In This Issue• Today's Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• Taxes and Health Care
• Omnibus Bill Update
• Update: Cap-and-Trade
• The Good News Corner
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The Daily Brief - Wednesday, December 16, 2009
"Your people shall volunteer freely in the day of Your power . . ." (Psalm 110:3 NAS)
Today's Daily Brief
1. U.N. Climate Talks Deadlocked as Clashes Erupt Outside - FoxNews.com
COPENHAGEN - Clashes both diplomatic and violent punctuated the U.N. climate conference in Copenhagen on Wednesday, as major disputes threatened to derail plans for world leaders to sign an agreement that continues to elude negotiators.
While baton-wielding police outside battled protestors in the streets, a series of setbacks and continued roadblocks in negotiations left some of the meeting's most important nations saying the conference was in trouble.
"The process is not transparent," complained a high- ranking official with the Chinese delegation, one of the conference's most important players. "We are opposed to the proceeding."
- Praise God that these talks are being met with resistance and confusion. Intercede that men may not perform that which God will not ordain. Intercede that these roadblocks to falsehoods will continue, to stop this affair altogether. Pray that the wedge between the U.S. and China which has appeared this week will widen, and that in the end, nothing will come of these talks.
- We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near. (Psalm 75:1)
2. Senate Health Care Bill Would Force Some Middle Class Families to Pay $15,200 Yearly Insurance Fee, According to CBO Analysis - CNSNews.com
Forget the public option. Even without it, the health care bill presented in the Senate by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) would make some middle-class American families pay what amounts to a $15,200 annual federally-mandated insurance fee, according to facts revealed in analyses published by the Congressional Budget Office.
The fee would result from the facts that the bill requires individuals-but not employers-to purchase health insurance plans and that families that earn up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level would be given government subsidies to purchase insurance in government-regulated insurance exchanges while families earning more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level would be denied government subsidies.
- Please pray that stealing from the rich to give to the poor will never be an option for Mr. Obama to sign off on. Acknowledge, in agreement with the heavenlies, that no true American President will harm, rob freedoms, or steal wealth from an American citizen, whom God has intentionally blessed for His purposes alone.
- And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. (Acts 22:28) You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He Who has given you the power to get wealth, that He may confirm His covenant. (Deut. 8:18)
3. Security Concerns Hang Over Gitmo Inmates' Move to Ill. - USA TODAY
CHICAGO - President Obama's announcement that the government will send as many as 100 terrorism suspects from Guantanamo Bay to an Illinois prison raised questions and sparked protests Tuesday over whether the new lockup will pose a security risk. In a letter to Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, top administration officials including Defense Secretary Robert Gates called the plan "part of the president's aggressive posture in the fight against al-Qaeda."
- Please intercede until this battle between our military and civilian rights and laws sees victory. Ask that Mr. Obama's plans be yielded to the Constitution entitled to Americans, as he is under oath to do, and not to the trappings of terrorists. Pray that God will reveal His abundant heavenly resources, a wrench in the gears for this foolish and regrettable move.
- Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)
4. Obama: 'On the precipice' of health care change, though 'differences' remain - USA Today
President Obama, surrounded by Senate Democratic leaders, said today "we are on the precipice" of major health care changes, though "there are still some differences that have to be worked on." Those differences over items such as abortion coverage and publicly funded insurance plans should not prevent the Senate from passing a package Americans need, Obama said after meeting with the 60-member Senate Democratic caucus. "They are waiting for us to act," Obama said. "They are counting on us to show leadership. There's too much at stake for families who can't pay their medical bills or see a doctor when they need to or get the treatment they need." Senate Democrats are struggling to find the 60 votes they need to block a filibuster from Republicans who say the Democratic health care plan is too expensive and too bureaucratic.
- As Mr. Obama is so very disconnected from what anyone truly needs, pray and intercede that he will resist the huge temptation to hammer this country with these monumental horrors for our nation. Ask for much patience for those Senators who will fiercely resist the temptation to end this now. Pray they will walk this journey out, slowly and strategically, for the best possible outcome for America.
- Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs. (Psalm 84:6)
5. British agent exposed true purpose of Qom reactor
Iran revealed its nuclear facility near the holy city of Qom in late September after a British agent exposed its true purpose to the West, Ynet learned Tuesday. American, British and Israeli satellites had documented construction works at the uranium enrichment site for years, but the West only learned of its true purpose from an MI-6 agent who was exposed by Iran. Information proved by another Western intelligence agency coincided with the agent's findings. A report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran had told the UN nuclear watchdog that it had begun building the plant within a bunker beneath a mountain near Qom in 2007, but the IAEA had evidence the project had begun in 2002.
- Please thank God that this breech has been finally and fully exposed. Intercede for an unyielding trust in God for Israel and other nations, for their safety, and for their choosing to comply with IAEA standards. Ask that proper reprimands be incurred by Iran who has hidden this from the international community for so many years.
- He returned to Israel's camp, and said, "Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand. (Judges 7:15)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says LORD [YHWH]." (Zechariah 2:10)
1. Obama will back dialogue with Hamas - Ha'aretz
Barack Obama's speech upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize should be called "the realist manifesto." The U.S. president summed up his political worldview in seven words: "I face the world as it is." Not a messiah, not a prophet and not a dreamer. Rather, a leader who recognizes the limits of human nature and sees statecraft as a power game. A leader who envisions the highest ideals but understands that they cannot be attained through willpower and persuasion alone. A leader who believes in evolution and does not receive divine inspiration for his political moves like his predecessor George W. Bush.
2. U.S. planning to restart Israel-PA talks based on '67 borders - Ha'aretz
The United States and Egypt, along with France, are planning a joint move to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks on the basis of the June 4, 1967, borders, territorial exchanges and a complete freeze of construction beyond the Green Line, including East Jerusalem. The freeze would not be announced publicly.
3. Israel Condemns British Arrest Warrant Against Livni - VOA
Israel has condemned an arrest warrant briefly issued in Britain against former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni for alleged war crimes.
4. Israel: Iran nearing atomic bomb capability - AP
Iran is close to a "technological breakthrough" that would enable it to build nuclear weapons, Israel's military intelligence chief said in a rare public assessment Tuesday.
Taxes and Health Care
"And All Went to Be Taxed, Every One into His Own City"
Senator Harry Reid's health care bill uses the word "tax" 183 times--and each time it hurts more than the last. As documented (section/cost) by Americans for Tax Reform, here are 18 of Sen. Reid's tax hikes:
an Individual Mandate Tax (Sec. 1501/$8 billion), an Employer Mandate Tax (Sec. 1513/$28 billion), an Excise Tax on Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans (Sec. 9001/$149.1 billion), an Employer Reporting of Insurance on W-2 (Sec. 9002/Min$), a Medicine Cabinet Tax (Sec. 9003/$5 billion), an HSA Withdrawal Tax Hike (Sec. 9004/$1.3 billion), an FSA Cap (Sec. 9005/$14.6 billion), a Corporate 1099-MISC Information Reporting tax (Sec. 9006/$17.1 billion), an Excise Tax on Charitable Hospitals (Sec. 9007/Min$), a Tax on Innovator Drug Companies (Sec. 9008/$22.2 billion)
a Tax of Medical Device Manufacturers (Sec. 9009/ $19.3 billion), a Tax on Health Insurers (Sec. 9010/ $60.4 billion), the bill seeks to Eliminate tax deduction for employer-provided retirement Rx drug coverage in coordination with Medicare Part D (Sec. 9012/$5.4 billion), and to Raise "Haircut" for Medical Itemized Deduction from 7.5% to 10% of AGI (Sec. 9013/$15.2 billion), and sets a $500,000 Annual Executive Compensation Limit for Health Insurance Executives (Sec. 9014/$0.6 billion), while putting a Hike in the Medicare Payroll Tax (Sec. 9015/$53.8 billion), a Blue Cross/Blue Shield Tax Hike (Sec. 9016/$0.4 billion), and a Tax on Cosmetic Medical Procedures (Sec. 9017/ $5.8 billion). (Family Research Council)
Omnibus Bill Update
Omnibus Accelerates Plan for Taxpayer-Funded Abortions
When the President signs the 2010 Omnibus bill this week, he will be knowingly forcing U.S. taxpayers to fund abortions. The $447 billion bill passed by the Senate (57-35) this weekend includes more than 5,000 earmarks and increases spending across the board by at least 12%. But for President Obama, who said his goal was to "reduce abortion," the Omnibus marks the first direct government-sponsored abortion bill of 2010. Let's pray it's also the last.
Update: Cap-and-Trade
Why It Matters
My friends, it is difficult to overstate the profound impact of the Obama Administration's decision to regulate carbon emissions. This move could have a devastating effect on our standard of living. Yesterday, I noted how environmental regulations in Germany have led to electricity prices that are three times higher than ours and $8.00 a gallon gas. It's hard to imagine that any politician would think that is a good idea, but that's exactly what the Left has done in Germany, and that's exactly what it wants to do here.
Barack Obama said his cap and trade program would bankrupt the coal industry. Well, America gets half of its electricity from coal. (Once Obama bankrupts the coal companies, will they be eligible for a government bailout like GM?) And I suppose it is just a coincidence that President Obama's Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, advocated for European-style gasoline taxes just last year, telling the Wall Street Journal in September 2008, "Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe." If higher electricity prices and more pain at the pump aren't enough, how do you feel about paying twice as much for food?
In June, Robert Zubrin of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies wrote an excellent article on the impact of cap and trade to America's agriculture industry. Here's an excerpt:
"If you tax carbon, you tax fertilizer and pesticides. If you tax these things, you tax food, and by no small amount. A $15/ton CO2 tax would increase fertilizer production costs directly by about $60/ton, with the cap- and-trade bill's increased transport costs inflating the burden still more. That's enough to make many farmers use less fertilizer, and less fertilizer means less food.
"To get a sense of what it would mean for farmers to abandon fertilizer, go to the supermarket and compare the price of the 'organic' produce, grown without chemical fertilizer, to the regular produce, which typically costs less than half as much. It is one thing for wealthy organic food buffs to voluntarily pay such high prices for their food - that is their right. But to impose such costs for basic groceries on everyone else, and particularly the poor, as part of a largely symbolic effort to try to change the weather, is self- indulgent in the extreme." (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; 12/10/09)
The Good News Corner
The Libera Choirboys: "Going Home"
These young boys voices are so sweet. Simply wonderful.
The Libera choirboys lending their angelic voices to a reassuring song.
Enjoy! (Turn up your speakers!!)
