Wordnerd

3000 troops can help in such situations.  It's a population control and containment issue.  And despite how touchy Americans can get at the notion of American soldiers controling/containing a population, it's a legitimate way to keep Ebola from growing to a global impact.  
 
Although the large number, suddenness, and media blitz indicates one of two things - either the Ebola problem is worse (or expected to get worse) than we're currently thinking, or this is a political move to take the nation's attention off other things.
 
Dunno.  It's a good time to do some reading and be prepared.

Wordnerd, actually, it's been going on since the "Police action" in Korea.  WWII, for a lot of people, was the last constitutionally supported use of our military.
 
Some folks take it as a sign that we're not really much of a constitutional republic any more, but more of an empire.  Gotta declare war to use the military?  Meh.  We don't need to do that.  Too many vital national interests at stake.

It's interesting the range of thoughts on this. As converts we are the only members of the church in our respective families. We don't keep coffee and tea (other than herbal tea) in the house on a regular basis. However I have no problem with family bringing their own and would be happy to serve it to them. My mother stayed recently to watch the kids while we went away for a few days, I would have bought coffee and tea for her, except I wasn't organised so she bought her own, it's still here and I expect it will stay here for future visits. We also have welcomed friends and family who bring their own wine or beer for meals with us. Smoking friends/family go outside, but I don't know anyone who would smoke even in their own homes, so that's just normal and not because we are members.
 
On a side note, my mother keeps a stock of my favourite herbal tea in her house, which she doesn't drink. She does it because she wants us to feel comfortable and welcome. I want people to feel the same way in my house, so I am accomodating of their preferences. We wouldn't tolerate illegal drugs in or around the home - but that hasn't changed from before.

It wasn't sarcasm. He genuinely needed to draw a line in the sand. The question is: "What now?"

To clarify my opinions-
I consider the purpose of the travel in my decision. When we are on vacation, it is voluntary and therefore we don't eat out, etc. Traveling for work is usually required and I eat out if there are not reasonable alternatives. In my personal situation, traveling to conference is in no way a vacation. 12 hours in a van with a screaming baby and spending roughly $1000 in fuel/food/lodging to go stand two hours multiple times in a standby line to watch something that I could watch at my house is not a vacation.
I feel that traveling to conference is like traveling to the Sea of Galilee to hear the Lord. It's like traveling to hear the Prophet Joseph Smith give a revelation. It would be nice to see them on television, but it would be way better to hear them in person if you could. It's a voluntary trip, but I go so that I can feel the powerful witness of the spirit. I don't see anything wrong with stopping to pick some corn to eat. I am not saying that this is how it should be for everyone. This is just how we feel about it.

Part of his orneriness is that all the fences, including the one he put up were several inches on our side, although he still claimed ownership of them. So glad to not live near him anymore.

It's interesting the range of thoughts on this. As converts we are the only members of the church in our respective families. We don't keep coffee and tea (other than herbal tea) in the house on a regular basis. However I have no problem with family bringing their own and would be happy to serve it to them. My mother stayed recently to watch the kids while we went away for a few days, I would have bought coffee and tea for her, except I wasn't organised so she bought her own, it's still here and I expect it will stay here for future visits. We also have welcomed friends and family who bring their own wine or beer for meals with us. Smoking friends/family go outside, but I don't know anyone who would smoke even in their own homes, so that's just normal and not because we are members.
 
On a side note, my mother keeps a stock of my favourite herbal tea in her house, which she doesn't drink. She does it because she wants us to feel comfortable and welcome. I want people to feel the same way in my house, so I am accomodating of their preferences. We wouldn't tolerate illegal drugs in or around the home - but that hasn't changed from before.

Nobody has suggested the obvious choice - stone battlements.  With archer slots so you can fight off the food rioters.
 

 
On the plus side, you can design the whole thing in Minecraft to get a sense of look and feel.
 
Am I right?

I do understand your point - to us it is excessive and unneccesary, but I do think that we need to look at it as a matter of degree.
 
I took my family to Disneyland last year, I did the cheapest trip I could, using airmiles and travelling in the off season, but I still spent $2500. Thats money that I could have given to the poor and needy, and I'm sure there are many who have less than me, who only camp or don't vacation at all that would be disgusted at my action. My family has two vehicles, could we make do with one, possible, but extremely inconvenient, but thats $450 extra in gas and insurance that I could give the poor and needy.
 
I guess the point I am trying to make is if someone is tithing, and presumably supporting charity, most likely in excess of what my family even earns total in a year, are they obliged to forgo a more comfortable lifestyle as well, and donate everything in excess of what I deem lifestyle needs? Should I be reducing my expenses to the bare minimum, and forgo living in a comfortable house, and driving cars so that I can give more, because there are those that live with less than me?
 
 
 
I wasn't trying to imply that he was called because he was perfect, but that he wouldn't have been called if he had not been, mostly at least, stewarding what he had been blessed with wisely.
 
 
 
All of us who are blessed with some excess use some of what we recieve for personal recreation and wants, where do we draw the line at what is reasonable and what is not? Just by virture of living where I do I am blessed with more luxurious lifestyle than many people in the world will ever have, I don't consider myself wealthy, but I can be comfortable if I manage carefully. I need to be grateful for that, but do I need to forsake it all to better build the Kingdom?
 
 
 
 

Watch or membership? based on the information provided the watch could have cost anywhere from 5 to 50K. I personally usually buy used vehicles that cost around 15K, so yes a 15K watch would be extremely excessive for me, but for someone that likely earns million(s) a year it could just be a small luxury (like designer shoes, although I personally find that excessive as well, I will spend on quality but not a designer name, quality is not that expensive). Its all a matter of degree, we don't expect middle class families to live on the bare minimum and donate the rest, the wealthy just have a lot more excess, and since they have worked for it I think they are justified in using some of it to reward themselves.
 
The golf membership is big dollars, but we are talking about a business owner - lots of business gets done in these private clubs, if that is the cost of entry into the circle where he networks and cultivates influence to continue to provide jobs for others, is it really that excessive? I have had lots of experience working for people who are extremely wealthy, most of them have been extremely philanthropic, I don't think I should judge what they spend based on my lifestyle, we all have weaknesses (I buy too many books) but in general wealthy people do a great deal of good in the world, I expect the unnamed 70 does, and has been using his wealth wisely, otherwise the Lord would not have called him to his current role.

A lot of gymantics because we still have not found a better definition of wealthy other then "more then I have".
 
Lets take the example TFP gave us and expand it both ways
 
If someone said his wife found a $3000 watch and got a good deal to bring it down to $750 and bought it as a gift for her husband...  Well most of would agree that she got a good deal but we would clutch our hearts at the idea of paying $750 for a watch.
 
TFP story is a $300 watch for $75 and he seems ok with that.  It does seem to be a good deal.  But I can't help but think I am not the only one going "seventy five dollars for a watch???"
 
Whereas if my wife found me a $30 watch for $7.50 I'd be all like "score" and "totally worth it".  But I am also sure there would be people who would think there was something better that my wife  could have spent that $7.50 on.
 
We are all going to find reason why what we want is ok but why someone else is over the line

Watch or membership? based on the information provided the watch could have cost anywhere from 5 to 50K. I personally usually buy used vehicles that cost around 15K, so yes a 15K watch would be extremely excessive for me, but for someone that likely earns million(s) a year it could just be a small luxury (like designer shoes, although I personally find that excessive as well, I will spend on quality but not a designer name, quality is not that expensive). Its all a matter of degree, we don't expect middle class families to live on the bare minimum and donate the rest, the wealthy just have a lot more excess, and since they have worked for it I think they are justified in using some of it to reward themselves.
 
The golf membership is big dollars, but we are talking about a business owner - lots of business gets done in these private clubs, if that is the cost of entry into the circle where he networks and cultivates influence to continue to provide jobs for others, is it really that excessive? I have had lots of experience working for people who are extremely wealthy, most of them have been extremely philanthropic, I don't think I should judge what they spend based on my lifestyle, we all have weaknesses (I buy too many books) but in general wealthy people do a great deal of good in the world, I expect the unnamed 70 does, and has been using his wealth wisely, otherwise the Lord would not have called him to his current role.