Something Smells Fishy!

In a political debate thread on FB the other day, I read the following argument:

Democratic Economic Policy: “Give a man a fish so he can eat for a day”
Republican Economic Policy: “Teach a man to Fish so he can eat for life”.

This is an argument that is made by the GOP all of the time…so much so that people start to believe it. I started thinking about it in depth, and it bothered me. When the politicians, and news programs, and Facebook “arguers” repeat this…most people just let it slide. But if you look at policy, the fishing analogy doesn’t hold water. I have re-written the age-old adage as follows:

Democratic Economic Policy: “Teach a man to fish, help him get a pole and some bait, and he will eat for a lifetime”

Republican Economic Policy: “If a man gets hungry enough, hopefully he will find some fish to eat somewhere…just don’t let him anywhere near my fish”.

Before you go all nuts on me…I did a little research. We all know that Republicans want to cut taxes to help stimulate the economy (that’s another blog). In order to do that…they need to cut government spending. There was a list of funding cuts that the GOP budget proposed: http://www.usnews.com/news/washington-whispers/articles/2011/01/20/house-gop-lists-25-trillion-in-spending-cuts. If you go to the link, you will see (as I did) that are some really good cuts that could, and should be made. (I actually agree that government spending is out of control).

This blog post, however, is not about good budget cuts…it is about the nonsense of the GOP teaching people to fish. The following are some of the programs on the list that are set up to help a guy get out on that fishing trip. These are all programs that the Republicans want to CUT funding for:

Ready to Learn Program ($27 million cut): Findings from a “Ready to Learn 2005-2010" independent research study, conducted under grant funding from the Ready to Learn Television program, found that using combinations of well-designed educational media, including television, websites, and other digital platforms, can be effective in improving literacy skills among low income children, ages 2-8.

A program…specifically designed to help LOW INCOME CHILDREN improve their literacy…and proven to work??? How the HELL is that not teaching the kids to Fish? Seriously?

Corporation for Public Broadcasting ($445 million cut): Basically the same argument as listed above. CPB provides such a service, especially to young children, to supplement more traditional forms of education. It is rooted in developing cognitive skills, and moral values. All without commercials!

National Endowment for the Humanities ($165.5 million cut): Offers grants to #1: Strengthen teaching and learning in schools and colleges. #2: Facilitate research and original scholarship. #3: Provide opportunities for lifelong learning. #4: Preserve and provide access to cultural and educational resources. Seems like there is a lot of good fishing equipment to be found with these grants…no?

U.S. Trade Development Agency ($55 million cut): Helps USA businesses set up trade to export their products and/or services for overseas sales.

Market Access Program ($200 million cut): MAP forms a partnership between non-profit U.S. agricultural trade associations, non-profit U.S. agricultural cooperatives, non-profit state-regional trade groups, small U.S. businesses, and USDA's CCC to share the costs of overseas marketing and promotional activities, such as trade shows, market research, consumer promotions for retail products, technical capacity building, and seminars to educate overseas customers.

SMART ASS COMMENT: The two programs listed above are set up to help businesses, in the USA, market and sell their PRODUCTS overseas through export. This leads to increases in production, and therefore increased jobs. Call me crazy, but I think this is a better plan for Americans than the GOP approach of sending the JOBS oversees. (OK. Got the exaggerated jab at the GOP out of the way)

Community Development Fund (4.5 billion cut) : The CDFI Fund was created for the purpose of promoting economic revitalization and community development through investment in and assistance to community development financial institutions (CDFIs). This is a program that was implemented to help low income communities (you know….the ones that don’t know how to fish) develop their towns and businesses to attract companies (that create Jobs), and provide financial education and counseling (so they can manage the money they make at their jobs) among other things such as affordable housing, and “New Market Tax Credits” as a way to encourage businesses to locate themselves in lower income areas.

These are just a small handful of the programs that, by definition, are designed to give people the skills they need to “fish”. There are many more, that also face the cuts, but I just focussed on a few.

I know there are some pretty committed conservatives reading this…..so I ask you: If the GOP wants to cut these programs, fine. But explain to me how THEY are teaching people how to fish? This is a sincere question that I would really like your input on. As many times as I have heard the good ole’ “We Republicans teach a man how to fish” I have yet to hear one example, of HOW they teach a man to fish?

It really seems to me, that they are not interested in teaching, but rather letting a man either figure it out, or go hungry.

Are "Christians" Christian?

When Jesus was on earth, he didn’t spend all of his time petitioning the government to make laws so everyone would live the way God wanted them to. He didn’t smile and shake a bunch of hands to get elected as King, and then vote yay or nay to legislation that supported the “right” way to live. He didn’t go around trying to force people to act a certain way by picketing and taunting them. INSTEAD, he took the time to develop real relationships with people. ALL people. He made friends with the worst of them. He sacrificed his own wants and needs to be an EXAMPLE of how to live. He loved every person unconditionally, and then gave the credit to his father. Only through this self-sacrifice and love was he able to open people’s hearts so God could enter and change their lives.

Why is it that any Politician that takes two seconds to cast a certain vote is considered a champion for family values and a Christian, despite the way they live and treat others? Why is it that people or organizations that spend millions of dollars to lobby for laws, and hundreds of hours picketing, are considered Christians, despite the fact that they practice hate more than love?

What if all the MONEY spent trying to change a law was invested in counseling and educational programs. What if all of the TIME spent lobbying the government was instead spent developing REAL relationships with troubled youth and showing them how Christ can change a life?

You can’t save a person’s spirit by changing a law or casting a vote. It takes time, patience, and love. I am not a perfect Christian in any way, shape or form. But I try again every day to live the way Christ intended me to.

When you vote, try looking at the PERSON and how they live, not the votes they cast. When you join a church, try looking at how they treat people that are NOT yet Christians. When you meet someone, try showing the love Christ showed the people of his time, regardless of their thoughts or actions. If people claiming to be Christians actually acted the way Christ intended…imagine how many lives could be changed and saved.

Miracles CAN happen

I believe that God allows us make mistakes. He uses them to teach us. They build our character. They make us stronger. Hopefully we learn from them. Every once in a while the mistake is just too big. He needs to intervene in order for his plan to work. Mindy and I had such an intervention. It still shakes me to the bone when I think about how close we were to making the biggest mistake of our lives. I am sharing it because it is an important story. I am sharing to remind myself to listen when the man upstairs has something to say. I hope it reminds you too!

Two years ago today, a little girl was born. Her mother was a cocaine addict and “used” throughout the pregnancy. The little girl arrived weighing just over 4 pounds, and was struggling to stay alive. The hospital knew the young mom didn’t have the resources to care for this child. They suggested she take part in selecting adoptive parents through an agency, rather than having social services remove the child and put her in the hands of the government. The young woman agreed.

Two days later, a married couple in queens got a call from their adoption agency. The agency said a child was born, and she fit the criteria the couple had listed on their application…almost perfectly. Based on what the birth mother was looking for, it would likely be a viable match. There was one problem. The child was born addicted to cocaine. The couple stated in their application, that they did not want to adopt a child with a drug addiction. The couple said “Thank-you. We will think about it and let you know”. The agency said “If you do not call back, we will assume your answer is no”.

The couple thought about it. The husband’s job was on shaky ground. The wife was very busy doing a show. They did not have a nursery ready. They did not have the $18,000 adoption fee. They did not have a single article of clothing. They knew this was not the right time for a baby. They did not call the agency back. Their answer was “no”.

The phone rang again the very next day. It was the adoption agency. They had made an error and the couple’s profile was shown to the birth mother by mistake. It was shown with the profile of 5 other couples. The mother was instructed to pick her top 2 or 3. She picked only one couple. She refused to choose a back up. She ONLY wanted the couple that was “accidentally” shown.

“Will you reconsider?” the couple was asked by the agency.

The couple realized that this was something bigger than a mistake at the adoption agency. They realized that there were powers greater than themselves in this world. They realized that they were supposed to say “yes” and God was letting them know they that they answered wrong the first time. They were getting a do-over, and this time, they answered correctly. Yes. Yes we will take this child.

The child was named “Lillian Savannah Smith” and she is an absolute miracle in our lives, and the lives of everyone she meets. Today is her birthday, and to celebrate and honor her, I am sharing this story. It scares me to death to think about the mistake we almost made, and I hope this story will inspire you to listen when God is trying to tell you something. It is a story that restores my faith when I am going through struggles, and it is 100% true.

Happy Birthday baby girl. You are my miracle from heaven.

My Easter Sunday Chat with God

I have been really blessed in my life. I have a great, loving family. I have a beautiful, talented wife. I have friends who are kind, funny, and caring. I have a job I love with a boss that gives me as many opportunities as she can. And I have perfect daughter who was designed specifically for me and Mindy. God has given me all of these things, yet sometimes I forget he is here.

Yesterday I dropped Mindy, Lily, and Pete off at church, and then started to drive around to find a parking spot. As I was scanning the streets for an open spot, my mind turned to money as it often does when I am alone. I was doing math. I have to pay our landlord $1,000 by Friday. I know I will get a check for $700 Friday morning, and I know Mindy has lessons lined up this week for general living expenses. But where am I going to get the extra $300? Well, I have a week to figure it out. My mind wonders….

“Maybe one of my clients will want to do some work this week”
“Maybe the IRS will find a mistake they made and send us additional refund money”
“Maybe Mindy will get 4 new students that all want to start this week”

I start to pray … again. I have been praying for financial blessings a lot this past year. I feel like they are unanswered prayers, because times are still tough. I have not yet come into a windfall of cash…yet every month we manage to get by. We are still here. We still eat everyday. We still have a roof over our heads. I just wish God would let me know that he is still here watching over me because at least once a week I feel completely defeated and helpless. My prayer always turns away from money. I always end up praying for hope…for some sort of comfort and knowledge that God is there for me.

I find my parking spot fairly easily, and head to church. I see Mindy by the elevator and walk over. I am feeling better. Our church has great people and just seeing everybody smiling with joyful attitudes took my mind away from the rent and financial burdens. Mindy says: “Matt (One of our pastors) wants to talk to you.” So I head through the crowd to find him.

I found Matt, and he says “Let’s go outside and talk”. I agree and follow him out. As we are standing there, he proceeds to tell me that in between the morning and afternoon services he was given an envelope by someone who said “I feel like someone needs this. Would you give it to someone who could use some help?” Matt then handed me the envelope and said: “I feel like you are the one that needs this.” I open the envelope, and the chills began to crawl all over my body. The envelope contained $300.00. Exactly. No More. No Less. This is the amount of money, to the penny, that someone felt the need to give. This was the amount, to the penny, that was missing from my rent check.

This gift was more than money. Yes, it is nice to have the extra cash, and yes it will help to cover the rent. But more importantly, it was the gift of God speaking directly to me. “Yes, I am watching over you. Yes, I know your struggles. Let me handle it for you…I know what I am doing”

I am going to remember that God gives people struggles for a reason. I am going to remember all of my blessings. I am going to continue on my path, reassured that I am doing the right thing with my life. And through this story, I hope that my readers realize that whether your day is good or bad….God IS there. And he is working on big things for you!

The American Dream.

Dumb Ass Banker #1: “I have an idea. Let’s give a bunch of mortgages to people who can’t afford it. Americans always want things they can’t afford. We will begin with a low interest rate to make them THINK they can afford the house, and in a couple of years the rate will skyrocket. It will make us look good on the income sheet and we can get really big bonuses and salaries.

Dumb Ass Banker #2: “That’s great, but what happens when they can’t pay it back.”

Dumb Ass Banker #1: “We will sell the loans to other Dumb Ass bankers before they fall apart. That way we can make MORE money, and have no liabilities.”

Dumb Ass Banker #2: “You’re a genius! It’ll be like a giant game of Hot Potato, and as long as we are not the ones holding the loans when everything falls apart, we can celebrate in our big Park Avenue apartment over some caviar and a bottle of Crystal.”

Person taking the loan: “I know I can’t afford this, but I WAN’T this house, and they are willing to give me the loan, so they must think I can afford it. I guess I’ll sign…I deserve this home.”

Bernie Madoff: “I am just going to lie to my investors and live it up while I can…seems easier.”

Ryan: “Oh dear…the banks failed and the stock market dropped. All the rich people now only have 20 million in the bank instead of 40 million so they need to cut back. No interior designing THIS year. I guess I’m out of a job”

There have been many cries of Socialism lately, and many cries that “Big Government” is ruining our free market economy. It true the national budget is in bad shape. It is true that our government is getting too big. But the biggest threat to our free market economy is not Democrats. It is not Republicans. It is greed.

Throughout history, the government has not been proactive in instituting controls on American people and industry. The controls that have been put into laws have mainly been a reaction to greedy people doing bad things to inflate their bank accounts. I know this, because I have Google!

EPA: Big companies figured out that they can make more money if they dump their waste in rivers and oceans. And they can save money producing goods if they use products that are harmful to peoples’ health. “Hey…by the time people figure out that we have ruined the environment, and killed them, we will have already made enough money to live the good life!”

Minimum Wage: Industries were making huge profits, and increasing production at an alarming rate. “Hey, the American people are desperate for work, and are willing to accept any offer. Let’s just keep these profits for ourselves…there are plenty of workers who are willing to do these jobs for next to nothing!”

Anti-trust Laws: Companies understood the free market. Competition leads to better quality and lower costs for consumers. “Hey…I know! Let’s buy up all of the competition. They will be happy because they get a big check, and we will be happy because we can charge whatever the hell we want. If someone needs the product, they will HAVE to buy it from us!”

Health Care: Insurance companies charge large premiums to cover the costs when their customers get sick. “Hey…I have an idea, we could make MORE money if we cancel people’s policies if they get sick. By the time they figure out that we are only protecting them if they don’t get too sick, we will have made our money” And even better, big companies like Walmart figured out they can look good by saying they offer their employees health insurance, and just leave out the part about the $2,000 deductible, which might as well be $1,000,000 when you are working for minimum wage. “Hey…who cares anyways…American’s are more concerned about getting toilet paper for 50 cents a roll than whether or not the companies they are buying from treat their employees well!”

Now I know right-wingers are going to say that I am just a bleeding heart liberal that hates rich people. This is not true. I love rich people. They are the reason I can have my career. I think that in America you should be able to make as much money as you want. So go ahead and make billions, AS LONG AS you are doing it honestly, and not at the expense of your employees and the environment.

Did you ever hear that Adam Sandler Song about his car?

I think the following is called a proof (or something like that). I learned about them at some point in my life…perhaps in college, perhaps in high school, perhaps both places. My memory involving my education is not all that clear. I know I received one, because I am pretty smart, and I have the student loans to prove it, but the details are vague at best. Anyhow, here goes what I am calling a proof:

I love cars.
I do not love my Chevy Impala.
My Impala is not a car.

What’s not to love about a 2003 Chevrolet Impala? Glad you asked!

I started to write detailed descriptions with nifty stories about the little pitfalls our transportation has given us over the years, but it was becoming a book. So here is a list of details outlining why our “car that’s not a car” sucks:

-Battery dies every night due to some electrical problem having to do with the radio.

-Radio stopped working for a while, which led to the car starting more often. I fixed the radio and now I get to jump start the car every morning...again.

-Passenger side foot area fills with about 2-4 inches of water every time we get heavy rain and park on the slightest left to right slope. The leak is near the fuse box…which probably has something to do with the electrical problem.

-The driver door creaks when I open it. Thank you to the Forest Hills’ driver who stopped his car, threw it in reverse and smashed into me!

-The front right wheel got cracked in a small winter-related accident and now doesn’t match the other wheels.

-A couple of weeks ago the HVAC stopped working, so there is no heat, air, defrost, etc.

-It has all sorts of numbers written on the windshield in various shades of crayon from the many times it was towed.

-The back right door handle snapped off a while ago. Now there is a little stump of a lever left that you have to pull up with the tips of your fingers while you pull out on the door.

-We owe about $2000 more on the loan than the car is worth.

So that is why, based on the proof, my car is not a car. HOWEVER, this mode of transportation, whatever it is, gets me to work everyday (because once it starts, it runs great). I am able to listen to Scott and Todd in the morning because I fixed the radio, and I get a healthy dose of fresh (wet) air when I roll the windows down to defog the windshield, and it is fairly affordable, assuming nothing major happens in the next two years. PS. If you are looking to buy a car in about 2 years, I have a great one for sale…near perfect condition!

A Father learning about The Father

I mentioned in my introductory entry, that I am "sort of" a Christian. The truth is that I am a Christian, and like all Christians, I am also a human, so there are many things I have done, and do now, that are not what would be considered "Christ-like". I try to grow and learn and work toward being better with my thoughts and actions. I believe God is helping me along.

A couple of months ago, I was sitting in "cell group" which is a weekday class at our church. It is a chance for small groups to get together to learn and discuss various aspects of what it means to be a Christian. This particular evening we were discussing the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit). Being a relativly new daddy, I started to draw a correlation between my feelings about Lily, and what God the Father's feelings must be about his children. Lily, being new to this world, is learning new things everyday. Everytime she does something new, whether it be learning to clap, to crawl, or to say DaDaDaDa, I get an overwhelming feeling of joy. I don't care if she is advanced, delayed, or just average compared with other children, I am just so excited she discovered something new. As she gets older, she is also getting more curious.

Our living room is the home base of our lives. We have toys, TV, it is vacuumed daily, and it is a place where Lily can crawl around and play. Sometimes she tries to do something in which I KNOW she will fall, but I go ahead and let her do it. She has a little fall, she cries, and she learns not to do that again.

She sometimes gets bored with the living room, and wants to venture to new places ...like the kitchen. Now I don't know how many of you have been in our house, but the kitchen is not a safe place for an adult, let alone a 10 month old. I could name 15 things that could kill her before she even reaches the cabinet containg the "Mr. Yuck" items. Therefore, we have put up a road block of two storage cubes between the living room and the kitchen. These are roadblocks that she has figured out how to get around. I say no, she looks at me and smiles, and continues to push through, which results in me grabbing her, saying NO again, this time in a stern tone,and putting her back in the living room. She then cries a little. She doesn't understand WHY she can't go in there, but I am her Father, and I know that if she goes to the Kitchen, she will most definitely get hurt. Someday she will understand this, but for now, she has to trust me.

Now this may be a simplified illustration, but I belive God feels joy when a person learns something new about being Christian, whether they are 5 or 50. I believe God wants us to have fun. I believe God sometimes let's us fall so we can learn what NOT to do. And I believe that God puts up road blocks to really dangerous things, and if we plow through them, he will be stern with us. We have to trust that God knows what is best for us. And as we grow and learn, we will better understand what is a good way to live, where we can stay in the safety of the living room, which is a pretty fun place to be!