The Choice Is Yours – Part 3
Good day to each of your as I wish to thank you for reading this column.
It is time to tackle the IRS, the abortion issue, the LGBTQ issue, student loans, stimulus checks, electric cars, the Ukraine and Israel conflicts under Mr. Biden. I can’t emphasize enough of Deuteronomy 28 and how each verse gives us what we are currently experiencing which is the blessings and curses. Before I begin, let’s turn to Reader’s Digest:
Meet the Dumbest Criminals of All Time
Courtesy of Reader’s Digest
Recently, a woman in Fresno, California, was stopped at a DUI checkpoint for being soused. Ever helpful, she offered up this info: “My husband’s right behind me, and he’s even drunker than I am.”
When police in Vancouver, Canada, asked to search Jason Pauchay’s apartment for drugs, he was not a suspect—in fact, they were looking for someone else. That all changed when they got a look at how his name was listed on his cell phone: “Jason Pauchay Drug Dealer.”
Two men decided a back-to-school event at an office supply store would be the perfect time to do some shoplifting. After all, store clerks would be busy helping an influx of shoppers. The sale happened to coincide with the annual “Shop with a Cop” day when about 60 police officers show up to help children pick out school supplies.
Adan Juarez Ramirez had it all figured out—he could be a cop without having to take the boring test. But he was arrested in Grapevine, Texas, after pulling over a driver in his pickup truck, outfitted with flashing lights. He even had an ID badge, which he’d made by blacking out a restaurant gift card and etching in the word “POLICE.” However, he’d kept the restaurant’s logo, a jalapeño pepper surrounded by the words “Chipotle Mexican Grill.”
A Target store in Augusta, Georgia, agreed to take back a printer from a dissatisfied customer. Then the clerk noticed some work the customer forgot to remove from the machine: Counterfeit bills.
And, In Mesa, Arizona, a home break-in was foiled when the burglar jumped through the bedroom window—and got trapped in a clothes hamper. Cops took it from there. (That definitely wasn’t the kind of clean getaway he had planned.)
Again, you just have to laugh for crime did not pay with these stooges! Now, back to the choice is yours and part 3—The IRS:
Biden Proposes Billions for IRS Revamp, Tax Cheat Crackdown
Courtesy of Bloomberg Tax
President Joe Biden proposed $12.3 billion in annual funding for the IRS in his budget Monday—supporting the agency’s momentum as it builds up its enforcement efforts on wealthy individuals and companies that aren’t paying what they owe.
The proposed IRS annual funding for fiscal 2025 aligns with 2023 levels, though is a drop from Biden’s $14.1 billion pitch from last year for fiscal 2024. The administration designed its fiscal 2025 budget so that total annual appropriations were in line with levels agreed to in a debt-limit law last year. The administration’s fiscal 2025 budget request also proposes restoring and extending the 2022 tax-and-climate law funds that have been the target of Republican clawbacks since the law was enacted.
In addition to proposing the IRS’s annual appropriations, the White House is also asking for an additional $104.3 billion in mandatory funding for fiscal years 2026-2034 that’s designed to allow the IRS to continue to strengthen its taxpayer services, technology, and enforcement after the tax-and-climate law funds are exhausted.
Here is the question, do you want the IRS enforcement efforts to monitor what you are paying or not paying as a company or as a wealthy individual? Why do we need the IRS to monitor us?
Again, we could abolish the IRS by going to a 10% flat tax for all people and all companies. I thought the only responsibility that the Federal government needs to supply the American people is the protection of the militia in case of attack on our soil.
The IRS adds to the US debt- why not rid of the IRS and put the money on the debt and balance the budget. Individually, you and I must live within our means, so why is the government the exception? Mr. Biden is writing checks that you and can’t pay.
Here’s an idea—let’s rid of the bulk of government agencies and allow the states to rule based on the rule of the people. Let’s go a flat tax and put people in who must adhere to term limits, balance the budget and account for the 10% taxes.
Now to the abortion issue: As a Christian, I take the stance that abortion is murder and that if Christ was establishing his kingdom on earth that abortion would not be a subject, there would be no rape, no incest and no child would be aborted.
Roe vs. Wade and my choice/my body are two very well-known phrases that are used in the abortion issue. Mr. Biden,
‘Major hurdles’: The reality check behind Biden’s big abortion promise
Courtesy of NBC News
you, the American people, send me a Congress that supports the right to choose, I promise you I will restore Roe v. Wade as the law of the land again,” he said, acknowledging that Congress must first be reconstituted.
And if Biden signed abortion protections into law, legal challenges would most likely arise, including whether “Congress has the authority under the Constitution to guarantee access to abortion,” Cahn said.
There are still other ways a Biden administration could protect abortion rights, including through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice. The DOJ, for instance, has said that the U.S. Postal Service could legally deliver abortion pills to states that banned or restricted the procedure. And the Biden administration is defending federal approval of the abortion pill mifepristone before the Supreme Court.
A Biden campaign spokesperson said Monday that the White House has endorsed the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would restore Roe v. Wade and add new federal protections for legal abortion. The spokesperson added that the president “will continue to call on Congress to pass a federal law that restores the protections of Roe.”
Mr. Biden’s plan is simple—restore Roe vs. Wade and add new federal protections for legal abortion. Legal abortion is simple, this is man’s way of defying God, the creator of life.
Please turn to the Scriptures and read the following—1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NIV) 16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
Next, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.
And Romans 12:1 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
The above verses are simple—My body, my choice is wrong! How can you deny what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:16 where the question put forth is: 16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
Since you stick to My Choice, my body, how are you going to answer the creator when God asks you this question? God provides a second witness in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
The question arises, for those who are so adamant about abortion and their body, then have you received God? We are to honor God with our bodies if we have received God. This is not a question, but a command.
Whether it be Roe vs. Wade or my choice/my body, these are man made choices and not those from God. If we followed God’s laws, then we would not have to make those choices and face those potential problems. Here is the Catholic Church:
The Catholic Church and Abortion
Courtesy of Catholic News Agency
While many other examples could be offered, the key point is that the Roman Catholic Church from the beginning has consistently upheld the sanctity of the life of the unborn child and condemned the act of direct abortion. To oppose this teaching contradicts the revelation of Sacred Scripture and Christian tradition. As our nation marks the anniversary of the tragic Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, we as Catholic Christians must pray for a change of heart in all citizens and courageously teach and defend the sanctity of human life, particularly that of the defenseless, innocent unborn children.
This is not the complete article, but the last paragraphs give you the belief of the Catholic Church to which President Biden says that he is a member.
When reading the above article, President Biden is completely opposite of the Catholic Church and its beliefs—another fyi moment.
Let’s focus on the LGBTQ issue—Do you believe God created man or woman to be gay, bi-sexual, transgender or to be heterosexual? Did God place this temptation of being anything other than heterosexual in the heads of men and women?
Turn to James 1: 13-16 (Smith & Goodspeed) No one should think when he is tempted that his temptation comes from God, for God is incapable of being tempted by what is evil, and he does not tempt anyone. When anyone is tempted, it is by his own desire that he is enticed and allured. Then desire conceives and gives birth to sin, and when sin is mature, it brings forth death.
Here is the process—temptation begins, desire begins to burn inside that person, enticement or try it because it feels good, so try it, you’ll like it and the person does. The enjoyment that was a vice is now a habit and it part of that lifestyle.
The Bible is very clear on the LGBTQ issue—in fact, look no further at Sodom & Gomorrah and the burning of the cities. We could go thru both the Old & New Testament showing that practicing the LGBTQ lifestyle is sin and that their will be ramifications for those who practice this lifestyle.
This is not judging a person, rather writing what God says about this long-standing issue in our society. Yes, we are to love the sinner, but not the sin. How can we condone this sin, if those who continue to practice this lifestyle and not willing to change? Where does Joe Biden stand:
A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Pride Month, 2024
Courtesy of the White House
During Pride Month, we celebrate the extraordinary courage and contributions of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) community. We reflect on the progress we have made so far in pursuit of equality, justice, and inclusion. We recommit ourselves to do more to support LGBTQI+ rights at home and around the world.
But for all the progress, we know real challenges persist. Last year, as we celebrated Pride Month on the South Lawn of the White House, I had the honor of meeting survivors of the Club Q and Pulse shootings, which tragically took the lives of LGBTQI+ Americans. Although my Administration passed the most significant gun law in nearly 30 years, the Congress must do its part and ban assault weapons. At the same time, families across the country face excruciating decisions to relocate to a different State to protect their children from dangerous and hateful anti-LGBTQI+ laws, which target transgender children, threaten families, and criminalize doctors and nurses. These bills and laws attack our most basic values and freedoms as Americans: the right to be yourself, the right to make your own medical decisions, and the right to raise your own children. Some things should never be put at risk: your life, your safety, and your dignity.
To the entire LGBTQI+ community — and especially transgender children — please know that your President and my entire Administration have your back. We see you for who you are: made in the image of God and deserving of dignity, respect, and support. That is why I have taken historic action to protect the LGBTQI+ community.
Made in the image of God? Support sin? Do we support the Ten Commandments? Do we support the Bible and its teachings? How do you support sin?
Christians are to love the sinner and hate the sin, but not condone the sin. As for vengeance, let’s put that in God’s hands, for God will do in his time and not ours. The forgiveness of student loans:
Biden-Harris Administration Announces Additional $7.7 Billion in Approved Student Debt Relief for 160,000 Borrowers
Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education
The Biden-Harris Administration announced today the approval of $7.7 billion in additional student loan debt relief for 160,500 borrowers. These discharges are for three categories of borrowers: those receiving Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF); those who signed up for President Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan and who are eligible for its shortened time-to-forgiveness benefit; and those receiving forgiveness on income-driven repayment (IDR) as a result of fixes made by the Administration. This action comes as more than 8 million borrowers have been helped by the SAVE Plan. That includes 4.6 million with a $0 monthly payment.
Today’s announcement brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to $167 billion for 4.75 million Americans. Thanks to this Administration’s efforts more than one out of every 10 federal student loan borrowers has now been approved for some debt relief. This action builds on President Biden and his Administration’s efforts to provide debt relief to as many borrowers as possible as quickly as possible.
The debt relief announced today is broken down into the following categories:
- $5.2 billion for 66,900 borrowers through fixes to PSLF: The Administration has now approved $68 billion in forgiveness for more than 942,000 borrowers through PSLF.
- $613 million for 54,300 borrowers through the SAVE Plan: This relief will go to borrowers enrolled in the SAVE Plan who had smaller loans for their postsecondary studies. Borrowers can receive relief after at least 10 years of payments if they originally borrowed $12,000 or less. Each additional $1,000 in borrowing adds 12 more months until forgiveness. All borrowers on the SAVE Plan receive forgiveness after 20 or 25 years, depending on whether they have loans for graduate school. The benefit is based upon the original principal balance of all Federal loans borrowed to attend school, not what a borrower currently owes or the amount of an individual loan. Today’s announcement brings total relief approved under the SAVE Plan to $5.5 billion for 414,000 borrowers.
- $1.9 billion for 39,200 borrowers through administrative adjustments to IDR payment counts. These adjustments have brought borrowers closer to forgiveness and address longstanding concerns with the misuse of forbearance by loan servicers. Including today’s announcement, the Biden-Harris Administration has now approved $51.0 billion in IDR relief for more than 1 million borrowers.
In April, the Biden-Harris Administration released initial details of a new set of plans that would provide student debt relief for tens of millions of borrowers across the country. The plans would bring the total number of borrowers eligible for student debt relief to over 30 million, including borrowers who have already been approved for debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris Administration over the past three years. The plans for new student debt relief regulations announced by President Biden are the next step in a regulatory process that began last summer to provide debt relief to as many borrowers as possible as quickly as possible under the Higher Education Act. The proposals would permit the following types of waivers:
- Waiving accrued and capitalized interest for millions of borrowers;
- Automatically discharging debt for borrowers not enrolled in but otherwise eligible for loan forgiveness under the SAVE Plan, closed school discharge, or other forgiveness programs;
- Eliminating student debt for borrowers who entered repayment 20 or more years ago;
- Helping borrowers who enrolled in low-financial-value programs or institutions; and
- Assisting borrowers who experience hardship in paying.
This is staggering—who is paying for this forgiveness? If you guessed, you and I the taxpayer, then you are right. Look at this next paragraph, Today’s announcement brings the total loan forgiveness approved by the Biden-Harris Administration to $167 billion for 4.75 million Americans. Thanks to this Administration’s efforts more than one out of every 10 federal student loan borrowers has now been approved for some debt relief. This action builds on President Biden and his Administration’s efforts to provide debt relief to as many borrowers as possible as quickly as possible.
167 billion dollars which adds to the debt, where will it end? Great political move if you are voting for Biden. We are now enslaved to debt and to the federal government and this is just another example of the “great giveaway”. What will be next? Debt forgiveness for houses, cars, and large purchases? Why must we pay for the debt of others? I thought it was the goal to get out of debt and not add to it.
This government lesson teaches us the government will do what is in the best interest of those in debt and to reward them so they don’t have to pay for what they borrowed.
The question is, how much more debt can be added before the bubble bursts? Debt, inflation, rising costs, high interest rates and a very shaky economy—thank you Biden and team for leading us to economic destruction.
Electric cars, no thank you—Have you looked at the cost of owning an electric car? What is the cost to replace the electric battery? Where are all the charging stations? How long does it take to charge? What happens if you are not near a charging station? Where do all the electric batteries go when they are deemed not useable or have seen their life?
America has been blessed with large amounts of oil, why not utilize what God has given us? We have plenty of gas stations and places where we can fill up and be on our way in a matter of minutes and without delays.
Why is it that the USA is pushing for electric cars and countries like China, India and the Soviet Union are not? I gather the government will have some “incentives” to assist in the purchasing of the electric cars, but will it be enough for one to buy? Government incentives much come from somewhere, so how is it added into the cost of the electric car?
I’m sure you have other questions for the electric car and value your thoughts, but I hate the government telling me that its best for me not to drive a gas car for any reason—As one says, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.
Stimulus checks or free money—great, we will just print up a check to give to everyone – Love the US government! Does that add to the debt? What’s the catch? For every asset, you must have a debit. This is another form of “fiat money” — Fiat money is currency backed by the government that issued it and isn’t tied to a commodity such as gold. Fiat money issuers can have a lot of influence on the economy by controlling the supply of this currency. Overly aggressive monetary policies run the risk of eroding the value of fiat currencies.
Great, let’s flood the US economy with stimulus checks for everyone and erode the value of our currency and then create higher inflation. Isn’t that what has been happening? Didn’t the government issue stimulus check a few years ago and do you see the mess that it has created?
Cash the check and reap the benefits because it’s free money—In return, higher inflation, higher prices, higher food, higher services, higher everything and the ones paying for it—you and I the taxpayer.
Finally, Ukraine and Israel and its costs:
How much aid is going to ukraine?
Courtesy of Council on Foreign Relations
Since the war began, the U.S. Congress has voted through five bills that have provided Ukraine with ongoing aid, doing so most recently in April 2024. The total budget authority under these bills—the “headline” figure often cited by news media—is $175 billion.
It’s important to note that of the $175 billion total, only $107 billion directly aids the government of Ukraine. Most of the remainder is funding various U.S. activities associated with the war in Ukraine, and a small portion supports other affected countries in the region.
A large share of the money in the aid bills is spent in the United States, paying for American factories and workers to produce the various weapons that are either shipped to Ukraine or that replenish the U.S. weapons stocks the Pentagon has drawn on during the war. One analysis, by the American Enterprise Institute, found that Ukraine aid is funding defense manufacturing in more than seventy U.S. cities.
Now, let’s head to Israel—According to:
U.s. Aid Israel Four Charts
Courtesy of Council on Foreign Relations
Since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas on October 7, 2023, the United States has enacted legislation providing at least $12.5 billion in military aid to Israel, which includes $3.8 billion from a bill in March 2024 (in line with the current MOU) and $8.7 billion from a supplemental appropriations act in April 2024.
Most of the aid—approximately $3.3 billion a year—is provided as grants under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program, funds that Israel must use to purchase U.S. military equipment and services. In October, the Joe Biden administration said Israel had nearly six hundred active FMF cases, totaling around $24 billion. Israel has also historically been permitted to use a portion of its FMF aid to buy equipment from Israeli defense firms—a benefit not granted to other recipients of U.S. military aid—but this domestic procurement is to be phased out in the next few years. U.S. aid reportedly accounts for some 15 percent of Israel’s defense budget. Israel, like many other countries, also buys U.S. military products outside of the FMF program.
Additionally, $500 million a year is slated for Israeli and joint U.S.-Israeli missile defense programs, in which the two countries collaborate on the research, development, and production of these systems used by Israel, including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow II. Iron Dome was solely developed by Israel, but the United States has been a production partner since 2014. For instance, the U.S. military contractor Raytheon manufactures Tamir interceptor missiles for Israel’s Iron Dome at its facilities in Arizona.
The total that the American taxpayer is paying: 187.5 billion dollars.
For this kind of money, what does the American taxpayer receive? Have we become the policemen of the world?
If you notice the Ukraine war, the US is producing weapons to fight the Russians. Replenishment, replacement or manufacturing—call it what you may, but we are fighting against the Russians and why? Did the Russians attack us? Are we fighting because they invaded our homeland?
God has used the USA as a “battle ax” against countries who sought to destroy us such as World War 1 and World War 2.
Since that time, we have had many wars or conflicts and only thing that has transpired—more American lives lost, more American debt, an ever-expanding military presence and budget and a weaker American economy.
Has our past presidents ever considered praying before entering these conflicts and wars? Did they consider the many American lives lost, the amount of dollars spent and what the outcome would be if we did not enter into that war?
All throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites learned from their leaders that it was God who was in charge and when they disobeyed God then the consequences had to be dealt with. Is it different today? We are reaping what we sow and paying a very high price for what our leaders have led us into these conflicts in the name of peace.
Solomon said it best—Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (NIV)
Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing,
whether it is good or evil.
The choice is yours– Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.
Our leaders have the same duties if they profess to be Christians and, fear not, for God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Stay tuned and as always:
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
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