Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Broader Battle over Planned Parenthood

The battle to defund Planned Parenthood should not only focus on whether taxpayers should be funding abortion, but also on the broader question of whether taxpayers should fund any healthcare. Rep. Mike Pence has been a front-line warrior for the unborn in this fight. He authored an amendment which passed the House to defund PP; however, I don’t believe it goes far enough.

From National Review Online
“Planned Parenthood clinics focus mainly on abortion — and because money is fungible, there is no way to fund the useful services without freeing up money for the organization to spend on abortion. In 2009, the group made only 977 adoption referrals and cared for only 7,021 prenatal clients, but performed a record 332,278 abortions. In other words, a pregnant woman entering a Planned Parenthood clinic was 42 times more likely to have an abortion than to either receive prenatal care or be referred for adoption. Planned Parenthood recently made plain the centrality of abortion to its mission by mandating that every one of its affiliates have at least one clinic that performs abortions within the next two years.”

In other words, a baby being carried into PP by its mother is 42 times more likely to be murdered than to be given care.

"And for all the talk about how poor women would be harmed if taxpayers stopped subsidizing Big Abortion, it is telling to see how Planned Parenthood is spending its money. According to a June 2008 story in the Wall Street Journal, Planned Parenthood was flush with cash and using its profits to rebrand itself. The effort was designed to build the business by targeting wealthy consumers to complement their existing customer base of poor and minority populations. While taxpayers underwrite its operations, Planned Parenthood is building luxury health centers in shopping centers and malls, designed by marketing experts with touches such as hardwood floors, muted lighting, and large waiting rooms."




“Despite efforts to suggest otherwise, the Pence Amendment does not reduce funding for cancer screenings or eliminate one dime of funding for other important health services to women; the money that does not go to Planned Parenthood as a result of the Pence Amendment will go to other organizations that provide these services. If the Pence Amendment becomes law, thousands of women’s health centers, clinics, and hospitals will still provide assistance to low-income families and women. The Pence Amendment would simply deny any and all federal funding to Planned Parenthood.”

While I appreciate Mr. Pence’s effort to cut Federal funding of PP, it doesn’t cut overall spending. I’m not real happy about that. Yes, I want to defund PP and the abortion industry, but I also don’t think we should be funding ANY healthcare for ANYONE. Get the government out of Unconstitutional spending. We need to cut entire depts from the Fed government. It’s not the Federal government’s ~taxpayers~ job to subsidize or provide healthcare for anyone. God instructed His people, not the government, to care for the poor; widows and orphans. It’s not that I don’t think that the truly poor don’t need help, I just don’t believe it’s the taxpayer’s responsibility. Right here in Memphis is an example of this; Christ Community Health Centers. There are better ways to provide help for the poor.

As Walter E. Williams stated so eloquently; “I believe in helping my fellow man. Reaching into your own pocket to help your fellow man is praiseworthy and laudable; reaching into somebody else’s pocket to help your fellow man is despicable and worthy of condemnation.”

If the Republicans can’t defund PP, then how will they be able to defund anything else and get the Fed budget under control.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Memphis Needs More Grace

Our Ladies’ Movie Club met for dinner last night and then went to see "The Grace Card". It is a story that is set here in Memphis. As Memphians, we saw familiar places, even familiar faces; ~one inconsistency was the hospital~ what was very real was the attitude of the characters. While it was set in Memphis, I know that it’s also true in many major cities across our country. One of the topics at dinner was discussing Liz Taylor’s death and that there would be protests at her funeral by the “church” that protests also at military funerals. It was noted that while we don’t approve of gay marriage ~or that lifestyle~ militant protesting does nothing to reach out to the individuals that are caught in that lifestyle. Where’s the Grace? Where’s the Love? I admit that I struggle with the balance between “loving the sinner, but hating the sin.” Jesus hung out with sinners; he didn’t engage in or condone their sin, but that’s who he spent most of his time with. What does it look like in a Christian’s life ~in my life and your life~ to offer Grace and Mercy like Jesus? He is the perfect balance of justice and mercy. What does it look like in our lives when we emulate that? To be honest, I don’t know, but what we’ve been doing hasn’t worked. Just look at Memphis.



It’s frustrating to me because I weep for the children that grow up ~and have grown up~ in this reality in Memphis. There’s a real chip on the collective shoulders of Memphians. While it saddens me ~as Charlotte Bergmann states, “For approximately 50 years an entire group of people have become enslaved to the political idea that government knows what is best. That government collects our money to redistribute it to the poor...somewhere along the way that money is placed in the pockets of bureaucrats. Real jobs will allow the people to know where the money is distributed. Let the government stay within the constitutional constraints and restore liberty.” I see the consequences of slavery to victim-hood every day in Memphis. It’s more than a political problem; it has destroyed countless families and lives. The answer is in more than politics, it’s in changing attitudes one life at a time. What am I going to do today to reach out to someone and change an attitude? What are you going to do?

What does it look like to play "The Grace Card"?

"I promise to pray for you everyday; to ask for your forgiveness; grant you the same; and be your friend always."

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Are Your Toes Ready for Spring?

Are Your Toes Ready for Spring? Are they ready to peak out of your sandals? Your feet have been hidden all winter and now it's ready to let them out! Are they ready to see the world? Is the world ready to see them?

Too often foot health is overlooked, when in fact, foot health is crucial to our well being. Poor foot health can lead to skin problems, chronic foot pain, and even weight gain. The feet carry our whole body everyday and can often benefit from nourishment, relaxation, and rejuvenation.
Treat Your Feet Today with BC spa Pedicure Collection.


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  • Next rub Instant Pedicure Scrub in a circular motion all over top and bottom of feet. Instant Pedicure Scrub removes loosened and dead skin cells to reveal a fresh new layer of skin. Instant Pedicure Scrub is made with pumice granules from volcanic rock, a special moisturizing formula and peppermint oil. Rinse with warm water.
  • Last, rub ultra-rich Cooling Foot Salve all over your feet ~be sure and get between your toes~. It moisturizes, nourishes and protects your feet. This advance formula includes emollients like shea butter and grape seed oil to help moisturize and soothe skin; Vitamins E & B protect skin; and peppermint oil, which gives off a relaxing aroma and provides a cooling and invigorating sensation for your feet.

    Now your feet are ready to apply your favorite color. Look out world!
  • Monday, March 21, 2011

    Today's Praise

    From 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Meyers:
    Thank You, Lord, for each specific strong point and admirable quality in my life partner. Thank You for bringing us together, and for the way Your love sweetens our earthly love! I bless You, Lord, for the many benefits You have given me through this dear one.

    Yet, Lord, I praise You that You are surpass even the best person in my life. You are distinguished above all, “the most winsome of all beings” (Tozer). You are my share in life, my reward, my inheritance.

    Who can compare with You? You are my perfect Life Partner, my dearest, most delightful Loved One, my always-present Companion. You are the strength of my life, and my portion forever. Only my relationship with You is sure to be lifelong and more, with never a good-bye!

    Thank you that “You are so vastly wonderful, so utterly and completely delightful, that you can meet and overflow the deepest demands of my total nature, mysterious and deep as that nature is” (Tozer)

    Sunday, March 20, 2011

    Today's Praise

    From 31 Days of Praise by Ruth Meyers.
    Father, I thank You for the people in my life who seem to bring more pain than joy, for I believe You have let our paths cross for important reasons. Thank You for the good things You want to do in my life through the things that bother me (their irritating habits? their moodiness? their unloving ways? their demands? their insensitivity? their unrealistic expectations?). I'm grateful that You are with me, to meet my needs when other ~even those close to me~ fail to do so. I'm so glad that You are also within me, working to make me more like Jesus ~more patient, more gentle, more loving~ through the very things I dislike.

    Thanks You too that You love these people, and that Your love is adequate to meet their deep needs and to transform their lives, however willful or unwise they may sometimes be. Thank You that you care for them deeply, and that each of them has the potential of being a vast reservoir from which You could receive eternal pleasure. And so, thought I may not feel grateful, I give thanks for them by faith, trusting your goodness, Your wisdom, Your power, and Your love for them as well as for me.

    And I praise you that I need not fret about these people, or be envious, or mull over angry thoughts to prove I'm right. Thank You that by Your power I can receive them as You receive me: just as I am, warts and wrinkles and hang-ups and all ...that through Your grace, I can choose to wipe clean any slate of grievances I have within me, and to view these people with a heart that says, "You no longer owe me a thing." Thank You for Your Spirit who empowers me, so that I can do them good, delight in You, and commit my way to You, resting in You as You unfold Your good purposes in these relationships ~in Your time.

    Saturday, March 19, 2011

    Calling Texas Patriots!

    H/T weedweed at The Conservative Treehouse
    Senate Bill 14, the VOTER ID BILL, will go to the Texas House Floor Monday morning (via the Texas Tribune):
    The House Calendars Committee voted this evening to place the voter ID bill, SB 14, on the House calendar for Monday. Gov. Rick Perry declared the item an emergency issue just days after the Texas Legislature gaveled in two months ago…

    The measure would require voters to present photo identification — like a driver’s license — at the polls in order to cast a ballot.

    Asked why the item was scheduled for Monday and not later this week as some members expected, Hunter said it was just a matter of timing.

    “I can’t tell you much more other than we just got the paperwork today,” he said.
    If you have an opinion on this bill, you are encouraged to share it with your State Representative. and share it with your fellow grassroots Texans

    Find your statehouse rep here.

    This is a very important bill to combat voter fraud. There was voter fraud in the caucuses of the 2008 Democrat Primary We Will Not Be Silenced. In Texas alone there were over 2,000 complaints. ACORN submits fraudulant voter registrations which are then used for fraudulant votes. In order to combat this, we need laws in place where voters must show picture ID in order to cast their ballot. I have to show my id to write a check, fly or apply for a job. Isn't voting just as important?

    Friday, March 18, 2011

    Easy Mac & Cheese

    Easy Mac & Cheese

    2 c. uncooked pasta ~my kids like the mini-farfalle~
    2 T flour
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1 1/2 c. soy milk
    1 1/2 c. water
    2 T. butter
    2 c. grated cheese ~We like colby jack~

    Bring soymilk, water, flour, salt and flour to a boil; add pasta. Reduce heat and cook pasta according to directions. Remove from heat and add grated cheese. Mix thoroughly and let stand for a couple of minutes.

    My daughter is in renal failure so she is limited on her dairy products. This recipe uses soymilk and non-processed cheese and is lower in sodium.

    Today's Tidbits

    NH Supreme Court rules girl must attend public school

    While involves home schooling, it is not about the merits of home verses public schooling,” they stated."

    Really, then why are they agreeing with the father who argued that homeschooling prevents "adequate socialization"?


    Judge Maryann Sumi temporarily halts Wisconsin union law


    When the left can't win at the ballot box, they turn to activist judges.



    It's time to defund Planned Parenthood. If it's such a great program, fund it with your own money, don't reach into my pocket to fund your murder.

    Obama gives Brazil Final Aproval to Drill in Gulf of Mexico

    As BO/BS continues the moratorium on US drilling in the Gulf, he gives his buddy Soros access in Brazil to oil. Maybe this explain why he's going to Rio for the weekend.

    This is another reason that I'm all in for Sarah Palin for President. She knows that energy independence is a national security issue. Drill, Baby, Drill!

    The $4 per gallon President by Sarah Palin.

    Setting the record straight again.
    NYT, There You Go Again by Sarah Palin

    This is one of the many reasons that oppressive leftists fear Sarah Palin. She doesn't mince words and she's not afraid to speak the truth. Read Going Rogue and find out why she is feared in D.C.

    Thursday, March 17, 2011

    Andrew Klavan: Behold! Your Public Sector Unions at Work.

    With TN dealing with the same issues as Wisconsin, here's a crash course on Public Sector Unions.

    Tupperware Spring Deals!


    Have you seen Tupperware lately? Thru March 24, 2011, Classic kids' toys are on sale; including the must have Shape-O-Toy and Mickey Mouse Ice Tups. Just Click Here and follow the links to More Savings Thru March 24.

    Save Up to 50% on these favorites:

    Spring Savings 3-12-25-2011

    These savings are only available thru a Tupperware consultant ~that's Me~ so you may email me with your order. The Sale ends Friday, March 24, 2011 so I need your order by 5:00 p.m. so that I can get the sale for you.

    Have a Great Day!

    Tuesday, March 15, 2011

    Who is The Real Enemy?

    On Monday, Rush discussed why Conservatives dislike Sarah Palin. I think it is a combination of fear and elitism. First, the Republican DC crowd fears her. As governor of Alaska, she went after the corruption in BOTH parties. She is a rock solid Conservative who has experience with cutting budgets ~she did this even during economic good times. ~

    Bob Zee ~the veteran~ defends Sarah Palin and calls out “Conservatives” for not having the emotional fortitude to battle the enemy. See first comment here.

    The other reason that “Conservatives” don’t like her is about “intellectuals” and “elitists” A couple of years ago, I read “A Framework for Understanding Poverty” by Ruby K Payne. It talks about the 3 different classes of people; ~generational poor, middle class and rich~ each class of people have their own rules and to be a move into each class, you have to learn the rules of that class; how they speak, etc. When I read the book, it hit me that that’s why they ~the intellectuals~ don’t like Palin. They don’t think she’s up their intellectual standards. She’s flyover country, she’s Middle America and proud of it. She’s us! Not only are they afraid of her, they look down on her because she’s not like them. Bob Zee is right. Do we have the emotional fortitude to battle against the real enemy here, the elites on both sides of the aisle? 2012 is toooo important to the future of our children and grandchildren.

    Tuesday, March 8, 2011

    Thank You Steve Cohen!

    The Federal government set a new record in February 2011. It had the largest monthly deficit in history; $223 Billion. See here. While liberals/Demonrats whine about the Republican spending during the Bush years, ~especially about the Iraq war~ the deficit for the whole year of 2007 was $161 Billion. WSJ article here.

    Notice that 2007 was the last budget by both a Republican Congress and Republican President. Since Demonrats took control of Congress, ~which holds the purse strings of the government~ they have tripled the Federal Deficit. Republicans in Congress are trying to cut $100B out of the Federal budget and are running into opposition from Deficit Demonrats. Is it any wonder, when they hold the record for spending?

    While the Republicans are fighting to cut the Federal budget by $100B, that is just a drop in the bucket compared to what must be cut. At the very least, we need to get back to 2006 levels. What needs to be done is to get back to Constitutional levels, which would be the elimination of many whole depts of the federal budget, the alphabet depts/programs. We could eliminate the whole defense budget ~which is the main job of the federal government~ and still only cut the current deficit by 1/3. That is unbelievable to me and unacceptable.

    How did America come from a poor 3rd world country in 1787 to become one of the richest by 1920? It wasn’t because of the Dept of Labor, Energy or Education. The great cities of New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Detroit weren’t the result of HUD. From 1787-1920, the federal budget never exceeded 3% of the GDP except during times of war. Today, the federal budget is 25% of GDP.

    Mr. Cohen was first elected to Congress in 2006. As a Pelosi lapdog, he is part of this history making fiscal fiasco. I wonder if this is an accomplishment that he’s proud of?

    Friday, March 4, 2011

    More Fun with Steve Cohen

    TN-9 Congressman posted the following link on his Facebook page on Thursday, March 3, 2011.



    He’s trying to paint Republicans as giving a death sentence to those with cancer and other catastrophic illness because their budget cuts $2 billion dollars from the NIH.

    Following are the comments:

    Supporter #1: “The GOP notion of cutting NIH funding is BRAINLESS!!!
    Don't they want the US to be at the forefront of science which will help people and lead to more JOBS?”

    Me: “It's NOT the government's job to fund any kind of research. As a mother with a child in renal failure, I am not looking to the government for a cure. We could solve the budget crisis easily if we returned to Constitutional government; national security being it's primary JOB.”

    Supporter #2: “The republicans have an agenda and yours and the nations needs to not apply. If the Democrats don't stand together as one we will have to wait sometime before the nightmare will be over.”

    Me: “‎@Supporter #2; like the Democrats don't have an agenda. They rammed hellcare thru against the wishes of the people, they spent taxpayers money like it grew on trees and how many 2000+ bills did they ram thru w/o reading, regardless of what the consequences were to the American people. All they want is power, control and bigger government. The last 2 yrs have been a nightmare for all those that are unemployed because of the policies of leftists like Mr. Cohen.”

    Supporter #2: “TN WAHM your one of those special people who live in lala land. Do you still have your silver spoon?”

    Supporter #3: First,” TN WAHM, I wish nothing but the best for you and your child.

    Now, here's the thing: All the people who opposed Health Care Reform said that our health care system is the envy of the world.

    But all those innovations that made it that way... are the direct result of government-funded research. The private sector has proven time and time again that it has neither the resources nor the will to sink serious research efforts into catastrophic disease.

    Every advance that we make towards conquering catastrophic disease, be it cancer, HIV/ AIDS, juvenile diabetes, happens directly or indirectly through the work of the federal government.

    Once, a cancer diagnosis was a death sentence. All the progress that we've made in beating it came directly or indirectly from government research.

    When a pharmaceutical manufacturer develops a new medicine, they are building upon research that was funded by our government.

    In a perfect world, the private sector would drive innovation. We don't live in that perfect world. If the government does not fund research, which is often conducted right her in Memphis at St. Jude and UT Health Science Center, the research does not get done.

    When we reach that point where cancer is cured routinely, it will be because the NIH did the heavy lifting and provided organizations such as St. Jude and UTHSC with the means to conduct research, as well as their own in house research.”

    Me: “@ Supporter #2, no silver spoon, I'm working middle class, but I know economics and I'm not jealous of the rich.

    @ Supporter #3, obviously you believe that government is the solution to every problem. What did we do before all this government interference? How did America come from a poor 3rd world country in 1787 to become one of the richest countries in 1920? It wasn't because of Dept of Ed, Dept of Energy or HUD. If you cut out the entire defense budget ~which is the main job of the federal government~ you would only cut the deficit by a 1/3. From 1787-1920, the federal budget never exceeded 3% of the GDP except during times of war. Today the federal spending is 25% of the GDP. And for the record, I hold Repubs as well as Dems responsible for this. Repubs spent too much during the Bush administration, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to what the Dems spent since 2007 when they controlled the purse strings of Congress.

    "No people will tamely surrender their Liberties, nor can any be easily subdued, when knowledge is diffused and virtue is preserved. On the Contrary, when People are universally ignorant, and debauched in their Manners, they will sink under their own weight without the Aid of foreign invaders." -Samuel Adams”

    Supporter #3: “Not every problem, but at the very least, THIS problem. The private sector does not drive medical research. If we do not fund it, it does not get done. The modern medical industry answers to its shareholders, not humanity. It's the reason there are more new patents for curing baldness and restless leg syndrome than curing actual disease.

    The amount the Republicans want to cut from the NIH, $2.5 billion, is roughly the equivalent of 35 days in Iraq.

    The debt explosion you talk of? That debt was there all along. The key difference is that the Obama administration makes Iraq & Afghanistan part of its budget (And thereby, part of the debt), while the Bush administration tracked it off budget. It's like saying your house note isn't part of your personal debt. It was an irresponsible sleight of hand designed to make the already bloated Bush deficits look smaller. His administration had a bad habit of doing things like that. His Council of Economic Advisers actually recommended reclassifying hamburgers as durable goods so they could make McJobs look like a thriving manufacturing sector.”

    Me: “@Supporter #3, do you work for the NIH or the federal government?

    You keep saying that w/o government there wouldn’t be any medical innovations and research. Just because you keep saying it doesn’t mean it’s so.

    “Is it really true that political self-interest is nobler somehow than economic self-interest?” Milton Friedman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWsx1X8PV_A

    You sight the Iraq war, but even if we eliminated all defense spending, our deficit would only be cut by 1/3; and national defense is the main job of the federal government.

    When was the last time the federal government had a balanced budget? The answer: 1957. http://www.geldpress.com/2008/07/us-budget-reporting-deception/
    Unless I’m mistaken, George Bush wasn’t president in 1957.”