The Good Work of Keeping Campaign Promises

By:  Dale Weckbacher

James 2:20

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

NKJV

Some interpret this verse to mean that our salvation is based upon our good works.  In fact, some even believe the Apostle Paul and James were at odds doctrinally over the doctrine of salvation by grace since Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8 that our salvation was based upon God’s grace and had nothing to do with our works.  The truth is that there is no disagreement between James and Paul when we look at these verses in their context. 

Paul is talking about salvation but James is talking about the effect our faith has on others around us.  There is nothing any of us could do to deserve salvation from God for as we read in Isaiah, all our righteousness are like filthy rags to God (Isaiah 64:6) and the only way to wash these filthy rags is the blood of Jesus Christ.  James 2:20 is encouraging us to demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ through our good works.  If those who have not experienced salvation do not see a change in our lives from doing works of evil to righteous works, why would they want to give their lives to Christ?  We could interpret James 2:20 to mean our witness for Christ without works is dead. 

Politically, most of us are frustrated when we vote for someone who promises one thing during the campaign only to reverse course once in office.  When we vote for a change in leadership, as voters did in the 2014 election, we have an expectation that the ones we put into office will make good on their campaign promises.  The recently passed legislation that outlaws Obama’s executive amnesty will provide the first test on the resolve of the newly elected republican majorities in the House and Senate to follow through on their campaign promises. 

The legislation now moves on to the Senate where even though Republicans hold a 55 to 45 majority, the bill must clear cloture before coming to a vote.  To clear cloture requires 60 votes so even if all 55 Republicans vote for the legislation, 5 Democrats will be necessary to bring the bill up for a vote before the full Senate.  This, however, does not mean these Democrats are required to vote for the legislation for the cloture vote is only a vote to allow the full Senate to vote for it.  If you live in a state with a Democrat senator, I encourage you to call or email them encouraging them to vote yes on cloture, allowing the full Senate to consider the legislation. 

However, even if the law passes the Senate obstacle, it then goes to the President where it is almost certain to receive his veto.  Congress can overturn the President’s veto but that requires a two-thirds majority, something that would be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve in the current political climate. 

Looking at the difficulties this legislation will encounter, it might be easy to throw up our hands and give up but that is where our newly elected leaders have an opportunity to demonstrate their resolve to live up to the promises they campaigned on.  Even if this legislation either dies in the Senate due to not being able to achieve cloture, or dies under the veto pen of the President, going through this process will demonstrate which party is out of touch with the desires of the American voters, and which party is in touch with voters.  In essence, going through this process will demonstrate the resolve of Republicans in Congress to perform good works dedicated to doing what they campaigned to do. 

I believe that this type of demonstration of good works by the newly elected Republicans in Congress will make it easier for a Republican dedicated to performing the same good works to win both the GOP nomination and win the 2016 Presidential election.  Failure to follow through however will only cause more voters to lose faith in both parties and stay home in 2016 as they did in 2012.  This is something our nation cannot afford.  

Conformity to Christ

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

NKJV

In our modern politically correct and diverse society, we feel constant pressure to tolerate others.  I am for tolerance when it comes to race, gender, and even tolerant of opinions that may differ from my own.  However, I will never, nor do I encourage others to tolerate surrendering their deeply held values in the interest of political correctness and diversity.  I also will never condone tolerating others whose values include the murder of people who do not hold their values. 

Once again, terrorism has reared its ugly head and as is usually the case, the perpetrators of these violent acts are linked to radical Islam.  Many believe the religion of Islam is a religion of peace but when we look at the meaning of the world Islam we discover that it actually mean submission.  Islam was founded in violence and still believes in violence as a principle and as a way of life.  (1) 

The thing adherents of Islam command their followers to submit to is Sharaih Law.  The greatest danger Sharaih law poses to the United States is its command for both Islamic terrorism and pre-violent “civilization jihad” or “stealth jihad” depending on whatever is necessary to bring people into submission to Sharaih Law.  (2)  In other words besides the visible acts of terrorism like what we saw on 9/11 and most recently in Paris, jihad also involves fundamentally changing a civilization bringing it into submission to Sharaih Law in a stealth manner. 

One of the most shocking things that have been revealed to the world after the attacks in Paris is the existence of so-called “no-go” zones.”  These “no-go” zones are areas in the French state that are Muslim-dominated and not under French control.  (3)  We must now wonder if the “no-go” zones the French started in the belief that these zones would allow followers of Islam to freely practice their so-called religion of peace, have now become breeding grounds of hatred and violent jihad.  (4)  We must also wonder if similar “no-go” zones could arise in the United States.

To insure the United States does not form “no-go” zones we must,

1)      Abandon our concern to be politically correct in dealing with radical Islam and call it what it is, a religion promoting violence and jihad.  (1)

2)      Educate people on the truth of what Sharaih Law entails so they will not want to see it adopted in the United States.  For instance, the adherents of Sharaih are fundamentally opposed to the survival of the Constitution of the United States.  For example, the first amendment of the United States grants everyone the freedom of speech, and religion.  Sharaih, however, does not allow the practice of any other religion or speech that speaks out against Allah.  If we were to allow “no-go” zones in the United States where they practice Sharaih, how long would it be before they would begin to attempt civilizational jihad and the fundamental changing of our society.  We do not want to ever reach a point in the United States where 16% of people favor ISIS as they do in France.  (5)

3)      Promote conformity to Jesus Christ.  Romans 12:2 encourages us not to conform to this world but to instead allow our minds to be transformed through the renewing of our minds in order to demonstrate the perfect and acceptable will of God.  Islam teaches conformity to Allah but it is a forced conformity of “convert or die.”  Christianity teaches a voluntary conformity to Jesus Christ with the reward of eternal life (John 3:16). 

Christianity is a truly peaceful religion for Jesus himself taught that it is the peacemakers, not violent jihadists, which will inherit the Kingdom of God.  I believe that as more and more people choose to conform to the peaceful teachings of the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, it will be more difficult for jihadists to recruit followers. 

The attacks in Paris and the growing acceptance of Sharaih Law is a call to action for Christians reading this all over the world.  As Christians we must,

1)      Draw closer to God through prayer and study of the Bible to bring our lives more into conformity with Jesus Christ. 

2)      Begin living lives that glorify God and non-conformity to the world.  This does not mean we have to abandon any fun in our lives but when we are tempted to do something that violates God and His Word, we must resist the temptation and maybe even run away just as Joseph did when tempted by Potiphar’s wife.  In this way we can witness to the world that we have decided to live lives of conformity to God and the Bible.

3)      Share with others what Jesus has done in our lives so they too can have an opportunity to live lives of conformity to Jesus Christ. 

Join me by taking time this week to spend time alone with God in prayer and study of the Bible.  Ask God to reveal any area of your life that is not in conformity to Jesus, repent, and begin living a life in conformity to Jesus.  This is the beginning of what I believe will be a revival to our world. 

1. Darwich, Bassam. Islam & Peace. www.answering-islam.org. [Online] [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://www.answering-islam.org/Hoaxes/salamislam.html.

2. Center for Security Policy. What is Shariah. shariahthethreat.org. [Online] [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://shariahthethreat.org/a-short-course-1-what-is-shariah/.

3. James, Abigail. The shocking reality of 'no-go' zones: France has no control over Muslim-populated neighborhoods. www.catholic.org. [Online] Catholic Online, January 9, 2015. [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://www.catholic.org/news/international/europe/story.php?id=58341.

4. Scarbouough, Rowan. Muslims segregated from French society in growing Islamist mini-states. www.washingtontimes.com. [Online] The Washington Times, January 7, 2015. [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/7/french-islamist-mini-states-grow-into-problem-out-/?page=all.

5. Grant, Madeline. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/7/french-islamist-mini-states-grow-into-problem-out-/?page=all. www.newsweek.com. [Online] Newsweek, August 26, 2014. [Cited: January 13, 2015.] http://www.newsweek.com/16-french-citizens-support-isis-poll-finds-266795.

The Source of Evil

By:  Dale Weckbacher                   

Ephesians 2:1-2

And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,

NKJV

Wednesday’s vicious terrorist, that’s right, terrorist attacks in France once again illustrate that we live in a world dominated by evil.  It is easy for us to point fingers at media inciting evil by publishing articles that may offend someone.  It is also easy to point fingers at media, which subjects viewers to evil through movies, television, or video games.  We can even point fingers at religion as a way of inciting evil.

Even though these things may incite some to commit evil, they are not the true source of evil in our world.  In Ephesians 2:2, Scripture points to the true source of evil, the prince of the power of the air.  It is therefore imperative for us to understand who this prince is and what we can do to avoid his evil. 

First, this prince is not a flesh and blood prince but a prince that reins over principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and hosts of wickedness in heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).  As such, the conventional weapons of warfare used against flesh and blood are inadequate.  However, at times, the ongoing war in the spiritual realm spills over into the physical world and we see vicious attacks like what occurred on 9/11 and Wednesday in Paris.  As such, it is the duty of governments to protect their citizens from evil through a strong military, strong law enforcement, and enforcing the rule of law. 

This evil is not something new for it came into the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).  However, God loves His creation and in Genesis 3:15 promised Adam and Eve that a man would emerge on the scene that would bruise the serpent, Satan’s, head.  Eve looked forward to the fulfillment of this promise so much that when she gave birth to Cain, she believed he would be that man given to her from the Lord (Genesis 4:1) but her hopes were dashed when Cain became to first man to commit murder (Genesis 4:8).  It was not until Jesus Christ came into the world that the promise of Genesis 3:15 would be fulfilled.

So why do we still have evil in the world 2000 years after the birth of Jesus?  The answer is that Jesus first coming 2000 years ago was not to remove evil from the world but to remove the cancer of sin from the hearts of men and women who were descendants of Adam and Eve.  A righteous God could not allow mankind to live with Him in paradise while still having the cancer of sin in their hearts for just as cancer if not removed spreads throughout the body, sin would also move throughout paradise and infect it. 

Okay, but why has God allowed 200 years of evil to happen since Jesus died for the sins of mankind?  The answer is that God is a merciful and gracious God who does not want anyone to perish.  Thankfully, we who have accepted God’s gift of salvation that are still alive were able to do so because God is gracious and merciful.  My readers who have not accepted God’s gift of salvation still have an opportunity because of God’s grace and mercy. 

However, the day will come when Jesus will return and at that time, it will be too late to accept God’s gift of salvation so I strongly encourage you not to delay but to accept God’s gift of salvation now.  John 3:16 tells us that God loved the world and that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.  1 John 1:9 tells us that if we will confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  No matter how great our sins may be, Jesus shed blood on the cross has the power to forgive them. 

To open God’s gift of salvation, you simply have to confess your sins and believe that Jesus died, was buried, and rose again to cleanse us of our sins.  Pray with me now

Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned and ask you to forgive me of my sins.  I believe you died, were buried, and rose again so I can have eternal life.  Amen

Click on the link for need answers and go to the relationship tab to find a church in your area so you can begin associate with other believers.  If there is no church in your area, you click on the link to the streamed services at Calvary Community Church and listen to some excellent teaching from the Bible.  The required reading tab has a link to an affordable print Bible and a free online Bible.  The recommended reading tab has links to great books to help you grow in knowledge about your new faith.  

Congratulations on your life changing decision for you now are no longer controlled by the source of evil but the source of eternal life.  

Republican Revolt and Revenge

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Romans 12:19

Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

NKJV

Rather than seeking revenge against those that wrong us, God wants us to be forgiving and make room for wrath.  Wrath or vengeance is the Lords job.  In fact, when we seek revenge for someone that has wronged us we are in essence giving that person control over us.  To truly live in freedom, we must learn to forgive and not be obsessed with seeking vengeance. 

The first day of work in the new Congress was a day full of Republican revolt and the possibility of revenge against those participating in the revolt.  With the many problems facing the new Congress, this is not what people voted for in the 2014 election for we expect our representatives to serve us the voters and not be distracted by petty differences distracting them from the work they were elected to perform.

The revolt revolves around the many members of the House that they are unhappy with the failures of John Boehner as Speaker of the House.  Among those failures are,

1)      Boehner Delays Vote, Considers Changes to Debt Bill [7/28/11]

2)      House leadership blocks vote on payroll tax cut extension [12/19/11]

3)      Former Highway Bill Foe Boehner Scavenging for U.S. House Votes [2/17/12]

4)      Cliff chaos: Boehner pulls GOP bill [12/21/12]

5)      Boehner blasted for pulling Sandy aid bill [1/2/13]

6)      House Republicans Pull Health Care Bill After Backlash [4/24/13]

7)      House rejection of farm bill sows bad seeds for Boehner [6/20/13]

8)      Boehner pulls shutdown bill in major defeat [10/15/13]

9)      Boehner backs down and drops Republican demands on debt ceiling [2/11/14]

10)   House GOP kills last hope for immigration bill [7/10/14]

11)   Revolt within GOP quashes border vote [7/31/14]  (1)

In each of these instances, Speaker Boehner caved into President Obama, which is precisely why the voters in 2014 gave the Republicans majorities in both houses of Congress.  Looking at this record it is no wonder that voters and many members of Congress fear Speaker Boehner will forget the desires of voters and cave in once again to demands from donors, the main stream media, and President Obama out of fear of being called racist for taking a stand against the President’s failed and unconstitutional policies. 

The potential revenge revolves around potential retribution by speaker Boehner against the 24 representatives who voted against him.  In fact, the first part of Boehner’s revenge came when Boehner moved swiftly to boot two members off the rules committee.  (2)  Many fear this could just be a precursor to more retribution. 

Politics is a full contact sport and as such, those in politics need to understand that people will disagree with their policies and actions.  They also must understand that when they are in a position of leadership, those they lead were elected to office to fulfill the desires of the voters in their districts.  It is these voters, not the Speaker of the House that is the boss of these representatives.  When the Speaker does not agree with their agendas, he must be thick skinned and understand there may be push back. 

It would be wise for Speaker Boehner to follow the teaching of Romans 12:19 and not enact revenge but instead leave that up to God.  Of course this would involve forgiveness and the possibility that God may reveal that his policies are wrong. 

I therefore urge Speaker Boehner to bury the hatchet and forgive those that did not vote for him and allow them to perform the duties the voters elected them to do.  If what they were elected to do is not the will of God, then he must leave room for God to see to it their policies fail.  However, Speaker Boehner must face the possibility that the policies of those choosing not to vote for him as speaker are what God wants for the country and as such be willing to give them consideration by the full Congress. 

Speaker Boehner, stop your obsession with enacting revenge against those disagreeing with you and instead work with your expanded majority in the House to begin reversing the damage done to the nation over the last six years of the Obama Administration.  This includes,

1)      Defunding Obama’s unconstitutional executive amnesty

2)      Reversing Obamacare

3)      Balancing the budget and ending out of control spending

4)      Passing real economic stimulus through tax cuts and ending needless and harassing regulations that stifle job creation and economic growth.

5)      Rebuilding the military that President Obama has decimated so the United States will once again have security and once again be a power for good in the dangerous world we now live in.

Speaker Boehner, you now have an expanded majority.  Instead of fighting them, work with them and go down in history as the Speaker that saved the country from ruin.  This is the message the voters gave in the 2014 election and what they expect.  Don’t disappoint them.

1. Jones, Sarah. Cut and Run: A LIST of John Boehner’s Epic and Pathetic House Republican Failures. www.politicususa.comn. [Online] Politicususa, August 1, 2014. [Cited: January 6, 2015.] http://www.politicususa.com/2014/08/01/sides-agree-john-boehner-fail-watch-epic.html.

2. Bresnahan, Jake Sherman and John. www.politico.com. www.politico.com. [Online] Politico, January 6, 2015. [Cited: January 6, 2015.] http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/boehner-allies-out-for-revenge-114007.html.

I Am Not Ashamed

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

NKJV

Like Paul, I too am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for I believe that it is the answer to all that is wrong with our world.  As we begin this new year, I will continue to write as one unashamed of the gospel and as one dedicated to spreading the good news that Jesus Christ came into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:16-17).  If you have not already done so, take a moment before reading any further to ask Jesus to come into your heart by acknowledging that he came and died, was buried, and rose again to save you from your sins.  If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, take a moment right now at the beginning of this new year to rededicate your life to serve Him in this new year. 

I likewise am not ashamed to be an American and citizen of the United States of America.  Like all nations on earth, governed by flawed individuals, the United States is not perfect.  However, the premise of the founding of the United States as expressed in its founding documents is a more perfect nation where individuals have the liberty to pursue their dreams.  The founders of the United States envisioned a small government with the role of defending the God given rights of citizens and not a nation wanting to control its citizens. 

Unfortunately, the current leadership of the United States does not see the nation as a liberating force in the world but sees it as a colonial conquering nation.  (1)  This could not be further from the truth for it was such a conquering nation that the United States fought with for its freedom.  Here are just a few examples of why I do not see the United States is not a conquering but liberating force on the world. 

1)      World War I and II – In World War I and II the United States went to war against Germany, not because Germany attacked the United States, but to assist their European allies against the threat of occupation by a tyrannical German regime.  However, instead of occupying Germany along with our allies after the war, we helped the nation rebuild its infrastructure and government only leaving bases behind not to occupy the nation but to insure the tyrannical government we defeated did not return.  Even though Japan did attack the United States at Pearl Harbor, we to did not occupy Japan after the war but helped them rebuild as well leaving a few bases to also insure they did not reestablish a tyrannical regime. 

2)      Cuba – The United States once had free and open trade with Cuba but after the takeover by the Castro regime chose to implement sanctions limiting trade with the nation.  The goal of these sanctions was to cripple the regime in the hope the people would over throw their tyrannical government in favor of a more free government.  This did not occur but this does not mean we should abandon this strategy for in doing so the United States is in essence condoning tyranny in Cuba. 

3)      Iraq and Afghanistan – The Taliban occupiers of Afghanistan did brutally attack innocent people in the United States on September 11, 2001.  In response to these brutal attacks, the United States went to war against Afghanistan with the goal of deposing the oppressive Taliban regime.  Intelligence also told the United States that the Hussein regime in Iraq both supported and trained the Taliban and stopping them was in the best interest of stopping terrorism.  After deposing the Hussein regime in Iraq, the United States could have moved in and taken possession of the precious oil fields in Iraq as payment for liberating the people of Iraq.  However, in line with the nation’s history of being a liberating and not colonial conquering force, we once again helped the nation rebuild and establish a democratic government.  Unfortunately, unlike Japan and Germany, we failed to leave behind sufficient forces to maintain the peace and now ISIS has been able to depose the Democratic government the United States helped establish.  The current government of the United States, incorrectly viewing themselves as a conquering colonial force prematurely withdrew leaving the citizens of Iraq defenseless against the real conquering force, ISIS.

In each of these instances, the United States could have taken over the governments of these nations either by annexing them as states or territories as we could have done with Germany and Japan in World Wars I and II and Afghanistan after deposing their tyrannical governments.  If we were a conquering colonial regime as our current leadership believes we would have taken over in Iraq and confiscated their oil fields so we would have an abundance of cheap crude oil. 

No instead the United States takes on the role of a liberating force by rebuilding the infrastructure our military destroys during hostilities and assists the nation in establishing a more perfect government patterned after our own.  In the case of Cuba, we did not go to war with the nation but instead chose to limit our interaction with their tyrannical regime in the hope that would spur the people to depose their tyrannical regime in the interest of a government supporting the freedoms of the individual.  Even though this Cuba strategy did not accomplish its goal, abandoning this strategy is in essence expressing our support of Cuba’s tyrannical regime.  In other words, Obama’s new Cuba strategy is not condoning the liberation of the Cuban citizens but condoning continued tyranny over them by their oppressive regime. 

I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the solid foundation upon which we should build our lives.  I am also not ashamed to be a citizen of the United States and even though it is not a perfect nation, I believe the constitutional government established by its founders is the most perfect and liberating form of government established by man.  My prayer is that this year we can begin reestablishing the constitutional government envisioned by the founders of the United States and reverse the path to tyranny we are currently going down. 

1. DeYoung, Karen. Obama moves to normalize relations with Cuba as American is released by Havana. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, December 17, 2014. [Cited: January 3, 2015.] http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/report-cuba-frees-american-alan-gross-after-5-years-detention-on-spy-charges/2014/12/17/a2840518-85f5-11e4-a702-fa31ff4ae98e_story.html.

A Look Ahead at 2015

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 4:13

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

NKJV

Hebrews 13:5

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you.

NKJV

It is comforting to know that Jesus will never leave or forsake us and that we can do all things through His strength.  As we face a new year there is always uncertainty but when we believe in Christ, we can be like Joshua, strong and courageous.  Let us take a moment to look back at events of 2014 and what we might expect in 2015.

In 2014, we saw the first enrollments or attempted enrollments in the Affordable Care Act or as many of us like to call it, Obamacare.  Like many of the programs of the Obama Administration, this one too had its share of problems and incompetency.  (1)  On top of the failure of many to be able to sign up, those that did experienced Obamacare sticker shock when they discovered their health insurance was not free and would cost them more than they were promised when the law was passed.  (2)

In 2015 man y will suffer shock when they prepare their taxes.  Those that chose not to, or who were unable to secure or afford health insurance will be penalized.  This year the penalty is relatively small at $95 per person or 1% of their adjusted gross income whichever is larger but in future years, the penalties will increase substantially.  (3)  Those that did secure coverage through one of the exchanges, and who received a subsidy may discover their subsidy, based on an estimate of their 2014 income was actually too much.  In this instance, they will be required, through their tax return, to pay back the excess subsidy they received.  (4)

History may also record 2014 as the year of the hack.  (5)   First, there was Target, then Home Depot, and then Sony.  Initially the FBI cited that the hack on Sony was from North Korea.  (6)  However, some cyber experts claim the attack was an inside job.  (7)  It’s uncertain which story is true but the fact that we continue to experience data breaches coupled with our increased reliance on digital data in the information age is concerning.  It would appear all the firewalls and encryptions we have in place to protect our data are insufficient, making us vulnerable to attack.

In addition, the fact that the FBI had reason to believe the data breach at Sony originated from a sworn enemy of our nation means they have reason to believe our nation could experience a cyber-attack from an enemy.  Such a cyber-attack could be against more than just a movie company because of a movie and the next attack could be against sensitive infrastructure or the financial data of the nation.  (8)  After all, the terrorists on 9/11 did attack the Twin Towers in an effort to cripple the financial infrastructure of the United States.  Perhaps the next attack on the financial infrastructure may come in the form of a malicious cyber-attack and not hijacked planes.  It is time to seriously punish cyber-crime and begin finding ways to better protect our digital infrastructure against cyber-attack. 

However, there is hope on the horizon in the United States for the voters spoke loudly in the 2014 election.  Since Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives in 2010, the Democrat controlled Senate, led by Harry Reid, has taken on the role of buffer.  (9)   They have accomplished this by shelving all legislation passed in the House thus shielding President Obama from having to veto any legislation. 

In the 2014 mid-term elections, voters expressed their disgust with the do nothing Senate and voted overwhelmingly for a change in leadership in the Senate.  Now, we can hope that the Senate will pass the legislation originating in the House and President Obama will have to dust off his veto pen.  Unfortunately, however, this is not the pen President Obama was referring to in his famous comment about having a phone and a pen. 

Unfortunately, the pen Obama was speaking of was the pen he recently used to sign his executive order to grant amnesty to 5 million people living in the United States illegally.  This means in that 2015 we may witness President Obama using his veto pen in conjunction with his executive order pen.  However, Congress, and the courts can stop Obama’s tyrannical disregard for the constitutional rule of law. 

Armed with the power of the purse, Congress can defund any executive order programs initiated by President Obama.  (10)  The question is will they have the courage to do so.  The first test of their resolve will be when they begin debate on funding Homeland Security for this will give them an opportunity to defund Obama’s executive amnesty, forcing Obama to either postpone his executive order or shut down Homeland Security. 

If Congress fails to act, states injured by the executive amnesty can sue, forcing the courts to decide.  (11)  However, this is a risky strategy as we witnessed with the Supreme Court’s decision on Obamacare.  I therefore believe the best strategy for protecting citizens against an out of control executive is through Congress.  (12)

As we can see, we face many challenges in 2015.  However, there is also hope for we know God is with us and through His strength, we can do all things. 

 

1. Simon, Phil. Healthcare.gov: Government IT Project Failure at its Finest. www.huffingtonpost.com. [Online] The Huffington Post, October 18, 2013. [Cited: December 30, 2014.] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-simon/healthcaregov-government_b_4125362.html.

2. Coca, Onan. Obamacare Fans Get Sticker Shock. eaglerising.com. [Online] Eagle Rising, October 9, 2013. [Cited: October 29, 2013.] http://eaglerising.com/2162/obamacare-fans-get-sticker-shock/.

3. WebMD. Tax Penalty At-a-Glance: Who Will Pay & How Much. www.webmd.com. [Online] WebMD. [Cited: December 30, 2014.] http://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/insurance-costs/tax-penalties-aag.

4. Consumer Reports. What happens to my premium subsidy if my income fluctuates? www.consumerreports.org. [Online] Consumer Reports, December 17, 2013. [Cited: December 30, 2014.] http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/12/will-i-have-to-pay-back-my-obamacare-subsidy/index.htm.

5. Peterson, Ryan. 2014: Year of the hack. www.wnct.com. [Online] WNCT9, December 30, 2014. [Cited: December 30, 2014.] http://www.wnct.com/story/27729087/2014-year-of-the-hack.

6. Chabrow, Eric. FBI Attributes Sony Hack to North Korea. www.bankinfosecurity.com. [Online] Bank Info Security, December 19, 2014. [Cited: December 19, 2014.] http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/fbi-attributes-sony-hack-to-north-korea-a-7703/op-1.

7. NY Post Staff. New evidence Sony hack was ‘inside’ job, not North Korea. nypost.com. [Online] The NY Post, December 30, 2014. [Cited: December 30, 2014.] http://nypost.com/2014/12/30/new-evidence-sony-hack-was-inside-job-cyber-experts/.

8. Snow, Gordon M. Statement Before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism. www.fbi.gov. [Online] Federal Bureau of Investigation, April 12, 2011. [Cited: December 2014, 2014.] http://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/cybersecurity-responding-to-the-threat-of-cyber-crime-and-terrorism.

9. Fox News. Krauthammer: 'Harry Reid is a living veto pen’. www.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, December 29, 2014. [Cited: December 30, 2014.] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/12/29/krauthammer-harry-reid-is-living-veto-pen-1730022062/.

10. Siegel, Josh. Report: Yes, Congress Can Stop Obama’s Immigration Moves With ‘Power of Purse’. dailysignal.com. [Online] the Daily Signal, November 26, 2014. [Cited: December 30, 2014.] http://dailysignal.com/2014/11/26/report-yes-congress-can-stop-obamas-immigration-moves-power-purse/.

11. Hohmann, James. 17 States Sue to Block Obama Immigration Order. www.politico.com. [Online] Politico, December 3, 2014. [Cited: December 30, 2014.] http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/states-sue-obama-immigration-order-113299.html.

12. Kenny, Jack. Supreme Court Sidesteps Commerce Clause, Cites Tax Power, Says ObamaCare Is Constitutional. www.thenewamerican.com. [Online] New American, June 28, 2012. [Cited: July 30, 2013.] http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/health-care/item/11897-supreme-court-sidesteps-commerce-clause-cites-tax-power-says-obamacare-is-constitutional.

The Emergence of a Dangerous and Destructive Class System in the United States

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

Romans 5:8

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

NKJV

We often tend to complicate simple things and in the process create stressful situations in our lives.  For example, simple math tells us we cannot survive financially if we continue to spend more than we earn.  Unfortunately, many, including many in government cannot or choose not to adopt simple math and continue to outspend their earnings or the tax revenue they collect. 

The message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is also very simple, we are all sinners, but instead of rejecting man, God chose to love him and provided forgiveness for man by providing a replacement to take the death penalty for man's sin, His Son Jesus Christ.  This simplicity of the Gospel is what makes it difficult for many to understand including some religions, even some Christian Denominations.  Instead of declaring the simplicity of the message of grace contained in the gospel, they add a system of rules and regulations.  It does not surprise me that non-Christians view Christianity as a ball and chain around their ankle depriving them of the ability to enjoy life.  God views all men and women as equal and equally provided them a path to a restored relationship with Him. 

In the Declaration of Independence, the founders of the United States stated their core belief that all men are created equal.  (1)  However, much as we like to revere the founders of the United States, they too were flawed individuals who condoned slavery in the interest of unity in their newly formed Republic.  (2) (3)  Even though slavery became illegal after a bloody Civil War, the problem of racism moved from slavery, to social racism, (4)  and now we have the emergence of a race industry that profits from the continued creation of an atmosphere that all white people hate black people.  (5)  This atmosphere of perceived racism is what is fueling the riots in Ferguson and other parts of the country. 

Economically and politically we are also beginning to observe division in our country and the creation of an economic and political class system, something that goes against the premise of the Declaration of Independence.  In the United States, we are beginning to observe the emergence of,

1)      A ruling class – The main reason the colonists in the United States took up arms with the monarchy in England was that the monarchy, or ruling class, of England had lost touch with the needs and desires of the Colonists in the New World.  (6)   This is precisely why the authors of the U.S. Constitution created a republic with three co-equal branches of government.  These three branches included an executive branch but Congress and the Judiciary constitutionally hold the President, the head of the executive branch, in check.  (7) (8)   Unfortunately, through the history of the United States the Congress and Judiciary have surrendered pieces of their power to the executive branch and today, President Obama gleefully ignores court orders (9) and touts that if Congress fails to act, he will.  (10)  As Constitutional attorney, and renowned talk show host Mark Levin has stated on numerous occasions, we now live in a post constitutional republic.  (11)   A republic that now has a ruling class much like the ruling class the colonists fought against for their independence. 

2)      A donor class – The British monarchy was supported by an aristocracy of wealthy lords.  These wealthy lords had intimate access to the monarchy and thus enjoyed special privileges.  Crony capitalists now dominate the economy of the United States and donate massive amounts of money to the campaigns of the ruling class.  These massive donations grant them special privileges through loopholes written into legislation and regulations that allow them to profit.  Meanwhile, those who do not donate to the campaigns of the ruling class suffer through excessive corporate taxation and stifling regulation.  (12)

3)      The dependent class – The remaining citizens of the British Monarchy were peasants who struggled for survival on the crumbs the ruling class and aristocracy allowed them to have.  Mitt Romney took much heat, and may have lost the 2012 Presidential election due to his 47 percent comment.  (13)    I believe that the reason the ruling class and donor class took offence at this comment was that it exposed their strategy of essentially buying the votes of people in the dependent class by keeping them dependent on some form of government subsistence. 

4)      The middle class – in essence there was no middle class in England at the time of the American Revolution, but throughout the history of the United States, there has been a thriving middle class.  This class consists of small business entrepreneurs and many of the people who work for them.  These people are termed the middle class for they make too much money to be part of the dependent class but make too little to be part of the donor class or aristocracy of the United States.  You will see these people on the roads each workday during rush hour in any major city of the United States.  The growing dependent class and the cronyism of the donor class are putting the squeeze on the middle class.  As the ruling class grants more privileges to the donor class, the crony capitalists of the donor class are able to unfairly compete against struggling middle class entrepreneurs.  This results in many middle class entrepreneurs losing their businesses and laying off their middle class employees.  Many of these middle class individuals now find themselves in the dependent class.  In essence, the middle class of the United States should now be placed on the endangered species list.  (14)

God viewed all men as equal, sinners, but out of love, sent His Son to die for them, thus declaring He believed in the equality of all men and provided a choice.  However, this is not a choice dependent on one’s economic, political, or ethnic status but a choice of will equally provided to all men and women.  Likewise, the founders of the United States, even though they had their imperfections, envisioned a nation where all men are viewed as equal.   

Neither God, nor the founders of the United States would have supported the class system now emerging in the United.  However, the founders of the United States are no longer with us, leaving us with the task of destroying the emerging class system now forming in the United States.  Next Saturday, we will look at what we must do to destroy this emerging class system before it completely destroys the middle class. 

1. ushistory.org. The Declaration of Independence. www.ushistory.org. [Online] [Cited: December 16, 2014.] http://www.ushistory.org/Declaration/document/.

2. Eddie01. Constitutional Convention: The Problem of Slavery. www.freerepublic.com. [Online] Free Republic, November 27, 2010. [Cited: September 9, 2014.] http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2633657/posts.

3. Truths, Confederate. The Gathering Storm; Debate Over Slavery at the Constitutional Convention August 21-22, 1787. www.confederatepastpresent.org. [Online] [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://www.confederatepastpresent.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:debate-over-slavery-at-the-constitutional-convention-august-21-22-1787-&catid=41:the-gathering-storm.

4. Gale Group. Racial Segregation in the American South: Jim Crow Laws. find.galegroup.com. [Online] The Gale Group, 2007. [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://find.galegroup.com/gic/infomark.do?&idigest=fb720fd31d9036c1ed2d1f3a0500fcc2&type=retrieve&tabID=T001&prodId=GIC&docId=CX2831400031&source=gale&userGroupName=itsbtrial&version=1.0.

5. Lopata, Andrew. Al Sharpton Cashing In On Ferguson Franchise By Announcing 25 New Locations To Protest. www.business2community.com. [Online] Business 2 Community, November 20, 2014. [Cited: December 2, 2014.] http://www.business2community.com/us-news/al-sharpton-cashing-ferguson-franchise-announcing-25-new-locations-protest-01074949.

6. hottamaleholly. How Did King George Iii Lose His 13 American Colonies? www.studymode.com. [Online] StudyMode, June 28, 2005. [Cited: December 26, 2014.] http://www.studymode.com/essays/How-Did-King-George-Iii-Lose-61515.html.

7. National Center for Constitutional Studies. Checks And Balances: The Constitutional Structure For Limited and Balanced Government. www.nccs.net. [Online] National Center for Constitutional Studies. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.nccs.net/checks-balances-limited-and-balanced-government.php.

8. Kelly, Martin. Checks and Balances. americanhistory.about.com. [Online] About.com. [Cited: October 1, 2013.] http://americanhistory.about.com/od/usconstitution/a/checks_balances.htm.

9. Dobbs, Lou. Obama ignores Court rulings and orders, pushes ahead with his labor agenda. www.youtobe.com. [Online] YouTube, February 14, 2013. [Cited: December 26, 2014.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvPNwCl1yKM.

10. Kaplan, Rebecca. Obama: I will use my pen and phone to take on Congress. www.cbsnews.com. [Online] CBS News, January 14, 2014. [Cited: December 26, 2014.] http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obama-i-will-use-my-pen-and-phone-to-take-on-congress/.

11. Jeffrey, Terence P. EXCLUSIVE—Mark Levin on ‘Ameritopia:’ ‘We Now Live in a Post-Constitutional Country’. cnsnews.com. [Online] CNS News, January 16, 2012. [Cited: December 26, 2014.] http://cnsnews.com/news/article/exclusive-mark-levin-ameritopia-we-now-live-post-constitutional-country.

12. Maxwell, Ron. THE NEW ARISTOCRACY. Ron Maxwell. [Online] Breitbart News, July 5, 2014. [Cited: December 26, 2014.] http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2014/07/05/the-new-aristocracy/.

13. The Daily Conversation. Mitt Romney's "47 Percent" Comments. www.youtube.com. [Online] YouTube. [Cited: December 26, 2014.] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2gvY2wqI7M.

14. Schwartz, Nelson D. The Middle Class Is Steadily Eroding. Just Ask the Business World. www.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, February 2, 2014. [Cited: December 12, 2014.] http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/business/the-middle-class-is-steadily-eroding-just-ask-the-business-world.html.