Do any of you remember the show from the 1960s called, Petticoat Junction?  In the episode we watched recently,everyone went into the parlor after dinner to sing.  It’s hard to imagine what life would be like without modern electronics, but families used to find plenty of ways to have fun without the internet, video games, cell phones, tablets, laptops and other various electronic amusements.

Mental illness, loneliness, depression and addictions have only increased as we’ve become busier and less connected to one another.  Happiness and a sense of belonging start at home.  As a society, we have collectively forgotten some of the most important and enjoyable parts of life.

I hope we can all agree that we should have a ban on terrorists because they are a safety threat.  We need to find a better way to keep the bad actors out of our Country before more people get hurt.

The President of the United States can legitimately use the power of the executive order to enforce existing laws.  Some folks think executive orders are bad, but that’s because Obama attempted to use this process to legislate.  The President cannot make new laws, but he is supposed to execute laws already passed by Congress.  Obama selectively enforced laws he liked and refused to enforce laws with which he disagreed.

The only objections to Trump’s new policy revolve around two questions:

1.)  I’m happy we didn’t get Hillary, although she looked very pretty at the inauguration. Yet, even if she had won, our side would not have rioted, smashing windows, setting fires, breaking things and hurting people.  That was insane!

2.)  About that “Women’s March” thing:  It appeared to be all about bitter, vulgar, anti-life, pro-Sharia Law, pro-sexual perversion Hillary supporters.  Some of them even referred to themselves as “nasty”.

A better name would be the “Left-Wing Female March” because the women marching in Washington DC do not represent me.  Nor do they represent most American women.  The majority of the women I know are ladies, are kind, gentle and do not use foul language or demand the right to kill their unborn babies.  They should be happy their mothers didn’t feel that way!

Sometimes the news can be irritating.  This week was no exception.  The Missouri Speaker of the House said his first priority was “Ethics Reform”.

From Dean Dohrman’s newsletter:

“House Bill 60 is meant to help restore the public’s trust in elected officials by limiting the influence of lobbyists. As the sponsor said about the bill, “We are trying to eliminate the undue influence of lobbyists on legislators in the building. That is the individually, personally consumable gifts from lobbyists to legislators. These are the one-on-one dinners; these are the press boxes at sporting events in the state. That’s what we’re trying to limit.”

The lesson learned by this Obamacare experiment is that government can mess up free markets.  So many people blindly embrace the notion that the government can fix all our problems.

However, on the positive side, our healthcare systems are still salvageable.  Like a wilted houseplant, the roots are alive and can come back if we adjust our policies to allow our free markets to return.

Now that we’re into a new year, a lot of people are wondering where we are headed with a new President in the Whitehouse.  Some people speculate things will turn around, but I have found plenty of examples of cultural degeneration already impacting our society.

California recently passed a law decriminalizing child prostitution.  Here is an article straight from a California State Legislator.  He says this:

“Immunity from arrest means law enforcement can’t interfere with minors engaging in prostitution — which translates into bigger and better cash flow for the pimps. Simply put, more time on the street and less time in jail means more money for pimps, and more victims for them to exploit…. allowing our law enforcement officers to pick these minors up and get them away from their pimps and into custody is a dramatically better solution than making it legal for them to sell themselves for sex.”

How many of you know someone who is alive today who was in World War II?  The number is diminishing all the time.  I feel very fortunate to still have my dad around.

Out of the 16 million World War II veterans, there are only around 1/2 a million still living.  Soon it will be impossible for us to talk first hand with someone who was actually there.  Our understanding will be restricted to whatever we can remember someone else saying or whatever we can find in history books.

This week we share our interview with Jim Downing, the oldest living survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  He’s 103 now!

It’s easy to be happy during the holidays, but it’s not the happiest time of the year for everyone.  Some people have a hard time around the holidays because of the instability in the relationships surrounding them.  Broken relationships and broken marriages affect many more people than just the two parties involved.

There is no governmental solution to make people stay together.  However, the government offers perverse incentives for single parenthood.  Additionally, the government has the power to put additional harm on people who are already in difficult situations.  We are at the point where the government has its tentacles in every part of our lives.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner it’s important for us to reflect on what we want the thank the Lord for this year.

Here’s my list:

1.)  I thank God we are still the most free and prosperous Nation in the world.  Because our prosperity is coupled with our love for one another, we share not only with our neighbors, but we are still the most generous benefactor to the world.