I Apologize To The New Orleans Saints

I, Derifter, apologize to the New Orleans Saints and also to their fans, for knocking the Saints all week leading up to their Monday night game against the New England Patriots. Until tonight, I had been saying that the Saints would find out what happens when they play a good team. Sure, they beat the Eagles and the Giants, but who are those teams, really? I was sure the "Ain'ts" were going down tonight.

But boy did they prove me wrong. They tore the Patriots apart! How embarrassing for New England! 38-17 and it wasn't even THAT close. They absolutely trounced the Pats.

So even though I'm a Vikings fan who would have loved to see the Saints lose bad, I write this post in gold on black in honor of, and to tip my hat to, the Saints and their fans. Well done.

No Social Security Increase

There's been quite a stink brewing about the fact that for the first time since 1975, there will be no COLA (cost of living adjustment) for recipients of Social Security. Most of the complaining is coming from seniors (as might be expected), and I suspect right-leaning news outlets are probably stoking the fires as are many people who are opposed to President Obama's policies and even the man himself. As for me, I'm a big fan of no bailouts. This administration has given away enough of our money to keep us financially underwater for decades if not generations, and they're not through yet. Right now you might be thinking, "Who said anything about bailouts?" The answer is President Obama. He's of the opinion that since seniors won't be getting a COLA, we need to give them each $250. The economy is tough, 401k's are down, seniors are struggling. We should give them money. So sez the prez.

According to the Social Security Administration,

"By law, Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits increase automatically each year if there is an increase in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), from the third quarter of the last year to the corresponding period of the current year. This year there was no increase in the CPI-W from the third quarter of 2008 to the third quarter of 2009."

In fact, the CPI-W actually declined 1.6% from September '08 to September '09. So the way I do math, by not taking a 1.6% cut in benefits, SS recipients are in effect receiving a 1.6% increase. The checks they get today buy 1.6% more than the same check would have bought last year. Seniors who complain about this are losing credibility with me. And President Obama, by wanting to give away more money due to this financial tragedy, well he had no credibility to lose in my book, but I am a little more angry with him. If I walked into my bank and handed them my Discover Card and said I'd like $1000.00 in cash please, would the cash in my hand suddenly make me rich? Heck no, I wouldn't have anymore money than I did before and plus, now I have to pay it back with interest. That means I'd be losing money, not getting richer.

Obama already has the Obambies in his pocket. Now, it looks like he wants to buy the Senior vote with our money. Give me a break. Please do.

Biting And Devouring

I've been noticing (and so have you) that among Christians there's an awful lot of back-biting taking place. Fundamentalists and some percentage of Evangelicals go on about how the Emergent crowd is off on a tangent and doesn't understand the law or the gospel. They just don't get it. In the Emerging church, one of their claims to fame is that they are able to present the gospel in context, in a relevant way, not like old-school Christians who are stuck in the past and just don't get it. Everybody knows Charismatics are loony, right? God doesn't move anymore! Man, they don't get it. Charismatics are the only ones who know that the Spirit has left all the dead churches and only dwells within their own church.

"Ello, Guvna!"

Remember what Paul said in Galatians 5...
"But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

It's not like we don't have enough adversity in the world, without attacking each other to boot. We're the body of Christ. Jesus prayed in John 17, "I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are."

That they may be one, even as We are. Maybe your bothers and sisters don't say it just the way you would, but they're saying it. Maybe they're saying it the way someone needs to hear it, in order to take a step toward God. Encourage that. Encourage them. Let's not forget why we're here. The Body isn't all feet, or eyes, or arms. We need each other.

Miss Me?

No Politics

Hmm, not much going on in the world of no politics. This is the first post I've written since I imposed a 24-hour moratorium on political posts at my blog, after being overwhelmed with complaints from my reader.
Oh!
Well, there's this:

It's been 70 days (yes, seventy) since Josh Crain's last post. I wonder if it's writer's block.

Hey, How about Kanye West? What a dufus.
How about Joe Wilson? What a dork.
How about Patrick Swayze? Bummer, I loved him in Road House.
How about them Vikes? Tied for the top spot in the NFL after week1.

You Lie

Everybody needs to back off of South Carolina Rep. Joe "You Lie" Wilson. Was it okay for him to yell, "You Lie!" at the president in response to Obama's comments on health care and illegal immigrants? No.
Did he apologize and admit his outburst was inappropriate? Yes. Was his apology accepted? Yes. Do I hate it when people ask a question and then answer their own question? Of course I do. Everybody does.

But why do the Dems want to drag Wilson through the mud and spank him after he's already admitted his actions were out of line? Beatings and dead horses come to mind. I think they're desperate for anything that will take the focus off the president's zany ideas, at this point.

By the way, I read that when the president spoke here in Minneapolis yesterday, the heat and lights got to him, and someone got him a folding chair. Maybe they should have gotten him a cot instead, so he could, you know, "lie."

The Tornado, the Lutherans, and Homosexuality

John Piper posted on the implications of the tornado in downtown Minneapolis that hit the location of the ELCA convention, where they intend to vote on whether homosexuality should disqualify a person from the pulpit.

Any thoughts?

Simple Financial Tip

If you're the kind of person who likes to use your credit cards to charge your gas and coffee and other things all month long, but you don't like getting wacked with a humongous bill when your statement comes (yes, we still receive and pay our bills on paper via snail mail) then I'd like to share this idea with you that my wife came up with a couple of years ago, which we've found really helpful. It won't save you any money, but it will save you the balance shock.

When I charge a tank of gas, I write it in the checkbook as though it were a check.
"$35.00 at SuperAmerica"
Where you would normally write the check number, just write "Visa" (or whatever card you used), and subtract $35 from your balance right now. You'll still spend the same amount that you always do, but now when you get your Visa bill and you write the check for $300 or whatever your balance is, you don't have to suddenly come up with $300 to pay the bill since you were subtracting it all along as you went. Like I said, it won't save you any money, but it's easier to subtract $20 here and $10 there, than to have to find $300 all at once when the bill comes. I hope it helps you like it helps us!

Here's an easy way to save up a few bucks, which I've been doing for about 20 years:
Every time you write a check, round up to the nearest dollar and subtract that amount from your balance. When you make a deposit, round down to the nearest dollar and add that amount to your balance. For example,

Write a check (or charge) for $19.38 and subtract $20 from your balance.
Make a deposit of $106.98, and only add $106 to your balance.

It's not much, but it adds up over time, and it's painless! Plus, you don't have to deal with all the pennies. Before you know it, you'll have a couple hundred bucks without even trying!

Boyd 1, Reaper 0

Greg Boyd recently had a, well, not a near-death "experience" really, but you could call it a brush with death I suppose. Part of the story involved his being concerned, of course, but also a little bit excited about what's around the next corner. I think that's cool. I don't have a whole lot to say right now beyond what he said himself, but I do hope that when my time comes, I'm a little excited about it too! (If you want to read Boyd's story, click here.)

Gay Pride Parade

You can't miss all the news stories about Gay Pride parades all over the place. Can anyone explain "gay pride" to me? I'm attracted to the opposite sex, but that's just something that's true about me. I wouldn't say I'm proud of it, anymore than the fact that I like to watch Scrubs. You won't see me in a Scrubs Pride parade anytime soon, or a Hetero Pride parade either for that matter. I must be missing something.