Passing a bill without voting on it; Gov. dependency grows; riots in Greece; Biden and Israel

1) Morning Bell: Obamacare at Any Cost …With no votes piling up, and “yes” votes materializing, the Democratic plans to shove Obamacare down the throats of the American people are becoming more and more desperate. This Monday, the House Budget Committee will begin markup on the new reconciliation bill even though actual legislative text does not exist for it yet. The Democrats plan to pass a shell of a bill through the appropriate committees so that the Rules Committee can then substitute the bill that is being drafted completely behind closed doors by the White House and Senate and Democrat leaders. Politico reports that despite the Parliamentarian’s initial verbal ruling, they will press on with their Slaughter Rule plan to pass the Senate bill without voting on it. NRO’s Yuval Levin quips: “Democratic leaders should be asking themselves just how they have gotten to the point that their strategy is to amend a law that doesn’t exist yet by passing a bill without voting on it (emphasis mine).” But President Obama’s progressive base is way past rational thought when it comes to health care. They want it passed at any cost. And as George Will pointed out yesterday, the very essence of progressivism sublimates the democratic process to the rule of experts in Washington. No one can say if this bill will finally pass, but if it does, it is abundantly clear that our republican form of government will be permanently damaged by it. See: http://blog.heritage.org/2010/03/12/morning-bell-obamacare-at-any-cost 2) Bush's union transparency rules retracted under Obama The Obama administration promised increased transparency in government but has rolled back rules proposed by the Bush administration that expanded the financial disclosure statements required of labor unions and their leaders. Since President Obama took office, the Labor Department has rescinded or delayed three sets of rules proposed by the George W. Bush administration that would have required unions and their leaders to more specifically detail their finances, according to a review of records by The Washington Times. The rules were rolled back while the Obama administration was seeking more stringent regulation of corporate America, including banks, insurance companies, health care providers and publicly traded companies. …Former Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, one of the architects of the expanded Bush rules, said the Obama administration is "making a mockery of the regulations" and is giving "preferential treatment" to the unions. "This administration is not enforcing laws on union transparency and democracy," Ms. Chao told The Times. "They are telling unions that they don't have to comply." See: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/mar/11/bushs-union-transparency-rules-retracted-under-oba/ 3) Obama’s Second Circuit Nominee Another Radical? Judge Robert N. Chatigny -- President Obama’s new nominee for the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals -- ruled against a state sex offender registry while in a District Court, and as judge also scolded and threatened a lawyer, whose client consented to execution while on death row, with negligence for his client. In 2001, Judge Chatigny declared public access to the Connecticut state sex offender registry to be unconstitutional, violating the due-process rights of offenders to prove in a hearing that they were not dangerous before they were listed publicly as sex offenders. His controversial decision was eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 9-0 vote. According to a previous HUMAN EVENTS report by Fred Lucas, Judge Chatigny also sentenced a man who traded child pornography online to six months in prison, when guidelines called for a sentence of 15 to 21 months. See: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=35965 4) Roberts: Scene at State of Union `very troubling' TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said Tuesday the scene at President Obama's State of the Union address was "very troubling" and the annual speech has "degenerated to a political pep rally." Obama chided the court, with the justices seated before him in their black robes, for its decision on a campaign finance case. Responding to a University of Alabama law student's question, Roberts said anyone was free to criticize the court, and some have an obligation to do so because of their positions. "So I have no problems with that," he said. "On the other hand, there is the issue of the setting, the circumstances and the decorum. "The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court — according the requirements of protocol — has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling." See: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gyvfRvSPtr5INaLpoyt0_bd8V0AwD9EBCSAG0 5) Government Dependency Grows As “Non-paying” Taxpayers Hits Record Level The Tax Foundation recently released its annual report on the number of tax returns filed that have no tax liability, and the study shows a record number of “nonpayers” in 2008. Taxpayers become “non-payers” when credits and deductions wipe out any income tax they owe. According to the Tax Foundation report, of the more than 142 million returns filed in 2008, almost 52 million have no tax liability. That means more than 36 percent of tax filers paid no income taxes in 2008 – a new record high. This was a steep increase over 2007 when fewer than 33 percent of filers paid no taxes. As the table below shows, the growth of non-payers is a long-term trend that has been accelerating in recent years. For instance, 21 percent of taxpayers were non-payers in 1990. The amount of income that a family can earn and still be non-payers is also alarming. In 2010, a family of four can earn up to $51,000 and still pay no income taxes. Not only do a record number of taxpayer’s pay no taxes, but many of them actually receive cash payments through the tax code because of refundable credits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit. According to the Tax Foundation, cash payments from these two credits alone totaled over $70 billion. President Obama’s policies will add to the numbers of non-payers and the amount of income redistributed because he wants to expand and add even more refundable credits. See: http://blog.heritage.org/2010/03/11/government-dependency-grows-as-non-paying-taxpayers-hits-record-level 6) How Risky is Driving a Toyota? …But just how dangerous was it to drive around in a recalled Toyota? Statistically speaking, not very says Carnegie Mellon Professor and risk expert Paul Fischbeck. He calculated the unintended acceleration increased the risk of driving only 2 percent. To put this in perspective Fischbeck said, “Walking a mile is 19 times or 1,900 percent more dangerous than driving a mile in a recalled Toyota. Driving while using a cell phone would increase risk much more than the chance of having a stuck accelerator. The stuck accelerator problem does make driving riskier and needs to be fixed. But at the same time, the increased risk is very small.” So when Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood responded to the Toyota recalls by saying, “stop driving it”, hopefully he didn’t mean to walk instead. See: http://blog.heritage.org/2010/03/11/how-risky-is-driving-a-toyota 7) Greece rocked by riots as up to 60,000 people take to streets to protest against government Street clashes broke out between rioting youths and police in central Athens today as tens of thousands demonstrated during a nationwide strike against the cash-strapped government. Hundreds of masked and hooded youths punched and kicked motorcycle police, knocking several off their bikes, as police responded with volleys of tear gas and stun grenades. The violence spread after the end of the march to a nearby square, where police faced off with stone-throwing anarchists and suffocating clouds of tear gas sent patrons scurrying from open-air cafes. …Organisers said some 60,000 people took part in the protest. But an unofficial police estimate set the crowd at around 20,000 - including those that took part in a separate, peaceful march earlier Thursday. Police do not issue official crowd estimates for demonstrations. Thursday's strike - the second in a week - brought the country to a virtual standstill, grounding all flights and bringing public transport to a halt. See: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1257243/Greek-riots-Up-60-000-people-streets-protest-government.html 8) Netanyahu: I thought apology to Biden was sufficient Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he thought his apology to Joe Biden over the ill-timed announcement of east Jerusalem construction was sufficient and believed the matter was closed Speaking to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Netanyahu said he believed the apology was adequate especially as it was personally coordinated with Biden himself. The PM's remarks came several hours after he was harshly reprimanded on the phone by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Following the crisis vis-à-vis the US Administration, Netanyahu decided to convene the forum of top seven government ministers Saturday night to discuss the issue. In his conversation with Italy's and Germany's leaders, Netanyahu emphasized that Israel's construction policy in Jerusalem has not changed from what it was under previous governments (emphasis mine). You mean like, building in THEIR OWN LAND?!?!!? He added that any peace initiative ever proposed by Israel or the US always stipulated that Jewish neighborhoods in east Jerusalem, such as Gilo, Ramot, and Ramat Shlomo, will remain under Israeli sovereignty. See: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3862046,00.html 8a) Are America and Israel drifting apart? The Post asked former officials and policy experts whether there is a divide between the Obama administration and the Jewish state. Below are responses from Elliott Abrams, David Makovsky, Aaron David Miller, Danielle Pletka, and Hussein Agha and Robert Malley. ELLIOTT ABRAMS Senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations The current friction in U.S.-Israel relations has one source: the mishandling of those relations by the Obama administration. Poll data show that Israel is as popular as ever among Americans. Strategically we face the same enemies -- such as terrorism and the Iranian regime -- a fact that is not lost on Americans who know we have one single reliable, democratic ally in the Middle East. …On settlements, the Obama administration demanded a 100 percent construction freeze, including in Jerusalem, something never required before even by the Palestinians as a precondition for negotiations. This stance cornered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who could demand no less, and led the U.S. administration last week to "condemn" the announcement of plans for Israeli construction that is years away. The verb "condemn" is customarily reserved by U.S. officials for acts of murder and terrorism -- not acts of housing (emphasis mine). See: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/12/AR2010031203570.html?hpid=opinionsbox1 9) Calif. Megachurch Seeks Dismissal from PC(USA) A Presbyterian megachurch will begin a series of town hall meetings this weekend as the congregation moves toward severing ties with their denominational family. Community Presbyterian Church in Danville, Calif., already initiated the process to be dismissed from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). It will use the next six months for discussions and prayer as it discerns its future path. The megachurch began evaluating the future theological direction of the PC(USA) 16 months ago, recognizing that current trends in the denomination did not align with their core beliefs. …"Biblical Authority is the primary issue," the church explained. "Over the years, increasingly unique interpretations of Scripture has had a ripple affect and has called into question foundational Christian beliefs such as the Lordship of Christ, the place of Scripture in church discipline, Jesus Christ as the only means of salvation and Biblical teaching on marriage." …Dozens of churches have left the PC(USA), citing the denomination's liberal direction on scriptural authority and homosexuality. Most recently, the 2008 General Assembly, the denomination's highest governing body, approved a proposal to delete from its constitution a requirement that clergy live in "fidelity within the covenant of marriage between and a man and a woman, or chastity in singleness." The measure, however, failed to receive the required majority approval from the 173 presbyteries. See: http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100227/presbyterian-megachurch-moves-forward-with-cutting-ties/index.html …Along those same lines, here are some excerpts from a letter that my husband and I wrote to our own Church: 9a) Letter to Blanchard Alliance Church: Re: Obama, Evil, and the Church's Role …But during his message, Pastor Ron mentioned Chinese Christian missionaries to Israel who advise other Christians not to pray against China’s communist dictatorship because persecution causes the Church to flourish. Immediately my mind went to the verse, “Shall I do evil that good may result? May it never be!” I (Jeanette Ward) thought of the prayer that delivered Peter from the jailer’s cell. I thought of God’s anger at his people when He wanted to set them free, but instead they wished to return to slavery in Egypt; apparently longing for the “community” that they shared making bricks for the Egyptian Pharaoh. While I was still pondering these things, Pastor Ron continued, “I tire of Christians railing against the Obama administration. This attitude is not compatible with the character of Jesus Christ.” I began thinking about the things that Jesus did and said that perhaps Pastor Ron would say “aren’t compatible with” Jesus’ character: Overturning the money changers tables in the temple? “Railing” against the Pharisees as “white-washed tombs full of dead men‘s bones“, “sons of hell“, “hypocrites“, “blind guides“, “like their father, the devil”, “blind fools”, “snakes”, and “brood of vipers”? Saying “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” and “let him who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one“? Calling Herod a “fox”? Isn’t our Jesus the one whose eyes are a burning fire—who will clear His threshing floor and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire? I thought of John the Baptist, who publicly “railed against” Herod (a political leader) for having his brother’s wife, and was beheaded for it. Ought not we to oppose publicly someone who advocates murdering millions of unborn babies in the name of “healthcare”, and forces Christians to pay for it? Who encourages “what is vile to be celebrated among men” - with his support of open homosexuality in the military and otherwise? Who tramples on the rule of law as laid out so painstakingly by our CHRISTIAN forebears? I thought of Elijah with Ahab and Jezebel. Was it incompatible with the character of God, and by extension of Christ, to publicly oppose them? Elijah apparently did not believe so. And would it be wrong for the people of Israel, filled with righteous fervor for the law of God, to rise up and speak out against King Manassah when he caused his children to pass through fire? I thought about all the times David (who was called “a man after God’s own heart”) prayed against evil men and had some “railing” things to say about them, like: - “My prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers” - “Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety” - “Oh that you would slay the wicked, Oh God” - “Do I not hate those who hate You, Oh Lord?” - “I have nothing but hatred from them, I count them my enemies.” - “I hate those who cling to worthless idols” - “I hate double-minded men, but I love your law” - “When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him.” …In Pastor Ron’s own words- -We tire of Christian leaders who refuse to acknowledge evil when it is right in front of them; who live with their heads either so far under the ground, or so high in the clouds that they pretend that nothing in the news or in the political arena can ever affect them. -We tire of Christian leaders who consider it their duty to publicly criticize fellow Christians who would expose evil rather than to support and join them in the struggle. -We tire of Christian leaders who twist or cherry pick Scripture in order to support a popular religious caricature of Christ that is perceived to be more socially acceptable. -We tire of Christian leaders who do not recognize that they live in one of the most God blessed nations in all human history; a nation founded on liberty - perhaps the most foundational of all values to God. -We tire of Christian leaders that do not wake each day thankful that God placed them in this free and prosperous nation where they can preach the gospel freely and send missionaries all around the world however they choose. No other nation in history has ever come close to the generosity of America. But instead of celebrating the blessings of God, and recognizing the sacrifice of all those who secured those blessings; the leaders seem to pretend that they somehow live outside this country- in some mythical, heavenly country. They then rush to point out all the perceived failures of their country that don’t measure up to their utopian ideal. This frees them to wash their hands from any responsibility for this filthy country, lest they become defiled by it. “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man” and “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil”. If Blanchard Alliance Church ever closes its doors, America will not notice; but if America descends into despotism (Obama’s utopia), Blanchard will go down with it. But just like the Chinese missionaries, perhaps they wanted to go back to Egypt anyway. We’ve discussed this particular sermon and similar issues with both pastors at Blanchard, and have been told that we need to “agree to disagree”, as if these are trivial issues and not foundational differences. Being able to recognize good from evil is foundational. "Are you a teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?" The character of Christ was one that was 100% concerned with what the Father was doing. "the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner." And "I and the Father are one". The Father (the author of the Law) was very concerned with good and evil and never tip toed around these politically incorrect issues; neither did His prophets or His Son. The reason that many Christians in your congregation "rail" against the Obama administration is that they actually read their Bible and can discern good from evil. They see evil and they expose it, so that others may not be ignorant of it and vote for it. It’s not that they don’t believe God is sovereign, but they don’t use that as an excuse abdicate their Christian responsibility to shine a light and to be salt to the world. I suppose it would be wrong, according to your teaching, to speak out against the Antichrist, since he is a political leader. Will you have no problem taking the mark of the beast so as not to offend the other Christians in line? -Besides, since God is sovereign, he’ll surely miraculously deliver you from having to make that difficult choice, right? Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children.” Our hearts break looking out at the lost sheep in your congregation as they listen Sunday after Sunday to sermons that confuse and mislead about what the Bible really says concerning the true nature of God the Father and the character of His Son Jesus Christ. An increasing number of “evangelicals” don't know what the Bible says, don't read their Bible, and are not encouraged to do so. There is an increasing fear and/or frustration among church leaders with those Christians that actually read the whole Bible and interpret it for themselves. These “unruly Christians” cannot be as easily blown about by every false doctrinal wind. Regarding whether Christians are to talk about politics or not, consider that over 80% of the Old Testament deals with nations, kings, and peoples; and judges them all as either good or evil. In essence, all it does is speak about politics. In the New Testament, consider that the Pharisees and the Sadducees were as much political parties as religious sects. The fascist Pharisees and the socialist Sadducees not to mention the puppet King Herod brought forth Jesus’ harshest words (completely “incompatible with His character“). His answer to all of them was freedom: liberty. This is not freedom from responsibility, but freedom to be responsible. In conclusion, consider: Ezekiel 13:10-15,22: “Because they lead my people astray, saying, Peace, when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash, therefore tell those who cover it with whitewash that it is going to fall. Rain will come in torrents, and I will send hailstones hurtling down, and violent winds will burst forth. When the wall collapses, will people not ask you, Where is the whitewash you covered it with? 'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: In my wrath I will unleash a violent wind, and in my anger hailstones and torrents of rain will fall with destructive fury. I will tear down the wall you have covered with whitewash and will level it to the ground so that its foundation will be laid bare. When it falls, you will be destroyed in it; and you will know that I am the LORD. So I will spend my wrath against the wall and against those who covered it with whitewash. I will say to you, The wall is gone and so are those who whitewashed it, those prophets of Israel who prophesied to Jerusalem and saw visions of peace for her when there was no peace, declares the Sovereign LORD. ' …“Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life.” See: http://christianconservativeresistance.blogspot.com/2010/02/letter-to-blanchard-alliance-church-re.html