Random Ramblings from the Resident Raptor.

Insight for your “Journey across the Sky”

A View from the Nest www.eagleviews.org

Surely oppression and extortion make a wise man foolish, and a bribe destroys the understanding and judgment. Eccl 7:7 (AMP)

It is sport to the foolish man to do evil, but the man of good sense takes delight in wisdom. Proverbs 10:23

I’m scared! I don’t know whether the world is full of smart men bluffing or imbeciles who mean it. Morrie Brickman

Whoever walks with wise people will be wise, but whoever associates with fools will suffer. Proverbs 13:20

When I mention March Madness most people think of NCAA basketball and the final free-for-all playoff tournament. These tournaments determine the national champions of college basketball.

How March Became Madness: How the NCAA Tournament Became the Greatest Sporting Event in America

The NCAA tournaments are an American tradition that sends millions of fans into a synchronized frenzy each year. It is this chaos that gives the tournament its March Madness nickname. March Madness is the concentrated hype of 65 teams vying for college basketball’s biggest prize. It’s the last-second, buzzer-beating baskets, the euphoria of winning to play another day, and the agony of losing and going home.

Well this MARCH, and I am not talking basketball, but politics and the AIG bailouts, and bonuses paid to retain “top” employees in a failing business venture. To think Obama’s administration voted for the bail-out bill, which included the exception to executive bonuses, and then turns around and cries foul when those exempted bonuses are actually paid. Is it just me or does this sound like madness to anyone else? We used to call this kind of giving “Indian giving” (my apologies to American Indians). A more accurate analogy of an ‘Indian Giver’ today would be someone looking for a Quid Pro Quo. When a native American Indian gave a gift there was an expectation of a greater gift being given back, or a QUID PRO QUO. Sounds like politicians have taken to the “INDIAN giver” routine quite nicely wouldn’t you agree? But not only are politicians proponents of the Indian gift, so too are American corporations. Much like the large number of College basketball teams vying for a coveted championship, these politicians and corporations are acting like madmen chasing after taxpayer bailouts and government kick-backs. It has become chaotic and zoo-like.

The Federal Government, under Democrat control, asked AIG to write sub-prime loans by promising Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae would back these worthless loan instruments. Fannie and Freddy then found themselves unable to float these bogus loans when the stock market took  a dive, and the whole floor fell out of the housing market. As a result, AIG found themselves, along with other banks and lending institutions, in financial trouble. Obama promised to bail them out because the government was responsible for this irresponsible lending program in the first place but “do not tell anyone”.

As a result of the bail-out the government, which sees itself as having control over the insurance giant, now wants to tell AIG how to run their business. Again the feds are struck with madness. To think that a bunch of bureaucrats, who have never run anything bigger than a re-election campaign, feel they are qualified to run the largest insurance company in the world. This is totally insane! Just look at how well they run the government! Anyway, back-room negotiations go on and the deal is struck. Months later, when business returns to normal, which is after all what the bail out was supposed to accomplish, and the bonuses are actually paid, the government cries foul.

I am not sure who was supposed to give whom what, but something apparently fell apart in this INDIAN GIFT exchange. AIG wanted something in return for the bail out or UNCLE SAM wanted something in return for the gift but neither got what they thought they were getting. I would simply call that FRAUD.

While congress is madly rushing about trying to figure out how to get the money back, and keep the country focused on this INDIAN GIFT exchange, underneath the radar, billions of taxpayer dollars have left the country through AIG to foreign banks. In the wake of all this madness surrounding the AIG debacle, Congress continues to move full-speed ahead on ever-increasing government spending and freedom robbing legislation.

Congress is chasing millions while billions have left the country. The Obama administration wants the country to be outraged over a few company bonuses while they continue to spend trillions of dollars on worthless pork projects. Why are they concentration on a measly 163 million while they spend trillions? THIS IS MADNESS at the highest level. THESE PEOPLE are INSANE!

All this madness would never have happened if our elected officials had only listened to ‘WE THE PEOPLE’. We told congress not to BAIL THESE FOLKS out in the first place. I am convinced however that the whole AIG program was orchestrated by the Obama administration as a way to funnel tax payer money to foreign donors to his campaign under the guise of BAILING OUT FAILED Companies. After all, none of the money actually did any good in bailing out any of the intended benefactors of the government largess. IN fact the reverse is true! They are still failing.

Call me mad if you want to, but I was never in favor of bailing out any company- especially with taxpayer money. I might have supported a moratorium on corporate taxes to help them restructure their debt load but I would have never thrown money at them. So it truly is MARCH MADNESS on full display in our federal government. This whole scandalous event, demonstrates vividly the ineptitude of the current crop of elected officials. The inmates have for a surety, taken over the asylum. I would say someone has flown over the cuckoo’s nest this month. What say you?

But those who are waiting for the Lord will have new strength; they will get wings like eagles: running, they will not be tired, and walking, they will have no weariness. Isaiah 40:31 (BBE)

Along for the journey

Do not associate with those who always insist upon change, because disaster will come to them suddenly. Who knows what misery both may bring? Prov 24:21-22 (GW)

The mantra this election year is change. Change the way we do government, change the way we tax our citizenry, change the way we fight our battles, change the way we appoint leaders and judges, change the way we negotiate with enemies, change the way we protect the innocent.

Change can be good as long as the changes are for the betterment of a society. Many perhaps would feel that this year’s campaign slogan for change is just that, a change for the better. Apart from any biblical foundation I guess any change could be considered good but we are warned in scripture to not associate with those who always insist upon change.

There are people who change their minds on every issue depending upon the circumstance. They change their viewpoints depending on the pressure applied by those who oppose those viewpoints. They are like ships without a rudder who change direction every time the winds of public opinion changes. They have no core values, no solid beliefs, nothing to hold them on a steady course. They are like empty clouds that blow in and bring no rain, or like the waves of the ocean tossed about by the wind. They can not be held to one position because they will change their minds if enough people oppose them. They can not be counted on to stick to a position on anything.

These people we are warned to avoid in scripture. Wishy washy panderers make for bad leaders because you never know where they are going to lead you. One minute you could be headed toward safety and then the next minute you are being led out to sea. I for one would not feel comfortable sailing in a rudderless ship. Nor do I find much comfort in a leader who changes their mind, all the time, on everything.

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