Follow the Money

    In my opinion, I do not think we would be having the big discussion in America about gay marriage if it were not for our tax code and the benefits being offered by our government.  It is all about the money. If it was not about the money, I think the gay marriage debate would only be taking place in our churches and not in the Supreme Court.
    I also think there is a rather simple solution.  Change the tax code.  I happen to think that the best way to solve the problem is to eliminate the income tax and change over to a consumption tax.  If people do not want to pay high taxes, they can choose to limit spending.  I think the Fair Tax is a good plan for getting this done.  However, if we have to stay with the income tax, I think a flat tax with absolutely no tax breaks for any person or business or organization would also do the trick.
    The income tax with all its pages of regulations is just a way for politicians from both sides of the aisle to have control and to get votes.  Because of that, it will be a monumental task to get the Federal government to even talk about changing the tax code.
    Term limits would get us closer to making this happen.

A Story I Loved to Tell

    For several months now, I have been spending considerable time in the past.....sort of.  I have been writing a book.  It is a work of historical fiction which tells a series of stories which take place over a time period of ten years (1839-1849).  The characters are all real people, most of which were part of the immigration of German Lutherans to Missouri in which my great great grandfather's family took part.  The setting is mainly in Perry County, Missouri and St. Louis. The book chronicles many events which were significant in the early years of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
    One of the reasons I decided to write the book is that some of the conditions which caused my ancestors to leave Germany are now occurring in America 175 years later.  If this book ever gets published, I would hope that it would serve to remind people how courageous and faithful these people were.  Their example is certainly worthy for us to follow, and the time has come for people to once again stand firm in their faith without compromising.
    I have found that as I researched the people involved in this story, I got to know these people even though none of them were alive during my lifetime.  I have also learned so much about the historical context of this time period.  It gives me a greater appreciation of my own family's history, and even if the book is never published, it has been a blessing to me to have gone through the process of writing it.