Health Care, my *^&*%!

Here is one thing hidden in the health care bill as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

All of those twentysomethings who voted for Barack Obama last year are about to experience the change they haven't been waiting for: the return of income tax bracket creep. Buried in Nancy Pelosi's health-care bill is a provision that will partially repeal tax indexing for inflation, meaning that as their earnings rise over a lifetime these youngsters can look forward to paying higher rates even if their income gains aren't real.

It isn't really about health care now, is it. For those paying attention, we know it never was about helping those who have health issues. Continuing on from the article . . .

The return of the inflation tax demonstrates once again the stealth radicalism that animates ObamaCare. In the case of inflation indexing, Democrats would repeal a 30-year bipartisan consensus that it is unfair to tax unreal gains in income, thus hitting millions of middle-class Americans over time with tax rates advertised as only hitting "the rich." Oh, and the House vote on this exercise in dishonest government will come as early as Saturday.

You can read the entire article HERE.

Oh, and while we are at it, why don't we read some ideas from the '"other side of the aisle." Same paper, different idea from AZ Rep. John Shadegg. Find it HERE.

In the meantime, I'll be hoping Reid, Pelosi, et al, can't get this job done.

So We finally get to sign papers

Two weeks after the home has been built, we get to sign papers. It's been a long wait, an nothing but the home has been done on time. No big deal, except, I've had to juggle guessing what to pack, when to pack, when to get the utilities turned on (most companies want a couple days notice) and what to tell my more than generous landlord.

But the day is finally here and I'm excited and surprisingly a little nervous. Who knew? A big shout out to my in-laws who sprung for a nice housewarming gift of a new fridge. Not only is it the same color as our other appliances but it was built sometime after 1980. Woo hoo.

Keeping General Conference Televised in AZ

The contract which required television Channel 6 and 61 to broadcast General Conference has expired. This was the only non-cable video broadcast available to us in the greater Phoenix area.This programming decision will be made by the television station in the next couple of weeks.

President Fleming and our Area Seventy, Elder David E. LeSueur, have asked for the help of members in contacting the TV station as soon as possible to urge them to continue to broadcast General Conference. It is important that letters and contacts be made promptly. Members should be polite in their request and express thanks for the past broadcasts.

The address is:

News Channel 3, attn: Director of Programming, 5555 No 7th
Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85013.

Photos courtesy of http://www.pichacks.com/

How to Contact your Government Reps

My Aunt Sandy gave another great reminder to contact our government reps. I thought I would look up official websites that you can get the contact info you need to have your voice heard.

Here are the federal websites to find your state's federal senators and representatives.

House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/

For the United States House of Representatives, you look up your rep. by plugging in your zip code at the top left.

U.S. Senate: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

If you live in Arizona, you can find your congressmen here: http://www.azleg.gov/

The Chicago Way

The Chamber of Commerce is only the latest target of the Chicago Gang in the White House.

By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL

"White House targets also aren't dopes. The corporate community is realizing that playing nice doesn't guarantee safety. The health executives signed up for reform, only to remain the president's political piñatas. It surely grates that the unions—now running their own ads against ObamaCare—haven't been targeted. If the choice is cooperate and get nailed, or oppose and possibly win, some might take that bet."

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.

Thinking of Papa

The other day I had a wonderful conversation with Grandma about where Papa is and some of what he is doing. She shared with me a great verse from the Book of Mormon found in Moroni 10:34

And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen.

We then went on to talk about what we know to be true about the location of the spirit world, the meaning of the words paradise and soul, and what happens next. Just some topics and questions we explored together that I think might be of interest to other family members. As we were talking off the cuff, I decided to post bits of our conversation with reference material. The following answers were taken right from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism under the topic Spirit World. You can find the link to it at the top of my sidebar.

Where is the Spirit World?

President Brigham Young declared: When you lay down this tabernacle, where are you going? Into the spiritual world…Where is the spirit world? It is right here. Do the good and evil spirits go together? Yes they do…. Do they go beyond the boundaries of the organized earth? No, they do not…. Can you see it with your natural eyes? No. Can you see spirits in this room? No. Suppose the Lord should touch your eyes that you might see, could you then see the spirits? Yes, as plainly as you now see bodies [Young, Brigham. Discourses of Brigham Young, ed. John A. Widtsoe, pp. 376-77. Salt Lake City, 1946].

What are the attributes of departed spirits?

The relative conditions and state of mind in the two spheres of the postmortal spirit world are described by the Prophet Joseph Smith: "The spirits of the just are exalted to a greater and more glorious work; hence they are blessed in their departure to the world of spirits. Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions, and are often pained therewith" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 326). On the other hand, "The great misery of departed spirits in the world of spirits, where they go after death, is to know that they come short of the glory that others enjoy and that they might have enjoyed themselves, and they are their own accusers" (TPJS, pp. 310-11).

See Alma 34:33-37

How is the Spirit World Organized?

Bruce R. McConkie explained, "Until the death of Christ these two spirit abodes [paradise and hell] were separated by a great gulf, with the intermingling of their respective inhabitants strictly forbidden (Luke 16:19-31). After our Lord bridged the gulf between the two (1 Pet. 3:18-21; Moses 7:37-39), the affairs of his kingdom in the spirit world were so arranged that righteous spirits began teaching the gospel to wicked ones" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 762).

What is one thing Papa is doing?

The postmortal spirit world is a place of continued preparation and learning. In this sense, it is an extension of mortality. Those who have died without an opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ will have opportunity to hear and accept it in the spirit world. "The great work in the world of spirits is the preaching of the gospel to those who are imprisoned by sin and false traditions" (MD, p. 762). The faithful elders and sisters who depart this life "continue their labors in the preaching of the gospel of repentance and redemption…Among those who are in darkness" (D&C 138:57; Smith, p. 461; see also Salvation of the Dead).

Finally, until Papa is resurrected, he is here. This is one reason why Ted was able to identify Papa's presence at his own funeral. This is why it is possible to have encounters with deceased relatives in places where we would expect, like the Temple.

Also, in Jewish culture it was believed that one could summon a deceased person to a point in time by speaking their name.

The following is taken from an LDS Newsroom article found HERE in it's entirety (emphasis added).

The temple (proxy) baptism ceremony is simple and brief. Two people, dressed in white clothing, enter a temple baptismal font. One offers a short prayer in which the name of a deceased person is reverently spoken. He then briefly immerses the other person in the water.

As required by Church doctrine, a temple baptism is noted on Church records. However, the Church does not list persons as members of the Church or “Mormons” merely because proxy baptisms have been performed. Church doctrine teaches that at some point the spirit of the deceased person will be informed that a baptism has been performed on his or her behalf and will be given the opportunity to accept or reject it. The Church has no way of knowing whether a person has accepted the baptism and thus does not consider such persons Church members. In this way, Church members extend the opportunity to accept the Church’s message and faith to all people.

I am confident, Papa is doing many of the same things he enjoyed while here. Visiting with family, friends, preaching the Gospel and continuing on in his own progression.