Soon I'll be graduating from Norwegian High School in the town of Ski. Yahoo! I've ordered russekort and barrowed my brother-in-laws russebokser for the occation, so I thought I'd restart my blog. Here goes!
Snart blir jeg ferdig på Ski Videregående skole. Huraa! Jeg har bestilt russekort og lånt russebukser fra min svigerbror for a feire begivenheten, og da syntes jeg at jeg burde igjenstarte bloggen min. Så, nå starter vi!
- Christopher "Fipher" D. Osborn
Kolbotn, Akershus, Norge
Russetid på Kolbotn :)
Oslo, Norge
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
My View on Health Care
I have been living in Norway off and on for the past 3 and a half years.
I am against health care being controlled by the government. It's really a fundamental position rather than a practical one. I know that socialized medicine works fairly well. I also know, however, that true free-market health care would work at least as good, accept without as much cost.
I do not live in a country with free health care, and neither does anyone else. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is free. Norwegians pay an average income tax of 30%, a tax on the purchase of food of like 15%, a sales tax on non-food grocery items (like soap) at 25%. There are taxes on money you don't spend, there are taxes on inheritance, there are taxes on your social-security payments, there are taxes for owning a TV even if it's sitting in your house not being used, there is paying an average (depends on how many driving hours you end up needing) of 20,000 NOK ($3,365 USD) for a drivers license... I can't even name all the ways the government takes money from the Norwegian people because I've only been here for a few years and have no idea about what taxes on businesses are like accept that I know that the more you earn the higher income tax percentage you pay.
So the most obvious cost to near-"free" health care (as well as near-"free" education and all the welfare programs there are in Norway) are taxes, more than even people from my home state of Taxachusetts can imagine.
The less obvious, yet more important, cost to big government is freedom and choice. For instance: Because of the government near-monopoly on health care, if you want faster or better health care than the government can provide you basically have to be pretty well-off. Another example considering health care: Since the government is paying for it all, naturally the government gets to decide what sort of treatments you can get. This results in that many medicines and treatments that are commonplace in the US are either illegal or highly restricted in Norway.
There is a common over-the-counter cream in the States that I would always use under a band-aid if a got a cut. It protects against infection, relieves pain, and generally helps the cut heal faster and with a smaller chance of scarring. I can't remember the name of it now since it's been so long (I think it starts with an N), but I took a tube of it to a local pharmacist about 3 years ago to see if they sold it. He looked at the active ingredients and looked them up in his big book of medicine, and told me that one of them was available by prescription only, while the other was not yet approved for use in Norway. Meanwhile, the cream had been an over-the-counter drug in the USA for probably 10 years already. That is, I remember using it as a pre-teen. Another example of this sort of thing is that I have yet to use any cold medicine here that works as well as Nyquil.
But like I said, my objections are mostly ideological. Here's how the system works. All emergency care is 100% payed for by taxes. Any doctors appointments, psychologist appointments, medicine on the "blå resept" list, and approved medically necessary travel expenses get listed on a card you have called "Kvitteringskort for egenandeler" (Receipt-card for deductibles). Once you have spent more than 1,840 NOK ($309.57 USD) of your own money that is eligible to be put on the card, you send in the card in along with all your receipts. If everything is in order, they give you a "Frikort", which is a card you carry around with you that is valid until the end of the year which makes all the rest of your medical expenses for the rest of the year "free", or rather payed by the government via taxes.
Also, if you are pregnant you get the following for "free": 1 appointment with the doctor or jordmor (earth-mother, midwife which extra education in pregnancy and child-birth assistance) every 4 weeks, 1 ultrasound around week 18 of the pregnancy, and any extra care or ultrasounds that the doctor or jordmor deems necessary as a result of any complications. Our child isn't due 'till May, but I have heard stories from many that when the time comes they are reluctant to let you come to the hospital until you are 100% sure that the baby is coming. Then you get a minimum of 3 days at the hospital, longer if the baby is premature or something else complicates things. They are generally much more reluctant to give c-sections than in the States, but this varies slightly compared to where in the country you live. I do not know weather the government pays for abortions.
As for waiting lines for non-emergency care: they definitely exist. I had to wait 6 months for an appointment with a psychologist. This was not an anomaly, it was general policy written in the letter I received after my main doctor sent an appointment request on my behalf. I think they might have expedited it if I was feeling suicidal or something like that though. In a more serious case than mine though, I have a friend whose arm is permanently damaged because of waiting lines to get surgery. He used to be a waiter, but can no longer handle to load of bringing dishes to and from the kitchen.
Despite this, I must still admit that my problem with socialized medicine is much more ideological than practical. The Norwegian system does indeed work better for more people, in a practical sense, than the current U.S. system. However, I believe the U.S. system could be fixed via the use of more free-market principles. Any solution that allows for more personal freedom and responsibility is inherently better than a solution that puts power into the hands of the few.
Here are some things I believe would make the American system much better.
1. Allow the purchase of health insurance across state lines. This would automatically increase competition dramatically. Prices would go down while quality would go up, just like when competition increased in the car market or the computer market etc.
2. Make health insurance companies have to follow the law based on which State their headquarters are in. The State that has the best health care laws would get the most health insurance businesses. Based on that, other states could improve their own health care laws by copying the states which attract the most health insurance companies.
3. Doctors often give extra unnecessary tests for two reasons. The first reason is that they are afraid of getting sued. The second reason is because the health insurance covers it. I have read research that suggests doctors would be less willing to recommend unnecessary tests if they knew that their patient was paying out-of-pocket. Thus, if more people used health savings accounts, the cost of health care would decrease.
4. Make all legitimate health expenses tax-deductible, so people with lots of health problems would have a much lower tax burden.
5. Make the sale of all medical equipment and medicine completely tax-free. This would reduce the cost to hospitals, doctors etc. which would be eventually passed down to patients
6. Generally get rid of as many government programs as possible in order to get rid of as many taxes as possible. With less taxes to pay, the people would have more money to pay for their medical expenses and spend money in other ways that would create jobs for those who do not have them. The more money people have in their own pockets, the more money also they will give to charities which help the uninsured.
7. Either use force to kick out all illegal aliens, or give them all legal status. Their presence here as illegals, unable to by health insurance or demand higher wages, is a financial burden on emergency rooms everywhere.
8. Either end or dramatically change the Federal Reserve in order to prevent these financial bubbles and bursts which cause major economic havoc that in tern causes problems to being able to pay for medical care.
I am sure there in much more we could do to improve our country by reducing government power rather than increasing it. One place that I get much of my inspiration from is the Downsize DC Foundation. To check out some of their views on health care, click here. You can find more information on health care and other topics of interest by reading their blog archive by category or checking out their other campaigns.
I hope that isn't too much and you find it useful.
In Love and Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Siggerud, Ski, Akershus, Norge
twitter.com/mvfipher
fipher.blogspot.com
battleforheaven.blogspot.com
I am against health care being controlled by the government. It's really a fundamental position rather than a practical one. I know that socialized medicine works fairly well. I also know, however, that true free-market health care would work at least as good, accept without as much cost.
I do not live in a country with free health care, and neither does anyone else. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is free. Norwegians pay an average income tax of 30%, a tax on the purchase of food of like 15%, a sales tax on non-food grocery items (like soap) at 25%. There are taxes on money you don't spend, there are taxes on inheritance, there are taxes on your social-security payments, there are taxes for owning a TV even if it's sitting in your house not being used, there is paying an average (depends on how many driving hours you end up needing) of 20,000 NOK ($3,365 USD) for a drivers license... I can't even name all the ways the government takes money from the Norwegian people because I've only been here for a few years and have no idea about what taxes on businesses are like accept that I know that the more you earn the higher income tax percentage you pay.
So the most obvious cost to near-"free" health care (as well as near-"free" education and all the welfare programs there are in Norway) are taxes, more than even people from my home state of Taxachusetts can imagine.
The less obvious, yet more important, cost to big government is freedom and choice. For instance: Because of the government near-monopoly on health care, if you want faster or better health care than the government can provide you basically have to be pretty well-off. Another example considering health care: Since the government is paying for it all, naturally the government gets to decide what sort of treatments you can get. This results in that many medicines and treatments that are commonplace in the US are either illegal or highly restricted in Norway.
There is a common over-the-counter cream in the States that I would always use under a band-aid if a got a cut. It protects against infection, relieves pain, and generally helps the cut heal faster and with a smaller chance of scarring. I can't remember the name of it now since it's been so long (I think it starts with an N), but I took a tube of it to a local pharmacist about 3 years ago to see if they sold it. He looked at the active ingredients and looked them up in his big book of medicine, and told me that one of them was available by prescription only, while the other was not yet approved for use in Norway. Meanwhile, the cream had been an over-the-counter drug in the USA for probably 10 years already. That is, I remember using it as a pre-teen. Another example of this sort of thing is that I have yet to use any cold medicine here that works as well as Nyquil.
But like I said, my objections are mostly ideological. Here's how the system works. All emergency care is 100% payed for by taxes. Any doctors appointments, psychologist appointments, medicine on the "blå resept" list, and approved medically necessary travel expenses get listed on a card you have called "Kvitteringskort for egenandeler" (Receipt-card for deductibles). Once you have spent more than 1,840 NOK ($309.57 USD) of your own money that is eligible to be put on the card, you send in the card in along with all your receipts. If everything is in order, they give you a "Frikort", which is a card you carry around with you that is valid until the end of the year which makes all the rest of your medical expenses for the rest of the year "free", or rather payed by the government via taxes.
Also, if you are pregnant you get the following for "free": 1 appointment with the doctor or jordmor (earth-mother, midwife which extra education in pregnancy and child-birth assistance) every 4 weeks, 1 ultrasound around week 18 of the pregnancy, and any extra care or ultrasounds that the doctor or jordmor deems necessary as a result of any complications. Our child isn't due 'till May, but I have heard stories from many that when the time comes they are reluctant to let you come to the hospital until you are 100% sure that the baby is coming. Then you get a minimum of 3 days at the hospital, longer if the baby is premature or something else complicates things. They are generally much more reluctant to give c-sections than in the States, but this varies slightly compared to where in the country you live. I do not know weather the government pays for abortions.
As for waiting lines for non-emergency care: they definitely exist. I had to wait 6 months for an appointment with a psychologist. This was not an anomaly, it was general policy written in the letter I received after my main doctor sent an appointment request on my behalf. I think they might have expedited it if I was feeling suicidal or something like that though. In a more serious case than mine though, I have a friend whose arm is permanently damaged because of waiting lines to get surgery. He used to be a waiter, but can no longer handle to load of bringing dishes to and from the kitchen.
Despite this, I must still admit that my problem with socialized medicine is much more ideological than practical. The Norwegian system does indeed work better for more people, in a practical sense, than the current U.S. system. However, I believe the U.S. system could be fixed via the use of more free-market principles. Any solution that allows for more personal freedom and responsibility is inherently better than a solution that puts power into the hands of the few.
Here are some things I believe would make the American system much better.
1. Allow the purchase of health insurance across state lines. This would automatically increase competition dramatically. Prices would go down while quality would go up, just like when competition increased in the car market or the computer market etc.
2. Make health insurance companies have to follow the law based on which State their headquarters are in. The State that has the best health care laws would get the most health insurance businesses. Based on that, other states could improve their own health care laws by copying the states which attract the most health insurance companies.
3. Doctors often give extra unnecessary tests for two reasons. The first reason is that they are afraid of getting sued. The second reason is because the health insurance covers it. I have read research that suggests doctors would be less willing to recommend unnecessary tests if they knew that their patient was paying out-of-pocket. Thus, if more people used health savings accounts, the cost of health care would decrease.
4. Make all legitimate health expenses tax-deductible, so people with lots of health problems would have a much lower tax burden.
5. Make the sale of all medical equipment and medicine completely tax-free. This would reduce the cost to hospitals, doctors etc. which would be eventually passed down to patients
6. Generally get rid of as many government programs as possible in order to get rid of as many taxes as possible. With less taxes to pay, the people would have more money to pay for their medical expenses and spend money in other ways that would create jobs for those who do not have them. The more money people have in their own pockets, the more money also they will give to charities which help the uninsured.
7. Either use force to kick out all illegal aliens, or give them all legal status. Their presence here as illegals, unable to by health insurance or demand higher wages, is a financial burden on emergency rooms everywhere.
8. Either end or dramatically change the Federal Reserve in order to prevent these financial bubbles and bursts which cause major economic havoc that in tern causes problems to being able to pay for medical care.
I am sure there in much more we could do to improve our country by reducing government power rather than increasing it. One place that I get much of my inspiration from is the Downsize DC Foundation. To check out some of their views on health care, click here. You can find more information on health care and other topics of interest by reading their blog archive by category or checking out their other campaigns.
I hope that isn't too much and you find it useful.
In Love and Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Siggerud, Ski, Akershus, Norge
twitter.com/mvfipher
fipher.blogspot.com
battleforheaven.blogspot.com
Friday, January 15, 2010
A Message from MoveOn.org on the situation in Haiti
First, here's a link to a place I group I trust from personal experience:
UPF: Water of Life for Haiti
Now, here's MoveOn's message which contains a few other links to other organizations which are helping out in Haiti.
Just so you know, I've never donated a dime to MoveOn.org and I doubt I ever will. I get their emails chiefly to counteract the political work that they do. However, once in a while they do something I agree with, and this is one of them.
In Love and Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norway
UPF: Water of Life for Haiti
Now, here's MoveOn's message which contains a few other links to other organizations which are helping out in Haiti.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Justin Ruben, MoveOn.org Political Action<moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Date: Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 7:43 PM
Subject: Haiti
To: "Christopher D. Osborn"
Dear MoveOn member,The news coming out of Haiti is almost too terrible to imagine.
Three million people have been affected by Tuesday's earthquake, and the Red Cross estimates as many as 50,000 may be dead. Survivors are digging through the rubble with their hands in a desperate attempt to rescue those who are trapped.
With water and medical supplies in short supply, and the Haitian government paralyzed, international aid efforts in the next few days will be critical to prevent more human suffering.
These three charities, and many others, are providing care. If you can contribute to help fund their emergency efforts, please do.
- Doctors Without Borders: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86019&id=18574-10294791-S0Vi6Nx&t=4
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Adam, Amy, Anna, Annie, Carrie, Christopher, Daniel, Danielle, Eli, Emily, Gail, Ian, Ilya, Ilyse, Joan, Jodeen, Kat, Keauna, Laura, Lenore, Marika, Matt, Matthew, Melanie, Michael, Nita, Peter, Scott, Stephen, Steven, Susannah, Tim, and Wes
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Christopher D. Osborn on January 14, 2010. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
Just so you know, I've never donated a dime to MoveOn.org and I doubt I ever will. I get their emails chiefly to counteract the political work that they do. However, once in a while they do something I agree with, and this is one of them.
In Love and Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norway
Vote for JOSEPH L. KENNEDY
Below is first a link to Mr. Kennedy's website, and then an unfortunate email I had to send to President Obama.
To write-in Mr. Kennedy on your ballot in the case that he is not already on it for some reason, fill in:
Name: JOSEPH L. KENNEDY
Address: 20 Hyde Park St., Dedham
Party: Liberty
http://joekennedyforsenate.com/
Here's a link to the names and addresses of all 3 candidates for the Massachusetts Senatorial Election taking place this coming Tuesday:
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elespeif/senatorincongressmaelecan.htm
I hope he reads it, and I hope his candidate doesn't win.
In Love and Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norway
To write-in Mr. Kennedy on your ballot in the case that he is not already on it for some reason, fill in:
Name: JOSEPH L. KENNEDY
Address: 20 Hyde Park St., Dedham
Party: Liberty
http://joekennedyforsenate.com/
Here's a link to the names and addresses of all 3 candidates for the Massachusetts Senatorial Election taking place this coming Tuesday:
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elespeif/senatorincongressmaelecan.htm
Message to President Obama via WhiteHouse.gov:
My message for you today is an important one. You may not think it's important, but it is.
I just received an email from you via barackobama.com where you said a few words about Tuesdays election for the Massachusetts Senate Seat.
Only you didn't call it that. You called it "Tuesday's special election for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat."
It is NOT and never has been Ted Kennedy's senate seat. That seat belongs to the people of Massachusetts, and no single man or woman, Democrat, Republican or Libertarian!
You calling it Ted Kennedy's Senate Seat represents a fundamental misunderstanding of great proportions, and shows that somewhere inside you care more about your own political party and it's goals than the true will of The People.
Next thing you know, you're going to start calling the White House "my house". Well let me remind you right now that that house belongs to The People too.
You aught to go back to your constitutional studies and humble yourself! I especially recommend checking out the 10th ammendment.
Don't get me wrong - you stand for a lot of good things. However, when you start implying that a government seat belongs to a single person, you are headed way in the wrong direction.
Blessings on you and your family, and may God bless America and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts!
I hope he reads it, and I hope his candidate doesn't win.
In Love and Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norway
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Bring John Shadegg's 'Enumerated Powers Act' to a Vote
"The Enumerated Powers Act" would "require Congress to specify the source of authority under the United States Constitution for the enactment of laws."
In other news, Ron Paul is supporting Adam Kokesh for Congress. Honestly, he sounds a little nuts, but still inspiring. His wish to run for congress in encouraging, as it shows that dispite all his anger and passion, he still believes a peaceful revolution to be possible. Here's a link to his exploratory committee website: http://www.kokeshforcongress.com/
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norge
P.S.:
The Family Plege, point 8:
Our family, the owner of Cheon-Il-Guk, pledges, having entered the Completed Testament Age, to achieve the ideal of God and human beings united in love through absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience, and to perfect the realm of liberation and complete freedom in the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven, by centering on true love.
DC Downsizer Michael Mitchell of Alaska compiled this list from Article I of the U.S. Constitution. These are all the powers that the Congress has.
- Borrow money
- Regulate commerce among the states
- Regulate naturalization
- Regulate bankruptcies
- Coin money
- Fix weights and standards
- Punish counterfeiters
- Establish post offices
- Establish post roads
- Record patents
- Protect copyrights
- Create federal courts
- Punish pirates
- Declare war
- Raise an army
- Provide a navy
- Call up the militia
- Organize the militia
- Makes laws for Washington, DC
- Make rules for the Army and Navy
And that's it! Mitchell continues, "According to the 10th Amendment, all else is controlled by the states or the people."
To learn more, go to the DownsizeDC campaign here: http://www.downsizedc.org/etp/campaigns/87In other news, Ron Paul is supporting Adam Kokesh for Congress. Honestly, he sounds a little nuts, but still inspiring. His wish to run for congress in encouraging, as it shows that dispite all his anger and passion, he still believes a peaceful revolution to be possible. Here's a link to his exploratory committee website: http://www.kokeshforcongress.com/
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Ski, Akershus, Norge
P.S.:
The Family Plege, point 8:
Our family, the owner of Cheon-Il-Guk, pledges, having entered the Completed Testament Age, to achieve the ideal of God and human beings united in love through absolute faith, absolute love and absolute obedience, and to perfect the realm of liberation and complete freedom in the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven, by centering on true love.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Fwd: Washington D.C. Voting Rights
Hey, I just sent an email to Rep. William D. Delahunt (D-Mass 10th district) about the upcoming vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on H.R. 157 which is described as "To provide for the treatment of the District of Columbia as a Congressional district for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives, and for other purposes. "
Here is the email I received back from Congress.org confirming the email was sent. Edited for security.
I really hope that this passes. It would be a huge step for Liberty in America.
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
Here is the email I received back from Congress.org confirming the email was sent. Edited for security.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Congress.org
Date: Thu, Mar 12, 2009 at 11:59 AM
Subject: Washington D.C. Voting Rights
To: "Congress.org"
Thank you for using Congress.org Mail System.
Message sent to the following recipients:
Representative Delahunt
Message text follows:
Christopher D. Osborn
[sender address was inserted here]
March 12, 2009
[recipient address was inserted here]
[recipient name was inserted here],
Hi, This is a really simple message, but a very important one.
I understand that the House will soon to discussing giving Washington D.C.
a real representative on Congress with voting rights.
Now, I'm not really from DC, but I was born in a hospital there and I have
friends there. But that's besides the point. I am an American and
believe strongly that every American should have REAL representation in
congress. It is especially against everything America stands for to tax
Washington D.C. residents without giving them proper representation. This
issue is Exactly why this country was formed in the first place! Every
citizen should have a real role to play in the legislature, and if they
don't have voting representation in the legislature then they have no real
ability to pay a role and no real way to get their interests out on the
table.
This is not just a Washington D.C. issue. This is an American issue. I
know that D.C. is mostly full of Democrats like yourself, and honestly I
don't want any more fiscal statists like yourself in congress. However,
what is more important is that the people of Washington D.C. have a voice.
I don't care if they elect a bonafide Communist, as long as they have a
voice, for it is not my right or anyone else to deny them representation
no matter who they chuse to represent themselves.
It is just plain morally reprehensible to tax people without giving them
representation to help decide what taxes should be levied (if any at all),
how much taxes should be, and how such collected tax money should be used.
I really hope you can support bringing liberty and power the people of
Washington D.C.
If you wish to contact me, please send me an email. I am currently
residing in Norway and will not be able to promptly respond to any
reconnaissance sent to my Massachusetts address.
Sincerely,
Christopher D. Osborn
[sender phone number was inserted here]
Christopher D. Osborn sent this message via Congress.org, which uses the
Capwiz·XC system. Congress.org is a free public service of Capitol
Advantage and Knowlegis, LLC. You may access Congress.org here:
http://congress.org
I really hope that this passes. It would be a huge step for Liberty in America.
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
Friday, February 27, 2009
Fwd: The Revolution March!!!
I don't have any money to donate to anyone, but at least I can spread the word that they really need help. I think a lot of the stuff their radio show talks about is crazy, but a lot is good stuff too and a opposition to the status quo is very important to our society.
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Revolution March
Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 11:02 PM
Subject: The Revolution March!!!
From: Revolution March
Date: Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 11:02 PM
Subject: The Revolution March!!!
The Revolution March!!! |  |
| Restore the Republic Radio Shutting Down Forever Posted: 25 Feb 2009 06:19 PM PST Just when we are on the verge of being self-sufficient through lowered server costs and increased support from advertising revenue, radio created by the revolution, for the revolution is about to disappear forever! If you've taken time to listen to Ron Paul Radio, Revolution Broadcasting, or RTR Radio over the past 18 months, you know how important this project is. Maybe we are just another victim of the NWO planned financial collapse. Maybe every member of the revolution really has already had their wealth stolen from them by the government in collusion with the bankers. If that is true, we are about to lose our ability to tell anyone about it. These days we are finding that even when we ask, we are unable to even raise the amount of funding in a whole month that we used to raise in a single DAY without even asking! And guess what? Our host lineup, content, and news department are stronger and more organized than ever. When we brought you the full days coverage of the Revolution March, we raised $2500 in a single day. When we brought you the chuck-a-thon for Chuck Baldwin, we raised $600. When we brought you the Ron Paul press conference live from the National Press Club, we raised $500. You supported us as well when we brought you 3 presidential debates and a vice-presidential debate. One of the presidential debates could not be heard anywhere else! Will you help us stay alive? Here's how you can help: 1) Donate: We only need to raise less than $1000 to get through this pinch. Even $5 helps! Please don't hesitate because you don't think you can make a difference. 2) Listen and Participate! Join us in our "Live Chat", and call in to many shows with our guest call-in line at 505-715-6522 . When you listen and participate, advertisers can see that we are having an effect, and they are more likely to decide to use us as a medium to sell their product or service! 3) Get Involved! Remember, we are radio BY THE REVOLUTION, FOR THE REVOLUTION! That means we are you- and you are us! Our weekend schedule has a few more openings for hosts! Our news dept needs writers, reporters, researchers, and audio technicians. If you are interesting in getting involved with us, contact Ray Powell via skype instant messaging at "rayzer42" or email ray(at)raymondpowell.com. 4) Support our advertisers! Take their messages seriously and let them know where you heard their ad! Maybe, with your help, RTR Radio can get through this last crunch and finally become self-sufficient... http://www.RTRRadio.com |
| Email delivery powered by Google | |
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Keynesian Economics
This is a video on Keynesian Economics I wanted to share with you. The speaker is Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, former employee of the Heritage Foundation, and co-author (with Chris Edwards) of "Global Tax Revolution: The Rise of Tax Competition and the Battle to Defend It"
He's got a funny voice, but I think the video is still a good explanation of President Obama's basic economic strategy, which he in fact shares a lot in common with President George W. Bush.
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Dick Cheney, in 1994, said going into Iraq is Bad Idea
I know it's really a bit late, and I supported the move to fight in Iraq in the beginning. In fact, a part of me still feels like it was the right decision, just done extremely poorly. Anyway, here we are. I hope we make the best of it.
Credit goes to MoveOn.org for finding this video. It basically speaks for itself.
Former vice president Dick Cheney was right about Iraq in 1994... what made him change his mind and why are we in this mess now? I don't know, but I pray do God, not nearly frequently enough, that it will all end peacefully soon. Again, for now, let's just try to make the best of it. We failed our secret war in Afghanistan against the Soviets because afterwords we didn't help them out with their problems so the people turned to the Taliban instead of to Democracy. Let's not make the same mistake again.
Praying for peace,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
Monday, February 16, 2009
A Stalinist Arrest in Kazakhstan
A couple of recent events have given me a few concerns. The concerns are for an individual, a religion, and a country.
To individual is Liza Drenicheva, a Russian Unificationist missionary. The religion is Unificationism, my own religion based off the Christian Bible and, especially, the teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The country is The Republic of Kazakhstan, the landlocked country in Western Asia which is the 9th largest country in the world and borders Russia, Kyrgystan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China.
The event that sparked my intrest in Kazakhstan was not Borat, not whatsoever(I tried watching it but could not get through the whole thing). It was news from Unificationist leaders in Oslo that Liza Drenicheva had been arrested for teaching the Devine Priciple view of origional sin and the consept of spiritual blood lineage. The claim is that these teachings are denigrating to groups outside the church on the basis of their "ethnicity" or "lineage".
If you wish to read the teachings to find our for yourself about how accurate the claims are, a 1996 translation (from Korean to English) of the Exposition of the Devine Principle - one of four main theological texts Unificationists read and teach from - can be found here. To read about this subject in particular, I recomend Part I: Chapter 2 and 4, as well as several sections throughout Part II pertaining to the providence of restoration.
If you want the short explanation written by me, you can read the following:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lusifer the Archangel who was charged with educating Adam and Eve until they were all grown up became jealous of God's love for them. He therefore decided to seduce Eve - who was not yet a grown woman and who was destined to become Adam's wife - to have sex with him, telling her it would be really nice and give her more knowlege about God. This caused her spiritual blood lineage to be attatched to Lucifer instead of God, the True Spiritual Parent of all humankind.
Eve realised what she had done wrong, and then saduced Adam. However, what she should have done was repent to God first, and then wait until both she and Adam were grown to maturity to consumate their marraige.
This whole act, espcially the fact that they did not repent, made it so their children would be attached to Lucifer's lineage and be even more suseptable to make mistakes and commit sin than their parents. This is why the first murder was able to happen. The cycle goes on and on, the sins of men and women continuing on to the next generation. The comming for Jesus his subsiquent murder was able to get rid of the spiritual sin - that of Eve and Lucifer. However, because Jesus never married and never created a True Family of sinless children, the physical sin of Adam and Eve was not eliminated.
Now that Rev. Sun Myung Moon has come a created a True Family, he is able to "bless" people in marraige and take away the origional physical sin. This does nto make them perfect, for they still have the sins of their other ansesters that they must take care of. However, they ahve gotten rid of the origional spiritual sin by accepting Jesus and physical sin by accepting the blessing from Father Moon. Their children are also born without this origional sin and reconnected to God's lineage, but it will take many many generations to rid their lineage of ALL sin.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my understanding of basically what she was teaching and what the Kazakh authorities got all upset about. I understand that many people in the world would find these teachings to be wrong, and without hearing any other Unificationist teachigns one might think that such teachigns could breed racism against people who aren't blessed and therefore still have Lucifer's blood lineage running through their veines.
However, Unification though also teaches that all people are God's children, God loves his enemies even more than he loves his devote children, and that the best way to create world peace and reunification between all peoples is for everyone in the world to be blessed in holy matrimony with people of different races and nationalities and with ancestors of different religions. It also teaches that all religions come from God. Finally, and most importantly, Unification though teaches that free will is most important to God.
Without free will, life and love are rendered meaningless.
Many people around the world beleive this same thing. New Hampsire's state motto is "Live free or die." That's why I'm posting about this hear, rather that my other blog The Fight for Cheon-Il-Guk. This is not just an issue for me as a Unificationist. This is an issue for me as a freedom loving American. People around the world, no matter where live live, aught to be allowed the right of freedom of conscience and religion.
That's why I urge you all, as citizens of the world, to help freedom fighters in Kazakhstan in their fight for religious freedom. This is only the beginning of religious persecution in Kazakhstan, for they have recently passed a law to make it hard for minority religions (which in Kazakhstan includes some Muslums as well as Baptists, among many more.) To hear more about this specific situation, here's a list of links:
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/01/a_stalinist_arrest_in_kazakhst.html
http://www.freelisa.org/
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS185087+26-Jan-2009+PRN20090126
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/16/what-values-are-shared/
http://www.cuebon.com/Drenicheva.html
http://www.rferl.org/content/Right_Defenders_Demand_Release_Of_Missionary_In_Kazakhstan/1370910.html
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=3773
If you want to help, here are some things you can do:
1. Join the facebook group Petition to Free Lisa Drenicheva!!
2. Write to you government represetatives. Here is a link to the contact information for the U.S. Department of State.
3. Write to your local Kazakh embassy. Here's a link for the one to the U.S.
Kazakhstan Kontaktinformasjon Til Norge:
Diplomatisk misjon av Republikken av Kazakhstan i Norge
Drammensveien 40
P.B.-0255, Oslo
Norge
Tel : +4722445323 fax : +4722445322 kazak(at)online.no
I hope some of you can see the importance of this and be inspired to act. As long as one of us is chained, none of us are free!
In Love and Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
To individual is Liza Drenicheva, a Russian Unificationist missionary. The religion is Unificationism, my own religion based off the Christian Bible and, especially, the teachings of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The country is The Republic of Kazakhstan, the landlocked country in Western Asia which is the 9th largest country in the world and borders Russia, Kyrgystan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China.
The event that sparked my intrest in Kazakhstan was not Borat, not whatsoever(I tried watching it but could not get through the whole thing). It was news from Unificationist leaders in Oslo that Liza Drenicheva had been arrested for teaching the Devine Priciple view of origional sin and the consept of spiritual blood lineage. The claim is that these teachings are denigrating to groups outside the church on the basis of their "ethnicity" or "lineage".
If you wish to read the teachings to find our for yourself about how accurate the claims are, a 1996 translation (from Korean to English) of the Exposition of the Devine Principle - one of four main theological texts Unificationists read and teach from - can be found here. To read about this subject in particular, I recomend Part I: Chapter 2 and 4, as well as several sections throughout Part II pertaining to the providence of restoration.
If you want the short explanation written by me, you can read the following:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lusifer the Archangel who was charged with educating Adam and Eve until they were all grown up became jealous of God's love for them. He therefore decided to seduce Eve - who was not yet a grown woman and who was destined to become Adam's wife - to have sex with him, telling her it would be really nice and give her more knowlege about God. This caused her spiritual blood lineage to be attatched to Lucifer instead of God, the True Spiritual Parent of all humankind.
Eve realised what she had done wrong, and then saduced Adam. However, what she should have done was repent to God first, and then wait until both she and Adam were grown to maturity to consumate their marraige.
This whole act, espcially the fact that they did not repent, made it so their children would be attached to Lucifer's lineage and be even more suseptable to make mistakes and commit sin than their parents. This is why the first murder was able to happen. The cycle goes on and on, the sins of men and women continuing on to the next generation. The comming for Jesus his subsiquent murder was able to get rid of the spiritual sin - that of Eve and Lucifer. However, because Jesus never married and never created a True Family of sinless children, the physical sin of Adam and Eve was not eliminated.
Now that Rev. Sun Myung Moon has come a created a True Family, he is able to "bless" people in marraige and take away the origional physical sin. This does nto make them perfect, for they still have the sins of their other ansesters that they must take care of. However, they ahve gotten rid of the origional spiritual sin by accepting Jesus and physical sin by accepting the blessing from Father Moon. Their children are also born without this origional sin and reconnected to God's lineage, but it will take many many generations to rid their lineage of ALL sin.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my understanding of basically what she was teaching and what the Kazakh authorities got all upset about. I understand that many people in the world would find these teachings to be wrong, and without hearing any other Unificationist teachigns one might think that such teachigns could breed racism against people who aren't blessed and therefore still have Lucifer's blood lineage running through their veines.
However, Unification though also teaches that all people are God's children, God loves his enemies even more than he loves his devote children, and that the best way to create world peace and reunification between all peoples is for everyone in the world to be blessed in holy matrimony with people of different races and nationalities and with ancestors of different religions. It also teaches that all religions come from God. Finally, and most importantly, Unification though teaches that free will is most important to God.
Without free will, life and love are rendered meaningless.
Many people around the world beleive this same thing. New Hampsire's state motto is "Live free or die." That's why I'm posting about this hear, rather that my other blog The Fight for Cheon-Il-Guk. This is not just an issue for me as a Unificationist. This is an issue for me as a freedom loving American. People around the world, no matter where live live, aught to be allowed the right of freedom of conscience and religion.
That's why I urge you all, as citizens of the world, to help freedom fighters in Kazakhstan in their fight for religious freedom. This is only the beginning of religious persecution in Kazakhstan, for they have recently passed a law to make it hard for minority religions (which in Kazakhstan includes some Muslums as well as Baptists, among many more.) To hear more about this specific situation, here's a list of links:
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2009/01/a_stalinist_arrest_in_kazakhst.html
http://www.freelisa.org/
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS185087+26-Jan-2009+PRN20090126
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/16/what-values-are-shared/
http://www.cuebon.com/Drenicheva.html
http://www.rferl.org/content/Right_Defenders_Demand_Release_Of_Missionary_In_Kazakhstan/1370910.html
http://www.religiousintelligence.co.uk/news/?NewsID=3773
If you want to help, here are some things you can do:
1. Join the facebook group Petition to Free Lisa Drenicheva!!
2. Write to you government represetatives. Here is a link to the contact information for the U.S. Department of State.
3. Write to your local Kazakh embassy. Here's a link for the one to the U.S.
Kazakhstan Kontaktinformasjon Til Norge:
Diplomatisk misjon av Republikken av Kazakhstan i Norge
Drammensveien 40
P.B.-0255, Oslo
Norge
Tel : +4722445323 fax : +4722445322 kazak(at)online.no
I hope some of you can see the importance of this and be inspired to act. As long as one of us is chained, none of us are free!
In Love and Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Fwd: Early Victory in State Sovereignty Battle
Here's a message from the Campaign for Liberty about their role in the recent movement for States Rights through station of the 9th and 10th amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Also, just a heads up for any readers I might happen to have, I am going to have to slow down my blogging. I need to find a job and stop disappointing my wife by hardly ever doing any house work while she's away. So I'll be doing one more post tomorrow and then that's it until next Sunday or Monday.
In Love and Liberty from Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
Also, just a heads up for any readers I might happen to have, I am going to have to slow down my blogging. I need to find a job and stop disappointing my wife by hardly ever doing any house work while she's away. So I'll be doing one more post tomorrow and then that's it until next Sunday or Monday.
In Love and Liberty from Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Campaign for Liberty
Date: Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 10:56 PM
Subject: Early Victory in State Sovereignty Battle
To: Christopher Osborn
February 13, 2009
Dear Friend of Liberty,
Please take a moment to read the following report from C4L Interim State Coordinator Kirk Shelley regarding recent action in the Oklahoma legislature to uphold the state's sovereignty under the Constitution's Tenth Amendment.
Similar action is being taken all over the country, as resistance to the federal government's continual intrusion into our lives grows. I urge all our Oklahoma members to immediately contact their state representatives in support of final passage for House Joint Resolution 1003. More details are included in this report.
If you are in a state where such a resolution has not been introduced, contact your state legislators today and tell them to stand up for your state's sovereignty.
In Liberty,
John Tate
President, Campaign for Liberty
*******************************Paul Supporters Lead Fight to Restore State Sovereignty in Oklahoma
"State House to consider historic bill to take back state's rights under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution"
Oklahoma City – For far too long, the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been known as the forgotten amendment. With power grab after power grab, Congress has slowly eroded the rights of states to keep powers not specifically granted to the federal government.
As more and more citizens and state legislators across the country begin to realize that this loss of states rights is at the core of many of our nation's problems, those legislators have set out to stop the out of control Congress and restore some sense of sanity and constitutional protections to the individual states.
On February 11th, Oklahoma became the first state to act on legislation to do just that. This action was directly brought about by a Ron Paul supporter, and it is Campaign for Liberty members that will see this battle all the way through.
You see, the 10th Amendment in our nation's Bill of Rights has long been despised by our big government foes. That amendment was drafted to enshrine in the Constitution what the Founders and the original states already knew: any power not expressly given to the federal government is kept by the states and the people. Although a lot of freedom-minded individuals have long fought for full compliance with this amendment in modern times, there has been a void of leadership and a lack of focused action - until now.
That void has been filled by the formation of Campaign for Liberty, which was born from Ron Paul's galvanizing 2008 Presidential campaign.
Campaign for Liberty is fighting in state legislatures across the country and in Congress to preserve and restore constitutional rights to all citizens, to subdue an out of control federal government, and to win back our lost freedom.
The fight in Oklahoma is a great example of the kind of battles we face in the next stages of the Ron Paul Revolution.
With the support of Dr. Paul's activists throughout the state, the Oklahoma legislature has taken up a vital bill to put Congress in its place and to remind it that there are limits to federal power.
This past Wednesday, the Oklahoma House Rules Committee unanimously supported House Joint Resolution 1003 (http://webserver1.lsb.state.ok.us/2009-10HB/HJR1003_int.rtf), which expresses the sovereignty of the State of Oklahoma and clearly calls for an end to unconstitutional federal government mandates.
Representative Charles Key (R-Oklahoma City), the sponsor of this bill, has spearheaded a national movement to put the federal government on notice that the separate states are sick and tired of having their actions dictated by Washington, D.C.
Rep. Charles Key is a supporter of Dr. Paul – in fact, he was the first elected official in Oklahoma to endorse Ron Paul's candidacy for President (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aa5sCO-3ly0) because of Dr. Paul's strong support for the US Constitution.
Oklahoma IS an example of how the R3volution is leading the battle to restore constitutional rights and freedoms to our citizens. The fight to reclaim our Republic and restore our Constitution is just beginning, and, with the continued efforts of Campaign for Liberty members all across the country, it is a fight that we can and will win.
Kirk ShelleyOklahoma Interim State Coordinator, Campaign for Liberty
2008 State Coordinator, Ron Paul for President
P.S. If you live in Oklahoma, please contact your State House representatives and senators immediately. You can find their contact information here: http://www.capitolconnect.com/oklahoma/default.aspx
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
Bergen, Hordaland, Norge
Friday, February 13, 2009
Heritage Chart of the previous stimulus.
Here's a neat chart done by the Heritage Foundation showing how stimulus checks last year hardly did anything. They echo what DownSizeDC has said. One time boosts to income don't make people feel comfortable about spending more. It's only a permanent increase in income that makes people feel more like spending. That's why permanent tax cuts for all people paying income taxes is the best way to encourage spending and investment.
Below is their chart showing statistics about the 2003 tax cuts.
As a related side note, I just want to reiterate that the results of the Revanue Act of 1932 shows that higher taxes hurt the economy. Click here for a history of the Great Depression, which shows that while there was slow sustained growth up until 1937, the economy had another recession and only picked up more perminantly when the conservatives got rid of most of the "New Deal" and finally got rid of all of it accept Social Security by 1947.
Also interesting: click here for a relatively short history on how the United States income tax came to be.
In Love and Liberty,
from Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Fwd: Thank You (The Standard Reply from Rep. William Delahunt)
I occasionally send letter to my legislature. Sen Kerry never replies, Kennedy has aids reply in his name (very well done, Sen. Kennedy. I understand you're busy and commend you having aids send a reply), and Delahunt sends me this, every single time.
I just wanted to share. Don't be discouraged from contacting your representatives about issues that are important to you! Even if he or she never hears from you have to say directly, his or her aids will read it and occasionally report back to him or her about what their constituents are saying. Occasionally, a particularly good letter may be presented to your representative directly.
Don't give in to apathy! The youth of Iran, who are the fast majority, gave in to apathy and look what happened? They just continue to be overpowered by the extreme religious elite of their society. If they would stop their underground parties and start their above ground demonstrations they would overwealm their government and get exactly what they want - democracy, a more pro-western foreign policy, and a more free domestic economy and social life.
Conservatives are the majority in America - they just don't know that they're conservative. Nice speeches and good intentions make the people think that liberalism is ok and they have no chance of fighting big government so they might as well go with the flow and try to get something for themselves, but if they realised that their conservative opinions were in the majority and weren't so stupid or backward thinking, we would have a more free country and be way less in debt.
From Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
I just wanted to share. Don't be discouraged from contacting your representatives about issues that are important to you! Even if he or she never hears from you have to say directly, his or her aids will read it and occasionally report back to him or her about what their constituents are saying. Occasionally, a particularly good letter may be presented to your representative directly.
Don't give in to apathy! The youth of Iran, who are the fast majority, gave in to apathy and look what happened? They just continue to be overpowered by the extreme religious elite of their society. If they would stop their underground parties and start their above ground demonstrations they would overwealm their government and get exactly what they want - democracy, a more pro-western foreign policy, and a more free domestic economy and social life.
Conservatives are the majority in America - they just don't know that they're conservative. Nice speeches and good intentions make the people think that liberalism is ok and they have no chance of fighting big government so they might as well go with the flow and try to get something for themselves, but if they realised that their conservative opinions were in the majority and weren't so stupid or backward thinking, we would have a more free country and be way less in debt.
From Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Delahunt, William <William.Delahunt@mail.house.gov>
Date: Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Subject: Thank You
To: "Christopher (Fipher) D. Osborn" <mvfipher@gmail.com>
From: Delahunt, William <William.Delahunt@mail.house.gov>
Date: Thu, Feb 12, 2009 at 8:59 AM
Subject: Thank You
To: "Christopher (Fipher) D. Osborn" <mvfipher@gmail.com>
Thank you for your message!
As your Representative in Congress, I encourage you to contact me regularly on issues that are of concern to you.
As you can imagine, I receive thousands of e-mail messages every week…and that doesn't include the junk e-mails that we all find annoying. Because of this, I am only able to respond to constituents of the Tenth District. While I can't reply to every message, I will do my best to get back to you by regular mail. Therefore, it is important that we have your postal address. Depending on the message, a phone number can be very helpful too. If we do not already have this information, please feel free to send me a follow-up message.
In the meantime, I encourage you to visit my website at http://www.house.gov/delahunt and to register to receive "What's Coming Up," my weekly electronic newsletter. Please click here to sign up.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact me. Keep in touch.
Sincerely,
NoStimulus.com petitions
Here's a message from NoStimulus.com which is of utmost importance if you want to the United States to have a chance at stopping the "stimulus" bill. It is followed by an email I sent to Congressman Bill Delahunt.
Here's the bulk of the email I just sent:
Here's hoping for a miracle for our country,
from Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
Dear Friend,
At 2PM tomorrow afternoon, your NoStimulus.com petitions (which at the moment number 395,047) will be officially presented to the United States Senate in an event at the Capitol. Later in the day, the Senate is expected to make the final vote on the Pelosi/Reid/Obama trillion dollar spending bill.
You're invited to join us for this presentation if you are in or near Washington. It will be held in Upper Senate Park at 2PM tomorrow. I'm sorry we couldn't give you more notice, but moving the vote up to tomorrow was a surprise move by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to try to jam this disastrous bill through before folks can even read the bill.
If someone tells you this fight is over think about this for a moment. Last Friday, I stood at the Capitol with a band of AFP staff, interns and volunteers as we presented our petitions to Senator Jim DeMint -- our free market leader in the Senate. At that time, we had 69,487 petitions.
Tomorrow, we will present your more than 400,000 petitions and -- if you can help us make a final push by sending the site to your friends in next couple of hours – it can be more than 500,000 petitions to the Senate telling them to vote NO on this outrageous spending bill.
Here's the update on where the battle stands.
Senate and House negotiators are set to agree tonight on a $789 billion bill. Here's what we know about the deal:
- This conference report provides the least tax relief of any version yet, even cutting President Obama’s signature middle class tax cut from $500 per individual and $1000 per couple to $400 and $800. That takes money out the pockets of regular Americans to pay for more wasteful spending.
- This conference report gives away as "tax cuts" tens-of-billions of dollars to people WHO DO NOT PAY INCOME TAXES.
- This conference report, by all accounts, still funds the stealth imposition of health care rationing via so-called “Comparative Evaluation Research,” that would let bureaucrats decides whether people are too old or too sick to receive a treatment.
- The price tag is still astonishing. $789 billion might be less than the Senate’s $838 billion, but it’s massively more than the $300 billion this bill originally was proposed at, and still tops a trillion dollars when interest is included. There's still $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, $600 million to buy cars for government workers, $88 million for ATV and bike trails and so much more waste. And, go to stimuluswatch.org to see the wish list of earmarks for cities and counties in your area. It will blow your mind.
With a likely Senate vote tomorrow, time is of the essence. These are the key action items that could lead to victory tomorrow:
1. Get at least 3 more people to sign the NoStimulus.com petition. If we have a huge final push we could reach an astonishing half-million signers -- or more -- before our presentation event tomorrow.
2. Make 1 last call to your senator. Many of you have done this and we're so thankful for your standing up. But, we have just 24 hours to make our final push. Call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 or better yet go on-line and call your Senator's local offices. If you need talking points go to NoStimulus.com and we've got plenty.
3. Consider making a special financial contribution to Americans for Prosperity today. Help us continue to get the word out about the dangers of this no-stimulus bill to literally millions more Americans around the country. Your support will provide resources to ramp up our "No Stimulus" advertising and outreach on websites like the Drudge Report, FoxNews.com, Townhall.com and others for the final day of this fight so we can generate thousands upon thousands of phone calls into Senate offices. A gift of $10, $25, $50 - or any amount you could afford - would go a long way toward reaching even more people with our No Stimulus message and mobilizing them to make a difference alongside you and me to STOP the Pelosi/Reid/Obama boondoggle.
You're making a huge difference. Yesterday, “Americans for Prosperity” and “No Stimulus Petition” were the top two searches in the nation on Google, and your efforts to drive literally hundreds of thousands of people to our NoStimulus.com website was a featured story on the Yahoo! front page. Additionally, today you may have seen the number of petition signers ticking upward along the bottom line of the Fox News “ticker.” You have literally flooded Senate offices with your calls and most of Washington is now going to NoStimulus.com site to view the counter to find out how many folks have signed the petition.
I know the pundits are political prognosticators are saying it's over and the Pelosi\Reid\Obama trillion dollar bill is a done deal.
But, don't be discouraged. Instead, keep fighting. One petition signer from Wisconsin, Carla, sent me an email that says exactly why we should keep fighting. She wrote:
"Tim,
For a week I've been so frustrated over this terrible Stimulus bill. Then in the last day I've called both my senators and my congressman. I've signed the NoStimulus.com petition and then forwarded it to my entire email list. For the first time in my life I even called a local talk radio show to tell people why the bill is so bad.
And you something, I feel so much better because I'm doing all I can do."
Carla is right. We can just be frustrated over what these politicians are trying to do to our nation and our economic freedoms. Or, we can do "all we can do" for our nation.
Thanks and if you are in the area please join us tomorrow, 2PM, Upper Senate Park for the presentation of your petitions to the Senate!!
Sincerely,
Tim Phillips
President, Americans for Prosperity
Mr. Delahunt, I know you're a Democrat and really want to believe in our new presidents plan to recover our economy, but please listen to reason! The economic recovery plan about to go up for vote will not save our country. All it will do is put is more into debt. There are three ways the Federal Government can pay for the stimulus, and all of them are bad for our economy.This is coming from a Conservative Libertarian from our dear Massachusetts 10th district. Specifically, the town of Tisbury. If you want to check my voting status before you read on, my name is Christopher David Osborn and my last U.S. address was zipcode 02568, the hamlet of Vineyard Haven in the town of Tisbury in the county of Dukes County.
The first, taxes, takes away money from the people who would otherwise save, spend, or invest it. In an economic crisis higher taxes (for anybody, including the big corporations nobody likes) should be unthinkable. The Revenue Act of 1932 was one of the major reasons the economic problems at the time deepened and lengthened into the Great Depression.
The second, government borrowing, is just as bad! It also takes money out of the private economy - the money that bond purchasers hand over to the government in exchange for bonds. The money people use to buy bonds could be much better served either investing in American businesses, buying American products, or saving in American banks to increase their value.
Also, if the funds are borrowed, we eventually have to pay it back, creating the same tax problems for the next generation - only worse because of interest. Excessive borrowing may also increase interests rates, furthering our credit problem.
The final way to pay for it, without a tax and without borrowing, is to have the Federal Reserve just print more money. This is perhaps the very worst option of all. We cannot just create money out of thin our without it coming back to byte us. Printing more money means the bills and coins we have in our wallets and savings account will be worth less and less. The devaluation of the dollar will eventually lead to us having push wheelbarrows of money to the grocery store just to buy a loaf of bread!
Inflation is the worst thing you could possibly cause! Do you know that the Germans tried to use inflation as a method of war? They attempted to print fraudulent pounds and ship them to the U.K. in order to collapse their economy.
Another reason for you not to pass the bill is for what the money is being spent on. I don't know what it is exactly, but I keep hearing that the massive amount of it is going to buy condoms or some other sex-related thing. One website talks of some kind of adult sex workshop.
There is also supposedly going to be spending by the Department of Agriculture on broadband Internet services in rural areas. First of all, the Ag department has no business dealing with broadband Internet access - my grandfather (the late Rodman F. Backus Jr., founder of Rod's Flowershop & Nursery and Rod's Landscaping on Martha's Vineyard) went to an Ag school and while he was a great and intelligent man he new nothing about computers. Second of all, that the heck is the government doing giving people free Internet?! Sure, it's a good business and educational resource, but do you realise how much of it is just used for porn? I am ashamed to admit this, but honestly, it was not too many years ago when I was one of those porn-addicted teenagers. If rural schools, libraries, and businesses are having problems getting Internet access that's one thing, but I don't want the general public being given free broadband access.
Please, read the bill. If you haven't had time to read the whole thing, demand to be given the time to read it. Once you read it, do not give in if you see anything that's unnecessary. You can do it! If you see something you think is inappropriate for the government to be spending money on, that shout it out and tell the others that you will be voting no unless it is taken out! Stand up for what you know is right and against what you know is wrong! Be the patriot I know you can be!
In Liberty,
Christopher D. Osborn
fipher.blogspot.com
http://www.downsizedc.org
battleforheaven.blogspot.com
http://www.upf.org
Here's hoping for a miracle for our country,
from Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Are we turning Japanese?
A recent Downsizer Dispatch mentioned a New York Times article about how a 1980's housing bubbler burst in Japan cuase economic turmoil that lead to huge domestic government spending - just as is happen in the United States today. So what happened in Japan? It seems that the spending gave Japan a HUGE debt. The economy was lifted too, but not by all the spending on construction projects and the like. It was instead lifted by an expensive cleanup of their debt-ridden banking system and increased export to to the U.S. and China which did the trick.
So if we are to learn from the Japaniese example, we should not pass these infrastructure spending bills - they will do nothing but create debt, and increased taxes for the next generation, which is myself and my kids and grandkids. We should instead stop barrowing money, pay off all our debts, and pass laws that make in much easier and cheaper for Americans to make things and export them to other countries.
In Liberty from Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
Sourse:
Are We Turning Japanese? - DownsizeDC
Can We Learn from Japan? - Cafe Hayek
Japan's Big-Works Stimulus Lesson - NY Times
So if we are to learn from the Japaniese example, we should not pass these infrastructure spending bills - they will do nothing but create debt, and increased taxes for the next generation, which is myself and my kids and grandkids. We should instead stop barrowing money, pay off all our debts, and pass laws that make in much easier and cheaper for Americans to make things and export them to other countries.
In Liberty from Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
Sourse:
Are We Turning Japanese? - DownsizeDC
Can We Learn from Japan? - Cafe Hayek
Japan's Big-Works Stimulus Lesson - NY Times
Saturday, January 24, 2009
How to Protect Yourself from the End of America
The latest Daily Wealth newletter is all doom and gloom. Here's a quote from Porter Stansberry that summs up their worries:
This is how America ends – with the lie that we all can live at the expense of our neighbor and borrow endlessly. Rather than simply face a downturn in the economy, we plan to borrow trillions of dollars our children and grandchildren will be forced to repay. Rather than let all those people and institutions that took on too much debt (like GM) be liquidated and restructured, we plan to risk a hyperinflation. Rather than insist homeowners who can't afford their mortgages lose their homes, we would jeopardize the credit rating of the country.
It is all madness. None of the government's bailout plans will solve any of the problems. The government can only shift the burden of the failures. Instead of bondholders and shareholders being wiped out, taxpayers are put on the hook. These actions will temporarily resuscitate the economy – but cause a permanent decline in the value of the dollar.
I'm sure I've posted about this theory before. Anyway, he does have a few idea's of hour to prepare. Unfortunatly many of us, such as myself, don't even have the money to take up his suggestions. Oh well, it'll be alright, 'cause I have theory.
It may very well be that the United States of America as we know it will come to an end. However, I think it'll be alright. There is still war out there, but I really think the human family has evolved so very much, that by the time the U.S. starts to crumble, it won't matter.
Don't get me wrong, I love my country dearly, and I would ber very sad to see it's end. However, more and more people are sayign "world peace," more and more are saying "live for the sake of others." I think that while President Obama's stratagy of saving our economy now will distroy it in the future - he helping to push for a culture of service in this country will make it alright. Nobody will have any money, but everyone will be helping eahcother out for free anyway! I don't mean to say we'll have communism nessiserily. Instead, we'll have Libertarian socialism - that is, everyone living for the sake of the whole, and soing so in free will, without any forceful government persuasion.
We will have the same capitalist society that we love, accept that the culture of service will compensate for the fast that nobody has anything. In the past, if nobody has any money, either everyone starves because everyone is looking out for themselves, a totalitarian regime comes about and forces change, or both. However, and the global culture continues to be pushed towards a "let's all hold hands" kind of world, people won't suffer as much as they did in past depressions, nor will we cry of for some Hitlar, Stalin, or Kim-Il-Sung.
From bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
Friday, January 23, 2009
Heritage on the inauguration of President Obama
Below is a messege from the Heritage Foundation that gives conservatives hope.
January 22, 2009 | By Nathaniel Ward
Heritage on the inauguration of President Obama
Although conservatives ought to remain on their guard over the next four years, Heritage vice-president Mike Franc makes a case for cautious conservative optimism on National Review Online.
Just as only President Nixon could go to China, he suggests, perhaps only President Obama can tackle serious entitlement reform and foreign policy objectives. Perhaps "oenly a man with our new president's liberal pedigree will possess the sort of political capital required to tackle our nation's most pressing and foreseeable challenge," writes Franc.
On the economy, the new administration will have to face the coming spending tsunami as Baby Boomers increasingly qualify for the big three entitlement programs, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. President Obama will have to make the difficult choice between tax hikes, which may be politically harmful, and a real effort to rein in spending.
And on foreign policy and national security, Franc argues that "with intelligence briefings comes maturity." The campaign trail asks candidates to hold up high ideals, but the Oval Office demands prudence, and the President may even embrace a number of positions he derided as a candidate. "If and when he does, the mainstream media will revisit these issues in a more understanding way and begin to explain the tough trade-offs that are required to defend America's interests."
Heritage foreign policy expert Helle Dale puts the new presidency in historical perspective. Other new Presidents —Bush, Reagan, Nixon, and Truman — faced "raging storms, far more worthy of the name than the clouds under which Obama's presidency begins," says Dale.
She continues:
The world Obama inherits today is clearly complex, but thanks to the tireless efforts of his predecessor, far less dangerous than the impression created [in his inaugural address on Tuesday]. Indeed, Obama owes a debt of gratitude to Bush for the tough decisions he has taken to keep this country safe and the sacrifices he made in political capital and personal popularity to do so. Bush may be vilified, even booed by the crowd of Obama supporters on the Mall, but he kept each and every one of them safe from terrorist attacks for seven years…Obama of course questioned those very policies during the campaign and indeed in his speech [Tuesday], postulating a false dichotomy between our safety and our ideals.
Dale concludes that Obama obviously differs from Bush philosophically, but that "how far world events will allow the Obama foreign policy to diverge from that of the Bush years remains to be seen."
Meanwhile, on WorldNetDaily, former Congressman and Heritage distinguished fellow Ernest Istook discusses President Obama's unique position to end race-based victimhood.
Though Barack Obama's election was a watershed in many respects, "America's laws and regulations don't reflect that sense of accomplishment. They remain mired in 1960s thinking and prejudices about race," Istook pointed out.
Hard choices don't get any tougher than race relations and affirmative action. This certainly meets Obama's inaugural address standard of tackling long-avoided problems.
We have a chance at change for the better. For decades, a catchphrase has been, "If we can put a man on the moon, then why can't we ..." The new version will be, "If we can elect a black president, then why can't we ..."
If President Obama is willing to provide leadership of the right sort, we can heal many of America's racial tensions and still improve upward mobility for Americans of all races and backgrounds. Yes we can.
Finally, Heritage's Foundry blog linked to a humorous but very telling video clip demonstrating how conservativecertain parts of Obama's speech sounded.
— David Talbot
Beach proposes 'stimulus' alternative to Congress
Heritage Foundation economist Bill Beach testified last week before the Economic Recovery Working Group on Capitol Hill about an alternative to the Left's big-government economic "stimulus" package.
Beach suggested an alternative to the Left's plan to spend $850 billion on economic recovery:
- Extend the 2001 and 2003 tax reductions for as long as possible -- at least through 2013 -- to prevent tax increases. Better yet, make the tax cuts permanent.
- Reduce tax rates on individuals, small businesses and corporations through 2013 by lowering the top rate by 10 percentage points and reducing rates by similar amounts for taxpayers with lower income levels.
This would give employers the incentive to invest money and create genuinely new jobs.
Heritage's Rob Bluey reports that "the hearing came a week after President-elect Barack Obama invited alternative suggestions for promoting economic growth."
» Read more about the case for a conservative stimulus on MyHeritage.org
From Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Sen. Barack H. Obama becomes President Obama
Now, this is a little odd. My copied wiget seems to be slower than the origional by one hour. Oh well, we'll see if it stays that way.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Fwd: People need you (Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service)
If you want to help out around MLK Jr. day but absolutely hate the idea of taking any suggestions from MoveOn, I also have a seperate suggestion. Check out Service for Peace or Service Nation and see what they're doing in your area.
For those that don't live in the U.S.A., here's a clip from Wikipedia :
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States holiday marking the birthdate of the ReverendMartin Luther King, Jr., observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King's birthday, January 15. It is one of three United States federal holidays to commemorate an individual person.[1]
This year it's being held on Monday, January 19th. The official government website is http://www.mlkday.gov/ which include a very handy how to serve section.
This year promises to be the most active MLK Jr. Day of Service in the history of the holiday, and I hope with Barack H. Obama as our president, it will only become more and more active.
I truly would love to see the United States become Service Nation.
From Bergen, Hordaland, Norge,
Christopher D. Osborn
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Noah T. Winer, MoveOn.org Political Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Date: Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 4:32 PM
Subject: People need you
To: "Christopher D. Osborn"
Dear MoveOn member,
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Christopher D. Osborn on January 16, 2009. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
From: Noah T. Winer, MoveOn.org Political Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>
Date: Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 4:32 PM
Subject: People need you
To: "Christopher D. Osborn"
|
Barack and Michelle Obama have a request for us: Spend this coming Monday—Martin Luther King Day—volunteering to serve the urgent needs in our communities.
In this economic crisis, food banks are struggling to keep up. Homeowners need help weatherizing to keep out the cold. Schools are crumbling.
Some folks have been hit harder by the recession than others, but we're all in it together. We've all got to roll up our sleeves and help each other out. And volunteering is always a great experience—in just a few hours, you can help make a huge difference in the lives of others.
Can you answer Obama's call to service this Monday? Click here to find out how you can help near Vineyard Haven:
On Tuesday, Barack will officially start the massive job of restoring our country. As president, he plans to expand national service programs like AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps and to create new service organizations1, including:
- a Classroom Corps to help underserved schools;
- a Health Corps to serve in the nation's clinics and hospitals;
- a Clean Energy Corps to achieve the goal of energy independence; and
- a Veterans Corps to support the Americans who serve in harm's way.
But on Monday, Barack, Michelle, Sasha, and Malia will still be ordinary citizens, volunteering to help their new neighbors in Washington, D.C. Can you join them by volunteering near Vineyard Haven? Click here to sign up on Obama's website:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51086&zip_radius[0]=02568&id=15390-10294791-5sLlSDx&t=4
Many of us have the day off for Dr. King's birthday, so it's a perfect time to volunteer. And with millions of Americans energized about Obama's inauguration, it will be a great day to spend with neighbors!
Hope you can make it. And thanks for all you do.
–Noah, Karin, Matt, Ilyse and the rest of the team
P.S. If you're in D.C. on Monday, join others from around the country to assemble care packages for troops in Iraq at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (inside a heated tent):
Source:
1. "America Serves," Change.gov
http://change.gov/americaserves/
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to Christopher D. Osborn on January 16, 2009. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.
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