2008 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE COMPARISON TALKING POINTS ISSUE JOHN McCAIN BARACK OBAMA Favors new drilling offshore US Yes No Will appoint judges who interpret the law not make it Yes No Served in the US Armed Forces Yes No Amount of time served in the US Senate 22 YEARS 173 DAYS Will institute a socialized national health care plan No Yes Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy No Yes Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately No Yes Supports gun ownership rights Yes No Supports homosexual marriage No Yes Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase No Yes Voted against making English the official language No Yes Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals No Yes CAPITAL GAINS TAX MCCAIN 0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax. OBAMA 28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.) DIVIDEND TAX MCCAIN 15% (no change) OBAMA 39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.') INCOME TAX MCCAIN (no changes) Single making 30K - tax $4,500 Single making 50K - tax $12,500 Single making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 60K- tax $9,000 Married making 75K - tax $18,750 Married making 125K - tax $31,250 OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts) Single making 30K - tax $8,400 Single making 50K - tax $14,000 Single making 75K - tax $23,250 Married making 60K - tax $16,800 Married making 75K - tax $21,000 Married making 125K - tax $38,750 Under Obama, your taxes could almost double! INHERITANCE TAX MCCAIN - 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax) OBAMA Restore the inheritance tax Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes. NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!! You can verify the above at the following web sites: http://money.cnn.com/news/specials/election/2008/index.html http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/issues/issues.taxes.html http://elections.foxnews.com/?s=proposed+taxes http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourworld/politics/articles/mccain_obama_offer_different_visions_on_taxes.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/barack_obama/ http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/candidates/john_mccain/

I found a beautiful prayer at the Holy Savior Parish in Ocean City MD. I pray it will make a difference in the next election. Please pray it with me often:

Prayer for Our Nation

God our Father, Giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to Your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for Your glory and dwell among Your people.

Send Your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind Your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing Your will.

Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, Patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death”. Lead us into a new millennium of life.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen!

We live in awesome times!

From Supreme Knight Carl Anderson “This morning, Pope Benedict reminded America’s clergy that the ‘secret of the impressive growth of the Church in the United States was a ‘unity of vision and purpose – rooted in faith and a spirit of constant conversion and self-sacrifice,’ and held up as a prime example our founder, Father Michael J. McGivney. “

At 1.7 million strong and growing, we are the world’s largest Catholic family service fraternal organization and prayer is our sword against the foes of church and state. By joining the Knights, you increase our power in numbers – the power of prayer and strength in purpose on our mission of charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

There are 6 reasons to become a Knight stated on the back of every form 100. Do you know them? These speak for themselves. We should know these by heart and offer them up freely.

1) 1.7 million brothers in 12,000 local councils covering US, Canada, Mexico, Philippines, Central America, Carribean (and now Iraq). We are the largest Catholic family services fraternal organization.

2) Opportunities in charity and fraternity for service to the Church, communities and less fortunate.

3) Your active participation serves as a school of leadership to enable you to develop qualities that enhance your strengths and abilities

4) Sense of belonging in an organization that shares your religious beliefs, brings together like-minded men joined in a common cause and develops life-long friendships.

5) Excellent insurance

6) KofC are first in support of Our Holy Father, bishops and priests to preserve traditional values in the face of attacks against family, the aged, and the unborn.

When you meet the next Catholic gentlemen who is “knightly-challenged”, invite them to join us in our supreme mission of family service.

Remind them it is more than just a council or an assembly; membership in the Knights of Columbus truly is the experience of a lifetime.

Vivat Jesus!

Jeff

The Gift

From thefreedictionary.com, gift is defined as

1. Something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation.
2. The act, right, or power of giving.
3. A talent, endowment, aptitude, or inclination.

And from the wikipedia – One of the most famous essays on this subject (Mauss) “focuses on the way that the exchange of objects between groups builds relationships between them. He argued that giving an object creates an inherent obligation on the receiver to reciprocate the gift. The resulting series of exchanges between groups thus provided one of the earliest forms of social solidarity used by humans.”

From this we see an inherent obligation on the receiver – but by definition – no expectations at all on the part of the giver.

What if there is an expectation of reciprocity on the part of the giver – is it still considered a gift? No – technically that is a “barter” or a deal.

I heard a story earlier this week about a remarkable billionaire – John Huntsman. “After seeing a very wealthy colleague who didn't donate much money die, Huntsman had another thought occur to him: There wasn't a dollar in the casket this guy could take with him. From that moment on, he has vowed to die broke and give away every penny of his fortune before he passes on.

John Huntsman started the Huntsman Cancer Institute after going through cancer treatment himself and thinking 'I can do this better'. The result of his vision was a truly out of the ordinary place for those suffering with cancer.” I encourage you to read more of his story here.

With Christmas bills due, and birthdays quickly approaching, I’ve been thinking about my giving lately. Is it really giving if I get my wife a new dishwasher for Christmas and expect to use it or get clean dishes from it? Is it really giving if we have a taco dinner night and expect some form 100s signed? Is it really giving if I give my all for an event and expect even a single “Thank You”?

As we consider our Lenten sacrifice, maybe it is a good time to step back and reflect – “Why am I doing this?”

As Christians we are called to be His apostles and spread a message of selfless love. Our creator endowed us with gifts and does have just one expectation – that we follow his example and give these gifts freely. In the Bible we hear over and over the promise to those who give freely, and the warnings to those who can’t give.

So the next time you look at our Savior hanging on that cross, consider the love, example and perfection of His selfless gift.

And consider your inherent obligation as receiver.

Vivat Jesus!

Jeff