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$15/year All correspondence to: Editor: Joyce Bates All correspondence to: P. O. Box 1744 Greenville, SC 29602 March, 2010 |
The Voice of
Sanity
THE NEWSLETTER OF THE UPSTATE S.C. SECULAR HUMANISTS Visit our web-site for current and back-issues at: www.uscsh.org
e-mail:
secularhmnst@aol.com |
CALENDAR
Our
March brunch will be on March 13, 2010 at Denny's
Restaurant, 2521 Wade Hampton Blvd, Greenville at 10:30 a.m.
MARCH
DINNER MEETING
The
forth Sunday dinner will be on March 28th at 5 p.m. at the home of Elaine and Joe
Norwood, 16 Oakleaf Rd., Greenville. Please call Elaine at 864-268-1889 to coordinate your contribution or
for directions
What:
March Dinner meeting
When:
March 28
Time:
5 p.m.
Where:
16 Oakleaf Road, Greenville...Joe/Elaine Norwood's home.
Washington, D.C.: The City of Disgraceful Contrasts
The title of a news report of October 1, 2009, appearing in the United Kingdom’s Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk), read “Revealed: millions spent by lobbying firms fighting Obama health care reforms,” and there were “six lobbyists for every member of Congress as healthcare industry heaps cash on politicians to water down legislation.” Furthermore, “The [health care] industry and interest groups have spent $380 million … in recent months … through lobbying, advertising and in direct political contributions to members of Congress. The largest contribution, totaling close to $1.5 million, has gone to the chairman of the senate committee drafting the new law.”
And, according to the U.S. Center for Public Integrity, “The amount of money spent on lobbying in the United States Congress … [grew] by over 60% [between 1999 and 2005]… In President Clinton’s last term there were about 10,000 registered lobbyists in Washington, D.C. … [in 2005] there [were] 30,000 registered … [and] the amount of money spent on lobbying has grown from $1.8 billion to $3 billion annually” (www.acfnewsource.org/democracy/lucrative_lobbying.html).
Have you ever noticed how many members of Congress become millionaires by the time they leave Washington? In a country where we can boast that we have the best governing body that money can buy, where lavish dinners are hosted for the elite in public buildings, where government officials are driven hither and yon in chauffeured limousines, and where laws are written that enable the rich to keep and pass along their wealth to their sons and daughters, the economic inequality and poverty in our nation’s capital is a national disgrace.
According to the 2009 report, Poverty in Washington D.C. (www.some.org/Poverty%20in%20DC.pdf.),
“Nearly 1 out of 5 of D.C. residents lives at or below the poverty level. This represents an increase of nearly one-third since 1999-2000. In 2005, the D.C. poverty rate was 19.8% -- the 3rd highest of any jurisdiction in the nation. The poverty rate in Maryland was then 8.2%, in Virginia 10% and in the U.S. as a whole 13.3%.”
“D.C. has the highest rate of children in poverty of any jurisdiction in the U.S. 33% of D.C. children live in families with incomes below the official poverty level, as compared to 10% in Maryland, 12 % in Virginia and 18% in the U.S. as a whole.”
“Estimated costs of living in D.C. are three times the official poverty level. In 2006, it cost a family of two parents with two children an estimated $63,192 a year for just the basic costs of living in D.C. The poverty level for that family then was $20,000. The family would have had to spend about $14,700 a year to rent a modest two bedroom apartment, leaving them $5,300 for all other living expenses.”
“Between 1999 and 2005, the basic living costs for a single-parent D.C. family with two young children increased by 26%. Working full time at what was then the D.C. minimum wage, this family could afford only 36% of its basic expenses.”
“The income gap between high-wage and low-wage D.C. households is at an all-time high. This gap is reflected in wide disparities among local communities. 33% of families and 36% of individuals in Ward 8 live in poverty, as compared to only 2.7% of families and 7.4% of individuals in Ward 3.”
“Poverty is linked to numerous social problems that affect the entire community. Rates of poor health, violence, low school performance and teen parenthood are all higher in neighborhoods with high poverty levels. In 2000, 34% of violent crimes in D.C. occurred in the poorest fifth of D.C. neighborhoods, as compared to only 6 % in the top fifth.”
As a citizen of this country for going on 70 years, I am horrified, disgusted and outraged by the disgrace that is our nation’s capital! How about you?
R. Georges
Delamontagne
BIBLICAL SCHOLAR CALCULATES RAPTURE DATE: May 21, 2011
Submitted by Lee
Deitz
Harold Camping lets out a hearty
chuckle when he considers the people who believe the world will end in 2012.
“That date has not one stitch of biblical authority.”
Camping says from the Oakland office where he runs Family Radio, an evangelical station that reaches
listeners around the world. “It’s like a fairy tale.” The real date for the end
of times, he says, is in 2011.
By
Camping’s understanding, the Bible was dictated by God and every word and
number carries a spiritual significance. The number 5 equals “atonement.” Ten
is “completeness.” seventeen means “heaven.” Camping patiently explained how he
reached his conclusion for May 21, 2011.
“Christ
hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D. Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that’s 1,978 years.” Camping
then multiplied 1,978 by 365.2422 days = the number of days in each solar year,
not to be confused with a calendar year.
Next,
Camping noted that April 1 to May 21 encompasses
51 days. Add 51 to the sum of previous multiplication total, and it equals
722,500. Camping realized that (5 x 17} x (5 x 10 x 17) = 722,500. Or put into
words: (Atonement x Completeness x Heaven),
squared.
“Five
times 10 times 17 is telling you a story,” Camping said. “It’s the story from
the time Christ made payment for your sins until you’re completely saved. I
tell ya, I just about fell off my chair when I realized that.” --San Francisco Chronicle, 1/1/10 (Copied from The
Humanist Monthly of The Capital District Humanist Society)
Foot
note:
USCSH
beware: May 21, 2010 until May 21, 2011 is 12
months. Divide 365 by 2 and you have 180 days. The 1 and 8 of 180 equals 9, now
add the 0 and you have 90 days or three months. May 21, 2011 is a Saturday,
exactly one week (7 days) from our May 14, 2011
brunch. On that exact date, someone on earth will die. No one will be
resurrected. BE VERY AFRAID!!!
“The Supreme Court’s Decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission”
(Or, How illegal fence appraisal and protection of freed slaves created corporate personality).
The story below reviews the legal precedent influencing the recent Supreme Court decision allowing corporations their right to free speech in campaign advertising and contributions.
Once upon a time (back in 1878) the California Constitutional Convention drew up a new constitution. This constitution denied railroads the right to deduct the amount of their debt (mortgage) from the taxable value of their property. Up to this time railroads had sensibly paid no taxes on their California property, although they saw significant profit from it, especially since 1868 when they had become transcontinental. Anyway no one realized up until then that they were enjoying privileges intended only for private citizens. Union Pacific railroad challenged the unfair law of California. They felt that the greedy counties surrounding San Francisco were trying to treat them with the same disrespect the South was treating the freed slaves. They wanted to be counted as whole people and given the same rights as any other individual in the United States and not have to pay those taxes. After all, they had a really fancy law behind them. It was called “The Jurisdiction and Removal Act of 1875”. If black litigants could use it to bypass hostile southern state courts, railroads could use it to bypass the California court. On hearing what the railroad had done the greedy counties immediately sued and the fight over the money began.
When the California courts found in favor of their own counties, the railroads were outraged and took the case to the Supreme Court. It was here they were vindicated. The counties definitely were at fault. They had illegally included fences running beside the tracks in their total property assessment of the railroads. Therefore, they had no right to collect the taxes and the railroads lived happily tax free for while, although, not ever after.
…………………………………
There is a footnote to the original court 19th century court decision. A court reporter who wrote the legal headnote of the case was the one who mentioned the 14th amendment that everyone in the media is talking about that amendment today. But it was never brought up in the actual suit. The reporter, however, did get the blessing of the Chief Justice to mention it.
Forty years after the Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company decision, trusts such as railroads were influencing political campaigns with large sums of money. The Tillman Act was passed and signed by Teddy Roosevelt in 1907. This was the original law that forbade any corporation from donating to a political campaign and the corporations have been trying to circumvent it ever since.
Columnist David Broder points out that it is the First Amendment that protects corporations’ right to free speech. The Amendment states the following:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Here the judgment makes more sense because it directly addresses freedom of press. Unfortunately, corporations own most newspapers, magazines, television stations, and radio stations. This is where the true problem lies. Since it is the business of a corporation to make a profit, those running the media favor more exciting and scandalous news items to attract readers and advertisers. Much of the important information citizens require to make smart political choices at election time gets left out. One need only scan newspapers and news shows to see that this is happening. Now the flow of huge amounts of money will be poured into advertising for candidates favored by corporations and real information for the citizen will dwindle to practically nothing.
It’s all legal, though. J. Bates
Sources: The Nation; Feb 15.2010; Editorial; Pg 3.
Wikipedia; Santa Clara Co. v. Southern Pacific Railroad
US Constitution
Greenville News; Feb 14, 2010; Not Taking a Chance; David Broder