Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Not Just My Dad

Most children grow up wanting to emulate their parents. Any numbers of playgrounds are filled with boys discussing the exploits of their fathers - the touchdowns, home runs, even the hot rods owned or the motorcycles ridden. Sometimes, those visions of greatness fade as children grow to adults and reputations adjust to reality. I do not support Allen Griffith for Congress because he is my dad - although I have seen him hit the home runs!

Allen Griffith is not a hero of boyhood reputation, he is a tested hero of integrity supported by forty plus years of living with God as the true center of his life and he has never wavered. He is not your common preacher - the church he pastored grew from 18 people to well over 1000 and in that time he started schools, radio programs, and was responsible for numerous divisions growing that ministry to a multi-million dollar facility, million dollar budgets, and after 26 years? No debt.

Allen Griffith is not your common citizen, he has served with distinction as the President of the American Council of Christian Churches representing his faith throughout the world, yet he is not your common businessman, as he has fought the battles for truth in Washington, testifying before congress in the "Don't ask, don't tell" debate and standing up to the IRS regarding tax exemption for non-profits.

Allen Griffith is not your common candidate. Our founders knew that the truest freedom is religious freedom and studying the foundational truths of our nation go hand in hand with an understanding of the Bible, God's Word. He is bound to truth - biblical and constitutional and speaks it without apology but with authority.

Would I love to see my Dad in congress? Absolutely! Am I supporting him because he is my dad? Absolutely not! Truly listen to his answers in the debates and forums. I support Allen Griffith because of his convictions, his character, his Constitutional stands, and his commitment to leading our district in honesty, integrity and principle. Allen Griffith is my dad, but not just my dad.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

March on Harrisburg, PA for Fiscal Responsibility

Dear Patriots,

The time has come to bring our voice home to the Harrisburg Capitol! From the very inception of our great nation, Pennsylvania has raised the voice of freedom to a world filled with chains and slavery. William Penn invited settlers to come to the New World and find freedom by settling in "Penn's Woods" and some 300 years later I am inviting you to join us in Harrisburg on November 14, 2009 to once again stand for freedom! To once again stand against chains and slavery - chains of debt and slavery to an irresponsible government that would spend us into oblivion.

Saturday, November 14, 2009 will be a state-wide March on the Harrisburg Capitol for Fiscal Responsibility! We expect that buses from all over the state will arrive at City Island at 1:00pm and starting at 2:00pm Freedom loving Patriots will begin to March toward the Capitol building - we will continue the March until we have gone around the building 7x letting our leaders know that like the walls of Jericho - the walls of high taxes, increased spending and irresponsible government must fall!

The March will end with a rally on the Capitol steps with speakers from Pennsylvania and the National stage. And we will reinforce that our government is a government of the People, by the People and for the People. And our government should answer to us!

It is time for you to join the cause - the PA Budget MESS, the lack of Property Tax reform, the overall fiscal irresponsibility of the Pennsylvania leadership demands that Patriots from Erie to Philadelphia and every city in between rally to Harrisburg for FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY!

Don't forget to wear Red, White & Blue and carry your PA flag, your Culpeper flag or your Dresden flag. Hope to see YOU there!

For Liberty,

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Big Government - TOO BIG!

There has been a much used quotation floating around the internet that goes something like this, "A government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have." This has been attributed to everyone from Thomas Jefferson to Richard Nixon. My limited research seems to suggest that it really comes from Barry Goldwater. Regardless, the sentiments are clear: Government can get too big and it will destroy the people!

As a citizen of Pennsylvania, I can see first hand how Big Government is destroying. In PA we have been promised Property Tax Relief - due to revenues from the gambling industry - to date there has been NO RELIEF (but the governor and others insist that we can increase our new budget deficit because revenues from the gambling industry will cover the difference. Hmmmm, am I missing something? The PA Department of Public Welfare is spending tax dollars trying to license and control church daycare and have included the objective of controlling church Sunday Schools. Why? Because they believe that any child not under the Department of Education falls under their control and supervision. This is interesting considering that the Department of Education guidelines begin at 18 months old. Is government getting too big? Not according to Governor Rendell who is still pushing for more contro, like Pre-K Counts. By the way, when is the last time anyone ever cut government spending and reduced the cost of government by cutting programs, bureacracies, or any part of the state budget?. I guess they are still trying to give us everything we want. BEWARE!
The Federal government - yes the combination of Democrats and Republicans ( a liberal by any other name would smell as bad - apologies William S.) - continues to grow beyond our means and there are NO restraints! Unread bills, poor legislation, executive orders, bailouts, and health care, to name a few, are all adding up to bigger government and yet the line for handouts continues to grow! The money isn't there, the benefits aren't either and the tax burden continues to expand and oppress - us and our posterity!
Patrick Henry said, "Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased by the price of chains and slavery?" The fact is that there are too many piglets, suckling at the dried out teets of the Federal Government, that are willing to don the chains and accept the slavery in order to bask in a life that is not dear and a peace that can never be sweet! America, the governments in Washington, DC and Pennsylvania are growing beyond their means and freedom loving Patriots are once again becoming the serfs of an elected aristocracy. Let's vote them out and reclaim America.
Proof that the government is big enough to give us everything we want? THEY ARE TAKING EVERYTHING YOU HAVE! Enough is enough.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Horrific Cass Sunstein

(9/9/2009)
Sarah Muirhead
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has scheduled a vote for Wednesday, September 9 on a presidential nominee opposed by many American hunters, gun owners, and farmers.
The nominee, Cass Sunstein, has been tapped to lead the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) or ?oRegulatory Czar??as the position is known. The job functions as the ?ochoke point??between the White House and regulations from government agencies including the Departments of Interior, Agriculture, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The vote will take place over the objection of Senator Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), who is attempting to place a hold on the appointment. To force the confirmation vote, Senator Reid has scheduled a vote of cloture ?" a procedural move to force a vote on an appointment. Cloture requires 60 yes votes.
Sunstein has written and spoken extensively regarding his anti-hunting and anti-2nd amendment positions. He?Ts also advocated in favor of legal standing in a court of law for animals. He also has advocated that state animal cruelty laws be applied to hunting and livestock, and further that organizations should be able to sue on behalf of animals in court.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Left? Right? or Balanced! Part 2

Ayn Rand in "Atlas Shrugged" outlines her Utopia - "Galt's Gulch". This is a society where men and women have no moral code other than seeking their own wealth, satisfaction, and existence. They are answerable to nothing but their own moral conscience which includes profit. She identifies the fact that the people who attain this Utopian ideal have decided that never again will they provide their talent, time, and treasure for the use of a population that expects it. They will not empower the "takers" nor will they exist solely as the "givers". But, is this our highest aim? It certainly qualifies as the extreme right - liberty only, no laws - no absolutes, simply MAN and his MIND.

Extreme Right is NOT Conservatism.

The current controversies in the United States seem to center on the same system that Ayn Rand is fighting.

  • Health care for everyone: why should a brilliant surgeon, dedicated to his craft, embracing his talent, having invested heavily in his own education allow any entity to dictate the price he should charge and the time he should give? 'Obamacare' would structure such dictates on Health care.
  • The unions played an important part in our society at one time, yet today they exist basically by guaranteeing a job for a worker - regardless of performance and value to the company which hired him.
  • The government has recently determined that bonuses paid to banking executives were too large.
  • The government has engineered the resignations of CEO's, taken a strong hand in housing, education, agriculture, and the utilities industry.

The direction America is heading is a liberal smorgasbord of control. It certainly is heading to the extreme left: no liberties - laws ONLY and EVERY man must serve ALL men.

Current right (the mainstream Republican Party) is NOT Conservatism!

If the final authority for mankind is MAN himself, then the FAR RIGHT is correct. Man should live for himself, provide for himself, and answer to himself. Selfishness would rule, and compassion could not and would not be directed to those in need. If the final authority for mankind is government, then the FAR LEFT is correct. Man should exist only within the framework of laws which require that he live for the collective, provide for the collective and answer to the collective. Laziness would rule, no one's needs would be met because each one in need would be directed only to one in greater need.
However with God as a final authority, Man lives to His glory and depends upon God's provision. What man is given in surplus can be shared with those in need. When answerable to God, man's compassion is commanded and lack thereof is punished, but BY GOD. Laws developed in answer to God, protect mankind and offer order and structure, NOT dictates and demands.

True Conservatism answers to the Creator and is the perfect balance between RIGHT & LEFT.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Healthcare Reform and Government Dependence

The current Healthcare Reform debate is quickly polarizing the country around two extremes. Government DEPENDENCE versus Man's INDEPENDENCE. The Founding Fathers believed that their work for a new government which led to the penning of the most incredible document ever written by men, was to secure the rights and liberties of a free thinking citizenry. Never was it to create an overseeing entity that balanced the playing field between the "haves" and the "have nots". In fact, the freedoms finally secured in 1789 could boil down to this basic thought: because of the U.S. Constitution if you are included in the "have nots" you have every opportunity to work, toil, gather and save so that you can join the "haves". You also have the right to NOT work, toil, gather and save - but do not expect anyone else to carry your load. Hence "Freedom is a two-sided coin, on one side is Liberty but on the other is Responsibility."

Two clips stood out to me in the recent news coverage of the now national debate. I listened to a freedom loving citizen offer an analogy of health coverage having to do with cars. He started with, "I might like to drive a Hummer, but I can't afford one. I drive what I can afford." Only to be interrupted by a "dependabot", furious because she apparently thinks that everyone should drive a Hummer (or rather that everyone deserves the same health care coverage). In the United States of America no one deserves anything but OPPORTUNITY! The gentleman who never got the chance (on camera) to finish his example was simply saying that there are wonderful programs, vehicles, opportunities out there but we must work for them.

Granted, there are extremes that need attention. The woman who was so upset was quick to lift up her child who has medical needs that go beyond their means. The answer for her family could certainly be a compassionate citizenry that is willing to help. But why should she be looking for a government handout? Later, when given more "facetime" for her issues, she stated that pre-existing condtions disqualify her family from decent health insurance. (Read "it doesn't matter what her specfics are, she deserves as much as anyone else") However, it is government regulation and bureaucracy that have caused the problems with Health Insurance as it is. And regardless, there is not one doctor or hospital that would deny her and her family care if they have need - this woman simply doesn't want to pay for it. Hmmmm. She wants a Hummer for the cost of a Hyundai!

The second statement was a woman who basically made this comment: "When my child has a cough I want to know what's wrong with her, not just go and get some Robitussin and hope that she will be alright." What? Where is the common sense? Our grandmothers and mothers, in most cases, could "doctor" a cold, sniffle or cough. But because we now live in a dependent society, the first option is run to a doctor or fly to the emergency room! Where is the common sense? If our nation devolves into mindless takers rather than thoughtful givers, there will be no hope. Our current government is basically saying "believe in us, rely on us, depend on us" which will eventually lead to "work for us, obey us, worship us". And after 2000 years original slavery will have returned and freedom will be no more. It must not happen!

The government, designed to order and protect society, has gradually eroded our freedoms and inserted themselves into every area of our lives. Freedom must be restored. Government must be smaller, citizens must be involved and our "elected aristocracy" must be replaced. I believe it was Gerald Ford by way of Barry Goldwater who said, "A government that is big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have." We may already be there, pray that we can recover!