I remember a politician who famously proclaimed: “I feel your pain.” Where are the champions of the “little guy” now. Does anybody feel our pain? Oh, I forgot! The administration told us a while back that this higher level of pain and unemployment rate is the “new normal.”
And now that gas and food prices are going through the roof, these “statesman,” according to Will Rogers, want to raise our taxes to pay for the huge deficit they created in the first place.
“Long-sighted” politicians claim that they want to raise taxes only on the rich as if that’s going to help the rest of us. It’s like the government raising the rich man’s feed price, forcing him to sell his cattle and lay off his workers to pay the increased cost. The rich man looses business, and the “little guys” loose their jobs.
Talk of raising taxes in the midst of a recession has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard of. Common sense would tell you that, but common sense and this administration go together like rednecks and bathwater.
If the administration really did feel our pain, they would understand that we are over taxed, over regulated, over burdened and over governed. Next election, perhaps these “long-sighted” statesmen will feel some pain of their own.
Image Information: This is an image of Will Rogers on the fateful August, 1935 Alaska trip. Within just a few days he would die in a plane crash with famous aviator Wiley Post at Point Barrow, Alaska. The entire nation would mourn his loss.
The image was taken directly from pictures at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum archive. I apologize for the quality of the image, but this is exactly what the 1920s photo looked like when I scanned it. In the hundreds of images contained in this iPhone application, I wanted to share as many different Will Rogers photos as possible from as wide a variety of times and situations – movies, cowboy, vaudeville, with famous people, and family scenes.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
When asked about the first thing they want to do when they get to heaven, most people say something like “I want to see my mother and father,” or “I want to say hi to Uncle Bushrod – he was my favorite uncle.”
Those are nice thoughts, and I’m sure we will have fellowship with saints who have gone before us, however the reward of heaven is to see Jesus – to thank and praise him for his salvation.
If you look at the image closely, you will see that the rabbit is buried in snow. Winter is a hard time for many animals, but it can be endured because of the promise of spring.
Adversity comes to the christian in many ways. We can endure it because of the promise of heaven. The harsher the winter, the sweeter the spring, and likewise the greater the adversity, the sweeter the promise of heaven.
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
When I was working on my masters degree at the University of Illinois I built instrumentation for their Aeronomy program. We made rocket payloads that would gather data from the upper atmosphere which would allow us to look at the nature of energetic particles that stream down the earth’s magnetic fields.
I love science and I remember the thrill of looking at data from a rocket launch. Before my eyes was a glimpse of a tiny piece of God’s creation in motion. Scientists would puzzle over the interpretation of the data and debate its meaning.
In Spurgeon’s wonderful way, he describes God’s control and care of the heavenly bodies. Men of science spend a lifetime trying to explain how the sun operates. Each new scientific discovery brings more questions, yet God cares for it all, and places each planet in its place.
Not only does God care for the planets and their vast scale of operation, he also cares for each of us individually. The God who “feeds the burning furnace of the sun” has power enough to supply us with the daily strength we need!
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
The first phrase of Psalm 31 is quoted by Jesus on the cross. In fact “Into your hands I commit my spirit,” are the last words Jesus spoke before he died. They were uttered with his last breath. These words are the final act of faith as he leaves his earthly life.
When I was very young, I had complete confidence that my parents would take care of all my needs. They fed me, clothed me, protected me and loved me. If I was sick, they watched over me.
For some reason, it seems difficult to have such complete confidence in God. Probably because God isn’t flesh and blood like my parents. I can’t touch Him or see Him.
But I have God’s word, the Bible. I know that Jesus was flesh and blood. I know about Jesus life, death and resurrection. I know of his love for sinners, like me. I also know of his forgiveness and redemption of sinners. The Psalmist says God knows about my affliction and anguish of my soul.
Can I commit my spirit into God’s hands? Yes! Can I have complete confidence that God will take care of all my needs? Confidence will grow as your faith grows. Your faith will grow as you draw closer to God by reading the Bible, seek fellowship with other believers and listen to the preaching of God’s Word.
Dear Lord, Help my faith to grow so that when the end comes I can say, “Into your hands I commit my spirit. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 31 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes NIV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Will RogersYou’re not going to believe this, but my birthday is October 31. When I was a kid I remember getting dressed up for trick-or-treat. Actually, the costume was important for one thing, access to candy. When it was all over, the costume came off and I enjoyed the fruit of my labor.
I think Will Rogers has it just about right – combine Halloween and election day. Now days though, the politicians put on their costume for the duration of the election season. Costumes don’t come off until after election day (or after the recount). Politicians come to my door in costume asking for candy. They look for skeletons in closets. They play “tricks” on people they don’t like. Kind of scary, isn’t it?
I never tried putting a pumpkin on my head for Halloween, but some candidates seem to have the same terrifying expression frozen on their face day after day. I think they use Botox these days, but no candidate will either confirm or deny its use. I don’t think I want to be there when the pumpkin head comes off! I suppose we should just enjoy the fun as Will Rogers suggests, and be glad when the holiday is over.
I’ve heard of campaigns passing out cigarettes for votes. That won’t work for me because I don’t smoke – but I might just vote for chocolate.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Have you ever listened to a political speech and wondered what in the world was that guy talking about? Perhaps you fell asleep during a speech and woke up to find out you didn’t miss anything.
Will Rogers had heard his share of political speeches. He regularly attended the conventions of both parties and reported the results to his readers with his characteristic humor.
Image Information. Will was a skilled horseman and he loved to ride. When he first started his own stage act, a live horse was part of the act as he demonstrated his skill with the lasso. He even had a polo field built at his California ranch.
The equestrian statue at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum is a fitting tribute to Will, since horses were such an important part of his life. I took this picture at sunset, and you can see some of the glow in the clouds as they passed over this magnificent statue. It is the focal point of the beautiful walkway and gardens at the museum.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Will RogersWhenever a company tries to idiot-proof a product, along comes a smarter idiot! Whenever congress tries to “protect” us from ourselves however, there always seems to be what they call “unintended consequences.”
But wait a minute, what about a little common sense when it comes to legislators? For example, if you take more and more money away from people and corporations in the form of taxes, will that encourage economic growth? Not only does common sense tell us the answer is no, but history also tells us no.
I’ll feel a lot better when Washington begins to show some common sense!
Image Information: This publicity picture of Will Rogers is from his early days in show business when he would use rope tricks to punch-up his monologues. The “pretzel” is one of his trademark tricks where he flips the end of the rope into a pretzel shape with the flick of his wrist.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Will RogersIf politics was expensive in the 1930s, what would Will Rogers think about today’s elections? Word is, that over $4 billion was spent this election cycle!
What’s amazing is that all that money was spent, and the unemployment rate didn’t change – except that half of the people running are now unemployed.
Some candidates still can’t figure out how they got beat. In many cases, unemployed workers didn’t have anything better to do than to vote the bums out. In Chicago, dead people generally decide elections. Also, polls can never predict what’s going to happen in Chicago, because dead people never answer the phone. They still can’t figure out what happened in Alaska, because nobody could spell the candidate’s name correctly on the write-in ballot. In some places, TV stations simply forgot to run opponent’s ads, and some states forgot to send out absentee ballots.
I guess some things never change. Elections will continue to be expensive. I have a question though: “How can $4 billion of election “stimulus” money be injected into the economy without any sign of benefit to the country?
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
This Will Rogers quote must be true. How else do you explain how legislators get reelected after scandalous behavior or legislating against the will of the people. It’s just astonishing that some of these politicians have any credibility left, but they keep getting elected. It’s as regular and predictable as the milking schedule on a farm.
Strange thing seems to be happening these days however. If the last election is any indication, people do seem to be remembering. People turned out to vote and sent a large number of legislators packing. Several legislators resigned or didn’t run in order to avoid defeat.
I recall that these defeated legislators, along with the current administration passed legislation that was extremely unpopular. Not only that, but people understood that the unpopular legislation was passed through manipulation and trickery, without review and accountability. Anyone remember the Speaker of the House’s famous proclamation that: “We have to pass this bill to find out what is in it.”
Don’t know about you, but I don’t take kindly to being manipulated, tricked or lied to by legislators or the media. I expect something better; something more honest; someone with integrity; someone accountable to the people they serve. People and businesses can’t conduct commerce by lying to each other. We don’t do business with people that lack integrity. So why is politics any different.
There’s a movement underway, where people seem to be remembering more than two months. They are holding politicians accountable. They are looking for some integrity and common sense coming from Washington.
The next election is more than two months away. We’ll see if this Will Rogers quote still holds true.
The image was taken directly from pictures at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum archive. I apologize for the quality of the image, but this is exactly what the 1920s photo looked like when I scanned it. In the hundreds of images contained in this iPhone application, I wanted to share as many different Will Rogers photos as possible from as wide a variety of times and situations – movies, cowboy, vaudeville, with famous people, and family scenes.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
What could a young lion possibly want. They’re at the top of the food chain! Perhaps it’s the never-ending cycle of want and hunger that the Psalmist mentions – never being satisfied.
I’m a tech guy – always wanting newer and faster computers and gadgets. Can the things of this life cause us to not fear or respect God as we should. They can and they do.
Dear Lord, help me to seek you more each day and to thank you for every good thing that comes from your hand.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 34 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes ESV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Will RogersCongressmen used to carry home suitcases stuffed with cash, but today it’s all done electronically. So much money is flowing out of Washington, it like a dam burst and flooded the entire valley.
There’s a $700 billion wall of money roaring down the valley covering the countryside with cash. The original allocation was designed to rescue the banking industry. About 3 months after passage, almost $300 billion of TARP funds had been spent.
There’s a tiny little problem with the program – nobody actually knows how the program is being run and where the money is going. Of over 300 banks receiving funds only two were required to detail how the money was to be spent.
Another tiny little problem is that instead of banks lending the money (the original intent), banks are hoarding cash and tightening lending because of market uncertainty.
It turns out that to run a program that massive, you need to hire more accountants, financial analysts, managers and hog callers by numbers greater than all the head of cattle in Oklahoma.
Let’s summarize. We don’t know where most of the money went. The money we do know about isn’t being used for the purpose intended, and oh yes, there is concern about fraud.
Well I guess we just need to trust these great statesmen on the banking committee and at the treasury. They are smart people and I just know they are putting all that taxpayer money to good use. As a statesman, it’s all about good intentions.
Well, the dam has burst and there’s no money left in reserve. It’s all gone, but we sure have a bunch of statesmen, by Will Rogers definition.
Reference: Where’s all the TARP Money? Forbs.com
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
This Will Rogers quote is from 1929, and we are still trying to figure out today if we are crooks or martyrs when it comes to the income tax form. It’s kind of humorous that today we have a Treasury Secretary, in charge of the IRS, that goofed up (in his favor) on his own income tax forms.
If you think that’s funny, try calling the IRS for help on your tax forms. Depending on who you get on the phone, phase of the moon, sunspot cycles and ozone levels, you can get a variety of different answers to the same question.
I have to hire an accountant to do my taxes. I can’t imagine how he keeps up with the tax code. It’s got more patches than a quilt and more loopholes than a handmade rug.
I don’t want to be rich, because then I could’t afford to die. But if I do die, I’ll never know for sure if income tax forms made me a crook or martyr. I just hope the IRS can’t repossess a used casket. (I had to dig deep for that one!)
Can I deduct underwear donated to the Salvation Army? Three out of five IRS representatives said yes. In golf, at least you know if you are a liar or not.
Image Information: This image shows Will Rogers riding with two of his children. Will loved horses and taught his children that same love and respect.
The image was taken directly from pictures at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum archive. I apologize for the quality of the image, but this is exactly what the 1920s photo looked like when I scanned it. In the hundreds of images contained in this iPhone application, I wanted to share as many different Will Rogers photos as possible from as wide a variety of times and situations – movies, cowboy, vaudeville, with famous people, and family scenes.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
Today’s quote from Charles Spurgeon captures the hopes and prayers of christian parents everywhere. “Is there a Church in this house?” If there was one gift to leave with a son or daughter, it would be a strong vibrant faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Just like the goose in the picture watches over its goslings, so the parents watch over the spiritual welfare of their children.
Have you strayed from the faith? You’ve probably seen the heartbreak in your parents eyes. Perhaps they’ve pleaded with you to return. Is it pride that keeps you away? Are your sins unforgivable? Is the pain too deep? Did the church’s practices turn you away?
There are so many stories in the Bible of redemption and returning to God. The Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11 is one that most of us are familiar with. In verse 17 it says that the son “came to himself,” and made a decision to return back to his father and confess his sin. All the time that the son was away, the father was watching for his return.
Is there a Church in this house? This special covenant family is not without aid from God. Prayers are not in vain! The Holy Spirit works in hearts with powerful effect, building, restoring and redeeming.
Dear Lord, Let there be a Church in my house. I need Your help to be a godly parent, son or daughter. Let Jesus be in my heart and let the Holy Spirit work in my life and in my family. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by this quote and the accompanying image taken from the Spurgeon Daily Quotes iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
Will RogersIn 1932 Will Rogers predicted that it would take taxpayers 50 years to pay for all the massive appropriations of his day. How could he have been so wrong? It’s 75 years later now and we are still paying for massive social programs put into place during the Roosevelt years.
Not only that, but new programs and mandates have been put into place since then. We’re still fighting the “War on Poverty,” and it doesn’t appear that, after all the money invested, that we are winning.
Year after year, the programs grow bigger and bigger, the benefits grow more numerous, more participants qualify, and the scale of related fraudulent activity is staggering.
Nobody ever questions if the programs are successful in meeting their stated goals and reform is regularly voted down. The only measurement seems to be the amount of new money appropriated each year and the good intentions of the supporting sponsors.
Well, we’re the kids that are paying for the “great ideas” and good intentions of the 1930’s and it looks like our kids will be paying for the good intentions of the current administration. Seems like Will Rogers was right. The votes are getting more and more expensive.
Will Rogers is a man worth remembering, and quoting. His wit, humor and insight into life will amaze and astonish you. His life will inspire you. Watch for new blog posts from my Will Rogers quotes collection.
I hope you have enjoyed this quote from Will Rogers and the accompanying image taken from the Will Rogers iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that might enjoy a bit of wisdom from Will Rogers.
It’s a struggle, isn’t it – loving righteousness? As the hymn says, I am “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.” Yet the Psalmist indicates there is great reward.
When I am caught in sin, my tendency is to draw away from God and from his chastening. Have you noticed it with your kids. When the little ones are corrected, they push away when you try to hug them. The correction was for their good, and you do it because you love them, but their instinct is to push away.
In Romans 7 Paul talks about this war within us, the war between our desire to obey the law, and the law of sin and death in our members. Who will deliver us from this struggle? Paul gives us the answer in Ro 7:25: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
I think my sea otter friend in the picture is reminding me of a passage in “The Valley of Vision” that always helps me put things in perspective. It says: “My trials have been fewer than my sins, and when I have kissed the rod it has fallen from thy hands.”
Dear Lord, help me to love righteousness, and when I am chastened let me kiss the rod of correction – don’t let me pull away – let me fall into your arms of love. Amen.
I hope you have been blessed by Psalm 45 and the accompanying image taken from the Psalm Daily Quotes ESV iPhone app. Please visit our blog, twitter, or Facebook page regularly and pass these posts on to friends that need an encouraging word.
There have been a few times in my life where I’ve been really thirsty. You know how it feels – throat parched, tongue thick, mouth feels like cotton. Fortunately in our modern world, water is usually nearby at a fountain or faucet. I’ve seen movies and read books about people who have suffered from severe …
I’m trying to think of times when I was excited about going somewhere. Perhaps a graduation ceremony for one of my kids. I enjoy going to ball games and concerts. A weekend campout is lots of fun. The anticipation of going somewhere special is a great feeling, isn’t it? When you get there, you are …
In 1933 the country was in crisis as the Great Depression took its toll. The elections were over and FDR was waiting to take office when Will Rogers wrote this Daily Telegram on January 19, 1933. From this Will Rogers quote, it seems that nobody was in charge, and nobody wanted to tackle the problems …
Have you ever wondered why fancy restaurants are so dimly lit? For me, at least, it has to be so that I won’t be embarrassed by food stains down the front of my shirt. When leaving the restaurant, however, and walking out into the light, the problem becomes visible. It’s interesting that the Psalmist, in …
I love this picture! Mr. Beaver seems to be talking directly to me, reminding me to “give thanks to the Lord.” Actually, I do need reminding, because I often forget to give thanks. As in many Psalms, the Psalmist speaks of “the needy one” and of God’s protection and salvation. Normally I think of the …
Earlier this year, we were in a financial crunch. We cut back all we could, but the cash had run out. It’s a situation that weighs on you. As the Psalmist says: “…my heart is stricken within me.” A friend of mine and I regularly go on walks, and I shared some of our needs. …
Day to day, I tend to think of myself as eternal. When I go to sleep, I believe that I will wake to another day, and another, and another. When I look around, I expect the buildings and landscape to be the same day to day, year to year. Certainly, the stars in this beautiful …
It’s a struggle, isn’t it – loving righteousness? As the hymn says, I am “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.” Yet the Psalmist indicates there is great reward. When I am caught in sin, my tendency is to draw away from God and from his chastening. Have …
Sometimes is doesn’t happen right away – turning mourning into dancing. A deep grief, difficult situations, or failure can take a while to work through. An encouraging word from my precious wife, kids or friends helps a great deal. After time, the sackcloth is loosed and I can begin to dance, like the sea otters …
Will RogersIn Rogers’ day, disarmament was a leading issue. In the period after WWI, there were numerous peace conferences. Rogers would attend and report on the proceedings with his characteristic wit and humor. Rogers saw the futility in nations trying to regulate how many battleships and weapons a country should have, and that it was …
