Coffee with Mike Articles
Mike Henry, the KREJ and KSNS station manager, writes a weekly column “Coffee with Mike” for The Gyp Hill Premiere. This is the same name as his radio program heard on KREJ at 8:30 am each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. These are the most recent articles.
2-20-12 Religion in Politics
Religion in politics is a touchy subject. Some believe that a candidate’s faith (or lack of) should not be a consideration at all, while others believe that it is supremely important. I hate to sound political, but I’m somewhere in-between.
For example, Mitt Romney is a Mormon. That in itself would not stop me from voting for him, but it is a factor and cause for concern. How so? Well, if you carefully read the New Testament you will discover that it is replete with warnings about false teachers and false teaching that corrupts the Gospel message concerning the Holy Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Mormon Church doctrine clearly falls into that category and condemnation.
So, if the Gospel is the most important issue of all, as most Christians believe, and a Mormon president gives credence to a “false gospel,” then it becomes an issue. On the one hand, we don’t really want a cult leader (he’s high up in the LDS Church) as our president, but on the other hand we’re electing a president, not a pastor. You make the call.
Since politicians can and do use the Bible (rightly or wrongly) to justify their policies, we need to look beyond a mere profession of faith to what their “world view” or political philosophy really is. For example, former President Jimmy Carter is a fellow Baptist, with whom I disagree on almost every political issue.
Enough on the exceptions, the vast majority of “Bible-Believing” Christians are unwavering social and fiscal conservatives. They’re my kind of folk and clearly preferred as political candidates.
I do not subscribe to the popular notion that “it doesn’t make any difference what you believe, so long as you are sincere.” You can be “sincerely wrong” with tragic consequences, like the doctor who mistakenly administers the wrong medication. One of the great preachers of a generation ago, Dr. D.A. Cavin (born and raised in Isabel, Ks.) use to say at the end of his broadcast each week, “And remember, my friend, it does make a difference what you believe.”
2-13-12 The National Debt
I’m a little tired of hearing about the low (15%) approval rating for Congress. Who elects these people anyway? That’s our same approval rating as voters. Some advocate term limits, but I’m not sure that would solve the problem of ignorant voters. It would also force the few good ones out and their replacements might be worse.
I’m also tired of hearing people say: “I wish Congress would just work together.” That’s usually uttered by people who don’t really understand the problem. It’s compromise that’s gotten us into this mess. Democrats agree to tax cuts if Republicans agree to spending increases. That’s great for the short term, but in the long run it only balloons the national debt and threatens to eventually bankrupt the U.S. Government. The old saying is true, “When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep becomes your downfall.”
Now you might think that the solution to the debt crisis would be to cut spending and increase taxes; however given the excessive waste and fraud of federal tax money, conservatives rightly say “NO” to any tax increases. It’s clearly a spending problem and now the only question is when and how much to cut. To continue borrowing forty cents on every dollar you spend is simply insane! If we did that, we would go to jail.
The liberal solution is to make token spending cuts along with big tax increases, maintaining all government programs until we eventually become The Socialist States of America. Conservatives would attempt serious spending cuts, but probably not much beyond the rate of increase, only prolonging the inevitable.
There’s only one man whose policies could actually save the Nation. Ron Paul has the correct understanding of the Constitution and the limited role of the Federal Government. He’s willing to cut even government pensions, Medicare, and Defense, which is the only way you can really deal with the problem. It’s too bad he’s unelectable. America did not know the time of her visitation (politically speaking).
As with any hardcore addict, it takes a courageous intervention. Only the American voter (with photo ID in hand) can do this necessary intervention on Election Day 2012 to save America. Let’s improve that voter approval rating.
2-6-12 Joe Paterno
While many are singing the praises of the late Joe Paterno, not all of us are joining in. I agree that he was a great coach and teacher, but unfortunately toward the end of his life he taught us what not to do.
He taught us that you can stay too long on the job. He should have retired years earlier and at least saved himself the humiliation of being fired. Seniors should be active, but at age 85, probably not in a demanding, full-time, high-stress vocation. There comes a time to step down and let the next generation have a try at it. Just because you can stay doesn’t mean you should. Why did he stay so long? I think we call it “ego” and we all have one.
Another thing Joe Paterno taught us is that it is real easy to be a hypocrite. One of his favorite lines was, “It’s about the kids.” Well, apparently it wasn’t about the poor kids being raped in the locker room by one of his alleged homosexual/pedophile coaches! He clearly didn’t do enough to deal with the problem and simply passed it off to others who were just as cowardly as he. His primary concern was for the reputation of Penn State and that’s what angers many of us.
Maybe there should be another definition for homophobia: The fear of saying anything negative about any kind of homosexual behavior even when it’s “man-boy” and illegal. That could be a factor in all of this as well. O, excuse me; the guy was probably born that way! What’s next, including pedophilia in the “LGBT” agenda?
What about the legacy of Joe Paterno? Well, I don’t know, but if Pete Rose (who bet on baseball) and Roger Clements (who lied about steroids) are banned from the Baseball Hall of Fame, I’m not sure Joe Paterno should be in the College Football Hall of Fame. We need to stop deifying these coaches. I hear that statues fetch a good price for scrap metal.
1-30-12 The Checkout
Wouldn’t it be nice at the store checkout to just hear the clerk say “Thank you, have a nice day” instead of “Do you have your rewards card…Can I get your phone number…Would you like to sign up for our drawing…apply for a store credit card…fill out a customer survey” etc.
Who thinks this is a good idea, to hassle the customer who simply wants to purchase his merchandise and be on his way? I guess some brainy business major, trying to justify his over-priced college education. I wish stores would take the money they spend on these irritating promotions and give it either to their employees in the form of a raise or to their customers in savings.
Now, you can have some fun with this if you like. When the clerk asks for more information, shield your face from the security camera and say, “I can’t, I’m wanted in three states” or, if you’re single and a cute clerk asks for your phone number, you could say, “I’ll give you mine if you give me yours.”
Please know that I am not rude to store clerks. They are only doing their job, but if I ever corner the store executive who makes these decisions, I’ll sure let him know what I think. Thanks to Kevin and The Gyp Hill Premiere maybe I already have.
