July 31, 2009
A Tenth of What You See
My wife and I are tithers. We give away 10% of our paychecks split between our local church and charities of our choosing.
However, my wife's paycheck comes to us after having taxes withheld from it, and mine (as a freelance writer) comes to us before we pay any taxes on it.
So, this new work situation for me has made us question if we're being slightly generous now, or if we've been big cheapskates in the past?
On a tithing side note, I recently read an interesting article from a Christian financial planner. He talked about how you see televangelists talk all the time about giving your money away so that God can give it back to you and then some.
He disagrees God makes that claim in scripture. But, he does recommend the practice of tithing to his non-believing clients, too, claiming that his clients who tithe run into financial problems less often. Except he attributes it to the fact that those who tithe are acutely aware of their budget, and therefore are more able to stay within it.
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July 29, 2009
Obama Care
Ok, as a man of the people, I have decided to listen to the readership, and create a post on the universal health care debate going on right now. Mainly so those of you interested in voicing an opinion on the matter can converse in the comments section of this post.
My main goal, as I have mentioned in previous posts regarding universal health care, is to lower the actual costs of care by improving price transparency in order to increase competition between health care providers.
What I find fascinating about this whole current debate is that the election of Obama has strangely convinced me how relatively conservative the nation is. I honestly didn't expect there to be that much outcry about this issue. Especially from Democrats on his own side. I mean, this is the best opportunity (with a fillibuster-proof majority in the Senate and unemployment causing the visibility of so many people without coverage) to pass universal coverage in our nation's history. And yet, it's getting held up.
Ok, have at it.
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July 28, 2009
The Whorette
The Bachelor/ette is the most unromantic show of all time. You can never watch the show back with your kids, or even the guy you picked!
"Wait, you were making out with these dozen other guys the whole time we were dating? Wait, you had sex with another guy the night before I proposed to you - even after you had your mind made up about me just because you couldn't give anything away on TV?"
Most unromantic show of all time.
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July 27, 2009
Richie Rich Kids
What if rich kids don't test better because their schools have more tax dollars to work with, but because their parents are smarter than most? Ever consider that's why they're rich?
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July 24, 2009
Don’t Respect Your Elders
Respect Everyone.
I know the common maxim is based on the fact that elders are often not respected, especially by the young. Those who see them as merely passive members of the ex-world community.
But, the maxim implies that the elderly are somehow more deserving of respect simply because of their age. This is untrue.
They are worthy of our respect because they are humans. Start giving the two-year old next door the same respect you do the elderly lady down the street. It's hard. We have some relearning to do.
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July 23, 2009
Exoneration Compensation
I don't usually want new laws. In fact, I want to revoke most that exist that sacrifice freedom for the sake of "intended" order or results-based initiatives. But, I have been riled up after watching the film "After Innocence" that depicts the exoneration and life after decades in prison of several innocent men.
Each of the men were wrongly tried, and imprisoned for 10-30 years. Then, with the evolution of technology and the laborious push for a retrial, DNA evidence proved them innocent. Often, mistaken eye-witness accounts and over-zealous prosecutors ignored the evidence in the hopes of seeking immediate justice. Decades later, these men are released, without apology, and without a dime to their name.
We are one of the only countries in the world without a loser-pay law system. If someone brings a frivolous lawsuit against you, and you go to court and win hands-down, you're still responsible for your entire court costs and legal fees. Similarly, we have in this country a loser-pay legal system. We take your life for 20 years, and we were wrong. We don't owe you a dime.
Think again.
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July 22, 2009
Death of the Opera
I had a boss who used to rail against my generation for letting fine arts die. She used to try and pawn us off tickets for the local opera and ballet performances. I had less than no interest.
Today, I have become mesmorized by "So, You Think You Can Dance", the television show. Modern dance is amazing to me. And my generation will keep it around. We're simply going to let the un-fine arts die.
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July 20, 2009
Bone Diggers
Recently, a graveyard was discovered to have been exhumed near Chicago, and the corpses discarded in order to sell more burial plots.
I didn't have a huge reaction to it when I heard the news. But, some people seemed traumatized by it. The thought of their relative's bodies being unearthed seemed to really shake them.
As a Christian, I believe in a future resurrection of the body. So, burial makes more sense than cremation, simply because of the belief that the body and the soul are connected, not because God could not resurrect a cremated person.
But, as far as visiting cemeteries and stuff...it's just a body. The spirit is temporarily gone. And this incident made me curious if more Christians or non-Christians visit dead relatives in cemeteries?
Poll time. Let's hear your results.
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