CHILDREN AND GUNS

“Nationally, guns kill twice as many children and young people as cancer, and five times as many as heart disease.  We see guns as much of a threat to their lives as bacteria and viruses.”   Dr. Judith S. Palfrey, Academy of Peadiatrics, in a report  in the New England Journal of Medicine.

After the Sandy Hooks Elementary School massacre of 20 first grade school children on December 14, 2012 until May 4, 2013, less than 5 months, there were 137 accidental shootings of children and teens, 57 of which were fatal.   These 137 incidents are of children and teens accidentally shot by themselves, by parents, siblings, relatives, friends, neighbors and caregivers, none of these shootings were by strangers.  To view this list of 137 accidental shootings with, names, dates, locations and details go to www.dailykos.com/story/2013/5/05/1206983/-Accidental-Shooting-of-Children.

One of those 137 incidents involved 5 year old Kristian Sparks of Burkesville, Ky who on May 2, 2013 accidentally shot and killed his 2 year old sister Caroline with his .22 caliber “Crickett” rifle he got for his birthday.

Two days after Caroline Sparks was killed by her 5 year old brother Rob Pincus at a home safety seminar of the NRA National Convention recommended parents store their guns in THEIR CHILDREN’S BEDROOM.

The .22 caliber Crickett rifle is manufactured by Keystone Sporting Arms (KSA) who specializes in manufacturing and selling guns designed for children.  KSA began business with four employees and produced 4,000 Crickett rifles in January 1996.  KSA purchased it’s two largest competitors and by 2008 had become the leading rifle supplier in the children market producing 60,000 Crickett and Chipmunk rifles that year. 

At the KSA website there are 8 pages of testimonials which you may read of parents who have purchased Crickett Rifles for their 5, 6  and 7 year old children.

The www.crickett.com website shows a small boy with his dog holding a gun with “Crickett—My First Rifle” in large letters —with an American Flag and the words Made In The USA underneath. The words “Keystone Sporting Arms Quality Firearms For America’s Youth” in large letters are on the webpage along with pictures of three Crickett Rifles.

In 20 states an 8 year old can legally buy and posses a shotgun.

In 22 states an 8 year old can buy a handgun at a gun show.

The U.S. Department of Labor lists some 25 occupations which are declared to be hazardous and anyone 18 years or younger are forbidden to be employed in these occupations.  Minors 14 and 15 years of age may not be employed in some 14 listed occupations deemed to be hazardous and minors under the age of 14 may not be employed or permitted to work.

Americans have enacted laws making it unlawful: (1) for people under a certain age usually 21 years or 18 years to purchase, consume or possess alcoholic beverages (2) for people under 16 or 17 years of age to drive motor vehicles (3) to sell tobacco products to anyone under 18 years of age.

These laws were enacted to protect the lives and health of children from dangerous products, machinery and activities. 

Why do Americans not enact laws to protect the lives of 5-6 and 7 year old children from dangerous guns?

If it is lawful for KSA to manufacture guns and advertise they were made especially for 5-6-and 7 year old children should it be lawful for  Budweiser to manufacture a beer and advertise it was made especially for 5,6 and 7 year old children?

 

REPUBLICAN ROMNEY CARE 2006 (FLIP)  OBAMACARE 2010 (FLOP)

Mitt Romney Republican Governor of Massachusetts in 2006 sponsored and signed into law the first universal health insurance plan in the United States, known as Romneycare.  Romney’s goal was to provide all citizens of Massachusetts affordable health insurance.  

After Romneycare had been in effect five years 98.1% of all adults and 99.8% of all children in Massachusetts had health insurance, compared to 83% nationally and 74% in Texas.  76% of all businesses offered their employees health insurance compared to 70% five years earlier and 60% nationally, The cost of health care premiums for individuals  went down dramatically, for some as much as 40% and on average 18% to 20%. 67% to 84% of Massachusetts residents are happy with Romneycare and would not go back to the old system if given a chance.

Jonathan Gruber a professor of economics at MIT who worked with both Romney and Obama on their respective health plans  said “Overall the Massachusetts reform has gone very well and it’s done everything it was designed to do.” 

Romneycare provides access to healthcare and ultimately healthier, longer lives for 500,000 people in Massachusetts who previously had no health insurance WITHOUT RAISING TAXES.

Barack Obama a Democrat President sponsored and signed into law on March 23, 2010 the first federal health insurance plan in America’s history, known as Obamacare.  Obama’s goal was to provide all Americans the same affordable health care Romney had provided the citizens of Massachusetts and modeled Obamacare after Romneycare.

The Congressional Budget Office, a non partisan group, estimated Obamacare would save Americans $84 billion in health care cost in the next 10 years.

On June 28, 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Obamacare was the law of the land.

Why would the health care industry spend $102.4 million trying to defeat Obamacare? Could it be because Romneycare reduced insurance premiums as much as 40% and  Obamacare would save Americans millions of dollars in health insurance premiums,  millions of dollars now going in the bank accounts of health insurance companies?  

Why didn’t a single Republican Congressman vote for or support Obamacare?

Could it be because Republican Congressmen receive millions of dollars in contributions from the health care industry who oppose Obamacare?  Check the contributor list to your Congressman.

Why are Republicans trying to repeal Obamacare which the Congressional Budget Office says would save Americans $84 billion in health care cost, $84 billion now going in the bank accounts of health insurance companies?

Why did Republican Governor Mitt Romney in 2006 flip on Romneycare which provided  affordable health insurance for 98.1% of all adults, 99.8% of all children, reduce the cost of health insurance premiums as much as 40%, increase the number of businesses who provided their employees health insurance WITHOUT RAISING TAXES for 500,000 citizens of Massachusetts and why did Republican Presidential Candidate/Nominee Mitt Romney in 2011 flop on Obamacare which would have provided the same benefits to 50 million Americans?

Why has the Republican controlled House spent 15% of its time and 55 million taxpayer dollars conducting debates and voting 37 times to repeal Obamacare  (more than one vote a month) ,  knowing  37 times the matter would never be brought up for a vote in the Senate.

Rush Limbaugh said “I hope Obama fails”  and Mitch McConnell added  “My number 1 priority is to make Obama a one term president.”

It is a sad day in America when Republicans are willing to flip for Romneycare and provide 500,000 citizens in Massuchusetts health insurance but flop on Obamacare, modeled after Romneycare, which would provide 50 million Americans affordable health insurance.

A Republican political flip flop just to make President Obama “fail”, a Republican political flip flop to deny 50 million Americans access to affordable healthcare and ultimately healthier and longer lives.

CEO AND WORKERS PAY

Peter Drucker (1909-2005) was one of the world’s best known business consultants, educator and author.   Drucker worked with many major corporations such as GE, Coca-Cola, IBM, Citicorp, Intel and Toyota and served as a consultant for various non profit organizations, often pro bono, such as the Salvation Army, the Girl Scouts, the American Red Cross and C.A.R.E.

Drucker was appalled when the pay of the Fortune 500 CEO’S ballooned to hundreds of times that of the average worker.  In 1984 Drucker wrote that CEO compensation should be no more than 20 times what the rank and file makes and said this was especially true at companies where thousands of employees are being laid off.  “This is morally and socially unforgivable,” Drucker wrote, “and we will pay a heavy price for it.”    Drucker believed excessive CEO pay was bad for business because it undermined teamwork and was poison to a company’s long term health.

According to Bloomberg Businessweek corporations with the highest CEO to worker pay ratio in 2012  were:

J.C. Penny—Ronald Johnson --$53.3 million—CEO/worker pay ratio-- 1,795

Abercrombie & Fitch –Michael Jeffries----$48.1 million--CEO/worker pay ratio-- 1,640

Oracle—Larry Ellison--$96.2million—CEO/worker pay ratio-- 1,287

Starbucks—Howard Schultz--$28.9 million—CEO/worker pay ratio—1,135

The top three highest paid CEO’s in 2012 were Larry Ellison, Oracle-- $96.2 million, Richard Brachen, HCA--$38.6 million, Bob Iger, Disney--$37.1 million.

The top three corporations on the  list of low-wage employers are Wal-Mart one million 400 thousand employees, Yum Brands (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC) with 880,330 employees, and McDonald’s with 859,978 employees.

Currently there is a bill before congress to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 an hour ($290.00 a week, $15,080.00 a year)  to $9.80 an hour by 2014  ($392.00 a week, $20,384.00 a year). 

58% of Republicans and the U.S Chamber of Commerce oppose increasing minimum wages from $7.25 an hour to $9.80 an hour.

Mitch McConnell the Republican Senate Leader since 2007 whose net worth increased from $2- $4.5 million in 2004 to $9-$44 million in 2010 is opposed to increasing the minimum wages from $7.25 an hour to $9.80 an hour.

John Boehner the Republican House leader since 2006 with a net worth of $1,787,113.00 to $5,455,000.00 is opposed to increasing the minimum wages from $7.25 an hour to $9.80 an hour

Voting on the minimum wage bill with McConnell and Boehner will be 257 other members of Congress with a net worth of more than a million dollars.

In 1978 CEO compensation was 26.5 times the average worker pay.

From 1978 to 2011 CEO pay increased 725% while worker pay increased 5.7%.  During that time worker productivity increased 93% according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Polls show that 73% of Americans support increasing minimum wages from $7.25 an hour to $9.80 an hour.

Do you agree with Peter Drucker that it is “morally and socially unforgivable” for corporations like J.C. Penny, Oracle, Starbucks etc to pay their CEO more than $7,250.00 for an hour’s work while paying their workers $7.25 for an hour’s work? (CEO/worker pay ratio 1,000 plus)

Are you concerned that for the past 35 years America’s largest corporations increased their worker’s pay 5.7% while increasing their CEO’S pay 725%?

       

Are you concerned enough about the disparity in workers and CEO’S pay to contact your Congressman and urge him/her to support and vote for the bill raising minimum wages from $7.25 to $9.80 an hour?

POVERTY

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”  Matthew25:35

With fifty million Americans and one in 4 children living in poverty and half of all Americans destined to live in poverty sometime before age 65 it would appear the people and politicians in what is said to be one of the richest countries in the world come up a tad short on the Biblical charge to take care of the poor.

Studies show that poverty adversely affects our economic, social, and culture life.  One study estimated that poverty in 2011 cost our nation $167.5 billion in lost economic productivity.  A 2012 survey of public school teachers by, Share Our Strength No Kid Hungry, shows children living in poverty struggle with poor academic performance, behavior problems and health issues.

The Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance estimates that 560, 000 people in Arkansas are living in poverty and will go to bed tonight with an empty stomach.  One in six of your Arkansas neighbors cannot put food on their table tonight for their family.

People living in Arkansas are fortunate that we have the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance which through various organizations is focused on assisting those living in poverty. The Rice Depot, formed in 1982 with a staff of less than 20 distributes 9 million pounds of foods each year to the poor through some 300 churches and 650 schools.

The Arkansas Foodbank, formed in 1984 distributed 16.3 million pounds of food to the poor through 300 member agencies in 2012.  

The Christian Health Center in Heber Springs provided free medical care and free drug prescriptions to over 600 patients in 2011 and for the year 2012, patients who were living below the poverty level

Cleburne County Cares in Heber Springs distributed over $400,000.00 in money, goods and services to the poor in 2010.

In 2013 the First United Method Church under the leadership of Pastor Tommy Toombs established the Breaking Bread soup kitchen which provides a meal to anyone in need.

With all the local programs and the federal and state programs set up to aid the poor poverty remains widespread and Arkansas and Cleburne County citizens and politicians have many opportunities to assist the poor and disabled.

The following events indicate the federal and Arkansas State governments are reducing not increasing the amount of money to aid those living in poverty:

The sequester which began March 1, 2013 will cut $85 billion in aid for low income Americans.

The Republican controlled House on May 14, 2013 defeated the President’s efforts to

keep $2.5 billion a year in the farm bill for the food stamp program. 

The Republican nominee for President  said “I’m not concerned about the very poor.  We have a safety net there” and later added  “My job is not to worry about those people.  (47% of Americans) I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.”

The Paul Ryan 2014 Republican budget would slash $135 billion over the next 10 years for programs that provide food and aid for low income Americans. 

The Republican controlled Arkansas legislature gave tax cuts to the wealthiest Arkansas taxpayers, reducing the revenue which could be used for aid to the poor by $100 million a year and approved a $125 million corporate welfare bond issue to build a third steel mill near Osceola.

Add up the time and resources you have spent doing the things set out in Matthew 25:35 and give yourself a grade—no cheating please.

Make a list of  the politicians you voted for and underneath his/her name set out the laws he/she sponsored or voted for which improved the quality of life for the poor, the sick, the strangers among us and those who are in prison—in politics some cheating is expected.

 

MEET ALEX JONES

Set out below are some Alex Jones statements he has sent across the United States during the past 17 years  on his daily syndicated radio network of 70 AM FM radio stations based in Austin, Texas.  Jones has repeated and embellished on these statements by writing two books, making 30 films, repeating such statements numerous times at public forums and on his three web sites.

Government can create and steer groups of tornadoes.  If people spotted helicopters and small aircraft in and around the clouds, spraying and doing things—if you saw that, you better bet your bottom dollar the government created the tornado. ( Referring to 2013 Moore, Oklahoma tornado)

Of course there’s weather weapon stuff going on—we had floods in Texas 15 years ago, killed 30 something people in one night. Turned out it was the Air Force.

Insurance companies use weather modification to avoid having to pay ski resorts for lack of snow. 

President George W. Bush planned, controlled and orchestrated the 9/11 attack which killed 3,000 people.

President Bill Clinton was responsible for the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 which killed 168 people, 19 children under 6 years of age, injured 680 and destroyed or damaged 324 buildings in a 16 block area.

President Obama is a “strapping, young Muslim Socialist.”

President Barack Obama is buying up all the ammunition to create a shortage, is gearing up for widespread civil unrest and engaging in an arms race against the American people.

It is only a matter of time before we are living in FEMA concentration camps.

Fluoride should be banned from drinking water because it causes cancer and endocrine disruption.

This thing (Boston Bombings in April 2013) stinks to high heaven #falseflag the FBI has been behind virtually every domestic terror plot in the U.S.

The U.S government coordinated, perpetrated and was involved in the Aurora movie theater shooting, the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, and  the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster.

The U.S. government and big business have colluded to create a New World Order through “manufactured economic crisises,” “sophisticated surveillance technology,” and “inside-job terror attacks.”

NASA filmed fake moon landings “to hide secret technology and the killings of thousands of astronauts.”

Attorney General Janet Reno murdered David Koresh and his followers who were peaceful people.

Has Alex Jones profited from these statements—he has a net worth of over $5 million.

Has the lives of the millions who tune in his broadcasts, read his books and watched his films been filled with a little heart and a lot of brotherhood?

Most importantly has the statements of Alex Jones enriched the lives of all Americans and made this a better place for people to live in peace and hope?

Did the statements of Alex Jones make discussion of political issues more civil and bring Americans closer together or did such statements make debate of public issues impossible and create a bitter division and gridlock?

Have the statements of Alex Jones made it easier or more difficult  for Presidents Bush, Clinton and Obama to do the people’s business as we the people elected them to do?

Did the statements of Alex Jones improve the quality of life for millions of  Americans living in poverty, the millions who are unemployed, the millions who are disabled and the millions who do not have adequate health care?  

Did the statements of Alex Jones make it more difficult or easier for Americans to find solutions to their problems –guns, jobs, taxes, unemployment, immigration, and education?

How many young people have been inspired to devote their lives to public service by the statements of Alex Jones?

H.L Menken said:  “The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.”

Is Alex Jones  a “daring liar” or “telling the truth”?