President-Elect Obama Talks About Tax Cuts And Stimulus Package

In his address this week President-elect Obama talked about how his administration plans to face the many economic challenges that face them this coming year.

In this week’s weekly address, President-elect Barack Obama lays out the challenges that face us in the new year, and his plan for taking them on.

“We need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term,” he says. “And this plan must be designed in a new way—we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan—which is to create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of them in the private sector.”

I certainly hope that they are able to create 3 million jobs, with 80% of them in the private sector.   That would be quite the accomplishment, but I’m a bit skeptical.   I’m always afraid when the government tries to create jobs and big programs to get things moving. When was the last time you saw the government successfully manage a program of this scope?  Will they really demand vigorous oversight and accountability, or will it become a pork-laden special interest spend fest?

So here’s to hoping - new roads, bridges, health care initiatives and more, that they may create jobs, and not bankrupt us in the process!

In other news, Obama stated this week that the tax cuts they want to extend may be larger than signaled previously:

The tax cuts for individuals and couples would be similar to the rebate checks sent out last year by the Bush administration and Congress in a bid at that time to boost the slowing economy. A key difference is that the tax cuts this time around may be awarded through withholding less from worker paychecks. That provision would cost about $140-150 billion over two years.

So no stimulus checks, just more in your paycheck.  I can get behind that.

Obama aides have said the package Obama has dubbed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan could cost as much as $775 billion. The president-elect has refused to put a price tag to the plan.

Congressional aides briefed on the measure say it likely will include tax cuts of $500 to $1,000 for middle-class individuals and couples, as well as some $200 billion to help revenue-starved states pay for health care programs for the poor and other operating costs. A large part of the new spending would go for infrastructure projects, blending old-fashioned road and bridge repairs with new programs to advance energy efficiency and rebuild health care information technology systems.

We’ll see how it all plays out once Obama is inaugurated, and congress actually gets to work.

What do you think about the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan”?  Does it sound like a good idea, and if so, do you think it will work?

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January 6, 2009 · Filed Under Commentary, Post With Video, economy

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Post Roundup! 2009 Is Finally Here Edition!

2009 is finally here, and man was I ready!  2008 was a tough year.  My wife was in and out of the hospital several times, the economy tanked, and things were looking bleak in general.  But the new year brings with it a sense of hope and optimism, and I’m ready to get started!

So where to start?  How about this - I discovered the secret formula to getting rid of debt, and getting ahead! It’s a simple 2 step process Are you ready?…….

  1. Earn more.
  2. Spend less.

Ok, and it doesn’t hurt if you get your financial house in order, start doing a budget, use an envelope spending system, and educate yourself financially. Try it, you’ll be happily surprised!

Linky Time!

Over the long holiday weekend I had a chance to do quite a bit of reading on some of my favorite blogs. Here are a few of my favorite posts from over the weekend:

There you go, there’s a bunch of good reading, now go forth and read!

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January 5, 2009 · Filed Under Links, Post Roundup

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It’s A New Year. Time For A Fresh Start! 2008 Recap.

It’s a new year, and this week we all have a fresh start.  Whether its time to get back on that workout regimen, or time to kick-start a new financial plan - and a budget, its time for new beginnings.

At our household, we’re getting back into a regular workout plan, and healthy eating.  Last night we used our last gift card to eat out at Olive Garden, and today we start eating healthy again.  Those breadsticks were oh so good though!  Tonight,  I get back on that treadmill we’ve been using to hold our carpet down!

Finishing up 2008 with a bang!

December was another good month for Bible Money Matters. While our traffic was slightly down from November’s record month (because of the holidays?), we still enjoyed over 40,000 visitors and over 60,000 page views to the site. I’m happy with the progress we’ve been making, it’s encouraging, and keeps me posting!

  • 44,004 visits
  • 66,130 page views
  • Over 700 RSS subscribers for the first time!
  • Page Rank updated to PR5!
  • In 2008 we had over 263k visits and almost 400k page views!

Thank you to all of you that made this past year so amazing for me, it’s been a wild ride so far, and so much more fun than I ever could have imagined!  I look forward to an even better 2009!

Top 10 referrers of 2008

We launched this blog in 2008, and so many established bloggers out there have given us a helping hand along the way. Here’s a quick look at our top 10 referrers of 2008!

Thanks guys for all your help, I really appreciate it!

Top content for 2008

Some of our articles did better than others during the year. Here’s a quick peek at our top 10 articles (by page views) of the year.

There were tons of other articles getting links and page views, but those were our top 10.  Seems like people want to get a stimulus check, and want to make extra money on the side!

Thanks everyone for hanging out with us here in the past year, and God bless your 2009!

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January 5, 2009 · Filed Under Commentary, Links, Post Roundup

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Devotional: The Great Supplier

Lovely and All Lined Up.....
Creative Commons License photo credit: ellievanhoutte

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19

I don’t go to the grocery store very often, but I’m always amazed when I do. I live in a large city so our grocery stores are well-stocked. I can find almost anything I want to eat at the corner grocery store, everything from broccoli to butterscotch pudding, from peas to pretzels, from carrots to caramels.

Of course, even my big city grocery doesn’t stock every food item. If I want venison or rabbit, I’d have to know someone who hunts. And many foreign food items can only be purchased in specialty shops.

I’ve found someone though who can supply all my needs. I’m not talking about just food. Although this supplier owns the cattle on a thousand hills so I’m sure He could also rustle me up a few hamburgers.

God can supply all my needs “according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Everything I could ever possibly need, God can supply. His storehouse overflows with more riches than we can possibly imagine.

If I need wisdom, I can go to God. He provided wisdom to Solomon so that he could discern good from evil. He can supply me wisdom if I only ask Him.

If I need joy, I can go to God. He provided joy to Paul even in the midst of trials. He can supply me joy if I only ask Him.

If I need peace, I can go to God. He provided peace to Hannah, letting her know her prayer for a son would be answered. He can supply me peace if I only ask Him.

If I need strength, I can go to God. He provided physical strength to Samson so that he could kill a lion with his bare hands. He provided spiritual strength to Stephen so he could focus on God in the midst of being stoned. He can supply me strength if I only ask Him.

If I need love, I can go to God. He provided His own Son in the greatest act of love this world will ever see. He can supply me love if I only ask Him. In fact, He supplies me love even without asking Him.

What need do you have? Ask God. His storehouse overflows with abundance of wisdom, joy, peace, strength, love … everything that you can possibly need. Man may never be able to supply your every need, but God can. And He will.

- Jason Mitchener is an author, artist, songwriter, speaker, and aspiring screenwriter from Phoenix, Arizona. You can find out more about him at http://www.JasonMitchener.com or you can read his personal development blog at http://www.ForwardHabit.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at @jasonmitchener.

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January 4, 2009 · Filed Under Devotionals

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Time To Set Goals For The New Year: Why Goals Are Important

The new year is here, and with the new year come new goals of things that we hope to accomplish during the coming months.  Things like losing weight and becoming more fit.  Things related to our spiritual life. Things related to our finances, and how we’d like to increase our income.  Blog related goals.   In fact, the more I think about it, I  have a LOT of goals I’d like to accomplish in this coming year, and I feel like the sky is the limit!  Goals are important, so remember to pray about it, and God will direct your path.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Setting Goals

Setting goals allows you to have something to work towards, a concrete number and time frame in order to get those competitive juices flowing.  Goals are like dreams that you’re working towards achieving. The difference is that with a goal, you give yourself a deadline, a set time frame within which you’d like to accomplish that goal.  Dreams don’t necessarily have a deadline and because of that aren’t always quite as powerful or motivating.

So what can you do to get yourself moving towards a goal this year?

  • Make reasonable goals: Make goals that are achievable, and specific enough to be motivating.  For example, instead of just saying that you’d like to lose weight, make  a specific goal of losing 40 pounds by July 1st.    Make goals that are achievable, but not unreasonable.  losing 40 pounds in 6 months is do-able, but losing 150 pounds might not be.
  • Write down your goals:  Write down your goals so that they’re concrete and stick in your mind.  Goals that aren’t written down have a way of disappearing into the ether.  Write a blog post, or start keeping a journal to help you remember what your goals are.
  • Share your goals with others to keep you accountable: Talk to your spouse or close loved one about the goals you’ve set for yourself, and share your successes and failures in achieving them during the year.  They can help you to stay on track, get back on track, and encourage you when you’re having a tough day.   Just like writing your goals down, sharing your goals with others can have a way of cementing the goals in your head.
  • Develop a plan to achieve the goals: Once you’ve determined what your goals are, put together a plan to achieve the goals.  Remember, a failure to plan means you’re planning to fail.   If you’re trying to lose weight, put together a schedule for working out and a healthier eating plan.
  • Review your goals at regular intervals: Take time every once in a while to review your goals, and see what kind of progress you’re making.    It can be very motivating to see yourself moving slowly but surely towards achieving your goals.   If you don’t review the goals regularly, however, you may never get the chance to see yourself achieving them - as the progress can be made in small increments and won’t necessarily be very noticeable.
  • Be flexible:  If life gets in the way of one of your goals and makes it unachievable, be flexible enough to know when you’ve got to set a new goal.   Set that new goal and start working towards making that one a reality!

My Goals For 2009

So here we go, I’m about to list some of my goals for 2009. Im writing them down, so now they’ll be real. Scary.. here we go:

  • Weight loss:  I would like to lose 35 pounds by July 1st, 2009.  At my heaviest I weighed about 255 lbs.  In 2007 I dropped 40 pounds down to about 215.  2008 was a tough year for my wife and I, and in the midst I lost sight of my fitness goals.  I’ve gained back some of the weight and I’m now back to 235.  Follow my progress on my other site, Quicktofit.com.
  • Read more:  I would like to read more books than I have been lately.  I’d like to set a goal of reading at least 1 book every month. Reading blogs doesn’t count!  Also would like to get on course to complete a daily bible study on my own, as well as joining a men’s bible study through my church.
  • Blog goals: I’d like to continue to grow this blog, and turn it into a nice second income.  This year I’d like to increase the RSS subscriber base to 2000 readers, as well as increasing to 750 email readers. (thanks to those of you who subscribe already!) I’d also like to continue to grow the income from this blog.  It’s already more than I ever thought I could make from this,  but I’d like to continue to grow the income to the point where it equals or exceeds the income from my day job.  This year, however, I’d like to double the revenue I’m making from it currently.  That’s a steep goal, but one I think I could achieve with lots of hard work.  You can subscribe to this blog here!
  • Re-save our 3-6 months of expenses fund: We had 6 months of expenses saved up, but then had to use some of it to buy my new car when my old one started dying.  We should be able to replenish this in a few months.  Then we can get back to saving 15-20% of our income, and paying extra on our mortgage.
  • Give more:  I’d like to give a lot more of what we’re making this year. I’ve realized this past year just how blessed we are, and I’d like to give back.  Income from this blog and other sources have allowed us to give more than ever last year, and this year I think we could do even more.  This year I want to increase our giving by 5-10%.

So there are a few of the goals I have for 2009.  What goals have you set for yourself this year?  Do you expect to reach those goals?

Other Goals Links

New Year’s Resolutions: How I go about goal setting
Written goals beat mental goals every time
7 reasons why people fail to achieve goals
Set powerful goals to motivate
12 steps to setting a goal
Have a goal buddy
Turbo Charge your Financial Transformation
Save for specific goals with your own online piggy bank
The importance of goal setting
How to identify and set goals

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January 2, 2009 · Filed Under Carnivals, Commentary, christianity, tips

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