Mr. Putin's Speech

From the Wall Street Journal

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114825039030459010.html?mod=opinion&ojcontent=otep

In the State of the Union speech, Mr. Vladimir Putin focused on a critical issue in Russian life.The key problem he addressed was the decline in the Russian population, which has dropped from 148.7 million in 1992 to 143.5 million in 2003. The U.N. estimates that it could fall to 101.5 million by 2050.

Earlier contractions of Russia's population were brought about by the massive losses associated with World War I, the civil war, famine, the repression and purges of the 1930s, and World War II. The current demographic decline is the result of a declining birth rate and a high mortality rate.

To address the former, Mr. Putin announced income subsidies of up to $9,200 for women following the birth of a second child, beginning in 2010. Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin said the money could be used for taking a mortgage, paying for a child's education or adding to a pension account.

This will not work. With so many people of child bearing and rearing age doing drugs and alcohol the number of healthy adulst is falling rapidly. Additionally, many of the parents are truly unfit to rear children due to excessive use of drugs and alcohol.

We have been helping change this situation ever since the Lord told Steve Griebling and Tom Fruth that we were to move toward the East from Norway to minister. Now there are several hundred people that are sober, straight and living responsibly. Their numbers grow every month and multiply every year.

Pray for Steve and me as we return to Moscow to take the Liferoute team deeper into ministry and healing. (www.liferoute.ru) They have turned a corner in organizational and ministry structure but have some distance to go before they are able to be totally self supporting.

During our prayer time last Friday the Holy Spirit spoke with Ada Halter and said to emphasize the "Royal Blood Line" so we will do just that.