Archive for March, 2009

There will always be individuals among us seeking alternative levels of consciousness through substance abuse. Our objective as a society is to reduce the impact that these people’s self-abuse has on the rest of us. It is time for a paradigm shift in attitudes and a reversal of the failed Control Substance Act governing... »

Social Security 5: File and Suspend for Soon-to-Be Widowed Homemakers (2009-03-30) by avid John Marotta and Matthew Illian Our own death or the death of a loved one can be difficult to face. But mortality is one of the most critical factors to consider when making decisions about your Social Security. If you have little earnings... »

“Men have no clearly defined enemy who is oppressing them.” -Susan Faludi (Stiffed, 1999) I was raised by my grandmother who was born in the late 1800s. I have three daughters and two sons. I am especially grateful that my daughters were born into a world vastly better for them than it was for their great-grandmother.... »

Good morning fellow progressives, social revolutionaries, and Weathermen wannabees. In today’s class I’ll explain how to bewilder the conservatives, stymie their agenda, and abscond with billions in taxpayer money. Some conservatives will become so befuddled that they will even come to embrace your cause. It’s so simple, you might not believe me. All you need... »

In the last week, the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve each announced a major policy initiative for the stated purpose of reversing our economic woes. Don’t hold your breath. The Treasury’s gambit is a proposed public-private partnership to remove troubled (“toxic,” if you prefer the more dramatic adjective) financial instruments from the balance sheets... »

For well over a century, socialists, progressives, and even many Christians have railed against the capitalist exploitation of workers. They denounce capitalists—whether the Carnegies and Fricks of yesteryear or the Nikes of today—for paying low wages for hard work. Their antagonism toward individual and corporate targets is misplaced. The inexorable law of supply and demand,... »

It is now five weeks since we went into the transitional government and I think the most frequently asked question that I hear is “Why are you still in there”. That is not an easy question to answer but let me have a go at it here. Our objectives, as set out in 1999 when... »

After the shellacking of the Republican Party by the Democrats on November fourth people are asking themselves “what happened?” and “what do we do next?”. The “what happened”was eight years of a lackluster president who enacted the surge about two and half years too late, surrendered on the public relations front, and abandoned the conservative... »

Failing Institution Marriage is a failing institution. There are some basic factors driving this failure — judicial and societal — but the bottom line is indisputable: For the first time in US history, across all ethnic groups, the majority of women are unmarried and 40% of babies are born to unwed mothers. The judicial reason is... »

This is graft and embezzlement on a cosmic scale, accompanied by a power grab the likes of which have never before been witnessed in the “free world.” And, if rightly confronted such arrogant conduct could serve as a catalyst to ensure that its perpetrators, meaning the Democrat leadership and committee heads in congress, along... »

The scene is reminiscent of the Wizard of Oz scene when hordes of winged monkeys are poised on the castle parapet, ready to snatch up Dorothy and her three affable sidekicks. But this time it’s not a harmless fairytale, it’s a cabal of feminists determined to turn our society into a socialist paradise. These... »

Demography and Economy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Gordon E. Finley, Ph.D. The release on March 18, 2009, of preliminary childbirth data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for 2007 has yielded mixed news – some good but most providing troubling insight into potentially crippling problems for American society and the American economy.... »

China is calling for a move toward an obscure international currency known as SDRs (Special Drawing Rights) used by the IMF, to replace the U.S. dollar. The proposal on first blush suggests China is concerned with looming inflation in the U.S. and the devaluation of the debt it holds. While a reasonable concern, why... »

Over the past few years I have had the privilege to have known a native Ugandan missionary named Mike Wangolo. He is the leader of a team of Africans called Afri-Tendo (http://www.thrustministries.org/) who make periodic trips to the United States to witness to Americans through native songs and dances. During his travels he has... »

Social Security 4: File, Repay and Refile to Get an Interest-Free Loan (2009-03-23) by David John Marotta and Matthew Illian About half of retirees file for Social Security benefits early at age 62. By doing so, they receive only 75% of their full retirement benefits. And unless they die prematurely, they could lose out on more... »

The church was instituted by God in part to stand as a defensive bulwark to protect against erroneous doctrine and spiritually damaging heresies from contaminating the minds of believers and thus to an extent soften the blow of a continually degrading culture.  However, often those in positions of religious leadership are so hopelessly detached... »

Tocqueville forewarned us about the tyranny of majorities that by nature impose ill-considered policies trampling upon individual liberties, liberties which the Bill of Rights was enacted to protect. The Constitution created a government that people expected to defend them against foreign aggression and to protect the natural law rights of individuals to life, political liberty,... »

by Timothy Weinstein Parental abduction in itself is a traumatic event for the left-behind parent. Brazil alone has over 50 cases of abduction from the United States representing over 70 children, my own two included. In addition to the emotional costs the left-behind parent must endure, one must understand the financial costs. Due to my... »

President Barack Obama’s performance on “The Tonight Show” last week prompted various friends and colleagues to discuss the question of leadership. No one came up with a definition suitable for nailing to the wall or turning into a message to scroll across the computer screen. I suggested it may be one of... »

Newsflash, March 20, 2009: The Congressional Budget Office today forecast a U.S. budget deficit of $1.8 trillion for this year. For many Americans, including some Democrats, there is tremendous frustration over President Obama’s economic policies. Worse, they know that a huge portion of the public and media so adore Obama that they will not question... »