John Carlson for Idaho
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
    • Qualifications
  • Issues
  • Contact

Identity Politics Gone Amok

3/5/2021

0 Comments

 

      
   As a great grandfather of young girls that may want to be involved in sport’s activity while growing up, I am saddened and concerned about the insanity of our government that will allow males to identify as girls and play in women’s sports.  Who wants to watch their young great granddaughter get slammed by a male who thinks they are a girl. Whether it’s soccer, basketball, volleyball or another sport the outcome would be the same.  Girls hurt and are robbed of scholarships, and girls not wanting to play for fear they will be hurt by a boy thinking he is a girl.  And this will happen unless:
  Unless, teachers of young children refuse to teach the destructive identity program in their schools.  Unless, local school boards have the guts to not allow such teaching in their schools.  Unless, parents stand up and resist such teaching and practices in women’s sports.  Unless, state governments are brave enough to enact laws forbidding the infusion of males into women’s sports.
  Women’s sports have advanced dramatically during my lifetime.  The insanity of allowing males to identify as females and play in women’s sports will negate much, if not all, of that advancement.   Genesis 1:27 is as true today as it was when it was written.  Let boys be boys and girls be girls and when they grow up most of them will be the men and women God intended them to be.  Otherwise, watch out!

0 Comments

Systemic Racism

9/4/2020

0 Comments

 
The concept of systemic racism has been bantered around a lot lately. As a trained sociologist, I am always interested in the proper use of such terms as they relate to our society.  According to the dictionary the word systemic relates to something that permeates a whole system.  It affects the body as a whole. For example, a systemic disease affects the entire body or organism, and systemic changes to an organization have an impact on the entire organization, including its most basic operations. In the cultural setting it would be a practice built into the structure of the whole society. Does racism meet this criteria?  Let’s look at some aspects of our culture.
         If systemic racism existed in the economy we would have no black CEOs, no owners of small businesses, and no black mid-level managers in large corporations.  If systemic racism existed in the sports sector we would have no black athletes drawing huge salaries for their talents.  We would have no coaches.  If systemic racism occurred in the political arena we would have no black mayors, governors, congressmen or women, or a president of the United States.  If systemic racism occurred in our educational sector we would have no black teachers, faculty members or college and university administrators.  Systemic racism would not allow any black or non-white advancement in any of these areas. 
         This is not to say that we don’t have a racism problem in these areas.  We do.  However, it is at the individual level not the systemic level.  It must be dealt with at the individual level within each segment of our society.  The only example of it happening at the societal level was the civil war and some laws regarding school segregation, which were not too successful.
         The only real basis for racial equality at the individual level is a book that has been around for ages, the Bible.  It points out that God created all men and women equal and promotes the only real solution to the race problem, loving one another. There is no other lasting solution.  
0 Comments

What Future Do You want?

6/6/2020

0 Comments

 

If you have been watching the news the past couple weeks, any true American should be repulsed and angry at the wanton destruction of private property and people’s livelihood.  These have always been basic rights cherished by Americans.  Anyone who has seen the pictures of George Floyd’s treatment by the police would see it as a great injustice. Those guilty should and will be punished.  But the rioters are not protesting this issue. Peaceful protests are fine, but I am not sure how effective they are. The rioting is way beyond peaceful and tears at the basic fabric of our society.  The rioters don’t seem to know why they are rioting as the racial issues of this tragedy are not supported by the facts.
 
Furthermore, the response of the police forces in some cities has been pathetic, Some cities plan to abolish their police forces, others plan to slash millions from the police budget.  This is insane! At the same time thousands have been released from jail during the COVID-19 pandemic.  And this is supposed to result in a more peaceful living environment in those areas?  It’s absurd!
 
It’s all based on an invalid assumption that has been taught in our educational system from kindergarten through college.  The assumption is that man is born basically good and that the ills in society are the result of systematic structural issues in society.  Fix the structure and the ills will go away.  However, such is not the case.  The Bible and the observation of babies indicates that we are born with a sinful nature and, if left unredeemed, results in sinful activities later in life.  Thus, most societal ills can be traced back to unredeemed individualism.
 
I am old enough and live in a rural conservative state, so I am not likely to see the negative effects of these changes affect my life.  What concerns me is the effect that it will have on my children and grandchildren and beyond.  The result in other countries has never been positive.  In spite of the ills of our society, we live with more freedom and liberty than any society in the world.  How much longer will it continue? 

0 Comments

Guidelines to Live by in 2020

1/2/2020

0 Comments

 

 
We live in a society where there seems to be no solid guidelines to govern our behavior.  However, I suggest that we can’t go wrong if we live by two straight-forward guidelines.  They are found in the Gospel of Matthew 22:39-40 which says:  Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” These are two equal rules but one can’t do the first without knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior.  And He gives us numerous examples.
 
In one parable He models the good Samaritan for us (Luke 10:30-36). In another parable He shows us how to handle wayward family members (Luke 15: 11-32).  He also shows us how to handle people involved in sexual misconduct (John 8:3-11). He shows us how to interact with those of a different ethnicity as we are (John 4: 6-43). In numerous other parables and examples Jesus models a life lived by the two previous rules. 
 
So, what does love require of us when we live next to a mean, cantankerous neighbor?  What does love require of us when one of our children adopts an alternative lifestyle?  What does love require of us when one of our good friends is of an opposing political persuasion?  I could go on and on, but I know that if we practice asking what love requires of us in 2020 the world will be a better place and we will be happier and a more loving person.

0 Comments

What is Your Identity?

5/17/2019

1 Comment

 
 
Over the past year or so the character of a number of public figures has been maligned by reaching back in their lives to when they were in high school or college.  Now, everyone knows that what we do from 18 to the mid 20s has little bearing on what we become later on in life.  People change over time some for the better and some for worse and we usually can tell which by looking at their current behaviors. 
 
In fact, our whole judicial system has moved towards a rehabilitation model because we believe that humans can be changed if they choose to embrace treatment.  Some do and others do not.  We can tell which by evaluating attitudes and behavior.  In some cases, especially for youth, a record may be completely expunged.  That is so the foolishness of youth will not be a hindrance later in life. 
 
People change over time.  Most of us today would not like to be judged by what we did 30, 40 or 50 years ago.  Nor should we be. Christians especially know the power of forgiveness and a changed life.  Every Christian knows that a changed life is the identifying mark of a Christian.  And it doesn’t matter how terrible one’s past has been.  We can all have a new identity in Christ.  
1 Comment

A Perspective on Medicaid Expansion

12/29/2018

0 Comments

 


In the early part of last year I had treatment for cancer that totaled around $50,000 dollars.  Had I not had Medicare coverage, I likely would not have had that treatment and would not be cancer free.  We are friends with an older lady who is on Medicaid and has her medical expenses covered. Without Medicaid she would not have the health she enjoys in her late 80s.  In both cases, the coverage is provided by Federal dollars coming into the state of Idaho. In fact, Idaho receives about $1.40 for every dollar paid to the Feds in taxes.

According to the Medicaid web page about 300,000 Idahoans are on Medicaid.  Medicaid expansion would add another estimated 60, 000 to the total--a relatively small addition.  These are likely to be a more healthy and productive group than those currently on Medicaid. Keeping them healthy will likely result in greater productivity. With the Federal Government picking up 90 percent it sounds like a win-win.  I am sure the remaining 10 percent would not amount to a great deal.


​Those of us who are older on Medicare or who are poor enough to be on Medicaid are not as high on the productivity scale as those likely to qualify for Medicaid expansion.  We wouldn’t want to lose the medical benefits that we enjoy. Why not provide them to a group that is likely more productive, especially if they remain healthy.

0 Comments

Which God Do You Worship?

10/29/2018

0 Comments

 

In Romans 1:25 we are given a pretty clear picture of the focus of our worship.  It talks about people “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshiped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” The chapter goes on to identify numerous sins for those who worship the creation rather than the Creator. Over the past 50 years we have witnessed a transformation in our culture from worshiping God, the Creator, to worshiping His creation as a substitute. 
          It hasn’t happened all at once.  Perhaps the beginning was the removal of prayer from the public schools.  No longer was there a daily remembrance of who the Creator really is.  The legalization of abortion also removed the notion of sanctity of life and placed a higher priority on “women’s choice” than on the life of an unborn baby.  Also, the teaching of evolution in the public schools, in spite of significant evidence for Godly creation, places worship of creation at a higher level than worship of the Creator.  
          Survey data has shown that even Christians tend to mix their worship of the Creator with worship of His creation.  The Bible is quite explicit in condemning any worship of God’s creation.  We are to worship the Creator only.  How important to us are the material blessings God has given us?  How often do we try to make God’s story of creation compatible with the concepts of evolution? We are called to be a set-apart people who worship God with our whole hearts.  We must continually evaluate our relationship with Him.  We must always be asking, which god we are worshiping? 

0 Comments

The Issue of Violence

3/15/2018

0 Comments

 
We recently had another horrific mass shooting of school students in Florida.  Again, this brought out the pundits trying to explain the reasons for such violence.  Mental issues, the failure of law enforcement, and guns.  Then along comes the public marches, some peaceful, but many have elements of violence and destruction of property.  While the answers are definitely complex, the discussion seldom deals with two very important reasons behind the violence we see in our society today.
 
First, as G. K. Chesterson would say, there’s something cheap and unworthy—and inhuman—in a heart that has no roots, that feels no love of country.  And where do we develop roots and love of country?  In a school system that teaches the history of our culture.  But somehow I think we have failed to place much emphasis on this in our current high school curriculum. Or what is taught is a revisionist history fraught with many omissions and inaccuracies.  A look at some subcultures in our society, such as the Native Americans and the Amish, and you find minimal rioting and violence.
 
Second, and not totally independent of the first, is the lack of a strong religious basis for morality in our society. While the early founders of our society were not all Christians, they did agree that without a strong religious, morality, our culture would not survive. Research shows a continual decline in the basis for morality in our society. This relates to the first reason above in that no religious morality can be taught in our school system. 
 
Without historical roots and a strong internal morality, we will not solve the issues of violence, drug addictions, and other social problems that plague our society.  External rules and regulations, such as gun control, will never solve the problems.
0 Comments

The Results of Evolutionary Thinking

8/10/2017

0 Comments

 
         Our public school system, our popular media, and our purveyors of higher education have taught and promoted Darwinian evolution as the only model for explaining the origins of the human race for over 50 years.  That model in a nutshell results in a human being that is no more than an advanced animal with animal instincts that must be externally controlled.
          In an evolutionary model there is no place for sin, no expectations of an internal morality, and no built-in self-control mechanisms to govern a person’s behavior.  As a result, the idea that “whatever feels good” is the ruling criteria.  And society establishes the rules and regulations regarding our lives.  So big government becomes the progressive’s solution to the social problems we face.  After all, pre-marital sex, sexual assault, rape, and pornography are only a natural result of our animal nature.
          After more than 50 years of evolutionary teaching we have a society dealing with rampant social problems, not willing to consider that the cause may lie in our assumptions about the nature of the origin of humans.  What’s up with that!!!
0 Comments

Ethics and Morality

7/25/2017

0 Comments

 
Ethics deals with what ought to happen whereas morality deals with what is happening.  At one time the connection between the two was close, but that has changed in recent years.  With the advent of scientific polling, morality has become based more on what a majority of the people feel is right or wrong than on a personal world view.  The Christian Worldview that once formed the basis of our ethics seems to no longer be the basis for our morality.  Barna research has documented that about 4% of the general population holds to a Christian Worldview.  And only 17% of practicing Christians hold to a totally Christian Worldview.  If this trend continues, standards of right and wrong will no longer exist.  We will live in a society where the phrase, “if it feels good do it” becomes the standard of behavior. Perhaps we are already there.  And the Christians who hold to a Biblical Worldview will complain, but not be able to do much about it. And those who do take a stand for a Biblical ethics will likely feel the heat.  What’s up with that!!!
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Author

    I ran for Idaho Senate in the 2014 election.  I lost, but my interest in the issues of Idaho has increased and I will use this blog page to discuss them

    Archives

    June 2020
    January 2020
    May 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    March 2018
    August 2017
    July 2017
    November 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    March 2015
    January 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly