What are your thoughts on this video from the National Inflation Association? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
November 4, 2010
Are our Liberties being Eroded Away?
What are your thoughts on this video from the National Inflation Association? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
Are Inflation and Possibly Hyper-Inflation on their Way to America?
What can you and your family do now to prepare for this possible eventuality?
What are your thoughts on these videos? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
What are your thoughts on these videos? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
September 10, 2010
What is Islam?
Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat
Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military Components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other Components.
Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to Agitate for their religious privileges.
When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the Other components tend to creep in as well.
Here's how it works:
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given Country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving Minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:
United States -- Muslim 0.6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%
At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and Disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among Street gangs. This is happening in:
Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%
From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their Percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the Introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby Securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure On supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with Threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:
France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them To rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law.
The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the Entire world.
When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase Lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we Are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and Results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition To Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen Daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:
Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%
After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad Militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian Churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:
Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%
At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, And ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%
From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of All other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic Cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax Placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%
After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run Ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the Infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and In some ways is on-going in:
Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%
Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.
'Before I was nine, I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'
It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim
religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.
Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.
Well, boys and girls, today we are letting the fox guard the henhouse.
The wolves will be herding the sheep!
Obama appoints two devout Muslims to Homeland Security posts. Doesn't this make you feel safer already?
Obama and Janet Napolitano appoint Arif Alikhan, a devout Muslim, as
Assistant Secretary for Policy Development.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in Kareem Shora, a devout Muslim who was born in Damascus , Syria , as ADC National Executive Director as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).
NOTE: Has anyone ever heard a new government official being identified as a devout Catholic, a devout Jew or a devout Protestant...? Just wondering.
Devout Muslims being appointed to critical Homeland Security positions?
Doesn't this make you feel safer already??
That should make the US ' homeland much safer, huh!!
Was it not "Devout Muslim men" that flew planes into U.S. buildings 8 years ago?
Was it not a Devout Muslim who killed 13 at Fort Hood ?
Also: This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to finish. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities. Can a good Muslim be a good American? This question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:
Theologically - no . . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon God of Arabia
Religiously – no… Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)(Koran)
Scripturally - no… Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.
Geographically – no… Because his allegiance is to Mecca , to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
Socially - no… Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews..
Politically - no…Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America , the great Satan.
Domestically - no… Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34)
Intellectually - no… Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
Philosophically - no… Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression.. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.
Spiritually - no… Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names.
Therefore, after much study and deliberation....
Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS
in this country. - - - They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and good Americans.
Call it what you wish, it's still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand.
Can a muslim be a good soldier???
Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at Ft. Hood and Killed 13. He is a good Muslim!!!
Footnote: The Muslims have said they will destroy us from within.
What are your thoughts on this article? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.
Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military Components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other Components.
Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to Agitate for their religious privileges.
When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the Other components tend to creep in as well.
Here's how it works:
As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given Country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving Minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:
United States -- Muslim 0.6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%
At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and Disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among Street gangs. This is happening in:
Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%
From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their Percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the Introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby Securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure On supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with Threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:
France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%
At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them To rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law.
The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the Entire world.
When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase Lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris , we Are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and Results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition To Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen Daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:
Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%
After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad Militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian Churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:
Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%
At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, And ongoing militia warfare, such as in:
Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%
From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of All other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic Cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax Placed on infidels, such as in:
Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%
After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run Ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the Infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and In some ways is on-going in:
Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%
100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%
Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.
'Before I was nine, I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'
It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim
religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.
Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.
Well, boys and girls, today we are letting the fox guard the henhouse.
The wolves will be herding the sheep!
Obama appoints two devout Muslims to Homeland Security posts. Doesn't this make you feel safer already?
Obama and Janet Napolitano appoint Arif Alikhan, a devout Muslim, as
Assistant Secretary for Policy Development.
DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in Kareem Shora, a devout Muslim who was born in Damascus , Syria , as ADC National Executive Director as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).
NOTE: Has anyone ever heard a new government official being identified as a devout Catholic, a devout Jew or a devout Protestant...? Just wondering.
Devout Muslims being appointed to critical Homeland Security positions?
Doesn't this make you feel safer already??
That should make the US ' homeland much safer, huh!!
Was it not "Devout Muslim men" that flew planes into U.S. buildings 8 years ago?
Was it not a Devout Muslim who killed 13 at Fort Hood ?
Also: This is very interesting and we all need to read it from start to finish. Maybe this is why our American Muslims are so quiet and not speaking out about any atrocities. Can a good Muslim be a good American? This question was forwarded to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years. The following is his reply:
Theologically - no . . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, The moon God of Arabia
Religiously – no… Because no other religion is accepted by His Allah except Islam (Quran, 2:256)(Koran)
Scripturally - no… Because his allegiance is to the five Pillars of Islam and the Quran.
Geographically – no… Because his allegiance is to Mecca , to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
Socially - no… Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews..
Politically - no…Because he must submit to the mullahs (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and destruction of America , the great Satan.
Domestically - no… Because he is instructed to marry four Women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34)
Intellectually - no… Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
Philosophically - no… Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression.. Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.
Spiritually - no… Because when we declare 'one nation under God,' the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as Heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names.
Therefore, after much study and deliberation....
Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS
in this country. - - - They obviously cannot be both 'good' Muslims and good Americans.
Call it what you wish, it's still the truth. You had better believe it. The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand.
Can a muslim be a good soldier???
Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, opened fire at Ft. Hood and Killed 13. He is a good Muslim!!!
Footnote: The Muslims have said they will destroy us from within.
What are your thoughts on this article? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
July 12, 2010
Radio Frequency Identification for People
Independence Tea Party will present a DVD program about RFID tracking, beginning at 6:30 p.m., the Derby Center, Lyon College on Tuesday, July 13. This is open to the public.
“On the brink of the Mark”, a lecture/presentation by Katherine Albrecht on how RFID tracking technology can and will be used to monitor every person in the world, as a component to a cashless world economic system. – Literally the Biblical Mark of the Beast, as denoted in Revelations. Runtime: 95 minutes.
What are your thoughts on this article? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
“On the brink of the Mark”, a lecture/presentation by Katherine Albrecht on how RFID tracking technology can and will be used to monitor every person in the world, as a component to a cashless world economic system. – Literally the Biblical Mark of the Beast, as denoted in Revelations. Runtime: 95 minutes.
What are your thoughts on this article? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
June 20, 2010
The Nature of Man
By
Charles R. Fuqua, J.D.
Many years ago I went to the Muslim Student Union at the University of Indiana at Terra Haute, Indiana. I was amazed that many of the Muslim students were ardent Socialist and even Marxist. It seemed strange to me that people who believe in God would favor an ideology that rejects belief in God. I have also found it strange that many Muslim nations embrace Socialism. Another thing I have noticed is that American liberals seem to be more in tune with Muslims than with Christians or Conservatives. I have a Muslim acquaintance, and one day we were discussing the differences between the Christian and Muslim religions. He said ,"you Christians believe in the depravity of man. We Muslims reject that doctrine." As I thought on this statement I came to understand the fundamental ideological war in the world today.
The fundamental ideological war in the world today is over the nature of man. Some argue that man is basically good. They argue that children are born pure and innocent and only become selfish and corrupted by contact with the evils of the world around them. The interesting question is, if we are all born pure and good, how did the first selfish and corrupt person get that way. The Christian religion teaches that man is born selfish, self centered, and greedy. Anyone who has ever raised a child knows that children are born selfish, and self centered. The bases for the belief that man is basically selfish is found in the Bible. "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. "There is none righteous, no not one" Romans 3:10. "There is nothing more desperately wicked then the heart of man" Jeremiah 17:9. "Man's inclination is continually to do evil" Genesis 6:5. There is no other religion that teaches that man has a sin nature. The largest religion in the world, the Muslim religion, rejects the doctrine of the inherent sinfulness of man. The Ideologies of progressivism, socialism, fascism, and communism all reject the doctrine of the inherent sin nature of man.
The founding fathers of the United States accepted the doctrine of the sin nature of man because they were Christians. All Christians accept the doctrine of the sin nature of man. It is the central and most fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion. The Christian religion teaches that all of mankind need a savior to save them from their sins. If we can gain salvation through our own good acts, then we do not need a savior, and the death of Christ on the cross was a farce.
Because the drafters of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution believed that all men have a sin nature, they created a system of government that prevents any one person from gaining too much power. They divided the government into three branches, executive, legislative and judicial. Then they gave the most powerful branch of government, the legislature, two separate houses and divided that power between many members in each of the two houses. They further dissipated power by creating levels of government. The highest level of government, the Federal government, was established as a government of limited (enumerated) powers. The Constitution list the powers given to the Federal government and then reserves to the States, or the people any powers not given to the Federal government. The founding fathers of the United States understood that government is a necessary evil. It is important that both aspects of that statement are understood. Government is necessary. We cannot live without it. Without it chaos reigns. However since government is composed of people cooperating together, and since all people have a sin nature, government is evil. Throughout history more human oppression, suffering and death have been caused by government that any other human institution. Like fire, government can be a useful tool for mankind. If fire is contained within a stove it is useful. The Constitution is like a stove. It contains government and limits it to a useful purpose. However, if fire gets out of the stove, or if government exceeds its Constitutional limits, it consumes and destroys all.
There are those who criticize the Constitution and refer to it as consisting of negative rights. This is because the Bill of Rights is a list of "thou shall nots" to government. Those who criticize the Constitution in this manner do not believe that the government should have limits on its power, because they believe that government is a force for good. Especially if they are the ones in charge of it. They believe this because they reject the doctrine of the sin mature of man.
Today we are faced with a choice. We will accept the Christian doctrine of the inherent wickedness of man, or we reject that doctrine, and accept the teachings and beliefs of Mohammedanism, progressivism, fascism, socialism, and communism. The choice will determine the future of our nation. Either we will limit government power and promote individual freedom and responsibility or we will allow unlimited government power and control.
Allowing the ownership of privet property and a free and competitive market is the best way to limit government power and promote individual rights and responsibility. It is important to understand that these are the battle lines. If you have ever wondered why the Socialist and all other isms hate Christianity and always seek to destroy it? It is because Christianity is the only limit on absolute government power. God gave the commandment, "thou shall not steal." This commandment recognizes the right to ownership of property. The commandment did not establish the right of property ownership. It simply recognized natural law. When a cave man used his time, effort, and talent, to make a flint knife, he know that the knife was his, and he would use it, if necessary, to defend his ownership right. A free and competitive marketplace rewards those who provide goods and services that others want. Competition makes a free market self-regulating, and provides the most goods and services, to the greatest number of people, at the lowest price. Those who desire monopolistic control of a market want to use government as a means of eliminating competition and amassing control and power. A free marketplace ensures freedom in every aspect of a society because it dissipates power. That is why those who want to amass power prefer government regulation to a competitive market. A free enterprise system creates millions of millionaires. Those who want all power in their hands cannot tolerate such a system.
What are your thoughts on this article? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
Charles R. Fuqua, J.D.
Many years ago I went to the Muslim Student Union at the University of Indiana at Terra Haute, Indiana. I was amazed that many of the Muslim students were ardent Socialist and even Marxist. It seemed strange to me that people who believe in God would favor an ideology that rejects belief in God. I have also found it strange that many Muslim nations embrace Socialism. Another thing I have noticed is that American liberals seem to be more in tune with Muslims than with Christians or Conservatives. I have a Muslim acquaintance, and one day we were discussing the differences between the Christian and Muslim religions. He said ,"you Christians believe in the depravity of man. We Muslims reject that doctrine." As I thought on this statement I came to understand the fundamental ideological war in the world today.
The fundamental ideological war in the world today is over the nature of man. Some argue that man is basically good. They argue that children are born pure and innocent and only become selfish and corrupted by contact with the evils of the world around them. The interesting question is, if we are all born pure and good, how did the first selfish and corrupt person get that way. The Christian religion teaches that man is born selfish, self centered, and greedy. Anyone who has ever raised a child knows that children are born selfish, and self centered. The bases for the belief that man is basically selfish is found in the Bible. "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" Romans 3:23. "There is none righteous, no not one" Romans 3:10. "There is nothing more desperately wicked then the heart of man" Jeremiah 17:9. "Man's inclination is continually to do evil" Genesis 6:5. There is no other religion that teaches that man has a sin nature. The largest religion in the world, the Muslim religion, rejects the doctrine of the inherent sinfulness of man. The Ideologies of progressivism, socialism, fascism, and communism all reject the doctrine of the inherent sin nature of man.
The founding fathers of the United States accepted the doctrine of the sin nature of man because they were Christians. All Christians accept the doctrine of the sin nature of man. It is the central and most fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion. The Christian religion teaches that all of mankind need a savior to save them from their sins. If we can gain salvation through our own good acts, then we do not need a savior, and the death of Christ on the cross was a farce.
Because the drafters of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution believed that all men have a sin nature, they created a system of government that prevents any one person from gaining too much power. They divided the government into three branches, executive, legislative and judicial. Then they gave the most powerful branch of government, the legislature, two separate houses and divided that power between many members in each of the two houses. They further dissipated power by creating levels of government. The highest level of government, the Federal government, was established as a government of limited (enumerated) powers. The Constitution list the powers given to the Federal government and then reserves to the States, or the people any powers not given to the Federal government. The founding fathers of the United States understood that government is a necessary evil. It is important that both aspects of that statement are understood. Government is necessary. We cannot live without it. Without it chaos reigns. However since government is composed of people cooperating together, and since all people have a sin nature, government is evil. Throughout history more human oppression, suffering and death have been caused by government that any other human institution. Like fire, government can be a useful tool for mankind. If fire is contained within a stove it is useful. The Constitution is like a stove. It contains government and limits it to a useful purpose. However, if fire gets out of the stove, or if government exceeds its Constitutional limits, it consumes and destroys all.
There are those who criticize the Constitution and refer to it as consisting of negative rights. This is because the Bill of Rights is a list of "thou shall nots" to government. Those who criticize the Constitution in this manner do not believe that the government should have limits on its power, because they believe that government is a force for good. Especially if they are the ones in charge of it. They believe this because they reject the doctrine of the sin mature of man.
Today we are faced with a choice. We will accept the Christian doctrine of the inherent wickedness of man, or we reject that doctrine, and accept the teachings and beliefs of Mohammedanism, progressivism, fascism, socialism, and communism. The choice will determine the future of our nation. Either we will limit government power and promote individual freedom and responsibility or we will allow unlimited government power and control.
Allowing the ownership of privet property and a free and competitive market is the best way to limit government power and promote individual rights and responsibility. It is important to understand that these are the battle lines. If you have ever wondered why the Socialist and all other isms hate Christianity and always seek to destroy it? It is because Christianity is the only limit on absolute government power. God gave the commandment, "thou shall not steal." This commandment recognizes the right to ownership of property. The commandment did not establish the right of property ownership. It simply recognized natural law. When a cave man used his time, effort, and talent, to make a flint knife, he know that the knife was his, and he would use it, if necessary, to defend his ownership right. A free and competitive marketplace rewards those who provide goods and services that others want. Competition makes a free market self-regulating, and provides the most goods and services, to the greatest number of people, at the lowest price. Those who desire monopolistic control of a market want to use government as a means of eliminating competition and amassing control and power. A free marketplace ensures freedom in every aspect of a society because it dissipates power. That is why those who want to amass power prefer government regulation to a competitive market. A free enterprise system creates millions of millionaires. Those who want all power in their hands cannot tolerate such a system.
What are your thoughts on this article? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
June 7, 2010
Fall of the Republic
What are your thoughts on this video? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
May 14, 2010
Meltup
Are we at the beginning of a major currency crisis and hyper-inflationary environment in the United States? Watch this video documentary from National Inflation Association and decide for yourself.
What are your thoughts on this video? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below at www.voiceofbatesville.com.
What are your thoughts on this video? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below at www.voiceofbatesville.com.
May 13, 2010
Theodore Roosevelt's ideas
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American... There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag.... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
What are your thoughts on this article? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
March 31, 2010
An Imperial Presidency in the Making?
March 31, 2010
Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal carried a story entitled "Obama Steps Up Confrontation." It said in part, "On Thursday, the president challenged Republicans who planned to campaign on repealing his health-care bill with, 'Go for it.' Two days later, he made 15 senior appointments without Senate consent, including a union lawyer whose nomination had been blocked by a filibuster.
"At a bill-signing event Tuesday, he is set to laud passage of higher-education legislation that was approved despite Republican objections through a parliamentary maneuver that neutralized the party's filibuster threat."
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) called Obama's decision to federalize most student loans "really brazen" and "the most underreported, biggest Washington takeover in history."
See the WSJ report at:
http://tinyurl.com/wsj-obama-confronts
If history teaches us anything, it teaches us that power always craves more power. And there are only 2 ways to check power: internally, through self-discipline and humility; or externally, through equally determined and equipped counterforces.
Americans should thank God that George Washington was our first President, because no one exemplified self-discipline and humility more than he did.
After having led the colonies to perhaps the most miraculous revolution in world history, Washington was universally adored and even idolized. There were many that even attempted to make Washington America's king. He flatly refused this proposal, of course. (Compare Washington's character and humility to former President G.W. Bush, who, on this subject, said, "If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator.")
The concept of an American monarch may seem foreign to us today, but remember that a monarchy was the only form of government the colonists had ever known. And there can be no doubt that a monarchy (or some form of it) has been the single most popular form of central government that the nations of the world have utilized. But remember, too, the theme of America's War for Independence was "No King But Jesus." And no one believed that more than General George Washington did.
Like most of America's founders, Washington distrusted government in general and despised big government in particular--even though people were willing to make him government's imperial ruler. Listen to the Father of our
Country:
"Government is not reason; it is not eloquence; it is force! Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master."
Unfortunately, there hasn't been a man of George Washington's caliber in the White House for many a moon. Instead of distrusting and limiting the central government, the vast majority of modern Presidents have completely ignored the constitutional role of the Presidency, and have sought to expand the authority of the executive branch of the federal government to proportions never allowed in the Constitution or envisioned by its creators. And Barack Obama is following the example of his predecessors by continuing this malevolent model (with increased rapidity, I might add). The above-mentioned stories are just the latest examples of what is fast becoming an imperial Presidency. It seems that every day another example of executive arrogance and usurpation of power takes place.
Given the lack of genuine humility and character of America's President--and the unwillingness of Congress and the Supreme Court to restrain his unconstitutional propensities--it is left to the states and the People to hold this would-be king in check.
And here is another reason to be thankful for America's founders: they recognized the ultimate role of the states in safeguarding and protecting liberty. As James Madison said in Federalist 45, "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined.
Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite."
In Federalist 39 Madison said, "Each State, in ratifying the Constitution, is considered as a sovereign body, independent of all others, and only to be bound by its own voluntary act. In this relation, then, the new Constitution will, if established, be a FEDERAL, and not a NATIONAL constitution."
(Emphasis in the original.)
If America's founders desired that a national--or monarchal--government be established in the United States, what was the purpose of the original 13 colonies retaining individual statehood? Why would each State retain its authority as "a sovereign body," if not to serve as a vanguard against the encroachment upon liberty by the central government?
And never has liberty been more vulnerable to oppression and tyranny than right now! Why? Because ever since 9/11, both political parties in Washington, D.C., have placed America in a state of perpetual war. This fact alone puts the federal government in a position to become America's oppressor.
In the first place, the Congress of the United States (then controlled by
Republicans) abdicated its constitutional obligation to be the sole determiner regarding America's entrance into war by providing then-President Bush with virtually unlimited and unchecked ability to determine and wage war clearly outside the perimeter of constitutional authority. And since taking over the federal government last year, Democrats in Washington, D.C., have followed suit.
But listen to Madison: "The executive [President] has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war."
Furthermore, the condition of unending, perpetual war only serves the purpose of lessening liberty. To quote Madison again: "No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare." Madison also declared, "If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy." And one more from Madison: "The means of defense against foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home."
One needs to only look around to observe that Madison's warnings are quickly becoming a reality in these United States.
What all this means is that the American people cannot rely on Washington, D.C., to control itself. We cannot trust Washington politicians and bureaucrats to have the character and self-discipline to honor the Constitution and defend our liberties. If we are to preserve our freedom in this country, it will be up to the body politic in each State to do it. If the Congress and Court in Washington, D.C., will not rein in this burgeoning monarchy at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, then the states and People must.
At this point, I do not believe there is any way to avoid it: a showdown between freedom-loving states and the federal government is inevitable. But not only is it inevitable, it is absolutely necessary! The central government in Washington, D.C., is quickly morphing into a monarchy--or at the very least an oligarchy. And neither the Donkeys nor the Elephants inside the Beltway are willing to do anything to stop it. Either the states determine to defend the rights and liberties of the American people now, or we are destined to be governed by DC's despots. Furthermore, we cannot cede to the US Supreme Court--or to any other federal authority--our independence, and most certainly, those fundamental elements necessary to our very survival. Only the states and the People, respectively, can maintain these bulwarks.
The question is, Will my State raise the "Don't Tread On Me" flag and sincerely defend my liberties? And the follow-up question is, If my State will not do it, which states will, and what will I do? We have little choice. Either we join with a State that will fight for our liberties and help procure freedom for our posterity, or we follow radical unionists (and
globalists) into a modern-day monarchy that is marching America toward oppression and servitude.
What are your thoughts on this article from Chuck Baldwin? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
March 29, 2010
We the People
What are your thoughts on this video? Leave your feedback by clicking the word comments below.
March 19, 2010
Market Research: The Most Critical First Step to Launching a Business
Recently I was asked to start contributing posts to Christi and Joe Wharton's great blog on E-commerce about small business issues, and after listening to her recent radio interview with Margaret Banks about turning Passion into Profits; I thought the first group of posts should cover resources for entrepreneurs to get a better understanding of their business to determine whether their idea was feasible.
At the Arkansas State University Small Business and Technology Development Center, my consultants help a new client by conducting market research. Our consultants concentrate on 4 primary areas initially: Industry Information, the Market Place – consumer trends, competitive analysis and financial benchmarking. In this post I want to share some of the best sources we use to get a better “feel” of the industry.
A good working knowledge of the industry your venture will operate in is a critical first step. The key is to find good reports that cover current economic conditions, trends within the industry, issues important to business owners in that industry, and the overall distribution channel.
My consultants start our industry research out with 4 sources:
First Research http://firstresearch.com,
Hill On-Line Library www.hillsearch.org,
National SBDC library www.sbdc.net.org
Data Monitor reports at www.marketresearch.com, and
First Research http://firstresearch.com,
Hill On-Line Library www.hillsearch.org,
National SBDC library www.sbdc.net.org
Data Monitor reports at www.marketresearch.com, and
The best source for a concise overview that we have found is First Research. A 12-15 page overview for the industry including:
• competitive landscape,
• sales & marketing issues,
• current finance & regulations impacting the industry, and
• human resource issues.
It also has a section on recent developments (updated quarterly to ensure current information) and current business challenges that the industry is facing, as well as benchmarking financial information, forecasting, and links to other sources.
Our consultants pull First Research reports on the client’s specific business as well as businesses in the distribution chain to include wholesalers, manufacturers and complimentary types of business. First Research reports run from $130 to $250 per report.
• competitive landscape,
• sales & marketing issues,
• current finance & regulations impacting the industry, and
• human resource issues.
It also has a section on recent developments (updated quarterly to ensure current information) and current business challenges that the industry is facing, as well as benchmarking financial information, forecasting, and links to other sources.
Our consultants pull First Research reports on the client’s specific business as well as businesses in the distribution chain to include wholesalers, manufacturers and complimentary types of business. First Research reports run from $130 to $250 per report.
Professional trade journals are another good source of current industry information. The ASU SBTDC uses the Hill On-Line Reference Library’s Special Issues section to find current information from trade journals these journals often have quarterly or annual “State of the Industry” reports accessible through the Hill Library. For research in multiple professional journals, Hill can be a more cost effective option to purchasing from individual journals. Hill Library annual subscription is $225 and allows the subscriber to access a wider variety of reports most included at no additional cost as part of the annual subscription.
SBDCNet is an on-line library for Small Business Development Centers to research client information on a variety of industries. Although primarily for SBDC offices, the general public can access SBDCNet and has limited ability to pull reports.
Finally, Market Research.Com’s DataMonitor reports are an excellent (although very expensive) source for detailed industry data as well as recent studies on different consumer issues. Data Monitor reports can be ordered from their website and run anywhere from $500 to over $5,000 depending on the type of report.
Obviously there are many resources available to a small business to conduct research but these four are great places to start. While the cost can be quite high for a small business owner the “intelligence” provided is invaluable.
In Arkansas any small business can receive information from any of these sources through their local Small Business and Technology Development Center, and by signing up as a client this information is free of charge as part of our market research projects with our clients. For more information about how you can access any of these sources through the Arkansas SBTDC feel free to shoot me an e-mail; hlawrenc@astate.edu, call our office (870) 972-3517, join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/asu.sbtdc or make a request using the comment section on the blog. We would love to hear from you and see how we may be able to help your business. If you are outside of Arkansas we can direct you to the nearest SBDC in your part of the country.
Next time I will show you some great sites and resources to start conducting research on your potential customers.
Next time I will show you some great sites and resources to start conducting research on your potential customers.
March 12, 2010
Facebook and Small Businesses
If you found last week’s article on using Google alerts and tweet beep as listening posts for your business useful try this one out: Addict-o-matic (Inhale the web) www.addictomatic.com. Addict-o-matic allows you to enter key words, industry, your brand, or your competitors’ names and instantly search the “known galaxy” to find out if anyone is talking about your topic. Try it out, book mark it, and see what you can find out about your business.
Next week I move to some more “traditional” areas of interest to small businesses, but I wanted to finish with some suggestions for those of you considering using Facebook for marketing. At the ASU SBTDC we have found Facebook to be a useful tool to find and communicate with people who want to know about small business issues. With over 325 million users and more than 300,000 small business pages it is the largest social media networking site.
But using Facebook correctly takes some planning. The first item may mean making some changes to your existing Facebook profile. If you are like most of us, we got on Facebook initially as a social medium sharing news, gossip, pictures, and yes…Farmville with our friends. Then people started toying with Facebook as a marketing tool for their business or organization. One distinction to remember that is very important: Facebook Profiles are for people, Facebook Pages are for organizations. Using your profile to “sell” is a good way to get shut down by the Facebook police.
But to develop a Page you must link it to a profile. This is a concern to many who are not sure they want “strangers” to see their personal information. But with just a little work you can modify your profile to separate your friends and family from business contacts or customers into distinct lists. Then with Facebook’s new privacy tools you can determine exactly what parts of your profile are visible to the different groups of “friends”. On my Facebook profile, www.facebook.com/herb.lawrence, I would put you into a list called ASU SBTDC contacts separate from my family list, high school friend list; military list, etc. then create privacy settings that let me determine what your list can see on my profile. These are easy tools that will allow you to use your profile as a means to “find friends” that you will move over to your pages and build your Facebook Page Fan list without them invading your privacy.
If you would like to know more about how to set your profiles up to make them “Fan Friendly” let me know. We also have a seminar on Thursday, March 18th in Batesville at the Batesville Area Chamber of Conference 409 Vine Street from 6-9 pm on 5 Small Business Strategies for Social Media that you might want to attend. If you would like more information about this workshop call me (870) 972-3517, e-mail me hlawrenc@astate.edu, find me on Facebook or leave a question here. If you already have a Facebook Page and would like the ASU SBTDC to review let me know.
U.S. Hyperinflation Possible By Year 2015
The U.S. government this week reported a record monthly budget deficit for February 2010 of $220.9 billion. Total tax receipts for the month were only $107.5 billion compared to outlays of $328.4 billion. The total U.S. deficit for the first five months of fiscal year 2010 was $651.6 billion, with tax receipts of $800.5 billion and outlays of $1.45 trillion. The deficit was up 10.5% for the first five months of fiscal year 2010 over the same period in fiscal year 2009.
We are now at a point where if the U.S. government taxed Americans 100% of their income, the tax receipts generated would not be enough to balance the budget. Likewise, if the U.S. government cut 100% of its spending including defense, but kept paying Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, we would still have a budget deficit. NIA believes it will be impossible for the U.S. to have a balanced budget ever again.
The U.S. national debt is now $12.55 trillion of which $8.061 trillion is public debt. Due to the Federal Reserve's artificially low interest rates of 0% to 0.25%, interest payments on our national debt last month were only $16.9 billion, an interest rate of only 2.548% on our public debt. The reason for the spread between our 2.548% interest rate on the public debt and the federal funds rate of 0 to 0.25% is that a portion of our national debt is made up of long-term bonds at higher interest rates.
Our debt ceiling was recently raised to $14.3 trillion, which we are on track to reach in less than a year, sending our public debt up to about $10 trillion. If the Federal Reserve raises the federal funds rate up to just 2% during the next year, NIA believes the interest rate on our public debt could rise to 5% and our annual interest payments will likely rise to $500 million or 23% of projected 2010 tax receipts of $2.165 trillion.
The White House is not projecting for interest payments on the national debt to break the $500 million mark until fiscal year 2014. By then, even if we go by White House projections that the deficit will be cut to $828 billion in 2012, $727 billion in 2013 and $706 billion in 2014, in 2014 we will still be looking at a national debt of over $18.5 trillion with a public portion of around $13.14 trillion. We find it shocking that the White House is projecting an interest rate on our public debt in 2014 of only around 4%.
All of this means that the While House expects the Federal Reserve to leave interest rates at artificially low levels almost indefinitely. However, we know it will be impossible for them to do so without creating a huge outbreak of inflation in the prices of food, energy, clothing, and just about everything else Americans need to live and survive. In order to prevent hyperinflation, we need interest rates to be higher than the rate of inflation.
NIA believes the real rate of U.S. inflation to already be approximately 5%. If the Federal Reserve doesn't raise the federal funds rate to above 5% in the short-term, in our opinion, an outbreak of double-digit inflation is inevitable. By 2014, it is possible the Federal Reserve will be forced to raise the federal funds rate up to above 10% and the public portion of our national debt could exceed $15 trillion. Therefore, in 2014 we could see the interest payments on our national debt reach $1.5 trillion, about triple what is currently being projected and 43% of the government's projected tax receipts that year of $3.455 trillion.
NIA believes hyperinflation is possible by the year 2015. Besides the rising interest payments on our national debt, another major catalyst for hyperinflation will be social security payments, which adjust to the CPI-index. As the government's CPI-index rises, so will the social security payments that it owes. This could cause a death-spiral in the U.S. dollar. Inflation is still the last thing on the minds of most Americans, but soon it will be their primary concern.
Please spread the word about NIA and have your friends and family subscribe for free at: http://inflation.us
March 8, 2010
Making Social Media Work for Your Business
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I hope that the information I shared in last week's column to get listed locally was helpful . If you liked that information let me know. Today I wanted share a couple of other “tricks” that we use at the ASU Small Business and Technology Development Center with clients when setting up a social media marketing plan.
Most small business owners looking at Social Media Marketing are mainly interested in how it can “make their cash register ring” by finding and connecting with customers. But… social media has some easy tools to help conduct market research and see what people are saying about you or your brand.
Millions of people blog, tweet, Facebook, bookmark, and interacting on the web daily. Here are two very useful tools that you use that will “alert” you when anyone posts on subjects you want to know about. For new clients we set up alerts on key words or subjects that we think are relevant to the client’s business on Google Alert and TweetBeeps. Both tools are free.
Google Alerts is a monitoring tool that sends you notifications anytime your keywords or phrases are mentioned in an online article or on a web site. Go to www.google.com/alerts. You will have to set up an account but it is free (you may want to also set up a special gmail account just to monitor the alerts although it is not necessary). You just enter the search terms you want to monitor like: “resorts” “Ozarks” “trout fishing” “Herb’s Rustic Resort on the White River” etc. and Google does the work. Every day you receive an e-mail from Google telling what it found and links to go see what was written. You can have as many different alerts as you want and can change them as often as you need as you refine your search. Here is an example of 1 of 50 alerts on Massage from Google Alerts.
Kent's Lemon Drop Skin Care & Massage Celebrates Its Third Anniversary
PRLog.Org (press release)
PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 02, 2010 – Lemon Drop Skin Care & Massage, a boutique-style spa in downtown Kent, March ...
See all stories on this topic
A second alert we like to use is TweetBeep. Go to www.tweetBeep.com and sign up for a free account. This will keep you on top of the same type of key words that are being “tweeted” on Twitter. TweetBeeps is great for brand management to see what people may be “tweeting” about you or your competition! Below is an example of one TweetBeep notice for antiques
AndCountyMuseum: Make plans to attend … English antiques this Saturday Coffee and refreshments will be... http://bit.ly/aM0Xvm
Tuesday, March 2nd at 16:02:37 • Reply • Retweet • View
Both of these tools are easy to use and set up, provide lots of “marketing intelligence” to stay on top of what’s happening in your world. Try it out; let me know what you think. If you have problems setting either account up or have questions please e-mail me hlawrenc@astate.edu, comment here at the Bull Shoals Beacon, or friend me on my Facebook www.facebook.com/herb.lawrence. If you like these two you will love one I will show you next week!
March 4, 2010
IS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FOR EVERY BUSINESS?
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I hope you enjoyed the video “Social Media Revolution” that I posted in last week’s article. If that video didn’t get you excited about the opportunities for every business or organization to use social media to grow their customer base then you didn’t have the volume up loud enough. Go back to the archives crank the volume up and listen to it again.
Social media certainly is not a fad. With 74 out of every 100 Americans using the internet the opportunities for any type of business to take advantage of what it offers should be apparent. The main question is, with all the different social media outlets which one is right for? Obviously the options available to a resort or real estate agency to find and communicate with potential customers aren’t the same as for an auto repair shop or for a convenience store. But even an auto repair shop can take advantage of the power of social media marketing.
We recently helped an auto repair shop significantly increase traffic and sales simply by giving them an internet presence even without a website by making sure they were appearing in on-line local business listings. With so many customers “googling” for location information and using GPS in their cars or cell phones to locate a business, “owning” your businesses on Google, Yahoo, and the other search engines makes a dramatic presence and is easy to do.
If you do not “own” your site for local listings use these three local search engine sites to claim your business:
www.getlisted.org will allow you to own your site on Google, Yahoo, Bing and Best of the Web. By entering your business name and zip code it will let you know if you “own” your site or not and walk you through simple steps to claim it. Some of these will let you post photos of your business or logo, include on-line coupons and more. After you “claim” all four on get listed use these other two to finish the task.
http://listings.yellowpages.com and http://listings.local.yahoo.com/csubmit/index.php will ensure your business is not only listed but owns the site and they are all free.
For any business not yet involved in social media this is a great first start. It is easy, free, and will help you stand out against your competition. If you have questions or problems listing your site, let us know the ASBTDC staff is available to help walk you through the process if needed. Try these out and let me know if it was helpful or not. Comment on this article here at the Bull Shoals Beacon, shoot me an e-mail hlawrenc@astate.edu or join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/asu.sbtdc and leave me a comment on my wall! I look forward to hearing from you. Next week we will talk about other easy social media options that small businesses can use to dramatically increase their on-line presence and grow their businesses. Until then…happy social media marketing!
February 24, 2010
Meet the Candidates Forum
All candidates running for U.S. Senate in the Republican Primary have been invited to speak to the Independence County Republican Women’s Club on March 11, 2010 at Western Sizzlin Restaurant in Batesville. Candidates confirmed to attend are Randy Alexander from Fayetteville, Curtis Coleman from Little Rock, Fred Ramey from Searcy and Col. Conrad Reynolds from Conway. All are announced candidates and have been actively campaigning for the office of U.S. Senate.
The program will begin at 12:00 noon and each candidate will be provided the opportunity to speak and answer questions. Dutch treat luncheon will be available beginning at 11:00 a.m. or after the program concludes. The public is invited to attend this event.
February 21, 2010
Social Media For Small Business
Small Business owners are constantly looking for new, cost-effective ways to communicate with customers and to develop a distinctive edge. Social Media Marketing is exploding as a viable option to connect with customers. However, many of our small business clients are unsure about what social media really is, whether it is just a fad, or even how to use it. If you are wondering whether Social Media Marketing is worth the effort for your organization I suggest you take a minute to watch this short video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhPgUcjGQAw
and come to your own conclusions. If you have problems with the link just go to YouTube and search for Social Media Revolution, it is worth the effort.
What really should hit home to small businesses about this video is the sheer size of the potential audience you can access. For example, if Facebook was a country…it would be the 4th largest nation in the world! Another interesting point is how quickly social media has been accepted by users.
• It took radio over 38 years to get 50 million listeners,
• television took 13 years for 50 million viewers,
• even the Internet took 4 years to get 40 million users
• But… Facebook added 100 million users in under 9 months
The fact is your customers are using social media to connect and look for information about your business. The real question is… are you there to link up with them or are you letting your competition make the connections?
Watch the video then let me know what you think. Over the next few weeks I will spend some time talking about how small businesses can use social media, develop effective social media marketing plans and target potential customers. In the mean time send me your comments; ask questions, we will get you answers. I look forward to hearing from all the readers between now and next Thursday. Let me know what you think of the video. Comment here, send me an e-mail hlawrenc@astate.edu or comment on the ASU SBTDC Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/asu.sbtdc
and come to your own conclusions. If you have problems with the link just go to YouTube and search for Social Media Revolution, it is worth the effort.
What really should hit home to small businesses about this video is the sheer size of the potential audience you can access. For example, if Facebook was a country…it would be the 4th largest nation in the world! Another interesting point is how quickly social media has been accepted by users.
• It took radio over 38 years to get 50 million listeners,
• television took 13 years for 50 million viewers,
• even the Internet took 4 years to get 40 million users
• But… Facebook added 100 million users in under 9 months
The fact is your customers are using social media to connect and look for information about your business. The real question is… are you there to link up with them or are you letting your competition make the connections?
Watch the video then let me know what you think. Over the next few weeks I will spend some time talking about how small businesses can use social media, develop effective social media marketing plans and target potential customers. In the mean time send me your comments; ask questions, we will get you answers. I look forward to hearing from all the readers between now and next Thursday. Let me know what you think of the video. Comment here, send me an e-mail hlawrenc@astate.edu or comment on the ASU SBTDC Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/asu.sbtdc
February 16, 2010
Small Business Corner
It has been over a year since I was able to post to The Voice of Batesville due to a number of issues at the ASU SBTDC that prevented me from being able to contribute. However I am back and will be posting regular contributions on issues of interest to small businesses and entrepreneurs in Independence County. Look for weekly posts on a variety of topics. Since it has been so long however I thought it best that my first post for 2010 be a little background on me and on the work I do at Arkansas State University Small Business and Technology Development Center. I apologize in advance if it looks like an “info-mercial” but thought it a good idea to give readers an idea of what I do and how we assist small businesses.
The Arkansas State University Small Business and Technology Development Center, ASU SBTDC, is part of a statewide network of seven centers working out of universities across the state. We offer economic development help to start-up and existing businesses through consulting, training workshops & seminars, as well as market research assistance. Our assistance areas include:
· feasibility studies
· business plans
· market research
· financial analysis
· loan packaging
· marketing
· e-commerce and social media marketing
All of our consulting assistance and market research is free of charge and completely confidential. Our training seminars generally do have registration fees from $25 to $49 depending on the type of seminar.
I have been the center director at ASU SBTDC for over fourteen years helping entrepreneurs and small businesses in a fifteen county area with a variety of business needs. For more information about how the ASBTDC can help your business please visit our state website, shoot me an e-mail or join us on Facebook. We would love to talk to you about your business and how we might work with you.
I will be posting weekly articles on a variety of topics that are generally of interest to our small business clients. I hope they will prove useful to you. We need your opinion so let me know what you think. I thought a good way to start would be to discuss a topic that has caught the interest of a lot of our small business clients, Social Media Marketing. Look for that article next week about how social media marketing can work for your business.
The Arkansas State University Small Business and Technology Development Center, ASU SBTDC, is part of a statewide network of seven centers working out of universities across the state. We offer economic development help to start-up and existing businesses through consulting, training workshops & seminars, as well as market research assistance. Our assistance areas include:
· feasibility studies
· business plans
· market research
· financial analysis
· loan packaging
· marketing
· e-commerce and social media marketing
All of our consulting assistance and market research is free of charge and completely confidential. Our training seminars generally do have registration fees from $25 to $49 depending on the type of seminar.
I have been the center director at ASU SBTDC for over fourteen years helping entrepreneurs and small businesses in a fifteen county area with a variety of business needs. For more information about how the ASBTDC can help your business please visit our state website, shoot me an e-mail or join us on Facebook. We would love to talk to you about your business and how we might work with you.
I will be posting weekly articles on a variety of topics that are generally of interest to our small business clients. I hope they will prove useful to you. We need your opinion so let me know what you think. I thought a good way to start would be to discuss a topic that has caught the interest of a lot of our small business clients, Social Media Marketing. Look for that article next week about how social media marketing can work for your business.
January 20, 2010
Gun Tax
As if we didn't have enough to get upset about! It begins... more Freedom gone... the right to protect yourself and your family potentially gone! Now ALL GUNS must be listed on your next (2010) tax return!
Senate Bill SB-2099 will require us to put on our 2009 1040 federal tax form all guns that you have or own. It will require fingerprints and a tax of $50 per gun. This bill was introduced on February 24, 2009, by the Obama staff. BUT, this bill will only become public knowledge 30 days after the new law becomes effective! This is an amendment to the Internal Revenue Act of 1986. This means that the Finance Committee has passed this without the Senate voting on it at all. Trust Obama? You must be kidding!
The full text of the IRS amendment is on the U.S. Senate homepage: www.senate.gov
Text of H.R.45 as Introduced in House: Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009: www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h45/text
Obama's Congress is now starting on the firearms confiscation bill. If it passes, gun owners will become criminals if you don't fully comply.
Very Important for you to be aware of a new bill HR 45 introduced into the House. This is the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sale Act of 2009.
Even gun shop owners didn't know about this because the government is trying to fly it under the radar as a 'minor' IRS revision, and, as usual, the 'political' lawmakers did not read this bill before signing and approving it!
To find out about this - go to any government website and type in HR 45 or Goggle HR 45 Blair Holt Firearm Licensing & Record of Sales Act of 2009. You will get all the information.
Basically this would make it illegal to own a firearm - any rifle with a clip or ANY pistol unless: 1) It is registered 2) You are fingerprinted 3) You supply a current Driver's License 4) You supply your Social Security number 5) You will submit to a physical &; mental evaluation at any time of their choosing
Each update change or ownership through private or public sale must be reported and costs $25. Failure to do so you automatically lose the right to own a firearm and are subject up to a year in jail.
There is a child provision clause on page 16 section 305 stating a child-access provision. Gun must be locked and inaccessible to any child under 18. They would have the right to come and inspect that you are storing your gun safely away from accessibility to children and fine is punishable for up to 5 years in prison.
If you think this is a joke - go to the website and take your pick of many options to read this. It is long and lengthy. But, more and more people are becoming aware of this. Pass the word along. Any hunters in your family pass this along.
This potentially could be just a "termite" approach to complete confiscation of guns and disarming of our society to the point we have no defense - chip away a little here and there until the goal is accomplished before anyone realizes it.
This is one to act on whether you own a gun or not..
GovTrack.us
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