Why You May Retire in Poverty

We already know the statistics....the average 50 year old in America has less than $10,000 put away to care for themselves in retirement.  But when you ask these folks when they plan on retiring, most of them will still tell you they are planning on 65.  If you go further and ask how that could be, they will shrug and say, "Well, by then I'll have Social Security and Medicare....so...."

Can you see a massive train wreck coming??

Today's seniors are more affluent than the general population. But the generations that follow them - starting with the baby boom generation - will not be as fortunate. The decline of pensions, the erosion of Social Security and the housing crash all are pointing toward a new crisis of poverty among lower- and middle-class seniors in the years ahead.

Social Security and pensions, in particular, have been the two most important factors in keeping seniors out of poverty for decades. Both provide reliable, guaranteed income sources for life. And home equity has been an important fall-back source of assets that can be tapped in retirement. That is because seniors typically have more equity built up in their homes than younger homeowners and carry less debt into retirement.

Indeed, the poverty rate for seniors in 2010 (the most recent year available) was just 9 percent, compared with 15 percent for the general U.S. population.

But the economic safety net is fraying quickly.

As recently as 1998, 52 percent of Americans over age 60 received income from a defined benefit pension, according to a new study by the National Institute on Retirement Security (NIRS). By 2010, that figure had fallen to 43 percent. In the private sector, the decline has been more dramatic - down from 38 percent in 1979 to 15 percent in 2010.

The erosion is continuing, with automotive giants General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co announcing plans to terminate pension plans for hundreds of thousands of retirees, and public sector plans facing financial pressure to increase funding levels and curtail benefits.

Here;  http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/07/us-column-miller-poverty-idUSBRE8760VW20120807?envprodusx=0

Yes friends, the economic safety net IS fraying quickly.  When SS was put on the books it was NEVER meant to be a living pension...it was supposed to buy you a few years worth of soup so you could die with some broth in your stomach.  And even after the program was expanded it was originally sold as just one leg of a three-legged stool....pensions and personal savings were supposed to be the other equal legs.

But now even the lucky few who have pensions may see that leg disappear too.  As the paragraph above mentions...GM and Ford are planning on terminating pension plans for hundreds of thousands of retirees...and the pension plans left in the public and private sectors are becoming so underfunded because of 0% returns over the past 10 years that many of those will probably roll up too.

So...let's review...no pensions, little or no savings and SS is already well on the path to insolvency.  I think that just about takes care of the three legged stool plan.

In the olden days, parents had 6-8 kids in hopes that some of the kids would make it into old age to help care for their parents.  But of course at some point, kids became too expensive and the government added a bunch of social programs...so having a bunch of kids changed from being a blessing from God and morphed into simply having one or two just for the experience.

Newsflash; one or two kids can't financially support one or two parents.  Even worse, the kids aren't saving any money and are barely scrapping by themselves, so in what alternate universe does this make and financial sense?

Now here is the final nail in the coffin;  Nursing homes cost on average over $6000 per month!  And the chances are good that either mother or father will spend some time in a home.

Put a fork in it....this thing is done.

Only Jesus can save us now.  The schemes of men are starting to to fray.

Thank you Jesus that you have been working on our eternal homes because our earthly homes may not be in such good shape for too much longer.

North Korea to Test More Nukes

Remember when the crazy leader of North Korea was Kim Jong Il? (aka; Gopher in a pant suit)  Well, unless you have been sound asleep for the past months, you are fully aware that the Gopher died rather unexpectedly, and he left his strange little kingdom to his son, Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jon Un doesn't wear pantsuits, but he is a chubby, little man who most likely has 'small, man's syndrome'....AND he recently got married to a rather good looking woman. 

Now let's pause for a moment and think about how that engagement happened; "The Great Leader, Kim Jong Un, has required you to marry him, love him, sex him and worship him.  If you refuse, you and all your family will be starved to death in a concentration camp.  What do you say to the Leader's generous request?"

Ok...back to our story.  The Baby Gopher has some big shoes to fill and he also has a woman to impress....so what's a guy to do?  How about pop off a few nuclear weapons to impress the ladies and a show the world what a big man you are?  Yeah baby!!!

(Newser) – Just two weeks from now, North Korea could be ready for its first nuclear test since 2009, experts find in a study. In satellite photos, Pyongyang appears to have a tunnel prepared to handle such an explosion, which could help leaders save face after a failed missile launch, according to South Korea. The tunnel "apparently has been under construction since 2009 and significant activity was reported at the tunnel site after the failed April space launch," the study notes. It would be the first test under Kim Jong Un, Bloomberg notes.
                                                          

The regime could test two nuclear explosions, one using plutonium and the other uranium, the study found. "Two detonations will yield much more technical information than one, and they will be no more damaging politically than if North Korea conducted a single test." Tests would bring the country closer to adding nuclear warheads to its arsenal, the US-based authors write, calling the resumption of six-party talks "imperative."

Here;  http://www.newser.com/story/151803/north-korea-could-test-nukes-within-weeks-study.html

Hey, here is a good idea for a stable world....let's let Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Hezbollah, Hamas, Egypt, Iraq and Al Qaida all have access to nuclear weapons.  Of course the liberals tell us that they would never use them because they know they would get in lots of trouble if they did.

Those silly liberals...they started reading fairy tales at a really young age...and now they simply can't shake those fairy dreams from their heads.

"Someones crying lord....kum ba yah...someones hurting lord...kum ba yah..someone needs a hug now lord...kum ba yah...o lord kum ba yah."

Iranian Attack BEFORE the Election

The rumors continue to come that Israel needs to do something about Iran before the U.S. elections.  They simply don't trust Obama to be their supporters IF he is re-elected in November.  However, Obama would be FORCED to support Israel's military intervention if he hoped to be re-elected.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s prime minister and defense minister would like to attack Iran’s nuclear sites before the U.S. election in November but lack crucial support within their cabinet and military, an Israeli newspaper said on Friday.

The front-page report in the biggest-selling daily Yedioth Ahronoth came amid mounting speculation — fuelled by media leaks from both the government and its detractors at home and abroad — that war with Iran could be imminent even though it might rupture the bedrock ties between Israel and the United States.

“Were it up to Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak, an Israeli military strike on the nuclear facilities in Iran would take place in the coming autumn months, before the November election in the United States,” Yedioth said in the article by its two senior commentators, which appeared to draw on discussions with the defense minister but included no direct quotes.

But U.S. President Barack Obama, seeking re-election in November, has counseled against what he would deem premature Israeli unilateralism. He recently sent top officials to try to close ranks with the conservative Netanyahu.

Obama’s Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, an old friend of Netanyahu who casts himself as a more reliable bulwark for Israeli security, also visited Jerusalem last month.

The Yedioth article said, without citing sources, that some government advisers in Israel and the United States believed a pre-November strike might “embarrass Obama and contribute to Romney‮‮‮‮‮‮’‬‬‬‬‬‬‎s chances of being elected.”

Here;  http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/08/10/israeli-newspaper-says-pm-defence-minister-want-to-attack-irans-before-u-s-election/

There are a few different angles to look at here....either it would embarrass Obama and contribute to Romney election (who is a good friend of Netanyahu) and/or it would force Obama's hand to support Israeli attack because he NEEDS the Jewish vote to be re-elected.

And if you put both of those together...it makes for some good reasons to attempt the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities, and shatter it's nuclear intentions.

Let's remember to be in prayer for Israel's leaders.  They have a BIG DECISION on the table.

Feel the Hate

A friend of mine works at a company that does painting inside and outside of houses.  She emailed me a "problem" that recently came up at her company...sent via email.

The email had a picture taken from a cell phone.  In the picture, you could see the words, "Jesus loves you!"  However the love had been substituted by the picture of a heart...so it was "Jesus (heart)'s you!"  These words were obviously drawn by someones finger in the dust of the counter top inside the house they were painting.

This text from the homeowner accompanied the photo he had taken of these words which he sent to the company manager;

Jim,

I was not pleased to find "Jesus [heart]'s you" written in the dust of our home when I arrived home from work this evening.

I find this act terribly offensive. I'm not sure if you can find out who is responsible, but I don't want them in my home ever again.

Tom

Ever again!!  Really??  With all the shootings, raping, drug crimes, murders, etc...and this dude is so offended he wants the painter banned from his house FOREVER?!?!

I don't know if it has anything to do with it...but the homeowners appeared to be two gay men.  Even so, I simply can't imagine being so offended by an expression of love....but let's remember some of what the Master told us about hatred.

Luke 21:17
Everyone will hate you because of me.

John 15:18
[ The World Hates the Disciples ] “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

John 15:19
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

Mark 13:13
Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

Now pay close attention to these next words spoken by Jesus and reflect on the man who took the picture and complained;

John 15:23
Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.

Wow!  This man was SO OFFENDED by the name of Jesus.  It makes you wonder if he hates Jesus and everything that Jesus said?  If so, then we can assume that he also hates God.

How sad!  God gave him life, breath and also gave him a house TO BE PAINTED....and he hates God.

Man is in rebellion.  We need to pray for these people even when they do hate us, persecute us and wish us harm or want us fired from jobs.  The Master said we need to....because if the trumpet blows today it is not well with their souls.

Let's be broken hearted for the lost souls....because we too were once lost until Jesus found us.

Another Air Force Officer Says UFO's Are Real

The information continues to come out.  Obviously, SOMETHING happened at Roswell, NM.  It's getting harder and harder to call all these astronauts, jet pilots and military officers "crackpots" when they insist that flying ships are being operated by intelligent beings who ARE NOT humans.

The 1947 UFO controversy of Roswell, N.M. is like a bad penny: It keeps turning up.

Until now, most debunkers doubted that there was even one crash. Now, in an exclusive interview, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Richard French told The Huffington Post that there were actually two crashes.

This revelation is especially remarkable considering that French was known in the past to debunk UFO stories.

"There were actually two crashes at Roswell, which most people don't know," French told HuffPost. "The first one was shot down by an experimental U.S. airplane that was flying out of White Sands, N.M., and it shot what was effectively an electronic pulse-type weapon that disabled and took away all the controls of the UFO, and that's why it crashed."

French -- an Air Force pilot who was in Alamagordo, N.M., in 1947, being tested in an altitude chamber, an annual requirement for rated officers -- was very specific in how the military allegedly brought down what he believes was a spacecraft from another world.

"When they hit it with that electromagnetic pulse -- bingo! -- there goes all their electronics and, consequently, the UFO was uncontrollable," said French, who flew hundreds of combat missions in Korea and Southeast Asia, and who held several positions working for Military Intelligence.

NOW PAY ATTENTION TO THIS:

And now we have French, who served more than 27 years in the military, including as an investigator and debunker for the Air Force's famous study of UFOs, known as Project Blue Book, which began in 1947.

"I'm one of the authors of Project Blue Book, and started with the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, stationed in Spokane, Wash. One of the duties I had in 1952 was to debunk UFO stories," French said.

"In other words, if someone had a UFO sighting, I and another agent would try to come up with some logical explanation for this strange aerial appearance. Most of the reports were from civilians than military. We gave our analysis and tried to debunk it by saying it was swamp fog or that the thing they saw was actually hanging on wires. It went up through channels all the way to the presidential level."

But why was French ordered to debunk UFO reports in the first place?

"They never give you an explanation, but I'll tell you what my analysis of it is: If they accepted the fact that there are creatures coming to Earth from other universes or from wherever, it basically would destroy religions, and the fact that our military's helpless against them would destroy the reputation of the military," French said. "You're talking about military, national defense and religious reasons."

Here;  http://main.aol.com/2012/08/03/roswell-ufo-crash_n_1751747.html?utm_hp_ref=email_share

Holy faith built on the sand!!  How many people would abandon the faith of their fathers if some being from the planet Kolob who claimed higher intelligence told all the humans that Jesus isn't God...he never died...and in fact the whole story was planted by them to give people hope that they would go to nicer place when they died so they can see all their dead relatives....BUT IT ISN'T REALLY TRUE!!

How many people would believe the 'doctrines of demons'?

Sadly, I'm going to say that MOST would believe them.  Maybe that's why Jesus says, "Wide is the road that leads to destruction and many will be on it.  Narrow is the gate that leads to life and FEW will be on it."

Friends....these are NOT alien life forms from another planet.  They are malevolent, Satanic creations who are sent here to deceive us all and get us to follow their lies and deny Christ.

And it is very clear that the world will embrace their lies.  God forbid, if we are still here when they unleash their deception....will we believe it?  Or will our faith in the unseen Christ keep us steady?

Pray that we have sufficient oil in our lamps.

Thousands of Fish Die

The drought and heat is hard on lots of things besides corn, beans and the power grid.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Thousands of fish are dying in the Midwest as the hot, dry summer dries up rivers and causes water temperatures to climb in some spots to nearly 100 degrees.

About 40,000 shovelnose sturgeon were killed in Iowa last week as water temperatures reached 97 degrees. Nebraska fishery officials said they've seen thousands of dead sturgeon, catfish, carp, and other species in the Lower Platte River, including the endangered pallid sturgeon. And biologists in Illinois said the hot weather has killed tens of thousands of large- and smallmouth bass and channel catfish and is threatening the population of the greater redhorse fish, a state-endangered species.

So many fish died in one Illinois lake that the carcasses clogged an intake screen near a power plant, lowering water levels to the point that the station had to shut down one of its generators.

"It's something I've never seen in my career, and I've been here for more than 17 years," said Mark Flammang, a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. "I think what we're mainly dealing with here are the extremely low flows and this unparalleled heat."

"Those fish have been in these rivers for thousands of thousands of years, and they're accustomed to all sorts of weather conditions," he said. "But sometimes, you have conditions occur that are outside their realm of tolerance."

In Illinois, heat and lack of rain has dried up a large swath of Aux Sable Creek, the state's largest habitat for the endangered greater redhorse, a large bottom-feeding fish, said Dan Stephenson, a biologist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

"We're talking hundreds of thousands (killed), maybe millions by now," Stephenson said. "If you're only talking about game fish, it's probably in the thousands. But for all fish, it's probably in the millions if you look statewide."

Here;  http://www.wric.com/story/19199656/thousands-of-fish-die-as-midwest-streams-heat-up

What??  He has NEVER SEEN THAT??

I wonder how long mankind can live if the corn dries up, the beans dry up, the forests burn down and the fish in all the lakes and rivers die off?

God is certainly in control...and He will do whatever He wants.  After all...it's His creation.

God tells us in Zephaniah;

“I will sweep away both man and beast;
I will sweep away the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea—
and the idols that cause the wicked to stumble.”

“When I destroy all mankind
on the face of the earth,” declares the Lord, 

I remember last year when the thousands of birds fell from the sky and now we have millions of fish dying in rivers and lakes where they have lived for centuries.

It sure makes one wonder if this is more foreshadowing of the closeness of that Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.

Thank you Jesus that we will not be here to see it.  Blessed are you, the Peacemaker, who has given us peace from the wrath of Almighty God.

Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King. When he is angry, the earth trembles; the nations cannot endure his wrath.

Hat tip to Lowell E.

Islamists Kill 16 Egyptian Soldiers on Israeli Border

The tension is growing all along the Israeli border. 

Officials say Egypt has deployed at least two helicopter gunships to the Sinai Peninsula in the hunt for militants behind the killing of 16 Egyptian soldiers at a checkpoint along the border with Israel.
    

Security and military officials said Monday that more aircraft were expected to arrive in the town of El-Arish ahead of a military campaign against the militants in the area. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

    

Suspected Islamists on Sunday evening attacked the Egyptian checkpoint, killed the troops, then stole two of their vehicles and burst through a security fence into Israel. Israeli aircraft then halted their assault.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said that Sunday's attack would serve as a "wake-up call for the Egyptians to take matters into their own hands."

Here; http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/egypt-deploys-gunships-in-sinai-peninsula-following-insurgent-attack-1.456355

Islamists all over the world are smelling blood in the water.  They are going to continue to take advantage of the unrest happening all over the Middle East.  They don't really care who they kill in the process of turning one group against another to foment more chaos.

Many Islamists believe that the chaos they create will topple the unjust governments so they can bring in Shariah law...which they believe to be the ONLY TRUE LAW.

Other Islamists believe that their role on earth is to create chaos in an attempt to usher in the 12th Imam...who has been hiding in a well for over 1100 years.

Of course you and I know that Satan is the master of chaos and he also can smell blood in the water.  He knows that his day to shine must be close.  I'm guessing he is shining up the Antichrist right now...getting ready to put him on stage to restore order during the 70th Week of Daniel, (Tribulation) after King Jesus comes like a thief in the night.

Syrian President Assad Finally Appears

President Assad has been gone for about 3 weeks.  No one was quite sure where he was though there was speculation that he had fled the country.  I'm sure he is well aware what the rebels will do to him if they catch him as I'm guessing he saw the video of what the Libyans did to Qaddafi.

But now he has appeared again...and you will never guess with who!

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad made his first appearance on state TV in nearly three weeks Tuesday in a show of solidarity with a senior Iranian envoy even as the U.S. secretary of state urged stepped up international planning for the regime's collapse.

The contrasts couldn't have been more vivid: Assad and Iran's Saeed Jalili vowing to defeat the rebels and their backers, while Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton predicted Assad's regime was quickly unraveling, with high-level defections such as his prime minister's switch to the rebel side.

It also highlighted Assad's deepening reliance on a shrinking list of allies, led by Tehran. Assad — seen on state TV for the first time since a July 18 bombing in Damascus killed four of his top security officials — used Jalili's visit to portray a sense of command and vowed to fight his opponents "relentlessly."

A growing humanitarian crisis is already taking hold.

More than 1,300 Syrians fled to Turkey on Tuesday as rebels tried to expand their hold inside Aleppo, Syria's largest city, despite two weeks of withering counterattacks by Assad's troops. Close to 48,000 Syrians have already taken refuge in Turkey, which has served as a staging ground for rebels. Even more refugees have crossed into Jordan and Lebanon.

And at least 22,300 Iraqis who fled to Syria several years ago have streamed home in the past three weeks, said U.N. officials in Baghdad as they prepared for more refugees.

Here;  http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-07/activists-fighting-is-spreading-in-syrias-aleppo

Isn't that something??...22,300 Iraqis had fled to Syria to avoid the violence and now they are leaving Syria and heading back to Iraq.  I guess they deem that chance for violence is actually less back in Iraq.

This all seems a tad confusing as it relates to the prophecies of Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83.  Turkey seems pretty upset with Iran...but yet Ezekiel 38 clearly says they will both be in the Last Days coalition that God will destroy as they gather to destroy Israel. 

Of course the rapture will change everything in a great big hurry.  When millions disappear and the leaders of nations who are left behind all start scrambling to cut up the spoils of what remains of the United States, the old Arab saying, "My enemies enemy is my friend" will probably be pulled out pretty quick.

Turkey, Russia, Iran, Libya and some others will quickly realize that the USA is not going to defend Israel and will get an evil thought to divide up the spoils after they destroy the Jews and the nation of Israel.

Of course God has other plans....

U.S. Banks Prepare for Eurozone Collapse

I'm not sure there is anything really new here...it's just such an ominous headline.

US banks brace for possible eurozone collapse

US banks are bracing for a possible disintegration of the eurozone, Britain’s The Financial Times reported on Monday.

The newspaper mentioned the banks’ plummeting loan transactions in the eurozone countries.

According to the Financial Times, the banks plan to make some amendments to their credit contracts so they can be in line with London’s financial legislation, a step that they say will help them protect their investments in case of a potential collapse of the eurozone.

Meanwhile, Royal Dutch Shell has announced the withdrawal of some of its funds from European banks. The Anglo-Dutch oil major signaled its readiness to deposit 15 billion of cash in non-European assets, such as US Treasuries and US bank accounts.

Here;  http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_08_06/US-banks-brace-for-possible-eurozone-collapse/

Let's remember that earlier in the Spring of 2012...the Federal Reserve took part in some "dollar swaps" with the European banks.  Even though 99% of Americans can't explain to you what "dollar swaps" actually are....you can bet your last dollar that it has SOMETHING to do with the USA bailing out the European banking system.

What does that mean??  It means that when Europe has a collapse, (or partial collapse) that the USA will be on the hook for it....and I don't think I need to remind you anymore that WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY OURSELVES!