Sanctity . . .

. . . when life begins and sanctity ends . . .


(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctity_of_Life_Act)
". . . The Sanctity of Life Act . . . would have amended the federal judicial code to remove Supreme Court and district court jurisdiction to review cases arising out of any statute, ordinance, rule, regulation, or practice, or any act interpreting such a measure, on the grounds that such measure: (1) protects the rights of human persons between conception and birth; or (2) prohibits, limits, or regulates the performance of abortions or the provision of public funds, facilities, personnel, or other assistance for abortions. . . "

(from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fiscal-entitlements/u-s-tax-revamp-still-incomplete-as-republicans-eye-social-program-cuts-idUSKBN1E22MD)
". . . “Next year, we’re going to have to get back to entitlement reform,” Ryan said on a radio talk show on Wednesday. . . In Republican parlance, “entitlement” programs mean food stamps, housing assistance, Medicare and Medicaid health insurance for the elderly, poor and disabled, as well as other programs created to assist the needy. . . Republicans will attempt to pay for their tax overhaul . . . by pivoting to seeking cuts in entitlement spending. . . "

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Let's . . .

. . . File A Joint Tax Return . . .

(from https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/trump-populist-not-when-it-comes-his-tax-plan-n824851)
THEN
". . . it will no longer be accurate to describe him (Trump) as an economic populist who pursues policies to benefit the poor and the middle class at the expense of the wealthiest Americans. The reason: The Senate tax plan he’s selling is the exact opposite of economic populism. . . During the 2016 presidential campaign — and even in his first year as president — Trump portrayed himself as an economic populist. . .  Do you believe in raising taxes on the wealthy? TRUMP: "I do, I do, including myself. I do." (Today Show town hall, April 21, 2016). . . “The thing I'm going to do is make sure the middle class gets good tax breaks. Because they have been absolutely shunned.” . . .(“Meet the Press,” May 8, 2016) . . . “I have joined the political arena so that the powerful can no longer beat up on people who cannot defend themselves” (GOP convention speech, July 21, 2016) . . . “We are transferring power from Washington DC and giving it back to you, the American People ... The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.” (Inaugural address, Jan. 20, 2017) . . . “I have wealthy friends that say to me I don’t mind paying more tax. . . " (Wall Street Journal interview, July 25, 2017) . . “Our framework includes our explicit commitment that tax reform will protect low-income and middle-income households, not the wealthy and well-connected. They can call me all they want. It’s not going to help. I’m doing the right thing, and it’s not good for me. Believe me.” (Speech on the GOP tax plan, Sept. 27, 2017). . ."

NOW
". . . Under the Senate tax plan, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the poorest Americans are worse off (due to no longer receiving tax credits because the bill eliminates the health-care law’s individual mandate), while the richest American are better off; . . . Even if you exclude the individual mandate from the analysis, the CBO showsthe poorest will see their taxes go up by 2027, because the individual tax cuts are temporary while the corporate ones are permanent. . ."


Let's File A Joint Tax Return
©2018 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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Eating . . .

. . . at your wagon-wheel dining table was an experience
I must admit
It was striking
It was lovely
But the dining was challenging
A bit

And not only were we nourished
By the delicacies you prepared
We learned some things of life
During the meal that we shared

Not all on this earth are equal
Some have much
Others are poor
Like the diners at your table
Who ate well
While some like me
Found their food fell to the floor

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Dear . . .

. . . 'Christians' who support forty-five . . .

. . . and think the recent healthcare steps taken are actually 'good' or that a wall will solve all of the immigration problems . . .


. . . DO YOUR READING . . .



(from https://sojo.net/articles/american-christianity-has-failed)
“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. (Lev. 19: 33-34)

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him. (Prov. 14:31)

Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Prov. 31: 8-9)

But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? (1 John 3:17)

Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. (Jer. 22:3)

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Poor . . .

. . . baby . . .


(http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-says-mueller-s-friendship-comey-very-bothersome-n775906)
". . . President Donald Trump said he's concerned over the friendship between former FBI Director James Comey and special counsel Robert Mueller, who was selected to replace Comey to investigate the Russian meddling in the 2016 election. . . In an interview that aired Friday on "Fox and Friends," Trump said Mueller is "very, very good friends with Comey, which is very bothersome.". . ."

What do you think?
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Literally . . .

. . . sell what you possess. . .

(from Biblical Literalism: A Gentile Heresy by John Shelby Spong)
". . . "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor . . . and come, follow me". . . It was a hard teaching, one that could not be received by the questioner;  Matthew tells us that the young man "went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.". . .  That conversation then precipitated Jesus; teaching on wealth [in the gospel of Matthew] . . . I always find it interesting to see where biblical literalists cease to be literal.  This is one of those places. Far from listening to the demands of Jesus, we have rather developed a Christianity of affluence, in which the poor are judged and blamed for being poor. In the United States the political party that claims to represent the 'religious' or the 'Christian' vote constantly seeks to cut programs aimed at assisting the poor, and to do away with health coverage for any who cannot afford it. . . "

What do you think?
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My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

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Ring . . .

. . . in the new . . . 

(from "Ring Out, Wild Bells" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson)

". . . Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light;

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more,

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife;

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws. . ."

Ring with us, OHO at 

Bourbon Street On The Beach 

The "Pre-New Year" Party

4:00PM til 7:00PM

Coastal Highway & 116th Street

Ocean City, MD 21842 

443-664-2896

What do you think?
Tell me at
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My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
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Help . . .

(from http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/obamas-real-record-poverty)
". . . Obama expanded the safety net through his 2009 stimulus, but the legislation actually prevented even more Americans from falling into poverty through larger tax credits, emergency unemployment benefits, and expanded food assistance. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) estimates that the recovery act ultimately kept about 7 million people above the poverty line. . .

. . . The more important question to ask is whether Obama could have done more to alleviate poverty during the worst of the recession.  .  . the president was hardly the only one at the helm: It wasn’t the Republicans’ priority either. “Both the president and the Republican party really weren’t focused on jobs.". . . ”

What do you think?
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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak.  Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com 


My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Also, be sure to visit:
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Turkeys . . .

American generosity during the holiday season is frequently exhibited by the gift of a turkey, through holiday programs for the poor. Such programs are always under the control of the “haves”,  some of which have actually complained that the programs are abused by a number of the 'ungrateful' poor. In truth though, turkey and toys programs are an embarrassment to the poor. They simply do not build self-esteem for people who are poor.  The gap between rich and poor in the U.S. today is huge and still growing. Our nation has an arrogant rich that lives apart from the poor, many of which have reached that level through manipulation and the misuse of human capital.  The poor beg for a livable wage, a decent house to live in, good education and basic health care while the rich pit the poor against one another and continue to pay poverty wages.  When the minimum wage becomes a living wage, and education, housing and healthcare become affordably available for all,  turkey and toy programs will become, and rightly so, a thing of the past.   'God bless us, each and every one.'

(Based upon writings by Rev. Howard Bess, retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska.  His email address is  HYPERLINK "mailto:hdbss@mtaonline.net" hdbss@mtaonline.net)

What do you think?
Tell me at
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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak.  Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com 


My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:

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For REAL???!!!. . .

(from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB40001424052702303519404579352551767664072?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB40001424052702303519404579352551767664072.html by James Piereson)
""Income inequality" has emerged as the issue du jour in U.S. politics, threatening to displace the unpopular health-care law and the slow-growing economy this election year. Speeches and columns now routinely attack the banks or "the undeserving rich" and call on Washington to do something to redistribute income from the "super rich" to the poor and middle class. Democrats from President Obama to the new mayor of New York City are leading the charge on behalf of the "99%."

This crusade is based on three questionable claims. One is that the wealthy are mostly Wall Street bankers benefiting from rising stock and real estate prices, or executives who pay themselves extravagant salaries. Another claim is that such people unfairly benefit from a system that taxes capital gains at half the highest marginal rate paid by those who earn salaries and wages. Then there is the assertion that the "super rich" have abundant funds that can be taxed to improve the living standards of everyone else.

All of these claims are false. By promoting them, the president and his supporters may hope to distract attention from ObamaCare and the economy. Yet they are igniting hopes they can't possibly fulfill. . ."


(from http://scalar.usc.edu/works/growing-apart-a-political-history-of-american-inequality/index)
" . . . This shared prosperity of the postwar years was no accident or lucky combination of circumstances.  A "rising tide" of robust economic growth does not necessarily lift all boats.  Political struggle and policy choices determine whose boats rise. The inequality of the 20th century's early years actually began closing before economic growth took off in the 1940s, as a consequence of the political response to the Great Depression. . . "


(from me. . . )
Mr. Piereson seems content with making the sole point that wealth inequality is basically untrue because the 1% of the population holding the majority of wealth does not consist exclusively of bankers and Wall Street wizards but includes sports, movie, rock and roll and other 'entertainment' types in addition to 'business' executives who draw salaries.  And this point alone contents Mr. Piereson that there is no inequality of wealth (with no mention of course about caring for the less fortunate) and that ". . . At a time of slow economic growth, mounting government debt, a stalemated politics and the impending retirement of the "baby boomers," the attacks on the "one percent" look more and more like a diversion from America's real problems."

FOR REAL, Mr. Piereson???!!!

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An Offer . . .

(from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/13/pope-francis-mafia-target-corruption)
". . . Prosecutor says pope's attempt to bring transparency to Vatican is making mobsters agitated. Pope Francis's crusade against corruption has made him a target for Italy's all-powerful mafia clans, a leading anti-mob prosecutor has warned.

Nicola Gratteri, who has battled Calabria's shadowy 'Ndrangheta mafia, said on Wednesday that Francis's attempt to bring transparency to the Vatican was making the white collar mobsters who do business with corrupt prelates "nervous and agitated".

He told the Italian daily Il Fatto Quotidiano: "Pope Francis is dismantling centres of economic power in the Vatican.

"If the bosses could trip him up they wouldn't hesitate. I don't know if organised criminals are in a position to do something, but they are certainly thinking about it. They could be dangerous."

Francis, who has called for "a poor church", has backed reform at the Vatican's bank, which has been suspected for years of being a channel for the laundering of mob profits. This week police impounded a luxury hotel on Rome's Janiculum hill – formerly a monastery – which the 'Ndrangheta allegedly purchased from a religious order.

In a fiery sermon on Monday, Francis railed against corruption and quoted the bible's advice that practitioners be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck. . ."

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My latest release, Black & White Then Back,
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