Mary Ellyn and I attended the monthly meeting of the local Brothers of John the Steadfast reading group on Tuesday night at Lutheran High School Northwest. Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word Pastor Allen Lunneberg facilitates our monthly sessions. Tonight we covered the Fourth Commandment in Martin Luther’s Large Catechism.
The Fourth Commandment. “Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long upon the earth.” What does this mean?–Answer. “We should fear and love God that we may not despise nor anger our parents and masters, but give them honor, serve, obey, and hold them in love and esteem.”
Mary Ellyn and I found this quote from Luther quite appropriate…
“We must, therefore, impress it upon the young that they should regard their parents as in God’s stead, and remember that however lowly, poor, frail, and queer they may be, nevertheless they are father and mother given them by God. They are not to be deprived of their honor because of their conduct or their failings. Therefore we are not to regard their persons, how they may be, but the will of God who has thus created and ordained. In other respects we are, indeed, all alike in the eyes of God; but among us there must necessarily be such inequality and ordered difference, and therefore God commands it to be observed, that you obey me as your father, and that I have the supremacy.”
Sorry Jill and Alex, we may be “lowly, poor, frail, and queer,” but we’re still deserving of honor as your parents.
You can read more at http://www.bookofconcord.org/lc-3-tencommandments.php
Carl Menger: “Money is not an invention of the state. It is not the product of a legislative act. The sanction of political authority is not necessary for its existence.”
President Grover Cleveland: “Patriotism is no substitute for a sound currency.”
From today’s Detroit News…
No sooner had the returns come in showing the defeat of Troy’s proposed 1.9-mill tax hike than Mayor Louise Schilling’s announcement the city would have to lay off 47 police officers, close the library, nature center, community center and museum. Later in the week, the mayor said the layoffs and closures were under consideration, but wouldn’t happen immediately. We hope not. Voters have a right to determine the level of revenue they will grant government, and deserve government officials’ best efforts to make the most of that money. While such amenities as nature centers and community centers are optional, care is required in providing for public safety. City officials need to look at every other expenditure before they pare police and fire protection to dangerous levels.
Read the entire editorial at http://bit.ly/9ZehOt
Congratulations to Canada on winning the Gold Medal in today’s Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey game. It was a great game and Team USA can be proud of their effort and their Silver Medal.
Team USA goalie Ryan Miller (from East Lansing and Michigan State University) played a big role in their success. I really like his goalie mask which is pictured below.
According to the Troy Chamber of Commerce, “The city of Troy has cancelled the State of the City address which was to be given at the luncheon on March 4th.”
You can see the Chamber’s notice at http://bit.ly/aWttzo
I see that it’s now listed as canceled on the City’s website at http://bit.ly/awDaCJ
Interesting development!
3/2/10 UPDATE: I forgot to thank Jeff Verhoef for the tip.
For those who did not watch all seven hours, the Heritage Foundation has compiled the day’s highlights into one video.
Just listened to a thought-provoking podcast on “Issues, Etc.” (http://issuesetc.org) entitled “Proper Praise of God.” Show host Todd Wilken interviewed Dr. John Kleinig of Luther Seminary-Australia. Dr. Kleinig is the author of “Grace Upon Grace: Spirituality for Today” which is available for purchase at http://bit.ly/cJ2XNa.
According to Dr. Kleinig…
We do not need to praise God so that we can ascend step by step into heaven. God does not need our praises. He gains nothing for himself from them.
Kleinig also says….
When we sing our songs of praise in the divine service we preach the gospel with the whole of our being to each other and the world. Our praises disclose the mystery of Christ, the incarnate Son of God, who reaches out to us in word and sacrament, to fill us with the Holy Spirit and give us access to God the Father.
You can listen to the podcast at:
http://www.issuesetc.org/podcast/423021010H1p.mp3
You can also download a paper (What’s the Use of Praising God?) by Kleinig at:
http://www.lca.org.au/resources/cow//WhatstheuseofPraisingGod.pdf
OK… I’m taking at least a one day break from local politics to talk about media coverage of local issues. When I moved from Lansing to Oakland County over 20 years ago, I was shocked at how poor the coverage is of local and State news in this area. The media in metro Detroit follows the “if it bleeds, it leads” philosophy. With the demise of many of the Eccentric newspapers, local news coverage has gotten even worse.
I found a good story in Dome Magazine about the growth of new media in the Lansing area.
The article entitled “Radio Reborn” states…
Radio shows on TV, cross-pollinating radio shows and newspapers, and abandoning the AM talk band in favor of Internet streaming are all happening to political and other coverage coming out of Lansing. The legendary beating that mainstream, “traditional” media took in 2009 is well documented when it comes to the newspaper industry. But radio wasn’t immune, leading several veterans of the medium now working in the Lansing market to try something new to connect with audiences, keep their medium relevant and reach beyond the capital city.
You can read red the entire article at http://domemagazine.com/features/cov0210
Is there hope for new media here in Oakland County?
Sarah Hubbard is vice president of government relations for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. Her excellent opinion editorial on the folly of increasing Michigan taxes appeared in the 2/24/10 Detroit News. How refreshing her opinion is in contrast to some other local chamber of commerce officials who don’t understand the dynamics of the private enterprise system.
Sarah writes…
Although Michigan is not taking in as much revenue as it did five or 10 years ago, some state leaders continue to struggle with living within our means and ensuring our state budget matches what is a realistic funding level. The latest example is Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s recent budget presentation, which included several assumptions of federal stimulus money (that has yet to be allocated) and a new $554 million tax hike that faces an uphill battle with the state Legislature. Unfortunately, her plan only addresses one third of the deficit through proposed reforms and fills the rest with tax increases and stimulus money. Once again, we have a short-term solution to a long-term problem that puts off necessary spending reforms for future policy makers to address.
Sarah goes on to state…
To avoid failure, state leaders must approve structural reforms that revolutionize the way the state performs its core functions. The business community has proposed many reforms that won’t independently solve the budget crisis, but will produce significant savings over several years.
For a list of the proposed reforms and the complete article, click on: http://bit.ly/9Fb3HF
I received the email below today from a Troy Resident.
Dave,
I attended the meeting last week at starbucks and am pleased the millage was defeated. Since my exposure to city government is limited, would like your bounce on how to influence next steps with regards to service cuts. For instance, I think the library should charge for classes (lap sit, computer classes, etc). Also, would like to have a say into determining how the budget should be allocated. Can you please advise on how best to influence these next steps? Since I am sure others have the same concerns, perhaps you may want to share this on your blog.
Thanks for sharing your expertise,
Laura Simpson
The “Time4ChangeinTroy.com” blog has a suggestion:
With the devastating defeat of the millage, council and Mr. Szerlag have to sharpen their pencils and begin slashing the red ink. Szerlag also should look hard at the unions that failed him, the same unions who refused to take concessions or only offered token participation. Szerlag now has to look at the obvious and begin bringing costs in line with expenditures as difficult as that may be. Where does he start? one obvious place would be the largest city single expenditure, the police department, who’s union membership failed to step up to the plate and offer meaningful concessions. Szerlag has no reason to remain loyal to its members. Serious cost savings opportunity existed prior to the millage to avoid the looming layoffs but employees forced the city’s hand and voters responded loudly.
Read the rest of their blog post at http://bit.ly/aq8rzP
