How about a National Obamacare Waiver
To date, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has approved 1,372 Obamacare waivers, covering 3.1 million Americans. Yesterday, The Daily Caller reported that among HHS’s most recent round of 204 Obamacare waivers, “38 are for fancy eateries, hip nightclubs and decadent hotels in House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s Northern California district.” That’s right: Nearly 20 percent of exemptions from Pelosi’s crowning health care achievement were doled out in her backyard. But granting waivers here and there merely postpones the effects of the law for a couple of years. It’s not the solution America needs. A better idea would be to repeal Obamacare and grant America a permanent nationwide waiver.

Oil Back Up
Here we go again!

Medical costs to rise 8.5 percent in 2012
U.S. employers can expect an 8.5 percent increase in their medical costs next year due in some part to the healthcare reform law, the consulting firm PwC said in a report Wednesday. The widely read annual report on cost trends points to three main drivers of healthcare costs, two of which are exacerbated by the new law. At the same time, PwC said the law will have a "minimal effect" on 2012 prices because the provisions that go into effect before 2014 are "small changes for which employers already have fully accounted."

Russians Threaten New Cold War
President Dmitry Medvedev warned Wednesday Russia could pull out a new nuclear disarmament treaty and enter a new Cold War with the West if the two sides failed to agree on a new missile defence shield. Medvedev told reporters that the United States' decision to push ahead with the European shield despite Russia's objections will force Moscow "to take response measures -- something that we would very much rather not do."

U.S./Pakistani Military Exchange Fire at Border
A U.S. helicopter exchanged fire with Pakistani troops near the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan today, resulting in injuries for two Pakistani soldiers, U.S. and Pakistani officials said.

Nevada secures waiver from federal health care law
Nevada got a partial waiver from the health care law — a significant development that Democrats are dismissing as par for the course and Republicans are claiming as a political victory. The Health and Human Services Department announced late Friday that Nevada had secured a statewide waiver from certain implementation requirements of the Obama administration’s health care law, because forcing them through, the department found, “may lead to the destabilization of the individual market.”

SC Gov signs Voter ID bill into law
With music pumping, Gov. Nikki Haley signed into law Wednesday a bill requiring S.C. voters to show a photo ID, such as a driver's license, to cast a ballot. Currently, voters only must show a voter registration card that does not have a photo.

Doctors Refusing to Treat Overweight Patients
Fifteen obstetrics-gynecology practices out of 105 polled by the Sun Sentinel said they have set weight limits for new patients. Some of the doctors said the main reason was their exam tables or other equipment can't handle people over a certain weight, but at least six said heavy women run a higher risk of complications. "People don't realize the risk we're taking by taking care of these patients," the newspaper quoted Dr. Albert Triana of South Miami as saying. "There's more risk of something going wrong and more risk of getting sued. Everything is more complicated with an obese patient in GYN surgeries and in [pregnancies]," he told the newspaper.

Newt apologizes to Paul Ryan
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich apologized in a telephone call to House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Tuesday afternoon for his remarks on “Meet the Press,” where the presidential candidate referred to Ryan’s Medicare proposal as “radical change.” “Newt apologized,” said Rick Tyler, his press secretary and longtime aide. “The call went very well.”

Mitt Raises 10M in One Day
Mitt Romney, usually cautious and measured in describing his nascent campaign, allowed himself a minor indulgence in describing to reporters the fundraising call-a-thon that netted his presidential bid $10.25 million here Monday.

Gingrich Says 2012 Election Biggest since 1860
Republican Newt Gingrich is casting the 2012 presidential election as the most consequential since the 1860 race that elected Abraham Lincoln to the White House and was followed by the Civil War. The former House speaker told the Georgia Republican Party's convention on Friday night that the nation is at a crossroads. He said President Barack Obama's re-election would lead to four more years of "radical left-wing values" that would drive the nation to ruin.

Texas House Bans Offensive Security Pat-Downs
The Texas House passed a bill that would make it a criminal offense for public servants to inappropriately touch travelers during airport security pat-downs. Approved late Thursday night, the measure makes it illegal for anyone conducting searches to touch “the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of another person” including through clothing. It also prohibits searches “that would be offensive to a reasonable person.”

Cities Nationwide Heighten Vigilance on Terror
In large and midsize cities across the country, police chiefs and domestic security officials say they have drastically increased counterterrorism operations under the assumption that a “lone wolf” or a small group of terrorists will try to strike on American soil to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Obama adviser compared U.S. Christians to al-Qaida
President Obama's faith adviser, Eboo Patel, compared al-Qaida to what he called Christian "totalitarians" in the U.S. and Jewish "totalitarians" in Israel, WND has learned. In February 2010, Obama named Patel to his Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Patel, a Muslim activist from Chicago, is the founder and executive director of Chicago-based Interfaith Youth Core, which says it promotes pluralism by teaming people of different faiths on service projects.

Ohio-based Muslim cleric applauds death of Jews
According to the Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report website, which translates news and articles from Arabic and Farsi, the president of the American Center for Islamic Research, Dr. Salah Sultan (aka Solah Sultan, Sallah Sultan) joined the secretary-general of the Association of Palestinian Islamic Scholars Abroad in praising the deaths of Israelis in the recent forest fires in that country. According to the Report, Sheikh Abd Al-Jabbar Sa’id, secretary-general of the Association of Palestinian Islamic Scholars Abroad was joined by Dr. Sultan, who heads the American Center for Islamic Research, which is based in Columbus, Ohio.

Cindy Crawford Switches From Obama to Mitt
Actress and model Cindy Crawford supported President Obama in 2008, but has not yet committed to backing him in 2012. Crawford's appearance at a Mitt Romney fundraising event on Monday sparked a lot of chatter that she has turned on Obama. But that's not accurate, according to her publicist, Annett Wolf.

Putin Shows Off New Russian Car
Vladimir Putin wants you to know how awesome Russian cars are, but he just can’t get it started to show you. It takes Putin five times to get car started!

Russian Cannibal and Serial Killer Arrested
The suspect was arrested after police found a stew made from a human liver in a fridge at his Moscow apartment, the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported. The Agence France Presse identified him as Nikolai Shadrin, citing an Investigative Committee statement. "During a search of the apartment, tools used to dismember the victim and a human liver were found," the statement reportedly said. Police found a decapitated head in the Moskva River on Wednesday and an arm severed at the wrist in water at Tsaritsino Park on May 2, Novosti reported. Two feet, a hand and another arm were later discovered around the city, AFP reported

Miracle as 'Brain Dead' Wife Wakes Up in Hospital
A woman who was diagnosed as being brain dead has recovered three days after her husband begged doctors to put in a breathing tube before switching off a ventilator at an Australian hospital, the Northern Territory News reported Wednesday. Doctors told her husband Tani Cruz, 51, the case was “hopeless” and she would probably die within 48 hours following the surgery. When a doctor recommended that the ventilator be removed and Gloria Cruz be allowed to die, her husband told them, "I'm a Catholic -- I believe in miracles.”

Calm and Prayers Help Steer Plane to Safety
Terrified passengers aboard a Cathay Pacific plane prayed together as their aircraft, one of its engines on fire, made its way back to Singapore on Monday, and their calm response earned praise from the captain. 'God, save our flight! Give us your protection!'" The prayers got louder and louder, pierced by only the occasional cry of panic.

Last European Country Standing Against Divorce
Malta has resisted legalization of divorce for many years, but the country is set to vote on the practice May 28. Malta is one of the very few countries in the world where divorce is still illegal. The upcoming referendum will offer voters the option of divorce only for couples who have had four years of marital separation with no prospect of reconciliation and where adequate maintenance is guaranteed for child support. Only separation and annulment are possible under the current Civil Code and Marriage Act.

Is This What Tolerance is About?
Pressure from homosexual activist groups has compelled the head of the 2012 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team to quit. Two-time gymnastics gold medal winner Peter Vidmar has resigned upon receiving harsh criticism from homosexual and lesbian athletes and activists, who complained that he had donated $2,000 to promote California's Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between one man and one woman.

Steven Tyler: What Have I Done?
Steven Tyler, former lead singer of Aerosmith and now American Idol judge, reflects on his past abortion experience in his autobiography. “It was a big crisis. It’s a major thing when you’re growing something with a woman, but they convinced us that it would never work out and would ruin our lives. ... You go to the doctor and they put the needle in her belly and they squeeze the stuff in and you watch. And it comes out dead. I was pretty devastated. In my mind, I’m going, what have I done?”

Actor Describes Heartbreak After Abortion
When MacDonald first learned his girlfriend was pregnant, he thought abortion was the obvious answer. “I didn’t want to hear that [she was pregnant], you see ... I didn’t want the responsibility, I wanted the sex,” he said. “And so the easy way out was abortion. That’s what I thought. Just pay $300 and the problem goes away. “Life is priceless. You can’t put a price on it. I tried to put a price of $300 on my child’s life. It didn’t work.”

Bin Laden’s Porn Stash a ‘Warning’
The discovery a “stash of pornography” in Osama bin Laden’s compound by U.S. commandos serves as a “warning” to all Christians not to fall into the hypocrisy of rationalizing sinful pleasures.“ Hypocrisy is nothing new, and we are prone to revel in it when seen in others,” Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, said of the bin Laden discovery.

Female Pornography Addicts Ignored, Until Now
Renaud, now 26, had heard sermons at her Kansas City megachurch condemning pornography, but none had ever mentioned women. It wasn't until she met another Christian woman with the same addiction that she realized she was not alone and began a ministry to help others.

Billy Graham Home Following Hospital Stay
Evangelist Billy Graham returned to his home in Montreat, North Carolina early Sunday afternoon following a five-day stay at nearby Mission Hospital in Asheville for treatment for pneumonia. Mr. Graham was hospitalized early on Wednesday, May 11. "I am deeply touched by the prayers and best wishes of so many people for me." -Rev. Billy Graham

Three Generations of Preachers
Will Graham follows his father, Franklin, and grandfather, Billy, into the ministry of evangelism. Will is the oldest of the four children of Franklin Graham and wife Jane Graham.

Philadelphia Offers Free Mail-Order Condoms to 11-year-old Boys
Health officials in Philadelphia have come under fire from outraged parents after launching a campaign offering free mail-order condoms to children as young as 11 years old as part of an STD education campaign. The brightly-colored website for the program, TakeControlPhilly.org, urges young teens to use a condom “every time you have oral, anal, and vaginal sex” in order to avoid HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Padded Bikini Top For 7-Year-Olds
Abercrombie & Fitch, a popular store among teenagers, recently introduced the "push-up triangle," marketing the swim top to girls as young as 7 or 8. Dr. Michael Bradley, a child psychologist, told "Good Morning America" the American Psychological Association has warned in the past that retailers were going after young girls. "They're targeting girls as young as age 4 to be sexualized creatures," Bradley said.

One Unkind Comment Can Destroy Lives
Luke Armstrong, the director of the God’s Child Project wrote how six people’s lives were almost destroyed because of one unkind comment. All the girl who made the comment did was make fun of another girl’s shoes. Surely all of us have done worse. I know I have. If asked why she did it, I’m sure she would say something we hear all too often: “It was just a joke.”

May 21, 2011, and Other 'Judgment Days'
This time around, Harold Campion, a Christian radio broadcaster with 150 stations, is spending big bucks on 5,000 billboards, posters, fliers and digital bus displays across the country to warn everyone that “the rapture” is coming May 21,2011. This prediction is based on Campion’s personal interpretation of Scripture. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father," Matthew, 24:36.

Google Map of Where the Twelve Apostles Died

Illegals get Affirmative Action in Maryland
This week, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a bill to require the state's public universities to give undocumented aliens -- generally illegal -- in-state tuition privileges. The bill, known as the Dream Act, is already the law in ten other states, including California, New York, Texas and Illinois. But critics argue that the bill will give illegal aliens better treatment than Americans and legal immigrants -- thanks to existing diversity policies at universities.

Gospel of John 13:16-20

When Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet, he said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it. I am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the Scripture might be fulfilled, The one who ate my food has raised his heel against me. From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe that I AM. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

Fellow Americans:

We have come to a time of decision. For far too long, Congress has been on an unsustainable binge of spending, taxing, and borrowing. Our nation is going broke, and we are passing the costs of these misguided policies to our children and their children.

Over time, our national government has become bloated, overextended and unrestrained, oblivious of its core functions, operating far beyond its means and vastly outside of its proper constitutional bounds. Unchecked, the course we are on now will cripple our economy, undermine our prosperity, and lead to fiscal insolvency. By robbing the future of opportunity and freedom, it will destroy the American Dream for future generations.

Already, we are living through the shame of being publicly lectured by our Communist Chinese creditors, who have contempt for our profligacy. The day it was announced that Standard & Poor’s had lowered the outlook on our economy, a collective gasp went through the international community. If our elected leaders keep it up, we are certain to face financial crises like Greece or Portugal. America is on the verge of becoming a country in decline—economically stagnant and permanently debt-bound, heavily regulated and bureaucratic, less self-governing and less free.

But this fate does not have to be our future. We can get spending under control, balance the budget, and shrink our debt. We can limit the size of government and set free once again the unlimited genius of Americans to create wealth and jobs. We can turn the tide and change our nation’s course.

Saving the American Dream is our plan to fix the debt, cut spending and, above all, restore prosperity. It balances the nation’s budget within a decade—and keeps it balanced. It reduces the debt and cuts government in half. It eliminates government-mandated health care and fully funds our national defense. In order to get our fiscal house in order, we must address Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, the three so-called entitlement programs which together account for 43 percent of federal spending today. Far too many seniors still lack enough help to avoid poverty. Saving the American Dream therefore does not end these programs; instead it focuses them on those who need them.

Our plan also encourages Americans to become more fiscally responsible themselves. It redesigns our entire tax system into an expenditure tax that will have a single flat rate. This is a structure that will promote savings, therefore benefiting individual Americans, our body politic, and the economy. Greater savings mean stronger capital formation and thus a more robust economy, which means real jobs for Americans.

This plan substantially reduces the size and scope of the federal government, fundamentally increases the role of the states in choosing their own practices, and brings decision-making closer to the people rather than unelected administrators. These are crucial steps that will get our nation on a path of fiscal, political, and constitutional responsibility. It is part of our larger effort to get our country back on track, reclaim its truths, conserve its liberating principles, and build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish.

At the end of the day our plan, while economic in nature, has a higher moral purpose. If entitlements are not reformed, the next generation and future ones will have to pay punitive tax rates that will end liberty as we have known it. Our proposal aims to preserve America’s promise bequeathed to us by past generations.

Edmund Burke reminds us to think of our time on this earth not as an individual and temporary event, but rather as a partnership “between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are yet to be born.” Keeping faith with this partnership is what we aim to do with Saving the American Dream.

We have been here before, and every time the American people have always risen to the occasion and seized the moment. In 1776 we were told that no upstart colonists could defeat the strongest nation in the world, and we decided to change the course of history. In 1860 we were told the Union could not hold and that America was over, and we brought forth a new birth of freedom. In 1980 we were told that the American century was at an end, and we launched a great economic expansion, rebuilt our military, and revived our national spirit. Hard times demand tough choices. The future of our nation is at stake.

All that is required, as my hero Ronald Reagan once said, is “our best effort, and our willingness to believe in ourselves and to believe in our capacity to perform great deeds; to believe that together, with God’s help, we can and will resolve the problems which now confront us.”

Together, let us seize the moment, change our country’s course, and save the American Dream.

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