Cast That Burden on the Lord

 

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the LORD,
And He shall sustain you;
He shall never permit the righteous to be moved

 

And I Thought My Mother was Strict!

I have not read the book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom. The author, Amy Chua is making the rounds of the TV talk and news programs and sparking strong debate on child raising methods. Her book is a memoir and is not intended to be a how to guide on raising a child. From what I am hearing, Ms. Chua’s upbringing was in a fashion that did not allow for her to make any choices growing up in the home of her Chinese immigrant parents. I grew up with a strict mother. This is not just on my say-so. When other adults and even some from my mother’s generation heard what was not allowed, from me and my mother, I got a few, “My, your mother was strict!” I have to say, her American style strictness was nothing in comparison to the strict upbringing that Amy Chua experienced. I could make choices, although rather limited by today’s standards.

Ms. Chua started out giving her 2 daughters the upbringing she received, but has softened somewhat due to her rebellious younger daughter. In various reactions to Ms. Chua, she is getting applause, while others are giving her a deep thumbs down. I am in the group that falls in the middle as far as child rearing goes (if I had any). I am not for the strict imposition of The “A” grade as the only acceptable grade and not even an “A-” as Ms. Chua experienced and imposed on her daughters in their school work. I am for pushing your child to do their best. Being able to make choices should definitely be a part of one’s life growing up. Of course those choices start out small  and then expand based on age and individual maturity.

I enjoyed the Culture Warrior segment on the O’Reilly Factor this past Thursday. Bill wasn’t that impressed with Ms. Chua as were Gretchen Carlson and Cheryl Casone. This segment of the O’Reilly Factor is fun to watch.

On Dealing with the State of the Union

Oh well, if you are an ardent supporter of the President, you may not of thought his State of the Union address was in his “best speech” category, but you had no serious problems with his State of the Union Address. If you are not, like me, you heard things in the speech that tells you he is continuing down his liberal, left road. The buzz word was invest (investment). To those of us in the loyal opposition, that means increased spending with money the country does not have.

The Pres. talked about us coming together. I am for civility and not getting personal. I always choose the path of civility, even when folks in the black community get very uncivil and just about explode at my going conservative.  Pres. Obama did throw a few bones out to the Republicans, such as tort reform and vetoing any bill with earmarks. I admit I am on the fence, when it comes to his appeal in not deporting young people brought to this country illegally as children by their parents.

From what I heard on the coming together  liberal, left is the direction. Pres. Obama talked about the need to improve education, but linked  the possibility of cutting grants and scholarships to not increasing taxes for the rich. Now that is the liberal, left way of financing things i.e. increase taxes to milk the successful to take care of our needs.

In listening to the focus group from Atlanta, Georgia on a short Hannity. I heard one Obama-ite, say he supported the President, liked the speech, the Pres. increased jobs and that the he is  doing well. The person sounded like many in  my friend/acquaintance circle. The supporter and a few others who voted for him in 2008 said they would vote for him again. There were more in number who voted for Pres. Obama , but let it be known that they will not be voting for him again in 2012.

I like, I mean really love  Michelle Bachmann, but I did not care for her doing a TEA Party response to the address, but I am not opposed to what she said in her response. Rep. Ryan’s response should be the one and only response from the loyal opposition. Folks on the liberal, left side are already having fun with the two Republican responses and promoting it as Republican disunity. Rep. Ryan’s response was on target. He has done the math and worked on the government budget. He cannot ignore that we are in dire straights and spoke to that. His response is entirely what the address should have been about. Cut the spending and pay down the deficit.

Lord, I Believe in You

 

Crystal Lewis

 

John 7:37-38

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

 

A School Tech Requirement Has Me Thinking Of Times Past

In Knoxville, Tennessee, the Webb School requires their students to own or lease (from the school) an iPad (Children in the photo are not a Webb School Student). The students will have most of their textbooks downloaded  on the iPad. Well, at least it alleviates those book filled back-breaking back packs. Seriously, the requirement is to be expected in this technology driven culture.

I know people today who still hold the attitude that the Internet connected computer in the home is frivolous. I remember a co-worker  who thought so too, until she realized, she could avoid escorting her daughter on trips to the library in the deep cold January and February evenings  to  complete homework and contributions to school group assignments by getting that same information at home on an Internet connected computer.

In a previous post, I blogged about my love for the Internet. I took 2 online colleges courses dealing with the Internet  and early (html) website design before there was an Internet connected computer in my household in 1997-98 . I spent evenings and weekends at Temple University in their computer labs completing assignments and loved every bit of it. I remember when a local university, Drexel U.  started requiring students to have a personal PC with Internet connection to take a class. Today, a laptop is a good thing to carry around with you in college.

I finally had computer with Internet at home when my sister who I lived with (and still do) bought a new computer packaged with AOL Internet connection back around 1999. She wanted her then preschool age twin daughters to be tech savvy.  I still remember my late father marveling over one of my nieces at 5 years old  maneuvering the computer mouse as she brought up a young children’s website. You may not think this is a big deal, but my elderly mother whose  computer savvy was late 1980s word processing  currently marvels at my youngest grammar school niece taking pictures from her cell phones and uploading them on to the Internet.

I am all for technology driven schools. If I were a public school student today, I would desire to be in a technology centered charter school whether online or at a brick and mortar school. Of course, parental preference would be for the latter. This iPad technology at the Webb School is the tech wave crest of school instruction and student application.

 

The Republican House

The House Republicans voted unanimously, thus out voting the Democrats to repeal the health care law. I know this is thrilling for people against the health care law a.k.a. Obamacare, but it is really ceremonial. The law has to get through the Democratic majority Senate. If it makes it out of there, Pres. Obama will veto it. I agree with Tucker Carlson and others that feel the Republicans should go after parts of the law, such as the aspects that hurt small businesses and requires for some to purchase health insurance or face a fine and/or possible jail time. I am sure many of us like the part of the law that stops the denial of medical coverage due to preexisting conditions.  Well if the repeal passes it will be a surprise to me.

While the Democrats where still enjoying their filibuster-proof majority, I continually heard and read local comments of how the Republicans were the “Party of No,” because they were against Pres. Obama and that they never came up with any solutions on their own. Off course that is not true. Republican bills at that time where completely ignored by the Democratic leadership of both houses of Congress.

The majority party does ignore and keeps the minority party from doing anything. It was like that when the Republicans had the majority in both Congressional Houses during years of the George W. Bush Presidency. I remember then Sen. Hilary Clinton saying how the Republicans controlled everything and put down anything that the Democrats tried to do.

Well now with the Republicans in control of the House, there is a chance for them to do something regardless of the Democratic Senate majority and the presidential veto power. Remember constitutionally, the President cannot spend money without congressional approval. Think about Pres. Obama going to the House for spending approval!

The Republicans have their own version of health care for this country which we should  be hearing about soon. One of the things they have started doing in their majority position is introducing a bill to stop federal funding of abortion.  I think battle wise, things are going to get real interesting between the Republican House and the Democratic Senate and Pres. Obama.