‘That doesn’t sound like Gary Bittner to me.’

For those that are ‘worried about me’ please read…..

‘That doesn’t sound like Gary Bittner to me.’

I’ve heard this several times recently in response to some Facebook postings I have made regarding an income opportunity based on a new, cutting edge mobile application for Apple products and Android based devices as well as personal computers.

And yes, I know this doesn't sound like me so let me explain why I have ‘jumped into’ this business opportunity call iLA.
For years I have been looking for and trying to think of a way to generate income with a legitimate business while at the same time offering something to people that will encourage, inspire, motivate and bless. The Inspired Living App (iLA) does both.

You should know that over my many years on this planet I have been approached countless times by folks wanting me to go with something they were presenting, and until this one I've never felt to jump in.

iLA is ‘different.’ I've done the research, this is legit and, based on sales of other apps this company has developed, WILL be big. What’s that you say, a mobile app going viral? Why, yes please. Now, would you say Facebook has gone viral? Obviously yes, but it took SEVERAL YEARS for it to do so. In fact, in Facebook’s first month it had 450 subscribers. iLA, in it’s first 30 days, with an unreleased product that has yet to hit the market is at over 41,000. YES PLEASE!

Now, some people are saying ‘well, this is a Multi-Level Marketing thing and no thanks, I’m not interested.' In fact, quite a few people think this way. Let’s talk about this.

What is the definition of ‘business?’ Here it is from Dictionary.com:

Business: A Noun

1. An occupation, profession, or trade

2. The purchase and sale of goods in an attempt to make a profit

3. A person, partnership, or corporation engaged in commerce, manufacturing, or a service; profit-seeking enterprise or concern

Notice the above definition does not make a judgment on what businesses are ‘good’ or ‘bad’. So, why do people insist on categorizing some types of business as ‘legitimate’ and some ‘less legitimate?’ Why? Why do we judge ‘accounting’ or ‘shipping’ or ‘e-commerce’ or ‘banking’ legitimate but then judge network or multi-level marketing as ‘illegitimate’ or ‘less than’ a ‘real’ business?

There are non-profit enterprises that by their very name exist as ‘philanthropic’ ventures where ‘profit’ is not the goal (although many of these do quite well in the profit realm but that is another discussion for another time). All other businesses should have as their goal ‘to make money’ for if not they will soon cease to exist. ‘Multi-level Marketing’ is one business model among many that have huge potential to generate income, but we’re not just talking about the brand new iLA or other multi-level marketing companies that have been in the marketplace for years.

All business is ‘multi-level’ in some way. Someone delivers a product or service to someone else and goods and/or services or currency is then exchanged with the goal that a profit be made. For example, the seed seller buys his seed from his ‘upline’ and then sells his seed ‘downline’ to the farmer and the farmer then sells his produce ‘downline’ to the grocery store and the grocery store sells its produce ‘downline’ to the consumer. Again I ask, why do we judge network or multi-level marketing as ‘illegitimate’ or ‘less than’ a ‘real’ business? We do so in error.

I have reviewed all the materials I could, looked into the background of the developers (they have multiple apps in the app store with millions and millions of downloads), talked to one of the 'higher up guys' (app development is local, in McMinnville) and listened in on a some conference calls that discussed the ‘heart’ of the business and the firm legal foundations on which it is being built, And, since I can clearly see that ‘they' are looking at this as more than just a money-making gig and that the whole business is filled with integrity, I’m in.

So, what is the The Application? iLA will deliver a weekly video focusing on personal development in areas such as goal setting, time management, personal, business, and leadership development, financial management, personal motivation, and more. The app can be delivered to a smart phone, a tablet, or via the internet to a home computer.

Once a person subscribes to the app, for $9.95 a month they get the weekly personal development videos AND they are also part of the business that sells the app....This is where the income part comes in. Once you are 'in' and downloads happen, you get a piece of that business. 

And downloads are going to happen. In 2012 there were over $30 billion in mobile app downloads, double of 2011. What will 2013 bring? No one knows for sure but all signs point to steep and continued growth.

This is an opportunity to generate income without making a huge investment. Think of it this way: What if we gave it 12 months and at the end would have spent a total of $120?

Obviously no guarantees and any investment is a risk,  But, for 12 months and $120 I am willing to take the risk. I think iLA is worth a look. 

Below is a link if you want more information. Easy peasy!

http://bit.ly/15GnGN7

Thanks for reading this treatise and please let me know if you have any questions, if you want more information or if you just want to say ‘Ok, I feel better, Gary is not losing it.’


Love love,
GB

‘TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!’

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We all like new things. We like a New Year, we like new opportunities to begin again, with God, with family, on the job, in the gym. In reality January 1^st is just another day out of 365. But no matter how much we want to see it as ‘another day’ we all (and if you say you don’t I don’t believe you J) see it as a ‘new’ and sense the opportunity for a fresh start, a sense that God is giving us the faith and hope that the things needing to get better are going to be better this year, that things that have needed to change are going to change this year, that the things that have held us back are not going to hold us back this year, that the hope and dreams we have been waiting to see fulfilled are going to begin to be fulfilled this year. Thanks Lord!

However, while January 1^st brings new hope and new opportunities and a clean slate to write on anew, in the midst of all the goals/resolutions/plans/whatever you may call them we need to remember; To get 'there' we have to leave 'here,' to grasp 'that' we have to let go of 'this,' and big dreams don't cost any more than little dreams. So let’s not be afraid to dream big, to see beyond our current circumstances and situations, to embrace the simple truth that to get something we've never had, to become something we've never been we will have to think in ways we've never thought and do some things we've never done. For….’If nothing changes, nothing changes.'

God is good, no doubt about it and He always wants to take us higher, further, deeper. His desire is that each and every person embrace His grace and mercy and kindness and love and power that will take us to places we’ve never been and empower is to do things we’ve never done….He wants to take us ‘TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!’….

As the New Year begins we can begin our journey to ‘infinity and beyond’ and as we do we need to ask ourselves a question and make a declaration:

• Question: Are we willing to ‘see’ things differently? Helen Keller was once asked what would be worse than blindness. She said ‘to have sight but no vision.’ At the beginning of the New Year I challenge you to ‘see beyond where you are today.’ Don’t let your vision be compromised by small distractions that can have a huge limiting effect on your future. One of my favorite authors is A.W. Tozer who wrote “….Someone has said that you can take two small ten-cent pieces, just two dimes, and shut out the view of a panoramic landscape. Go to the mountains and just hold two coins closely in front of your eyes--the mountains are still there, but you cannot see them at all because there is a dime (obstacle) shutting off the vision in each eye.”

The Bible says in Proverbs 29:18 that where there is no vision, people perish/cast off restraint (bow to obstacles). How true, for if the only thing I can see is ‘what I see now’ them I’m ‘stuck’ where I am. I’m convinced that one of the greatest hindrances in moving forward is continuing to only see ‘what we have now and where we are now.’

There’s are great illustration of this in the Bible found in Genesis 13:14-15. The background is Abram (later called Abraham) has just rescued his nephew from a terrible situation and offered his nephew the chance to take good, fertile, green, well-watered land for he and his family OR choose the ‘less than desirable’ land. Being young and inconsiderate the nephew chooses the ‘good land’ which meant his uncle Abe had to take the barren, dry, unfertile land. No doubt Abe, being a man who feels things like we feel things, was a bit discouraged. But God (I love those two words ‘But God) tells Abram ‘Lift up your eyes from where you are and look, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever….

Get it? Abram was not where he thought he would be, didn’t have what he thought he would have and yet God says ‘Where you are NOW is not where you will be THEN!’ And God is saying to us today, January 1^st, 2013 ‘Where you are today at the end of 2012 and beginning of 2013 is not where you will be at the end of 2013!’ Can you see it? Thanks be to God!

• Declaration: In 2013 I will ‘own my stuff.’ Or as I like to say it ‘If it is to be it’s up to me.’ Nobody can ‘make’ you angry, nobody can ‘make’ you sad, nobody can ‘make’ you happy, nobody can ‘make’ you gain weight, nobody can ‘make’ you lose weight, nobody can ‘make’ you get that deadlift PR…Nobody else, only you.

In 2013 take ownership of YOUR vision, YOUR goals, YOUR success or YOUR failure. There is a good illustration in Isaiah 54:2-4. God has promised ‘increase’ to His people as a whole but I like to make it more personal. He says “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. 3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities. 4 “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated….”

In 2013 declare this is MY tent, these are MY stakes, these are MY cords and I will take responsibility to move my stakes to God-set parameters and I will not be ashamed!

No doubt in 2013 there will be setbacks, there will be times of frustration, there will be times when dreams and hopes and visions seem delayed, where problems rise up, where progress seems too slow or thwarted altogether. I want to encourage you that in those times when ‘things are not working out like we want’ things are working out, like God wants. We must rest in faith that even if things are ‘less than what we would like to see’ a victory, a change, a ‘move up’ is happening according to the goodness and grace of God. We see only from the ‘human side.’ God sees ‘every side!’

To rest in this we must make sure we are clear on two fundamental truths…..

1. If that vision, that hope, that dream, that desire came from God He will bring it about as we just simply cooperate with Him. That desire, that longing, that goal, that sigh, it all comes from Him…He began the good work in you and He will finish it as we cooperate with Him and live a life of active and alive faith!
2. God is good and it is the will of God to heal, deliver and prosper all people….even you, He wants you to succeed

Now, all I’ve said above takes faith. One of my heroes is a man named Wendell Smith. Wendell was known for his unyielding belief that God is a good God and because He is a good God He cannot cease doing good for His children. Wendell said “God is a good God and He will honor His word. If we will walk in faith and obedience there is:

• No problem He cannot solve
• No question He cannot answer
• No disease He cannot heal
• No demon He cannot cast out
• No enemy He cannot defeat
• No difficulty He cannot overcome
• No stronghold He cannot bring down
• No bondage He cannot break
• No prison He cannot open
• No need He cannot meet
• No mountain He cannot remove

I included Wendell’s ‘words of faith’ as we launch out into the unknown of 2013, for it ‘takes faith to move forward.’ Wendell was also was fond of saying, in the face of difficulties, when things weren’t ‘going right’ “No matter what, we win!” And to that I say AMEN!!

Finally, I leave you with an encouragement that it is better to ‘live through the windshield than through the rear-view mirror.’ Below is a passage from the Bible found in the book of Philippians to launch is forward into 2013.

Love you, keep the smiles flowin’

GB --

(From ‘The Message’ version, emphasis mine)

Philippians 3:12-14 I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running and I'm not turning back. 15-16 So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it!

Regarding the "Affordable Care" Act...Here are some facts from a wise young man (under 35 so yeah, he's young, it's all relative)

Obamacare is now the law of the land (actually the Constitution should be viewed as same but we'll talk about that another time). Yay!!! Health care for all, and only the rich are going to suffer. Boo! Not true...

Here's a couple of facts for ya...It is estimated that Obamacare will add $1.79 per hour to the cost of each employee. If employers choose to pay the mandated fine rather than spend the $1.79 it will cost them $.98 per hour per employee. As many as 1/3 of companies in the U.S. are considering canceling health coverage for employees as they can't afford it. Dozens of very large businesses have already announced layoffs in anticipation of increased health coverage costs. AND, if you don’t have health insurance you will be fined AND the IRS will withhold your tax refund…Awesome.

Now, some will say all that is 'theory.' Here are some facts from a wise young man (under 35 so yeah, he's young, it's all relative).
----

"Please, if anyone reading this has seen their family insurance premiums decreased by $2500 over the past 4 years, I would like to hear your story.  Who is your provider? Do you work for a large company? Small company? Self-employed? I’m trying to get a sampling from my 250+ FB friends. Anyone seen their premiums decrease? Benefits increase? I want to know what industry you work in and how it has improved. Let’s have an adult discussion, no politics, just facts please.

I couldn't stand the suspense so I just went and looked at a pay stub from 2009. In '09 (before my employer had a chance to push Obamacare costs onto its employees) we were paying $141 every 2 weeks, 26 times per year that is $3666. My last paycheck 2 weeks ago we paid $210. 26 times a year that comes out to $5460. That is $1794 out of pocket difference just for the premiums. In addition, we have since lost our copay plan, now instead of paying flat rate per visit, we pay $1k minimum deductible per family member per year. After that we pay 10% of all costs. Additionally, our ER visit costs have gone up, RX co-pays have doubled, dental and vision have both increased proportionately also. I understand how inflation works, I understand things are going to cost more over time, don't need an economics lesson, but this is NOT inflation, this is insurance companies pushing the smothering costs of Obamacare onto its clientele. Still waiting for someone to inform me how this new health care plan has helped anyone. 

In '09 (pre-Obamacare insurance costs) it cost us ~$450 to have our second child. That’s, OB visits for 9 months, 5-day inpatient for both mom and baby (including c-section) and post-care visits. If we had that same baby today it would cost us over $4k out of pocket. Math majors, that is a 1000% increase. Still waiting for someone to show me the silver lining. I’m not seeing it.

My angle is always to win people with facts, arguing the politics of socialism vs free enterprise falls on deaf ears, we should all know that by now. Showing people how much real $$ something actually costs a hard working family may actually have more sway. Listening to Obama brag about how has he met all/most of his objectives in the recent debates really set me off. Don’t pee on my shoe and tell me it's raining! I’m well educated, I have a high paying job,Ii own all my vehicles, I have owned a home for all 11 of my adult years, I have ZERO consumer debt, and somehow even given all of that, I still can't pay for fuel to put in my car and I routinely have to choose between taking my child to the doctor’s office or putting food on my table. 

Tell me how redistributing wealth has helped anyone in this country. If people want handouts, come to church. At our church we freely give. Let the government protect us from terror, let the people take care of our own welfare. Let big bird pay for his own cable network, I’ll pay for the NFL network if I want to watch the NFL!"

True that.

If it is to be, it's up to me, and you.

“We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America.”

Barack Obama, 2008

When candidate Obama said that five days before he was elected President four years ago, most of America didn't even pay attention. And we have suffered for it. A lot of people think the President has come up short (or failed if we want to be honest about it) because he is inexperienced and doesn't know what he is doing. I disagree. I believe he knows exactly what he’s doing…He is working on the ‘fundamental transformation’ of America, just as he promised; he is looking forward to the day when we won’t recognize this country anymore because of the ‘change’ he is working to bring about. Michelle Obama said about her then-candidate husband:

“Barack knows that we are going to have to make sacrifices; we are going to have to change our conversation; we're going to have to change our traditions, change our history; we're going to have to move into a different place as a nation."

Our current President seeks to ‘fundamentally transform America’ away from a Constitutional republic to something else he deems better. But, we MUST ask ‘fundamentally change’ INTO WHAT? Has our past been so bad and our foundations so flawed? What has made America what she is? Are we smarter than the rest of the world? Are we more creative? Are we more disciplined? Are we physically more imposing? WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES US THE ENVY OF THE WORLD, THAT MAKES PEOPLE IN IMPOVERISHED COUNTIRES WANT TO COME HERE RATHER THAN SOME OTHER IMPOVERISHED COUNTRY? WHAT IS IT?...WHAT? It's the founding, first principles....The 'recipe' if you will.

‘Fundamental Change’….What does this really mean? He wants to ‘change the recipe’ that has made America the most prosperous, most generous, most benevolent, most liberating nation in history….

Let’s think about it like this:

If you want the cake in the picture you have to follow the recipe on the box. You can say you want the cake in the picture, but if you ‘fundamentally change’ the recipe you won’t get it.. You will get something else…And we’re seeing the results of the attempts of the administration to change the recipe. And the results are not good.

If you are happy with direction the country is headed, you should vote for President Obama and all candidates nationally and locally that identify with his agenda. If you feel we need a change in direction, you should vote for Mitt Romney and all candidates nationally and locally that identify with his agenda.

If it is to be, it's up to me, and you.

We Need and Want a President Who Will Act in the Best Interests of the Country...

I issued the following 'warning' on Facebook 11/1....

Hello my FB friends:
Just a heads up....Knowing that a lot of folks haven't voted yet I'm gonna be posting daily regarding the upcoming elections until Nov. 6th (election day if you haven't heard). Hopefully you will find my astute musings profitable (unless you're against profits then feel free to re-distribute them as you see fit. Oh wow, I just posted today's). As the day draws near some may be a little more pointed than previous posts, but let's make a commitment now to remain friends, agreed?

Stay tuned, and stay patient, it's almost over.
Love love,
GB

Here we go…..

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Originally posted Jan 15, 2012...Just a reminder:

I posted October 25, 2011:

President Obama is traveling the country proudly saying “If congress won’t act, I will.” Mr. President, you are not a king, you are not a benevolent dictator, you are bound to operate within the framework of the constitution in concert with the other two branches of government and you cannot 'act on your own.'

---

I posted November 2, 2011 as a follow up to the Oct. 25 post:

“If congress won’t act, I will.” Well, here we go...President Obama has signed 5 Executive Orders in the last week alone. He is circumventing Congress. And he is being encouraged to do so. Here is a quote from Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr: “I hope the President continues to exercise extraordinary constitutional means, based on the history of Congresses that have been in rebellion in the past. He’s looking administratively for ways to advance the causes of the American people, because this Congress is completely dysfunctional." Mr. President, just because the majority of Congress have different ideas about policy than you do does not give you the right to by-pass them AND the Constitution. By your actions you are abandoning your responsibility, your reason, and have shown your utter disrespect for the Constitution, our national institutions and the rule of law.

---

Posted Jan 15, 2012:

And today, ‘the beat goes on:’ President Obama just appointed Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and three members to the National Labor Relations Board, using the ‘recess appointment’ rational, even though the Senate has met every three or four days over the holiday period and therefore is not in recess. As House Speaker John Boehner said "This is an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab by President Obama which will have a devastating effect on the checks and balances that are enshrined in our constitution." The President feels he was justified in the appointments, calling the pro forma sessions "gimmicks."…

This is just the latest evidence of President Obama’s blatant disregard for the Constitution (overuse of Executive Orders, the Individual Mandate in the healthcare bill, acting independently/without Congress in the Libyan involvement, etc. etc.).

Here’s the problem: President Obama thinks ‘he knows best’ and we need him to ‘act on our behalf’ as he sees best even if it means going outside the limitations of the Constitution. It’s no mystery why our President is sympathetic to many of the world’s dictatorial regimes, for based on his recent actions, it appears he desires to be a dictator.

Mr. President, we don’t need or want a dictator. We need and want a President who will act in the best interests of the country rather than in the best interests of his party and fringe support groups, a President who will adhere to the vows taken to uphold and adhere to the Constitution.

And we are going to fire you.

Just sayin'...

The root determines the fruit….

Who does this sound like?

This person thinks that to bring about the desired society one needs to “excoriate  big business, blast Wall Street and “greedy” millionaires, lambast GOP tax cuts that “spare the rich,” attack “excess profits” and oil companies, perceives the Catholic Church as an obstacle to the vision of the ‘preferred state’ while repeating the mantra of the need for “transformational and fundamental change” while moving "forward."

The root determines the fruit….If we said the above words and thoughts were President Obama's we would be correct. BUT, what we need to know is that he came to these positions and views while learning from the man that, in his own memoir, he calls simply “Frank” to whom the thoughts above are actually attributed to. “Frank” is Frank Marshall Davis a card-carrying member of the Communist Party USA, cited by the Associated Press as an “important influence” on Obama, one whom he “looked to” not merely for “advice on living” but as a “father” figure.

Frank Marshall Davis was a pro-Soviet, pro–Red China communist. His Communist Party USA card number, revealed in FBI files, was CP #47544. He was a prototype of the loyal Soviet patriot, so radical that the FBI placed him on the federal government’s Security Index. In the early 1950s, Davis opposed U.S. attempts to slow Stalin and Mao. He favored Red Army takeovers of Central and Eastern Europe, and communist control in Korea and Vietnam. Dutifully serving the cause, he edited and wrote for communist newspapers in both Chicago and Honolulu, courting contributors who were Soviet agents. In the 1970s, amid this dangerous political theater, Frank Marshall Davis came into Barack Obama’s life and ‘mentored’ him for years.

It is startling how various elements of the Obama administration’s agenda directly reflect Davis’s columns advocating wealth redistribution, government stimulus for “public works projects,” taxpayer-funding of universal health care, nationalizing General Motors and more.

Enough to make a fella say “hmmmm,” dontcha think?

Just sayin’…..

It is widely agreed that the most important issue this political season is the economy….I disagree, and here’s why….

This is an opening salvo in what might well become a series of posts…Stay tuned.

--

Earlier this year President Obama said income inequality is “the defining issue of our time” and it is widely agreed that the most important issue this political season is the economy….I disagree, and here’s why….

In order to have a proper perspective on all of the dysfunction we are seeing in government, the selfishness we so often hear from 'rich and poor' in discussions on the economy, the narcissism we see in the occupy all streets movement, to understand why 'socialism' will never work, to grasp why our culture is becoming less wholesome and decent on a seemingly daily basis, etc etc etc, you have to reject the idea that mankind is basically good....Don't agree? Look around! I often say that ‘the first man ever born murdered his own brother and it’s been pretty much downhill ever since.’

The problem IS NOT that some are rich and some are poor. The problem IS NOT that some have more than others. The problem IS NOT the rich. The problem IS NOT the poor. Part of the problem is the currently rapidly increasing thinking that the poor are poor BECAUSE of the rich, but that IS NOT the problem. The problem IS…..wait for it….We are SELFISH. There it is and it’s as simple as that. Humans are SELFish, SELF-seeking, SELF-promoting, SELF-preserving.

How many of us have had to teach our kids to be selfish? Uh,nobody!  Case closed, but I have more to say….:)

Lots of people have joined the ‘fairness’ bandwagon and it has been a frequent theme in statements from President Obama who clearly thinks the very roots of our nation are ‘unfair’ and is set on fundamentally transforming America into his vision of what it means to be 'fair.' That sounds good, but it begs the question “what is ‘fair’ and who determines it?” And, once we face the fact that we are basically selfish people, this whole idea of ‘fairness’ becomes a fallacy. Does ‘fair’ mean we should all 'have the same?' Does ‘fair’ mean the person who works hard should not be allowed to enjoy the fruit of their labors but instead have to underwrite those who will not work? Does ‘fair’ mean there should never be winners and losers? Does ‘fair’ mean gifted, creative, industrious folks should not use their gifting to their advantage? Does ‘fair’ mean those who pay their student loans should now pay the loans of those who won't pay? Does ‘fair’ mean those who don't pay their mortgage should be bailed out by those who do? Does ‘fair’ mean we should all drive the same cars, use the same light bulbs, eat the same food, etc. etc. etc.....

No matter how much we try and eliminate ‘unfairness’ from society it will never work because of our selfish hearts and desires. The old, antiquated (tongue firmly on cheek as I type) Bible has something to say about all this. This passage from James in The Message version sums it up pretty well:

James 4, verses 1 and 2…Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

The above describes why some folks are willing to take from others just because they want or think they deserve. Why so many are willing to embrace the ‘class warfare’ rhetoric pitting rich against poor. Why many cry ‘unfair’ against any and all that don’t acquiesce to their misguided demands and why Occupy Portland protesters can steal a car and wreck it with no remorse, can carry around loaded guns and threaten people, can shut down Port union job sites, can ruin public property, can damage businesses, can perpetrate violence against the police….All in the name of ‘fairness’ when in reality (in my opinion) it’s nothing more than a bunch of spoiled brats who, rather than get a job, are happy to live off of our tax dollars and use products provided by the same ‘evil, unfair corporations’ they say they hate.

Ecclesiastes, chapter 5, verses 8 thru 10 also speaks to this all…”8 If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields. 10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.

Now, some may say I am ignoring ‘justice’ when discussing this topic in this way. No way, for ‘justice’ and ‘fairness’ are not synonymous. Fairness is simply lack of favoritism, justice is making sure folks are treated the same according to established rules, laws or moral standards. For example, it is not fair for the government to take one group of people’s resources and give them another group of people simply because someone has given the receivers a ‘special designation’ (favoritism) and justice should be administered should this be attempted in disregard of established laws…Like that example…..:)

Definitions….

Fairness:

Marked by impartiality and honesty; free from self-interest, prejudice, or favoritism…Gary B. simple interpretation: Where integrity and honesty rule and no one is favored over another, rich or poor. Same opportunities but no guarantee of same outcomes.

Justice: 

The maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments; The administration of law, especially the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity; the quality of being just, impartial, or fair…. Gary B. simple interpretation: Obey and uphold the law without partiality.

Part 1 ending now…

Just sayin’…..