A little old (like me) exp. June གྷ

Since June of 2007, my check has been [2008-09-26]
cut in half thanks to MQ. This will be the last year in an apt I love but cannot afford so will be downsizing. Thankfully, working at home cuts down on gas. My car is leased and I will be turning that in in April and will buy a used car. I go out to dinner once a month now, if that. I rarely order out and if I do, it is because I made a few extra dollars and want to treat myself. I went on a budget plan for gas and electric. I have basic cable now. I lowered my cell phone plan to $22 a month with 64 minutes per month. I am trying to quit smoking. Being single, it is very hard as there is not another income to count on but I manage and am trying to come to terms that I can no longer live the type of lifestyle I had become accustomed to. I think it has impacted all of us in some way and it helps to know I am not alone. We just have to do the best we can with what we have. I feel bad for those with children as that must be very hard making ends meet.

A little old (like me) - exp. June གྷ [2008-02-11]
Okay, I'm only 34, but I feel a lot older! I've had the strips for awhile, but they are consistent in giving me about the same numbers. I will be scheduling with the doc soon, so we'll see. I'm at least being more careful and paying more attention now.

'Ima June Bugg' sounds like something you'd name [2008-01-30]
(Lots of registered Quarter Horses have names with Ima in front of them... i.e., 'Ima Scooter', 'Ima Real Star', etc.) Anyway, that's what came to mind when I read that name! ;)

Checks could be in taxpayer mailboxes by June, according to an Associated Press report. [2008-01-24]

What would you all do? My SIL is making my DH attend my nephew's HS grad in Texas this June...sm [2007-12-17]
We live in Illinois. He would be taking my youngest son with him also. The total cost of the trip for the two of them would easily be $2000 since my DH does not get paid for taking time off work. If he takes this trip that would mean no vacation for me or my other two kids next year since that She is insisting her only brother (DH) be there at the actual ceremony which is on a Tuesday evening. Then afterwards they plan on going out to dinner to celebrate - no party that would be it. I would rather we go the following week, drive the entire family and stay the week and celebrate the whole week with them. My son graduates high school in two years and I don We probably wouldn't have enough tickets for her anyway. DH doesnNo since she Do you think we are obligated to go to the ceremony? She has more than enough family members that live over there that could attend (grandparents, aunts, uncles, her other children). Thanks for any input.

This is the baby I want to buy. He was born in June - and is a teacup sm [2007-09-29]
Yorkie! If I can get him shipped, HE He will be as big as my Diet Dr. Pepper can! I LOVE these things...isn't he precious????

We usually go end June or early [2007-08-13]
July, but this year we waited until the first week of August and was already better on crowds!

Not until June 7th...Cant wait to have my girls home all day!! nm [2007-05-23]
x

Mid June near Phila nm [2007-05-22]
x

So, June Cleaver... what do you pack for lunch? [2007-03-29]
Finger sandwiches? Please. It is one meal of the day and kids would eat far worse if given lunch money. Now why don't you run along and iron your aprons or something :)

Oh, I would have dropped everything! Celebrating 15 years of marriage in June! [2006-11-15]

The school should know when graduation is - sm [2008-12-03]
contact them and inform the nephew of the date and the aunt.....and hope the graduation will be after the wedding or they may have a zillion excuses not to come as too busy with wedding stuff. Or ask the nephew just to have his wedding in June, or April. Good luck.

My husband is oblivious to our finances [2008-11-20]
Sometimes that It sounds like maybe your husband is too proud to tell his family that he can I I would suggest talking to the leader of his family, the person who hosts the get-togethers, and let them know that you do the finances and you just don It doesn I would certainly let your husband know that you are going to say something beforehand, but he doesn I For birthdays, we take the time to call and wish that person a happy birthday. We don My brother lives about 2 hours away, so we don Unless his family is loaded, I'm sure they'll understand. As for the glasses, I just took my son for new glasses yesterday. The eye doctor said he needs a new prescription, but I asked if just the lenses could be replaced and the frames reused. He said absolutely. Our insurance covers new frames, lenses and the exam, but my son has a tendency to break things at the most inopportune time. We just bought him these glasses in June because he broke them and according to the insurance, it wasn Now that he is eligible for everything new, we asked for just the lenses. If he breaks his frames later in the year, we can just get new frames (covered by insurance) and pop the lenses in. The only problem there would be is they discontinue his frames because the new lenses probably wouldn So, something to consider here is, if your stepchild needs a new prescription and already has glasses, then I would check with your lawyer to see if you can just buy new lenses for the current frames. The frames are what normally cost the most anyway.

They talked about this on The View for 2 days and [2008-11-14]
even to the point as to how they have sex and thatmake me sick, especially now that she/he is pregnant again and due in June! BW thinks she's doing the world a favor by doing this special report. The reasonit keptits female parts was to have kids. What gets me is they never heard of adoption? Why not adopt? Because they wanted to make money, that's why. I don't know how many times they pointed out that she is now a legal male on all records, SS#, birth (how'd they accomplish that?), marriage license, medical history, etc. If she/he is a legal male, she/he shouldn't have the reproductive organs. Period. I feel sorryfor the kids. They will be so confused because they are going to tell them as soon as they to speak and/or understand. This world is going to h---- in a handbasket.

CDC & Gardasil.....sm [2008-11-12]
I was reading the posts below about the vaccine as I had been considering it for my daughter. I looked it up on the CDC website. They deemed it safe and effective. And I do agree with one of the posters, it should be the parent/daughter Not the state It Here I did leave out a few small paragraphs so this post wouldn't be excessively long but if you'd like to go to the site here's the address: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/vaers/gardasil.htm Reports of Health Concerns Following HPV Vaccination HPV Vaccine Safety The safety of the HPV vaccine was studied in 7 clinical trials before it was licensed. There were over 21,000 girls and women ages 9 through 26 in these clinical trials. As of August 31, 2008, there have been 10,326 VAERS reports of adverse events following Gardasil vaccination in the United States. Of these reports, 94% were reports of events considered to be non-serious, and 6% were reports of events considered to be serious. Based on all of the information we have today, CDC and FDA have determined that Gardasil is safe to use and effective in preventing 4 types of HPV. As with all approved vaccines, CDC and FDA will continue to closely monitor the safety of Gardasil. Any problems detected with this vaccine will be reported to health officials, healthcare providers, and the public, and needed action will be taken to ensure the public's health and safety. Non-serious adverse event reports The vast majority (94%) of the adverse events reports following Gardasil have been non-serious. Reports of non-serious adverse events after Gardasil vaccination have included fainting, pain and swelling at the injection site (the arm), headache, nausea and fever. Fainting is common after injections and vaccinations, especially in adolescents. Falls after fainting may sometimes cause serious injuries, such as head injuries, which can be easily prevented by keeping the vaccinated person seated for up to 15 minutes after vaccination. Serious adverse event reports All serious reports (6%) for Gardasil have been carefully analyzed by medical experts. Experts have not found a common medical pattern to the reports of serious adverse events reported for Gardasil that would suggest that they were caused by the vaccine. The following is a summary of the serious adverse event reports that were submitted to VAERS between June 8, 2006 and August 31, 2008.

nursing home decision [2008-11-09]
I am living this as we speak. My father died in March of 2007. My mother became bedridden in June 2007. I had hospice come in to assist, Home Health and Hospice to be exact, and they are wonderful. They actually have their own private nursing home-type facility in the next town over. With hospice, on an occasional basis and when a bed is available, they offer the caregiver a 5-day respite at their facility. After momma went for the first time she was offered a bed there and I immediately accepted. The facility is very small and only for the 3HC clientele, with only 12 private rooms divided into 2 sides - one side with 6 beds for the terminal clients and one side with 6 beds for residential clients. Momma was able to stay on the residential side for 7 months; however, her condition was stable and Medicare would no longer pay the fee. Momma came home after that and I have again been her primary caregiver since January of this year. She is contractured, bedridden, and rarely speaks or opens her eyes. I do have a sitter that works during the daytime hours M-F so that I can actually work, run errands when I need to, and get the kids to and from school because otherwise I cannot leave the house at all because momma cannot be left alone. I feel blessed to have found this line of work not quite 6 years ago. I have a 4-1/2 year old and a 6 year old and momma to care for so working from home has been a lifesaver. I, too, made the promise to momma that I would not put her in a nursing home and I will stand by that. Itcare most of the public places provide. It's a tough decision to make - even tougher if there aren't funds available like there are in our case (thanks to my great daddy) to pay for the sitter to come in and assist. But when the sitter isn't here, the kids and I must be. For the most part they understand, but sometimes they really just want to go somewhere or to the park or to McDonalds and we just can't do it. It's a huge personal sacrifice for your entire family to make to keep a parent at home. The decision isn't always just personal, though. It can be financial, too. You will make the right decision for whatever your situation is. Whatever you decide to do, just know that your parent respects you enough to make that decision for them and that they love you. Best of luck to you honey... hugzzzzz

I think there is some truth to this [2008-10-02]
If a young man is very close to his mother, and he looks to her as an example for what women are like, then yes it is possible they look for a girl like Mom, especially if she is a good cook. However, my daughter told my son that the June Cleaver's, from Leave it To Beaver, are about gone, and the girls from this generation are very different. My son was used to my keeping my house clean, having meals at the dinner table at night, chauffering them to their activities, staying up at night and helping with school projects, working 2 jobs to make ends meet, and being a single parent, and I raised my sons and daughters to think that a job was not a dirty word and they needed to help out too. It is funny though that the girl that my son married is similar in appearance to me, but she does not cook, nor does she clean, but she is a good mother and manager of their finances. My son said the other day that he longs for a home-cooked meal at anytime, and wishes I lived closer, although he has gotten to be a good cook.

They all get deployed... [2008-09-24]
My daughter just joined the AF last December. Finished BT and tech school in June. She is getting deployed Christmas day. She has an environmental job, was told during MEPS, etc. that she would likely never get deployed. They lie. Thankfully she is getting deployed to some AF base near Dubai, not in a war zone, so I can sleep at night. I think deployment is 167 days or something like that. Anyway.... take anything the recruiter says with a grain of salt. They lied to my daughter about a lot of things - BUT - she absolutely loves the AF, loves her job, and I think she made a good decision. Try to support your son if you think his reasons are good for wanting to join, let him do it and hope for the best. :)

camping [2008-09-19]
If camping sounds okay to you try going to floridacamping.com as they have the amenities you can choose from and an area map so you can see where you might like to stay. We just had a vacation to the Destin/Panama Beach area in June and it wasn There is a camping site in Panama Beach and I think it is called Campers Inn. They were across the street from the beach, but had direct beach access. Enjoy planning your trip!

vanishing keyboards [2008-08-27]
As a 35+ year MT, I am distraught at the speed with which a new keyboard loses its letters. In mid June I bought a new MS ergonomic keyboard and today (8/26) I returned it with 9 letters completely rubbed off. Of course I am a touch typist, but occasionally one needs to look down to re-orient oneself. Occasionally the fingers get placed on the wrong keys and your copy looks like goobledy gook, but really! Is there anyone out there who knows of a keyboard brand with engraved letters or at least decals that are affixed to the degree that they will last at least a year?

Another thank you - sm [2008-08-18]
Yes, I intend to stay on a low-carb diet forever. My metabolism is sluggish and this is the only way I can lose and keep the weight off. The tradeoff for better health is so very much worth it. I had a total knee replacement on June 10th and the weight I have lost has helped my recovery so much. Glad to hear that the ketosis will pass. I did some googling and decided that I can handle this by eating an occasional higher fat meal and some carbs. I will check with my doctor, but my health status (as checked prior to my surgery) is very good. Thank you again.

Life was fun up until about age 8, [2008-08-17]
and then it started getting more complicated. From those early years I remember wonderful summer nights in Wisconsin with the windows open and cool breezes coming in, the June bugs hitting the screens, summer pajamas. I remember riding bikes and pretending they were horses. I remember shopping for fall clothes when we were lucky enough to get some instead of having them all hand-made from ugly Jiffy patterns. I remember the WI State Fair and winning 3rd and then 2nd prize in the twin contest there. I remember vacationing in cottages in Vermont when I was 4. I remember climbing our maple trees and being about 50 feet high and that was a normal thing to do. I remember my first kiss from a boy when I was 3 and he was 2. He tried to talk me into walking down the sidewalk to watch a store being constructed and I had to explain my mom wouldn't let me do that. From later years I remember good times camping with the girlscouts and the time we found a secret place to go near our house where there was a grove of sumacs you could sit under to get away from the world.

Appendectomy [2008-06-03]
Wow ... my last message got really messed up some how. I'm having my appendix removed this Friday (June 6th) and am still taking liquid Lortab. Do I need to stop this prior to surgery? Kind of a stupid question I know but I just want to be sure. TIA! Amanda

tax incentive [2008-05-28]
If you used Turbo Tax (as I did) or any other tax software that required a fee to be taken out of your return in order to receive your refund, then you will not get your money via electronic deposit, and you won't get it when you thought you would. It will be a check via snail mail and probably will come in late June. I had the same problem and just got an email from Turbo Tax a few weeks ago to let me know that I would not be getting my extra tax stimulus check as soon as I thought I would. Not cool huh!!

Ah HA! Went to Turbo Tax's web site; that's why I haven't gotten mine yet. [2008-05-14]
Now I know it Thanks for posting this!

schedule for lynn [2008-05-03]
http://www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=180250,00.html DIRECT DEPOSIT Last two SSN digits: Payments will be transmitted no later than: 00 through 20 May 2 21 through 75 May 9 76 through 99 May 16 Paper checks will also go out based on Social Security number. For Social Security numbers ending in 00 through 09, the paper checks will be mailed starting May 9 and will continue through May 16. A similar process will be repeated in the following weeks. PAPER CHECK Last two SSN digits: Payments will be mailed no later than: 00 through 09 May 16 10 through 18 May 23 19 through 25 May 30 26 through 38 June 6 39 through 51 June 13 52 through 63 June 20 64 through 75 June 27 76 through 87 July 4 88 through 99 July 11 People who file a return after April 15 will receive their economic stimulus payment, but probably later than the schedule shows. A return must be filed by October 15 in order to receive a stimulus payment this year. See the online calculator for an estimate of the amount you will receive. A small percentage of tax returns will require additional time to process and to compute a stimulus payment amount. For these returns, stimulus payments may not be issued in accordance with the schedule above, even if the tax return was processed by April 15. Related Items: IR-2008-66, Economic Stimulus Payments on the Way; Some People Will See Direct Deposit Payments Today IR-2008-44, IRS Announces Economic Stimulus Payment Schedules, Provides Online Payment Calculator Return to Economic Stimulus Payment Information Center

My mom and I are going to a craft show tomorrow... [2008-05-02]
and then my husband and I are taking the kids to Myrtle Beach in the middle of June...

schedule [2008-04-28]
Direct deposit payment Last 2 Digits of SSN Date Direct Deposit Will Take Place 00-20 April 28 21-75 May 5 76-99 May 12 Paper check Last 2 Digits of SSN Date Check Will Be Sent 00-09 May 9 10-18 May 16 19-25 May 23 26-38 May 30 39-51 June 6 52-63 June 13 64-75 June 20 76-87 June 27 88-99 July 4

here's what I just found [2008-04-28]
Rebate delivery schedule Direct-deposit payment All sent by May 2 Paper check If the last two digits of your Social Security number are: Your tax rebate check should be in the mail by: 00-09 May 9 10-18 May 23 19-25 May 30 26-38 June 6 39-51 June 13 52-63 June 20 64-75 June 27 76-87 July 4 88-99 July 11

I saw that too, but I have a different strategy sm [2008-04-26]
Most people go to the store with a list of what they WANT and think they NEED. I have about 4 things on my list ever, usually TP and something like ketchup I am out of. Other than that, I buy loss leaders. That is, the specials for that week. If it is carrots, potatoes and Fuji apples one week, that is what I buy and eat. If frozen veg is cheaper than I have seen it in 6 months, I buy that and eat it. I might WANT potatoes in June when they are awful and high priced, but I don There has been a run on cauliflower lately, cheap cheap so I am eating a lot of that and it isn Canned veg and beans are purchased from Wal-Mart on a once every 3 months basis. If they are on special at the grocery and the price is comparable to Wallys, I buy more. If isn While I know that eggs are $3 a dozen and milk is $5 a gallon, I don My food bill has not gone up one bit and it isn I have the same food budget I have had for 5 or 6 years and I am still not spending it all.

Here in Oregon $3.48 and above... [2008-04-22]
and it has been high for quite a long time. My Explorer takes about $65 to fill, which is not too bad,andmy husbandfills up at about$35, also pretty reasonable. Iwas in line behind a Suburban the other day and it topped out at over $90. We are driving cross country in 3 weeks; good thing we have cash saved up for the gas bill we will get in June!

Excellent suggestion on the dentist [2008-04-10]
He has a cleaning scheduled in June (the soonest we could get him in without missing school) and at 17 he has never had a cavity. Well, the last time he was there was about 8 months ago so he was 16 then if we want to get technical. LOL! Whew, I finally slept last night. Definitely starting to feel a bit better, but I did make his fav. dinner last night, lasagna, and while he ate just fine, normally there are very few leftovers and not even half was eaten. DD suddenly decided yesterday she no longer likes lasagna so all she ate was salad and bread. I know my radar is up now and I will be picking everything apart. Watching what he eats, if he goes to the bathroom shortly after eating, etc. Even though this has been tough, I put my parents through so much more. I really owe them an apology.

We grew up going to the same church [2008-04-08]
until we were about 11 or so. He moved and I didn't see him again until my senior year of school when he moved back into our home town. He looked me up and we started dating. We got married when I graduated high school and we will have been married for 36 years in June of this year. I was 19 and he was 21.

We met in the service in Germany [2008-04-08]
I was stationed in Germany and about a year later he was assigned to my unit. He was very very handsome and very mysterious. We didn't date (or even really speak much of maybe 5 words to each other) until end of June of 82 and July 15 we took a train to Denmark and got married. Shocked the you know what out of our families. This July is our 26th Anniversary.

I worked at a grocery-type store and he delivered chips there... [2008-04-08]
He is 5-1/2 years older than me so I figured he was to old--LOL..Plus, I had a boyfriend at the time. But I broke up with my boyfriend, and my husband and I have been together for 11 years in July, married for 7 years in June...

In many areas they also get free water too [2008-04-03]
Also even tho they don't pay property taxes they get the sevices of police & fire protection and possibly trash pickup! I found this - it's from Oct 11, 2006. Interesting read! Not so Separate Church and State�Should Christian Organizations Get Breaks from the Government? The New York Times this week has run a series of interesting articles by Diana B. Hendriques about the ever decreasing size of the wall between church and state in a variety of matters. This particular blog will try to digest the evidence she presents. Here first are links to several of the articles http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/business/08religious.html?_r=2&pagewanted=6&th&emc=th&oref=slogin http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/09/business/09religious.html?th&emc=th http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/10/business/10religious.html?th&emc=th http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/11/business/11religious.html?th&emc=th Take first the issue of Christian Day Care Schools. In many state they do not have to be run to the same standards nor have the same inspections as state run Day Care centers. For example a state run center in Alabama must: 1) have regular training for its staff; 2) submit to regular on-site inspections; 3) have a lock and key for the medicine cabinet; 4) have two sinks only one of which can be for food preparation; 4) have a license; 5) comply with the civil rights laws in regard to hiring; 6) file a report with the IRS of donations and grants to the center. None of these restrictions apply to the Church of God Day Care Center in Auburn Alabama or for that matter other such Christian Day Care Centers. One of the things that came as a surprise to me in reading the articles is that while some such exemptions are of long standing, many of these sorts of exemptions have been created in the last fifteen years. In fact, there has been a growing trend of such exemptions in the last decade or two--- more than 200 laws have been created since 1989 of this sort in a wide variety of states. One professor from Emory has bemoaned the changes in the laws and says that separation of church and state is no longer the law of our land�instead we have what he calls �religious affirmation action programs�. And what is especially telling is that it is low church Protestants who formerly screamed loudest about separation of church and state who are now taking full advantage of such new laws, while still preaching that the government is a menace to and is endangering the separation of church and state rules. What�s up with that? The timing of these new breaks in the law is especially propitious since the church is going more and more into non-traditional styles of �ministry�--- ranging from ice cream parlors to beauty salons to athletic facilities to funeral homes to day care centers to bookstores! Churches get property tax breaks, and lee way in using their land to a degree that other organizations can only envy. Here�s one telling sentence from the first of these articles which appeared in Sunday�s paper--- �In recent years, a church-run fitness center with a tanning bed and video arcade in Minnesota, a biblical theme park in Florida, a ministry�s 1,800-acre training retreat and conference center in Michigan, religious broadcasters� transmission towers in Washington State, and housing for teachers at church-run schools in Alaska have all been granted tax breaks by local officials � or, when they balked, by the courts or state legislators.� Of course all these facilities have city water, city trash service, city fire and police protection and so on�they just don�t have to pay the taxes which pay for them. In some cases, it is right to ask are all of these exemptions given to activities that are 1) not for profit; 2) could be called charitable activities that benefit the whole community and the like? It is easier to answer this question when it comes to soup kitchens open to all, drug rehab centers open to all, clothing and shelter services open to all. For example, my church runs a �Room at the Inn� service for the homeless several nights a month. These sorts of services do indeed benefit the whole community and are a public service. But some of these perks seem to go well beyond the intent of First Amendment which of course says that Congress shall make no law in regard to the free establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. In what way is freedom of religion at issue in the establishment of a Christian beauty parlor? Inquiring minds want to know. When you discover tax exempt Christian old folk�s homes that are raking in huge sums of money, do not take the poor or indigent, and bleed dry every last resource of various old people, you have to say--- THIS IS NOT A CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION. And then there is the issue not just of tax and land use breaks, but the actual garnering of federal grants. You will be interested to know that this growing trend began with Bill Clinton in 1996. There are now federal grants and contracts that churches can regularly apply for. Just another example of everyone�s tax dollars at work. Is it really true, by and large that radical courts have been gutting our religious freedoms, or would it be fairer to say that the courts have not done this, indeed quite the opposite in the last fifteen years, but it has become more particular about the public display of religious things on public property? It seems to me that the latter is nearer the actual truth. Lets consider another aspect of the separation issue�employees of religious institutions. Many of them have few if any legal rights when it comes to their employment. They can be dismissed without due process or proper cause. Take for instance the story of Mary Rosati. She was a novice in training in an order of nuns in Toledo. One day she went to the doctor with her Mother Superior and discovered she had breast cancer and that it was serious. The Mother Superior then announced� We will have to let her go. I don�t think we can take care of her.� (not a religious ground for dismissal. Indeed one might say that dismissal for that reason goes against the religious teaching of Jesus). Some months later Ms. Rosati was told that she was being let go because the Mother Superior and her council had concluded she was not called to be a part of the order (a religious opinion). Mary Rosati lost her health insurance in them midst of battling cancer, and still has none. Now if it had been a secular employer, Mary Rosati could have taken the matter to court and won on the basis of the American with Disabilities Act. But when Ms. Rosati went to court, the case was dismissed as an �ecclesiastical� matter which was beyond the court�s jurisdiction and indeed outside the Americans with Disabilities Act. Bottom line�here we have a Christian organization trying to selfishly protect itself, at the expense of one of its own noviates. In short, the law, or lack of a law, allows Christians to behave badly towards their employees. And there are many similar tales I could tell. Take the case of Lynette Petruska, who was a chaplain at Gannon University, a Catholic school in Erie Pa. In fact she was its first female chaplain. During her brief three year tenure in this job, she apparently did her work too well. She refused to co-operate in the cover up the sexual misconduct of a senior official at the school, she refused to support the slackening of restrictions in regard to on campus rules about sexual harassment, and she was demoted and then in essence force out. Here was a woman who went through 16 years of Catholic education, was very supportive of her institution she was serving at, thought that Christian ethics should especially apply there, and probably lost her job for it. Two years have come and gone, and no court so far will touch the case because of �separation of church and state�, even though Rev. Gannon says that her superior acknowledged he was demoting her because she was a woman. Or I could tell you the story of the 73 year old United Methodist minister who was forced to retire from his church in Stony Brook even though he wanted to keep serving as did his church, but he bumped into the mandatory retirement rule of our denomination. He has sued, to no avail thus far. Does age discrimination have a place in the Christian workplace? Perhaps we don�t want the state to police the church for us, but in that case, should we not be policing ourselves? Should we not set up some sort of ecclesiastical court system for all genuine Christian denominations that such people could appeal to? Couldn�t we have an accountability system for Christian colleges and institutions? Something with some clout like the Evangelical Financial Accountability organization? But there are other issues as well. In June of this year, Governor Jeb Bush signed a piece of legislation into law which exempted �the Holy Land Experience� from paying $300,000 a year in back taxes for the last five years. Seems this �Christian business� has been raking in the dough. Now I have been to this Christian theme park. It�s o.k., but it has its hokey dimensions, and it certainly isn�t a charity. It�s a for profit organization that benefits from land use laws, property laws, and tax exemption as if it were a church. Only its not�it�s a business, a theme park, only a few miles from Disneyworld and other theme parks. It cost $35 for adults and $23 fir children to get in. Charity is not the word that comes to mind. Nor is it providing any public service of a social nature at least (it is providing some dubious Biblical interpretation). I don�t have a problem with them being a business�but shouldn�t they be paying for city water, lights, streets, fire and police services, like any other business? Inquiring minds want to know. If we look at the issue of laws invoking or ruling on the separation of church and state issue two things seem clear. They were far stricter in the mid 70s than they are today, Secondly, we cannot claim that this change is due solely to the growing political influence of the Republican religious right. In fact it has come about because Christians who are both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, the Senate, and the White House have been in favor of doing more that weakens the separation of church and state provisions. Now none of this crosses the line such that we could claim that the government is establishing or prohibition a particular religion. After all, Moslems, Jews, Hindus and others are also benefiting from these laws. But as it stands the government, both federal, state, and local is now in effect fighting secularism on its own by passing such laws. Which brings me to a point and some final questions. I haven�t even touched the fact that clergy can opt out of Social Security and get housing allowance breaks with the IRS. There is incredible scope to the amount of privileges granted in the name of religion by various levels of our government. QUESTION ONE--- IS IT TRUE OR FALSE THAT OUR GOVERNMENT IS ANTI-CHRISTIAN? I don�t really see how we can claim it is true in any global or comprehensive sense if one looks at the trail of legislation. QUESTION TWO�DO WE CARE IF THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE HAS BEEN ERODED IN SOME RESPECTS, AND STRENGTHEN BY EXEMPTIONS IN OTHERS? It certainly seems that even many traditional Christian separatists care less and less about this. QUESTION THREE�DO WE WANT THE GOVERNMENT HELPING US THRIVE IN BUSINESS, AND EXTEND THE SOCIAL GOSPEL IN VARIOUS WAYS? I don�t particularly see the latter as at all a bad thing, since it has some wide public benefit and does not amount to the establishment of religion in the doctrinal sense. As for the former, I have some questions. QUESTION FOUR--- IF ALL THIS IS TRUE, IS THE CLAIM OF INCREASING LIBERALISM AND SECULARISM IN OUR CULTURE SIMPLY FALSE? Yes I think this is largely true on the latter issue (secularism). We are a profoundly religious people, its just not as much Christian religion as it used to be. As for the former question, I think the answer is yes and no depending on the issue. If you look at the way the nation votes as a barometer, the answer is that since 2000 signs point definitely towards no.