Sept. 25, 2012 Homeschool

Armour your children, Kindness day 2

Then Molly broke her toe and we spent 4 hours at the ER. Yea!

Hilda Prager, 1919-2009

Hilda Prager, 1919-2009

The following was forwarded to our group by a Dennis Prager listener in California:

Yesterday, at the conclusion of the Rosh Hashanah services that he was leading in La Canada/Flintridge, California, Dennis made an announcement.  He had received news an hour earlier, from his brother Kenny, that their mother Hilda had passed away.

It was not completely unexpected; Dennis had related news the night before that his mom was not well, and appeared to be in the stretch of her final days.

Still, it was his mom.  He did tear up as he announced the news.

She was 89 years old, and Dennis said that she seemed to live a remarkably full and good life.  He related that Hilda had said to him, some time ago, how blessed she was to have had two such exemplary sons to accompany her through life.  It brought Dennis much comfort to have had his mom say that.

Dennis also seemed grateful to have received the news when he did:  There is no good time to get news of this sort.  But, the responsibility of leading the service gave him something to do, and people to comfort him in his loss (which we certainly tried to do, including Allen and Dennis’s wife, Sue).

Dennis was especially concerned for his father, Max.  Hilda and Max had been married for an astonishing 73 years.  That’s right:  Seventy-three years.  Max now has the difficult road of “learning to navigate the single life” once again.

Dennis will not be broadcasting a live show on Monday; he will be flying into the New York City area, for the funeral.

You can express your condolences to Dennis at dennis@pragerradio.com.  Hilda’s husband Max can be emailed at Max@MaxPrager.com.   Max has a website, that includes photos of Hilda, himself, and the Prager kids.  The website is www.maxprager.com. The photo above is of Hilda at age 18.

You may wish to pause a moment, in thanks to all the goodness that this woman brought into our world.

Lily Abigail Helgeson is here!

Lily Abigail Helgeson was born June 25, 2009 at 12:22 am. She weighed 7 lbs, 7 oz and measured 21 inches long. Both mother and child are doing fine. See you at the Seder!

Great Thinkers Book Club

This idea was passed on to me from Jan DeSirey who got it from one of our members, Cara Wilson. Cara is looking to start a book club where books are selected from the great thinkers, i.e., Locke, Hamilton, Pascal, Aristotle, Hoffer, etc. Interested members in the Metro area, specifically St. Paul, should contact Cara via email.

Notable Points from the Eric Paulsen Event

On March 15, there was a local Republican Jewish Coalition gathering with Congressman Erik Paulsen in an intimate setting at a home in Plymouth. One of our members, Lisa Tilsner, attended and took a few notes worth sharing here:

“Last night I went to a gathering that was held for Representative Eric Paulsen who represents my district in the US congress. He gave a speech and then people were able to ask him questions. It was quite enlightening and I thought others might be interested in hearing what he had to say.

“After the speech I had a chance to talk to Eric and I told him what I do for a living and I asked him if he thinks national healthcare will pass and if small group employer sponsored health insurance would go away. He told me national health care will for sure pass in the House and that it could very likely pass in the Senate. I guess that means I’ll need to start looking for another career soon!

“Here is the rest of what he talked about.

“There is a 10-15% chance that the US will default on its debt (I think he might have said in the next year but I’m not sure).

“In the past 60 days since Obama took office, they have spent 1.5 trillion dollars. This amount is equal to ALL of the US debt from 1789 to about 1979 (dates might not be exact but it was about a 200 year period).

“Congress did not actually see the stimulus bill that they voted on. Obama said they would have 48 hours and that it would be online for the public to see it but at midnight one night before the vote congress got an e-mail saying they would be voting on the bill the next day at 2:00 pm. And, he didn’t actually get a copy of the stimulus bill to read until about 3 days AFTER they had to vote on it. This was the most expensive spending bill in US history and congress didn’t even get a chance to read it before they had to vote on it.

“There is a slush fund of money that has been collected from taxpayers to pay for storage of nuclear waste at the Yucca Mountain site and since there hasn’t been approval to use that site the money will likely be used for something else instead of being returned to the taxpayers.

“Banks that have been bailed out by the government have been paying back some of the money but AIG, which received 170 billion dollars has not paid back a penny and Tim Geitner feels that it’s likely we may never see a penny of it from AIG. As you’ve probably heard on the news recently, AIG is using 165 million dollars to pay out bonuses mostly to executives.

“Some money from the stimulus bill will be doled out to ACORN.

“$900 million dollars will be appropriated for the Gaza Strip in Israel but since Hamas (the terrorist organization) has complete control over that area, it’s likely that Hamas will get that money and do whatever it wants with it. The money is supposed to be used to rebuild hospitals and homes, etc.

“The card check rule which eliminates secret ballots for unions will most likely pass, which is likely to increase the number of unions since employees will no longer be able to vote secretly and will feel intimidated to vote against the union. Evidence shows that when there are more unions jobs get lost. He said the house will pass it and that the Senate could pass it as well but that there are some democrats in the Senate who are starting to realize that in this bad economy with so many jobs already lost that it might be a bad idea.

“Cap and trade (emissions program): There is going to be a big tax increase for this program which will be an average of $1,300 per family. And even with an $800 tax break for families who make under $250.00 that will still be a net increase of taxes of $500 per family.

“TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program) is a program of the US to purchase assets and equity from financial institutions in order to strengthen its financial sector. The government has already given the financial sector huge amounts of money and it is felt by many in congress that there will be several more of these bailouts, which means even more US debt.

“Regarding the tax increase for those with incomes over $250,000.00, around 50% of small businesses file as individuals so small business will get hit hard under this tax plan. He said small businesses are responsible for creating a large percentage (I think he said around 70%) of the jobs. This means more jobs could be lost.”

Thanks, Lisa, for sharing with those of us who were unable to attend!

The End of Any Nation

“You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half get the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.”

–Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931 to 2005

You’re a Republican???

The following excerpt is from a full-page ad that was placed in the Washington Post by a businessman named George J. Esseff, Sr. He paid $104,655.60 to run the ad and only did it because he is sick and tired of the way that ‘the rich’ are portrayed by liberals these days. It is a great read. Read the entire text at www.whatiam.net.

Washington Post, October 20, 2004

You’re a Republican???

In today’s America, ask a growing number of high school and college students; their teachers and professors; the self-anointed media elite and/or hard working men and women of all ethnicities, the question, “What is a Republican?”, and you’ll be told “… a rich, greedy, egotistical individual, motivated only by money and the desire to accumulate more and more of it, at the expense of the environment … the working poor ….and all whom they exploit…”
I am a Republican … I am none of those things… and I don’t know any Republicans who are.

WHAT I AM … first and foremost, is a loving husband of some 52 plus years, the father of four and an American who’s proud of his country… and his country’s heritage.

WHAT I AM… is the grandson of immigrants who risked everything, including their lives and those of their children, to escape tyranny in search of freedom.

WHAT I AM… is a man who grew up during the Depression and witnessed, first hand, the effects of the Stock Market crash and the soup lines that followed. I watched as both my parents and grand parents, who had very little themselves, share what food they had with a half dozen other families, who had even less….

Read the entire text at http://www.whatiam.net/

Dennis Graces us with His Presence

September 5, 2008
Dennis was in town for the Republican National Convention, and through some fancy footwork by our faithful organizers, we were able to meet with him Friday evening.

Allen Estrin, Speaks!
The evening began with a question being posed to our two guests, “What in your life has influenced your conservatism?” Allen answered first. It was a pleasure to hear from him.

The Man Himself
Dennis shared with us his reasons for being a conservative and then let the audience set the agenda, asking him anything we wanted. After all, it was Friday.

Good turn-out, over 100 people!
Thanks again to Caileen and her mom for sharing their beautiful home for this event. It was a lovely evening.

Comfort “uber allis”
Did anyone else notice Dennis’ fabulous sandals? He has mentioned on the radio about his policy of wearing a shirt and tie while broadcasting, though his audience doesn’t see him…I guess the spirit of that policy doesn’t extend to shoes.

Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment

Spreading the word about another liberal boondoggle.

Defenders Blog: Here We Go Again Minnesota – Hold On To Your Wallets

Liberty!

From our discussion on July 10, 2008:

There are three major mottoes which in brief, have been given special status to remind Americans what in our governance we primarily believe in: E Pluribus Unum, Liberty, and In God We Trust. They are written on our currency. The two most important documents of our United States defining who we are and how we conduct our management and perpetuate our cultural lives are the Declaration of Independence and the Supreme Law of the Land, our National Constitution.

Today, what these basic mottoes represent is under attack by the Left Wing of our country’s Democratic Party and its leadership in Congress and on the Supreme Court. The motto E Pluribus Unum is to be trumped by “Diversity,” In God We Trust is to be wrenched from the Nation’s psyche and replaced with Atheism, and Liberty is to be replaced by “Equality. In the preamble to the Declaration of Independence, we read, “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” In the Preamble to the American Constitution, our supreme law, we read, “We, the People of the United State, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.”

Now let us reread both Preambles according to the beliefs, teachings, and practices of the leadership of today’s American Democratic Party which promises change in governing our Judicial and Congressional offices, and a Presidential office held by Barrack Obama, if he is elected this November…Who, indeed, is for change.

“We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Equality, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

We, the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and…..Secure the Blessings of Equality to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.”

Questions to consider and comment upon:

• How does a government secure the blessings of liberty?
• How does a government secure the blessings of equality?
• From where do we get the Right of Equality?
• How will Equality be enforced?
• Who judges equality?

—-
Glenn Ray, Organizer