I must express the overwhelming joy I feel about the Lord. He is great and greatly to be praised!! Is He surprised by the working of the nations? I think that is what is giving me all this joy because He is NOT. He has a plan and this is part of His plan. I know His ultimate purpose and leading of the nations: Jesus will come and His glory will be seen through the whole earth. Yeehaw!!!
So, I should say...this is not (necessarily) the end of the world. But, change IS coming with Mr. Obama. It's not because of Obama himself; it's in light of the current global state. Change is demanded by the world's economic stability, political concerns, and the individual's concern for their own welfare. Nobody likes what they see. The people create a need for change and they will usher the change in -- hoping to see a better life for their future.
The LORD knows all of this. HE has the plan for what will work and what will not work. What will most glorify Him? We will see. I hope that I am a tool ready for His use. I KNOW He is refining me, but...am I usable? We will see. May He grow all of us more and more. May we love HIM more and more. May we grow in our understanding of His word and in wisdom.
Praise the Lord for His excellence. The world looks to Him and waits Him to give us food, water, health -- life. Praise Him for His grace that allows us to continue on. Praise Him for showing His love for us through His death on the cross even WHILE we were still sinners.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Here Comes Change
As I debate about whether or not I wish to spend my time "blogging" I must sketch out these ideas:
It is not so much that I am troubled about the coming of Obama. His election came as no surprise to me. He is charismatic, diplomatic, and (as I have heard so many people comment,) "cool." What else would the American people look for? He promises tax cuts, health reform, and pulling troops out of Iraq. While I do not know much, I do know that Bush was not too charismatic, he had trouble speaking properly, and his decisions did not leave people energized or enthused. American citizens want a change. McCain was not that change. He was not a "maverick" in the way he chose to debate or in the stances he chose to take. I have just spent quite a bit of time looking at articles about Obama on the New York Times; I knew about his "trickle down" economics plan, I knew about his plans to pull troops from Iraq, but new realizations have just entered my mind. I will now take the time to express them because I cannot leave them sweltering within my being.
Economics:
All right, so the middle class (SUPPOSEDLY) gets the tax cuts. He has said the tax cuts will go to those who recieve less than 200,000-250,000 a year. The rich will have increased taxes.
My questions:
--where will the middle class/poor choose to spend their money? Will they invest it in order to boost the economy? (No.) A great portion of them will spend it on food, toys, clothes, etc. Will that kind of spending help the economy? Many of them will also be inclined to store it away (I would be in both those camps. Spending on what I need then storing the rest.) But what happens to that stored money? It's not really benefitting the economy.
--if the rich have more taxes to pay, won't they pull back on where they will invest?
--the rich are the ones who were greedy and chose to give loans where there should have been no thought of such things. What has happened to those guys? I heard some still took formerly planned "business trips" to resorts.
--where is the bailout money coming from if the middle class has their taxes cut? The middle class is the "backbone" of this economy. (Correct?) If the majority of people are getting cuts, where will the needed money come from?
--Mr. Obama wants to pull troops from Iraq in order to reposition them in other countries. That requires money.
--He wants to reform health care and give more money to those who are not currently employed and who need health care. Where will that money come from? What will be the consequences for those choices? Who are the people who will qualify?
--Terrorists' Reactions--
I was not aware of this website's existance until this morning: Al-Hesbah. Apparently, it's where all the big terrorist groups and jihadists talk with each other. On that website many are expressing joy at the idea of Obama being elected as our next president. Yes, they did this in 2004 as well. But, their words seem to have some form of validity.
Their observations:
--Obama takes out troops increased freedom for recruitment of jihadists,
--interested in talking with Obama about his Muslim stance (considering his Muslim background)
--America is going to collapse if troops are kept fighting jihadists (because of our current economic state) and/or if Americans choose to pull out troops (because the terrorist groups will then expand.)
--Russia--
Russia is (almost?) threatening the United States about the next move they will take in regards to Georgia, nuclear power, etc. How will Mr. Obama handle that situation? How much understanding (and experience) does he have with foreign policy?
Who is Mr. Obama choosing to comprise his "team"? Who does he turn to for advice? What is his relationship with Mr. Biden? Do they agree? Why did he choose Biden?
Where does he stand on our freedoms of speech, religion, (yes, even) right to bear arms? (I think I do want that right, although I do think it is dangerous. But how is a free people to protect themselves from an oppressive government? Not that I would shoot. I have a plan to flee in the woods. "Climb every mountain!")
Isn't this so intriguing? I am now more motivated to know about Obama's policies. I don't know anything (really, frankly) about Bush. I am neutral about Bush. Not so with Obama. I want to know his every inclination so that I am prepared with a wise and readied reaction.
(The Lord has made me an inner-rebel for a reason. Perhaps for such a time as this?!! Probably not, but potentially.)
Maybe that is my/Our wrong in general. I/We should have readied our minds when Bush was coming into his presidency. I know some Americans did, but not the majority. I did not and have not.
Even now, the majority knows nothing. They/I do not know about Obama. Are they willing to research, or do they just follow what sounds nice? What tickles the ears? What "feels" right? Obama is a great orator. He could make anything sound nice. He knows how to carry himself and he knows how to control his speech. He has already wooed the Americans in the first round of the relationship; how will he take it to the next level? Why does he want to be president? What does he want to (ultimately) accomplish during his service as our president?
May we be alert and ready -- not sleeping. May be as wise as serpents and as gentle as lambs.
It is not so much that I am troubled about the coming of Obama. His election came as no surprise to me. He is charismatic, diplomatic, and (as I have heard so many people comment,) "cool." What else would the American people look for? He promises tax cuts, health reform, and pulling troops out of Iraq. While I do not know much, I do know that Bush was not too charismatic, he had trouble speaking properly, and his decisions did not leave people energized or enthused. American citizens want a change. McCain was not that change. He was not a "maverick" in the way he chose to debate or in the stances he chose to take. I have just spent quite a bit of time looking at articles about Obama on the New York Times; I knew about his "trickle down" economics plan, I knew about his plans to pull troops from Iraq, but new realizations have just entered my mind. I will now take the time to express them because I cannot leave them sweltering within my being.
Economics:
All right, so the middle class (SUPPOSEDLY) gets the tax cuts. He has said the tax cuts will go to those who recieve less than 200,000-250,000 a year. The rich will have increased taxes.
My questions:
--where will the middle class/poor choose to spend their money? Will they invest it in order to boost the economy? (No.) A great portion of them will spend it on food, toys, clothes, etc. Will that kind of spending help the economy? Many of them will also be inclined to store it away (I would be in both those camps. Spending on what I need then storing the rest.) But what happens to that stored money? It's not really benefitting the economy.
--if the rich have more taxes to pay, won't they pull back on where they will invest?
--the rich are the ones who were greedy and chose to give loans where there should have been no thought of such things. What has happened to those guys? I heard some still took formerly planned "business trips" to resorts.
--where is the bailout money coming from if the middle class has their taxes cut? The middle class is the "backbone" of this economy. (Correct?) If the majority of people are getting cuts, where will the needed money come from?
--Mr. Obama wants to pull troops from Iraq in order to reposition them in other countries. That requires money.
--He wants to reform health care and give more money to those who are not currently employed and who need health care. Where will that money come from? What will be the consequences for those choices? Who are the people who will qualify?
--Terrorists' Reactions--
I was not aware of this website's existance until this morning: Al-Hesbah. Apparently, it's where all the big terrorist groups and jihadists talk with each other. On that website many are expressing joy at the idea of Obama being elected as our next president. Yes, they did this in 2004 as well. But, their words seem to have some form of validity.
Their observations:
--Obama takes out troops increased freedom for recruitment of jihadists,
--interested in talking with Obama about his Muslim stance (considering his Muslim background)
--America is going to collapse if troops are kept fighting jihadists (because of our current economic state) and/or if Americans choose to pull out troops (because the terrorist groups will then expand.)
--Russia--
Russia is (almost?) threatening the United States about the next move they will take in regards to Georgia, nuclear power, etc. How will Mr. Obama handle that situation? How much understanding (and experience) does he have with foreign policy?
Who is Mr. Obama choosing to comprise his "team"? Who does he turn to for advice? What is his relationship with Mr. Biden? Do they agree? Why did he choose Biden?
Where does he stand on our freedoms of speech, religion, (yes, even) right to bear arms? (I think I do want that right, although I do think it is dangerous. But how is a free people to protect themselves from an oppressive government? Not that I would shoot. I have a plan to flee in the woods. "Climb every mountain!")
Isn't this so intriguing? I am now more motivated to know about Obama's policies. I don't know anything (really, frankly) about Bush. I am neutral about Bush. Not so with Obama. I want to know his every inclination so that I am prepared with a wise and readied reaction.
(The Lord has made me an inner-rebel for a reason. Perhaps for such a time as this?!! Probably not, but potentially.)
Maybe that is my/Our wrong in general. I/We should have readied our minds when Bush was coming into his presidency. I know some Americans did, but not the majority. I did not and have not.
Even now, the majority knows nothing. They/I do not know about Obama. Are they willing to research, or do they just follow what sounds nice? What tickles the ears? What "feels" right? Obama is a great orator. He could make anything sound nice. He knows how to carry himself and he knows how to control his speech. He has already wooed the Americans in the first round of the relationship; how will he take it to the next level? Why does he want to be president? What does he want to (ultimately) accomplish during his service as our president?
May we be alert and ready -- not sleeping. May be as wise as serpents and as gentle as lambs.
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