PAYGO

I really like the recent Obama challange to congress to have a PayGo budget. That just makes more sense. This PAYGO would basically mean that congress would need to create a budgett that could only be spent if the money was there. This would effectively balance the budget. This makes sense to me. This was also used in the 90's and it helped to balance the budget.

My confusion comes from the previous Obama money pushes. The budget deficit has exploded to 1.8 trillion. This is four times higher than the previous record deficit. Obama acknowledged: "Entitlement increases and tax cuts need to be paid for, they're not free, and borrowing to finance them is not a sustainable long-term policy." We as tax payers have bailed out the banks, auto makers, and the are paying for the $787 billion dollar stimus package. Our government is creating a budget problem that our future generations are going to be paying for. Our deficit alone costs every man, woman, and child US citizen $6,000 a piece. How can this President support PayGo when he has championed so many opposite programs. This seems more to me like a statement used for politcal purposes and not based in his own world of reality.

Church Blessings

I have been feeling very lucky to be LDS lately. I have thought about all of the joy that it brings in life. There are so many ways this church blessed my life.

One inparticular one comes to mind....I got to hear Calan say the best prayer for dinner the other night. He never has a problem saying a prayer for dinner, but this one was really special. We had family over. When it was time to pray he said..." I would like to say this one." He started praying and you could tell he wasn't just repeating things that he had heard us say, or things he had said before. He was really praying. After he said A-men we all looked at him thinking the same thing. I was very proud of him. This little 5 year brought the spirit into our home that night.

I read a quote from Gordon Hinkley once that went something like "The greatest joy a man can have in life is to see his children grow up to be rightous and responsible adults."

I can understand this. I feel humbled by the task of being the father that I should be. Hopefully when they get older they will remember me as a good dad..and not remember some of the times that I was much less than a perfect father.

A lot has happened since my last post. We had a magical Christmas. Calan and Noah are at great ages for it. New Years Day we got to go visit family in Washington. My sister lives there. Here are a few picks.

We just had to go to the beach while we were there. It was COLD!!.. This was at Puget Sound.

Those babies were sure excited to see Grandma when we got there. We are blessed to have so many people in our lives that love us so much.

Since it rained just about the entire time we were there, but that is the Seattle area. We had to find indoor things to do. So this is a place called Charlie Safari. It was a pretty cool bouncing, climbing, hiding, exploring kid place.

It sure is nice being a part of such a nice family.

Separation of Church and State

The 1st Amendment of the United States of America reads:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

This reads that government should not be able to have an influence on religion. Religious groups have every right to be involved in political process. This does not mean political candidates, but it means political stances on morality issues. When a church that is opposed to gambling, abortion, gay-rights, etc. Then that church has a right to try and influence its members to defend morality.

I have recently heard people complain, saying "If a religious group wants to get involved in governement then they should lose their tax exept status." Our country's religions should not be bullied when they are only trying to influence their members to do what they think is morally right. It is government that should stay out of religion, not religion that should stay out of government.

Our country was founded with freedom of religion. I stand by the 11th article of faith that says

"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

Joy in My Kids

Daily Morning Snuggle Time

















Still learning to drink from a hose
















What a great Big Brother
















She is getting really good at ripping books apart




















That Toad Tickles


















It sure is fun being a Father.

Rant of the Day

I love this country and what it stands for. I tell my kids how lucky we are to have a roof over our heads, food on the tables, a bed to sleep in, and most of all freedom. We have so much freedom. We have the freedom to be whatever we want. I believe that this country gives us the opportunities to be whomever we want. We are here in this life to live, learn, and grow. We just have to put forth the effort to learn and grow.

There are so many Americans that have forgotten the effort side of growth. Can this be partly to blame for the current economic crisis in America? Many of the borrowers were more motivated by the big house with the big payment, than the smaller house well within their means. Many Americans don't want to put the time in to save for that big house. Average American credit card debt is $8,000. Doesn't that seem crazy? Is it because Americans are struggling and they are using their credit card to live? Or more likely, Is it because they just not do without the latest gadget, style, or accessory that comes on the market? What ever happened to saving for the nice things in life? If you want a new car, save. If you want a Wii, save. Americans have become a "got to have it now" society. This is what has created so much debt. Kids get out of college and want to live how their parents lived. Cable/Sat TV is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. 62% of people that live in poverty pay for cable/Sat tv. Where are American's priorities? Why can't American's be gracious for what we have? Instead of being gracious it seems that Americans just want more. Where is the sense of responsibility? Why is it someone elses fault when something is purchased, but can't be afforded?

I hope that I can teach my kids to appreciate what they have. I hope that they know that "stuff" will not bring them happiness. I hope that I can teach them proper goals to strive for, and when they have those goals,....I hope that my children will have the opportunity to struggle for those goals. That way, when that goal is reached it will be appreciated more. I hope that I can teach them to fail with honor. Failure is an important part of learning. When we fail we learn. If we pick ourselves up when we fail and try again, then we gain invaluable experience. Life is not supposed to be easy. Life is supposed to be filled with trials. We have a Heavenly Father that can guide us through any of our trials. I hope most of all to teach them to rely on him. His guidance will always bring us peace and comfort.

Where Can I Serve

I have been thinking a lot about service lately, and what I can do more in my life to serve. Sometimes when we think of service, we think of something big and bold that we can do that can very obviously help someone. Sometimes opportunities like this might arise in life, but for the most part service is something different.

I think I learned how to put this in words a couple of Sundays ago. We had a youth speaker that spoke on service. He had been having the same thoughts. He wanted to serve, but wasn't sure how. Then he had some words come into his mind. They said to him "Service is a state of mind."

If you think about that it says a lot. Our mind needs to always be ready to serve. We constantly have opportunities to serve. Most might not think of them.

Our families give us constant opportunities. I can definitly be less selfish at home. I could go more. Whether it is dishes, picking up, or reading to my kids. Not to say that I don't do these, but I could be more willing to...especially the dishes. There are many things at home I could do better. I could be better outside of home too. Sometimes I could be more willing to volunteer my time. There are always opportunities, but sometimes life just gets in the way. It wouldn't get in the way if I made it more of a priority.

And as our attitudes that we develope become more Christ like, then we will naturally better see the needs of our fellow man. We will be more apt to listen to that still small voice and heed it's suggestions.