The Great Equalizer

There is no promise,
of an easy life,
For any God's children
here on earth.
Life is filled
with toils.
Life is filled
with tribulations
No promise is given
of riches untold
or condemnation made
of abject poverty.
We shall toil
On a daily basis
Through the sweat
Of our labored brow
Some will see riches
beyond imagination.
Some will not
see any at all.
The world seems
So unfair,
But the true reward
lays not on earth,
but in heaven above,
In God's own realm.
For death becomes
The great equalizer
For we all
leave this earth
with nothing
but the name
we made for ourselves.
We stand before
our Lord
To answer for
the lives we lived.
Can you be proud,
Of the name you built?

Paul Bartoswicz

The State of the Union

We are at a crossroads in society today, depending on who you talk to we are either still mired deep in a recession that hasn't been seen in several decades, or just climbing out of the back side. Whichever you listen to, we still have a high percentage of Americans out of work and looking for virtually non existent jobs. I know the hardship those who are unemployed are going through as I am also stuck in that mode myself. It is a road full of highs and lows, and many of the policies the government has implemented do not work. I am a veteran, yet because of my time of service, after Vietnam, but before Desert Storm I do not qualify for a lot of the help out there for veterans, so you do it all on your own. I listen every night to the debate on the overhaul of health care, yet no discussion on how to help those who do not have a job...Obama has made comments that he would like to impose penalties on those who do not have insurance, but what about those who do not have a job and can not afford it, then they have to pay a penalty to the government as well? Doesn't make sense to me. We have to many people in this country with their hands out expecting the government to take care of them from cradle to grave. Yes insurance rates are rising faster than the rates of pay are increasing, but I do not see the government being able to do anything about that. It is our responsibility to take care of ourselves. We have to destress ourselves and work towards trying to live a healthier lifestyle, not drink as much, not smoke, not use drugs, the government can't do this for us, we have to do it for ourselves

DeStress

I read once a long time ago that every person should have a place they can go that is within 5-10 minutes of where they work, and where they live that they can destress and just get back on track. I was thinking of this the other day when Pastor Mitchum and I snuck away to talk for an hour at one of my secret locations, and Dan had made the comment that "it was so nice to get out there and hear the river in the background rather than the clicking of keyboards, and the hum of machinery, and people's voices in other offices. I was thinking about this for the last couple of days and realized how blessed I am to have so many of these "secret" places to get away to even though I haven't really taken advantage of them to their fullest potential. My own back yard up in the field is one of the first places, and they are all in their own way God's outdoor cathedrals, a place where we can reflect on the grandeur of His great creation. It may be noisy as in the river but it is God's noise not man's noise that predominates, and it can be a place that is very quiet for the most part as it is in my field, with the only real noise being the wind blowing through the trees and the rustling leaves. I think we all need to find such places, and if they were utilized I think you might find our stress levels as a country decrease, and with the decreased stress levels, I think we would find that our medical needs go down also.

Just a thought.

The Awesome Journey

The Awesome Journey


Don't be anxious
Wait on the Lord
Don't let fear take hold
Trust in the Lord
Your life is a journey
Let God be the guide
Let God take hold
And follow His will
And His patient hand
Guide you on your way
Let His eternal calmness
Settle your troubled soul
Let the whisper of His vice
fall gently upon your ear
Open up your senses
And let Him into your life
Feel the warmth of His love
wash over your body like the sun.
Let His desire for your life
change your eternal soul.
His still hand allows
you to reach beyond the grave.
When you learn to trust
In His will for you
You set upon a journey
of awesome proportions
Don't be envious
of what others have
Be joyful of what you have
In God's great plan.
And enjoy your ride
On God's awesome journey.

Paul Bartoswicz 7/26/09

I wrote this poem during church on July 26th as I reflected on what life had to offer as well as a reflection on Pastor Dan Mitchum's sermon series he has been preaching on. The whole financial mess we find ourselves in today is in part due to envy, we must be able to keep up with the Jonses and have everything they have regardless f how much debt we must bury ourselves in to get it, then our financial lives are so finally balanced, that one little blip in our finances slips us over into the abyss of despair.

Invocations, Benedictions and Baccalaureates

I attended my 17 year old's (soon to be 18 years old) graduation this morning, as well as several other graduation/ senior events over the last two weeks. I have several questions if the liberals cling so heavily to the separation of church and state idea, which incidentally is no where in the Constitution, it is actually that the Government will not establish any state run religion, but allow us as a country a freedom of religion not a freedom from religion. Yet we cling violently to religious ideas. They still call the event before the graduation ceremony a Baccalaureate which by definition is Baccalaureate service, "a farewell address in the form of a sermon delivered to a graduating class", yet the services today are an extension of Senior reflections on their passage through school, so call it what it is an evening of Senior reflections not a Baccalaureate.

Now we come up to the graduation ceremony at the start of the ceremony is listed an invocation, which traditionally and by definition a blessing opening the service asking for some spirits guidance, what we had today was a senior stand up and give a short reflection on high school with a quote by Dr Seuss. At the close of the ceremony was listed the benediction, again by definition a blessing for those in attendance to reflect on as they leave the ceremony wishing for the spirit to watch over those who have been honored as well as those who were in attendance, again what we had was another senior give a short reflection on his career in school, again no religious inference in the ceremony at all. If you want total separation Church and State why cling to terms that are religious just by the use of the name. It is a case of trying to have your cake and eat it too...it jsut doesn't cut it for me...again just call them what they are...Senior Reflections

Economic recovery?

I have heard many people say that Obama's plan is working and the country is going to be strong again. While I hope they are right because I would love to see America in a strong vibrant growing economy, I fear the opposite is going to happen. Ultimately the plan Obama has laid out is going to weaken the economy even further. The people out there who seem to blindly worship Obama will argue with me that he is the savior, and that his plan is the strongest, best possible plan out there. I disagree, right now it is the only plan out there but not necessarily the best plan.

Why I don't think it is the best plan is based on the fact of what got us into this mess in the first place, which is wanton debt, plain and simple. People bought more than they could afford at terms that were ultimately well beyond their means. It does not make a difference who's fault it ultimately was, the greedy banks, or the greedy individual. This fact resulted in prices in the housing industry being pushed up in an unnatural manner, and to levels that could not be supported. We had to keep up with the Jones' and be damned of the consequences. Well we are living those consequences now.

Obama's plan to end this situation is to spend money...money the country does not have. So how do we handle that we put our country further in debt than we already were with no plans for paying off that debt, nor the ability. Print more money and drive the value of the dollar down, raising the value of foreign currencies. Guess what as the value of the dollar declines and the value of foreign currency rises the products we consume are going to rise also. Remember we are an economy that has developed to the point that we import much more than we export, and what little we do export will be worth even less because of the strengthening of the foreign currency, so the value of our products decline on the overseas markets while the values of what they ship to us increases, and this results in inflation. We are going to drive us deeper into debt and weaken our economy even further. The rise in gas prices will seem incidental to what can happen if this continues unchecked..wages will not be able to keep up with the cost of living...driving even more people down below the poverty line. I hope I am wrong but I fear I am not

A Wake Up Call

As unpopular as my posting today may be with some people, I have been reflecting on the current economic situation we are currently going through not only in this country, but in the world overall. I think we are going through a wake up call of historic proportions. We are a world that has gotten to materialistic, and dependent on physical things, and creature comforts. More often than not both parents work to provide nicer vehicles, and bigger houses than we really need.

The banking crisis was a result of people stretching their mortgage payments out to the maximum they could afford in order to buy houses far to big and fancy for their needs. We are a society that has to have all the latest and greatest in the world of electronics and entertainment. Our homes are not complete without them. We all have to have cell phones, and the highest of speeds on our internet. I just read an editorial about teenagers using cell phones to cheat on tests as well as sending naked pictures of themselves out into cyberspace. It is estimated according to this writer that 1 in 5 kids have taken a nude photo of themselves and passed it out into the electronic world. Cell phones have also made it easier for kids to arrange drug transactions, and go around behind their parents back in regards to relationships, especially when you tie the internet into that. We use a computer in my house as I have to have internet in order for me to do my daily work, but we restrict the computer to the living room or kitchen for the kids under 18 where my wife and I can keep some semblance of an eye on our kids while they are using it. Many kids are not that restricted and can go just about anywhere in the house and have access to a world that is begging for them to find mischief of some sort.

I think the overall economic crisis is a wake up call for us to examine our lives and find a lifestyle that calls for family values and learning to do without some of the extravagances in life rather than having all the creature comforts. I can remember a time when dining out was a big deal and we were all on our best behavior because it happened so seldom. As a family of 6 we lived in a modest house of less than 1600 square feet and and I shared a room with my brother while he was still at home and my sisters shared a room, rather than each of us having our own room. Even today my wife and I have a house that is only about the same size of less than 1600 square feet. We don't have a luxurious master suite with walk in closet, and private bath, we have one bathroom for the entire family (I do admit as the only man I would like to have at least another 1/2 bath) We don't go out to eat all that often to a restaurant, we may order subs or a pizza in for a special treat, but even that is not all that often. My wife tried to stay at home when the kids were younger than school age, and event today with one a senior in high school and one in 5th grade, we try to have one of us at home when they get home from school. We eat dinner together as a family,and yes still say grace and ask for God's blessing before our meal. We do without a HDTV, and our kitchen does not have all the latest gadgets you can buy, event though I do like to prepare some gourmet meals every now and then. We don't find the need to travel to extravagant locations for vacation, we do spend time exploring some of the things to do in our own home area. Yes it would be nice to be able to go to some luxurious location for a vacation, but we think it is more important to be a part of our children's lives on a daily basis. We still ask how our kid's day was when they come through the door (even though sometimes they want to take our head off when we ask) Nothing makes me feel more like a dad than when my 17 year old still asks for my help with her homework.

We have tried to ingrain on our girls the importance of community and community involvement. The lessons seem to have made an impact, when I watch my girls take part in events, and help where ever they can. All three girls worked on the moving wall when it was in Ossipee, and on the last day when asked if she wanted to go home with her mother after the closing ceremony my then 10 year old told her mother she could not abandon her post because the veterans were counting on her. When my 17 year old seeks out projects that will make an impact on the community it makes my heart swell with pride. She recently wrote an essay for a scholarship application that in essence said that volunteer work makes life worth while, and makes her feel so good when she sees how she has helped other people.

Let us take this opportunity to learn a lesson and simplify our lives. We don't really need all the extras that we have somehow decided are necessities. We can get by with a lot less then we really have. I recently listened to a Pastor talk about why they grow a vegetable garden each year. they don't do it because they need the food, they do it so their kids will learn that a tomato comes from the ground rather than just coming from the supermarket. They do it so the kids will learn that they have to take care of the plants and fertilize them, and water them for them to grow strong and produce fruit. Well guess what we have to do the same thing for our kids. We have to nurture them, we have to care for them, we have to be there for them, and not just leave them for others to care for all day long, or to leave them to their own devices. When I sit in my chair and watch my daughters still cuddle with my wife on the couch I know all is right with the family and that even though we have our moments when the girls yell at each other and say they hate each other, they still know the value of family and supporting each other in all they do.

Stimulus

I realize I have been very remiss in posting to this blog of late, and I have been keeping quiet on the political front which is totally unlike me, however due to the condition of my knees since my accident, which I will have to blog on later, I have not felt much like writing. I have to credit the recent reconnection with an old friend that has re stimulated my desire to write. She was actually an old girlfriends room mate.

Now for the topic of this blog. One of the things Obama promised us when he got elected was that he would undertake a stimulus package that would put Americans back to work. Well let's look at how some of that money is to be spent that is in the stimulus package. The following excerpt is from Glen Beck

"We're never going to recover if we don't get the $50 million for the National Endowment For the Arts, we may never recover if we don't get $380 million in the Senate bill for the Women, Infants and Children's program, we may never recover if we don't get $300 million for grants to combat violence against women, we may never recover if we don't have $6 billion for university building projects, we may never recover if we don't have $1.2 billion to provide youth summer jobs, and this bill defines "Youth" to people up to the age of 24. You'll be paying for those. We will never recover if we don't have $2.4 billion for neighborhood stabilization activities. We may never recover if we don't have $650 million for digital TV coupons. We may never recover if we don't get $150 million for the Smithsonian. We may never recover if we don't have $34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce headquarters. We may never recover if we don't have $500 million for the improvement projects for the national institute of health facilities. We may never recover if we don't have $44 million for repairs to the Department of Agriculture headquarters or $350 million for agriculture department computers. We may never recover if we don't have $88 million to help move the Public Health Service into a new building, not for a new building. To help them move to a new building. We may never survive if we don't have that $88 million for a moving truck! We may never survive if we don't have the money to convert federal auto fleets to hybrids. This country may never recover if we don't have a billion dollars for the census bureau. We may never recover if we don't have $89 billion for Medicaid or $30 billion for COBRA extensions or $36 billion for expanded unemployment or $20 billion for more food stamps. We may never recover if we don't have $850 million for Amtrak, a train that hasn't turned a profit in 50 years. America as we know it may never recover if we don't have $87 million for a polar ice breaking ship, never recover. Let's not look too deeply into why we would need a polar ice breaking ship if the poles are melting and won't have any ice! We may never recover if we don't have $1.7 million for the national park system or $55 million for the historic preservation fund. We may not survive if we don't have $7.6 million for the rural advancement program or $150 million for the agriculture commodity purposes or $150 million for producers of livestock, farm-raised fish and honeybees. We may never survive. We may never recover unless we have $160 million for paid volunteers at the Corporation for National and Community Service for the community volunteers, the National -- wait a minute. Why are we paying the volunteers?

Look, we may never survive if we don't get serious about renewable energy. Our planet has a temperature. It's very sick. We have to do everything we can. For instance, would be ridiculous for, you know, me, the president, to take Air Force one out on its maiden flight, to take a 747 jumbo jet from Washington D.C. for an out-and-back excursion to the House Democratic caucus retreat at the Kings Mill Resort and Spa in Williamsburg, Virginia, where the 747 is parked in Virginia. It would be crazy to take a 157-mile trip in a 747 jumbo jet when you've got teleconferencing there in the White House, because the Earth has a temperature and that's why America may not ever recover if we don't act now and pass $2 billion for renewable energy research or $2 billion for clean coal power plants in Illinois or $6.2 billion for a weatherization assistance program which basically is weatherstrips for underneath your door! We may never survive if we don't have $3.5 billion for energy efficiency and conservation block grants or $3.4 billion for the state energy program or $200 million for state and local electric transport projects or $300 million for the energy-efficient appliance rebate program or $400 million for hybrid cars for state and local governments or $1 billion for the manufacturing of advanced batteries or $1.5 billion for green technology, loan guarantees or $8 billion for innovative loan guarantee program or $2.4 billion for carbon capture demonstration projects or $4.5 billion for the electricity grid or $79 billion for the state fiscal stabilization fund. We may never recover if we don't do these things right now. Don't think. Do it now! Or we may never recover. Is anyone insulted? "

I was reading in the New Hampshire Sunday News about how different communities want to apply the stimulus package... a 2.4 billion dollar wish list....
117 towns, municipalities, or districts have submitted lists for projects they want to complete. The city of Laconia wants $3 million for their river walk project, The town of Lempster wants 3.1 million for a municipal complex 3.1 million dollars for a town that during the 2000 census had a population of 971 people even figuring the rtown doubled in size (highly unlikely) that is still under 2000 people that is over 1800 per person in town. Franconia NH wants 3.85 million for a town wide water system, guess what Franconia is a booming metroplis of 1036 residents estimated in 2006, that is almost $4000 per person in town figuring an average of 3 people to a house why not give 12,000 to each house and let them drill a well and buy a new HDTV while they are at it.

As I look through the list I wonder how many jobs is this really going to create, a lot of the projects on the list would employ only people already working for the town and no one else, and if it does then they either lay the person off when the project is done or keep the person on at taxpayer's expense to do other work. Shouldn't the stimulus package help the average American realize the American Dream of succeeding in their own right. Use the money to hand out low interest or no interest loans to start businesses or grow businesses that will create real long lasting jobs and employ people in the private sector where they can support themselves instead of being on a government handout. Put successful business people in charge of administering the funds rather than government hacks that are just concerned about their jobs. I would love to start my own business and a loan of $150,000 would go a long way to helping me put the infrastructure in place that would make the business successful. I would gladly pay the money back as my business grew, and guess what with my initial idea I would employ 4 to 5 people in addition to myself but that does not get the politicians the type of recognition they "deserve" They would rather be able to stand in front of the citizens of Laconia and hear the mayor say without so and so's support this project would never have come about, so people can walk along the river, who cares about putting 4 to 5 people to work in a lasting job.

This stimulus package is just one huge pork barrel spending plan. The American people voted for change. the change they got was more of the same...spend spend spend.

Commander in Chief?

http://www.clevelandleader.com/print/8627
Obama Snubs Nation's Heroes,
Becomes the First President to Skip Ball
Honoring Medal of Honor Recipients in Over 50 Years
By Julie

Created 01/21/2009 - 10:13pm

Barack Obama may have stumbled over his words briefly during his inauguration, but he made an even bigger blunder later Tuesday evening. The newly sworn-in President opted not to appear [1] at what should have been one of the most important Balls on his agenda that evening - The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball.

The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball was begun in 1953 for President Dwight Eisenhower's inauguration. The event recognized recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award. There were 48 Medal of Honor recipients in attendance, who were undoubtedly disappointed by the Commander-in-Chief's failure to show. Over the past 56 years and 14 inaugurations, no President has skipped this event - until now.

The Salute to Heroes Inaugural Ball is sponsored by the American Legion, and co-sponsored by 13 other veteran's service organizations, including those such as the Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Instead of attending this ball honoring our nation's heroes, Obama was busy making stops at 10 other official balls. Obama and his wife's first stop was at the Neighborhood Ball. From there they went to the Home State Ball for Illinois and Hawaii, the Commander-in-Chief Ball, the Youth Inaugural Ball, and the Home State Ball for Delaware and Pennsylvania. They finished off the night with brief appearances at the Mid-Atlantic, Western, Midwest, Eastern, and Southern regional Balls.

Celebrities were a plenty at the balls, with Stevie Wonder, Shakira, Mary. J. Blige, Faith Hill, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys, Adam Levine, will.i.am, Sting, Mariah Carey, and Leonardo DiCaprio in attendance at the Neighborhood Ball. In addition, the other nine balls also featured a star-studded lineup including Kanye West and Kid Rock at the Youth Ball, Marc Anthony at the Western Ball, and Cheryl Crow at the Western Ball.

It was the party without all of the celebrities that Obama skipped. The very people who he sought to have support him during his candidacy and campaign, who have fought to protect this country, were snubbed in favor of publicity and the opportunity to rub shoulders - yet again - with the out-of-touch Hollywood elite.



Land of the free....because of the brave...

This was passed on to me. I find it reprehensible that the President of the United States who is the Commander in Chief of the United States would skip a ball that honors the heroes of this country, in order to rub elbows with the Hollywood Elite. The Medal of Honor is a very elite award, and for the most part the recipients were awarded the Medal posthumously. Even for a President to be able to rub elbows with he 48 men in attendance that are entitled to wear that ribbon with the thirteen stars on it. I personally would rather be in the company of these great men then the likes if Kid Rock,Kanye West, Shakira, or any of the other entertainment elites out there. These are men who were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice to save their fellow man.