We Can Only Hope

I know I have mentioned before that Congress is the governmental body everyone should be looking at right now, wondering what happened. An email from one of Hugh Hewitt's fans does a great job of detailing who should be held accountable and who should resign or be fired. I also love the part about how quickly members of Congress call for someone else's resignation without turning that analysis on themselves at all. I also hope Hugh Hewitt is correct about the focus and attitude of the country shifting with regard to Congress. I actually would not mind if Sen. Obama became President, as long as both Houses of Congress were over half full of responsible, intelligent individuals. Nothing scares me like Sen. Obama as President and the Democrats (Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Reid) leading both houses of Congress. No matter what the perception, Congress is still the strongest branch of government, as it should be. Unfortunately, I think its 9% approval rating is richly deserved, and I am talking about both Democrats and Republicans.

Chilling

This article from Terence Jeffrey is chilling. I am sorry, but anyone gone that far in arguing for abortion rights has lost all sense of decency, justice and humanity. The facts with this article would be very hard to argue since it would all be publicly available with the Illinois legislature.

Prosperity Theology

This article by R. Albert Mohler, Jr. provides a much-needed perspective. I have been meaning to post on something like this idea for quite a while, so this article gives me a great reason to do so. Also, I am going to make my comments from an "LDS perspective." The idea of "prosperity" is very common in the LDS church, based on certain references in the Book of Mormon linking prosperity to obedience. The problem with this idea has many facets. First, the Lord does not consider "prosperity" to be having a lot of worldly possessions and status. Second, LDS people "know" they are members of the only true and living church, which only feeds into this idea that obedience to the Lord's commandments will bring material prosperity. There are way too many stories and suggestions that paying your tithing will mean you are blessed with material prosperity. It is simply not completely true. Sometimes it may be true depending on the individual and what the Lord determines is best for that individual, but generally speaking, material prosperity is not promised by Scripture and any indication otherwise should be considered the exception and not the rule. Also, I think most people tend to associate being "blessed" in any way with attaining some material benefit. I think this only shows our tendency toward material matters as opposed to spiritual. Clearly, our focus should be on spiritual matters.

Patience and Confidence

As anyone who is paying attention will tell you, the financial markets are still in a free-fall. From what I have read so far today, including this article, this should not be a surprise. Congress did not exactly act quickly to try and dispell fears with the market, and even after passing the bill, everyone, including the market, knows it will take some time to implement the programs. The market will not bounce back immediately upon passage of the bill. Another thing that bothers me about the market, and economics in general, is that it seems to be a confidence game as much as anything. The article I have linked has another link directed toward today's drop in the market stating "Stock Drop 'Strictly a Matter of Confidence.'" Apparently, all the "market" needs is a little confidence and it will rebound. Of course, I have read another opinion that one more factor the market may be considering is the real possibility that Sen. Obama, and Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, is elected and we end up with the most liberal government in history. The market may be reacting to that possibility by getting out of the market. Would the damage to the market, and the savings and 401(k) losses, have been better or worse without the passage of the bill. We may never know. I for one am glad Congress did pass the bill. Again, is it a good bill? NO IT IS NOT. It is a terrible bill, but it is the bill for having a Congress (Democrat and Republican) determined to enforce political correctness in the financial markets, and moreover the bill we pay for having a representative government (puns intended). Also, I would have to say that I am a bit worried about what would happen if the Democrats have a firm control of the White House and both houses of Congress. Generally, I believe the country and the Constitution to be pretty strong, but that much liberal ideology may be very tough to survive. Sort of like getting chemo for cancer when you really need diet and exercise. If you do not like the way the government is being run, get new people in there. I know that is easier said than done, but it is what needs to happen. We need people that are going to reward honesty and hard work, and punish fraud and deceit. Not to mention politicians that might actually put the good of the people they represent ahead of their own careers. Frankly, I am not going to hold my breath.

Ethics Makes a Comeback

At least I hope that would be the headline in a few months. Ken Connor provides a great article that gets to the root of the problem, and it is not surprising to find dishonesty and greed at the root. We can all talk a lot about the problem a market may have, or the problems with the "system" or "politics," but the real problem comes from dishonesty and greed, individually and collectively. It does make perfect sense. Until the root problem is fixed, no action (or inaction) will fix the problem. We can bailout the market, or not bailout the market, but until we demand honesty and transparency in the financial market, and actively prosecute fraud, we will end up right back where we are right now. And again, we need to address is collectively and individually.

Worth the Read

The article by A. Scott Loveless should be read by everyone (HT: Prof. Hugh Hewitt, so it probably has been read by just about everyone). I will warn you that it is a long article, but well worth the time and effort to read. I say "effort" because there are some relatively deep principles discussed in the article, but the understanding received by reading it is worth the effort. The explanation of the principles described in the Declaration of Independence is very important for anyone who really wants to understand the problem with same-sex marriage. The article is a great example of the importance of fighting and winning the "culture war." The bottom line is that we have lost our perspective on the true source of our individual rights and liberties, our responsibilities to each other, and ultimately our ability to experience and enjoy true freedom.

Weak Government and Small Men

That is a good summary of this article by Michael Gerson. One of the things I like about this article is that it does a good job of explaining the real problem. Politicians putting their political career and self-interests ahead of the reality of the problem. Yes indeed, Republicans and Democrats are to blame for the incredible lack of any progress, or much of anything, from an aptly titled "do nothing" Congress. I know the market was up yesterday, and only slightly down to begin with today, but I dare say it is going to crater again if a bill does not get passed by the end of this week.