Special thoughts this Christmas
This Christmas I have given special thought to the courage, sacrifice and dedication of our Savior. I cannot imagine what suffering He must have undergone; and for what? That He might save mankind. Because He taught principles of good behavior, the principles of following the rule of law, the principles of moral living and loving everyone, but not tolerating the sin. He suffered like no other man ever and yet He never broke the laws or abused anyone. It deeply disturbs me and reminds me of the fight that is continuing today; the battle of good and evil. The battle to save this land from those that would destroy it, a battle to stay free, a land brought about under His divine direction through our Founders. He knew what He had to do and He did it no matter the consequences.
I love my Savior and I know we have a special duty to this Republic; it is His creation, established through Devine Providence as stated in our Founding document the Declaration of Independence. A land fought for in order to have “agency/freedom” for all people. A land dedicated to the protection of certain “inalienable rights.” A fight that is in jeopardy and worries me deeply. This attachment was sent to me from Jerry and Karen Johnson and worth sharing.
May God continue to bless this Republic and may each or you have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Never, never, never, never, never give up!!!
"Your love of liberty – your respect for the laws – your habits of industry – and your practice of the moral and religious obligations, are the strongest claims to national and individual happiness." – George Washington, letter to the residents of Boston, 1789
With love of God, Family and Country and deepest love and belief in our Savior Jesus Christ, may you remember him on his celebrated birthday and have a great New Year.
Merry Christmas.
Yours in Liberty,
Russell and LuAnne Pearce
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Happy Holidays from Foothills Animal Rescue!
Can you believe that another year is just about over??
Here at Foothills Animal Rescue we are looking forward to even more adoptions in the upcoming year, but we wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for your continued support throughout the year.
Whether you have adopted a pet, volunteered your time, donated items to the shelter, boutique, attended one of our events or made a simple donation, it's important to remember that everyone plays a part in helping our animals find a home and until they do, knowing they have a safe haven and will be cared for until that day comes, it can't be accomplished without the support of the community in which we reside.
We are close to 500 adoptions for the year and have welcomed new volunteers, board members and community partners to the Foothills family. We look forward to even more community involvement in 2012.
So on behalf of our staff, board members and especially our furry friends, we wish you a happy, healthy and safe holiday season to you, your friends, family and course your pets and we look forward to spreading more good news in the New Year!
Thank you again for your support!!
Sincerely,
The Foothills Animal Rescue Team
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Dear friends of the horses
The Conquistador Program would like to wish you a very happy holiday and the best New Year ever. We want to thank each and everyone of your for your kindness, help and support.
Follow the links below for slide shows of the horses:
http://conquistadorprogram.org/horses_presentation.ppt
http://conquistadorprogram.org/burlon/burlon_slide_show_6.2011.ppt
We could not have done it without you and we wish you the happiest of holidays and of the New Year.
Thank you so much.
Pat and the Gang
Patricia Haight, Ph.D.
The Conquistador Equine Rescue and Advocacy Program
A 501c3 Equine Welfare Organization
www.conquistadorprogram.org
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Thankful for rural life
On this cold, Christmas season morning, I am reflecting on what makes me thankful.
I am thankful for rural life – where I run into friends who tease me, tell me jokes or lend a friendly smile at the store or my son’s basketball game. I am thankful for a sense of place, that I am firmly rooted in the American Heartland. I am thankful for being raised on the land and having all around me its subtle beauty.
I am thankful for being a part of a family that embraces our responsibilities to each other. I am grateful for being raised in a way that taught me to make, fix and grow things, as well as to understand, speak and write about things.
We face stern challenges in America. Wealth is concentrating and the middle class is shrinking, as more families face unemployment and insecure retirements. Rural communities are struggling to survive. And government has become dysfunctional and unable to respond effectively.
But we have the capacity to address each of these challenges. In America, we have the opportunity to right the wrongs and take control of our destiny through the democratic process. It is up to us to use it.
Nothing ever got better by sitting around complaining. Things get better when ordinary citizens embrace their responsibility to make things better, by the actions they take in their personal lives, communities, organizations and government. I am thankful for every American who embraces that responsibility.
Chuck Hassebrook
Center for Rural Affairs
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Thank you for your public service
Dear Mayor Vincent Francia, Vice Mayor Ernie Bunch and Councilman Esser:
Thank you very much for your public service. Although, I am a no tax, smaller government proponent, I very much agree with Councilman LaMar that fire protection is a basic service that should be provided by government. It also appears to me that 45 percent of the property owners paying 95 percent of the cost of fire protection is grossly unfair. I support the yes vote of the council for getting the fire protection issue on the May ballot, but appreciate and respect your position.
I spoke with five of my neighbors about the issue. All of them are Rural Metro subscribers. Four of the five are in favor of the issue getting on the ballot. The one who was not in favor did not trust government to handle things efficiently. Based on my sample, the yes vote clearly represents the will of my neighborhood (5 of 6).
I also support the no vote on agenda item number 5. I believe that you owe it to your merchants to eliminate that tax as soon as possible. I also believe that the property tax for fire protection should go 100 percent for fire protection and should pay 100 percent of the fire protection cost.
Thank you again for your service to the community.
Bill Dabbs
Cave Creek
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A balanced plan for a balanced budget
Washington has a spending problem. A big one.
Indeed, the federal government now borrows more than 40 cents of every dollar it spends, and our $15 trillion debt – now larger than our entire economy – only continues to grow. Our fiscal position is clearly unsustainable; unless we do something about it, the rising tide of debt will overwhelm our economy, destroy jobs, and ruin the American dream for future generations.
Yet, even with the clear need for action, Congress has proven historically unreliable when it comes to making the tough choices necessary to control spending and balance the budget. Here’s a little history: When the Senate passed a balanced budget amendment (BBA) in 1982, the national debt was $1.1 trillion. In 1986, when the Senate failed by one vote to pass a BBA, the national debt topped$2.1 trillion dollars. By 1997, when the Senate again failed by one vote to pass a balanced budget amendment, the national debt was more than $5 trillion. And, as we now know, today’s debt has galloped past the $15 trillion mark! So, there’s no evidence that Congress has been willing or able to reduce the debt without constitutional restraints.
That’s why, in legislation approved earlier this year, congressional Republicans mandated that Congress must vote on an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would force Congress to live within its means. The amendment they proposed included real reforms that would help the government get control of spending – for instance, by requiring that the president submit a balanced budget to Congress each year.
It also contained two key enforcement mechanisms.
First, Congress would have to limit spending to 18 percent of our country’s total gross domestic product (GDP). The BBA would also prohibit spending from exceeding total revenues in a given year. Why 18 percent? If the goal is to balance the budget, the only way to succeed is to limit federal spending to the level of revenue the economy is actually able to bear. And, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, revenues averaged 18 percent of GDP over the past three decades.
The second key mechanism in the Republican BBA is a prohibition on any bill that increases taxes from becoming law unless it is approved by a two-thirds majority in both chambers. When Congress can’t get its hands on enough money for its spending priorities, the temptation is always to increase taxes. I believe there should be a much greater threshold for Congress to meet before it is allowed to take more money out of the pockets of American workers and families. Moreover, when it comes to closing budget deficits, raising taxes is one of the least productive solutions. Not only does projected revenue typically fail to materialize, but higher taxes also discourage work, production, savings, and investment, resulting in lower revenues in future years.
Critics of this BBA plan painted a doomsday scenario – intimating that its passage would result in immediate changes and draconian cuts. That’s just not accurate. Congress cannot amend the Constitution. Congress can only propose an amendment for the states to consider ratifying. If it passed, the balanced budget amendment would not become effective until five years after ratification by three-fourths of the states.
Unfortunately, when this Republican BBA was voted on in the Senate in December, it was rejected, with every Democratic senator voting against it. All Republicans supported it.
During this time of economic uncertainty, American families are tightening their belts, cutting spending and doing their best to live within their means. Congress and the President should too.
Sen. Jon Kyl
Senate Republican Whip
Senate Finance and Judiciary committees
http://www.kyl.senate.gov
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There is a better way …
The U.S. Congress has continued to bargain away our future with the constant error of logic that compromise is necessary to get along with their political adversaries. Ninety percent of the incumbents are re-elected every two years. The same politicians that have caused all our problems are put back in office to continue the same mistakes over and over.
GOOOH (get out of our house) will challenge those incumbents in the primaries with citizen representatives chosen by the members of their district. This is no third party movement. We will compete against the entrenched politicians in the primaries. The few good representatives there will grow stronger with honest competition. Almost every person in America supports fair and honest competition. The politicians are the only ones who seem to disagree. They care more about their party than fairness to the process. For more information: Goooh.com.
Roy T. Newsom
Granbury, Texas
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Can we survive four more years of Obama?
Is the average American aware that Russia is committed by treaty to come to aid of Syria and China is likewise committed to defend Iran? Now that Obama has aided and abetted the destabilization of Libya and Egypt making Israel more apprehensive, where are we going? Obama has done everything in his power to punish our mining, farming and manufacturing resources.
Obama has sabotaged every practical energy initiative. Obama has squandered trillions of dollars and has nothing to show for it. Can we survive four more years of this suicidal administration? Can we continue to trust a president whose parents hated this nation?
Sincerely,
Joseph DuPont
Towanda, Pennsylvania
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Kim Jong Il not a leader
I wish the press would stop referring to Kim Jong Il as the “leader” of North Korea. Leadership is a positive term. Kim did not lead anyone. He was a dictator. Leaders have followers. Kim, like Kings and other authoritarians, had subjects. If members of the press need any other descriptors besides “dictator” I would suggest “thug” or “despot” but not leader.
Roy Miller
Phoenix
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