Here are some links to some of the finalists videos in the Arguing with Idiots video contest. These happen to by my favorite. ENJOY!
Animated
Rap
New America
For more click here.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Those who've survived before...
My dad forwarded this to me via email and it's worth considering.
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered
with bright colored lead-base paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight.. WHY?
Because we were always outside playing...that's why! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?
~
The quote of the month is by Jay Leno: 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant. They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered
with bright colored lead-base paints. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes. Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle. We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and no one actually died from this. We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight.. WHY?
Because we were always outside playing...that's why! We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY. We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's and X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever. We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes. We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law! These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all. If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good. While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.
Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?
~
The quote of the month is by Jay Leno: 'With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?'
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A Result of Socialism
I'm passing this on from a friend. An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had once failed an entire class.
That class had insisted that socialism worked, and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, that it was the great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade." (So no one would fail and no one would receive an A.) After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset, and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride, too, so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings, and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great. But when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. (Could not be any simpler than that.)
"You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
Adrian Rogers, 1931
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Don't underestimate the will of the American people
Since this was removed from Youtube, here it is for your viewing pleasure.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Just Say NO!
Just say NO to medicaid, WIC, CHIP, food stamps, etc. Many of my friends (university students or wives of uni students) are on medicaid (mainly to pay to have babies). As a general rule, I believe it is wrong for any university student to be accepting governmental aid.
Today on Bob Lonsberry's show he addressed this issue in terms of LDS people (as a whole) moving more politically left. He didn't say this was good or bad, but his observation. One indication of this that he mentioned was that 30 years ago it would have been inconceivable for any student to accept government aid and would have been directly against Church counsel. I'd like to share some words from President Benson's speech titled A Vision and Hope for the Youth of Zion in April of 1977 to Brigham Young University students.
"Recently a letter came to my office, accompanied by an article from your Daily Universe, on the matter of BYU students taking food stamps. The query of the letter was: 'What is the attitude of the Church on taking food stamps?' The Church's view on this is well known. We stand for independence, thrift, and abolition of the dole. This was emphasized in the Saturday morning welfare meeting of general conference. 'The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership' (Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1936, p.3)
When you accept food stamps, you accept an unearned handout that other working people are paying for. You do not earn food stamps or welfare payments. Every individual who accepts an unearned government gratuity is just as morally culpable as the individual who takes a handout from taxpayers' money to pay his heat, electricity, or rent. There is no difference in principle between them. You did not come to this University to become a welfare recipient. You came here to be a light to the world, a light to society, to save society and to help to save this nation, the Lord's base of operations in these latter days, to ameliorate man's social conditions. You are not here to a parasite or freeloader. The price you pay for something for nothing may be more than you can afford. Do not rationalize your acceptance of government gratuities by saying, 'I am a contributing taxpayer too.' By doing this you contribute to the problem which is leading this nation to financial insolvency." I will end President Benson's remarks there, but he goes on and it is quite insightful and inspiring. His counsel to those that do not have the finaces to complete their education is "to drop out a semester and go to work and save. You'll be a better man or woman for so doing. You will have preserved your self-respect and initiative."
My concern is that those around me, many of my dear friends, do not realize the negative effect their accepting governmental aid has on them and others. Firstly, it is creating dependence on the government. Secondly, premiums for insurance increase, deductibles increase, and it is already very hard for anyone to afford insurance because the clientel base is smaller (because so many are using medicaid). As students, we are in a position to request increased loan amounts at low interest rates. We should choose to take out a loan or extra loan money instead of accepting medicaid, food stamps, and the like. There is also the option of taking out a "personal loan" from a bank.
There is a time and place to accept government assistance. Save our tax dollars to assist those in dire need...$100,000 in medical bills for a low income family, those low income or unemployed that don't have food for their table, widows or widowers that cannot work because of health conditions.
We must be individually accountable for ourselves and our families. I plead with you to consider a loan. Put your expenses on your own tab, not someone else's.
Today on Bob Lonsberry's show he addressed this issue in terms of LDS people (as a whole) moving more politically left. He didn't say this was good or bad, but his observation. One indication of this that he mentioned was that 30 years ago it would have been inconceivable for any student to accept government aid and would have been directly against Church counsel. I'd like to share some words from President Benson's speech titled A Vision and Hope for the Youth of Zion in April of 1977 to Brigham Young University students.
"Recently a letter came to my office, accompanied by an article from your Daily Universe, on the matter of BYU students taking food stamps. The query of the letter was: 'What is the attitude of the Church on taking food stamps?' The Church's view on this is well known. We stand for independence, thrift, and abolition of the dole. This was emphasized in the Saturday morning welfare meeting of general conference. 'The aim of the Church is to help the people to help themselves. Work is to be re-enthroned as the ruling principle of the lives of our Church membership' (Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1936, p.3)
When you accept food stamps, you accept an unearned handout that other working people are paying for. You do not earn food stamps or welfare payments. Every individual who accepts an unearned government gratuity is just as morally culpable as the individual who takes a handout from taxpayers' money to pay his heat, electricity, or rent. There is no difference in principle between them. You did not come to this University to become a welfare recipient. You came here to be a light to the world, a light to society, to save society and to help to save this nation, the Lord's base of operations in these latter days, to ameliorate man's social conditions. You are not here to a parasite or freeloader. The price you pay for something for nothing may be more than you can afford. Do not rationalize your acceptance of government gratuities by saying, 'I am a contributing taxpayer too.' By doing this you contribute to the problem which is leading this nation to financial insolvency." I will end President Benson's remarks there, but he goes on and it is quite insightful and inspiring. His counsel to those that do not have the finaces to complete their education is "to drop out a semester and go to work and save. You'll be a better man or woman for so doing. You will have preserved your self-respect and initiative."
My concern is that those around me, many of my dear friends, do not realize the negative effect their accepting governmental aid has on them and others. Firstly, it is creating dependence on the government. Secondly, premiums for insurance increase, deductibles increase, and it is already very hard for anyone to afford insurance because the clientel base is smaller (because so many are using medicaid). As students, we are in a position to request increased loan amounts at low interest rates. We should choose to take out a loan or extra loan money instead of accepting medicaid, food stamps, and the like. There is also the option of taking out a "personal loan" from a bank.
There is a time and place to accept government assistance. Save our tax dollars to assist those in dire need...$100,000 in medical bills for a low income family, those low income or unemployed that don't have food for their table, widows or widowers that cannot work because of health conditions.
We must be individually accountable for ourselves and our families. I plead with you to consider a loan. Put your expenses on your own tab, not someone else's.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Hypocrisy, Secrecy, and Undemocratic
Written 1/30/09:
Remind you of anyone we know? Sad as it is, our President. I am disappointed beyond expression at the choices our President has made. President Obama has declared executive orders up the wazoo. He has sent my money to organizations promoting abortion, which I see as him pushing my hand to murder innocent babies. He has not shown care or concern for what we, the American people want, but instead has pushed HIS agenda, HIS ideas, HIS politics, and allowed us in on the view when HE wanted us to see... i.e. when he thought it would make him look good.
I am sick of him and he's been our President for less than a month.
Remind you of anyone we know? Sad as it is, our President. I am disappointed beyond expression at the choices our President has made. President Obama has declared executive orders up the wazoo. He has sent my money to organizations promoting abortion, which I see as him pushing my hand to murder innocent babies. He has not shown care or concern for what we, the American people want, but instead has pushed HIS agenda, HIS ideas, HIS politics, and allowed us in on the view when HE wanted us to see... i.e. when he thought it would make him look good.
I am sick of him and he's been our President for less than a month.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration
When I can locate a transcribed version of Barack Obama's Inaugural Address I will post the link. I haven't found one yet.
I'll leave the deep analysis to the so-called experts, and I'll touch on a few things here.
First, President Obama did not give the oath of office word for word. Does that matter? Will he redo it later? I was pleased Justice Roberts used his full name when administering the oath. It seems media and others have avoided it, but it IS his name.
Second, I liked the part of President Obama's address concerning our current economic crisis. He said that it was indeed the result of the "greed of some", but also our "collective failure to make hard choices". We, as a people, should take responsibility for our mistakes if we expect others to take responsibility for theirs. Much of the economic crisis blaim should rest on the shoulders of the American people. We chose to accept risky mortgage loans. We chose to spend more than we earn. I'm glad President Obama mentioned our collective accountability for this crisis.
Third, he pointed out that loyalty and patriotism are old but true principles that we should live. Agreed.
Fourth, he spoke of a "new era of responsibility...duties to ourselves, our nation..." and that this is the "price and promise of citizenship". True. Let's do as he said, "Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off..." Let's change our bad habits. Let's take responsibility for where we have gotten ourselves and challenge OURSELVES to be responsible for where we will go and whom we will become.
If you haven't watched or read the Inaugural address, I would encourage you to do so. As CNN reporters over-stated, "There is something in there for everyone."
I'll leave the deep analysis to the so-called experts, and I'll touch on a few things here.
First, President Obama did not give the oath of office word for word. Does that matter? Will he redo it later? I was pleased Justice Roberts used his full name when administering the oath. It seems media and others have avoided it, but it IS his name.
Second, I liked the part of President Obama's address concerning our current economic crisis. He said that it was indeed the result of the "greed of some", but also our "collective failure to make hard choices". We, as a people, should take responsibility for our mistakes if we expect others to take responsibility for theirs. Much of the economic crisis blaim should rest on the shoulders of the American people. We chose to accept risky mortgage loans. We chose to spend more than we earn. I'm glad President Obama mentioned our collective accountability for this crisis.
Third, he pointed out that loyalty and patriotism are old but true principles that we should live. Agreed.
Fourth, he spoke of a "new era of responsibility...duties to ourselves, our nation..." and that this is the "price and promise of citizenship". True. Let's do as he said, "Pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off..." Let's change our bad habits. Let's take responsibility for where we have gotten ourselves and challenge OURSELVES to be responsible for where we will go and whom we will become.
If you haven't watched or read the Inaugural address, I would encourage you to do so. As CNN reporters over-stated, "There is something in there for everyone."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
