More Anti-Christian Bigotry In The Military 

Yesterday we reported on the outrageous briefing an Army Reserve unit in Pennsylvania received that labeled "Evangelical Christianity" and "Catholicism" as examples of "extremism." The Army said it was an "isolated incident." Sadly, it isn't.

Today there is news that Army Lt. Col. Jack Rich of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, sent an email warning of behaviors inconsistent with "Army Values" and warning about various groups that "do not share our Army Values." 

Among those groups listed in his email were neo-Nazis and the KKK. So far so good. But also included were pro-family Christian organizations like the Family Research Council and the American Family Association. 

As many of our readers know, I served as president of the Family Research Council after leaving the Reagan White House. It is a tremendous organization that should never be included with the likes of the KKK. The same goes for our good friends at the American Family Association.

Sadly, this is more evidence that left-wing activists who equate traditional Biblical values with bigotry and extremism have burrowed their way into the government bureaucracy and are even moving up the ranks of Obama's military. 

Let me venture a guess as to why this is happening. It is the result of repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. As the administration began to demand tolerance for alternative lifestyles, the word quickly went out from the top that tolerance had its limits. Lieutenant General Thomas Bostick, then the Army's deputy chief of staff in charge of personnel, said, "These people opposing this new policy will need to get with the program, and if they can't, they need to get out." 

Just 18 months after the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," we have gone from tolerance for homosexuals serving in the military to intolerance for men and women of faith serving in the military. 

Once again, I must urge pastors and those in elected office to speak up against this assault on religious liberty. There is no equality or tolerance in equating Christian pro-family ministries with the KKK. It is blatant anti-religious bigotry that seeks to force men and women of faith into the closet. 

Obama FINALLY Submits His Budget 

President Obama finally submitted his budget to Capitol Hill today. He's only 65 days past the February 4th statutory deadline, and both the House and the Senate have already passed their own budgets. 

Some believe the White House waited so long to submit its budget in order to avoid another round of embarrassing votes. Last year Obama's budget failed to get a single vote in either the House or the Senate.

But here's what we know: In addition to spending $3.8 trillion, the president is demanding another massive tax increase. Obama's budget aims to raise revenues by $580 billion through a variety of tax hikes. For example: 

• Obama is once again proposing to cap deductions for top earners at 28%, even though they are taxed at 39%. Obama claims this is in the interest of fairness, but he is effectively imposing a tax on charity. 
   
• His budget imposes limits on how much can be in your retirement account. When did it become the government's business to set arbitrary limits on how much people can save? 
   
• He also included something called the "chained CPI." It changes the way inflation is calculated so that it cuts spending on Social Security benefits while at the same time pushing Americans into higher tax brackets. Even the White House admits this amounts to a middle class tax increase.

Keep in mind, friends, that this latest call for even higher taxes comes just three months after the fiscal cliff deal, which raised taxes by $600 billion, and that was on top of another wave of Obamacare tax hikes, which kicked in at the beginning of the year! 

Meanwhile Big Government Wastes Billions 

The Government Accountability Office released a report yesterday identifying scores of redundant programs across the massive federal bureaucracy. Just how bad is the waste? Consider these few examples: 
 

• The GAO identified 679 "overlapping" renewable energy programs. (Remember Obama's stimulus-funded green energy boondoggles?) 
   
• There are 76 programs in 15 agencies to combat drug abuse. 
   
• The GAO found 47 job training programs.
   
• There are six programs at the Department of Defense working on camouflage uniforms. One previous uniform redesign turned out to be a $5 billion disaster.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) told Fox News that the waste identified in the report amounted to $250 billion a year. He added, "That's three times what the sequester was just in waste, in duplication, in stupidity, and lack of efficiency and effectiveness by the federal government. (It) makes you want to pull your hair out."  

Obamacare Buyer's Remorse 

After their sweeping victories in the 2008 election, liberals in Congress went on a legislative binge -- passing the massive stimulus spending bill and seizing control of our nation's healthcare sector. Yesterday Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) appeared to be having a "morning after" moment. 

Rockefeller joined the growing ranks of politicians who are increasingly worried that Obamacare is turning out be a bureaucratic nightmare. During a Senate confirmation hearing for the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Rockefeller said Obamacare is "so complicated and if it isn't done right the first time, it will just simply get worse." 

"I believe that the Affordable Care Act is probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by the United States Congress. …up to this point it is just beyond comprehension," Rockefeller added.

It may not be polite to say it, but I will: "WE TOLD YOU SO!"