All the jewelry and art treasures were gifts to the Vatican, which the Vatican preserves. To ask the Vatican to sell of these gifts is tantamount to asking the Smithsonian and the great museums to sell off their treasures to fund the US deficit., which like poverty has no end in sight.

As a catholic conservative, I recognize my duty to protect the poor from exploitation and to empower the poor to rise above their circumstances and poverty. I also realize that poverty is a condition that must be addressed with common sense and goodwill, not indulgence. The poor have a duty to use their God-given talents to develop and serve other as well as being served by living responsible and productive lives. Government's role should be to assist the truly needy, those unable to provide from themselves. Government should improve the economy to provide jobs and opportunity to lift people out of poverty. The best welfare program is a job that gives meaning and security to a human being.

Gays want to redefine marriage to include homosexual unions. In every culture commencing with the earliest cultures marriage is defined to be between a man and a woman. By definition, marriage requires a husband and a wife. Homosexual marriages cannot have husbands and wives. What do we do now that the push for homosexual marriage is gaining momentum in the US and Europe? I think it would be humorous if the law required every couple, heterosexual and homosexual, applying for a marriage license to designate who is the husband and who is the wife. Let Terri and Gerri, and Harry and Larry identify who is husband and wife. Just getting back to basics reveals how difficult and silly same-sex marriage is to justify.

The American dream could be achieved by getting a good education or trade, work hard, and sacrificing for the future. Taxpayers were willing to pay for junior colleges, some of the greatest public universities in the world at affordable tuition, and respecting the quality of the education public universities provided. Unfortunately, the American dream is now the great American entitlement dream where only admission to Harvard, Yale, and other elite schools is acceptable to the pampered and spoiled offspring of the modern parent, We are spoiling our children and they have created a spoiled society.

I am not surprised by Jerry Brown's opposition to the death penalty and his sabotaging the law. When he appointed Rose Bird, he knew she was opposed to the death penalty and would vote in every case against affirming a death verdict regardless of the facts and the law. Attorney Harris swore to uphold the law, but then she sends one of her minions to oppose imposition of the death penalty on the technicality that the three drug protocol must be approved by the courts. Rather than supporting the death penalty, she undermines its imposition. Frankly, I would not be surprised if Jerry Brown doesn't commute all death sentences if the initiative fails this fall to end capital punishment.

We all have a steak in this discussion. Frankly, I like mine rare with lots of blood too. I guess someone will tell me that I am killing cow karma and should be ashamed of myself. I just wish California lawmakers would work on substantive issues and not bother with foie gras. Now if the author of this bill ate more beef and organ food the mental deficit he experiences might evaporate. Tofu is made from soy and soy has too much estrogen and it does something to rational thought. Ok, I have insulted everyone, but I haven't had my fix of steak yet....Forgive me...

Romney signed a bill that compromised some of his proposals, but he had bipartisan input and the bill was easy to comprehend. The People of Massachusetts supported it and continue to support it even though it has been modified by successive Democratic legislatures. The process was democratic (small "d") and everyone had a voice. Whether one likes Ronneycare or not, it was not worked out in the dark, secret cellars of power like Obamacare. Obamacare is a prime example of secret government, hidden deals, and partisan skullduggery. It is a perfect representation of Obama's effort to defeat democracy and impose his will on the nation. If the People succumb and reelect him, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

It is clear to me that the fate of european nations will be delegated to the bankers who dispense money according to some formula devised by bankers. Unfortunately this model will not be short termed but will become the governing body and policy maker of europe. National sovereignty will be a thing of the past.

Progressive dogma is the dogma of a religious cult demanding blind loyalty, loud hosannas for its priests in the legislature and its pope, Jerry Brown, who promise a temporal heaven created on the backs of taxpayer and unbelievers like Republicans, which is a small minority in California. These fervent believers will not be ousted until the state is broke. Then those living in California will have to sift through the rubble to see how its faith deceived them and destroyed the promised land.

Has anyone ever bought a Rolex for $40 at the corner of Broadway and 42nd Street in NYC? Or maybe a Louie Vuitton handbag in Seoul, Korea, for $25? If you bought either one, you display them as the real thing even though you know the items are fakes. Anyone with a sharp eye can tell the difference. However, the possessors of the fake luxury goods want to impress the world and deny what they really are. So, it is the same with same-sex marriage which does not match the definition of marriage between a man and a woman, which mankind has recognized from the beginning of history. No culture, no religion, no pagan society, no person of common sense can say same-sex marriage is natural and consistent with the natural order of creating a family. i