Give and You Shall Receive

What a great little article on giving. This is something that I have tried focusing on this year. Something that all of us I am sure, could be better at. What is the real purpose of life? Giving back to those who have helped and guided you? Hoarding everything you can get your hands on?

The hardest thing to do is think about giving back 10% to charity. 10%? Wow, that seems like a big number. But, there are always those who are less fortunate than you that could use a helping hand. Start with 1% or 5%. Maybe just start with giving your time. Time is the most precious commodity.

Start by doing something. Show your gratitude and appreciation.

In 2016, make it a goal to save away money for tithing in a separate account. Then when it comes time to give, you have already prepared for it.

Check out the article linked below!

Giving Back

Can We Play Fantasy…Politics?

“Deflate-Gate.” Who has heard of it? I’m sure if your head is not buried in the sand you have heard of this by now.

That term alone has led me to ponder why our culture is so infatuated with a GAME. A game in which has NO bearing on life. I mean, if you told me, “Brandon, this is the Hunger Games and people are going to die.” Then maybe it would be something of value or concern. Speaking of that, kind of reminds me of “The Colosseum.” Funny thing, that was a remnant of an empire distracting its citizens to what it was doing through the medium of cheap entertainment. Sound familiar?

It is peculiar that an entire nation would be so apathetic as to let the freest and most amazing country in the course of human history fall by the way side. Or is it that shocking?

Humans are creatures of habit and it seems that one of those habits is to continually let other men rule over them. Instead of learning from its ancestor’s mistakes and having the gumption to be able to rule itself; we continue to fall in to the perpetual trap of tyrannical oppression.

Our culture fantasizes over how my quarterback did and how many points my running back earned me this weekend. We scrutinize the New England Patriots and whether they messed with FOOTBALLS and analyze it to no end. Where is the media and where are the people when it come to real scandals? Benghazi? Fast and Furious? Solyndra? NSA? IRS? Un-equal pay in White House? Etc.?

Can you imagine if people scrutinized and broke down our politicians week in and week out? Wow! We would have amazing accountability. I bet you our country would be light years ahead and we probably wouldn’t be nearing $20,000,000,000,000 in national debt.

Just saying.

Why don’t we play fantasy politics? Put money on it? Make it fun? It’s not like we don’t have money on it anyway, right? I mean by my math we all have somewhere in the neighborhood of $60,000 in the pot each. That’s just current debt from the government. Doesn’t include your annual personal debt/expenses.

Isn’t the point of the American experiment to see if man can rule himself? Or will he fall in to the habits that his ancestors routinely succumbed to and be overridden by cheap entertainment and “what feels good” at the moment?

If we played fantasy politics we could set up a scoring system…we could track it all and break it down week in and week out, just like football. Maybe that will keep people more engaged? Maybe it’s not enough just saying “hey, these taxes or this healthcare system or this law is going to drastically alter or affect the rest of your life”, maybe that just isn’t enough. So, we will implement a fantasy politics game in place of that. This way people can understand the importance politics, history, and law play in our lives and make it a little bit more fun and engaging. We all know it could use that.

This may sound like fun and games but seriously, if we analyzed the people who lead us and would like to; I think we would be a much more efficient and unified country. The point of the media and an informed electorate is to watch over the government and to make sure that they are staying the course of freedom and liberty.

Our founders knew what they were doing when they separated the branches of government. They purposely did this so things would NOT get done and branches checked one another. The problems we do have are SOLELY because of all the things that DID get done; the implementation of the income tax, the creation of the federal reserve, the Social Security system, Welfare, the department of education, Obamacare, and on and on.

The natural arc of government leads towards “getting things done” and passing laws. The more power you have the more laws you pass and the more laws you pass the more power you have. Do not be mistaken; the people who have power are the elites, the ones in control. Does not matter if you are Republican or Democrat or conservative or liberal. Just ask the millions of poor innocent souls who lived under dictatorships in the 20th century in Russia, China, etc.. There were just two classes: the rich/elite and the poor/peasant. There was no conservative and progressive. They all suffered equally. Just as we will all suffer equally.

Do not get fooled by people who say things need to get done. The government does not get things done, people get things done. The people make the government look good. Government does not make people or a country look good.

Now, I have not said that “no government” is good. I have talked about what makes our government great and that is the way we were founded, the laws that have been set up and put in place during our founding – the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Limited government with many restrictions on what it could do to its people. Not huge massive centralized government or no government at all. But, the government that is limited in its scope and does what it is supposed to do; protect us with the military and provide and manage roads. That is PRECISELY what made us great, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If you don’t believe me, just ask the millions and millions of immigrants why they came here over the last couple hundred years. They will gladly tell you.

The point of this article is fun and games but also very serious. Anyway to make history and politics more interesting so more people will be informed and engaged will only help our nation. If you want true “PROGRESS” then getting people to pay attention and inform themselves is what we should be talking about. This is a uniting cause that stretches – as I mentioned earlier – across both sides. We both will suffer greatly and equally if we do not come together and band against those who seek and desire constant power. The greatest president we’ve ever had, George Washington, was forced to be the first president of the United States and served honorably for two terms and then resigned voluntarily back to his estate in Mount Vernon. He DID NOT seek power, we FORCED it on him. He was a servant leader and that is something our country is sorely missing.

Leaders eat last, they do not eat first.

All Can Agree On The Bill Of Rights

I assume most are sick of the partisan bickering politics is giving us these days. Congress’ approval ratings have been in the single digits for as long as you can remember. So, why do these people keep getting elected?

The one thing that WILL unite everyone is the Bill of Rights. Hands down. This is the one thing that all can agree on.

Whoever wishes to win the next Presidential election and every midterm election for that matter, MUST run on uniting principles.

There are many great candidates starting to pop up and we should be grateful for the “calling” people have heard in the last 4-6 years. I truly believe we will see this revival for decades to come.

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are what gives all of the parties and ALL people the ability to fight and bicker and live their lives how they wish. Don’t you think that whoever embraces this simple truth would be a genius? You would think. Unfortunately, special interests, lobbyists, and career politicians are against this (for the most part). They make it EXTREMELY tough to even see the Founding documents as legitimate items anymore. D.C. doest not talk about the documents, the President doesn’t, and schools teach children the wrong definition of amendments and so forth. REWRITING OF OUR FOUNDING?

Who can be trusted? The one who unites and agrees that the Bill of Rights and Constitution are what will turn this country around.

Technology is making the world smaller and smaller and less private everyday. The ONLY way to put limits on what man can do to you is to embrace the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. They were created by men who studied philosophy, war, politics, and history for years. These documents are Divinely inspired and protect you from men. There is a reason that they are “rights” given to you by your Creator. ITS SO THEY CANNOT BE TAKEN AWAY!

Every human on the planet, especially, every American wants and craves freedom. This is precisely why every American, or at least 80-90% can agree on this simple truth. The only people who don’t wish to see the Constitution last are those who have ideas of grandeur and power and the ability to control people. The citizenry just wishes to be left alone. They want government and men out of their lives and doesn’t want them “snooping” around in their private lives.

Republicans and Democrats may not agree on a lot of things but they can agree on few main platforms. If someone wants to get an abortion or buy a gun or not get health insurance or get married to the same sex they should be able to. Each state is its own entity and they decide their own laws. I don’t believe that some of those things are ok but that is up to God to judge them at the end of their lives. But, to have government come in and say that we should or shouldn’t be able to do those things is asinine. Thats exactly opposite of how we were founded and what made us great.

What made us great is that each state had the power and the Federal government was weak compared to the states. Now the Federal government had usurped all the power and we are now under one big tent of cronyism and corruption. It used to be if one state messed and up and failed then the other states looked and said “oh boy, that didn’t work well, we aren’t going to do that.” Now, the Federal government screws up and were all subject to the failure. This is again what made the Founding Fathers so smart. They designed the Bill of Rights and the Constitution to protect against this. It has taken over 200 years to break those laws down. But, we still have time. Those that believe in freedom and liberty still have time to save this great country if we act now.

We are in quite possibly the most interesting period in our nation’s history. It is up to those who wish to preserve freedom for their children who will make the difference. Act.

U.S. Navy S.E.A.L.s Day

Three incredibly different and amazing stories all from some of America’s finest warriors. Take note. These are not your average headlines. Be prepared. Be humorous. Be informed.

 

Gun Permits

College Star to BUD/s

Power Grid

Two Different World Views

Two contrasting world views in these two individuals. One has an accountable attitude toward life and self. The other has no accountability to anything. You decide who is who! Enjoy!

 

Mike Rowe Touts Hard Work

 

Hillary Clinton Explaining Benghazi

We Could Use A Few More Leaders Like This

A stunning picture of a critically wounded U.S. Army Ranger.

These are the types of men and women we need serving us in our elected office. No more will the American people stand for self-serving, self-centered, career politicians.

A Real American

Just A Good Laugh

Sometimes in life you just need a good laugh. Times are tough and every now and then you need a little pick-me-up. Try not to hysterically laugh, I dare you!

Kane/Bollig Stickhandling Video

The Death Of The American Dream

Financial Education Blog

Why the Impending Financial Crisis is Creating a New America

Posted July 23, 2013  By Robert Kiyosaki

I believe that the American Dream is dying because many of us have lost our moral compasses. Our schools are not fulfilling the educational needs of our students, nor are they being kept safe. We see so many kids, especially from poor neighborhoods, who turn to street crime and violence.

Rich dad often said, “Needy people become greedy people. Greedy people become desperate people. And desperate people do desperate things.”

The greatest gift my rich dad gave me was showing me both sides of the Employee-Entrepreneur coin. He exposed me to the life of an entrepreneur and offered me an environment in which entrepreneurial thinking could thrive. Today, I do not need a job, a steady paycheck, money, bonuses, government support, or Social Security and Medicare.

Financial independence

The Rich Dad Company propelled Kim and me into financial independence. We do not need paychecks. We work because we love our work, sharing what we know so others can also grow and prosper.

While we make a lot of money, most of that money does not go into our pockets. Most of the money is spent on growing the company, investing in new and better technology, more people, and new product development. That is what true capitalists do.

But Kim and I are the exception, not the rule. Today, in America, we have a growing problem. People are becoming increasingly dependent on the government as the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen.

The rich are getting richer

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the increase in incomes between 1979 and 2007 in the United States looked like this:

Poor: Income grew 18% over 30 years
Middle Class: Income grew 40% over 30 years
Rich: Income grew 275% over 30 years

Then in 2007, the bottom fell out when the boom went bust. Today, incomes for the middle class and poor have stopped going up, yet the rich seem to be getting richer faster.

In 2011, the number of Americans living in poverty grew to 46.2 million people. That translates to approximately 1 in 6 Americans who now live in poverty, and that number is growing. When a person has no property, they join the ranks of the poor and become dependent upon the government to take care of them. Oftentimes this leads to increased violence, both on the streets and in our homes.

Students on food stamps

Nearly 47 million Americans rely on federal food assistance benefits (food stamps), a 12-year high attributed to the weak US economy and high rates of unemployment over the last five years.

A lesser-known fact is that college students are among the fastest-growing segment of our economy to rely on food stamps. As tuition fees go up and financial aid opportunities vanish—and parents who were once a source of financial support have lost jobs or homes and become ineligible for college loans for their children—students have had to fend for themselves.

The next poor

Are teachers headed for the ranks of the poor?

In 2011, the California State Teachers Retirement System, CalSTRS, realized it faced a long-term deficit of $56 billion. A deficit is the gap between assets and estimated
liabilities.

CalSTRS collects $6 billion a year, but needs $10 billion each year to meet its obligations. A shortfall of more than $4 billion a year is a lot of money, especially for government bureaucrats who do not know how to invest or how to make money.

If the California teacher’s retirement plan goes bust, the taxpayers will be stuck with yet another massive bailout. Worst of all, millions of teachers will slide from the middle class and join the poor.

Again, repeating the words of John Bogle: “The whole retirement system…in the country is in, I think, very poor shape and it’s going to be the next big financial crisis in the country….”

The new America

All of these statistics translate to one thing: the American Dream of go to school, get a good job, buy a house, andinvest in a portfolio of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds is dying. Financial crises are creating a new America. Today, the middle class is disappearing and the gap between the rich and the poor is growing.

For some, this is discouraging. Many people choose each day to give up on their dreams and to be increasingly dependent on the government. They give up their freedom for security—though if CalSTRS is any indication, that’s not security at all.

In today’s new America, there are only two options: increase your financial education and learn to create your own wealth by playing by the rules of the rich, or become poorer and poorer and rely on the government and the rich to take care of you.

Which sounds more secure to you?

I fear our financial crises will only continue to grow. The rules of money have changed and you must adapt. Today, I encourage you to first come to grips with the new America and then to resolve to do something about it.

By increasing your financial education and starting a business or investing, you can set yourself up to thrive while others struggle to survive. Start today.

No Better Time Than The Present

The title of this post says it all..

There is NEVER a better time than right now, this very instant, to make a move, take action, change the direction of your life.

Stop following the crowd. Stop doing what they do. Stop listening to what they listen to. Stop watching what they watch. Stop talking like they talk. Stop working like they work. Unless you want what they have.

The great news is you can ALWAYS change. The door is always there for you to open.

It’s like going down a highway and passing exits, those are all opportunities to get off and change. They keep on coming but it’s up to you to decide to get off the cruise control and make a change.

Now more than ever this country needs business owners and entrepreneurs and creative thinkers.

Those who take the Information Age by the horns will win and those who are stuck in their old ways, old jobs, old “pensions”, looking for government to take care of them will get chewed up and spit out.

Multiple streams of income is the wave of the future – the Information Age.

Network marketing, real estate, coding, startups, inventors. They will make the rules of the future. It’s not too late to start doing any or all of these.

You just need to decide to get off the highway.

Electoral College: Why We Need It & Why Conservatives & Liberals Are Wrong

I am entirely sick of hearing grumblings of doing away with the Electoral College.

I am entirely sick of hearing people call this a democracy.

I am entirely sick of people saying “majority rules”.

I am sick of America not being, America.

We are NOT a Democracy, we are a Constitutional Republic. We do not have “majority rules” because our Founders knew from years of study and experience that “majority” always turned in to “mob”.

That is an ugly way to go, (see: French Revolution, Arab Spring).

Republicans and Democrats alike should be united on this issue. There have been super close elections in the last two decades decided by few votes but vast electoral votes. Both sides have benefited.

This system is one of only many reasons that America is and remains “Exceptional”.

On that note, I wonder how anyone could really question what our Founders did.

Yes, they had slaves, but does one not notice that they wrote “all men are created equal” in our Founding Documents? They knew that this would be true some day. In fact, many of the Founders tried to get rid of their slaves while they had them or freed them on their death. They were all born in to families with slaves and inherited them.

Our Founders created this country with Divine Providence (God). They made principles and morals the back bone of this country. THIS is why those same principles and ideas endure. It is not some gimmick that just worked over two centuries ago.

When someone tells you, “oh, those were just some old guys and what they did is outdated and they couldn’t foresee these modern times”, look them dead in the eyes and tell them they are completely wrong.

“Those old guys” were geniuses, many of them. They studied philosophy, politics, religion, history, war, and law their entire lives. Quite frankly anyone telling you that what they created is outdated needs to be severely questioned. Reason being, our Founders created those documents with the SOLE purpose of LIMITING GOVERNMENT. Everything they did was to LIMIT what the government could do to you. So when somebody tells you otherwise, their motives need to called in to question.

Do they have a better idea for freedom? I think not!

There is nowhere in the Founding documents that say blacks, women, certain religions, creeds, etc. cannot vote or should be treated unjustly. We just decided to CREATE extra law that specifically permit those things. They were NEVER outlawed to begin with.

So next time some genius tells you that the Founding Fathers were old, outdated, not that smart, and racist. Tell them, “Yeah, you are totally right. We should have TODAY’s politicians re-write everything and update all those documents. You know, the ones that haven’t even created a budget in over 5 years for the country.”

Now there’s some real genius.

The Electoral college is just one of many things that made the Founders intuitiveness so heralded. They gave us systems and principles to endures for centuries to come.

We only get in trouble when we deviate from that course; debasing our currency, printing counterfeit money, vilifying the rich, circumventing our amendments, neglecting budgets, or failing to protect our borders and the citizens inside them.

ONLY when we stop these asinine policies will we begin to see the course change and the days of “American Exceptionalism” return. We are far from it sadly. Unfortunately, I don’t think Americans are hurting enough. Maybe, Obamacare next year will wake people up finally.

We can only hope.