An unsolicited email irked me

I received an unsolicited email that really bugged me today. It came to my church account signed by a raving Bush backer, Donald Wildmon. In it he called deficit spending proposed in HR1 immoral. I replied asking him when he'd spoken out against deficits in the past 8 years of the last administration.
He's published some of the letter at
capwiz.com/afanet/issues/alert/?alertid=12540961.
Its time to keep the discussion going but Mr Wildmon needs to call the old administrations deficits immoral if he's going to call HR 1 immoral.

Day 1 of 100 no wall street cleanup, yet.

President Obama has been in office for about 36 hours now. Some might say its too early to ask to see the meat of Obama's plans; but I'm wondering about the specifics of the wall street bailout will include.
Others are still thinking about the festivities thid week; but I'd like to hear some of the gritty details.

Lessons from FDR's first 100 days

A NY TIMES blog offers details of the first 100 days of Roosevelts administration right as we prepare for Obama's first 100 days. The overview provides real insight about what we might expect as a nation on the financial brink.

Check it out http://100days.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/how-fdr-made-the-presidency-matter/?th&emc=th

Contemplating Something New

The older I get the more adverse I get to taking risks. But today the risk I've been avoiding, moving, seems pretty tiny compared to the possibility of a new start in a new call in ministry.

A few regular readers of this blog know that I've been contemplating seeking a new call for many months. I haven't said much about it online. I made the decision to seek a new call in the summer and started interviewing some this fall. While I haven't said much online I have been working towards a new call in the real world.

My wife and I now are waiting for a congregational vote. It will happen in a few weeks. If we choose to move we'll have to sell our home and start over with two new jobs, a new home, new school and lots of other new and changing things. We still have much to decide: when we'll announce our decision, how long we'll stay after we announce, and what we'll do if our house won't sell.

Its been quite a year for us. Somehow realizing in the middle of all the joys of expecting our 3rd girl that it's the right time for dad to move to a new church has really given us cause to pray and to appreciate that timing isn't really ours to control.

We appreciate any prayers you might have as we ask for God's assurance that this is not our will but God's will.

thanks
unlikely

Still waiting for a bank/financial services holiday.

With less than 3 weeks until the beginning of the Obama administration I renew my request, as stated in my blog unlikelybanter.blogspot.com in March and October, for a national bank holiday. Our nation would benefit immediately from an even broader bank/financial services holiday than the one FDR imposed in March of 1933.

Students of US history know that Roosevelt's dramatic action, which started the FDIC (auditing the books and insuring deposits of banks) effectively saved the banking system. Consumer banking along with the economy as a whole was teetering on collapse at the end of Hoovers administration. FDR's dramatic action arguably saved the US economy and the capitalist system.

It should be noted that the circumstances are somewhat different in 2009. The real crisis is not so much in the banks as it is in all the other financial institutions that act some what like banks; but for sake of escaping regulatory oversight aren't considered banks. Its time, with the collapse of Madoff's fund and Petter's investment scheme, that all investment funds have their books opened to a more powerful SEC. Its time for to shutter the doors, just like FDR did with banks in 1933, until regulators are clear about the basis for each fund.

published simulatneously at newsvine.