Christian Action Commission

Cost of the MS Legislative Process

Elizabeth Crisp - Clarion Ledger

The Legislature’s tab for the past year includes $192,484 paid to lawmakers for a special session held during regular session in April and special sessions in June 2009 and July 2009.

Representatives from the nonprofit Citizens Against Government Waste could not be reached for comment Friday. The group has criticized officials’ spending habits in the past.

Mississippi taxpayers have forked over nearly $18 million for legislative expenses for the past year, with much of the cost driven by lawmakers’ salaries and travel.

The state auditor’s annual report on the Legislature shows about $11 million… Read Full Article

Evangelicals reject gay partners in immigration bill

Compiled by Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press.

WASHINGTON (BP)--Southern Baptist ethicist Richard Land has joined other evangelical leaders in opposing an immigration reform proposal if it continues to treat homosexual partners the same as heterosexual married spouses.

The president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission signed onto a June 4 statement from the religious rights law firm Liberty Counsel taking exception to a same-sex partners provision in federal legislation being proposed by Sen. Charles Schumer, D.-N.Y.

The bill, which has yet to be introduced, would enable same-sex partners from overseas to become legal citizens of this country in the same way… Read Full Article

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Rob Chambers

On a recent weekend vacation, my wife and I encountered what was not only a message for us but for others as well.  Throughout our short stay we saw old and new friends and made new acquaintances.  The common thread that ran throughout our conversations and experiences was the importance of hope and encouragement.

It’s difficult to encourage someone if you don’t have hope, and one thing that will erode a Christian’s hope in day-to-day living is negativity.  If someone is inundated with negativity, then it’s hard to ward off a despairing attitude.

It is very… Read Full Article

Pro-Lifers cave, secure health care reform

Doug Carlson

All eyes were on Capitol Hill on Sunday. Late that evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, bucking the will of the American people, cobbled together a slim majority of House votes to send a trillion-dollar health care reform package to President Obama, who signed the overhaul into law today. To pro-lifers’ dismay, a flawed concession on the prominent issue that had threatened reform for months, abortion, proved to be a deciding factor in its passage.

Just hours before the House vote, the White House struck a deal with Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and a handful of other Democratic holdouts… Read Full Article

Health care reform: Don’t be afraid

Russell D. Moore

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--"Now these three abide: anger, outrage, and fear—and the greatest of these is fear.”

That’s not in the Bible.

But sometimes I wonder if I think it is.

The United States House of Representatives passed a health care reform bill Sunday that I and lots of other Christians opposed. Such legislation should concern us. There are some bad consequences for the weakest and most vulnerable among us, principally unborn children. But should it also concern us that so many of us are talking today about how afraid we are?

Is… Read Full Article

Four S. Baptist Dems. vote ‘no’ on bill

Staff

WASHINGTON (BP)--Four of five Southern Baptist Democrats in the House of Representatives voted against health-care legislation approved by the chamber March 21.

Reps. Bobby Bright of Alabama, Travis Childers of Mississippi, Lincoln Davis of Tennessee and Heath Shuler of North Carolina voted “no” on a version of health-care reform passed by the Senate in December. A controversial part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3590, was language that the major pro-life organizations say will permit federal funding of abortion. President Obama is scheduled to sign an executive order that is aimed at appeasing pro-life concerns,… Read Full Article

Legislative Action or Inaction?

Jimmy Porter

Things are tough across the street at the Capitol.  The wants and needs of the citizens of this state are numerous, and they all come at a high price.  A few of our legislators think like our children, “money grows on trees.” Instead of asking the hard questions they prefer to budget more money and increase spending in hopes the economy will improve.

Then there are some legislators who honestly seek ways to be more creative, cost conscious, and to get a greater return on monies expended.  Even though money is tight, this session is important because there… Read Full Article

U.S. Legislative Agenda for 2010

By Richard Land and Barrett Duke - Feb 5, 2010

A year after Barack Obama was sworn in as the nation’s 44th president, many of our legislative priorities and concerns remain the same. Generally, liberals were largely unable to advance many of their principal legislative goals. Southern Baptists were instrumental in stopping many of these.

We are encouraged by the response of Southern Baptists in this past year to our calls to action. As we look at 2010, we know Southern Baptists must continue their diligent advocacy for biblical values in our nation’s public policy. Below, we describe the principal policy areas on which we will focus our… Read Full Article

Harry Reid’s Christmas Gift of Health Care Reform

By Doug Carlson - Dec 22, 2009

With Christmas just days away, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has not kept quiet about his gift to the American people—sweeping health care reform. Yet tucked inside this package, many of its contents tightly concealed until last Saturday in a 383-page amendment, are unwelcome offerings like $518 billion in new taxes, nearly a half-trillion-dollar cut to Medicare, and most disturbingly, mandates for federal funding of abortion, all wrapped in strong government control that could lead to rationing of care. Thanks but no thanks, millions of Americans are saying.

The gift-giving has already begun. Late Sunday night—1:08 a.m.… Read Full Article

A Failure in Courage

Richard Land

Many people will remember John F. Kennedy’s wonderful little book Profiles in Courage, which tells the stories of men who stood against incredible political pressure for conscience sake. There’s a reason it‘s such a small book. Such profiles in courage are rare. In the past few days, we have seen just how rare in the United States Senate.

President Obama promised health care deliberations on C-SPAN, open for all to see. Instead, we’ve been treated to crass political deals cut in the middle of the night behind closed doors. Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-La.) $300 million deal, now forever… Read Full Article

Illegals and Health Care–Who Should Be Covered?

Dwayne Hastings

Several faith groups, insisting that health care is a human right, are saying access to the care is a “moral and spiritual imperative,” particularly for those who are not American citizens.

The debate over who would qualify for any government insurance coverage spiked when S.C. Congressman Joe Wilson voiced his opinion on the matter during the president’s recent address to Congress.

While the law already requires medical facilities to treat indigent patients, does the government have a moral imperative to provide insurance to everyone, including those in the country illegally?

The ERLC’s Richard Land answers… Read Full Article

Where Is the President’s Health Care Reform Bill?

Barrett Duke

In his speech Wednesday night President Obama delivered a broad outline of key components he says are in his health care reform package. The President declared, “The plan I’m announcing tonight would meet three basic goals.” He went on to give some “details that every American needs to know about this plan.” He called it “my plan” and “my health care proposal.” He said “the plan that I’m proposing will cost around $900 billion over ten years.” Evidently, President Obama has a health care reform plan.

The main problem with what I heard Wednesday night is that I… Read Full Article

Mexico Surrenders Ground in the War on Drugs

By Dr. Barrett Duke

With Mexico’s decision to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, and heroin, the war on drugs in the United States has been dealt a serious setback. We now have an entire country on our southern border that is a haven for drug abuse. Our southwestern states will suffer first from this tragic surrender as more drug-addicted people come across the border. Then the rest of the country will feel it as they move inland. Inspections at the border will become more difficult as well as more people attempt to cross into the country with their “legal” drug… Read Full Article

Is There A Doctor In The House?

By Jimmy Porter

H. R. 3200, a massive health care reform bill, is being debated in Congress and in all other media outlets. Most everyone agrees that health care reform is needed because of the numbers uninsured along with spiraling costs.  But the current proposal raises as many questions and fears as it provides answers and solutions.  What does H.R. 3200 say about availability of quality health care, doctor-patient relationships, abortion, end of life issues, single payer plan, and costs in additional taxes? 

The Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Commission has published an analysis of the most distressing aspects of the… Read Full Article

Obama and Gore:  The CO2 Global Warming Hoax

Rob Chambers

People can look back over their lifetime and recall extreme weather conditions like floods, ice storms, tornados, tsunamis, and hurricanes.  Are these weather conditions natural or human induced?  There are two primary theories used to explain extreme changes in climate. 

The first theory indicates humans are responsible for global warming because of man’s use of fossil fuels for energy.  This theory, having been disproven for some time now, continues to fuel the global warming agenda of both the Obama administration and Al Gore.

Such political forces continue to use this disproven theory to motivate the public… Read Full Article