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Mark Caserta: Judgment House experiences can change lives

Nov. 04, 2010 @ 09:47 PM

This past week, hundreds of lives were changed right here in Huntington.

Judgment House 2010 at Christ Temple Church on Johnstown Road was an extraordinary event put on by extraordinary people.

Powered by hundreds of trained volunteers working tirelessly with a spirit of servitude, the Judgment House “experience” is a dramatic walk-through presentation about the truth of people’s choices and their consequences in this life and the next.

Known as an “agent of change” for communities in which it’s presented, Judgment House has gained recognition across the country as an effective evangelical tool for providing people with a clear understanding of the path from guilt to grace, from sin to salvation and from death to life.

For over 20 years Judgment House drama presentations have been changing people’s lives by helping them realize that life, whether we accept it or not, involves real life choices resulting in real “after-life” consequences.

The script for each Judgment House portrayal is unique in setting, characters and story, but each provides a relevant interpretation of events happening in the world today and asks the important question, “What will you do with God’s offer of salvation and a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ.”

During last week’s event, I had the unanticipated privilege of being able to experience the walk-through presentation at Christ Temple Church.

Upon returning late Friday night to Huntington from a trip to Knoxville, I looked to my left from the eastbound lane of I-64 and saw the parking lot of Christ Temple Church completely filled with cars, so I decided to stop to see what kept the attention of hundreds of people at 11 p.m. on a Friday.

As I entered the church’s narthex, I must admit the spirit of excitement and expectancy was a bit overwhelming.

I moved past the activity of people exiting the guided tour, and couldn’t help but notice the wide spectrum of emotion upon their faces. Some were laughing and talking about the experience; most were thoughtful and quiet. Some were crying.

Upon opening the large wooden sanctuary doors, I looked upon hundreds of people being “interactively” entertained from the stage as they patiently waited their turn to experience the group tour.

I decided to join them.

No pre-conceived notion of Judgment House could have prepared me for the heartfelt emotion I would experience along with others in my group as our guide escorted us from scene to scene, prefacing each dramatization with a monologue providing continuity to the experience.

Each scene was portrayed amid an aesthetic sensory impact of sight, sound and olfactory accompaniments. While some of the dramatizations featured consequences which were terrifying and at times surreal, the heavenly scenes depicting rewards for making the “right” decisions were “overwhelmingly” peaceful, comforting and sublime.

Life, at times, administers an epiphany of reality which exalts itself above most others. That’s exactly what hundreds of people received during their tour of Christ Temple’s Judgment House 2010.

I must admit, I needed a tissue to make it through to the end.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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SINGLE QUESTION “CHECKMATE” ON OBAMACARE FOR PROGRESSIVES

25 Oct

For everyone who comes across someone who supports Obamacare. Just ask one simple question:

“If it’s such a good deal, why MAKE people buy it or be fined? Why not just make it available?

And if, perhaps, they’re smart enough to say, “Because unless everyone purchased it, there wouldn’t be enough money to subsidize the program.”

Respond: “That’s exactly right. It’s what Obama called “spreading the wealth around” and it’s socialism.”

If they still try to argue, dust off your shoes and walk away. They’re a hopeless progressive who gets what they deserve.

Tags: ACA, Affordable Healthcare Act, Barack, Healthcare, Obama, Obamacare, POTUS, President

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Categories FSP, Healthcare, POTUS

Obamacare a signature failure for president

24 Oct

Oct. 24, 2013 @ 06:33 AM

MARK CASERTA

The irony of politics is often too rich for words.

Despite a failed Republican offensive aimed at Obamacare, ultimately resulting in a government shutdown, it would seem the administration’s incompetence in managing the i mplementat ion of the president’s signature healthcare law is a much greater threat.

And now, the Affordable Care Act is self-destructing without any help from Republicans .

While the government’s website, “Healthcare.gov.” proclaims “The Health Insurance Marketplace is Now Open,” and despite the fact Obama and his liberal minions have had well over three years to prepare for open enrollment, reports indicate that enrollment has been one huge, embarrassing catastrophe.

The Washington Post reported the failure of the website is even worse than previously suspected: “Even when consumers have been able to sign up, insurers sometimes can’t tell who their new customers are because of a separate set of computer defects.” And large numbers of Obamacare applications reportedly didn’t provide enough verifiable information to enroll people in their plans.

Initial claims by the administration that problems were the result of “heavy traffic” also appear to be inaccurate. Computer experts say the problems with the site, which reportedly cost the taxpayers $634 million, are the result of structural flaws in the system’s architecture which could take months to repair.

So, the federal government expects Americans to trust them managing health care for millions of people, when it can’t even manage a simple website?

But problems loom way past the ineptitude of the website’s mechanics.

The Chicago Tribune, the president’s hometown paper, conducted an analysis last week on the costs of plans offered for that state’s residents .

According to the Tribune, “21 of the 22 lowest-priced plans offered on the Illinois health insurance exchange for Cook County have annual deductibles of more than $4,000 for an individual and $8,000 for family coverage. … Plans with the least expensive monthly premiums — highlighted by state and federal officials as proof the new law will keep costs low for consumers — have deductibles as high as $6,350 for individuals and $12,700 for families.” Even with federal subsidies, few Americans will bother to buy insurance with a $4,000 to $12,700 deductible. And millions won’t even be eligible for the subsidies.

Another indicator that Obamacare is “stumbling out of the gate” is the administration’s refusal to reveal sign-up rates. They claim they don’t know.

But a private-sector analysis showed that during the first week, less than 1 percent of those who entered the registration site actually enrolled. London’s Daily Mail reported that the total sign-ups during the opening week of enrollment were just 51,000 people.

The “fly in the buttermilk” for the president is, according to the Congressional Budget Office, he needs at least 7 million people to join the exchanges for Obamacare to be financially viable.

So, despite the stated original goal of providing “affordable healthcare” for all Americans, the Democrat’s revised goal is now “survival” of Obamacare.

Hindsight being 20/20, Republicans should now step back and begin illuminating the failures of what may be destined to become Barack Obama’s signature failure — Obamacare.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Tags: ACA, Affordable Healthcare Act, Barack, Healthcare, Obama, Obamacare, POTUS, President

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Categories FSP, Healthcare, POTUS

MOMENTUM IS CHANGING – TIME TO GET BACK ON MESSAGE

23 Oct

Only those more committed to preserving the legacy of Barack Hussein Obama than to the American people, would continue to deny that Obamacare is and always will be a failure. It was designed to fail in lieu of a single payer system.
Ask Harry Reid.
And I assure you, the very legacy of this “failed progressive experiment” is at stake.
So how far with Obama and his liberal minions go to preserve their legacy?
I predict, they will stop at nothing.
Failures are NEVER Obama’s fault. And successes are ALWAYS his.
True leaders accept responsibility and defer credit for wins to those below them. That’s Leadership 101. Anything less is a sign of insecurity.
Barack Obama is too insecure to be a leader.
He’s too arrogant to admit he’s wrong.
And I couldn’t care less if he was black, purple or green!
Failure has no color, only consequences.
Period.
The momentum is shifting. Winners close the win. There are no moral victories.
REPUBLICANS HAVE GOT TO GET BACK ON MESSAGE!!! Obamacare is self-destructing and now is the time to offer solutions!
Get to it! Now! Focus on ways to provide affordable insurance by allowing interstate commerce and by addressing tort reform.
Quit being stupid GOP.
There’s a hole so big a truck can drive through it. Call the play and take it in for the win.

Tags: Barack, Mitt Romney, Obama, POTUS, President

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Categories FSP, POTUS

THE CLOWARD – PIVEN – OBAMA STRATEGY

15 Oct

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/16/us/politics/congress-budget-debate.html?_r=0

Tags: Barack, Obama, POTUS, President

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Categories FSP, POTUS

OBAMACARE FUNDS ABORTION WITH YOUR TAXES

13 Oct

Obamacare funds 111,500 Abortions per Year with your Taxes. Take action!

The Obamacare (Un)Affordable Care Act has begun paying for an estimated 111,500 abortions per year with your tax dollars, reports National Review.

“An analysis by the Charlotte Lozier Institute published this week suggests that the number of abortions that will be heavily subsidized via federal premium tax credits and Medicaid expansion is likely to be between 71,000 and 111,500 per year. This approaches one in ten abortions performed in the United States.

“The number is split roughly 50-50 between abortions subsidized by Abortion-Subsidizing Plans in states that have not barred them from their exchanges and abortions newly reimbursable under Medicaid expansion in states that use their own taxpayer funds to underwrite them.

“Social conservatives are rightly alarmed about the impact of Obamacare on abortion subsidies and reimbursement.”

Watch! Dr. Chaps’ 7-minute commentary on why Obamacare pays for 111,500 abortions per year with your tax dollars–>

[Dr. Chaps’ comment: This is now the third way Obamacare funds abortion:

1. Section 18023 of the (Un)Affordable Care Act states: “Abortions for which public funding is allowed. The services described in this clause are abortions for which the expenditure of Federal funds appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services is permitted.”

2. The HHS Mandate authorized by Obamacare was enacted by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and forces Christian business owners (like Hobby Lobby’s Green family) to pay for abortions with their own private insurance dollars.

3. Now the Medicaid expansion listed above forces 1/2 of all state insurance plans to offer abortion service that will kill up to 111,500 children per year with YOUR taxes.

Isn’t abortion horrible enough without our tax money paying for it? Let’s defund Obamacare and petition Congress to hold the line:

SELECT HERE TO SIGN FAX PETITION, AND WE WILL FAX ALL 535 MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE AUTOMATICALLY (saving you time!) TO REPEAL OBAMACARE, STOP FUNDING ABORTION AND DEATH PANELS Free option here.

Ted Cruz’s dad: Obamacare includes Suicide Counseling

Senator Ted Cruz’s father, Pastor Rafael Cruz, ripped into the 25 “Republican in name only” senators who broke with his son’s budget brinksmanship, endorsing primary challenges against them, during a speech Friday night in Colorado, reports Politico.

In a speech in Colorado, the Republican senator’s dad (who fled Cuba as a teenager and now lives in a Dallas suburb), also said Obamacare “rationed” care for the elderly and includes “suicide counseling.”

If you have just 8 minutes, you really, really should watch here Pastor Rafael Cruz’ personal story about growing up under socialism in Cuba.

I attended the Cruz rally in Colorado Springs last weekend, and WOW was I inspired. [See Dr. Chaps and Pastor Rafael Cruz, pictured right–>]

Do you want free Obamacare? Move to Cuba.

Did you know Cuba gives free health care? But the cost of that socialism has bankrupted businesses, so the average salary in Cuba is $19 per month.

Socialism destroys businesses, and makes private heatlh care impossible to afford.

Congressman Todd Rokita (R-IN) now calls Obamacare the “Unaffordable Care Act.”

4.9 million working class Americans have lost their health insurance since President Obama took office. 83% of doctors consider quitting their practice because of Obamacare. $716 Billion has been taken away from Medicare (Senior Citizens who earned care) to fund Medicaid (young people who do not work) by Obamacare.

Obamacare became law without one Republican vote. Let the Democrats try to fund it without one Republican vote. Sign our petition today:

Boehner stands Firm. But how Soon will his Backbone turn to Jello?

I must admit I’m surprised by the courage and backbone recently shown by House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who did not yet cave in to fund Obamacare, despite President Obama’s threat to shut down the government on his radio show last weekend.

Speaker Boehner had been expected by many, right and left, to cave-in to the President’s threats and fund Obamacare, out of fear that Republicans would be blamed by the main stream media.

Yes, Republicans have been falsely blamed by the media, but No, it is not Boehner or Ted Cruz who shut it down. In truth, Republicans in the House voted 228 – 201 to pass a bill that funded the ENTIRE government, except Obamacare.

Harry Reid and all Democrat Senators shut down the government rather than defund Obamacare. Now Reid is offering budget conferees, in other words he will ask Democrats to actually pass and negotiate a real budget, which is their job that for years they failed to perform.

Watch! Dr. Alan Keyes’ breathtaking interview defending Personhood, defeating Obamacare, and why we must shut down funding of Planned Parenthood–>

Thanks to Senator Ted Cruz’s leadership, the Republicans could NOT cave in right away, and were forced by the American people’s support for Ted Cruz to stand firm.

For now.

But the countdown to compromise is on. How long can Boehner wait until he is entirely “villified” by the press? Actually such villification is a badge of honor. My respect for the Speaker grows, the longer he endures the slings and arrows of their outrage.

If you agree with me, that Obamacare should be defunded, sign our petition to Congress. Let’s demand Speaker Boehner keep his backbone.

21 Hours: Ted Cruz says he could have talked longer. Help him stop Obamacare!

The heroic Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) took an historic stand to defund Obamacare (which I call Obamasick, since socialism takes care away from more than it helps).

Cruz spoke Tuesday and Wednesday for 21 hours after his promise to speak on the Senate floor “until I am no longer able to stand” in opposition to President Obama’s health care law, reports WBIR. He could have gone longer, he said, but was stopped by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) in a procedural agreement.

The Senate then voted 100-0 to fund the government through 15 Nov, returning the debate to the House of Representatives.

“Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, have led the defund effort despite criticism from Senate Republicans who view their tactics as short-sighted because there is no chance of passage up against a Democratic-led Senate and Obama’s veto pen.

“Despite the Republican senators’ efforts, the chamber is on track to clear a key procedural hurdle Wednesday to ultimately advance a stopgap spending bill that leaves intact President Obama’s health care law.

“Filibusters stop people from voting, and we are going to vote tomorrow,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Tuesday. Cruz took to the Senate floor at 2:41 p.m. EST Tuesday (and was still speaking well after midnight Wednesday), but under Senate rules Reid will be able to hold a procedural vote to take up the stopgap spending bill around noon Wednesday no matter how long Cruz intends to speak.

“Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Reid, posted on Twitter that Cruz and Reid had pre-negotiated the terms of Cruz’s floor time.”

[Dr. Chaps’ comment: Friends, my sources say Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. John Cornyn, two Republican leaders, plan to vote to fund Obamacare and will NOT support Sen. Cruz. But if all Republican House members stand together, we can stop this funding cold.]

Let’s petition all 435 Congressmen to DEFUND Obamasick:

God Bless you, in Jesus’ name,

Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, PhD

P.S. Prefer to donate by mail? Please mail paper check or money orders to: The Pray In Jesus Name Project, PO Box 77077, Colorado Springs, CO 80970.

Tags: Abortion, ACA, Affordable Healthcare Act, Barack, Healthcare, Mitt Romney, Obama, Obamacare, POTUS, President

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Categories Abortion, FSP, Healthcare, POTUS

Mark Caserta: Pull plug on IRS’ role in Obamacare

12 Oct

Mark Caserta: Pull plug on IRS’ role in Obamacare

06/27/2013 – The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON – Open enrollment in our nation’s Health Insurance Marketplace begins Oct. 1, 2013. Yet many Americans still don’t realize the Internal Revenue Service will be the government’s enforcement arm for the Affordable Care Act.

The IRS has indeed been empowered to enforce Obamacare’s mandates, taxes, penalties, reporting and other administrative requirements relative to the president’s health care program.

And it certainly makes sense to charge the most controversial tentacle of government with oversight of what many have called the “largest tax increase in our nation’s history.”

Even U.S. Treasury officials acknowledge that huge problems lie ahead.

“It is unprecedented in recent history, the amount of responsibility the IRS is being given in an area that most people don’t think of as an IRS function,” Treasury inspector general J. Russell George told the House Appropriations Committee in March. “Americans will have more questions about their taxes because of health care penalties or credits, flooding already busy call-in and walk-in help centers. This is going to lead to problems, sir,” he testified.

But, it gets even better.

While IRS officials and Americans sort through the massive amounts of red tape and undiscovered consequences of the Affordable Care Act, who do you suppose will be at the helm collecting the revenues for the federal government?

Incredibly, the very same official who was in charge of the tax-exempt organizations during the period of time the IRS reportedly targeted tea party groups will now oversee the IRS office responsible for Obamacare.

Sarah Hall Ingram, who served as commissioner of the office responsible for vetting tax-exempt organizations between 2009 and 2012, is now the director of the IRS’ Affordable Care Act office, according to multiple sources.

Was this her reward for a job well-done?

Understand, these politically motivated policies took place in the years leading up to the 2012 election. Inordinately denying tax exemption status to groups considered antagonistic to Obama’s liberal agenda is, well, tyrannical in its scope and may have influenced the outcome of the presidential election.

The recent series of events have Republicans outraged.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has even introduced a bill, the “Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013,” which is aimed at prohibiting the IRS from enforcing the Affordable Care Act.

“Now more than ever, we need to prevent the IRS from having any role in Americans’ health care,” Cornyn stated. “I do not support Obamacare, and after the events of last week, I cannot support giving the IRS any more responsibility or taxpayer dollars to implement a broken law.”

Americans must carefully weigh the recent revelations of our government’s actions.

We’re now certain the government has been secretly accumulating personal information on a wide spectrum of Americans via internet technology.

We also know a powerful arm of the government has already been used to unfairly target segments of the population who disagree with the policies of the current administration.

Is this the president’s idea of “moving America forward”?

We should pull the plug on the IRS’ role in Obamacare, now — before it’s too late.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.