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Mike Graybear
McKinney, TX
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Mike commented on the article |I have been working on a book about quantum physics for about 10 years and continue to be surprised with the politicization of "global warming".
Almost all energy that drives the various systems found on Earth, such as climate, waves, etc., comes from the Sun. There is a significant amount of debate over climate changes which is a waste of time and here is why. The Earth orbits the Sun in an ellipse, which automatically means that the distance from the Earth to the Sun is constantly changing. The inverse sqare law applied to solar radiation "guarantees" there will be cycles in the climate. So it is a given that our climate will and does change.
The next question is regarding how much of that radiation is absorbed? Why? Because this is what causes heat. From 1984 until 2009 the Federal National Renewable Energy Labaratory has measure radiation striking the surface of the Earth and found there was no change in the amount of radiation - except for the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. Even then, the levels returned to normal within 3 years.
The bottom line is that there is very little change in the amount of energy actually being absorbed - and perhaps more importantly - there is significant evidence that the Earth is self correcting.
There are a lot of scientists on payrolls that might be in danger if global warming was not being sold as a "crisis" but the common sense evidence does not prove it.
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Mike commented on the article |In an earlier post I mentioned that I am a Christian and did graduate work in Biblical Studies. My undergraduate work was in Genetic Engineering.
I think that DADT was a mistake from the beginning. It would be equivalent to someone who has committed any vice - drinking, marital infidelity, porn, etc. They are all listed in Romans chapter 1. In order to be fair, all of these would need to be included and many people would have been ejected from the military.
So, who is better? Gay or straight? Scripture says that neither is (Romans 3:10).
Do you remember the Passover? When Moses was confronting Pharoah, God said that the first born son of all Egypt would die and the Jews would have to mark their doorways with the blood of a lamb to be spared. The judgement of God would pass over them - even though they were not without wrong doing.
The Apostle Paul taught that Christ, who is often called the Lamb, shed his blood so that the judgement of God would pass over all who believe (Romans 3:22-25). This is called Grace. It brings about peace and heals broken relationships.
Having said all that so that you know I am not against or sitting in judgement of anyone who is gay - I need to address the science from the standpoint of genetic engineering.
Much of the public peception is misguided regarding the relationships between genes and behavior. While genetics may play a role in someone's predispositions, it is a long way from determining someone's behavior. Environmental issues clearly influence behavior. It might not be what you want to hear - but check the research - it is true.
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Mike commented on the article |
I am an unusual member of Change.org. I am a Christian, Republican, a traditional conservative and a combat veteran. But before you blast me, hear me out. I have also done graduate work in Biblical Studies in the ancient Greek, the orginal language of the New Testament - which is the source of much of this controversy.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter 1 that mankind did not honor God (verse 21) and that God gave them over to a depraved mind (verses 28-32). Now, there is no qualification for that - it included all of us - not just someone who is gay. And if you have an argument with that, take it up with Paul and not me.
The next chapter is most important. Most people stop at chapter 1, which is a shame because the Apostle Paul says if you judge another you condemn yourself (verse 1). He even goes on to say that people who judge others are doing so to make themselves look righteous (verse 3).
Scripture recognizes two type of judgement, legal and personal. Legal judgement involves weighing evidence and making a ruling, like Moses did in Exodus 18:13. It involves the rule of law and matters of authority.
Personal judgement involves personal decision making and a thing we call wisdom. When we make a decision, there are consequences, both good and bad, for that decision.
The "Don't ask, don't tell" ruling sets aside people based on the premise that being gay is worse than other "sins". It attempts to make a personal judgement a legal one. This logic violates the logic of Romans 1. It also violates the judgement of others in Romans 2. It seems like "Don't ask, don't tell" is based on a misapplication and misunderstanding of Scripture.
While I don't support the gay lifestyle, I think "Don't ask, don't tell" is inappropriate.
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Mike commented on the article |Mr Labbe, sorry but I strongly disagree. Did you read the original bill? It was only 64 pages and extremely well written. My family was hit hard during the Great Depression and lost their farm. My grandmother and grandfather died with dignity due to the program. It was the least the country could do for my grandmother who sent 4 boys to fight during World War II while working in the fields to keep food on the table for the rest of the family. You can read the original bill at http://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/fdrbill.pdf.
Did you know the fund actually had money it at one time? Then, Lyndon Johnson raided it to pay for Vietnam and it opened the door to all of his successors - both Democrat and Republican. Our Congressional elite failed to make the tough decision and now it is perhaps too late. Hind sight is always 100%. If we were allowed to put our money into private accounts we would have a pretty sizable nest egg by now - even if a portion was contributed to the destitute. It is the theft of my hard earned money that makes me mad!
Why do you say Social Security caused the Depression to last longer? It wasn't implemented until 1935 when the Depression was in full swing. I don't think the people who were starving and standing in bread lines would agree with you. To say it made it last longer is strickly hypothetical.
I for one think we have a pretty great country and it is far from ruined. I look forward to the next election in 2010 and hope that we clean house and elect representatives who are citizens first, effective managers and decision makers second and financial conservatives. The principles of balancing your checkbook and having enough capital have proven that it cannot be violated. Not in 1930 and not in 2008.
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Mike commented on the article |
Chip. Speaking of the VA hospital, my wife interned at one right out of college. The care was so horrific she almost gave up her profession. I remember picking her up one evening and having to talk her into sticking with her internship program. It was quite traumatic.
I too am a veteran and some VA hospitals are run better than others but most that I have been to are pretty terrible - even the best are just average.
If we had a truly competitive free market for health insurance in this country things would change very rapidly. Get rid of the restrictions on selling across state lines would be a good step in the right direction. Also have a national board that issues licenses and medical practioners would be able to freely move around the country to provide healthcare without being subjected to a state board.
If someone is destitute, issue them a card like Medicare. The program works - leverage their organization structure to resolve the problem. Don't reinvent the wheel.
These are easy and obvious fixes. The only reason that I see as to why they are not on the table is because the politicians are more interested in consolidating power than really fixing the problem. The American people are not stupid. They see it too.
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Mike commented on the article |
Chip - interesting info about TennCare. My biggest objection to any government run system is that there is no incentive for innovation. Government run agencies don't have to stay ahead of the competition or satisfy their customers.
As an example, I had to renew my driver's license a couple of weeks ago and the process took 2 hours. The lines were so long they went outside where we stood for 45 minutes. There was a pregnanent woman, an elderly woman with a walker, another with a cane and several with small children. It was a hot day and you could tell it was brutal on them.
When the "officer" in charge of the facility walked out of the door I stopped him and asked him if this was normal. He said, "Oh yeah, pretty much every day." I then asked what he was doing to fix it, pointing out that some standing in line were suffering. He said, "I believe the commission chairman is working on it. We don't have enough people to handle the processing. It isn't in the budget." There was not a hint of personal responsibility.
As I got to the counter I began to see people being turned away after waiting in line for two hours because they did not have cash. There were no signs outside or inside telling anyone they needed cash, except for on the counter next to clerk. There was no incentive for anyone to even place simple signs that would have reduced the size of the line and saved people a major headache. It wasn't anyone's "job" to do so. It was a pathetically managed operation.
In a competitive free market (the key word here is competitive), if you don't take good care of your customer you will soon find them beating a path to your competitor and you'll be out of business. This is totally non-existent in a government run entity of any kind. There is a lack of innovation and a perpetuation of the bureaucracy.
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Mike commented on the article |
Edward - talking about demands...
I demand to see where 40 years of social security money that I have paid into my "account" shows up. Congress makes Bernie Madoff look like a rookie. What was supposed to be held in a "trust" has been spent for other things.
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Mike commented on the article |
I didn't mention one aspect of the Social Security bill of 1935. It's stated purpose was, "To alleviate the hazards of old age, unemployment, illness, and dependency". It was actually a brilliant plan that formed a cohesive team with each state to solve the problems. The individual states would implement the plan based on the needs of their population.
History has proven that centralized national systems do not work well. The Social Security system was initially designed as a decentralized system and worked well for many years. It was only when it was changed and made more centralized that problems began to surface.
I am against this bill, not because it is not needed, but because it attempts to be implemented in a fashion that has been proven by history to fail. There needs to be strong state involvement for local populations based on their needs. It needs to be much better than it is. The American Citizen deserves better than this.
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Mike commented on the article |
The rush to get this done appears to be driven largely by ego and not by the principles of effective management. If the plan is unclear and you have failed to get buy-in from all of the stakeholders it is doomed to failure before it even starts. Lyndon Johnson made that mistake with Vietnam and George Bush made that mistake with Iraq.
When everyone is on board and the plan is clear success is almost assured. Roosevelt was highly successful because he only went to war when it was clear to the nation that it was something we had to do.
Roosevelt was also successful with the original Social Security bill in 1935. It was only 64 pages long and was a work of art compared to the current bill. The average citizen could read it and understand it. The precise details of the plan were clearly spelled out. This is the kind of legislation Congress needs to create. See http://www.ssa.gov/history/pdf/fdrbill.pdf and compare it to the current bill. Night and day.
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Mike commented on the article |
Those powers to draft are given under the right to declare war and raise armies and malitias. A clear power of Congress. You look too youthful to remember the last time this country drafted an army. I remember getting my draft notice and reporting to Selective Service. My best friend fled to Canada and there were riots on campuses across this great nation. I was there and I served my country by going to war. 56,000 died. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.
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