Hypocrisy

My wife and I enjoy frequenting coffee shops. We often sit outside, like we are currently doing on this beautiful, untypically mild Texas July evening.  As we sit here sipping our coffee, stairing out at the city night life, listening to the rush of water around us, people merry in conversation, an interesting observation came to us.    It seems like it’s never too hard to get a good cup of joe.  The local coffee shops, chains and even McDonald’s continually offer satisfying java.  One place has failed us though… our church.  It’s always watered down, sometimes even tasting like pure H2O.  It’s actually quite sad.  Even the traditionally robust Starbucks French Roast is watered down.  So our conclusion:  our church is lying to us.  They present this French Roast brew in an attractive stainless steel thermos…ready to be poured into one’s cup and consumed with delight.  However, at the first sip, you soon realize you have been deceived.  What is one to do?  We are perplexed.  We have a wonderful church, awesome pastors, inspiring worship, great people and friends….just about everything you could ask for. But man, the coffee stinks.  What does this say about our church?  How can a church deceive their congregants like this?  I guess I will continue the charade myself and drink several cups tomorrow as I do every week, smiling and drinking the worst cup of joe I will have all week.  Lisa will continue to hold out hope that something has been done about this hypocrisy and take a sip or two of my coffee and turn her nose up at it once again.  If any of the pastors or whoever is in charge of the coffee get wind of this complaint, don’t get any ideas; we don’t plan on making the coffee ourselves.  See ya Sunday!

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

–Robert Frost

 

What really made all the difference is the insight shared in lines two and three. 

And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood

We often try to travel two roads living two lives.  We fail to recognize being one traveler is the only way to be a whole person.  You cannot travel both roads, it will destroy you.  The reality is if you think you are traveling both roads you really aren’t you have just chosen poorly.  You have chosen the road more traveled.

 

 

 

Republicans shouldn’t be too excited

RASMUSSEN POLL: McCain Leads By Double Digits:
McCain 51% Clinton 41%
McCain 49% Obama 42% 
 

I don’t think these numbers mean much right now.  Let’s see what the numbers look like when there is only one Democratic candidate.  

William F. Buckley

Mrs. Clinton hasn’t a clue about economics

Classic Senator Clinton on the economy.   Article here.

“We also have to reward work more,” Clinton told a small group of Ohio residents today. “and by that, I mean, I have people in New York working on Wall Street as investment managers, as hedge fund executives. Under the tax code, they can pay a lower percentage of their income in taxes on $50 million dollars, than a teacher, or a nurse, or a truck driver in Parma pays on $50,000. That’s very discouraging to people.”

You just feel like, ‘wait a minute. I’m working as hard as I can.’ All those people you see in your law office. They’re working as hard as they can and they feel like they’re just getting further and further behind,” Clinton said. 

Excuse me, the president doesn’t set wages.  How much control do you really think the president has Senator Clinton?  Give me a break.  She would be a colossal disaster.

So who really pays taxes?  Check out the numbers.

Projected Share of Individual Income Taxes and Income in 2005 (U.S. Treasury Estimate)

	Top 1%	Top 5%	Top 10%	Top 25%	Top 50%	Bottom 50%
Percent of Income Taxes	33.7	54.1	65.8	83.6	96.4	3.6
Percent of Income	16.5	31.0	42.1	64.7	86.1	13.9

Bring on the Cubans!

Can we get an end to the embargo now?  I mean really this has been a failed policy.  Lets open up trade and let some good old American consumerism end the Castro reign of terror.

flatus expelled through the anus

This story is dedicated to that poor band director who took the blame for all of your farts.  You know who you are!

 Camden Middle school issues ban on intentional flatulence.  Read the story here.

“Strange, but true, thanks to a bunch of 8th grade boys, intentional farting has been banned from CRMS,” the newsletter said. “It started out as a funny joke and eventually turned into a game. This is the first rule at CRMS that prevents the use of natural bodily functions. The penalty for intentional farting is a detention, so keep it to yourself!”

Jonah Goldberg

@ The Corner makes a good point.

But this disaster talk leaves me cold. McCain wouldn’t be my first pick. Then again, none of the candidates were really my first pick. But I think the notion that, variously, conservatism, the country or the party are doomed if he’s the nominee or the president is pretty absurd.

I don’t know how “healthy” a McCain presidency might be for conservatives but I agree a lot of the hysteria is not necessary and actually myopic.   The president is only one person in our government.  Powerful, too powerful, but still just one person. 

Green “Disparate Impact”

Thomas Sowell’s article here.

Skyrocketing housing prices are forcing out families with children, as well as blacks and other people with low or even moderate incomes.

What could be causing this?  Is that just the way it is in California, expensive housing means few lower income families?  Has it always been like this?

Prior to 1970, California housing prices were very similar to housing prices in the rest of the country. In more recent times, it has not been uncommon for California homes to cost three times what homes cost nationwide.

The main cause is open space laws. 

In other words, they can keep out the less affluent people — or, as they put it, “preserve the character of the community” — while benefiting themselves economically in the name of green idealism.

If this was something George Bush did we would call it racism, but because it is done by those on the left they get a pass.

When a business sets standards or policies with adverse effects that fall disproportionately on minorities, courts call that a “disparate impact” and equate it with discrimination.

Ronald Reagan and Ron Paul