New Comprehensive Study Shows How Pornography Threatens Marriages, Children, Communities and
Individual Happiness

Manchester, NH – Today, Cornerstone Policy Research, in cooperation with the Family Research Council, Washington, DC,  released a new study that comprehensively details the effects of pornography on marriages, children, communities and individual happiness.

The study, “The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community,” synthesizes all available research on the effects of pornography on families and communities.

Pornography distorts an individual’s concept of the nature of conjugal relations, which, in turn, alters both sexual attitudes and behavior. It is a major threat to marriage, to family, to children and to individual happiness. In undermining marriage, it is one of the major factors in undermining social stability.

Social scientists, clinical psychologists, and biologists have begun to clarify some of the social and psychological effects, and neurologists are beginning to delineate the biological mechanisms through which pornography produces its powerful negative effects. Among the study’s findings:

• Men who view pornography regularly have a higher tolerance for abnormal sexuality, including rape, sexual aggression, and sexual promiscuity.
• Married men who are involved in pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their wives. Wives notice and are upset by the difference.
• Pornography engenders greater sexual permissiveness, which in turn leads to a greater risk of out-of-wedlock births and STDs, which in turn lead to still more weaknesses and debilities.
• The presence of sexually oriented businesses significantly harms the surrounding community, leading to increases in crime and decreases in property values.
• Child-sex offenders are more likely to view pornography regularly or to be involved in its distribution.
• Pornography eliminates the warmth of affectionate family life, which is the natural social nutrient for the growing child.

See the complete study HERE.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:”

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to a

ll the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

Check out the following pics from last week’s Education and Training Conference, sponsored by Cornerstone-Action and Family Research Council, at the NH Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College.  Thanks to everyone who attended!

Why is the State of New Hampshire Bailing Out a Newspaper?

That question seems to be on the minds of many when news broke late last week that Governor Lynch and the Executive Council approved a contract that guarantees $187,500 (or 75%) of a $250,000 loan to a company that has purchased the Claremont Eagle Times which went defunct in July 2009.  Governor Lynch said the decision was made for “economic development” reasons, as NH became the first state to “bailout” a failing newspaper.  Read the story HERE

This of course has raised the eyebrows of many who are wondering, “Just how can a newspaper that has been bailed-out by the state now be expected to report objectively on state matters?”  See the story from The Dartmouth HERE.

Fox News’ Judge Napolitano, via the Glen Beck Show has also now chimed in… see his commentary HERE.

Governor Lynch and the Council need to give answers.  Call the Governor, 271-2121, or write him HERE and ask him why he thinks it is ok for the State to bail out a newspaper, which is then expected to unbiasedly report on State-related news?
 
Also, contact the Executive Council and hold them accountable for this decision as well!!  Contact them HERE!

Much is said about the drain on our economy and healthcare system by those who are uninsured, seek treatment, and are unable to pay. It is a grand assertion that deserves some analysis…

This article states that the Health Care industry is worth $2.5 Trillion to our economy. This article, which uses fuzzy math and thinks that all the uninsured are Americans states that there is $30 Billion of health care expenses each year that the government or charities absorb, and $43 Billion that the insurance companies must absorb through higher premiums to the insured (who obviously receive services to incur this debt). The Tax Foundation reports that 41% of our population pay no federal taxes.

So, first we will not split the government/charities portion (and remember it is gratuitous). That means 124 million taxpayers bare the burden of $30 Billion in uninsured expenses, or $241.94 per year.

Next, we can determine that inbedded in each one of our healthcare premiums, we carry a burden of the uninsured. This is expressed as the dollar per insured person (304 Million minus 50 Million on the gratuitous side = 254 Million insured). This is equal to $169.29 per insured person per year.

There is oodles of analysis to glean from this, but the one I will leave you with today is this: The 124 Million taxpayers in this country will pay between $842 per year (if the low estimate is correct, though unlikely) and $1,613 per year (though that too is probably low). These costs do not seem to be the common sensical approach to reforming our healthcare system. We certainly would be yearning for the days of ‘insuring’ the ‘uninsured’ at a rate of 2.9% of the value of our health care industry.

Another fantastic straw man from the shameless promoters of universal health care. Here is the premise: It is not unreasonable to have a health care mandate, since it is good for everyone and is no different from auto insurance [which is mandated with penalties for non-compliance].

1. Auto insurance that is mandated by the [state] government(s) is to protect other people, not you. You are required to carry liability insurance to cover damages to other personnel or property, not yourself. Lenders however, require insurance levels, which protect their investment – the car. If you do not want to carry collision insurance for repairs, you buy your car outright and are the only owner. You can also choose the level of coverage, for example towing, rental reimbursement, and roadside assistance.

2. If you do not drive a car, you are not required to carry insurance. Urban dwellers, children, and the elderly who do not drive automobiles are not required to carry automobile insurance of any kind.

3. Most importantly, a health insurance mandate instituted by the federal government is unconstitutional. Auto insurance requirements are at the state level and such decisions are reserved by the state according to the Constitution of the United States. The 10th Amendment of the US Constitution states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

“Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.”

–George Washington, The Rules of Civility, 1748

Just a few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine said those words to me in passing… My family and I were on our way back to Colorado and we were out of time for some great debate. I used my two flights across the country to not merely scoff at the idea (as would have been my initial response to her)… I decided to analyze it and see if it was a valid claim. As you will see, I think she might be on to something (she is a very wise individual).

To travel down this road we need to understand what a ‘right’ is. The Declaration of Independence states that each one of us, has certain unalienable rights, endowed by our creator, which under no circumstances can they be removed from us. The document goes on to say that when those rights are taken from us, we have the duty and right to remove ourselves from that government by whatever means possible.

To that end, our Founding Fathers, guided by an understanding of the intrinsic worth of every human being and understanding the fallibility of us all, created a government for the people, of the people, by the people. They knew just outlining the powers of each branch would not prevent people from the temptation of power and authority, but they had to place limits, rather overtly, on government, to ensure those unalienable, intrinsic, and inherent rights were protected from the tyranny of other people. They had been long told by the King of England and the British Legislature that they (in the UK) knew what was better for them than they did.

These limitations formed the Bill of Rights. Over the summer, I posted these to our blog with some essential commentary on each about the role of government as it pertained to those rights.

Now back to healthcare… If healthcare is a right, it must be treated the same as every other right we have in this country. As natural law and the Declaration would put it, “…that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Certainly, healthcare would seem to fit into my personal freedom to pursue Life and Happiness. Therefore, I can come before you today and say that healthcare is indeed a right, just as my right to free speech, religion, a speedy trail, and to bare arms.

The beauty of our Constitution is that the Bill of Rights is not GRANTING our rights, it is specifically PREVENTING the government from inhibiting them. As a citizen of this country, I have the right to free speech. Other than threatening the violation of someone else’s rights (i.e. to live), I am free without the government’s hindrance to do so. I can write on this blog, I can vote, I can send an email to friends and family – or I can choose to remain silent. It is my right to do so. By remaining silent on issues, I am not giving up my intrinsic right; I am merely not exercising it. The government cannot make me express it, nor suppress it.

Other rights I have that are similar to my right to healthcare are for instance, my right to my own health and diet, my right to be unhealthy or healthy. These are all wrapped up in my freedom of self-determination and my ability to exercise my rights as I see fit.

Currently I exercise my right to healthcare by purchasing insurance through my wife’s employment. I have decided of my own free will that I will pay an amount that gives me the absolute best care the health insurance will provide for me. I could decide of my own volition to choose a cheaper plan with less coverage, so I could perhaps spend money on some other personal freedom. I could also decide I do not want to pay an insurance company, but rather either run the risk of not getting sick or injured or saving up and paying cash for my medical care. How I exercise that right is my choice.

I can further my ability to exercise that right by seeking a job that gives me a better opportunity for less expensive insurance, seek a better job that allows me the opportunity to pay cash for medical care or once again, choose not to exercise it at all. The beauty of rights is that you have to depend on no one to grant them to you, you merely choose how you would like to approach it.

My ability to exercise my right to healthcare is currently under attack. Any tax or fee on premium insurance plans will penalize me for exercising my right as I see fit. My current plan is under threat of either a government run option or massively subsidized plans that will make it impossible for private providers to compete. Because all insurance providers will be required to insure all comers with pre-existing conditions, those of us who actually have insurance will have to pay for the risk of someone waiting until they have a health issue to call the insurance company to sign up. My ability to exercise my right to healthcare is being attacked by the government – exactly what our founding fathers warned about. The freedom to not carry insurance at all is being taken away as well.

The instantaneous response to this logic will be how insensitive we are. Make no mistake; there are people in this nation who need access to care at market rate and we need to come together to ensure that happens. However, that number of whom we shall carry the burden for is much lower than those who co-opt people for votes would like you to believe. For our views on the intrinsic value of people see HERE and ponder this quote HERE. For an archive of our “Quotes of the Day” click HERE.  Many of them reflect how awesome we think everyone is and this article talks about how much we believe in America and what people can actually achieve.

So, is healthcare a right? If it is, it is up to the individual to exercise that right, just like all the others, without infringing on the unalienable rights of others.