The 2011 Budget Pie Debate

I've always believed a good picture is worth a thousand words. That's why this illustration is so perfect. It requires no further explanation (click to enlarge):

To be clear, this budget pie represents the debate over Obama's 2011 budget, and only yesterday the House introduced the 2012 budget for consideration. Neither the Republicans or the Democrats in their debate over which amount of budget cuts to adopt -- $61 Billion or $33 Billion -- is really serious yet about budget, debt and deficit reform. Those numbers are well represented here by a few crumbs.

Obama with full majorities in both houses of Congress did not even submit a budget in 2010, and the government has been operating on temporary "continuing resolutions" ever since. That is a losing strategy no one believes is sustainable, at least among conservatives.

I know the average Joe American doesn't focus on this stuff on a daily basis, which is exactly why we keep kicking the can down the road with no one stepping up to the plate and telling Americans the truth. I maintain anyone with an average education can look at this picture and completely understand what's at stake here.

But answer me this: How in blazes can the POTUS, Barack Obama, seriously believe people are this stupid? Would we ever sit still for a leader who presents a budget with a straight face and tries to tell us we can somehow conjure up 43% over and above what we're going to bring in?

And I'm not just picking on Obama -- Dick Cheney was advocating paying for wars out of money we didn't have as a nation and telling us, "Deficits don't matter." Bush forever tainted his legacy with TARP and bailouts that set the stage for what followed in multiples that have staggered us. And now explain to me how people who are screaming, "It just ain't so, Mr. President," can be considered "extremists?" If that's "extreme," then let's all enlist in the extremist category.

Tell me why it seems so hard to get it figured out among elected representatives of the people who are sick and tired of politics as usual?



Kudos to Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Mike Lee and others who are telling it straight!

Are You Overthinking Your Business?

Maybe the reason you're not succeedy in your business is that you are overthinking the analytics associated with it. Take a lesson from this leading thinker in business analytics and learn why overthinking it may be dangerous to your succeedy strategy:

Valuable Mormon Missionary Lessons

One of our daughters who served a full-time mission several years ago was recently asked to put on a fireside for the youth in their stake about how to prepare to serve missions. It's good information to share with those who are preparing so they may understand the value of lessons learned from the experiences of others. 

Please feel free to "draft" off these ideas and add more of your own at the bottom in the Comments section. Enjoy!

Some Lessons Learned as a Missionary

Melanie Goates Sharp

One of the benefits of having 12 siblings is that you have a big pool of people to ask for ideas when you get a talk assignment. In preparation for a fireside with the youth about serving missions, I asked my family members and a few friends to share three things they’d learned as missionaries. In no particular order, here’s what they had to say:

I learned that I will never be strong enough on my own. I am totally dependant upon Christ to help me to be who God needs me to be. He is my Savior and through Him all things are possible.

I learned that things are not always as they seem. Things have a long history before and after you, and you are just part of the process. The Lord is in charge, and you are just required to do your best and follow the Spirit. If you do that, then you have succeeded.

I learned that everything worthwhile requires love, work, and sacrifice.

We are not alone in anything that we do.

I learned that the work of the Lord is its own reward and has a purifying, elevating effect on my life. This helps me to seek and delight in opportunities to serve (even when it isn't convenient or easy), and not be tempted to measure the "results" or "success" of my efforts in a worldly manner.   

I learned that the Lord is anxious to speak to His children. This reminds me that His guidance isn't far away, and helps me to have faith and patience to cultivate an ear to hear Him. He will guide me in small, but significant (to me) aspects of my life.

I learned that miracles are abundant and are the fruit of obedience, faith in Jesus Christ, and Christ-like love. Knowing this makes me want to be better at loving the people around me, qualify for heaven's help through my obedience, and gives me hope knowing that God is willing to get to work in my life.

I learned that waking up, making your bed, praying, exercising and reading scriptures is by far the best way to start your day. 

I mastered ironing a white shirt, and learned the importance of first impressions and looking good. 

I gained such an appreciation for the value of goal-setting. A hope without action is in vain, faith without works is dead. 

I learned that the true motives behind why we serve/obey is our love of God vs. fear of man. 

I learned that agency is such a remarkable gift, to "choose liberty and eternal life or captivity and death." (2 Nephi 2:27).

I learned that the capacity to love is multiplied times infinity:) when we are serving.   

I gained a love of the scriptures which was inspired by the visit by President Harold B. Lee to my mission -- his ease and familiarity with the word of the Lord in a hotel room, answering every question he was asked with a reference, inspired me in the early stages of my lifelong love affair with the scriptures.

I learned the will to work, to knock on doors in the middle of a cold penetrating night with a new missionary for no other reason than it was a life lesson I was trying to teach him at great discomfort to both of us.  Hard work is a spiritual necessity, whether it's the work of the Lord or your life's work in a profession.  Hard work overcomes a lot of obvious weaknesses.  I learned how to work before my mission, but I learned to work hard in the mission field.

I learned the best spiritual experiences are yet to come. A lesson learned in the mission field should never be in a category labeled "my most spiritual experience," because the best ones will always be the ones that haven't  happened yet, not the ones you had in the mission field.

I learned that service to the Lord and to others makes me feel happy and fulfilled.

I learned that I have a strong and independent testimony that nobody can take away from me.

I learned that God knows and loves me.

I learned that I can work with any personality.  I had a lot of companions who were very, very different than me (e.g. my 80 year-old comp) and were very difficult to get along with. When I prayed for help and when I chose to have a good attitude and look for the good in that other person and see them as God sees them, I developed some wonderful relationships that I otherwise would not have ever had to the opportunity to have or wouldn't have ever pursued. This also taught me that the most powerful relationships that you can have develop from serving together.

I learned how quickly the Lord responds to give me a needed blessing if I but ask.

I learned how important "the one" is in the eyes of the Lord.

I learned that when I think I'm too tired to go on, I can. 

I learned that dedicating my life to service in Christ's kingdom brings happiness and purpose. That focus carries me through when it would otherwise be easy to lose sight of my goals.

A mission gives opportunities to spend large amounts of time with many different personalities. This not only helps me to understand my spouse, but helps when she comes seeking advice about someone she is having a conflict with.

I learned a lot about myself and how I prefer to be approached when issues need to be resolved.

I had important, open, honest relationships with companions that stemmed from our ability to help each other to do our best…. Sounds like marriage to me.

On a daily basis, missionaries can observe many different families. I was able to see great examples, and “less than ideal” examples of how to raise children, treat your spouse, magnify a calling, balance home/work/church.

I learned to put off temptations for girls and dating. This discipline helps me to be a better husband.

Missionaries who understand and value the symbol of their name tag will understand and value the symbol of a wedding ring. As I put on my name tag everyday, I thought about whom I was representing (the Lord, the Church, my family) and it changed the way I approached my day. Now as I put on my wedding ring, I realize it represents my commitment to my wife, and I strive to act in a way that would make her happy.

A mission is an important way to learn to prioritize and plan time.

I learned to stick to a budget and spend money wisely.

Companionship study taught me how to effectively testify about and discuss scriptures. That impacts my comfort with and ability to study effectively with my family.

I learned that nothing makes me happier than service in the kingdom of God. I want to be anxiously engaged in God’s work my whole life.

In order to feel true joy, we have to experience deep disappointment. Both strengthen our character and help us to become more like our Savior.

I learned that love and sacrifice go hand in hand.

From working with various companions, I learned more about what it means to love and serve a spouse and to put someone else’s comfort and well-being before my own.

I learned that Satan’s deceptions are subtle and powerful, but they only have as much power as we give them.

I learned that agency is more important to God than obedience. That changes the way I interact with and teach my children.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is hard and it is supposed to be. When we struggle, we are reminded of our dependence upon God and our need to trust in His perfection.

I learned to see people as God sees them.  I loved deeply and saw people as they could become. 

I learned that as you practice loving and serving people you get better at it.

I learned that God knows and loves His children personally. We are not a nameless mass of humanity to Him and our individual struggles and triumphs matter.

We must live for the approval of God, not others.

I learned that living by the spirit is more about consistency than intensity.

Pride attacks in all the nooks and crannies of our character. It festers and expresses itself in the details. It destroys our sympathies and sensitivities to others and to the spirit.

We all need the opportunity to serve in meaningful ways.

I learned that no matter how rough, exhausting, tiring, or frustrating it was, it was the most rewarding thing I ever did.

I learned that anything worthwhile in life takes an amazing amount of effort to achieve.

You don't have to know it all, you just need a testimony.  

Missions are awesome because it really is the one time in my life that all my time could be dedicated to others.

I loved being able to truly see people the way that Christ sees each of us; that alone gives me hope for myself and family as we fail in our quest for perfection and as we progress.

    

The closeness to the Spirit is a treasure.

As you extend a hand in help, what you bring back is a hand filled with immeasurable blessings, experiences, and treasured relationships. No matter how much you give, what you gain will always be greater.

Who Are The "Extremists?"

The Washington blame game over the budget continues, including the Democrat Senate caucus giving instruction to Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) to keep referring to the Tea Party as "extremists," and the conservative Republicans trying to rein in the profligate spending. It's making politics a rousing game with lots of sharp elbows being thrown these days.

Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Today, Paul Ryan (R-WI) the Congressional Budget Committee Chair rolled out his version of the 2012 fiscal year budget that finally gets serious about budget cuts. He's calling for $6.2 TRILLION in cuts in the next few years, while the Democrats continue to bump along reluctantly agreeing to tens of billions. I'm not one who believes the Republicans are blameless in amassing the debt, but I'm expecting them to lead the way in reducing it.

I have a pretty good idea who's listening to the electorate and who's not.

Meanwhile, the present occupant of the White House officially announced that he's running for re-election (just in case there's anyone out there who might be entertaining thoughts he isn't). Time Magazine offers five reasons why he's unbeatable, and will easily win re-election. The rumors are that he will spend over $1 billion in the next nineteen months, making it the most expensive run for the presidency in the history of the Republic. The willingness without reservation to spend that much on the race should give pause to anyone who seriously thinks this is a president who is taking his job seriously. The battle lines could not be more clearly drawn than they are right now.

Senator Mike Lee (R-UT)

Here's an enlightening interview with Mike Lee (R-UT) on Fox News the other night -- you be the judge about who's being the extremist here. And here's another interesting look at the uneasy truce and working relationship over the Balanced Budget Amendment between Utah's two senators, Hatch and Lee from Politico. Hatch could claim he's been at this thing since Mike was in diapers, and he'd be right, but Hatch is the insider's insider and viewed with suspicion among Utah's conservative base, even after his long track record (36 years) in the Senate.

Is Hatch part of the problem of old-Washington politics that put us here in the first place, or is he really a pea in the same conservative pod as Mike Lee? It's Hatch who has to define himself, interestingly, not newcomer Mike Lee. To date Mike is withholding his endorsement of Hatch. Wise move. After a viable replacement candidate surfaces and the Republican nominating process plays out at convention next spring, we may well understand why Mike is so reluctant to endorse Hatch now. Let's all keep the powder dry until we see who pops up on the horizon to oppose Hatch.

I'm thinking Mike Lee and Paul Ryan are about as mainstream as it gets. The more they speak, the less extreme they seem. These are guys who are serious about putting the squeeze on spending for a monstrosity federal government. It's still not too late to begin downsizing, but it will take an iron political will fueled and forged in the furnace of affliction by the people.

If you think it's extreme to put America on a fiscally reckless path at breakneck speed leading toward a bankrupt precipice then re-elect Obama.

If, on the other hand you want to side with the "extremists" who are trying to put this country back on track, then make other plans.

I know where I stand, do you know where you stand?

Three Questions about God: Yes or No?

From among the favorite stories of President Heber J. Grant:

President Heber J. Grant

When I was in England many years ago, I purchased a book entitled The Young Man and the World. The book was written by the late senator from Indiana, Albert J. Beveridge. It was written originally as a series of contributions to The Saturday Evening Post, after which it was compiled in book form.

In one chapter, "The Young Man and the Pulpit," the author said that a certain individual with a very splendid opportunity of securing answers to interrogations, during an entire summer vacation asked every minister with whom he came in contact three questions:

First: "Yes or no; do you believe in God the Father, God a person, God a definite and tangible intelligence — not a congeries of laws floating like a fog through the universe; but God, a person in whose image you were made? Don't argue; don't explain; but is your mind in a condition where you can answer yes or no?"

Not a minister answered, "Yes," but they all gave a lot of explanations to the effect that we could not be sure about such things.

What is the condition of the Latter-day Saints? Suppose a man were to stand up and say, "I do not believe that God ever visited the Prophet Joseph Smith." We would say, "Well, wait until you do believe it," before we would baptize him. Every true Latter-day Saint believes beyond the shadow of a doubt that God did appear to Joseph Smith.

The next question was: "Yes or no; do you believe that Christ was the Son of the living God, sent by Him to save the world? I am not asking whether you believe that He was inspired in the sense that the great moral teachers are inspired — nobody has any difficulty about that. But do you believe that Christ was God's very Son, with a divinely appointed and definite mission, dying on the cross, and raised from the dead — yes or no?"

Again, not a single minister answered, "Yes." The sum total of their answers was that He was the greatest moral teacher that ever lived. I maintain that He could not possibly have been a moral teacher if He were not the Son of God, because that was the foundation of His teachings. He came as the Son of God to do the will of God, and He announced that those who had seen Him had virtually seen God, because He was in the image of God.

Again, no man would be baptized into this Church who did not believe that God Himself introduced His Son to the boy Joseph Smith as His well-beloved Son, and told the boy to listen to Him. Do you think we would baptize a man who would say, "I do not believe in the revelations that Joseph Smith received; I do not believe that Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple?"

We believe that He appeared to him there. We believe that not only did Jesus Christ appear there, as recorded in the one hundred tenth section of the Doctrine and Covenants, but that Moses, and Elias, and Elijah appeared, and that they gave Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery all the keys of the dispensations of the gospel that have existed upon the earth. We announced these things to the people of the world.

Senator Beveridge's third question was: "Do you believe that when you die you will live again as a conscious intelligence, knowing who you are and who other people are?"

Again, not a man answered, "Yes." They hoped so, rather believed so, but there were some rather serious objections, and they said we could not know such things.

Is there a Latter-day Saint living who has been in the temple and been married there for time and eternity who could not answer that question in the affirmative? It would be ridiculous and absurd to go through the temple and have such a ceremony performed if we did not have an unshakable knowledge and conviction that we would exist as separate individualities beyond the grave.

Referring to these ministers, Senator Beveridge said that they were particularly eminent ministers. One of them had already won a distinguished reputation in New York and the New England States for his eloquence and piety. Every one of them had had unusual success with fashionable congregations.

Senator Albert J. Beveridge

I remember as I read this book while in England — it is my custom with many books to write comments on the margin of the pages — I wrote: "Albert Beveridge was the man who asked those questions."

When I got home I made inquiry and found that I was correct. They were altogether too much to the point to be hearsay. I learned that not only did he ask the questions of the ministers he met, but he wrote letters to ministers, the sum total being about three hundred, all of which brought indecisive answers.

When I think of the knowledge that we possess as individuals, then think of these men, professed teachers of Christianity, professed ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ lacking knowledge, I cannot help feeling thankful for the testimony that we have, and my gratitude for this knowledge is far beyond my power of expression.

Beveridge said that these men acknowledged that there was a decay of faith among the people; that the churches were becoming empty, so to speak, and he went on to say: "How could such priests of ice, warm the souls of men? How could such apostles of interrogation convert a world?"

There is no interrogation with us. We have the truth. We are spending our time preaching it. Every true Latter-day Saint can say: "I know that God lives; I know that Jesus Christ lives, that He is the Redeemer of the world; I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God."

How I do rejoice in the knowledge of the Latter-day Saints concerning these things. Knowledge is what counts in this world, and the Latter-day Saints have it. We declare what we know and what God has revealed to us. We declare to the world that the everlasting part of us has been converted to the divinity of the work in which we are engaged. (Era, 43:394, 438).