Gay Marriage Bill going to the Maryland Senate Expected to pass

Barely passing the house by a vote of 71-67, the bill that would allow gay marriages to happen in the state of Maryland is one step closer to becoming a law.

But when I look at the Constitution of Maryland, I read this:

Art. 36 That as it is the duty of every man to worship God in such manner as he thinks most acceptable to Him, all persons are equally entitled to protection in their religious liberty; wherefore, no person ought by any law to be molested in his person or estate, on account of his religious persuasion, or profession, or for his religious practice, unless, under the color of religion, he shall disturb the good order, peace or safety of the State, or shall infringe the laws of morality, or injure others in their natural, civil or religious rights; nor ought any person to be compelled to frequent, or maintain, or contribute, unless on contract, to maintain, any place of worship, or any ministry; nor shall any person, otherwise competent, be deemed incompetent as a witness, or juror, on account of his religious belief; provided, he believes in the existence of God, and that under His dispensation such person will be held morally accountable for his acts, and be rewarded or punished therefor either in this world or in the world to come.

http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/43const/html/00dec.html

Now when I read this, and I look at what is happening with the gay marriage bill, I have to question is the state infringing on my right as a Christian to believe that marriage is solely between a man and a woman. Do I have to conform to what the government tells me I have to conform to and put aside my religious convictions that homosexuality is immoral, and a sin?

To those that say I am homophobic, and a hater, that is the furthest thing from the truth, you have every right to live your life the way you want to live it, as I have every right to live it the way I want to live it, and to worship God the way I see fit, as well as you may worship and believe how you see fit.

When does the government, federal or state, have the right to tell me how I should perceive marriage? In short they don't, but the agenda of the LGBT has been slowly crammed down the throats of conservatives, and because we oppose it, we become the party of "no". And the democrats use that argument to further themselves, along with lies to make anyone who is a conservative, and someone who opposes alternative lifestyles or considers it a sin due to religious beliefs.

When we look at the population in the United States and come up with an estimate of how many people overall are gay the numbers are staggeringly different, depending on what your source is. The estimate of couples living together of the same sex is estimated to be about 1% of the U.S population, and as of the 2011 census that there are about 9 million people that identify themselves as part of the LGBT community. Now when we put that number into perspective of a percentage according to the population of the United States we are looking at a total of 3.8 percent of the U.S population.

While 9 million people does sound like a lot of people, when you take into consideration the amount of people living in the United States, its a very very small percentage, and not only is it becoming an issue of marriage, we have a bill in Baltimore County where people who are of the transgender community that want access to use whatever public restroom that they please to use. And there are some dangers that are associated with this bill but that is for another time.

My question is why do I have to be forced to give up my religious beliefs for such a small minority of the population. Its not about being against what they chose to do with their lives, or how they chose to live their lives, its about my rights and my beliefs as a Christian. The State Delegates are saying I have to go by what they say because they say it should be law, without taking into consideration anything that I believe, in reality they are trampling on my Constitutional right to religious freedoms.

Gays say that they are tired of having religion crammed down their throats, I'm tired of religious freedoms and rights being taken away from me.

The State Constiution Declaration opens with this:"

>We, the People of the State of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty, and taking into our serious consideration the best means of establishing a good Constitution in this State for the sure foundation and more permanent security thereof, declare:<

The State of Maryland was founded on Christian principles. And in 2012, its the Christians that are fighting to hang onto their principles. Its not so much about letting others live their lives in a way that makes them happy, its about being told what to believe, and how to define marriage that goes against what they believe.

I like the idea of no budget no pay. Cutting spending and getting a budget done.

When Obama made a list of 500 or so promises during his campaign, some he has kept, some there have been compromises on, some he has broken, but one I think is clearly misunderstood.

His promise to reduce the deficit by half his first 2 years.

We can reduce the deficit all we want, but if the deficit number is GREATER than ZERO, then we end up borrowing more money so that we can pay our debt. And in the end, we add more debt, so it does nothing if we don't cut the spending to reduce the debt.

For as many years as I have been alive there has been more borrowing to cover our bills, creating a larger and larger deficit. With a 1.3 Trillion dollar deficit in 2011 our debt continues to grow. With no budget for 2012, as the Senate has done a fine job of rejecting not only what the House of Representatives proposed but what Obama proposed there seems to be no end in sight for coming up with a budget, one that will not just cut the deficit that the United States owes, but one that will cut spending.

Administrations often propose tax increases and the promise of spending cuts to get the tax increases, however history has shown that the tax increases come, however the spending cuts don't come. So now it has come down to both sides digging their heels in, and neither side wanting to give up its stance, in the mean time, our debt AND our deficit continue to grow.

Looking at politifact and an article that they wrote back in 2009, stating his promise was 'mostly true'. And maybe at that time it was mostly true, but here we are in 2012, with no budget, and a deficit in 2010 of 1.2 trillion dollars, a deficit of about 1.3 trillion in 2011, and the end of the 2012 fiscal year will see us with about a 1.1 trillion dollar deficit.

Looking at these numbers, I am NOT seeing a reduction in the deficit. And being that our national debt has gone up almost double in Obama's term as president, I can say that he has not fulfilled his promise to cut the deficit in half.

What congress needs to do as a whole is swallow some pride, roll up their sleeves, and figure out how to cut spending, to bring our debt down. Giving aid to other countries to the tune of 800 million dollars may sound like not a lot of money, but that right now is money that we do NOT have, and in the end it will add to not only the national debt, but to the deficit as we will be borrowing that money. Taxing more will do no good if we do not cut our spending, as congress has shown over the past several years that they seem eager to spend MORE. And giving in to future promises of spending cuts for tax increases will only feed their desire to spend more.

As we head into the 2012 election there are some candidates that feel that if there is no budget, Congress should not receive a paycheck.

Something tells me that this could be a way to ignite the politicians and give them incentive to finish the budget and cut spending.

Issue of 2012 Election Health Care

The federal government has deemed it appropriate that they be in control of regulating health care. And while the Preamble to the United States Constitution says this:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

does that mean that the United States Federal Government is responsible for the health of every single one of its citizens? That's a pretty broad definition and huge responsibility of the government to take on, and one that will cost the United States more than it can handle.

The argument is made that Massachusetts has 'Romney Care' State health care reform. But if Massachusetts wants to vote for the right to care for the citizens of its state, no matter how bad the law might be, the state can chose to do that. It should be a STATE responsibility to provide health care. Not a federal issue.

Under the mandated Obama Care, and with doctors possibly leaving the profession, and facing a shortage of doctors nationwide, the U.S will be in the same situation as other countries that have this 'mandated', 'socialized' health care. People will not be seen in a timely manner, and people will very likely die waiting for treatment.

Right Now the U.S has one of the best health care systems, people receive the best care. What will happen to treatment when the cancer patient no longer has private health insurance, what will happen when that person will not get treatment, whether it be surgery or chemotherapy treatments in time. People will die waiting for health care.

If we look at Obama's promise to provide every American with health care equal to what the members of congress have, we're looking at the cost of about 12,000 dollars a year per person. A plan like this would add billions to the already hefty tab that the U.S. pays.

And as it stands right now, seniors who are on fixed income have a higher out of pocket pay, and less options under Obama's health care plan. How is this bettering the system? Its not. And by the year 2017 the out of pocket costs are projected to be triple what they were in 2010-2011.

How is that helpful?

Simply put its NOT.

The estimated cost to the taxpayer right now is about 2 trillion dollars.

In short this is nothing more than another tax bill from the democratic party to the United States Citizens, that may or may not cover the cost.

My bet?

It won't cover the costs, and what will happen they'll be back asking for more money. But at what point will it be enough.

If 2 trillion dollars isn't enough for health care costs. Then how much is enough. Give us a number that won't change, so that we can look at the costs and put into perspective what we need to do to pay for the health care.

Better yet, repeal the health care and let individual states mandate health care should they deem it beneficial to the residents of that state. Let the states vote it in or out, not mandate it on a federal level.

Mandating health care like this by the federal government is a bad idea, because it is pushing us one step closer to socialism, and not the freedoms guaranteed to us by the U.S constitution.

Let's cut 2 Trillion from the national deficit and take the federal government off the hook for health care reform.

Nancy Jacobs is Dodging the Debates

February 13, 2012

Press Release

Mr. Smith says Jacob's Picture Belongs on Milk Cartons

Jacobs Only Candidate Refusing to Debate

Timonium, MD... Today Larry Smith, Republican candidate for Congress in Maryland's Second District announced that he is deeply disappointed that fellow candidate Nancy Jacobs is refusing his challenge to debate. Mr. Smith believes it would be appropriate to put her picture on the sides of milk cartons sold within District Two.

"Republican Presidential candidates have already debated 19 times. Refusing to debate for a congressional race ultimately disrespects the voters who must select their district's best candidate. Why can't she make the time?" asked Smith. "What is she afraid of? What's she hiding?"

Last week Smith proposed a series of issues specific debates for MD-02 candidates int he weeks leading up to April 3rd's primary. The only candidate not to accept Mr. Smith's challenge was Nancy Jacobs. Accordingly, Smith has released a mock up of a milk carton showing Ms. Jacobs MIA.

"One thing's for sure: our nominee will have to go to to toe with Congressman Ruppersberger this fall. So voters should be questioning whether Jacobs' refusal to debate effectively renders her a de facto TKO," stated Smith. "One need only look as far back as Republican Presidential candidate Governor Rick Perry to see an example of a competent state incumbent who was overwhelmed by the broad scale of issues related to national governance and international relations. I mean it's as if Ms. Jacobs is saying we'll have to elect her first in order to see what she'll do.....Really?"

There are 49 days left until the primary. So far, Anne Arundel County's "Free State Patriots" is hosting a MD-02 congressional candidates' forum on February 16th at the Brooklyn Park Library at 7pm (Lee Havis, lee@patriotvoting.com, 301-589-1127 or cell, 240-481-1566). Then, central Baltimore County's 42d District Republican Club is hosting MD-02 candidates in a forum on February 25 at Lutherville's Knights of Columbus Hall. It begins at 9am (Julianne Grim at 410-967-7229 or juliannegrim@gmail.com). Next, on March 8th, Howard County's League of Women Voters is hosting Maryland congressional candidate forum at Ellicott City's George Howard building beginning at 7pm. Their forum will be broadcast live by GTV, rebroadcast, and hosted online (Alice Giles/Betsy Grater at 410-730-0142 or info@howard.lwvmd.org). Finally East Baltimore County Republican Club President Ric Metzgar (443-622-7647 or ricmetzgarsr@yahoo.com) and club Vice-President (and Baltimore Republican Central Committee Member) George Krach (443-610-8921 or gkrach76@hotmail.com) are in the process of organizing a "Grand Finale" debate for MD-02 candidates sometime in late March. They ohope to host the debate at either Dundalk or Essex Community College and are inviting district newspaper editors to field questions to the candidates.

Candidates Ray Bly, Vladimir Degen, Rick Impallaria, Howard Orton and Larry Smith are looking forward to each event. Last week Mr. Smith sent a letter to each candidate asking them to agree to debate. Jacobs was the only candidate who declined.

You don't Need Me, I need You!

Never have I heard a politician say these words:

You don't need me, I need you.

That is exactly the words that Dan Bongino said to those of us that came to hear him speak at Uncle Eddie's Restaurant tonight.

What does Dan Bongino promise, leadership. A man who says he won't give empty promises, a man who vows to do his best to bring prosperity and leadership to America.

But before I get more into what Dan stands for, let me tell you why I believe him. This is a man that had a promising career with the secret service. A man that was on the presidential detail for five years, someone who has been just about everywhere in the world, and probably seen more than he ever cared to see.

Imagine being in a third world country where an empty water bottle is a commodity that is worth a lot to a kid. Imagine staying in a hotel where there are bats in a room. ( I shudder at that thought). Imagine seeing countries with this universal health care where thousands of people die waiting for health care, but we are supposed to believe its a utopia state. These are just a few of the things that Dan has gotten to see during his secret service detail.

More than being a 'Republican', Dan is a conservative, and everything he says shows he believes in what he is saying. His speeches are something you can believe, as he doesn't write them down, he speaks from the heart, so its not a planned thing, and its not something he believed when he wrote it and may or may not agree with it when he says it. He says it because he believes it 100%, and that's the kind of candidate we need, one who can back up what he says because he believes it.

How does he plan to bring prosperity back to Maryland and the U.S. By fighting for us. By fighting to close the tax loop holes, and have a flat corporate tax. One that will entice the companies to stay here because they will make money here. At the rate that corporations are taxed before the loop holes, its like 35%. Companies pay closer to 16% with the breaks and laws even going over seas, and with the cheaper labor profits are the motive to stay over seas. But if the tax code is overhauled we will bring in a boatload of money by them staying here, and the U.S would easily become a super power again.

Mention the XL pipeline to him, and its another sore spot. It doesn't matter where in the world the oil goes, it was going to get burned, and in a political power grab, Obama sent the pipeline to China, instead of being built in the U.S. Short and sweet, I totally agree with Dan on the fact that it was a political move to go to China, and ban the XL pipeline. And it could be a move that hurt Obama as it even has some unions upset with him.

Where does Dan stand on education? Simple he is for parents having a choice of where to send their kids to school. In every state there is an area that schools will produce dropouts. Right now that number, according to the Wall Street Journal, is 2,000 schools out of the nations 20,000 public schools. Dan is for programs that would give parents school vouchers, charter schools and year round schools.

Immigration policies; Dan Bongino sees the importance of securing our borders, something that should have been done long ago. But when used properly the immigration system is something that works for this country, and he should know. His wife is an immigrant from the country of Columbia. And more than a 'national issue' Dan sees this as a legal issue, which is very true. But no matter how you look at it, its a complicated issue, because no matter how we deal with it, there are going to be those that will disagree with the way its handled. Immigration is important to the U.S, but it needs to be done legally to ensure security for our seniors as well as economic growth, because legal immigrants increase our tax base.

All in all Dan Bongino is a solid candidate and is in a position to do not only Maryland good, but also to do good for the United States. Dan Bongino isn't giving up on Maryland, we can't either.

Maybe Dan doesn't realize it but I think we need him as much as he needs us. We need him to change DC from the outside in.