The political argument for or against a rise in the minimum wage is a smokescreen by both Democrats and Republicans. All of our politicians are being deceptive. This is nothing new, the political game played by our politicians is only to create excuses for accomplishing nothing good for the people. In the case of the minimum wage, both parties will admit that it needs to be raised for this increasingly trapped workforce to participate fairly in the new America economy, the argument is over who pays for the cost of the increase.
The Democrats want the small business employer to pay for the hike in the minimum wage. Small business is not a welfare organization, the purpose of every business is to risk their own money by making an investment that hopefully will make a profit. Profit is not a dirty word, the profit motive is the reason the American economy was the greatest in the world and the reason our country flourished. If small business is forced to raise wages on their businesses they will have to raise prices. The raising of prices will result in less sales which means fewer jobs in order for the employer to maintain a profit. This is economics 101, a higher minimum wage will punish the underpaid by making some of their brothers and sisters jobless and unpaid.
The Republicans use this true evaluation of the problem to wash their hands of any responsibility to act in behalf of these people whom they also represent. Of course, the underpaid can not and will not fund the political careers of our politicians so these profiteers do not care about the fortunes of the underpaid. There is no motive for the politic to make a change, especially if that change will negatively impact their fund raising efforts. The Almighty Dollar is the reason for the Republican claimed helplessness.
Is there another answer? The best answer is to free the American economy to be what it was designed to be, a capitalistic system. If the economy again provided the underpaid a way up the economic ladder with hard work and personal responsibility, the minimum wage job would again be a stepping stone to a better life. Under Democratic control and the resulting new American economy, the minimum wage job is a dead end for most all of these workers no matter how hard they work. Assuming America wants to continue punishing itself with this economy, is there a possible fix?
Why don’t we try fairness? Fairness seems to be a Democratic buzzword lately. Why don’t our politicians find a way to have the stock market pay for these well deserved pay hikes? The only sector of working American that has prospered in the midst of economic recession is the politically connected stock market invested Americans with their hedge funds and IRA’s. Our government has printed trillions of new dollars which have poured into the stock market and inflated the value of these stocks and the wealth of all these investors. It is a form of welfare for the already rich. President Obama is the our leader giving bonuses to the rich and the Republicans sit in silence sharing in the profit. Washington has become the richest city in the world and all of the politicians are racking in the dollars in the midst of seeming gridlock. Purposeful gridlock is profitable for our politically connected.
How can the politicians bring fairness to the minimum wage given the new economy? There are many possibilities but there is no political will! Our politicians, Democrat and Republican could tax the purchase or sale of every share of stock to fund an increase in the minimum wage. Another possibility would be for our politicians to place an additional tax on yearly stock market invested income. A combination of tax credits and tax funded supports could make the life of the underpaid better. Any solution along these lines is impossible for either political party for the rich stock market folk fund their politics. The calls for fairness are camouflage to hide their money motive. Short of a taxpayer funded political system, America is finished as an economic power, we are going the way of Rome. Surprise, surprise!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
As I see it...
As I see it, Big Horn Desert View Water Agency is moving away from it’s mission statement to provide quality water service to the community at a fair and reasonable rate. We were designed by the state, not to compete with the big government operations, but first to do right by the community. This can only be accomplished by keeping management decision making as close as possible to the customer base. Every decision of the Board of Directors should result in making this organization more customer friendly.
The Board of Directors does a disservice to the community when spending exceeds available resources. A casual look at the numbers say that you are spending beyond your means. The finances appear to be a yearly if not monthly juggling act. None of us are perfect, we have all been there on occasion, but it has to stop. If it does not stop, this board will have to raise rates. As one of your customers, may I make it crystal clear that a rate hike is not an available resource. Ours is an economically depressed community, some would say a community dying a slow death. If you try to raise rates this customer will call for the resignation of every board member at every committee meeting and at every board meeting from now until eternity, be forewarned.
This customer is not willing to pay more for water so that you, the Board of Directors can go on the payroll. This customer is not willing to pay more for water so that the salaries of the operational staff can keep pace with those big government operations. This customer is not willing to pay more for water so that we can send our leadership to cozy up with the big government mucky mucks at every opportunity. Why can’t we be different? Board of Directors, you need to take charge, please no rate hike!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
The Board of Directors does a disservice to the community when spending exceeds available resources. A casual look at the numbers say that you are spending beyond your means. The finances appear to be a yearly if not monthly juggling act. None of us are perfect, we have all been there on occasion, but it has to stop. If it does not stop, this board will have to raise rates. As one of your customers, may I make it crystal clear that a rate hike is not an available resource. Ours is an economically depressed community, some would say a community dying a slow death. If you try to raise rates this customer will call for the resignation of every board member at every committee meeting and at every board meeting from now until eternity, be forewarned.
This customer is not willing to pay more for water so that you, the Board of Directors can go on the payroll. This customer is not willing to pay more for water so that the salaries of the operational staff can keep pace with those big government operations. This customer is not willing to pay more for water so that we can send our leadership to cozy up with the big government mucky mucks at every opportunity. Why can’t we be different? Board of Directors, you need to take charge, please no rate hike!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Abuse
John 14: 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.”
These words of Jesus are used by dim witted Bible thinkers to justify an exclusive understanding of the grace of God. These folk say that a seeker after God, to be worthy of the grace of God, must only come to a saving faith in God through Jesus Christ in this earthly existence. All other searching after God or goodness will prove to be useless and ultimately damming to be punished in the pit of hell.
If this Christian exclusivity is the will of the Father God, then there is no hope for the children of Israel, those who have never heard about Jesus, those who merely practice Christianity as a religious preference, those who have been insulted by the self righteous believers in Jesus and those who claim spiritual authority by following the tenants of any other religion. Christian exclusivity will ultimately leave all of us out, it will damn all of us if damnation was or is in the heart of God. This hell stuff is mere religious verbiage from the religious tyrants of this world.
Jesus is the best, the divinely appointed earthly gate to spiritual wholeness but this wholeness will never be 100% pure for any of us while we are in this world. Those who claim such purity are the victims of self delusion and most in need of the love of God. The journey in this world is a beginning for all of us humans, some of us wake up to spiritual consciousness in our youth while some awaken in their old age. Most of us never awaken in this life for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that the awaking may not yet be in the time sensitive plan of God.
This verse does tell us that Jesus is the ultimate gate to spiritual wholeness for there is a little bit of Jesus in all human quests for spiritual awareness. We are all included in the plan of God. Heaven or what we think of as heaven must be a “grand awakening” for all of us. It is either a grand awakening for all of us or it will be a grand blank space for all of us. In that case, hell may be more attractive.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
These words of Jesus are used by dim witted Bible thinkers to justify an exclusive understanding of the grace of God. These folk say that a seeker after God, to be worthy of the grace of God, must only come to a saving faith in God through Jesus Christ in this earthly existence. All other searching after God or goodness will prove to be useless and ultimately damming to be punished in the pit of hell.
If this Christian exclusivity is the will of the Father God, then there is no hope for the children of Israel, those who have never heard about Jesus, those who merely practice Christianity as a religious preference, those who have been insulted by the self righteous believers in Jesus and those who claim spiritual authority by following the tenants of any other religion. Christian exclusivity will ultimately leave all of us out, it will damn all of us if damnation was or is in the heart of God. This hell stuff is mere religious verbiage from the religious tyrants of this world.
Jesus is the best, the divinely appointed earthly gate to spiritual wholeness but this wholeness will never be 100% pure for any of us while we are in this world. Those who claim such purity are the victims of self delusion and most in need of the love of God. The journey in this world is a beginning for all of us humans, some of us wake up to spiritual consciousness in our youth while some awaken in their old age. Most of us never awaken in this life for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which is that the awaking may not yet be in the time sensitive plan of God.
This verse does tell us that Jesus is the ultimate gate to spiritual wholeness for there is a little bit of Jesus in all human quests for spiritual awareness. We are all included in the plan of God. Heaven or what we think of as heaven must be a “grand awakening” for all of us. It is either a grand awakening for all of us or it will be a grand blank space for all of us. In that case, hell may be more attractive.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
Monday, April 21, 2014
The Method
Biblical interpretation or understanding is not the gathering of scripture to validate one or many perceived theological and social norms, it is the mining and gathering of spiritual truth. This truth is to be followed to whatever ends to which it may lead, it is more akin to exploring an old mine shaft than constructing a great building of seeming monumental consequence.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Judgment
I judge no one for judgment is about religion. If the only way you can muster or defend a spiritual point is to judge another human being, you displease the God of the Bible. Jesus knew no judgment yet he knew the hearts of everyone like no other. He got angry at the religious Pharisees and Saducees only because they stood in the way of the rest of us sinners.
In spite of his anger, Jesus refused to place the self righteous beyond the grace of God even though their pride had earned them a short term rebuke. Jesus practiced what he preached, in this life, “Do not judge, or you to will be judged. (Matthew 7:1)”. This too is a promise of the Word of God.
G.Goslaw
Landers,Ca
In spite of his anger, Jesus refused to place the self righteous beyond the grace of God even though their pride had earned them a short term rebuke. Jesus practiced what he preached, in this life, “Do not judge, or you to will be judged. (Matthew 7:1)”. This too is a promise of the Word of God.
G.Goslaw
Landers,Ca
Saturday, April 5, 2014
The Capsule Bible
Matthew 23: 37, 38, 39.
Luke 13: 34 & 35.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
The immediate reaction of the religion politic is to say that the word universalism is not in the Bible. The second reaction is to say that anyone who claims that universalism is in the Bible must be ignorant. If the religion politic were correct, the issue would have dissolved centuries ago but it just keeps hanging around. It would seem that both sides should open their ears and really listen. The religion politic, however, would rather use the Bible to proof text their particular theology. The theological box created levies disrespect upon the Bible.
The most familiar verse in the Bible, John 3: 16, is a case in point, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”(NIV). Belief is not a new spiritual agenda but what is new is that Jesus is now the focus of said belief in God. The Greek word translated perish is preferred by the religious politic for it’s finalistic flavor. The same Greek word should be translated, according to Young’s Concordance, “to loose, loose away or destroy”. In Matthew 5 the disciples use this Greek word to describe their seemingly near death from the ravages of the storm but in chapter nine the same Greek word is used by Jesus to warn against the loss or loosing of all the wine if one puts new wine into old wine skin bags.
The Bible reader and amateur theologian, as we all are, have great latitude in translating this verse. For example, “ For God so loved (gathered) this world (all mankind) that He sent his only begotten Son (Shepherd), that whoever believes in Him will not perish (be scattered or loosed) but will have everlasting life (will find a safe shelter forever).” Again, the history of the religious politic prefers the finalistic flavor and drama of the death scenario. In John chapter 10, Jesus defines himself and his mission as that of the Good Shepherd who gathers his sheep at all costs, his sheep recognize his voice and they follow the Good Shepherd anywhere. We amateurs’ have a choice as to the best translation of this verse.
Look at Matthew chapter 15, verse 24, Jesus again summarizes his mission, “I was only sent to the lost (or scattered) sheep of Israel or (the Jewish religion).” The Jesus moment was all about changing the course of the faith of Israel, that was the first focus of his gathering. The Canaanite woman, however, begged like a dog for protection from the demon possession that had invaded her daughter. Because of her persistence and faith, Jesus relents and gathers this woman and frees her daughter. The religious politic of that time considered their historical enemies, the Canaanites, unworthy of God’s care. They were again wrong for to loose any of mankind is not in the heart of God. The mission of Jesus, however, was first to target the scattered ones of the religious politic.
The religious politic did not end with the resurrection of Jesus. They were quickly reconstituted to form the Christian religious politic who had an influence upon the spiritual writings about Jesus and which of these writings were accepted as legit. Their decisions, more or less influenced by the Spirit of God, would gather the chosen writings together to form the Bible of today. We can not nor should we give equal weight of understanding to all of the Bible, the question must be asked, is this about religion or God? Just as Jesus was an adversary to the power of religion, we must filter all of scripture.
May I suggest the above verses in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, these are the words of Jesus. This passage is a capsule Bible in a few short verses that can and should filter all other scripture. It is as if he is speaking from the lofty perch of his God given Messianic authority. These few verses call out the religious politic for who they really are, “the unwilling ones”. They have to much pride to be gathered and as the leaders of Israel, they cause others to stumble and delay their gathering. Jesus saw himself in that long historical line of prophets sent by God to opposed the religious politic, only to have their message snuffed out.
So they say, “where is the universalism in these verses? Is not the answer obvious? Jesus does not say, you, the religious politic who have so displeased God, the religious politic who have been judged and whose “house has been left desolate”, you will not see me again. No, Jesus gave them a promise, "you will see me again" so that you have another opportunity to say, “Blessed is he (Jesus) who comes in the name of the Lord”. The stumbling block crowd who oppose the gathering of God will be given another opportunity beyond death to praise the God of the galaxies and His sent One. Amen!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
Luke 13: 34 & 35.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
The immediate reaction of the religion politic is to say that the word universalism is not in the Bible. The second reaction is to say that anyone who claims that universalism is in the Bible must be ignorant. If the religion politic were correct, the issue would have dissolved centuries ago but it just keeps hanging around. It would seem that both sides should open their ears and really listen. The religion politic, however, would rather use the Bible to proof text their particular theology. The theological box created levies disrespect upon the Bible.
The most familiar verse in the Bible, John 3: 16, is a case in point, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”(NIV). Belief is not a new spiritual agenda but what is new is that Jesus is now the focus of said belief in God. The Greek word translated perish is preferred by the religious politic for it’s finalistic flavor. The same Greek word should be translated, according to Young’s Concordance, “to loose, loose away or destroy”. In Matthew 5 the disciples use this Greek word to describe their seemingly near death from the ravages of the storm but in chapter nine the same Greek word is used by Jesus to warn against the loss or loosing of all the wine if one puts new wine into old wine skin bags.
The Bible reader and amateur theologian, as we all are, have great latitude in translating this verse. For example, “ For God so loved (gathered) this world (all mankind) that He sent his only begotten Son (Shepherd), that whoever believes in Him will not perish (be scattered or loosed) but will have everlasting life (will find a safe shelter forever).” Again, the history of the religious politic prefers the finalistic flavor and drama of the death scenario. In John chapter 10, Jesus defines himself and his mission as that of the Good Shepherd who gathers his sheep at all costs, his sheep recognize his voice and they follow the Good Shepherd anywhere. We amateurs’ have a choice as to the best translation of this verse.
Look at Matthew chapter 15, verse 24, Jesus again summarizes his mission, “I was only sent to the lost (or scattered) sheep of Israel or (the Jewish religion).” The Jesus moment was all about changing the course of the faith of Israel, that was the first focus of his gathering. The Canaanite woman, however, begged like a dog for protection from the demon possession that had invaded her daughter. Because of her persistence and faith, Jesus relents and gathers this woman and frees her daughter. The religious politic of that time considered their historical enemies, the Canaanites, unworthy of God’s care. They were again wrong for to loose any of mankind is not in the heart of God. The mission of Jesus, however, was first to target the scattered ones of the religious politic.
The religious politic did not end with the resurrection of Jesus. They were quickly reconstituted to form the Christian religious politic who had an influence upon the spiritual writings about Jesus and which of these writings were accepted as legit. Their decisions, more or less influenced by the Spirit of God, would gather the chosen writings together to form the Bible of today. We can not nor should we give equal weight of understanding to all of the Bible, the question must be asked, is this about religion or God? Just as Jesus was an adversary to the power of religion, we must filter all of scripture.
May I suggest the above verses in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, these are the words of Jesus. This passage is a capsule Bible in a few short verses that can and should filter all other scripture. It is as if he is speaking from the lofty perch of his God given Messianic authority. These few verses call out the religious politic for who they really are, “the unwilling ones”. They have to much pride to be gathered and as the leaders of Israel, they cause others to stumble and delay their gathering. Jesus saw himself in that long historical line of prophets sent by God to opposed the religious politic, only to have their message snuffed out.
So they say, “where is the universalism in these verses? Is not the answer obvious? Jesus does not say, you, the religious politic who have so displeased God, the religious politic who have been judged and whose “house has been left desolate”, you will not see me again. No, Jesus gave them a promise, "you will see me again" so that you have another opportunity to say, “Blessed is he (Jesus) who comes in the name of the Lord”. The stumbling block crowd who oppose the gathering of God will be given another opportunity beyond death to praise the God of the galaxies and His sent One. Amen!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
Friday, April 4, 2014
Religion
A religion by definition is a humanly constructed spiritual placebo that insulates the believer from an intimacy with God. The God of the galaxies is a jealous God and will never condone a religious zeal that separates the Shepherd from the sheep. We are the sheep and not the shepherd!
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
G.Goslaw
Landers, Ca
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