Atif Mian and Amir Sufi say that holding people accountable for their student loans is unfair. They say that principal balances should be tied to the unemployment rate. They say, "Even when the job market plummets, student loans have the same principal balance and require the same interest payment. Debt does not adjust, even though the economic circumstances of the graduates have changed dramatically." They say this places an unfair burden on young Americans, and they are talking about forgiving approximately 60% of those loan balances.
Gee, it would be nice if all my debts were adjusted according to some arbitrary scale, too. Let's see, I could go buy a car, run up some credit card debt, maybe even build a swimming pool, knowing that if the numbers were right, I could get a large portion of my principal balances wiped out. But remember, somebody has to pay, and what's unfair is to expect me to pay a debt I didn't incur.
Let's face it -- a large portion of those student loans went to people who were going to school as a means of making a living while indulging in the partying lifestyle. I don't care to contribute to that.
"Making the case for student loan indexing." The Dallas Morning News; June 2, 2014; p. 13A.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Friday, June 6, 2014
What country is this?
The public notice announcing the run-off election for PJC regents was in the newspaper Monday. The heading on the notice was:
AVISO DE ELECCIONES para la SEGUNDA RONDA ELECTORAL
No English translation. I at first thought maybe this was just a required notice for Spanish speakers, but not so -- there was not another notice in the paper, and the rest of this notice had both Spanish and English.
What country is this, anyway?
Thursday, June 5, 2014
There is a way . . .
Charlotte Coyle, one of our local pastors, I guess in an attempt to be accepting and politically correct, wrote a piece for the newspaper. I knew it was going to be a winner before I read even one word she had written. The newspaper head read, "No right way to believe." Sorry Ms. Coyle, but that's not what the Scripture says.
The Scripture says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death."
Samuel said, ". . . I will teach you the good and the right way."
Ezra said, "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance."
Speaking of false prophets, Peter said they ". . .have forsaken the right way."
Ms. Coyle says that Christ's Church as a body will only function well when there is a wide range of differences. That's not exactly scriptural. The Bible says the church should be of one mind. The Apostle Paul used this phrase frequently -- just one example: "that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." God never said everybody having a different doctrine was OK -- when He spoke of diversity, he was speaking of diversity of gifts.
Ms. Coyle says "there is no one right way to believe; there is no one right way to behave; there is no one right way to be a Christian." I beg to differ as did the Apostle John when he said, "He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already." I beg to differ as did the Apostle Paul when he said, ". . . that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." I beg to differ as did the Lord Jesus when He said, "I am the way the truth and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me."
I may not be a pastor and have the religious education that Ms. Coyle does, but I do know a little about what the Scripture says, and when someone says something that is contrary, God usually gives me a little nudge that makes me think, "That doesn't sound right." When we get those little nudges, we need to check it out and then speak out.
"No right way to believe." The Dallas Morning News; May 23, 2014; p. A5.
The Scripture says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death."
Samuel said, ". . . I will teach you the good and the right way."
Ezra said, "Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance."
Speaking of false prophets, Peter said they ". . .have forsaken the right way."
Ms. Coyle says that Christ's Church as a body will only function well when there is a wide range of differences. That's not exactly scriptural. The Bible says the church should be of one mind. The Apostle Paul used this phrase frequently -- just one example: "that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." God never said everybody having a different doctrine was OK -- when He spoke of diversity, he was speaking of diversity of gifts.
Ms. Coyle says "there is no one right way to believe; there is no one right way to behave; there is no one right way to be a Christian." I beg to differ as did the Apostle John when he said, "He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already." I beg to differ as did the Apostle Paul when he said, ". . . that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." I beg to differ as did the Lord Jesus when He said, "I am the way the truth and the life, and no man cometh unto the Father but by me."
I may not be a pastor and have the religious education that Ms. Coyle does, but I do know a little about what the Scripture says, and when someone says something that is contrary, God usually gives me a little nudge that makes me think, "That doesn't sound right." When we get those little nudges, we need to check it out and then speak out.
"No right way to believe." The Dallas Morning News; May 23, 2014; p. A5.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Economic Ruin
"Supposing I'm wrong or scientists are wrong -- 97 percent of them all wrong -- supposing they are. What's the worst that can happen?" ~Secretary of State John Kerry on benefits from limiting greenhouse gases even if climate change is not occurring.
I'd like to answer that question for the honorable Mr. Kerry. What's the worst that can happen? Economic meltdown when regulations force fossil fuel businesses out or cause their prices to rise so high we can't afford them.
Economic meltdown when we've run them out of business without having developed all those iffy things like wind farms (which erode the soil and could cause another Dust Bowl), electric cars (which nobody wants and which require a nuclear or fossil fuel source for charging the batteries), and solar panels (The White House recently installed enough solar panels to power six 50-watt bulbs for 20 hours each day if the sun is shining -- we don't know how much the panels and installation cost, because Obama won't tell us. He brags that the panels were American made and installed by American companies, but he won't say which ones. My translation of this is that the panels cost many times the money they will save, and Obama financial supporters have connections to the companies that manufactured and installed the panels.).
Economic meltdown when we can't transport food and other goods to the places where people need them. We can watch this country implode while the climate keeps doing what it's done for thousands of years. But we can pat ourselves on the back for not leaving a carbon footprint while we're doing it!
Does that answer your question, Mr. Kerry?
"Talking Points." The Dallas Morning News; May 25, 2014; p. 1P.
I'd like to answer that question for the honorable Mr. Kerry. What's the worst that can happen? Economic meltdown when regulations force fossil fuel businesses out or cause their prices to rise so high we can't afford them.
Economic meltdown when we've run them out of business without having developed all those iffy things like wind farms (which erode the soil and could cause another Dust Bowl), electric cars (which nobody wants and which require a nuclear or fossil fuel source for charging the batteries), and solar panels (The White House recently installed enough solar panels to power six 50-watt bulbs for 20 hours each day if the sun is shining -- we don't know how much the panels and installation cost, because Obama won't tell us. He brags that the panels were American made and installed by American companies, but he won't say which ones. My translation of this is that the panels cost many times the money they will save, and Obama financial supporters have connections to the companies that manufactured and installed the panels.).
Economic meltdown when we can't transport food and other goods to the places where people need them. We can watch this country implode while the climate keeps doing what it's done for thousands of years. But we can pat ourselves on the back for not leaving a carbon footprint while we're doing it!
Does that answer your question, Mr. Kerry?
"Talking Points." The Dallas Morning News; May 25, 2014; p. 1P.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Who's missing?
Coverage for the National Day of Prayer in Collin County consisted of three photographs:
http://www.csldallas.org/index.php/about-us/what-we-believe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVQg2hlHbNQ
"Playing and Praying." The Dallas Morning News; May 5, 2014; p. 3B.
- Y. L. Ling. Executive director for the central region of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation.
- Davinder Singh of Richardson. I didn't know what he was, but he has a long beard and a turban and a Youtube video that's a little creepy. I googled the address on the banner behind him on the video, and it is Akaljot Gurdwara. A Gurdwara is a Sikh center of worship.
- Dorayne Breedlove. Kook. You can read about what her beliefs are at her website -- it's something like "God is in everything and we are God and we will all be God." Here's a couple of direct quotes: "The manifest universe is the body of God, it is the logical and necessary outcome of the infinite self-knowingness of God." . . ."We believe the ultimate goal of life to be a complete emancipation from all discord of every nature, and that this goal is sure to be attained by all."
http://www.csldallas.org/index.php/about-us/what-we-believe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVQg2hlHbNQ
"Playing and Praying." The Dallas Morning News; May 5, 2014; p. 3B.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Christophobic bigots allowed to spew hate speech.
John Netto is a Christophobic bigot. He is intolerant of views that differ from his own. He is currently spewing his hate speech at Utah Governor Gary Herbert.
What has Governor Herbert done that is so horrendous in Netto's warped view of the world? Herbert has said that he will uphold the laws of Utah as he swore to do when he took his oath of office. It just so happens that Netto doesn't like some of Utah's laws, and in his intolerant tirade he calls Herbert uneducated.
Netto is not just a Christophobic bigot, he is a lying ignorant Christophobic bigot. He said, "To suggest that allowing gay marriage is the foundation of anarchy, to us, is hate speech." Herbert never said that allowing gay marriage is the foundation to anarchy (though I believe it definitely ranks in the top three foundations of anarchy). Here is what Herbert actually said, "For elected officials, governors or attorney generals (sic), to pick and choose what laws [they] will enforce, I think, is a tragedy and is the next step to anarchy." And he is exactly right. Perhaps Netto is the one in need of some education, particularly in the area of vocabulary words such as "anarchy."
Stand strong, Governor Herbert -- there are still many of us out here who believe just like you do.
"Governor's remarks blasted." The Dallas Morning News; May 25, 2014; p. 12A.
What has Governor Herbert done that is so horrendous in Netto's warped view of the world? Herbert has said that he will uphold the laws of Utah as he swore to do when he took his oath of office. It just so happens that Netto doesn't like some of Utah's laws, and in his intolerant tirade he calls Herbert uneducated.
Netto is not just a Christophobic bigot, he is a lying ignorant Christophobic bigot. He said, "To suggest that allowing gay marriage is the foundation of anarchy, to us, is hate speech." Herbert never said that allowing gay marriage is the foundation to anarchy (though I believe it definitely ranks in the top three foundations of anarchy). Here is what Herbert actually said, "For elected officials, governors or attorney generals (sic), to pick and choose what laws [they] will enforce, I think, is a tragedy and is the next step to anarchy." And he is exactly right. Perhaps Netto is the one in need of some education, particularly in the area of vocabulary words such as "anarchy."
Stand strong, Governor Herbert -- there are still many of us out here who believe just like you do.
"Governor's remarks blasted." The Dallas Morning News; May 25, 2014; p. 12A.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Be sure to sign up before the deadline!
People will do anything to try to shock you or get their pictures and names in the paper. And our society condones the ridiculous foolishness. Did you know that there is a World Naked Bike Ride? It takes place in Portland, Oregon. This is from their website:
"The much anticipated 2014 Portland Naked Bike Ride (World Naked Bike Ride) released the starting point and details of the ride today. It will take place on June 7th starting at Normandale Park. The great weather last year brought more than 10,000 riders."
Here's an assurance that it's all OK -- "And don’t worry, riding naked in Portland is legal."
Can you imagine a city promoting such a thing? We are truly going to hell in a bike basket!
http://pdxpipeline.com/tag/portland-bike-events/
http://www.travelportland.com/article/cycling-events/
"The much anticipated 2014 Portland Naked Bike Ride (World Naked Bike Ride) released the starting point and details of the ride today. It will take place on June 7th starting at Normandale Park. The great weather last year brought more than 10,000 riders."
Here's an assurance that it's all OK -- "And don’t worry, riding naked in Portland is legal."
Can you imagine a city promoting such a thing? We are truly going to hell in a bike basket!
http://pdxpipeline.com/tag/portland-bike-events/
http://www.travelportland.com/article/cycling-events/
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