Modern America is dangerously full of kids who have been brought up by television, video games, government schools, and troubled peers.  

Should we be surprised these young people are struggling?  

We need more families where parents teach and exemplify important character traits and values.  

Some call this brainwashing.  The wise prefer to call it teaching.  

Here is how one impressive young man explains it - in just three minutes.

The GOP needs to stop calling ObamaCare a “trainwreck.” That means it’s a mistake, or accident. That means it’s a gigantic flop, or failure. It’s NOT. 

Message to the GOP: This isn’t a game. This is a serious, purposeful attempt to highjack America and destroy capitalism. 

This is a brilliant, cynical, and purposeful attempt to damage the U.S. economy, kill jobs, and bring down capitalism. 

It’s not a failure, it’s Obama’s grand success. 

It’s not a “trainwreck,” ObamaCare is a suicide attack. He wants to hurt us, to bring us to our knees, to capitulate- so we agree under duress to accept big government.

Obama’s hero and mentor was Saul Alinsky -- a radical Marxist intent on destroying capitalism. Alinksky’s stated advice was to call the other guy “a terrorist” to hide your own intentions. 

To scream that the other guy is “ruining America,” while you are the one actually plotting the destruction of America. To claim again and again…in every sentence of every speech…that you are “saving the middle class,” while you are busy wiping out the middle class.

The GOP is so stupid they can’t see it. There are no mistakes here. This is a planned purposeful attack. 

The tell-tale sign isn’t the disastrous start to ObamaCare. Or the devastating effect the new taxes are having on the economy. Or the death of full-time jobs. Or the overwhelming debt. Or the dramatic increases in health insurance rates. Or the 70% of doctors now thinking of retiring- brining on a healthcare crisis of unimaginable proportions. Forget all that. 

The real sign that this is a purposeful attack upon capitalism is how many Obama administration members and Democratic Congressmen are openly calling Tea Party Republicans and anyone who wants to stop ObamaCare “terrorists.” 

There’s the clue. Even the clueless GOP should be able to see that. 

They are calling the reasonable people…the patriots…the people who believe in the Constitution ... the people who believe exactly what the Founding Fathers believed…the people who want to take power away from corrupt politicians who have put America $17 trillion in debt…terrorists? 

That’s because they are Saul Alinsky-ing the GOP. The people trying to purposely hurt America, capitalism and the middle class…are calling the patriots by a terrible name to fool, confuse and distract the public. 

ObamaCare is a raving, rollicking, fantastic success. Stop calling it a failure. Here is what it was created to do. It is succeeding on all counts:

1. ObamaCare was intended to bring about the Marxist dream -- redistribution of wealth.

Rich people, small business owners, and the middle class are being robbed, so that the money can be redistributed to poor people (who vote for Democrats). 

Think about it. If you’re rich or middle class, you now have to pay for your own health care costs (at much higher rates) AND 40 million other people’s costs too (through massive tax increases). 

So you’re stuck paying for both bills. You are left broke. Brilliant.

2. ObamaCare was intended to wipe out the middle class and make them dependent on government.

Think about it. Even Obama’s IRS predicts that health insurance for a typical American family by 2016 will be $20,000 per year. But how would middle class Americans pay that bill and have anything left for food or housing or living? People that make $40K, or $50K, or $60K can’t possibly hope to spend $20K on health insurance without becoming homeless. 

Bingo. That’s how you make middle class people dependent on government. That’s how you make everyone addicted to government checks. Brilliant.

3. As a bonus, ObamaCare is intended to kill every decent paying job in the economy, creating only crummy, crappy part-time jobs.

Why? Just to make sure the middle class is trapped, with no way out. Just to make sure no one has the $20,000 per year to pay for health insurance, thereby guaranteeing they become wards of the state. Brilliant.

4. ObamaCare is intended to bankrupt small business, and therefore starve donations to the GOP.

Think about it. Do you know a small business owner? I know hundreds of them. Their rates are being doubled, tripled and quadrupled by ObamaCare. 

Guess who writes 75% of the checks to Republican candidates and conservative causes? The GOP. 

Even if a small business owner manages to survive, he or she certainly can’t write a big check to the GOP anymore. Money is the “mother’s milk” of politics. Without donations, a political party ceases to exist. Bingo. 

That’s the point of ObamaCare. Obama is bankrupting his political opposition and drying up donations to the GOP. Brilliant.

5. ObamaCare is intended to make the IRS all-powerful.

It adds thousands of new IRS agents. It puts the IRS in charge of overseeing 15% of the U.S. economy. The IRS has the right because of ObamaCare to snoop into every aspect of your life, to go into your bank accounts, to fine you, to frighten you, to intimidate you. And Obama and his socialist cabal have access to your deepest medical secrets. 

By law your doctor has to ask your sexual history. That information is now in the hands of Obama and the IRS to blackmail GOP candidates into either not running, or supporting bigger government, or leaking the info and ruining your campaign. 

Or have you forgotten the IRS harassed, intimidated and persecuted critics of Obama and conservative groups? 

Now Obama hands the IRS even more power. Big Brother rules our lives. Brilliant.

6. ObamaCare is intended to unionize 15 million healthcare workers.

That produces $15 billion in new union dues. That money goes to fund Democratic candidates and socialist causes -- thereby guaranteeing Obama’s friends never lose another election, and Obama’s policies keep ruining capitalism and bankrupting business owners long after he’s out of office.

Message to the GOP: This isn’t a game. This isn’t tiddly-winks. This is a serious, purposeful attempt to highjack America and destroy capitalism. 

This isn’t a trainwreck. It's purposeful suicide. 

It's not failing, it's working exactly according to plan. Obama knows what he’s doing. Stop apologizing and start fighting.

Oh and one more thing…Conservatives aren’t “terrorists.” We are patriots and saviors. We represent the Constitution and the Founding Fathers. We are the heroes and good guys. Unless you get all this through your thick skulls, America is lost…forever.

On Sunday night, I wrote a short post soliciting stories from my readers about how Obamacare has already immediately impacted their lives. I asked that all of these emails be directed to ObamacareMakesMeSick@Yahoo.com. I expected a response; I didn’t expect it to be quite so overwhelming.

Over the last 24 hours, my inbox has been flooded with hundreds of emails. What you’ll read in this post represents a portion of them. I’m only one guy (with a fulltime job and twins) — I wasn’t able to go through every single message just yet. Some, I left out because the information was too specific and personal, to the extent that it would reveal the identity of the person who sent it. Some, I couldn’t include because they are simply (well written and accurate) editorials about Obamacare, but they don’t speak to the personal, physical impact of Obamacare on American families. Others, I just haven’t had a chance to read. I expect there will be a sequel to this post coming very soon. Thank you for your stories.

In the meantime, here are the tales of many, many, many real Americans. Share this with your friends. Every time some Statist nincompoop extols the virtues of Obamacare; every time they insist that the “Affordable Care Act” has done nothing but “help” low and middle income families; every time they babble incoherently about how Obamacare isn’t “perfect” but it’s still “better” than what we had before — show them this. Challenge them to read what is happening out there. This isn’t abstract. It isn’t academic. It isn’t a matter of ideology. It isn’t even an issue of constitutionality (although it’s that, also). This is about people. People with kids, and bills, and health problems. This is about people who can no longer afford their health coverage, their mortgages, their lifesaving medication. This is about doctors and nurses leaving medicine behind, driven away by destructive bureaucratic interference. This is about moms and dads losing their jobs so that their employers can compensate for the financial burden of Obamacare. This is about people without insurance because of Obamacare, now being fined for not having insurance because of Obamacare. This is about business owners driven to the edge of bankruptcy. This is real. We heard a lot of fantasies about what Obamacare was “supposed” to accomplish, now it’s time to talk about what it’s actually doing.

So when they say you are “heartless” for opposing Obamacare, show them why it’s heartless to support it.

Sure, the President, the media, Hollywood and the DC elite have touted some “success stories.” But they are few and far between — and they come at a cost. This is that cost. For every person thanking his lucky stars for this new healthcare entitlement, thousands of low and middle income families are suffering.

Is that fair? Is that compassionate? Is that moral?

Notice a few things about the stories that follow: Many of the families facing financial ruin because of the ACA are young. Many are single mothers. Moreover, the vast majority of these emails are from women. I thought Obamacare was supposed to especially help women? Well, I guess for every Sandra Fluke, there’s a million Annes from Nebraska. The former, deeply concerned about getting cheap birth control on the tax payer’s dime. The latter, more worried about having access to affordable lifesaving medication for their children. With Obamacare, the former takes precedent over the latter.

This is insanity.

I’ll be printing this compilation out and sending it to the White House. Then I’ll send a copy to some of our legislators. These people can’t be allowed to hide from what they’ve done.

This is Obamacare (emphasis mine):

Meg, Georgia:

I’m a 12-hr night shift nurse in a hospital (the irony). I work part time so that my husband and I can trade off caring for our one-year-old (he’s a firefighter who works 24 hrs on- 48 off on a rotation). My manager called me and stated I would have to, because of Obamacare- related insurance cost restraints , etc (her words), either go up on the number of hours I work each week or become a per diem employee. Did I mention I’m 6 months pregnant? So, I had to decide whether to go up to working more hours than our family can handle or go “per diem” in which case I’d immediately lose all the paid sick leave I’ve been earning, hoping to use for maternity leave, as well as lose a short term disability policy I’ve been paying for which would also help with maternity leave. Guess which we chose? How on earth do you plan for the future with the future shape-shifting constantly on the whims of egomaniacal and out-of-touch politicians? Thank goodness for a supportive and geographically close extended family.

Lisa, Oregon:

I am a small business owner and have a family of 4. My health insurance costs are fixing to double and my deductible going up from 3000 to 10,000. Obamacare makes me SICK!

Sara, Colorado:

I have four children. My husband works for a small business that has never been able to offer a health plan. We treat most sickness using natural medicine, by choice. Since health plans never cover nutrition counseling, chiropractic, supplements, or anything else that could possibly keep us from getting sick in the first place, it has never made sense to take hundreds of dollars from our one household income to pay for coverage.

We are some of those poor souls without healthcare.

Under the new laws, we get to either pay for “coverage” that I guarantee we would only use in a catastrophic situation (we haven’t been on antibiotics in 7 years), OR pay a fine.

Neat. Thanks. Just what we needed in this economy. I would like for them to keep their “free” healthcare. I’ll keep using my essential oils and herbs and keeping my kids healthy and strong on my own, by the grace of God.

Trish, Virginia:

We received a notice from my husband’s health plan that the insurance we have now isn’t economical enough according to the Obamacare regs, We don’t know what will happen next. We have a low premium and a moderately-high deductible (which we meet very late in the year). I’m guessing higher premiums and deductibles are in our future.

Jess, Oklahoma:

We are losing our current health insurance at the end of this year. My husband’s employer is getting rid of it due to Obamacare. Our insurance currently covers my husband, myself, and our two daughters. My husband’s employer is having to replace our current insurance with a policy that is $400 more a month and an added $3000 deductible. The worst of it is that it will now cost him $100 more a month to cover me, his WIFE! Disgusting.

Nick, Florida:

My current health insurance policy for my family of four is $375/month. The cheapest I can find for relatively similar coverage is $784/month. I can “save” money by going with a high deductible plan and pay $630/month. How is that saving? I can’t afford health insurance at these prices, and my employer doesn’t provide insurance to employees.

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town.  

From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this
enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.
 
The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. 

As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my 
family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. 

My parents were complementary instructors: Mom
taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. 

But the stranger... He was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound  for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. 

Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet.

(I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.) 

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.. 

I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger.  Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... And NEVER asked to leave. 

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.  
 
His name?.... We just call him 'TV.'  He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer.'   Their first child is 'Cell Phone.'  Second child "I Pod."  Third child "I Pad."

Celebrating Columbus Day can be fun, meaningful, AND easy.  Start with the question, "What do I want to have happen?"

* Think about Columbus Day, why it's important for you, and what you want to teach.  

* Think about your family, what they would benefit from, and what they enjoy.

* Choose a few activities that reflect your values, interests, and priorities. 

* Take pictures and record highlights from your
  experiences in a family journal or scrapbook. 
 
If you can't celebrate on the designated day, you can create your own "Christopher Columbus Day" (or week) and celebrate when it's more convenient for you.  

Holidays are just a way to help us remember, learn about, and celebrate the things that matter most to us and to pass them on to our kids.    We can even create our own "family holidays" that reflect the things our families care about most. 

Here are some fun and meaningful ways to celebrate Columbus Day.  Some of these ideas are better for young children and others are good for adults and older kids.  Choose a few that your family will enjoy and have fun!  (Click on the colored links to find helpful resources.) 


Learn about Christopher Columbus 
 
  * Read what Columbus said about his life.
     - Christopher Columbus: Man of Faith

  * Read selections from a book together.  
     - The Life of Christopher Columbus 
     - The True Story of Christopher Columbus 
     
  * Tell stories.
     - Christopher Columbus Short Stories for Kids
     - All About History: Columbus
     - 10 Things You May Not Know About Christopher Columbus

  * Watch a video.
     - Animated Hero Classics: Christopher Columbus
     - History.com Videos about Columbus
     - The Spiritual Foundation of Christopher Columbus

  * Sing a song.
     - In 1492

  * Recite a poem.
     - The Things That Haven't Been Done Before


Create something about Columbus

  * Write a story, poem, or journal entry about an experience Columbus had, or write about 
    something you can learn from him.

  * Draw pictures about Christopher Columbus and the experiences he had, or color pictures: 
    - Columbus onboard ship with a spyglass
    - Columbus sees signs of land
    - Columbus flagship Santa María

  * Make a simple diorama with the pictures you color.
    (The example is about natural habitats, but you can adapt it to your Columbus pictures.) 

  * Make paper boats, carve a boat out of wood or soap, or make a boat out of a plastic container,
     milk carton, or anything that floats.  


Enjoy a fun picnic together

Create a meal that seamen might have eaten in Columbus’ day.  Some of the foods Columbus took on his voyages were sardines, anchovies, cheese, chick peas, lentils, beans, rice, honey, almonds, raisins, biscuits, garlic, oil, and vinegar. 

Pack up your meal and the boats you made.  Go to a place where there is lake, pond, stream, or some other kind of water.  (We have even done this by our swimming pool before.)  Eat your picnic.   Talk about what it must have been like to be Columbus and his crew and to be out on the ocean for so long.  After your picnic, you can float your boats in the water or have boat races.


Reflect on your dreams together
 
Explain that Columbus was a man with a dream.  He worked hard for many years before he finally accomplished his dream.  He needed to develop great faith, courage, patience, humility, and perseverance to succeed.  Talk with your children about their dreams.  Write them down and keep them in a special place.  Encourage your children as they take steps to accomplish their dreams.


Learn about people in history who have risen to their dreams

Many times the great things people accomplish are "impossible dreams" until they actually do them.  Then their example charts the course for others.  Columbus Day can be a good time to learn more about wonderful people who have worked to accomplish challenging goals.

You could even take a look at a few of the heroic people we have talked about on PatrioticMoms.com. 

“[Christopher Columbus] was a dreamer, a man of vision and courage, a man filled with hope for the future and with the determination to cast off for the unknown and sail into uncharted seas for the joy of finding whatever was there. Put it all together and you might say that Columbus was the inventor of the American dream.”  

~Ronald Reagan 


Christopher Columbus was a man with a vision.  The vision came first, long before it reached fulfillment in the discovery.... Only after long years of single-minded dedication came at last a discovery.  

~Delno C. West and August Kling


"One of the most striking aspects of the life of Christopher Columbus was his self-awareness as a man of destiny.  He viewed himself as the chosen and appointed messenger of God..."  

~Delno C. West and August Kling


"Columbus . . . believed that the Holy Spirit had spoken to him, saying that his name would be proclaimed throughout the world.  He does not specify when or where this happened, only that it was "in my youth."  In his mind, he connected it to his success in discovering the New World.   ~ 

~Delno C. West and August Kling


The Admiral was chosen for his great work by Our Lord, . . . and his affairs were directed by a secret Providence.  

~Ferdinand Columbus


"This conviction that God destined him to be an instrument for spreading the faith was far more potent than the desire to win glory, wealth and worldly honors.  

~Samuel Eliot Morison


"He [Columbus] stands out among the beacon lights of history as a man of vision dominated by a definite purpose.  

~John George Jones


"Every ship that comes to America got its chart from Columbus."  

~Ralph Waldo Emerson


"He gave the world another world."  

~George Santayana


"Many great ideas have been lost because the people who had them could not stand being laughed at."  

~Author Unknown


Mistakes are the portals of discovery.  

~James Joyce


Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.  

~Robert F. Kennedy

Republican Senator Mike Lee has been one of Senator Ted Cruz's strongest allies in the fight against Obamacare, even joining him in his 21-hour filibuster. 

Lee sat down with Greta Van Susteren on Wednesday night to ask why anyone would trust the Obama administration with health care after they've tried to make the government shutdown as "painful" as possible.

He said the shutdown is the "very best argument we can make about Obamacare," saying that if the government has the power to shut down too much to cause maximum pain during the shutdown, "what happens when we give more power to the government?"

I guess it’s become my tradition on the weekend to pull from the “mailbag” and post a response to an interesting email from the week. I thought I’d switch it up this time around and go with something that isn’t nasty, vulgar hate mail.

This guy is a future father of twins, and so I feel a certain camaraderie with him:

Dear Matt,

Sorry, I don’t mean to bug you. I know you are very busy and probably get a lot of email (that’s an understatement lol). Anyways, I found out a few weeks ago that my wife is having twins! Yeah, pretty crazy but I’m really excited. I’ve been reading your blog for a long time even back before your blog was famous. I know you have twins also and so I thought I’d reach out to see if you had any advice to give me?

Can you tell me about you experience as a father of twins? People only ever tell me nice little things and they make it seem like it will be the easiest thing in the world. Give it to me straight. What was the hardest or worst moment as a parent for you so far? Is it the fact that you don’t have any freedom anymore? My friends without kids are always going on trips and vacations and now they sort of make fun of me that that’s over for me now. So I’m just curious if you can tell me what you’ve been through?

Anyway, if you use this on your blog just don’t include my email address please. Thanks man! Love your stuff!

-Kevin


Dear Kevin,

This scene occurred about three months ago:

It was ten at night, my wife had just finished breastfeeding and she looked exhausted. I told her to get in bed and get some sleep. I said I’d stay out in the living room with the babies. See, for the first few weeks after the kids were born, we had various family members coming in to help. But they were all gone and we were on our own finally. My wife reluctantly took me up on my offer, and now this would be my first long stretch of time handling the kids alone. Well, I wasn’t alone in the house, but I was alone in the room, which seemed like a significant step.

I had it all worked out. How hard could it be to take care of two infants for a few hours? I’m bigger, smarter, faster, stronger, I have the ability to walk and speak; the deck is stacked in my favor, I figured. I had a plan: put a sleeping Luke and a sleeping Julia in their little swing thingamajigs, then sit on the couch with a beer and watch the History Channel. Wife sleeps, babies sleep, I relax — everybody wins. Perfect plan. What’s wrong with that plan? Nothing. Nothing should be wrong with it. It was a good plan.

Things started to go downhill rather immediately. In fact, as soon as I plopped on the sofa, took one sip of my favorite stout, and let out a relaxed “ahhh” sound, Julia decided to voice her displeasure with the evening’s agenda. Alright, put down the beer, pick up the kid. She stopped crying right away; I guess she just wanted Dad to hold her. Very sweet. Melted my heart. Then Luke chimed in. Ok, put down Julia, pick up Luke. He stops crying. Cue Julia. Ok, pick up both of them. I don’t know why they wanted out of their swings in the first place. I mean, these are really cool swings. The seats vibrate, it plays music; they’ve got, like, mobiles of fish or giraffes or whatever dangling above. I’d love to sit in a swing like that. You have to pay 3 grand at Brookstone for the adult equivalent of something like this. Anyway, good luck explaining that to newborns — Lord knows, I tried.

So I’m holding them both. The beer is a lost cause. It’s losing carbonation by the second. It’s gone, Matt, let it go. Let it go. You had a long day at work and all you want is some peace and quiet? Too bad, bud. The babies don’t care. I resign myself to this reality, and I smile as I hold both of my children close to me. Suddenly, the tender moment is interrupted by the angelic sounds of Luke crapping himself. Oh wonderful, it’s leaking out of his diaper and getting on my arm. Man, it’s everywhere. Good thing he’s my kid because I usually wouldn’t tolerate being covered in other people’s excrement. Julia must have been inspired because she decided to take a bathroom break as well. Fine, hey, when nature calls, right? Put them both down, take off their diapers — where are the new diapers? Now the babies are screaming again. Hold your horses, kids; Daddy’s gotta run and find the diapers and the wipes. Where does she keep them? Where are the diapers?! The clock is ticking — oh no, he’s peeing on the carpet. Oh hell, Julia is still pooping. Pooping on the carpet. Hold it, kids, just hold it! Screaming and peeing and pooping; it’s chaos. WHERE ARE THE DIAPERS? GOD HELP ME, I’M GONNA CRY. Oh, they’re right here in this basket labeled “diapers.” Ok, change both of them. Damn it, I put Luke’s on backwards. Fine. That’s fine. Whatever.

Whew. Both kids changed, poop cleaned off of me and the kids, the sewage on the floor will dry eventually. The carpet is brown anyway, so no harm no foul. The babies aren’t crying anymore, thank goodness. I’m sweating and I’m out of breath, but it looks like all is finally quiet on the Walsh Family front. Oh look, Pawn Stars is on and someone’s trying to sell John Wayne’s autographed boxer shorts or something for a million dollars. This will be interesting to watch. Never mind, Julia starts screaming again. Best I can tell, she’s upset that she keeps hitting herself in the face with her own hand like a mental patient. I tried to address the issue verbally, using my conflict resolution skills. “Julia, that’s your hand and that’s your face, stop making the two collide.” No luck, she’s not listening. Ok, put Luke down and give her the straightjacket swaddle. But now Luke is crying; I think he’s gassy. Next thing I know, I’m wrapping Julia in a blanket with my left hand while burping Luke with my right. Oh Jesus save me, now they’re both screaming like banshees. I can’t hold them both and burp them at the same time. Let me try to lay them on my knees and pat th– oh crap, Julia almost fell out of my lap. GOD, SHE COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED. I’M A BAD FATHER.

They’re still screaming. What can I do? What do you want, babies? TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT AND I’LL GIVE IT TO YOU. They aren’t hungry, they aren’t gassy, I just changed them. Why are they crying? Do babies cry for no reason? Where’s Alissa’s baby books? Let me look that up. Never mind, it’s no use. Please babies, stop crying. HAVE MERCY ON ME.

And so far, exactly 13 minutes had passed since my wife went to bed.

Finally, after two hours, I brought the kids back to my wife for their next breastfeeding session. She got one look at me and she could tell I was frazzled and beaten. They broke me. They broke me in like an old baseball glove. First round knock out; there was no getting around it. As my wife started to feed them, I went back out into the living room and, simply out of principle, I drank my flat, warm beer. I realized I still had some poop on my arm, but I didn’t care. I just sat there with my room temperature beer and my poopy arms, and I laughed, because what else can you do?

I don’t know if this is the WORST you can expect, Kevin, but I imagine you’ll have a similar story soon enough. The learning curve is tough, but you catch on much more quickly than you think you will, especially with twins. I still have a long way to go, but I’m happy to report that I’ve since taken care of the babies individually many times, and they haven’t again gotten the best of me to that extent. I’m not the Parenting Superhero that my wife is, but I do my damndest. I like to think I’m an asset, at the very least.

I know you don’t want anyone to blow sunshine in your face, but I also don’t want to paint my parenting experience to be nothing but one poop-covered disaster after another. The problem is that anyone can easily describe the stressful things; the good things, on the other hand, are much more difficult to illustrate. Difficult only because they’re so deep and transcendent and immeasurable. I can tell you about the love, and the joy, and the beauty, but even those words fail to contain how I feel about my children. After all, I’ve used “love” when discussing my favorite steakhouse, and “joy” when talking about the Ravens winning the Superbowl last year, and I even said “that was a beauty” yesterday when I successfully banked a ball of paper off the wall and into the trashcan from halfway across the room. I’ve wasted all of these words on food and sports, and now I’m left with nothing in the English language that can even come close to communicating what it means to me to be a father.

I can tell you that what people say about “losing your freedom” is bull crap. We’ve got a pathetically shallow notion of freedom in this country, and that’s perfectly reflected by this common claim that you lose it when you have kids. Sure, if “freedom” is merely “the ability to go places and do things with minimal hassle,” then, yeah, you’ve lost that. You haven’t lost it permanently, but for a good long while. This is a flimsy, flat, flaccid view of freedom. I believe there’s more to being “free” than vacations and financial flexibility. I’ve seen both sides of this; I lived completely alone for the first half of my twenties, so I know about this sort of freedom. I know about it, and I can honestly tell you that I feel more free now than I ever have before. If I didn’t have a family, I could go on a cruise, or move to Vegas, or see Paris if I so desired. In fact, I could go pretty much anywhere on the globe. But I’d only be “free” to travel laterally. Now, I can travel deeper. I’m free to go deeper into human existence and experience things that are much more life changing, enriching, transformative and exciting than a thousand vacations to a thousand exotic locations. The greatest freedom we have as human beings is the freedom to change. I’m not talking about changing the scenery, I’m talking about changing ourselves. Having children is TRULY life changing; having free time is not. This is not meant to be an attack on people without kids and spouses; I’m just clarifying a point. They are not more free than you.

Real freedom comes only from love. When you have your kids, you will have a love that you’ve never before experienced, and never could have experienced, and that will be the truest sort of freedom.

And that’s about all I can tell you, man. I’m sorry to disappoint you. I can tell you about my limited experiences, and I can offer my meager insight, for whatever it’s worth. But I can’t give you any advice. I mean, I CAN give advice, but I won’t. I don’t think I’m quite credentialed enough to start writing parenting advice columns. Maybe after I build my Daddy Resume a little more, but right now I’m just too raw. I’m a rookie, Kevin. I’m only four months into this thing. I can’t tell you how to climb a mountain when I’m still six feet from the base myself. Besides, giving parenting advice is a lot of responsibility and pressure. What if I give the wrong suggestions, and you follow them, and because of my bad advice your kids grow up to be drug dealers, or terrorists, or ventriloquists or something? I can’t walk around with that guilt on my shoulders.

Don’t worry, there are plenty of people out there who will be MORE than willing to give out parenting advice. Pretty much anyone, actually — parents, non-parents, politicians — they’ve all got ideas as to how you should raise your child. Just walk into a room and say “I’m going to be a parent,” and immediately the Peanut Gallery will rappel down from the ceiling, climb in through the air ducts, break down the doors, and swarm around you to give a billion different conflicting perspectives on how you should handle every single solitary aspect of parenting.

We are a society short on wisdom but flush with advice. We’ve got a scarcity of knowledge and understanding, but a surplus of “this is how you should do it” opinions. I recently went to a bookstore looking for a particular book by a theologian named Dietrich von Hildebrand. Much to my surprise, the store didn’t have a theology section — but it did have five rows of advice and “self-help” books. As a matter of fact, it didn’t have any shelves dedicated to astronomy or poetry or philosophy, either. But it had advice. Lots and lots of advice.

Far be it for me to add my paltry voice to that dog-pile.

The only advice I will give is this: be careful whose advice you heed. Just because somebody is a parent doesn’t mean they have any business teaching a class on the subject. Similarly, just because you own a car doesn’t mean I should necessarily ask you how to fix my transmission. You don’t have to be a mechanic to simply acquire an automobile, and you don’t have to be a competent parent to reproduce. Personally, in whatever arena of my life — parenting, broadcasting, blogging — I’ve found a very select group of seasoned individuals, whose talents, experience and authority in these fields I respect, and I’ve intently listened to (but not necessarily followed) their guidance and instruction. To everyone else I give a polite nod, and then promptly ignore everything they say.

Of course now I’ve presented a paradox of giving you advice that you shouldn’t listen to advice. I don’t know. Maybe you ought to take that advice and apply it only to me. Like I said, I’m far from an expert.

Lord, now I’ve given you advice to not take my advice about not taking advice. I’m going to quit while I’m ahead. (Too late, I know).

Congratulations, Kevin. I bet you’ll be a great dad.

Sincerely,

Matt

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and in her ample rivers, and it was not there.

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her fertile
fields and boundless forests, and it was not there.

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there.

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her public
school system and her institutions of learning, and it was not there.

I sought for the genius and greatness of America in her democratic congress and her matchless constitution, and it was not there.

Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.

America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.        


                                                                   ~ Alexis de Tocqueville

Family Discussion

What can we do individually, and as a family, to help restore America's greatness?

Dear President Obama,

You strike me as the sort of man who spends a lot of time staring at his own reflection. I wonder, what do you see when you gaze so admiringly at yourself? What image do you find in that mirror of yours? Let me guess: a graceful Greek god with a golden crown, draped in luxurious robes, perched on a giant, magnificent throne atop a mountain in the sky? You see a throng of angels singing your praises and masses of subservient peasants prostrated before you, trembling with fear and awe? You see a man who is more than a man, and a president who transcends the presidency; you see a historic figure of immortal importance?

Yeah, that’s what I thought, and I can’t blame you, Mr. President. By all accounts, you’ve always been an arrogant, haughty narcissist — and that was before you became president. Your supporters and your enemies may argue over whether you descended from heaven on the back of a Pegasus, or were birthed from the bowels of Hell to bring about a Biblical apocalypse, but they both agree on one thing: you are a figure of great significance and immense power. You are either the anti-Christ or the Second Coming, with no room for anything in-between. Surely, this talk might cause even a humble man to slip into a state of vanity and pride, so I can only imagine what it must do to a man such as yourself, already so aloof and so conceited.

That’s why I’m writing this letter. My impression of you is quite different, and it has only been solidified by your performance during this shutdown/Obamacare debate. I find you to be a very small man, Mr. President. Far from larger than life, you are petty, frivolous, pathetic; sneering and pompous but also trifling and narrow. I don’t mean to dismiss or underestimate the damage you have done to this nation — it has certainly been profound and lasting — but I want you to know that your legacy will not be one of grandeur and brilliance; it will be the legacy of a shameless, desperate bully. Both your opponents and your proponents hoist you up as a world leader with a grand vision, whether benevolent or malevolent. I, on the other hand, believe you have the vision of a temperamental two year old. You simply want to feel like you’re in control; you want to “win,” you want everybody in the room to pay attention to you, and you’ll stomp your feet and whine until you get your way. You govern like a coddled toddler; it’s inappropriate to pejoratively refer to you as a “dictator,” but only because it lends you a certain unwarranted credibility. I think you wish to be a dictator, but instead you’re just a bumbling bureaucrat; easily replaced and even more easily forgotten. You have the ethics of Genghis Khan, but the leadership skills of Michael Scott. This is why we are forced to witness the spectacle of, for instance, our president brazenly threatening to invade another nation for no reason, only to clumsily abandon the idea after being publicly spanked by Putin.

Your legacy, Mr. President, will be defined by small, shameful things, as your presidency has been primarily a succession of small, shameful things. The platitudes you spouted during your campaign — the theatrics, the pomp, the hype — have all faded. Replaced by the scheming partisan machinations that have come to define your tenure.

Every president has a moment that encapsulates their time in office; your moment, Mr. President, happened this week. Sure, future generations will look at you with mockery and scorn because of bigger scandals — Benghazi, the IRS targeting conservatives, Obamacare, the birth control mandate and your attacks on religious liberty, spying on journalists, arming terrorists overseas, Fast and Furious, the green energy scams, the bailouts, your support for infanticide, the billions you’ve given to the abortion industry, your cowardice in refusing to address the Gosnell murders, your reckless exploitation of the Zimmerman trial, the out of control deficit spending, your refusal to enforce immigration laws, the massive expansion of the Welfare State, the lies, the broken promises, etc — but I think, in an understated way, what you’ve done this week is a better microcosm of your entire reign.

I’m not just referring to the fact that you are peddling the lie that “Republicans” have “shutdown the government,” when, in fact, they have attempted to pass several bills that would fund the government. Mr. President, you tell these fables to the trained seals in the media and your voting base, but you know damn well that any American with a capacity for critical thought will roundly reject this absurd narrative. YOU have chosen to “shut down” the government because you have made Obamacare the ultimate priority. You have said, “Obamacare or nothing,” and then accused Republicans of being the “hostage takers.” They are holding the government hostage by trying to fund it? What a silly idea. But then, you are a silly, ridiculous president. Speaking of which, this takes us right to your defining moment: barricading memorials and monuments in a ploy to win an argument.

Comparatively insignificant when stacked up against your war crimes and constitutional infringements, but it is nonetheless an apt illustration. The Lincoln Memorial is just a giant statue. There isn’t any reason why people shouldn’t be able to look at a statue during a government shutdown. In past shutdowns, the memorials were open, with only the information centers closing down. The Lincoln Memorial has never been completely closed off from the public until now. You have decided to spend money to block and guard open-air monuments, when it would be cheaper, require less staff, and be less onerous to simply leave them be. Is this some sort of bizarre punitive measure against the American taxpayer?

Infamously, you even attempted to stop WW2 veterans from visiting the WW2 memorial. That memorial is mostly privately funded, and is open 24 hours a day. You SPENT MONEY to physically guard the monument from a group of elderly war veterans. This is truly unprecedented. We have had horrible presidents in the past, but none quite so shallow, cheap and contemptible. You tried to close down Mt. Vernon, which is privately funded, but had to settle for closing its parking lot — even though the parking lot requires no immediate on-going maintenance or surveillance from any federal workers. Did you have to shut down the Normandy cemetery and memorial? Are we saving money that way? I doubt it.

It’s the same game you played during the sequester, and it comes as no surprise to those of us who pay attention (which means it came as a surprise to a large number of people). Rather than leading like a statesman, you hide in the shadows; scheming, conniving, exploiting. You emerge only to make hyper-partisan speeches, with rhetoric best left to Democratic talking heads on afternoon cable news shows. Far from being a “new kind of politician” (as you were advertised), you are the most political politician this country has ever seen. You are political to your core, in your essence, at an atomic level, and so you are unable to offer any direction or clarity when the nation needs it most. Sometimes, Mr. President, the affairs of this nation require a man, not a politician, and it is during those times that you are especially useless. You don’t have any interest in fixing our present crisis because you’re too busy finding ways to keep a busload of 90 year old war veterans from looking at a memorial.

Closing down parks, monuments and memorials just to score political points is hardly your most insidious deed, but it’s certainly one of your pettiest. That’s why it stands, ironically, as a monument of its own. If we ever build a statue of you, Mr. President, you won’t be triumphantly holding a flaming torch like Lady Liberty, or standing authoritatively with a look of determination, like the MLK memorial. No, it will be a statue of you pulling the wings off of a fly, or spitting in someone’s orange juice. It will show you in your essence, as monuments are meant to do. It will show you as a petulant, skulking, juvenile bully. It will you show you as you are.

And we’ll make sure it’s always open, especially during a government shut down.

Sincerely,

Matt Walsh

For too long, Republicans have put off the difficult work of developing a modernized, principled conservative reform agenda to meet many of the new challenges of the 21st century.

There are many reasons why this is so. But I think the biggest is that in this city, conservatives often fall into a trap – defining ourselves by what we are against: Big government, debt, higher taxes and regulations, Obamacare. 

But we haven’t invested nearly as much time and energy in communicating what we conservatives are for. I’m talking about more than simply the policies we advocate. Conservatism is not about the bills we want to pass, but the nation we want to be.

The real goal - what conservatives are really for - is not an agenda for government. It’s a vision of society. A view of the world we want to build, together. “Together.” That word, “together,” is an essential – and too often overlooked – part of what we conservatives believe. We’re all committed to bedrock principles of individual liberty, individual rights, and personal responsibility. But the reason we fight for individual freedom is the strength, vitality, and value of the communities free individuals form. 

The alternative to big government is not small government. The alternative to big government is a thriving, flourishing nation of cooperative communities – where your success depends on your service. It’s a free enterprise economy where everyone works for everyone else, competing to see who can figure out the best way to help the most people. And it’s a voluntary civil society, where free individuals come together to meet each other’s needs, fill in the gaps, and make sure no one gets left behind.

Most Americans cannot remember a time when they were not surrounded by incredible liberty, peace, and prosperity.  

Many believe it's their birthright to enjoy these great blessings that so few have experienced in other parts of the world or during other epochs of history.

Few realize liberty has a price, and we are not investing enough in our country for liberty to endure.  Many live for the pleasure and comfort of the moment, not realizing our government is out of control and liberty will not survive if the government continues on its current course.

This quick video gives important perspective on our dangerous situation in a way that people of all ages can understand and remember.  It's a good one to share with our kids.

Last night, at the dinner table, I presented the boys with a scenario. What if the government wrote a law that made all forms of entertainment free for everyone? No one would have to pay for movies, to go bowling, skating, watch a ballgame, etc.

Earlier in the day I’d been reading comments on the Right Wing Obamacare Myths Debunked post by Matt Walsh. There was a lady, who wasn’t even an American, saying she didn’t understand why so many were against Obamacare when it would help so many.  All I could think was “My ten-year old would understand why this isn’t a good idea.”

As a family, we don’t always have the money to go to the movies, our local fun center, ball games, etc. We go to about 2 movies a year. Sometimes not even that much. Not always because we don’t have the money, but often times there’s not anything we really want to see. I figure, for just the boy’s admission and snacks, it’s about $15 a pop.

Before dinner, I sat down and wrote up the “Entertainment Act”. Before I read it to them and went over it, I told them to assume they’d pay about $15 to see a movie and the money they get for their allowance would be their annual income. Once they understood the ‘scenario’, we went over each section discussing it and answering their questions if they had any.

Needless to say, they were all for it. Free fun stuff? Sign me up!

 Here’s where they began to have some questions. At first they were like “Okay, I guess.”, but wondered how it would work. We explained it would be a minor raise in taxes on things, which didn’t seems like a lot. Then they realized that the little – when put all together – adds up to a lot. This was when Brinson started thinking it wasn’t such a good idea. Harrison said “Well, it might still be good. I’m not sure yet…”

They began to have a few more doubts and questions. Their Gran doesn’t do any of those things, so we talked about how that would impact her. Then we talked about how it would impact them. As it was now, they paid $15 when they wanted to see a movie. Harrison began to get his quizzical eyebrow raise face going. “Wait a second” he says “So, if I *don’t* want to go to the movies, I have to pay?”

*Nod*

Brinson – “That doesn’t seem right… or fair.”

Harrison – “So, if I don’t want to do it… I have to pay and still pay more taxes and all that other stuff?”

I just gave a *nod* again. I was trying very hard not to sway their thinking with tone or expression or anything and I made sure they understood that there wasn’t a right or wrong answer…

Tom asked the boys “How much do you pay now to see a movie when you’d like?” They answered $15 (per the parameters at the beginning of the scenario) “So, about $30 a year. How much do you pay to not see movie and stay home?”

Brinson – “Nothing.”

Their expressions began to change from interest to ‘Hey, wait a second…’

Harrison – “This makes no sense…”

Me – “I’m not done. There’s more… Ready to move on?”

Harrison – “Yeah. I guess…”

I began to get the feeling this was no longer a ‘fantastic idea’ in their minds.

Brinson – “See.”

Me – “What?”

Brinson – “I said it didn’t seem fair. That’s not fair. Why do I have to pay the money, but they don’t?”

Me – “Yeah, why would it be that way? Why would they put that in there?”

Harrison – “Because they don’t want to spend their money or taxes on it…”

Brinson – “Because it’s a dumb idea and they know it.”

We went on to show how the different people’s incomes and how what they pay in is comparable to what they make for a living. Kept it basic, I reminded them of how much they make in allowance each year. Then grabbed the taxes off of that amount. They noted that the people making the most money, paid the most money. Harrison mentioned finding a job that was easier work and less pay if the benefit was the same. *This* is another problem with such a program. Someone explained in this video that explains socialism to children.

The conversation eventually went on to how much the taxes would be raised or how much the penalty would be and things like that. That was when I said “Well, I’ll tell you how much your taxes will be raised and how much the penalty is after you agree to it and make it a law.”

Harrison – “WHAT!?”

Me – “Tell me if you want to make this a law. Once it becomes a law, I’ll tell you how much it will cost.”

Harrison – “That’s stupid.”

Brinson – “See. Not fair.”

Harrison – “Who knows what you’ve written in there. I could be agreeing to give away a kidney or something.”

Me – “So, do y’all want to make it a law?”

Brinson – “No. I don’t.”

Harrison – “Who would?!”

In the end, the kids decided it wasn’t a good idea. I put the paper, where I’d written it, on the table and said “So… That’s a no then?”

Harrison said “Hang on…” He left the room and came back a second later with the “Like” and “Dislike” stamps. I think the stamps speak volumes…

The fact that this is the basic crux of the Obamacare ‘bill’ and a 10-year-old and 13-year-old can understand it won’t work – while others insist it’s awesome – is incredible. It’s not that my kids are the savants. I love ‘em, they’re smart, but it doesn’t take a lot of brains to ‘get’ that this just won’t work.

How anyone can is beyond me…

The happy memories we create with our families can last forever.  

Wholesome family recreation can increase family love and unity, help our children grow up knowing that life is good, and increase their resilience when they face hard times.

Here are some fun ideas for October.  



Outings

• Take a walk, hike, bike ride, or drive to see the beautiful autumn leaves.  Take pictures.
• Gather or purchase pussy willows, leaves, acorns, etc. and make a fall wreath.
• Collect leaves and make leaf rubbings for a nature journal.
  
• Attend a state fair.
  
• Go apple picking in an orchard.
• Walk through a corn maze.
• Visit a pumpkin patch or festival.
• Take Saturday morning walks.
• Fly a kite.
• Play soccer at the park.
• Watch baseball games together.

Columbus Day  (Click link for details.)

• Learn about Christopher Columbus.
• Go on an outing and talk about Columbus' experiences.
• Learn about other people who have risen to their dreams.
  
• Reflect on your family and individual dreams together.
  

Halloween

• Decorate the house and yard together.
  
• Tell Halloween stories by candle light or flashlight.
  
• Choose and carve pumpkins as a family, or
  
• Have a pumpkin carving party, with bobbing for apples, hot cider, and hay rides.
• Invite friends and family to come visit in costume. Take pictures.
• Visit a "haunted house."
  
• Watch a fun scary movie.
  
• Volunteer to give out candy at the mall on Halloween night.
  
• Hold a neighborhood Halloween party with games and treats.
  
• Go trick or treating.
  

Food Fun

• Make a harvest basket to share.  Fill it with garden bounty or other treats.
• Make doughnuts, scones, or pumpkin bread.
• Bake apples, make applesauce from scratch, or make apple cinnamon rolls.
• Roast pumpkin seeds.
  
• Make pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread.
  
• Read the book, "Stone Soup," and make a nice pot of soup to share.
• Eat dinner by pumpkin candle light.
• Build a bonfire and roast hotdogs and marshmallows.
  
• Have a picnic at the park.

Fun at Home

• Play in a pile of leaves, then rake them up together.
  
• Clear out the garden together.
  
• Make a scarecrow.
• Have a yard sale to get ready for Christmas. 
  
• Play board games together.
  
• Gather together at night time and visit or tell stories in the dark.

(Photo Credit: Shawn Mitchell)