Economic Similarities: Is the U.S. Following in the Footsteps of Ancient Rome? (Part 2)

The third video in this series takes a look at why the Founders viewed democracy with such contempt. The video defines a few important economic terms.  The fourth video compares the types of economic systems.  It also states that morality is a vital component under a Republic.

A Grandpa's Enduring Love

This story is very inspirational.  Raymond L. Flynn, the former mayor of Boston, truly has a heart of gold.  Both he and his wife are devoted to their grandson Braeden, who has a rare neurological disorder.  This story brings a potpourri of emotions to the surface for me. This true life story is both heartwarming and heart wrenching.   My thoughts and prayers go out to both Braeden and his family.  I will be praying for scientists to find a cure for Braeden's neurological disorder and intercessory prayers for Pope John Paul II to intercede and provide a miracle for this little boy.  Here is the story.   

Raymond L. Flynn, the former Boston mayor, walked through the North End, shaking hands and saying hello to those who recognized him. At Hanover and Parmenter streets, Flynn and his wife, Kathy, paused to share a laugh with an old friend about his days in office and his presidential connections.

But this stroll wasn’t about politics. It was about Braeden, the Flynns’ grandson.

Flynn has no shortage of grandchildren — his two sons and four daughters have brought him 17. But Braeden gets most of their attention, and has become the private preoccupation of a man who had devoted his days to public service. The 4-year-old has a rare neurological disorder, called a small cerebellum, which means he can’t walk without falling and is unable to speak. There is no cure.

“Mr. Mayor, how are you? Is that your kid?’’ asked a police officer directing traffic near the Greenway carousel as Flynn pushed Braeden’s ocean-themed stroller from the New England Aquarium to Galleria Umberto pizzeria.

“My grandson,’’ Flynn responded, as Braeden smothered a newly purchased stuffed animal with hugs and kisses. “I like the Red Sox, and he likes penguins.’’

Flynn, 71, was mayor from 1984 to 1993, when he resigned to become the US ambassador to the Vatican and moved to Rome. He returned in 1997. A year later, he lost his bid for a seat in the US House and retired.

During his time in office, Flynn was a populist mayor. He rode snow plows, jogged to every neighborhood, and advocated for the homeless as well as the parents of special-needs children. His hardscrabble Southie roots as the son of a dock worker hospitalized for years with tuberculosis shaped many of his public policies.

Health care, Flynn said, has always been a passion. As mayor, he worked to ensure that Boston City Hospital stayed a place where people could receive medical care, regardless of their ability to pay. “I don’t think it should be a political question,’’ he said. “You should do everything you can to help people with sicknesses.’’

But health care has become a personal mission. Much of Flynn’s retirement is consumed by Braeden.

The toddler, with bright brown eyes and a mischievous smile, spends almost every Tuesday night at Nana and Papa’s house, and most Wednesdays they do something together, usually a trip to a South Boston park. Braeden is the only one of Flynn’s grandchildren with special needs, and Flynn is constantly searching for scientific answers for Braeden’s medical problems.

The cerebellum is the part of the brain that controls balance, coordination, and muscle control. Since Braeden’s is too small, he can’t talk, and falls when he walks.

He wears blue leg braces, but his grandmother said they don’t help much. He wears a body brace, too, but she said it doesn’t help much either.

The helmet he wears to cushion the impact when he falls doesn’t always stop the hurt, evident by a small, deep-blue lump healing over his right eye.

“Every night and every morning, I just say my prayers to God that they find a way for Braeden to walk, because it’s heartbreaking every time you see him fall,’’ Kathy Flynn said.

But Braeden is far from helpless.  

CONTINUED   

Parrot Fun

Trained Parrot - Funny video clips are a click away

Anti-Abortion Activist Randall Terry Challenging Obama for Democratic Presidential Nomination

This is great news!  This will help to show the voters just how radical Obama is overall, especially on the abortion issue.  Randall Terry has called Obama "an arch-promoter of child killing" and said his constituency "is the millions of pro-life advocates who want to make child killing illegal from conception until birth." Randall Terry doesn't have a prayer of winning the Democratic Primary but I believe that because of his willingness to expose Obama's staunch, hard-line, extreme, pro-abortion views this will help to alienate independent voters, this will dissuade voters from supporting Obama and hopefully his radical abortion stance, amongst other things, will help to persuade these same individuals to vote for the GOP presidential nominee in the general election. 


Here is Rabbi Levin speaking out:





Randall Terry has put together a few prototype pro-life Ads that he is hoping to air during the 2012 Super Bowl.  Here is a site where you can donate to help make that happen.  Here are the ads. 
Warning: graphic images within the ads. 

Is the U.S. Following in the Footsteps of Ancient Rome?

The first video is on America's Foundation and explains the timeless concepts that we need to embrace today.  The second video discusses the various types of political systems and misconceptions thereof.  I will post the last two videos on this tomorrow.

A Joke - I Just couldn't Resist

Question: What is black, white, pointless, and full of crap? 

Answer: The New York Times 

Sen. Pat Toomey Has a Great Idea on How to Freeze the Debt Ceiling Without Risking Default

Sen. Pat Toomey - Those words sound really good! -  has not bought into the "sky is falling" mentality that Obama, Democrats, and others within the Obama administration have been expressing regarding the debt ceiling.  He even points out that it is NOT a necessity to raise the debt ceiling but in fact emphasizes that if the debt ceiling is raised and congress continues their enormous spending spree, business as usual, then the ramifications would be staggering.  Pat Toomey says there is an alternative.

He is introducing legislation "that would require the Treasury to make interest payments on our debt its first priority in the event that the debt ceiling is not raised. This would not only ensure the continued confidence of investors at home and abroad, but would enable us to have an honest debate about the consequences of our eventual decision about the debt ceiling. If we do not raise it, the government's tax revenue will enable us to fund roughly two-thirds of projected expenditures, including interest payments. Without the ability to borrow the other third, spending cuts would be sudden and severe: Projects would be postponed, some vendor payments would be delayed, certain programs would be suspended, and many government employees might be furloughed. Default would easily be avoided, but these cuts would certainly be disruptive. That's why I hope we can avoid this scenario." 


Pat Toomey points out: 


The recent surge in spending, both in absolute dollars and as a percentage of our GDP, has driven us to record deficits and an explosion of debt. The growth in discretionary spending has been the most dramatic, but in the future mandatory entitlement spending will be the deficit driver. Congress must address both in order to put the government back on a sustainable fiscal path.

The vote on whether to raise the debt ceiling—and, if so, by how much—is our best opportunity to insist that any increase in our nation's debt be coupled with concrete steps toward fiscal sanity. Congress should make increasing our debt contingent on immediate cuts in spending and effective reforms of the spending process that helped get us into this mess.

For too many years, Congress has ignored or exacerbated the looming fiscal crisis created by overspending. Last fall's elections were largely a call to finally deal with this imminent threat, and the vote on the debt ceiling is Congress's opportunity to begin making real progress. We can do so without jeopardizing the full faith and credit of our country—and we should.

I agree with Pat Toomey. This out of control spending must stop!  It also sounds like Afghanistan is on the correct path now.  With the coordinated effort of both our troops and Afghanis hopefully this positive trend will continue.