400-408 – • Washington Post (2/2/2012) National Prayer Breakfast: President Obama's speech transcript. Eric Metaxas was the surprise guest speaker.
Quick Thoughts – Why are liberals always generous with other people's money? What moral arrogance to tell other people what they ought to do when they don't do it themselves. Why do they always claim to know what charity I should support? This is utilitarian and redistributive class warfare disguised as moral theory: let's take from the rich and give to the poor so that it does the greatest good for the greatest number. Marx said it better, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need." This is Robin Hood theology, not the Bible. If the point is to "pay your fair share," then why do the bottom half of Americans contribute nothing at all to federal tax revenue? Didn't even the widow offer a mite? Insurance companies aren't "discriminating," they are analyzing risk, charging more for riskier behaviors. How about the politicians who forced the lenders to make loans to people who couldn't repay them, are they "unscrupulous" too? Why doesn't "social justice" include life, monogamy, and marriage?
[1] We can't leave our values at the door. If we leave our values at the door, we abandon much of the moral glue that has held our nation together for centuries, and allowed us to become somewhat more perfect a union.
[2] And so when I talk about our financial institutions playing by the same rules as folks on Main Street, when I talk about making sure insurance companies aren't discriminating against those who are already sick, or making sure that unscrupulous lenders aren't taking advantage of the most vulnerable among us, I do so because I genuinely believe it will make the economy stronger for everybody. But I also do it because I know that far too many neighbors in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly over the last few years, and I believe in God's command to "love thy neighbor as thyself." I know the version of that Golden Rule is found in every major religion and every set of beliefs -- from Hinduism to Islam to Judaism to the writings of Plato.
413-423 –
[3] And when I talk about shared responsibility, it's because I genuinely believe that in a time when many folks are struggling, at a time when we have enormous deficits, it's hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income, or young people with student loans, or middle-class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone. And I think to myself, if I'm willing to give something up as somebody who's been extraordinarily blessed, and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that's going to make economic sense.
428-438 –
[4] But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus's teaching that "for unto whom much is given, much shall be required." It mirrors the Islamic belief that those who've been blessed have an obligation to use those blessings to help others, or the Jewish doctrine of moderation and consideration for others.
[5] When I talk about giving every American a fair shot at opportunity, it's because I believe that when a young person can afford a college education, or someone who's been unemployed suddenly has a chance to retrain for a job and regain that sense of dignity and pride, and contributing to the community as well as supporting their families -- that helps us all prosper.
[6] It means maybe that research lab on the cusp of a lifesaving discovery, or the company looking for skilled workers is going to do a little bit better, and we'll all do better as a consequence. It makes economic sense. But part of that belief comes from my faith in the idea that I am my brother's keeper and I am my sister's keeper; that as a country, we rise and fall together. I'm not an island. I'm not alone in my success. I succeed because others succeed with me.
[7] And when I decide to stand up for foreign aid, or prevent atrocities in places like Uganda, or take on issues like human trafficking, it's not just about strengthening alliances, or promoting democratic values, or projecting American leadership around the world, although it does all those things and it will make us safer and more secure. It's also about the biblical call to care for the least of these -- for the poor; for those at the margins of our society.
443-452 –
[8] To answer the responsibility we're given in Proverbs to "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." And for others, it may reflect the Jewish belief that the highest form of charity is to do our part to help others stand on their own.
[9] Treating others as you want to be treated. Requiring much from those who have been given so much. Living by the principle that we are our brother's keeper. Caring for the poor and those in need. These values are old. They can be found in many denominations and many faiths, among many believers and among many non-believers. And they are values that have always made this country great -- when we live up to them; when we don't just give lip service to them; when we don't just talk about them one day a year. And they're the ones that have defined my own faith journey.
[10] Just last month, it was inspiring to see thousands of young Christians filling the Georgia Dome at the Passion Conference, to worship the God who sets the captives free and work to end modern slavery. Since we've expanded and strengthened the White House faith-based initiative, we've partnered with Catholic Charities to help Americans who are struggling with poverty; worked with organizations like World Vision and American Jewish World Service and Islamic Relief to bring hope to those suffering around the world.
439 – How'd you like to be able to send your son or daughter to a great Christian school this Fall for half price? Go to kkla.com, click on the "Half Off Tuition" banner, and check out the cool map with all the schools we're partnering with, and get the details on how this might be a great fit for your family. If so, be listening on Wednesday, February 22nd, right at 4pm, when I'll give out a special phone number, and if you're ready to put the whole one-half tuition on your credit card at that moment, you'll be one of only two families per school to qualify for this great deal! That's the "Half Off Tuition" banner at kkla.com, go now!
458-508 – Mark Gregston, and his wife Jan, run Heartlight Ministries (heartlightministries.org, 1-866-700-FAMILY), a very successful, year-round, Christian boarding school and residential program that helps teenagers to begin living more-fulfilling and less self-destructive lifestyles. Over the past 38 years, they've brought over 2,500 troubled teens from across the country to come and live with them in east Texas. The Heartlight formula is loving and relational, not forced or focused on breaking the teen's spirit – it is designed to bring light into a troubled teens heart, so they can better recognize and deal with life's struggles. They are the "go-to guys" when it comes to how to deal with a troubled teen. Their free downloadable books are entitled Ten Ways To Turn Around Your Teen.
One of his great lines – "We are coddling our children in the hope that they will be able to live comfortably in a zoo, when we should be preparing them for real life in the jungle of reality. And we all know, that if you release zoo animals into the wild, they'll be the first to get eaten in the jungle."
512-523 – Mark Gregston
TH 523 – Don Rohde @ Galpin Ford (818) 262-2092 (galpin.com) For the past 39 years, Don's been sales manager at Galpin, the #1 volume Ford dealer in the world for the past 22 years.
528-539 – Mark Gregston
544-554 – Mark Gregston
558-608 – Ken Timmerman, investigative reporter, witness to the persecuted church, president of the Foundation for Democracy in Iran (iran.org), bestselling author, and now candidate for Congress from the 8th District in Maryland, against Nancy Pelosi supporter Chris Van Hollen (timmermanforcongress.com, kentimmerman.com). Ken was also the guy who interviewed the three Iranian defectors in the federal court case in New York that has found Iran responsible for 911(iran911case.com). The Arab Spring has become the Islamist Winter.
• Fox News (2/2/2012) Source: Plans to turn over Taliban Gitmo detainees in works.
612-623 – Ken Timmerman
628-639 – (1:49) Bill Maher, on his HBO show Real Time, last Friday (1/27/2012), with guests Martin Bashir, Dana Rohrabacher, Kennedy (from KFI), explains why he doesn't what churches to get tax deductible donations, like what Romney gave the Mormon church.
639 – How'd you like to be able to send your son or daughter to a great Christian school this Fall for half price? Go to kkla.com, click on the "Half Off Tuition" banner, and check out the cool map with all the schools we're partnering with, and get the details on how this might be a great fit for your family. If so, be listening on Wednesday, February 22nd, right at 4pm, when I'll give out a special phone number, and if you're ready to put the whole one-half tuition on your credit card at that moment, you'll be one of only two families per school to qualify for this great deal! That's the "Half Off Tuition" banner at kkla.com, go now!
644-654 – Quick reprise of the National Prayer Breakfast.
• Peter Wehner (Commentary, 2/2/2012) Romney's Problem With the Poor.
• Washington Examiner (2/2/2012) Gallup state numbers predict huge Obama loss.
Gallup released their annual state-by-state presidential approval numbers yesterday, and the results should have 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue very worried. If President Obama carries only those states where he had a net positive approval rating in 2011 (e.g. Michigan where he is up 48 percent to 44 percent), Obama would lose the 2012 election to the Republican nominee 323 electoral votes to 215.
Gallup adds:
Overall, Obama averaged 44% job approval in his third year in office, down from 47% in his second year. His approval rating declined from 2010 to 2011 in most states, with Wyoming, Connecticut, and Maine showing a marginal increase, and Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey, Arizona, West Virginia, Michigan, and Georgia showing declines of less than a full percentage point. The greatest declines were in Hawaii, South Dakota, Nebraska, and New Mexico.
