Five Years After the Disengagement

Five years ago Israel turned Gaza over to the Palestinians by the request of the United States and the United Nations as an act of good faith to create an opportunity for peace. Since that time Hamas terror organization took control of Gaza and has responded to this act of good faith by using its citizens as cover while it a) deliberately targets Israeli residential communities, b) espouses destruction of the state of Israel, and c) rejects every peace overture offered by Israel and the international community. During the past five years Hamas has terrorized Israel in the Western Negev desert town of Sderot and more recently the larger city of Ashkelon. During this time they have launched well over 5,000 missiles into Israel to date, hundreds of which were launched in the last week, including one recent day in which 80 rockets hit Israel.

Now after five years of Hamas breaking the treaty Israel has decided that enough is enough and has launched an attack not against the residents of Gaza but against the terrorists within Gaza and destroy the tunnels in Gaza that is being used to smuggle weapons and supplies into Gaza to fund the Hamas terrorist group. It is an unfortunate reality that civilians get caught in the attacks and pay a great price. But should the civilians whose family member was killed in the Israeli strikes be angry at the Israeli’s or at Hamas for launching the attacks against Israel from their neighborhoods?

As Israel continues to defend its citizens the White House has showed its support of Israel by putting the blame on Hammas for the Israeli attacks on Gaza. Even Abbas has blamed Hammas for the attacks on Gaza. However, Hamas is continuing its assault on Israel by firing missiles deeper into the Negev. Now the United Nations is demanding that the attacks stop. Why didn’t the UN demand Hamas stop launching missiles into Israel and terrorizing the Israeli citizens? Why is that when Israel starts to defend itself that suddenly the UN is concerned and is calling for an emergency meeting for Wednesday to find a solution?

After spending time in the Middle East I understand that solutions are not as easy as those in the West think. There were promises that Britian and the United States have made to both sides that have gone unmet. Both sides have some legitimate concerns and complaints. Unfortunately, I do not see an easy end in sight. The giving up of land by Israel has not brought about peace and will not bring about peace.

The Economy

There is little doubt that we are in a severe recession, but the cause is more important than the fact. In my opinion, there is not much wrong with our economy, nor our ability to build and manufacture things. There are, however real problems of fear and unnecessary worry about the economy.

It is apparent to me that much of the hysteria has been fueled by the news making media. Of course, what happened caused the lenders to shy away from even perfectly good loan requests, crippling small as well as big businesses the banks and lending agencies themselves. We should pause, take a deep breath and suck it up.

Answers being proposed essentially drains our national treasure, through bailouts, and giveaways, and execution of FDR tactics which worked well for a short time, then plunged the economy back into a crushing recession, only to be bailed out by WWII, and all of the equipment and supplies needed to support it. Stimulating the economy through programs to improve infrastructure will put more people to work, but it will squeeze budgets of other critically needed national priorities and swell our national debt. The cost of such actions may approach a trillion dollars in cost, over a short period. This approach parallels just printing more money.

What is the usual result of such actions? Very high inflation, which will be costly to those who do not have seed money to invest after paying for much increased costs of daily needs. Businesses will have to pay much elevated costs to operate and produce. Will this really lift us from the doldrums and set us on a path to recovery?

I say, “No!” But, there is a bright side. I am no investment guru, but I believe that equities will stand still or keep going down, perhaps through 2009. However, there will be fierce competition for operating funds at very high interest levels. If that is true, then those who have money to invest can do well in such environment, and I will practice what I preach. Wait and watch for much higher interest rates on Certificates of Deposits, Municipal, State, and some Federal Bonds. Also, buy trusted equity stocks that pay high dividends. While interest rates are escalating, the issuers, in general, will not recall them, but investors may want to, so get the shortest expiration dates possible and make sure that you can sell them after holding for a short time, because you will want to get into higher interest yield bonds. It stands to reason that interest rates for housing loans will quickly increase as well rising home and real estate prices. So, if you want to buy a house, do it now, while the prices are comparatively low as are mortgage rates. Gold will ride high until the value of the dollar increases, which cannot be envisioned in an inflated economy, so some security can be realized through purchasing of gold. I started six or seven years ago on buying good stocks with high dividend yields, and will continue.

The panic has created major layoffs and manpower reductions by corporations and businesses at all levels, creating more fear. This creates another problem, for no matter how much money is thrown at the problem, the means of production has been somewhat debilitated and restart greatly complicated and time consuming. So, do not look for rapid recovery in most categories of investments.

Of course, you should be consulting with your investment advisor, but my lay opinion on how you can prevent too much future harm to your savings is to hold a good share of your assets in cash and search out the highest interest paying bonds, whether federal, state or municipal. Make sure that they have a high rating, such as AAA, and insured by appropriate high level agencies. Pay attention to when the bonds may be recalled, and duration of the bonds. Buy them for the shortest term possible, because the rates may be quickly increasing, and you want flexibility of selling and repurchasing of a better deal.

Buying such bonds create some problems on their own. The value of the bonds is lower than the purchase price, through much of the duration of the bonds, making it a loss to sell for a number of years. The bonds may be recalled at some specified time, because they can get a better deal. Usually you do not lose money on these transactions.

I consider certificate of deposits as cash, because they are almost always certain to pay off on schedule, and you can build your cash resources and be ready when equities start responding to real stimulus, instead of created or exaggerated bad news.

People who hold their money close to the chest and buy less or refuse to buy hi-value items, only worsen the problem for themselves and others. Banks who refuse to make loans are admitting that they have not been vetting customers seeking loans. Most of them are good candidates for loans, and lenders know for how much. They need to get off of their “duffs,” and solicit those with good credit ratings, so they can get back on their feet, then be more lenient, taking more risks and so on. If the lending agencies do not institute a similar policy, they may not recover, and there is a limit to how many times they can be bailed out by the federal government, because that becomes welfare and a vicious cycle, not contributing to economic recovery.

A good share of people’s spending have changed little, but there are those who have lost buying power and, perhaps, earning power, to the extent that they may have no choice but to turn back perhaps to buying habits of the 1930s.

The SBA should step in and guarantee low interest loans, in earnest to qualified small businesses, encouraging expansion and more risk. Don’t forget that the layoffs are a two edged sword. Businesses can now replace low efficacy employees from the cache of well qualified laid off workers, greatly improving their production and operations.

We can recognize opportunity and increase our confidence by meeting the problem head on and using our imagination and management skills to blunt or reduce the hard consequences of the admittedly, potential disastrous situation. We should try to ignore as much as possible of the media’s sensationalism, and concentrate on our own situation and what we can do about it. We should avoid big explanations and answers to small problems, most of which do not apply to the small businesses that are the mainstay of our economy. I would be more than willing to explore any of this further with anyone interested.

(Signed)
Don L. Bice (Colonel USAF Ret., and Management Consultant)
139 Rorie St.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 251 2714

My Christmas Memories

Christmas Eve, and Christmas for that matter, brings so many memories to mind that it would be hard to try and share all of them but I wanted to share some of my most cherished Christmas memories with you.  Family traditions, to me, are really enjoyable to hear about as that is what so much of our time as family is about; the traditions we create that are special to us.  My family tradition was simply to be together, and do whatever came up.  Some times it was either watching movies, or other times, watching favorite shows on TV.  One year that was incredibly memorable for me was when we all watched a Johnny Carson episode where he was reading letters to Santa.  I thought that was about the funniest thing I had seen, or heard, at that age.  That year, as is the case every Christmas Eve, my Mom made all sorts of snack foods, some different each year, that we would enjoy.  My Mom always has been, and will always be, really good at finding some unique things to have to eat, and the staples that we always bet on her having, every year at Christmas.

Christmas Mornings have always been something different in my home, and with my family, have always been great.  My parents have been the kind that knows exactly what to get each of us.  My two older brothers and I are all very different, and that is something too my parents always fostered in us.  They always had something for each of us that we absolutely enjoyed, that was unique to us, and we always had a great Christmas.  One year, I was a bit anxious as any kid under 16 is (and if you were to ask me about my current family, I would tell you that my 28-year old wife is just as bad) and I wandered out to see what Santa had brought.  I was the industrious one, the one who was willing to get up at dark-thirty and see what was out there.  We did have the things that were put out by Santa (Dad), and I had a hunch that year was going to be pretty cool.  Well, I was right.  That year, I had a really cool bike, and so did my brother Noah.  I went out, was completely overjoyed, and I also saw something that struck me odd.  There was something, or rather someone, on the couch looking my direction.  I thought that to be very odd, and while I was not ready or willing to admit it out loud, I was somewhat scared that someone was on our couch.  What makes this so funny to me now, is that it was my Dad, with pillows around him, waiting to make the reveal to my brother and I a true Kodak-Shumate moment.  But, I think the idea of sleeping over came him more than the idea of taking that picture.  He got the picture, later, with us and our bike’s, when the sun was up. 

Another year, when my oldest brother Aaron was with us after he had moved off to Kansas City, we enjoyed another great Christmas.  What both Aaron and I have been accused of is sounding exactly alike, and much to the dismay of my now sister-in-law, I carried on a conversation with her for roughly ten minutes on Christmas morning that year about what I got and how odd she thought some of the presents were.  She finally picked up the whole gig when I told her that I got a really cool remote control racing track, and, knowing Aaron the way she did, decided that something was rotten in the State of Arkansas. 

While most of my Christmas memories have been happy and positive, and have manifested themselves in the form of gifts, there are two years that are very distinct to me, where I learned a great deal about this season we call Christmas, and how through people I saw an attitude and heart that was made of love.  One year, after some incredible financial difficulties in my family, Christmas was something that seemed like more of a distraction than an event.  We had moved from a house to an apartment, and what had been so many years of a tradition was no longer there.  My oldest brother provided Christmas that year.  He did an amazing job, and made it so awesome for all of us, that I saw in him what I have looked up to for so many years.  When I asked him why he did it, it was as simple to him because of what our Dad had done for us for so many years.  He said it would be my turn one day and when it came I could do the same, and when that day comes, I will be ready.  A few years later, I was at home with my parents only, with my brothers having both moved away, and I celebrated with my Mom and Dad.  I remember mostly what I had asked for and I was still oblivious to some of their difficulties, and that morning, a morning I will never in my life forget, I had presents that came as close to what I wanted as they could afford, which was not much.  I was more upset at myself because of what I had asked for, but what I saw, and it hit me like a truck, was the heart that they had and their effort, that no matter what, they were going to provide something for Christmas.  That was one of the most amazing Christmas mornings I had ever had, and quite possibly will ever have.  There, with my Mom and Dad that morning, I saw Christ in my parents, in their love for me and giving all they could, to me.  It has changed me ever since, and I hope that your Christmas Eve events tonight, and your Christmas morning traditions that you have in the morning, that you too will see Christ in everyone around you, and like me on that morning, will be thankful for the gift of family.  A gift that no Tickle Me Elmo, Hannah Montana, or High School Musical could ever, ever touch.  

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to John Taylor in 1816. Here is a small portion of that letter. "And I sincerely believe, with you, that banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies; and that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale."

Anyone have any comments on this quote in light of recent events in the U.S. economy?

Thousands gather in Gaza to mark 21 years since Hamas established

On Sunday 14 December 2008 the streets of Gaza were filled with thousands of Hamas supporters who wore the traditional green color in honor of its creation 21 years ago. In the rally a Hamas man dressed up as the kidnapped IDF soldier St.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit and mocked him by pleading to go home to his family. While many have become aware of the name Hamas most Americans know little about who they are or how they were formed.
Hamas was created in Gaza in 1987 as a as a more militant, Palestinian offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood. The organization which is an Arabic acronym for “zeal” is committed to the destruction of the Jewish state and replacing it with an Islamic state in all of Israel, which they like to call Palestine.

Ideology:
Hamas preaches and engages in violence and terror in order to ring into fruition their plan to destroy the state of Israel and replace it with an Islamic state. However, Hamas is not limited to Gaza or Israel. Hamas is also in the United States. In fact, in the Dallas area we had Hamas for many years. In countries outside of Israel Hamas spreads its virulent hatred of Jews and Judaism which is deeply rooted in the anti-Semitic writings of Muslim Brotherhood theologians.

In August 1988, Hamas issued its Covenant laying down its ideological principles and goals. The goals echoed the notorious Protocols of the Elders of Zion and buy into and proclaim charges that the Jews are involved in an international conspiracy to gain control of the world. They see the Jews as the reason for all of the social and economic problems in the world. In the Hamas' worldview, the existence of a Jewish state in Israel is forbidden in Islamic precepts. According to the Hamas mindset the Jewish people have no legitimate connection to the land of Israel and it is their duty to obliterate the Jews and Israel. While many of the Arab world see Yasir Arafat as a hero Hamas views him as a traitor to the Islamic Palestinian cause because according to the view it is forbidden to anyone to yield or concede any part of the land they call Palestine.

Organizational Structure:
Hamas is both a terrorist organization and a mass social, political and religious movement. The military branch is reportedly divided into three wings: an intelligence arm which gathers information about Palestinians suspected of collaboration, an arm which pursues those who have violated Islamic law and the Izzedine al-Qassam squads who are responsible for most of the terror attacks. The al-Qassam squads are comprised of a few dozen activists loosely organized into small, terror cells. Hamas' military and political leaders are based throughout the West Bank and Gaza and the organization maintains offices and representatives in Teheran, Damascus and Amman. Hamas has a strong connection with Iran which has made it difficult in the United States supporting Israel if Israel chooses to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Hamas' military wing also utilizes the organization's social wing for indoctrination and recruitment. The social, cultural, religious and educational institutions of Hamas are well-known venues for anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatred and serve as recruitment centers for Hamas suicide bombers. For example, a Hamas-sponsored soccer team in Hebron provided a ready supply of several Hamas suicide bombers. In early 2006, Hamas began operation of a television station based in Gaza, Al Aksa TV, which broadcasts primarily religious and children's programming. The television program was based on the American Disney icon Mickey Mouse and had the character spewing out its anti-Israeli, anti-Jewish and anti-American rhetoric. Disney took the program to court charging them with copyright violations and the program was forced to remove the character. Even in removing the character from the program the producers were able to use it to spread its venom. The producers had the character killed on the program by mock Israeli soldiers. Since then the producers have added other characters to spread its venom to the young minds of children. Al Aksa TV – which Hamas says it hopes to soon broadcast via satellite to broaden its audience – is likely to become a key tool in propagating Hamas' extremist message. Indeed, the host of the station's children's program told the New York Times that his show "will teach children the basics of militant Palestinian politics."

Financial Support:
Hamas enjoys strong financial backing from Iran (an estimated $20 - $30 million), private benefactors and Muslim charities in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, Palestinian expatriates across the globe and American donors. Recently in the news Dallas held the trial of the Holy Land Foundation which was raising funds to support terrorism against the United States. In the trial evidence was produced linking the organization to Hamas. Its budget has been estimated at $70 million and 85 percent of it reportedly comes from abroad; the remaining 15 percent is raised among Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. A number of Americans and U.S.-based charities have been implicated in funneling money to Hamas. It is estimated that Saudi Arabia continues to channel between $12 - $14 million to Hamas annually. At a June 2003 press conference, Adel al-Jubeir, a senior adviser to the Saudi Crown Prince, did acknowledge that many Palestinian institutions funded by the Saudis may be run or managed by the political wing of Hamas.

Syria remains a key center for Hamas operations, and the Assad regime provides support and protection to key Hamas leadership based in Damascus.
It is clear that we have Hamas in the United States and that the nation of Israel is not the only country at risk. Israel needs our support to help neutralize this group.

My Dream for Independence County

While I am an optimist, and will frame my article as such, I believe that we face some challenges going forward.  I will now dispense with what I believe we should do, can do, and hope to do post December 9^th.

I have a dream that as a county, we can come together regardless of our cultural identities, affiliations, or social circles and address the problems that we have.  When we, as a community, believe as a whole that we can do more good together than we can apart, our success will begin, and it will be difficult to stop.  I have a dream that as a community, this tax will give us a tool to use that will make our economic picture much more attractive, but that as a community we can start to look at other things that need attention and work from us as well.  I believe those issues to be substance abuse in our children, poverty in our working population, and apathy with all those in between.  I believe that when we as leaders and concerned citizens of Independence County realize all that we have in front of us, that as a collective, we can accomplish a great and many things.  You see, all these issues pertain to economic development, and while this vote and subsequent tax is related directly to jobs, these other issues remain and we can not sit idly by while areas of our county are deprived, while people have struggles, and our community still hurts.  Our future was given a significant lift by the passage of this vote, and it begins a new chapter in the legacy of Independence County of which I believe one day we can all be proud.  But we should ask ourselves is this the end or rather a beginning?

I have a dream that we, as residents of Independence County, will start on this journey of  revitalization by which we will see growth all across the county as a result of our vote, by which, we will have tools that will benefit everyone in our area.  I have a dream that ten years from now we will look back on this effort and consider it to be a time and a place by which everyone in this community put aside whatever differences were present, whatever resentments that we harbored, and brought to the forefront of our minds the concern of everyone else in Independence County and said that never again would they let their community get to be in that shape again.  I have a dream that we will all work on issues that share a common good and share a common fate, and those are of economic well being for ours and our posterity.

I have a dream that this effort will be just the beginning in a period of change that we will see in our community that will transfer itself to our youth, and those who genuinely hold the key to future’s door and that they will use with it a passion and a care that they saw in their parents and grandparents and was evident in their action they took to take care of their home, their community, and that of their friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens.  I have a dream that the children of Independence County will have learned a lesson in how a community who collectively became apathetic to important issues collectively became passionate again.  That when the children of Independence County look at this in their years to come, realize and will find true, that people can and will change, and all it takes is a collective effort and that the saying “no man is an island” is true.  They will look back and say that we, the people of Independence County, took steps to secure our future, and for that, they will be thankful for more reasons than can be explained.

I have a dream that does not end with what has just been enumerated in this article, but continues on a path and direction that our youth will set for us in the future.  Our dreams become realities when we take steps to see that they happen, and the only difference between dreamers and visionaries is the passion by which visionaries desire to get things done.  My dream has a lot of visionaries in it but in reality, it is no dream at all.  We have some very passionate people right here in front of us.  For our dreams to become realities, they just have to learn what passion looks like and means again.

My Dream for Independence County

As you read this article, it will be the Wednesday after the sales tax vote for economic development.  As I write this, I am contemplating the two outcomes and questions arise as to what both of them will mean for our community.  I do not believe that excitement would describe my thoughts if this were to pass would be accurate.  Nor would worried be my thoughts if it were to have failed.  Both of those are very temporary while the issues we face will take a little while to fix.  While I write this, I believe this tax will pass because I think the people of Independence County will have cast a vote for themselves, in the belief that they, as a group of people, can do more and do something about the economic situation that they find themselves in.  While I am an optimist, and will frame my article as such, I believe that we face some challenges going forward.  I will now dispense with what I believe we should do, can do, and hope to do post December 9^th.

I have a dream that as a county, we can come together regardless of our cultural identities, affiliations, or social circles and address the problems that we have.  When we, as a community, believe as a whole that we can do more good together than we can apart, our success will begin, and it will be difficult to stop.  I have a dream that as a community, this tax will give us a tool to use that will make our economic picture much more attractive, but that as a community we can start to look at other things that need attention and work from us as well.  I believe those issues to be substance abuse in our children, poverty in our working population, and apathy with all those in between.  I believe that when we as leaders and concerned citizens of Independence County realize all that we have in front of us, that as a collective, we can accomplish a great and many things.  You see, all these issues pertain to economic development, and while this vote and subsequent tax is related directly to jobs, these other issues remain and we can not sit idly by while areas of our county are deprived, while people have struggles, and our community still hurts.  Our future was given a significant lift by the passage of this vote, and it begins a new chapter in the legacy of Independence County of which I believe one day we can all be proud.  But we should ask ourselves is this the end or rather a beginning?

I have a dream that we, as residents of Independence County, will start on this journey of  revitalization by which we will see growth all across the county as a result of our vote, by which, we will have tools that will benefit everyone in our area.  I have a dream that ten years from now we will look back on this effort and consider it to be a time and a place by which everyone in this community put aside whatever differences were present, whatever resentments that we harbored, and brought to the forefront of our minds the concern of everyone else in Independence County and said that never again would they let their community get to be in that shape again.  I have a dream that we will all work on issues that share a common good and share a common fate, and those are of economic well being for ours and our posterity.

I have a dream that this effort will be just the beginning in a period of change that we will see in our community that will transfer itself to our youth, and those who genuinely hold the key to future’s door and that they will use with it a passion and a care that they saw in their parents and grandparents and was evident in their action they took to take care of their home, their community, and that of their friends, neighbors, and fellow citizens.  I have a dream that the children of Independence County will have learned a lesson in how a community who collectively became apathetic to important issues collectively became passionate again.  That when the children of Independence County look at this in their years to come, realize and will find true, that people can and will change, and all it takes is a collective effort and that the saying “no man is an island” is true.  They will look back and say that we, the people of Independence County, took steps to secure our future, and for that, they will be thankful for more reasons than can be explained.

I have a dream that does not end with what has just been enumerated in this article, but continues on a path and direction that our youth will set for us in the future.  Our dreams become realities when we take steps to see that they happen, and the only difference between dreamers and visionaries is the passion by which visionaries desire to get things done.  My dream has a lot of visionaries in it but in reality, it is no dream at all.  We have some very passionate people right here in front of us.  For our dreams to become realities, they just have to learn what passion looks like and means again.

George Washington's Presidential Proclamation from 1795 Re: Thanksgiving

This was published in the Columbian Centinel on January 1, 1795.
---------------------------------
Published
BY AUTHORITY,

A PROCLAMATION:
By the PRESIDENT of the UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA.

When we review the calamities, which afflict so many other nations, the present condition of the United States affords much matter of consolation and satisfaction. Our exemption hitherto from foreign war – an increasing prospect of the continuance of that exemption – the great degree of internal tranquility we have enjoyed – the recent confirmation of that tranquility by the suppression of an insurrection which so wantonly threatened it – the happy course of public affairs in general – the unexampled prosperity of all classes of our citizens; are circumstances which peculiarly mark our situation with indications of the Divine beneficence towards us. In such a state of things it is, in an especial manner, our duty as people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience.

Deeply penetrated with this sentiment, I, George Washington, President of the United States, do recommend to all religious societies and denominations, and to all persons whomsoever, within the United States, to set apart and observe Thursday, the nineteenth day of February next, as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer: and on that day to meet together and render their sincere and hearty thanks to the great Ruler of nations for the manifold and signal mercies which distinguish our lot as a nation. particularly for the possession of constitutions of government which unite and, by their union, establish liberty with order; for the preservation of peace, foreign and domestic; and for the seasonable control, which has been given to a spirit of disorder, in the suppression of the late insurrection; and generally for the prosperous course of our affairs, public and private; and, at the same time, humbly and fervently to beseech the kind Author of these blessings. graciously to prolong them to us – to imprint on our hearts a deep and solemn sense of our obligations to Him for them – to teach us rightly to estimate their immense value – to preserve us from the arrogance of prosperity and from hazarding the advantages we enjoy by delusive pursuits – to dispose us to merit the continuance of His favors by not abusing them, by our gratitude for them, and by a correspondent conduct as citizens and as men – to render this country, more and more, a propitious asylum for the unfortunate of other countries – to extend among us true and useful knowledge – to diffuse and establish habits of sobriety, order, morality, and piety – and, finally, to impart all blessings we possess or ask for ourselves, to the whole family of mankind.

In testimony whereof, I have caused the seal of the United States of America, to be affixed to these presents, and signed the same with my hand. Done, at the city of Philadelphia, the first day of January, 1795, and of the independence of the United States of America, the nineteenth.

George Washington, President of the United States
Edmund Randolph, Secretary of State.

Giving Thanks

It’s that time of year again. When we get together with friends and family and stuff ourselves with so much food that we resemble the turkey we’ve just consumed! I’m often amazed at all the time, preparation, and cooking that goes into making this meal so perfect and how quickly it’s over with.

Every year I find myself overwhelmed with making grocery lists, shopping, or if traveling, making sure we have everything we need to make it to where we’re going and back.

As a young child I remembered learning about how the pilgrims and Indians sat down to eat and gave thanks for their many blessings. Every year in elementary school we’d put on skits with some children dressed as pilgrims, some as Indians, and one special child who was given the glorious task of being the turkey! The real excitement to us was having time off from school and getting to eat lots of good food! As kids, we weren’t caught up in the whole 'giving thanks' concept.

As a nation, we are really blessed and dare I say spoiled. We have a tendency to constantly gripe and complain because we want a bigger house, a better car, a better job, more money, and the list goes on and on. It seems as though our happiness is based on what we can obtain and whether we get more of it or not. Now before you get the stones out, I’ve been just as guilty of doing the same thing.

One year in particular I was working at our local hospital in the admissions department and I was grumbling to myself about how bad I had it. Poor little me wanted a new car, a better house, new furniture, a better job etc., and everyone had it better than me. You get the picture. Just think of the old Hee Haw song 'gloom, dispair, and agony on me' and you’d have nailed my mood that day! A moment later a young lady and man came in with an infant in tow. The lady was wearing a paper mask that covered her nose and mouth and after checking in they went to the other side of the waiting room where no one else was. I asked my coworker why the lady had a mask and was told that she had cancer and was undergoing treatment. Fifteen minutes later another lady I’d met the previous week came in and was having a finger amputated because of a spider bite. Later that day a man came in who was having a leg amputated because of diabetes. This is pretty much how the rest of my day went. I’ve found that it’s really hard to feel sorry for yourself in a hospital because you realize very quickly how blessed you really are.

That night I went home and thanked God for so many things that we take for granted like my health, my body parts being whole, for every breath that I am able to take freely without a machine, for the food on my table and a roof over my head, for my family, for my car that is so dependable, for my sense of humor and joy, for clean, hot running water to soak in, for the bargain I got on ground beef at the store, for the freedom to worship where and how I want freely and without persecution. We have so many freedoms and liberties that people in other countries can only dream about and we get so busy with living the American dream that we rarely stop to take time to consider all we do have and to be grateful for it.

This year as you celebrate Thanksgiving, enjoy the time you are able to spend with friends and family and the abundance of food you are fortunate to have, but remember to take a moment as a family and give thanks for all that you have been blessed with. Especially those things that money can't buy.

Gun Control

Are the intrusive questions that Barak Obama is asking potential employees of his administration a hint of a possible future ban on firearms? Will there be an all out assault on our 2nd Amendment rights? I'll have an insightful article addressing this and more...coming soon.

In the mean time I thought you might get a kick outa this clip.

Costs of Economic Development

What are the costs of having an economic development program in Batesville? What will we be spending the tax dollars on, and how do you determine the amount that you spend? These are two very important questions, and ones that are the most common from people who want to know more about a proposed tax. The last thing I want my tax dollars doing is being spent on something that will not be of benefit to both myself and other citizens. Government as a whole has over time taken tax dollars and spent them on things that have not benefited tax payers, and in fact, have benefited the governmental entity, and in turn, have benefited no one. What is different about this effort is that your tax dollars are going to be spent on things that will positively effect jobs. Period. The group of people that have committed to being on the initial board of the non-profit group that will make the recommendations to the Quorum Court are people that understand business, they understand what it means to do business well, and they will apply their experience to this process.

What makes that important is that too often we may expect our governmental agencies to make business decisions when they are not necessarily geared to do so. That is no slight to any of our governing bodies, but they specialize in ordinances, legislation, protection, and services. Think about it this way; if government existed to make a profit, something would be terribly wrong with that picture! Enter in this group of business people who understand what it will take to grow business. They understand, based on their industry segment or service sector what success means, and what we need in our community. We have purposely worked to get people from all across Independence County from our various employment areas that understand this. It’s the balance between government and business that we need. The two must work together to be successful, and if they don’t, we will be successful in doing nothing.

The cost of economic development varies, but its important to realize that we have to prioritize these monies to what our needs are. Right now, its important that we assist local companies that have expansion projects or needs for retraining. Currently, we have some employers of all sizes that are doing well and are expanding and will be adding jobs to our local economy. Success in economic development requires planning, and not just for the addition of jobs, but the kinds of jobs. We have a very diverse local economy that we need to have someone with experience in doing this in other communities come in and help lay a vision with this board to determine what our strengths are and what we will need to be doing to be competitive and retain, recruit, and enhance the jobs in our area. We will not sit idly by and let people come to us looking for assistance in their expansion efforts, in their efforts to bring a new business to our area, or looking for some training assistance. We will seek those out, and will solicit from the community the needs of our employers so we can utilize these funds in a responsible manner.

The price that we pay for this kind of effort is priceless in that the steps we are taking to take care of ourselves will pay off in the long term. The money that we will be offering companies with this tax goes a long way in their minds in that we have money that will help them in either the retention efforts or their expansion. But once we all begin to work together on this effort and we all know that we are taking steps forward to secure our future that is an investment in this community that no company can ever make, no person can ever contribute to, because it is larger than that. An effort like this is our county coming together through a collective effort that we all say without hesitation we are going to do something about our future, and we are going to start now. The reality is the communities who have the resources to market themselves, to put incentives on the table along with the state, will be in the game and will vie for jobs that are out there. Even in these challenging times, there are companies looking at growing.

On December 9^th, everyone in this County will have the opportunity to voice their opinion on this matter and cast their vote. As a community I urge you to, as one group of citizens, vote yes for a priceless investment in our collective future, and one that will reap dividends for us, our children, and our grandchildren.

What Economic Development Is and Does

Over the next four articles, I am going to outline what I believe economic development will look like going forward, and how this relates to the vote on December 9^th for an economic development tax.  I want to do this so that the readers of this article will hopefully better understand what I do here at the Chamber, and what I envision we will be able to do with this tax.  As it goes with any vote that increases a tax on the citizens and goes to a governmental agency, there is automatic questions that arise, and justifiably so.  I am that way, and believe that as citizens we should question our government in ways that we don’t always agree.  That is our right as American citizens and anything other than that would be disappointing to me. 

Economic Development is as broad as it is wide.  It is an all encompassing phrase that at times can be hard to understand.  It’s a phrase that a person can twist to fit to what they think it should be, or what they think it should be for.  As a rule for my position and what I do here, economic development is an effort I undertake to either retain, enhance, or create jobs for the people of Independence County.  If what I do fulfills any of those three criteria, I believe I am doing my job.  As with any job, that I have or that you have, you need tools to do your job.  I have talked previously about incentives, and the need for them in our competitive day and time.  I wont talk too much about that in this space here, but I will say they are an important part of what I do.  More importantly, and what comes before incentives are ever offered, is making sure that those outside of Arkansas are aware of us, that we exist, and what the characteristics of our community are.  The core characteristics of our community will make us competitive almost immediately once they are brought out in the open and shown to site consultants, and others who could be interested.  But there is a literal cost in producing those materials, to send those out, and to create those materials.  We will have to market ourselves to the outside community so they know we exist, and that we can deliver what they are looking for. 

Another aspect that is important that we as a community understand as well as the outside is what our strengths are as a county.  I will advocate for a trusted and experienced group to come in and help us formulate a long term strategy to recruit companies to our area.  I have an idea of what would be great types of industry to recruit to our area.  But, I would be doing a disservice to you, the taxpayer, if I spent time and your money on things that would end up not being a good fit for us, or that we don’t have the resources to attract.  We have to know what we can attract, what is a good fit for us, and what we need to plan for.  In 1986, Jonesboro did just this exact thing.  They brought in a firm who told them about the industry they could attract, and what they needed to do to ensure that.  I will advocate we do the same so that we don’t waste one taxpayers dime on efforts that do not provide a solid return on their sacrifice.

Economic Development is also helping companies around the county as they work to increase their workforce, or make improvements that will aid in them remaining competitive and as a result staying in business.  Since the Copeland announcement, I have had several calls from businesses about monies available to help them in their expansions.  I have told them about this effort, and they are in support of it as well, and understand how it can help them.  The board that will work with the economic developer will make the suggestions to the quorum court about projects just like this, and we will be actively seeking out companies to help, to invest  your dollars in to, to help them create new jobs, help them keep jobs here, or help them in other ways.

The other reality about economic development is looking to the future, while dealing with current issues.  It would be a disservice to the taxpayers if these leaders did not look to the future and think of what needs will be.  These funds can be used to issue bonds for purposes related to economic development, and that can include new road infrastructure, industrial park, or other improvements for the community to make it competitive long term.  This is a key part of what it will take to be competitive, and to enhance our community for the good of the taxpayers.  All of these things will be done will transparency and reporting to the public.  Any taxpayer of Independence County will be able to view records about our efforts, minutes of meetings, and have an understanding of what is going on with their money.  They will be able to view financial records, and know what their money is being spent on.

Its important to understand what economic development is, what it does, and I hope in today’s article I have outlined the key areas of this proposal.  Please contact me if you have questions about this or any other article on this subject.

THE REAL "INCONVENIENT TRUTH"

The major issue in tomorrow’s Presidential election is not the economy, as many political pundits would have you believe. Nor is it illegal aliens, though that is certainly an issue begging for resolution. There is really only one issue that every Christian American voter must weigh; the issue of abortion.

The Bible, I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles, often mentions an Israelite king commonly referred to as "Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who caused all Israel to sin". What did this evil ruler do that forever labeled him as the king that "caused all Israel to sin"? He sacrificed children to the god Molech, which was an abomination to the Sovereign Lord, the Almighty God. In Ezekiel 20:30-36, the Sovereign Lord says that when God’s people “sacrifice their sons in the fire”, the people defile themselves, and that He will execute judgment on the nation, as He judged the fathers in the desert of the land of Egypt.”

The abortion of unborn, innocent children is murder, an abomination, and a stench in the nostril of the Lord. Since the Roe vs. Wade decision 1n 1973, more than 45,000,000 babies have been killed in this country. That’s an average of 1.28 million a year, 107,000 a month, 3,500 a day, 60 an hour, one every minute of every day! How can anyone think that our Heavenly Father will ignore such an atrocity?

We have lost more Americans to abortion, than the combined total of Americans that have died in the 12 wars from the Revolutionary War to the current Iraq/Afghanistan conflict. 64 times as many! One in every 4 deaths in America is due to abortion.

The abortion problem spans every ethnic group. 41% of Whites have aborted one or more babies, as have 34% of Blacks, 17% of Hispanics and 6% of Asians.

It gets worse. 37.4% of those who had an abortion are Protestants who claim Christ as their savior. 31.3% are Catholics who also claim Christ as their savior.

The proponents of Pro-Choice are quick to say that many abortions are performed because of health issue with the mother or baby, or because the mother was a victim of rape or incest. That is a lie. Only 1% of all abortions were performed because the mother was a victim of rape or incest. Only 6% of all abortions were performed because of health issue with the mother or baby. Fully 93% of all abortions were performed because it was “inconvenient” to have a baby. That’s the Real “Inconvenient Truth”. For 35 years this nation has been murdering it’s unwanted children. God cannot be pleased with us.

This year’s election boils down to a choice between two candidates; Barack Obama and Joe Biden, who have consistently endorsed and voted for Pro-Choice legislation, and John McCain and Sarah Palin who have consistently endorsed and voted for Pro-Life legislation. I believe that God’s Word makes it plain that a vote for the Obama/Biden ticket in this election is tantamount to sin, because it aids and abets the continuation of this horrible atrocity.

II Chronicles 7:14 promises if “My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” If you voted early, and you voted for the Obama/Biden ticket, repent and be forgiven. 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

If you haven’t yet voted, please choose to vote for those who will strive to end the abominable practice of abortion, and trust God, not the politicians, “to heal our land”.

by
BOB STANECK

True Colors!

In this audio clip, Barak Obama compares a post WW II United States to NAZI Germany. Maybe he was listening in Reverend Wright's church after all! Compare this to Reverend Wright's comments in the video following. Notice a common theme?





*Caution the following video contains strong language *





In this video Jeremiah Wright claims that our government perpetuated a genocidal experiment against African Americans. Perhaps this is what OBama is referring to. Wait a minute I thought he had never heard these radical statements made by his pastor!

We cannot afford to elect someone with these radical views about our country to the highest office in the land!

Upcoming Union Legislation Facing Congress

As of the reading of this article, there is a good chance we have either elected a new President or we are in the middle of a “hanging chad” type ordeal that could drag out for a while.  In either instance, sentiment is very mixed, if not divided, on what either candidate means to our country in the coming four years, and even more so, what either candidate means to our economy.  What is not debatable, what can not be spun in either direction, is that we are in unprecedented times of economic challenges, and there are some things rearing their heads that we have to consider their potential negative, if not devastative impact, on our economy.  One of those things is the upcoming legislation that will be brought up in Congress about the Employee Free Choice Act, or the Card Check legislation.

When unions first emerged on the American landscape back in 1953, their formation was fairly simple and regulated.  Those interested in forming a union could gather signature cards, and once they had more than 30% of the total employees signed off on forming a union, they could then ask for a secret ballot election, which would be overseen by the Federal Government.  Once they had 50% of the votes from that employer, their union was certified.  This new legislation exposes everyone to a very dangerous process in that it would allow union organizers to solicit signatures openly in public to employees subjecting them to threats, intimidation, and abuse, and once 50% of the employees signed off on this legislation, the union would be formed.  By this legislation, there would be NO election, and the right to a secret ballot would be ILLEGAL!  Imagine this in context to the recent Presidential election.  Imagine if your vote was not secret.  Imagine if you were allowed to be pressured to vote for a particular candidate openly, in public, facing ridicule and threats if you did not vote for them, and had to sign off on a card for that candidate.  Its very similar in that you are voting on your job, your source of income, and with this proposed legislation, you as an employee would be bullied into signing these cards for a union.

What does this mean to employers, and to the livelihood of our community?  This legislation would allow people to form unions at ANY size company, period.  It would allow the smallest of offices to the largest of companies to form unions.  Employees would have to pay union dues, even if they did not want to, and rely on union representatives to negotiate all the different aspects of their benefits on their behalf.  Unions have proven to be very corrupt, with money not going to promised areas of contributions, and for the most part, have not shown to help employees standing in too many areas.  In fact, unions have done more damage in this country as a whole than they have good.  This kind of union legislation has impacts across our state.  Currently, Arkansas is a Right to Work state, and that gives employers the ability to hire and fire as they want, as well as employees to do what they want.  Not having a heavy union presence in our state is very attractive to companies that are interested in locating here, and if we allow this legislation to pass, things will change so drastically that one competitive advantage we have will be eliminated. 

In talking with some of our largest employers in our area, they all agree that for the most part, if you treat your employees with dignity and respect you don’t have to worry about union influences.  But, rogue legislation will allow employees who have interests of unions first in their minds, and not what would be best for all employees.

What we have an opportunity to do, and each and every one that reads this article should call or send a letter to their congressman, is retain the rights we have as employees to not be represented by corrupt unions and unions groups, but that we remain in control of our own professional lives.  I believe that as a whole, people in our area want good paying jobs provided by good companies, who provide good benefits.  Being able to attract those companies here to our area will be severely limited by this kind of legislation.  Last year, in the House of Representatives, this legislation passed and Representative Marion Berry voted for this legislation.  Currently, Senator Blanche Lincoln is undecided and Senator Mark Pryor is in favor.  This legislation benefits only union bosses and organizations, not the employers, and especially not the employees.  Do your research on this bill, but we would encourage you to contact your congressman and urge them strongly to vote no on this legislation!

Redistribution of Wealth

I'm all for voluntary redistribution of wealth. I think people ought to be kind to those in need. To make it mandatory is not what I'm interested in. Redistribution of wealth sounds a lot like communism. This polotical system rewards the lazy and obviously effects the motivation of those who may be inclined to work hard. Please consider who you vote for this November.

Listen carefully to the video below.

Chuck's Primetime Tidbits

My dear friends,

Sorry it's been so long since my last blog. Unfortunately since we spoke last the Hogs lost a heartbreaker to Kentucky and the Cowboys imploded due to the loss of Romo. Hopefully the ship will be righted for both of these programs in the near future. A big game this weekend will be the return of Houston Nutt to Arkansas with his Rebels. A win here would be a moral victory for the Hogs and all the fans who thought that getting rid of Nutt was the right thing to do. The Hogs are obviously very young and inexperienced. I'm sure that a lot of the readers of the Voice of Batesville have opinions and have favorite teams that they root for. I would be interested to hear from you in the comments section at the end of the blog. I too, also have other teams that I like. Don't laugh when I tell you a couple of them. Notre Dame and Penn State are two. I've been following these teams for quite a number of years and I can't tell you exactly the reason for my support. I like Charlie and Joe Pa as coaches and as role models. Until next time here's saying that I hope the Good Lord takes a liking to you and that He will be there for you in your everyday walk.
Chuck

Allegations that Barak Obama is not a Natural Born U.S. Citizen

Can anyone verify or deny the allegations in this video?
To watch click play above or visit The Voice of Batesville.

Education and Economic Development

Recently, I attended the Governor’s Conference on Education and Economic Development with several other leaders in our community from Batesville, including Anne Moore, Ron Carter, Ed Mabry, Tim Bruner, Ann Webb, James McLean, David Wyatt, Fran Flenor, Ted Hall, Kathleen McNamee, and David Baker.  The purpose of this summit was to have each county in Arkansas represented with at least ten attendees so we could hear presentations and get information that we could then take back to our communities and devise a strategic plan in accordance with our educational system here as it relates to economic development.  I have had some time to think about the summit, and what we will be doing here locally to come up with a comprehensive plan to address what we need to do going forward.  While I appreciate the work the Governor and his staff put in to this, there were some important elements missing, and I believe they are crucial to the overall landscape of this picture.

When you consider educations role in the grand scheme of economic development, its not so black and white as one would think.  College degrees, while good, helpful, and beneficial to the recipient (this writer has one, just in case you wondered), are not what every employer wants.  There have been correlations made that say if we are to compete with the likes of China, India, and Luxembourg, we have to graduate as many college grads as we can or face the impending doom of economic isolation by these other countries.  Well, I have a problem with that.  Of course, that is somewhat of a generalization, in which we also heard how our math and reading scores were low, etc.  But the real issue we have in our country right now is not a shortage of students or people for that matter its that we don’t have people who are inspired to do what they really want to do.  Granted, a majority of people want to work and have jobs and with our current economy that is a challenge to an extent, but for the most part, people, especially our young people, are probably on a track to do something they may not want to be doing.  Is college for every student?  Do we need every child to go to college?  Does going to college mean that every child will do exponentially well and be so much more successful?  I am here to tell you that the answer to all those is no!  Like you, I know several people who have not gone to college that have done very well in their lives.  Like you, I know of jobs that don’t require a college education.  Like you, I know that college is not for everyone.  While on an economic development trip to Rome, Georgia, we visited with leaders in that community who had experienced layoffs that exceeded 7,000 people over a period of five years.  They, as a community, came together and devised a plan that set them apart not only from other places in Georgia, but other places in the Country.  So, a contingent from Arkansas went to visit, and the results to me were astounding and a testament to a methodology that looks at what is the most important and valuable to the student, not the system.

They have a different school system structure over there (county and city schools), but in their restructure, they said that there are three tracks that we need to encourage a student to take, starting in 8^th grade.   The tracks were to go to work after high school, to go through a two-year program, and to go to college.  They said that they would overwhelmingly support every child no matter what their choice was (which was made with their parents), and would encourage them and give them the tools necessary to be successful no matter the route they chose.  They would show the students the income potential in each scenario, and what it would take to be successful in each path.  I would like to insert here the relevancy of this was seen in a video last week in Little Rock where there were at least two children who said that they wanted to be a truck driver and a construction worker, respectively.  These children are a prime example of doing something that did not require a college degree.

Their efforts behind a two-year program included nursing, and health related fields, as well as skilled positions like welding, plumbing, electrical, and other certification type jobs.  Lastly, they had the college bound program and this one stood out to me in that they were willing to put their money where their mouth was in their approach.  Once a student chose this path, they worked hard with that student to make them successful, and so successful, that if the student who met the different requirements of that program who went on to college and needed any kind of remediation (catch up courses if they were not up to the college standard in a certain subject) the Rome County Schools would pay for their college education in full.  That’s right, they said if we did not prepare you for college we will pay for your college because we did not do our job!  They started that program over six years ago and up to the day we visited, they had never had to pay for a child’s college tuition!  Part of our presentation last week had to do with remediation rates in Arkansas, and how high they were.  Once again that goes back to not just getting students to meet certain performance criteria, its ensuring that they understand what they are tested over.  Its putting the student first!

I asked the folks there in Rome a very pointed question about the parent’s feedback about the three track position they took, and if they said that it should all be college bound, etc.  The resounding answer I got was that the community fully supported it, that the parents fully supported it, and it was evident to me when we visited Suzuki of North America, their only manufacturing plant in America, and I saw a lot of young people working there, having a great time, making money.  I saw what they talked about in action, and it was working.

 Our system in Arkansas has to put the people first, and most of all, our students.  See, they are the future workforce.  But what role do we play in shaping that workforce to meet our future needs of our largest, best, and brightest employers?  Are we doing a disservice to our companies by churning out what they don’t need, and putting our children in a position where they can not secure the work we told them would be there?  I say we are, and I say that we are doing an even greater disservice by not awarding the ambition that is found in every child, and that ambition does vary by degree with each child.  But as leaders and role models for these kids that are the future leaders in our community, we need to flesh out their passions, and facilitate those passions into a career for that child.  It may not benefit our higher educational institutions if kids opt to work after high school, or the various other routes.  It may not benefit employers if we don’t turn out more college grads.  But who do we want to benefit the most?  Ourselves, or the ones who will be working and being responsible for their own lives?  Our country was founded on ambition, and ambition has to return to everything we do or we will lose the one aspect that has been fostered and encouraged for over 200 years!  Every child has an ambition to be something, and instead of directing them to our ambitions, lets foster their ambitions and see how we can match them up with our employers so everyone wins.  Everyone will benefit from this approach, and our country will get back on track and in a direction that we were founded on; a country that allows the person the right to vote for who they want to, live where they want to, work where they want to, and to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!  

Real Estate in Batesville Arkansas

Many people, especially first time buyers, often have questions about terms used by bankers and real estate professionals. In my first column for The Voice of Batesville I thought it might be helpful to the readers to explain some commonly used real estate terms.

Amortization is a payment plan in which a borrower reduces debt gradually, usually through monthly payments of principal and interest, but the payments could be semi-annual or annual payments.

Annual Percentage Rate(APR) is the annual cost of credit over the life of a loan, including interest, service charges, points, loan fees, mortgage insurance and other such items.

An appraisal is an evaluation to determine what a piece of property would sell for in the current market.

A balloon loan is a loan with payments that are based on a longer amortization than the actual maturity date. The balance of these loans is due at the end of the loan period. These loans are often for 3, 5, or 7 years. The reason for this type of loan is that it gives the borrower smaller payments while not locking the lender into an interest rate for the full amortization.

Closing is the term given to the meeting at which buyers and sellers sign the documents to transfer property from one owner to the other.

Earnest money is a sum paid to show the buyer is serious about his intentions to purchase property. At the closing the earnest money goes toward the purchase price of the property as a credit to the buyer.

Escrow is the handling of funds or documents by a third party on behalf of the buyer and/or the seller.

If there are other real estate questions you have you may contact me through this paper or my office.

Sharon Black, Realtor

Ennis Realty

Coming Together During Difficult Times

There are unprecedented challenges that are facing us not only in our country but in our own community that we have never seen before.  There are questions that all of us have, answers that not many can produce, and anxiety that is everywhere in between.  There are several areas, locally, that are doing very good while there are others that are not doing good, at all.  The answer that is staring us straight in the face is that we should come together as a community and build each other up and not tear each other, or anyone one that we don’t know, down. 

As a community, we can come together and support each other in our own personal way.  I have talked in previous columns about shopping locally, having seminars that deal with a down economy, but I have not talked as much about a personal effort to see our community pull through this.  Some would say that this would be outside of the realm of economic development, and that it is outside of the scope of what I do here at the Chamber.  But what I believe about this is that consumer sentiment, or how you feel about the money you have (or don’t have) to spend, drives our overall economy and even our local economy.  Choosing to have a positive attitude is yours.  But by having a positive attitude, you can make very clear and very sound decisions.  By having a positive attitude, you will hopefully want to take a more active role in your community, and activities in your community.  By having a positive attitude, you can make a difference in a time where a difference is needed.

There are many aspects of our community that survive on philanthropic giving.  United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters, John 3:16, and so many others.  Donations fund so many organizations in our community that do a lot to give back.  At a time like this in our country it is more difficult for us to give money that we want to save or not spend to organizations like this.  But that is counterproductive!  One of the biggest myths with businesses is when times get tough you tighten up and often times they tighten up on advertising.  Actually, you should cut others and increase your advertising!  The same goes for our community.  We need to continue and make an investment in our community through those organizations because what can not stop is our community from growing.  We can not let fear drive or create indecision, or worse, make us take steps backward towards the places we have worked so hard to come from.

Making investments in to our community is what will sustain us going forward.  Shopping locally will sustain us this holiday season and help our local community.  But so much of what we can do is what we do inside ourselves, and what we do so much of the time inside ourselves has a much greater impact sometimes than what we do outside of ourselves.  What we do in our communities, or what we don’t do, has a much larger price tag than we realize.  If we don’t keep doing what we do locally the impact of that is felt much more quickly than the trickle down from Washington DC.  There are ways that we can sustain ourselves locally and we do that by coming together as a community of friends ,neighbors, and co-workers.

I am reminded of a story when, in this country, there was a time that people after the great depression would share food, share all that they had, because they had nothing.  They had very, very little and people did all they could to help each other.  When they would slaughter a cow or pig for meat, they would share that with others.  When one would have excess in the garden, they would share that with others.  During one of the worst economic times, people came together and helped in ways that we can only hear about but for most of us have not experienced first hand. 

I have asked several people whom I respect and admire and have asked them what they see and how we will come out of this.  This is an economic downturn that we have never seen before, and one that they have not either.  There is no “economic” advice that will help any of us, comfort any of us, or relieve any of us.  But what I believe is that at this time of uncertainty, we can rely on each other and look to encourage and lift each other up in all that we do.  Whether you are at Church, at work, or at home, look to find ways that you can lift someone up out of their doldrums, and encourage them that this too shall pass.  Look for ways to be encouraging to others, to smile, give positive words of encouragement to someone who needs it.  Its contagious, and will spread to others and in some small way, maybe, and as a community we can build back our efforts while we build each other back up. 

Chuck's Primetime Tidbits

Well everyone, I had to wait till late Friday before I entered this blog. After the prediction last week on the Hogs, I felt that my credibility was shot. I am a die hard fan, not a fair weather fan. I really want the team to do well. Hopefully we can do well tomorrow but I will not go out on a limb this week and predict a victory for the Razorbacks. Perhaps the criticism got to me or maybe I jinxed them. The Cowboys also went down to the Redskins. I will predict the Cowboys will beat up on the Bengals this weekend. Hopefully all of you will enjoy some good football this weekend and stay in touch. Please make your comments on this and other blogs that I have written.

Here's wishing you God speed and may you always keep the spirit.

Chuck

The Real Story Behind the "Bail Out"

In 1977 President Jimmy Carter sold the "Community Reinvestment Act" to Congress. This bill would require, by law, lending institutions to make low interest, no down payment loans to people in their local communities who where not likely to be able to pay them back. This laid the foundation for the crisis that we are seeing today. Maybe I should say this was the beginning of the destruction of our financial foundation. Government, in doing this, would begin to impose itself in the business of our financial institution. This was the biggest move toward socialism in this country since the"New Deal".



During the Reagan and Bush 41 years, the CRA, in the interest of reducing government interference in free market lending, was loosely enforced by those administrations. A dramatically lower number of high risk loans were made. Enter "Slick Willie". The Clinton Administration stiffened regulation and began strict enforcement of the "CRA". New regulation would make lending institution compliance less subjective and more numerical. Banks could no longer score an A for effort. They had to produce loans. A quota was enforced. This encouraged the involvement of Socialist leaning, foundation-funded, community "Watch-Dog" complaint groups like the "National Community Reinvestment Coalition". To keep the "NCRC' happy, banks like, "The Bank of New York" Pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to left leaning radical community activist groups like ACORN Housing. Interestingly enough this group was largely organized by a community organizer named "Barak Hussein Obama". This amounted to a sort of lending market extortion. If lenders didn't make a quota of these high risk loans and payoffs "NCRC" would blow the whistle and they would be penalized by the administration or perhaps even prosecuted in certain instances by the United States Justice Department. Remember that recently Obama tried to slip ACORN a little more cash in the first version of the "Constitution Extermination Act of 2008" AKA the "bailout" bill.



The pressure put on by laws and regs enforced by the Clinton administration drove lending institutions to make BAD LOANS. That's not "Wall Street Greed" that's "Socialism".



During the latter part of the Clinton administration and the early part of the Bush administration some recognizable names had taken the helm of Freddie, Fannie, and Leahman Bros., names like Franklin Reigns, Jimmie Johnson, and Robert Rubin. Sound familiar? Yep! These guys are now economic advisers to Obama.



By early 2003 these companies had spent years engaged in irresponsible lending and pay off of special interest groups. It had become necessary to hide the damage that such abuse and mismanagement had caused. The Bush administration called for a Congressional investigation into allegations of "Cooking The Books". This was dismissed quite speedily by Congressional Democrats such as future "Finance Committee Leader", Bernie Frank , senator Chuck Shumar and others who said that these institutions were solid. Interesting that the activist group, "ACORN" that is being investigated for fraudulent registration of Democrat voters, was receiving millions from these companies.



In 2005 , as I wrote in a previous editorial, McCain sponsored a bill that would reform regulation on these lending institutions which would relieve demands on these Lenders to make "High Risk" loans and provide oversight as to interaction with special interest groups such as ACORN. The Democrat party killed this bill. Imagine that. They weren't going to surrender their cash cow until they had drained it dry, and taken every dime of political extortion money they could wring out of its dying corps. They'd blame it's death on the current Republican administration,(remember the one who asked for the investigation), and set their party up for the presidency. They could complete their scheme by removing the last traces of "Free Market Capitalism" from it through regulation, and slip a few more bucks to ACORN in the process. At least Barak tried to. Voila'! Socialism! Complete governmental control!



The Democrat Party is in this up-to-their-neck. Their government regulation of this industry has caused this catastrophe and NOT "WALL STREET GREED !" Nice deflection huh? They've blamed it on Bush. It is disgraceful that the Democrats did this right under the Republican's nose. The fault of the Republican party in this whole thing is that their ignorance allowed this to go on. This loan machine was building the Democrat Party by buying Democrat votes and funding Democrat activist groups. This is the same kind of machine Clinton built in Arkansas with the"Arkansas Finance Developement Authority". Look it up. It's Deja vu but on a larger scale. Bill just built the same machine in Washington. Obama is riding Bill's machine. Now with this "bailout" the machine is about to be funded by the American tax payer. The "Constitution Extermination Act of 2008" is the "Perfect Storm" for the Democrat Socialist Party.



McCain can't vote against it. It will look like he's against the little guy. He can't vote against government control. That's what they say we've lacked under Bush. In truth it is extreme Democratic policy and government control established by Carter and Clinton that created the problem.



Government needs to get out of the way with its capital gains and windfall profits tax, put money back into the consumers hands, and let the free market solve this thing! It will hurt but there must not be a "Bail Out". Free Markets left alone will work!

Enjoy the video below!