Religious Freedom

In an important Supreme Court ruling today, religious institutions have the 'ministerial exception' to discrimination n their hiring and firing decisions.

See the attached article (http://nyti.ms/wX9PtA)

See the Supreme Court Ruling here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/10-553.pdf

Let me know your thoughts.

Grad and Peace,

PLW

And More Defecit Reduction Proposals

Now, the Bi-Partisan Center's Debt Reduction Task Force has proposed a 6.5% national sales tax...

Curious. How about the easy solution (but politically suicidal of course) to actually reduce the size of government by reducing entitlement programs (and no, extending the age of Social Security to age 69 doesn't really help address the fraud and far-reaching benefits within the program)?

If Washington REALLY wants to see change, they will look to cut these programs and scale them back. People need to be less dependant, not more dependant, on government.

Interestingly enough, Congress is also looking at simplifying the tax code, which would be a good start. But when it comes down to looking for meaningful deficit reduction strategies, entitlement programs are really the biggest chunk of our national budget (roughly 60%) and changes in those programs will give us the most noticeable long-term financial improvement (not to mention also reigning in Bernanke and his money-printing press).

Grace & Peace.

PLW

Voting Turnout / Taxes

I am always amazed that the number of people that hit the voting ballots are less than 50%, especially with increasing unemployment, rising federal and state government deficits. and so much hype about local referendums.

I also just received my proposed property tax assessment for 2011. What I find ironic is NOT that my property values have steadily declined year after year (since 2007), but my property taxes (with no school or local referendums passed) are going up.

Conclusion: local and state governments are not calling it a tax, but they are either changing the formula, or increasing the mil rate which is really a tax in another name. Either way, they have figured out yet another way to reach into every place to increase revenues rather than to cut entitlement programs.

Coming soon to a 1040 near you: Reduced federal and state income tax deductions. Its another area where they are able to increase tax revenue without calling it a tax.

I know the Bible says,“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s', but its getting completely out of hand.

Grace & Peace

PLW

Supreme Court Rulings

I have a fair interest in the US Supreme Court ongoings (not as much as some...), but have found this latest ruling of particular interest.

McDonald v. Chicago: In this landmark (I'm calling it) decision (which is a follow-up to District of Columbia v. Heller), the Court held that the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is one of the ' fundamental rights necessary to the Nation's system of ordered liberty'. The Court also held that the 14th Amendment makes the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms fully applicable to the States.

Stevens, writing the dissenting opinion, tries to argue the following: 1) 'Firearms have a fundamentally ambivalent relationship to liberty' (i.e. it does more harm than good); 2) It is a 'different kind' of right; 3) Codified for the elimination of a militia, thus interpreted as a federalism provision (governmental vs. individual right); 3) We ought not do so for 'prudential reasons'.

Of particular note (and a favorite of this author), please read Justice Scalia's massacre of Steven's dissenting opinion. Specifically:

JUSTICE STEVENS abhors a system in which “majorities or powerful interest groups always get their way,” post, at 56, but replaces it with a system in which unelected and life tenured judges always get their way. That such usurpation is effected unabashedly, see post, at 53—with “the judge’s cards . . . laid on the table,” ibid.—makes it even worse. In a vibrant democracy, usurpation should have to be accomplished in the dark. It is JUSTICE STEVENS’ approach, not the Court’s, that puts democracy in peril.

Reading the opinion from Alito and the supporting opinion from the Chief Justice Scalia, I have SOME faith that our government is on the right track - at least this author thinks that they got this one right.

Grace & Peace

PLW

Obama's New Agency

Obama Said to Create Consumer Finance Agency With Broad Powers (Allison Vekshin)

June 16 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama will propose creating an agency to protect consumers of financial products with the authority to punish offending firms with fines and penalties, according to a Treasury document.

The Consumer Financial Protection Agency, to be proposed tomorrow in the overhaul of financial regulations, will have the authority to write rules for banks and non-bank companies, and supervise and examine institutions for compliance, according to the document obtained by Bloomberg News.

“Lax consumer protections contributed significantly to the current financial crisis,” the document said. “The financial crisis, in turn, revealed inadequacies in consumer and investor protection.”

Obama’s plan is similar to a proposal introduced last week by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, who will lead efforts in the Senate to enact Obama’s proposals.

Dodd said the agency should have enforcement authority over credit and bank products and shield consumers from predatory practices of mortgage brokers and banks.