Friday, April 27, 2007

Property Taxes in United States of America...

Property Taxes: The Road to American Serfdom
ACRU blog here.

It is often said, and correctly so, that the hallmark of the American dream is homeownership. This was intentional at our country's Founding. James Otis
famously said, "A man's house is his castle," pointing to the essential link between homeownership and liberty (See "Against Writs of Assistance", 1761). And James Madison ensured that this link would be preserved, by including protections of property rights in the Bill of Rights, under the Fifth Amendment. One of the greatest barometers of the success of the American Experiment through our history has been the ever expanding portion of Americans that own their home, proving true that this indeed is the land of opportunity. Overall, since 2004 and according to government figures, the rate of U.S. homeownership is just over 69 percent -- an all time high. Minority homeownership has eclipsed 50 percent for the first time. For many (most?) Americans, homeownership is the principle vehicle for building wealth.

About ACRU: American Civil Rights Union is a non-partisan 501c(3) tax-exempt organization and receives no federal grants or funding.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Baptism...

Benign assimilation, filipino style...

Friday, April 13, 2007

Pope Benedict gets specific...

Message to 22nd World Youth Day, Jan 27, 2007, Pope Benedict said...

three areas of daily life to demonstrate love of God.

1. Witnesses to love of Christ
Church, our spiritual family, made up of all disciples of Christ. Mindful of his words: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35), stimulate with enthusiasm and charity activities of parishes, communities, ecclesial movements and youth groups you belong. Be attentive in your concern for welfare of others, faithful to commitments you made. Do not hesitate to joyfully abstain from some of entertainments; cheerfully accept necessary sacrifices; testify to faithful love for Jesus by proclaiming his Gospel, especially among people your age.

2. Preparing for the future
Express love and grow in it is preparation for the future. If engaged to be married, God has a project of love for your future as couple and family. Discover it with Church help, free from common prejudice that says Christianity's commandments and prohibitions places obstacles to joy of love and impedes from fully enjoying happiness a man and woman seek in reciprocal love. Love of man and woman is the origin of human family and the couple formed by a man and a woman has its foundation in God’s original plan (cf Gen 2:18-25). Learning to love each other as a couple is wonderful journey, yet it requires a demanding “apprenticeship”. Period of engagement, very necessary in order to form a couple, is time of expectation and preparation that needs to be lived in purity of gesture and words. Allows you to mature in love, in concern and in attention for each other; helps to practise self-control and develop respect for each other. These are characteristics of true love that does not place emphasis on seeking its own satisfaction or its own welfare. In your prayer together, ask the Lord to watch over and increase your love and to purify it of all selfishness. Do not hesitate to respond generously to the Lord’s call, for Christian matrimony is truly and wholly a vocation in the Church. Likewise, dear young men and women, be ready to say “yes” if God should call you to follow the path of ministerial priesthood or the consecrated life. Your example will be one of encouragement for many of your peers who are seeking true happiness.
3. Growing in love each day
Third area of commitment that comes with love is daily life with its multiple relationships, to family, studies, work and free time. Cultivate talents, not only to obtain a social position, but also to help others to “grow”. Develop capacities, not only to become more “competitive” and “productive”, but to be “witnesses of charity”. In addition to professional training, also make an effort to acquire religious knowledge that will help carry out your mission in a responsible way. In particular, I invite you to carefully study the social doctrine of the Church so that its principles may inspire and guide your action in the world. May the Holy Spirit make you creative in charity, persevering in commitments, and brave in your initiatives, so that you will be able to offer your contribution to building up of the “civilisation of love”. Horizon of love is truly boundless: it is the whole world!

full message click here. hat tip: Chiesa...click here.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Privacy Issue with Blogger resolved or solved!

Whatever...
I stop posting because I had a privacy issue with Blogger after I switched to their new business partnership with Google.
Happy Easter everyone. May the Risen Christ shower you with the Advocate...