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Thursday October 1, 2015

// October 1st, 2015 // Comments Off on Thursday October 1, 2015 // Daily News

Trump, should he fall behind: ‘Well, I’m not a masochist’

CNBC.com
Donald Trump had a chance to take a shot at Carly Fiorina. He didn’t take it.
He responded mildly to jibes from Jeb Bush, noting that “he’s doing very poorly” but is “a very nice person.”
He praised staffers at Forbesmagazine, even while disputing their story asserting that his net worth is less than half the $10 billion Trump has claimed. He reacted with equanimity to challenging questions, and mused about abandoning his presidential bid if his poll numbers head south.
At least briefly this week, during our interview in Trump Grill inside the mid-town Manhattan tower that bears his name, the normally bombastic Trump struck a milder tone. Perhaps it was simply that day’s mood, or perhaps it was a reflection of the sobering moment he has reached during his stunning turn in the race for the White House.
Trump announced his campaign in June and rapidly surprised his many skeptics (including this one). Not only did he file the required financial disclosure statements that some expected to deter him from actually running, he shot to the top of the polls on the strength of his white-hot anti-immigration stance and blustery appeal to “make America great” for millions anxious over cultural change and economic stress.
But the change of season from summer to fall typically brings a reckoning for presidential candidates. Campaigns begin spending heavily on advertising, promoting their candidates and attacking rivals.
Voters think about candidates more rigorously. When fall turns to winter, the contests to actually select presidential nominees begin. The accelerating gauntlet of televised debates — for Republicans the next one is Oct. 28 on CNBC — offers a ready guide to their performance under pressure, face-to-face.
Jeb Bush talks to John Harwood at the Parlor City Pub and Eatery in Cedar Rapids, IA.
An undeterred Jeb Bush vows ‘I’m all in’
That will test Trump’s staying power in several ways. His lead in some polls has eroded somewhat in the wake of media scrutiny and attacks from rivals, on debate stages and off. If that continues, he’ll have to decide whether the “free media” of news coverage can keep him afloat or he’ll be forced to begin writing the sort of large advertising checks he hasn’t needed so far.
At the same time, he’ll have to decide how much of the campaign grind he wants to tolerate. Hearing cheers from large crowds attracted by a political novelty may be thrilling; trudging through snow and ice in Iowa and New Hampshire waging hand-to-hand combat for votes may not be. Trump’s calling card is his reputation for winning. Politicians who make it to the White House usually must demonstrate a stomach for losing before they get there.
Fiorina: Trump is going to hear a lot from me
That made Trump’s reflections on his prospects this week especially intriguing. I asked whether he’d exit the race if he were no longer, in the phrase he likes so much, “leading every poll.”
“Well, I’m not a masochist,” he said. “If I fell behind badly, I would certainly get out. I’m in this for the long haul,” Trump concluded. “That doesn’t mean someday I don’t wake up and I say, ‘Wow, I’m really tanking.’ Well, if I tank, sure, I go back to the business. Why wouldn’t I?”

Today’s Inspiration

Just “Be” with Him

by Joyce Meyer – posted October 01, 2015

And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here.
– Exodus 33:12, 14, 15

When God called Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him, “Let My peo¬ple go,” he asked the Lord, “Who am I going to say sent me? Pharaoh is not going to listen to me and set the children of Israel free.” Moses was afraid; he was upset. But God said to him, “My presence will go with you.” I love Moses’ reply: “Okay, but if Your presence is not going to go with us, then don’t send me!”

We need to really understand the awesomeness of God’s presence. Why in the world would we not want to spend time with God? We spend time staring in store windows at the mall; we spend time on the Internet. But most people admit it is hard for them to spend regular time with God. The devil fights us when it comes to spending time with God.

Why not begin dedicating a portion of time for that purpose? Try to be as regular about it as you can. Read the Bible and any other Chris¬tian books that minister to you. Talk freely to God about anything you would talk to a good friend about. Listen to Christian music and wor¬ship; or just sit there and enjoy the silence. If you will do that, you will begin to feel and sense the Presence of the Lord and you will begin to see wonderful changes in yourself and your life.

I guarantee you, there is nothing in life you need more and nothing He would enjoy more than spending time with you.

Love God Today: Take time today to do nothing but sit in God’s presence.

Tuesday September 29, 2015

// September 29th, 2015 // Comments Off on Tuesday September 29, 2015 // Daily News

Trump tax plan may help the rich more than Bush’s
CNBC.com

In an effort to transform himself into a billionaire populist, Donald Trump has presented a tax plan designed to appeal to conservatives and voters who are angry with the rich.
But while he’s selling it as a boon for the middle class, the biggest gains would likely flow to the wealthy.
The plan’s main selling point is a zero-tax rate for individuals making less than $25,000 and couples making less than $50,000. While nearly half of Americans already pay no income taxes, Trump said the change would eliminate taxes for an additional 31 million Americans.
At the same time, he said the plan would take away deductions and “loopholes” that are mainly exploited by the wealthy. That includes eliminating the so-called “carried interest” loophole used by hedge-funders and private equity chiefs.
“There will be people in the very upper echelons that won’t be thrilled with this because we’re taking away their deductions,” Trump said.
He added that unlike some of his other opponents, specifically mentioning Hillary Clintion and Jeb Bush, he doesn’t receive campaign money from rich donors who have sought to preserve their deductions.
Yet a close look at his proposal — which still lacks many basic details — suggests that similar to the Bush plan, the majority of the benefits would flow to the wealthy. In some ways, it could be even more generous.
The biggest benefit for the top 1 percent would be the proposed reduction of the highest income-tax rate, which Trump said he would cut from 39.6 percent to 25 percent. Bush’s proposal is 28 percent.
And like Bush, Trump would also cut the tax rate for long-term capital gains — which flow mainly to the wealthy — to 20 percent, from the current 23.8 percent.
Both Trump and Bush have also said they would overhaul deductions except for charity. Trump said he would eliminate deductions and “loopholes” except for charity, and Bush said he would cap deductions at 2 percent of adjusted gross income.
Both plans would also eliminate the alternative minimum tax and the estate tax, which Trump calls “double taxation.” He said the latter tax forces many families “to go through hell,” even though the current exemption is $5.43 million for individuals and nearly $11 million for couples. Therefore, it only applies to the wealthiest 0.12 percent of estates.

Today’s Inspiration

Keep God’s Secrets

by Joyce Meyer – posted September 29, 2015

But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.
– Matthew 6:6

I have come to realize over the years in my experience with God that we are not very good at keeping things secret that should be kept secret. The verse for today indicates that what we pray about is between us and God and does not need to be done as a display for others. We want to hear from God, yet the moment we feel that He does tell us anything, we cannot wait to tell others what He has said. Perhaps that is all right at times, but there are also times when things between us and God need to be kept secret.

When Joseph had a dream that his father and brothers would someday bow down to him, perhaps it was childish foolishness that prompted him to tell them about it. Perhaps it was that very foolishness that God had to work out of Joseph before He could trust him with the responsibility He had in mind. Very often our unwillingness to keep secrets is a symptom of immaturity. I think we might well see more of God’s rewards manifested in our lives, as the verse for today says, if we could learn to discern the difference between what to tell and what to keep secret.

God will reveal more to us if He can trust us. Let us learn to hold things in our heart until God gives us permission to release them.