. Lee’s death was mourned more in the North than even any Union general, including the one who defeated him, General Grant. The reason Lee was so beloved by the entire nation, even those who had lost fathers, sons, and brothers while fighting him, was universally acknowledged to be his humility. He not only readily accepted responsibility for his failures, but also the failures of his subordinates. Lee was the opposite of a blame-shifter, and so it was rightly said of him that there has never been a more noble leader of a less noble cause.

           It may be unique in history that a leader of such a tragic cause would become so endeared even by his former enemies. We need to ask why today we can fight for noble causes and yet are hated even more for it. There is a reason for it. False humility has caused some to apologize for America for things we did not do wrong, which only caused more disrespect by both friends and enemies. Even so, true humility will always acknowledge what we do wrong, not out of political expediency, but because it is the right thing to do. This is one factor that seems to universally cause respect and trust.

13) ACCOUNTABILITY: Benjamin Franklin said, “He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.” Again, few things build trust faster than one who accepts and acknowledges their failures. Few things cause the erosion of trust faster than a blame-shifter. People instinctively know this, which is why Obama’s approval rating plummeted the more he tried to blame Bush for the nation’s problems. The people knew Obama had inherited major problems, but they hired him to fix them, not find those who needed to be blamed. Great leaders do not waste their energy or the people’s good will by blaming others for problems, but rather focus on finding solutions.

14) GREAT LEADERS BUILD A VICTORY MENTALITY WITH HUMILITY AND GRACE: Great and lasting accomplishments are built by a mentality that has high purposes, and will not settle for less than accomplishing them, while imparting this to those who follow them. To them, there are no options but success. This is the faith that builds greatness that lasts.

           It is right to celebrate victories, but there is a difference in celebrating with the belittling tone toward the vanquished, or of arrogance, and a celebration that acknowledges and expresses appreciation for all who paid the price to fight the good fight.

Summary

Is there such a leader on the planet today? There are many, and there could even be many in your own neighborhood. They are not likely to be in politics because that has become so foreign to the nature of great leadership. Even so, I’ve been studying great and effective leaders for more than forty years, and I see the potential in some almost everywhere I go. We may have a vacuum of leadership in the nation now, in virtually every field, but it seems that the potential in the farm teams is remarkable. For this reason, in spite of the great crises we’re now facing, God has a future for our country and a great one.

We must learn the lesson given to us by the greatest and most effective leader there has ever been—Jesus. Never has so much been accomplished by so few as Jesus and His apostles did. Where did He find such remarkable leaders to do what they did? He found them among the common people, living ordinary lives, and some of them very questionable lives. He called them and then He changed them into the most effective force for good the world has ever known. They then went out and changed the world more than any conqueror, philosopher, religious, or political leader ever did.
         
Since Jesus walked the earth, those who have embraced even a small portion of His leadership principles have had a major impact in their times, and occasionally for all time. Even if you do not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, there is more to be learned by the leadership principles He used than anyone who has ever lived. There simply was never a more effective leader and never anyone who made others into leaders like He did. The main point He may have been trying to convey by those He chose is that great leadership can be found in any one of us.
         
The great lesson of Barack Obama is that anyone can become President. I am still thankful to have lived in a country that would elect as our leader someone from a still oppressed minority the way we did with Obama. I was remorseful that I could not vote for our first black President, and I’m deeply grieved by what he’s done in the job, but I’m thankful for such a country. I pray that I will be able to vote for our first Hispanic President, our first woman President, or one from any other minority.
         
Even though at this time I personally think Obama has been the worst President in my lifetime, and maybe ever, I believe Jesus is not only still alive, but still doing all that He did when He walked the earth; therefore I have not given up hope that He would move in Obama’s life and yet make him into a great President. For as long as he is in office, this will be my prayer. However, until that change happens to him, I will be looking for another leader.
         
We have been a nation blessed by God, possibly more than any nation ever. When we basically started asking God to leave, our slide began, and it continues. If we look back to Him, we can rise again to even greater heights, but it will not happen if we do not turn back to Him. According to the first five chapters of Isaiah, one of the first evidences of a nation that departs from the Lord is immature, capricious leadership under which the people faint. One of the first blessings of a nation that honors the Lord is righteous leadership under which the people prosper. We must return to the One who is above all authority, power, and dominion—the King who is above all kings and who knows how to raise up great leaders.
      
Tim Tebow is a loud and clear message to our country. He is bold and uncompromising in his faith, but not a hypocrite, and the nation loved him for it. The nation is ready to love and honor sincere Christians again, but there is much more to this message.
 
When the NFL would not let him write John 3:16 on his eye black, the Lord broadcast it in a way that no mere human could have pulled off. Not only did Tebow throw for 316 yards in their playoff win against Pittsburg, but he averaged 31.6 yards a pass, and the rating for the last part of the game was even 31.6. Because of this, over the next few days more than 110 million people searched the Internet to find out what John 3:16 said.
         
Think about that. No Christian would need to Google John 3:16 to see what it says, so these were not likely believers. This may have been the single greatest witness in history, and there will be a harvest from all of those seeds that were planted.
         
This is also a message that it is time to be bold and uncompromising in our faith. This does not mean we should be obnoxious, as Tebow is a testimony that he is anything but that. He is a genuinely humble guy who loves God and cannot stop talking about the One he loves. Let us do this out of love and not religious compulsion. Let us also not give up on our country. We cannot be a great nation if we are not led by great leaders. So let’s “Tebow,” get on our knees and pray, and resolve to never, ever compromise our convictions.

By Capitalist in Chief

Those rich people don’t need all that money. They don’t pay their fair share of taxes. And a lot of good can be done if all that money is taken away from those people, who don’t need it anyway, and is given to other less fortunate people so that they can have better opportunities to advance their lives.

The above paragraph seems to be the essence of liberal economic thought. I realize that many liberals these days object to the notion that what they really want is socialism. However, arguing nomenclature is of no substance. Therefore, I’m just going to say that the philosophy described above falls under the umbrella of socialism, and just call it that.
We can argue fairness all day long, but for now I want to tell you what happens when socialism or whatever you wish to call it, is deployed in an attempt to correct the perceived economic (or “social”) injustices of the world.

Many people who support socialism, do so because they want a fair, poverty free world, with justice for all. Therefore, if you support socialism, i.e. wealth redistribution and a large government that deploys a heavy set of social programs to achieve all that, I would just like to let you know of the following:

The socialist methods deployed to supposedly achieve a better world unleash an AVALANCHE of negative side effects that utterly dwarfs any of their original intentions, and brings more poverty, more inequality, more injustice, less prosperity, and more misery. This is because those methods go against an essence of human nature that cannot be changed even by people with the best of intentions.

Yes, socialism exacerbates the very problems it claims to solve.

Disagree? Then read on!

Unintended Consequences of Socialist Policies
There are several reasons why socialism, and specifically wealth redistribution by means of taxing the rich, does not work. All of these reasons stem from one important fact of life:

People have a strong desire to do whatever is in their own perceived self interest!

The following are detrimental unintended consequences of socialism that stem from the above fact and undermine everything socialism is meant to accomplish:

Much of the money that goes to the government ends up being wasted, resulting in ineffective government programs, and less wealth for EVERYBODY. 
Many are tempted to assume that money collected by the government goes to help the poor and downtrodden. However, much of that money ends up in the hands of the rich and politically connected, those who have the most resources and ability to lobby for it.

Socialism concentrates money and power in the hands of the government. When government grows, the greedy and corrupt don’t go away. Conversely, they now have a more powerful tool in their hands, the government itself.

The richer you are, the easier it is for you to avoid increasing taxation and leave the bill to the middle class. Learn more.
A soak-the-rich, high tax strategy inhibits the economy. And who is hurt the most by a slow economy? Not the rich!

The transfer of earned wealth that socialist policies mandate are a detriment to entrepreneurship and innovation. Entrepreneurship and innovation are driven by the potential for material rewards. If we take away or reduce the material rewards, we’ll have less innovation. Less innovation means less of all the cool, useful, and life-saving stuff we all love.

High taxes and government regulations make it more difficult to start and grow a business, thereby leaving much greater opportunities for those who are already rich and have the resources to overcome those difficulties.

Social programs create more demand and need for those very programs in a self perpetuating cycle because given government handouts, people come to expect and rely on them. And therefore, you can never spend enough, because the more you do, the greater the need to do so becomes. 

Social programs are a disincentive to work and act responsibly. After all, if some or all of your needs are taken care of, and if someone else picks up the tab whenever something goes wrong, why would you worry about such minor details as work ethic, productivity, financial responsibility and family obligations? Consequently, when productivity takes a downturn, leading to a shrinking economy, guess who suffers… everybody! Oh and as always, the rich suffer the least. 

A combination of the above points causes a vicious cycle of decreasing revenues and increasing demand for social spending that results in a socialist government running out of money and having ‘no choice’ but to perpetuated tax increases to every level of society, rich and poor.

Because of the avalanche of problems socialist policies cause, no amount of social spending and taxation will ever overcome the problems it is supposedly set out to solve.

The Road to Poverty, Inequality, and Injustice
Socialism causes poverty because it slows economic growth and progress through government waste, taxation on productive economic activity, discouraging innovation and the creation of hurdles for business. In addition, socialism causes poverty because it creates adisincentive to work and act responsibly.
Socialism causes inequality because much of the money that goes to the government ends up in the hands of the rich and politically connected, it’s easier for wealthy individuals to avoid taxes, and itcreates hurdles for business that the wealthy find easier to overcome. Socialism is a way for the rich to shut the door behind them, preventing those who are on their way up from reaching their destination.

Liberalism tends to liken inequality to injustice, therefore, just by using the standards set by liberal thinking, socialism causes injusticebecause of the inequality it promotes. But more directly, socialist policies (wealth redistribution, social programs, and regulation) necessitate a larger, more powerful, more meddling, government that becomes a powerful tool for the wealthy, politically connected, and bureaucrats on “power trips” to take advantage of the rest of society.

The Price of Socialism
Because of the avalanche of unintended consequences, socialist policies are at best extremely limited in what good they can do. Yet, many politicians represent those as some grand solution to humanity’s problems and completely neglect all the problems socialist policies cause. This is akin to touting a “miracle” cure for cancer, yet failing to mention it causes blindness, brain damage, and eventual cardiac arrest. Socialism’s avalanche of unintended consequences cuts deep into any benefits that society might derive from social programs. And anyone, especially voters and politicians, should be aware and honest about the real price that socialism demands.

First, there is little chance that, on average, a middle class person would come out ahead with government entitlements he/she receives after subtracting all the extra taxes and economic costs he/she bares for those entitlements. This is because, the government can not raise enough revenue just from those considered rich to cover the cycle of decreasing revenues and increasing demand for social spending brought on by socialist policies. We only need to look at the high level of taxation on the middle class of European social democratic states to see this is indeed the case.

If you are not a person who is poverty stricken, and you’re not going to run a welfare scam, then do not believe for a second that the government will take from the rich on your behalf. You will pay through income taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, inflation etc.

And then there are the poor. They earn too little for the government to take anything of significance, and can come out ahead in dollar amount given aid from the government. It’s great for them if they’re perfectly happy being perpetually impoverished, living the austere life at a near subsistence level given to them by the government.

But overall, the poor will also pay a price! And so will everybody else… but as always, not so much those who are very rich. This price is lesser economic opportunity. Yes, the very thing that the socialists supposedly champion for the poor. More specifically, we have greater unemployment and less business opportunity. Western Europe for instance, with all its socialist policies and supposed compassion, has boom-time unemployment rates that are roughly what the United States gets during recessions.

And to top it all off, there’s the price of slowed innovation, entrepreneurship and technological advancement.

Conclusion
The government can either completely help a small number of people, or slightly help a large number of people. What it absolutely can not do is completely help a large number of people. It’s just impossible to expect a small minority, i.e. the rich, to support the rest of the population. It cannot happen! The government can’t solve everybody’s problems. It has never happened, and never will happen.

But mustn’t we help people in need? Yes, we should help some who can’t take care of themselves. However, the more money we spend on this via the government, the more significant the unintended consequences become, devastating not just those whom we want to help, but many others. And therefore,wealth redistribution and social programs are not the answer to some great society and a better world order and should be kept to a minimum. But unfortunately, when faced with poverty and social problems, the socialist response is even more socialism, the very thing that makes those problems worse.

Learn more.