Illinois -- Obama's Model America

by guest columnist
Roger A. Keats
Former state senator, Illinois

Illinois is Obama’s model for America. I lived in Illinois for 60 years and want to be sure voters understand what living in Obama's America for a second term, when he will be immune from public pressure, will be like.

Now jailed Governor Blagojevich made up new state programs with no authorization from the legislature and spent money not appropriated. When Obama was a State Senator he supported ignoring the constitution and supported Governor Blagojevich’s shenanigans. Sound familiar in the Obama administration? By the way, 4 of Illinois’ last 7 governors have gone to jail.

Illinois hasn’t had a balanced budget since the last century. That is unconstitutional, but in Illinois, they don’t care about the constitution. Illinois is buried in debt! The budget increases many times faster than the rate of inflation and huge new programs with no real source of funding are added on a regular basis. The state, with no legal authorization, covers health care for families making almost $90,000/ year. Past insolvent, not one penny has been trimmed from the budget since the last century. Sound familiar in the Obama Administration?

Illinois is #1 in unfunded pension liabilities, failing schools, jailed judges, jailed aldermen and jailed government workers. Illinois has one of the highest unemployment rates in America and it is going up, not down. There were more jobs in Illinois in 2000 than today and their solution was to raise the income tax 67% to go with the nation’s highest sales tax. Like Greece and America Illinois borrows money to fund day to day operating expenses. Illinois buried itself in more debt to pay for massive stimulus spending on public infrastructure. Taxes and regulations are unbearable so the Democrats give special tax breaks to their friends but let small business folks hang. Crony capitalism any one? Sound familiar in the Obama’s administration?

Education reform? Chicago brags the dropout rate from its schools is down to 50%!!! Big city public schools across America, all of them run by hard core liberals are the face of institutional racism as they force minority kids into failed systems that will guarantee the kids are not employable. The Obama administration has lowered educational standards in over 20 states already to make the failure of many public school systems dominated by Obama’s allies, the teachers unions, less obvious. Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

In the corruption capitol of America, Illinois’ Attorney General is a hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil state embarrassment who refuses to investigate or prosecute public corruption! There has been no investigation of the massive mortgage fraud involving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in Illinois or the crony capitalism. Obama allies Rahm Emanuel and the state’s former Democrat Attorney General, Neal Hartigan, were board members of Freddie Mac during the worst of the accounting fraud. No investigation. Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

The Chicago Transit Authority, once a model for the nation, is now continually bankrupt and is getting deeper into debt daily. There is no attempt to control the rapidly escalating costs. The unions have free rein. The governor and the state legislature continue to support an obscenely expensive proposed high speed rail line. Everyone admits it will never come close to breaking even, but who cares? There will always be a federal subsidy, right? Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

Unions go unchallenged at all levels. Government employees either pay union dues or they are fired! In Chicago government there are three union locals with only 1 member! Union officials are allowed into the public pension funds even though they don’t work for the public! Government union members can retire at age 50 with full pensions and health care! Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

Chicago remains the nation’s most segregated city and Democrat politicians regularly split ethnic and racial groups apart regardless of how it affects the city and state as a whole. There are no elected Republicans in the city. Yet White Democrats accuse the Republicans of racism and the Black Wards vote 95% Democrat! Any opposition is bitterly attacked, usually with lies and even complete fabrications to try to destroy them. Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

Chicago has the toughest anti gun laws in America. The U. S. Supreme Court overturned them in a land mark case but it had no effect on how Chicago deals with guns. Similar to Obama’s DOJ Fast & Furious program to sell Mexican drug cartels modern American guns to undermine private ownership.

Radical leftists and domestic terrorists like Bill Ayres and his wife Bernardine Dohrn are high society in Chicago. Despite their alleged criminal past, both were granted tenure at major Chicago universities. Dohrn’s law license was forfeited yet she is a faculty member of Northwestern’s law school! The public schools are dominated by radical leftists protected by the all powerful teachers unions. Sound like the Obama administration?

This is the model Barack Obama politically “grew up” in. Michelle Obama’s father was a Democrat patronage workers in the legendarily corrupt Chicago Machine. Obama was a loyal member of that machine. Democrat’s use their own racism as a political tool. Illinois is a basket case and getting worse. Is this what you want for 4 more years?

I still find it hard to believe America’s voters elected a politician from Illinois. Either party! Don’t they realize what is going on in Chicago and Illinois? If this is the model of what you want, vote for another 4 years of Barack Obama.

by
Roger A. Keats
Former State Senator, Illinois
ltckeats@gmail.com

Reviewing a New Yorker review of a new book on Revelation

To its credit, the New Yorker covers most every subject known to man, and in its March 5, 2012 issue, it wades into Bible prophecy, by way of Adam Gopnik's review (“The Big Reveal: why does the Bible end that way?”) of Elaine Pagels' new book “Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation.”

The author’s hypothesis is laid out by the reviewer as follows: “Pagel’s essential point is convincing and instructive: there were revelations all over Asia Minor and the Holy Land; John’s was just one of many, and we should read it as such.”

Wasn’t special, wasn’t inspired, and barely made it into the Bible, according the author. Suppose that was true, what does one do with the entire, consistent, systemic message of the rest of the Bible regarding the future?

Were it not for the myriad of verses, Old Testament and New, salient ones listed to follow, that call for a calamitous end to earthly life as we know it, and its replacement with a divinely-led kingdom, perhaps Pagels' hypothesis (a political not prophetic catalyst for John's writings) might hold more water. Meanwhile, the fact that we even have a modern Israel, surrounded by ever more bellicose enemies, preparing for a nuclear denouement, is itself a material fulfillment of Bible prophecy and the Bible itself -- all the way from Gen. 3:15 through the end of the book she questions.

The subject could not be more important, according to writers like Merton and Baudrillard, who said: “If it were a matter of choosing between “contemplation” and “eschatology,” there is no question that I am, and would always be, committed entirely to the latter.” Thomas Merton. And: from Baudrillard: “If parapsychological or extraterrestrial phenomena were genuine, or even merely plausible, one ought to devote oneself to them entirely, wasting not a single moment.” We couldn't agree more.

With those thoughts in mind, here are just seven points that go before Revelation in the Bible to consider that would surely refute Ms. Pagels’ refutation of Revelation:

Genesis 3:15. Here we have explained the essential nature of the universe: a war between God and Satan, one that has been protracted, yes, but will not go on forever. Jesus’s heel was wounded, so to speak, at his death, but Satan’s head would be crushed – a poetic way of saying total defeat awaits him. Hasn’t happened – yet.

Isaiah 17. 1 A prophecy against Damascus: ”See, Damascus will no longer be a city but will become a heap of ruins. -- 14 In the evening, sudden terror! Before the morning, they are gone! Hasn’t happened – yet.

Ezekiel 37. “They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.” Hasn’t happened – yet.

Ezekiel 38. When Gog attacks the land of Israel, my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. 19 In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. 21 I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man’s sword will be against his brother. 22 I will execute judgment on him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. 23 And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’ Hasn’t happened – yet.

Ezekiel 40-48. The millennial temple, described in enormous detail. Ends with: “And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.” Hasn’t happened – yet.

Matthew 24. 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

1 Corinthians 15:19. Paul said it best: If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

With war in Syria, with Iran advancing its nuclear program, both backstopped by Russia, as predicted, how far are we from the denouement which Ms. Pagels marginalizes?

We might conclude with Jesus’ own words: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

They will also be writing books, and book reviews – still knowing nothing (or believing nothing) about what would happen – right up to the end which they disparage.


Or put more simply still: prophecy is politics…

====================================================================


Check npr.org for an hour long interview with Ms. Pagels as well.

Laying down some unvarnished truth

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Bold Alligator went into its operational phase Monday, Feb. 6, the same day as a large-scale exercise began in southern Iran opposite the Strait of Hormuz. This simultaneity attests to the preparations for a US-Iranian showdown involving Israel behind the words on Feb. 5 of US President Barack Obama ("I don't think Israel has decided whether to attack Iran") and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Feb. 3 ("The war itself will be ten times as detrimental to the US.").

Calls to mind the famous line by Dirty Harry: 'you have to ask yourself, do you feel lucky, punk, well...........do you?'

At the same time, we read of internal strife affecting Iranian administration.

Events careening towards a denouement. How will things resolve?

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Here's the math:

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1. Mayans rise to power and institute new calendar, calling for new end of the world, 4012. So, we go to overtime.......
2. Ahmadinejad renounces both Islam and little white jackets, applies to Harvard, where he is accepted as grad student and TA in nuclear physics.
3. To revive her moribund TV career, Sarah Palin comes out of hiding, wins Republican nomination, defeats Obama in photo finish race after all hanging chads counted (7 weeks).
4. Stock market falls 8,000 points.
5. Day after inauguration, Palin resigns, joins Oprah Winfrey Network as EVP. "You betcha," she says. "Just wanted to show all you I could do it!" She further explained that "all politics is entertainment" and only saw "the White House as a stepping stone to my dream job."
   
6. Stock market rallies 9,000 points.
7. Euro money crisis fades from view. EU finance minister explains: "All money is conceptual -- we imagined we had more, much more -- and it worked!"
8. Dow Jones reaches 35,000 -- predicted more than 12 years ago.
9. Gold plummets to 1930s level $20 per oz. Hedge fund king John Paulson: "When we broke $35, we realized we had trouble, big trouble, right here in....." Was led away while singing medley of Broadway show tunes.
   
10. Magyars replace Mayans as world thought leaders, suggest move U.N. headquarters to Budapest. "Only step one of many," premier says at news conference. Euro leaders demur.
    

Sorry to be tardy with these. More cross currents of change here than originally imagined.....

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Jim Rogers isn't too optimistic about stock markets in 2012, sees longer term systemic collapse - Business Intelligence Middle East - bi-me.com - News, analysis, reports

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About Jim Rogers

Jim Rogers has spent a career being one step ahead of mainstream investment thinking. Amongst his many accomplishments, Rogers was co-founder with George Soros of Quantum Fund. During his ten years with the fund, the portfolio gained more than 4,000%, while the S&P rose less than 50%.

Rogers retired from Quantum in 1980 and became a guest professor of finance at Columbia University Graduate School of Business and in 1989 and 1990, the moderator of The Dreyfus Roundtable, The Profit Motive with Jim Rogers, and a media commentator worldwide.

But ask Jim Rogers about his most important venture and he will answer without hesitation: fatherhood.

A Gift to My Children: A Father's Lessons for Life and Investing (RandomHouse, 85 pages, US$16) is Jim Rogers' love letter to his daughters, Happy and Baby Bee. Reminiscent of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, which was also written by a father to his child, Rogers' book is full of no-nonsense, unsentimental fatherly advice.

Among Jim Rogers' best advice:

-- Conduct your own research and trust your own judgment.
-- Focus on what you yourself love.
-- Be persistent.
-- Broaden your horizons and see as much of the world as you can.
-- The most important thing you can learn is how to think and question everything you hear.
-- Study and learn from history.
-- Master more than one language - and make sure one of them is Mandarin.
-- Don't panic.
-- Take care of yourself and don't neglect the sunscreen.

-- Remember that boys need girls more than girls need boys.

Underscoring his convictions that future prosperity will come from China, Rogers' two young children speak Mandarin.