“Shining City Upon the Hill”

Ronald Reagan inspired me with his speeches. None excited me more than the image he painted of the “Shining City Upon the Hill.” My heart swelled with pride as I envisioned our great country pictured as a beacon of hope and opportunity.

Barack Obama inspires me also; to move to Australia. He is chipping away at the concept of the shining city as rapidly as he can. He has employed several czars (32 to be accurate) to change policy in every conceptual institution that the shining city is built upon.

I sat in church this weekend and listened to a great priest who was “begging.”  His job was to travel from parish to parish around the country and tell the story of homeless babies in the Caribbean countries like Haiti, and in South America where a million children a year starve to death. The organization is called “Food For the Poor.” They are a volunteer organization. With their efficiencies in place, 96% of the money collected is converted to food and necessities. I thought to myself, what a great bunch of people to create and run such an effort. As I sat and thought about what they do, and what my pledge will be, I began to wonder what future the kids who are being saved from starvation will grow into.  Currently, I don’t see the government of  Haiti providing for their own. Yet, I bet the leaders of the country all live in some opulent housing and are not starving as their people are.  They do depend on “Food For The Poor” and similar organizations to do it for them. What is that government doing to create the “Shining City Upon the Hill,” for their children?

Here in America, I see the new government spewing rhetoric about the need to re-distribute the wealth. Who will they re-distribute it to? Like in Haiti, I see our own leaders living in opulent housing, being driven by chauffeurs in very nice bullet proof sedans,  to even more opulent dinners. While we the tax payers sit in squalor waiting to be thrown a bone. I see the leaders tearing down the fabric of the Shining City to make life for the masses so much harder. I see tax dollars going into government departments that do not have a ninety-six percent efficiency, but less than fifty percent efficiency. In the meantime the number of  fat-cat government positions  increase and they  become the recipients of the re-distribution. 

Come to think of it, I’ve never heard  Barack Obama’s vision for his country, have you?

POTUS and His Army of Czars

Great Odds, Big Prize

Lions Logo
Lions Logo

In nineteen forty, a small group of men chatted over a beer. The subject was how to make a difference with their lives. One had heard of Lions Clubs, and suggested that they form a club in their town of Frankfort, Illinois. By the spring of nineteen forty-one they chartered the Frankfort Lions Club, and adopted the Lions motto “We Serve.” Over the years, the club grew to have more than a hundred members. Their primary mission was directed toward helping people with blindness and vision problems. It remains the focus of the club to this day.

The club required funds to serve the growing needs of the community. Again, they discussed the matter over a few beers, and the idea came to them to hold a raffle. Members brain-stormed a formula for raising money that has served them well for the last twenty six years. It was simple, Lions sell tickets for twenty dollars apiece, but limit sales to two thousand. The idea grew. Why not rent the entertainment tent for a dance on the Thursday before the Frankfort Fall Festival begins? They would serve beer, food, and hire a band. A single sweeps-ticket will allow a couple to enter. On that night, Lions, friends, and neighbors fill the tent. They dance, listen to the lively music, or just socialize. The grand finale is the draw of the winning tickets.

Initially, first prize was a new car, but inflation took over, and cars became too expensive. First prize is now ten thousand dollars in cash, with thirty-one hundred and fifty dollars of additional prizes. Lions continue to limit the ticket sales to two thousand. It makes the odds of winning good. The sales effort is more challenging because the club membership is down to forty. The decrease in members is typical of service clubs around the United States. In spite of fewer members, and the reduced value of the dollar cutting the charities budget, the Frankfort Lions Club continues to “Serve.” Please help support by participating in the “27th Annual Charities Sweepstakes Dance,” Thursday, August 28, 2008.

For more information on where to buy tickets visit our website at http://www.frankfortlionsclub.com