Dear Phil…You are a refreshing replacement for Drew…(no offense, Drew)…Can’t believe you aren’t a morning person because you sure are bubbly when we hear you…take care and keep up the good work!!!
What up Phil? I hear things are going well- keep up the good work. I’m upset that I missed gay day, but I get to hear you guys sometimes. Sounding good. Continue to speak your mind- stirring things up with the listeners is the best part of the job. Give Tom, Shelley and The Sly One my best.
I believe that smoking is one’s choice, taxing that person whom chooses to smoke is wrong. Why are we not taxing candy and hydrogentated oils, which is making us fat. Sin tax is wrong.
I agree ,stop the taxes. But I think the smokers need to change to. Most smoker, ALL that i know of, belive smokeing is their right. To do so anywhere or whenever they want to. ITS NOT. They smoke in my car,my house. When I tell them please don’t they get pissed.If I went to their place and did something they don’t like, I would be looked at as something very low. Why can’t they understand. it is there right to kill themself with smokes. Not their right to stink up my place or kill me with their smokes
The government is making fists full of cash off of cigs.. and I don’t mind, but then they go and sue the tobacco companies for massive amounts of cash because they are “bad.” The government makes almost as much, and in some cases, more, than the companies they are suing. Sounds like playing both sides to me.
I’d love to read a rundown of your opinion on how Obama and McCain will affect this country (negatively and positively) if elected. I’d ask you to throw in a Libertarian too, but that wouldn’t be too objective for you.
Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary.
Blaise Pascal
Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.
Isaac Asimov
You want material?
Here is something I have had on my mind for years. Our nation misunderstands the concept of money.
Yet, we argue endlessly about the economy.
Ancient history – before coinage. People traded what they had for what they did not have. Chickens for goats or sugar beets for marijuana. But you had the down side that it was hard to get a steak, you needed the intermediary of a butcher.
Then they started trading salt. Everybody needed it, and it could be easily subdivided and stored. Later, precious metals. If you recall, England in precolonial days based her economy on silver. This was unfortunate in the fact that she waxed and wained based on the silver mined, and her economy had this limitation. But the “currency” had a base value it could not be worth less than. Salt was useful to everyone, as was silver.
These United Stated began on the gold standard, with very similar limitations. But now our money is guaranteed only by the full faith and trust we have in our government.
People think of the value of money as some sort of constant to compare other things with. This is simply wrong. And it distorts the argument(s) whenever the word “cost” is introduced.
It’s kind of a tough topic, if you intend to define it and then propose some resolution. Unless you cheat, and ask our friend, Walter Williams. But I would enjoy some dialog on any portion of the topic.
I’d love to hear you dissect and discuss political correctness. Just to get you started, I happen to think it is insidious and dangerous what do you think?
To smoke or not to smoke? That is not the question anymore. The question is were to smoke. In the city limits of Columbia, unless you are in your home, this means almost no were. In the past year and a half that the ban has been in affect the city has lost a lot more than it has gained. This can be seen in the surge of business by those right out side the city limits, i.e. Prathersville, Millersburg and Midway to name a few. Columbia businesses are now competing in an uneven playing field that has cost many their jobs. This lose not only affects the people who were put out of work, but the entire city. The city has also put me and my children in harms way by increasing the number of people drinking and driving. Because lets face it, the businesses we are talking about are bars and restaurants. And if the former patrons of a bar a block from their house now drive five miles to enjoy a beer and a smoke. How do you think they are getting home. I could go on and on about the negatives of this ban. And yet the positives elude me because they all smack in the face of personnel freedom and choice.
I want to hear more about overpaid public service positions.
We need to cut the fat out of tax-funded administrative jobs. Times are tough, and the government needs to trim back like business, and everybody else.
Sales and Property taxes should never be raised in this city again. Columbia has grown greatly over the last 10 years. This expansion should provide the tax revenue for necessary roads, schools, or other public services. It’s not – and we’re going broke.
I believe our shortfalls are due to a mismanagement of funds, such as the $9,600,000 YouZeum, and overpaid administrators. You can buy alot of road graders, and fund alot of road improvement with 9.6 million dollars.
How can we make REAL CHANGE on these two topics: taxes and big-overpaid-government?
Keep giving us the financial facts behind these issues, like the salary work done on the school board. The facts catch my attention.
you refer to the tyranny of the majority. that would be Alexis. here is another thought from Alexis that roy is quite fond of.
A majority taken collectively is only an individual, whose opinions, and frequently whose interests, are opposed to those of another individual, who is styled a minority. If it be admitted that a man possessing absolute power may misuse that power by wronging his adversaries, why should not a majority be liable to the same reproach? Men do not change their characters by uniting with one another; nor does their patience in the presence of obstacles increased with their strength. For my own part, I cannot believe it; the power to do everything, which I should refuse to one of my equals, I will never grant to any number of them.
Why do we put issues up for a vote only to be over ruled? Such as the vote on gay marriage in Calipornia? These people used their spare time and burned cheap gasloline to go vote only to be subjected to the tyrany of the supreme court. Why did we waste these voters time?
“For the first time in the history of our Republic, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers,” McCain said in a statement.
I thought Republicans didn’t know it was a Republic?
I tried soooo hard to get on the radio w/ you last night, but couldn’t get thru. I have a counter to Gary’s insistence that telephone conversations are private – if they belong to you and not the telephone company, why is the subpoena issued to the telephone company and not to an individual?
Thank you for your post today – I agree that the Supreme Court made the right choice!
I was listening to your show tonight on the way home from work and heard you talking about gun rights. I believe it is time to look at gun rights from a different perspective. When our constitution was written, 225+ years ago, a gun was a necessity. It provided food, safety and was required to survive as we explored and populated the continental U.S.. The wild, wild west is gone, along with all the reasons to own a gun, except for hunting. Handguns are only for shooting other people. Semi-automatic guns have no purpose whatsoever except for killing large groups of people. HONESTLY… can those two facts be disputed. If your only reason for keeping them is because other people have them. Isn’t that the most valid of arguments for taking them all away. If nobody had one, or if owning a handgun was a felony. We all would be much, much safer. This would require a very difficult transition, but isn’t the long range positive worth considerable sacrifice in the present. I know all the gun-toting wackos are going to respond irrationally and with about as much thought as I give to taking, well, you can finish that sentence. Most rational thinking people who are capable of generating a coherent sentence, I believe, have to come to the opinion that guns are bad and need to be controlled. This is not accomplished by taking every shmo who has 100 bucks and a free sunday afternoon a permit to carry a gun. Come on people be honest, what purpose does a gun have besides killing, and the gun does not know or care what it is aimed at, an animal, a target, or a person. Do you really believe that our nation, as desensitized as it is to violence, needs more people with weapons walking around. I will finish by saying that I am not a liberal or even a democrat, I’m just a citizen with my eyes open and trying to objectively argue the point that guns in our society are simply unnecessary.
Lance, have you even shot a gun? Hanguns and semi-automatic weapons have more uses than “shooting other people.” Find someone with a gun and go to local range (or the Rocky Fork conservation area just north of Columbia) and do a little plinking. It’s fun and the only deaths are to those evil commie watermelons and other targets you might like to shoot.
Semi-automatics are not as scary as some people like to claim. An accomplished marksman with a bolt-action rifle or a revolver can fire a comparable number of rounds in a similar amount of time. Do you now want us to return to the days of single-shot muskets and blunderbusses?
“Ask most Democrats and Republicans what form of government we have and they’ll probably say “a democracy.” A libertarian will know the answer is a republic.”
Maybe those of us that know the correct answer should be the only ones allowed to carry a gun.
Lance…I am not a “gun-toting wacko”; I am a single woman who travels frequently and often to more remote areas. As a law-abiding citizen I will exercise my constitutional right to carry a gun as soon as I have taken the class and obtained my permit (unlike the criminals who may threaten me). I pray I never need to draw and fire my weapon, but will do so without hesitation if I am in danger. In short, Lance, I WILL NOT BE A VICTIM. You are being naive if you think there is no place for guns in today’s society. As Gary says, “an armed society is a polite society”.
Hello Gary. I just saw your video the speech to columbia libs. I am a registered republican, and don’t want to vote for either of the d & R candidates. Ire there some links that could better inform me about the Lib party, and what the truly stand for.
Thank you
Jeremy Payton
It seems as though our Liberty is only as strong as our Economy…or is it the other way around?
One thing is for sure, broke or not, we ARE clinging to our guns. That gives me a sense of security.
Interesting interview. I am a smoker but I do understand the employers side, However, smoking is legal, if they want to ban it, then make it illegal! We have to realize that our country is no longer a republic, we are a Socialist country. Welcome to America, no longer the home of the free and the land of the brave. The government now controls what we do, what we say, what we eat, what we drink and everything else. Better get used to it, we have the King of Socalism poised to be president.
I am not a smoker. Never have been. I find it to be a disgusting behavior. But it is not illegal, just stupid. And I haven’t seen any laws proposed to outlaw stupidity. I don’t think employees should be let go over lifestyles (unless it is proven to negatively impact their job performance), but I do believe that lifestyle choices which impact health SHOULD similarly impact that employees health insurance costs – directly. In short, as with all other insurance, if you have a lifestyle which increases the likelihood of you filing a claim, you should either be charged for the increase or denied the insurance. It is not fair nor appropriate to force me, as a relatively healthy non-smoker with very little risky behavior in my lifestyle, to pay the rates to cover the smokers and others who have considerable more risk in their lifestyles.
Here we go. If we can simply remove our head from our rectum and wake up and smell the roses. Commen sence has to fall into play sometime. The Dems, and Reps, both need a wake up call. How far can they expect to stretch us. “The fuel prices directly reflect the use of ethenol, and the use of ethonal is directly impacting the global fuel supply. HORSES&*^T!!!!. The current economic situation, now Starbucks closing 600 stores nationwide, 1 question why spend $6 on a cup of coffee anyway, but spending decreasing as a result of energy costs. It returns to the Global Warming debates and both parties are to blame and are cashing in on this line of bs. When Texas supplies over 30 percent of our current oil supply, The Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana region supply another 10 percent. That leaves 60 percent that is split up between Alaska which all oil comes to the us, and Cananda and the Middle east. The government doesn’t need to go after Large Oil, We need to get our electded officials heads out of their hind end and there hands out of the cookie jar. Remember they are there as public servants not CEO’s. Yes it bothers me that CEO’s of large corporations recieve bonuses in the millions of dollars, but you know that have Earned it. If i could run a company like Exxon for example, located in over 30 countries, and make that business profitable, keep everything in line and organized and not loose your head you deserve everything you get. Dems and reps whether they want to admit it, all support this global warming farce by not closing there own cookie jar. We don’t need to drill in anwr. We have thousand of dericks that were producing in the 80’s and 90’s when Clinton capped the and banned the future of self sustainability. Weve had 8 years of a man who i voted for and the reps couldnt get it together, and now the dems have promised the world and it is costing me 400 per gallon, 100 dollars a week just to go to work. I personally have had enough. Both sides scare me and If we dont clear the junk out of ears, open our eyes, and call foul every now and then, we will be speaking french, or muslim or spanish, anything other than Englis because the rest of us will be sold to the highest bidder.
I am not voting for Obama because am a racist, as to which I am not, nor because his middle name is Huesein, ( i could really care less), I am not voting for Obama because i am a Capitalist American and i believe everyone should do everthing they can do to support themselves.
That is also the same reason i am not going to vote for McCain. Yes he is a war hero, and that does give him something to be proud of and proves his patriotism, but you can not be friends with someones family member was black bald during ww2 by selling scrap metal to the Japs while we were at war with them. But to each is own.
That is my rant, and will we have an economy in 5 years, Yes we will but if we dont start slapping our elected officials hands out the the jar and quit worrying about upsetting someone by telling them that they can’t do something, we will be back in the 70’s and praying for another Reagan.
I have known Gary for a long time and he was never a smoker or drinker but he always allowed others their choice in that regard.
Years ago he ran a business for his ailing mother catering to smokers and drinkers, I think he understands the issue from their perspective.
I usually watch the show and am sorry I didn’t tune in that day. I would have been very surprised to see him. I would have liked to hear him go into a little bit more detail. The topic is a very hot one. My husband’s plant is going smoke free Jan 09. They have had the smoking shacks for a number of years. The total size of the plant is over 1,000,000 square feet so it takes some fast walking to get to the little buidings to have a smoke and get back to your area on time.
On another note I have always thought smokers got more breaks than the non-smokers, or so it seems. As a spouse and mother of 2 musicians I am in bars and restuarants weekly and have developed what seems to be a smokers cough. I am sensitive to all kinds of stuff now. I have also attended too many funerals for musicians who worked most of their lives in the smoke filled venues.
I am waiting for Michigan to pass the new ban on smoking in public places etc. They are still debating details.
thinking about it is one thing. communicating the thoughts is quite another thing. there is a problem with definition of “economy”. I hold that people do not even grasp the concept of money clearly. they seem to want to think of it as some fixed value, independent of other concerns, and nothing could be further from the truth.
have you ever stood up in a small boat? there is no reaction without oposite reaction, and if you don’t grasp this quickly and well, you will be all wet soon.
money is no different. the gold standard had commerce tied to the amount of gold in reserve. now the only value money has is it’s ability to be exchanged. this is very greatly tied to perception, which is quite malable. expectations can be the highest god. just this once, perception approaches reality.
and the charlatans know this well.
just one example and I will quit. I have a 401K retirement account, which is measured in dollars. it is vested mostly in stocks, and they have been going down, much to my disapproval. but this is compounded by the fact that the dollar is also in decline. the economic forces causing this are legion and ubiquitous. it would seem that I am experiencing penetration by a course thread threaded fastener, and I did not even get a kiss.
as Niels Bohr said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”
accepting the concept of variable worth of money, I require other criteria to fuel my crystal ball. what every may has is time and property. now, the socialists make it increasingly apparent that any man’s property rights is only as inalienable as the majority decides. kind of like what we did to the native americans, but not racial. every american is now included.
fear of a “bad economy” will fuel those who insist on increasing socialism. this will worsen “the economy” at an increasing rate. offsetting that is the fact that we are sitting on a large pile of assets. in tough times, it will be the stupid who will be hurt most quickly. we have before us the opportunity to become wealthy by just holding still and let the churlish masses decline.
I choose to put my assets in places where there is a return – other than entertainment. you won’t hear me complaining about my cable bill, because I don’t have one. my humble opinion.
I’d rather see a non-subsistence living sales tax replace everything.
Also for all those who like to bring up the amount of money the top one percent make. They earn about 21% of the total US income yet pay 35% of the tax burden. Something to also remember those numbers are after all of their loop holes and reductions or cuts they can manage to get. Imagine how great the discrepancy would be if they didn’t get those.
With a non-subsistence living sales tax you remove the undo burden on the poor by lettings keep the money needed to survive while forcing those to want to indulge in the excess of life pay more. Also it ends the concerns about illegals not paying their fair share, because regardless if they register they will be paying the same taxes as the average US citizen. Also it brings in a load of income to the US from all the foreign vacationers that come to enjoy the sites. Now with a sales tax only system they would be helping fuel the economy and the government at the same time. It would also allow the government to actually stimulate the economy in a direct way by declaring a no-tax time period in efforts to increase consumer spending on non essentials. Lastly and the reason why it will never come into existence, it shows the average citizen the cost of their government. It would no longer be this insidious income tax that is taken from you before you even get to see your money, rather you would see how MUCH YOUR GOVERNMENT COST YOU each and every time you buy items. No longer would the cost be hidden behind piles of paper and bureaucracy but in plain sight before you. No longer would politicians be able to place the class card to rally votes by dividing us because we would all be equal before the tax code.
I am confused, are you arguing against middle class tax cuts or are you saying both the upper AND the middle class should get tax cuts?
Regardless of how you feel about Obama’s tax plan, you have to admit it is smart politics for a Democrat to be talking tax cuts more than the Republican.
It’s rare that I can find a truly high-grade load of crap, but Gary has provided a good one.
The Bush tax policies have led to a greater concentration of wealth and a shrinking middle class. It’s not the purchases of the wealthy that drive the economy, as they put a smaller percentage of their income back into the economy. Why do you think the economic stimulus package gave rebate checks to middle and lower class people?
The Obama plan is aimed at growing the middle class, who spend most of their money – and spend it in America. I understand that you’re against him, but you’ll have to find a better reason than taxes. We’ve seen the result of your trickle-down theory, and it’s not pretty.
The real problem with our tax code is that income from work is taxed higher than unearned income, and loopholes allow the wealthy a much lower effective tax rate than most people know. When someone like Warren Buffett can say that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary, something’s very wrong.
I hope you make a lot of money, Gary. There’s nothing more pitifully stupid than a non-wealthy supply-sider.
I do agree with that I rather cut taxes from the wealthy to us middle class work harder so that we make good money also. Because if you cut taxes from the middle class give them a break whos going to make up the rest the wealthy. which means that the wealthy will not buy as much and that makes us lose jobs. the wealthy do have there share of problems they have more debt then the middle class but they have money to do that.You don’t want them to sell there stuff to make ends meet cause that does not help you want them to buy more. So give the wealthy a break and make the middle class work harder so we don’t have to lose are jobs.
I got my stimulus check last week, but first came the insult. They actually spent our tax dollars to first send me a letter to tell me they think I won’t know what to do with a check when I get one.
Over the past year our small business has been harassed by the IRS more than half a dozen times, resulting in many hours of lost production. They have yet to be right. But they get paid to harass me.
I don’t intimidate well, but I am real good at holding a grudge.
Obama himself said that the only reason to raise taxes is out of “fairness”. Raising taxes on the wealthy will not increase revenue to the IRS, it is a proven fact that revenue goes down upon a tax increase. Income redistribution is beautiful when your a politician. It is very easy to perpetuate wealth envy on the dumb masses.
By the way, I’m one of those pitifully stupid non-wealthy supply-siders.
Words evoke powerful emotion and are an immensely useful tool whether used for provocation or diplomacy. I have been called lots of things/names in my lifetime. Some nice, some not so nice and a couple names that were pretty terrible. It was my reaction positive or negative that was the reward for the “namecaller” in every case. I usually don’t react at all or just laugh and walk away. No reaction. No power.
Nigger was a word used to enslave a whole race until after World War II (Read “Slavery by Another Name” for more on the full history of slavery in the US, if you’d like to know more). It’s like no other word in our recent history and it carries more weight and meaning than any word in the English language today; even if we, white people, don’t want to admit the truth.
While I agree that using the “N” word is juvenile, to not recognize the power and history of the word Nigger is an injustice to all those millions of people that were enslaved and killed with the word. It’s a word that tore families apart, killed dreams of a better tomorrow, and changed the world.
Richard Pryor started using it in his acts to try to remove the history and power of the word, which has worked to some degree; as black people use the word, with some irony, referring to each other as such. But when the word Nigger comes off the lips of a white man it carries different meaning and weight and we should be able to at least acknowledge that fact, as white people.
Gary just did this topic so he could get away with saying “nigger” on the air a bunch of times. This is his M.O. Say something outlandish and laugh when people get upset. After all his is your “equal opportunity annoyer”
Why is a mouse cute furry animal when someone injects it with cancer and verminous filth when it nibbles a box of crackers? They’re mice for pete sake. As testing subjects thay have value…otherwise they are just vermin. If I had to kill one or a hundred and save a human then the mouse is a goner. Now, that said I AM against subjecting mice to non-lifesaving mascara trials.
I don’t support needless abuses but even some of cosmetics testing is to see if chemicals will leach through to the animal. Ergo will it leach through to humans? So there isn’t much in the way of unnecessary testing because it cost a lot of money and if it isn’t needed then it isn’t going to be done.
It seems to me that environmentalist have this fatal flaw in how they perceive people. They think these heads of business are driven by wraith and will abuse anything or one they can. In reality they are driven by greed and only want to do what will make them money. Abusing animals without need doesn’t promote that greed they dearly cling to (as most of us do).
And for all those who are curious monkeys are real B*****ds and don’t deserve sympathy.
I totally agree with Susan, and if it is necessary to test make-up on animals then I’m not that fond of make-up anyway.
Working in a healthcare industry you start to understand the value of human health over vermin. There are worse things that could happen to a lot of these animals. Instead they benifit society and save lives.
Sam, I heard the entire show and do not recall hearing Gary laugh even ONCE, nor do I recall any upset callers. You know, I think you may be focusing on the word while missing the point of the discussion. When a negative or demeaning word does not elicit the desired reaction from it’s intended target, it becomes powerless…it not only becomes a blow NOT landed, it diminishes the speaker. In this day and age I found this to be not only a relevant topic, but one worthy of discussion.
Ken–
All the more reason to diminish the power of this word in particular. In all cases of name calling it is the “callee” that must initiate change. That is just the way it is. To wait for “acknowledgement” from anyone for anything is just allowing them to have even more power over you. I don’t allow anyone’s bad attitude or prejudices to color my life and I don’t have the time and/or energy to wait for them to overcome their ignorance. When I ignore them they really do just gop away.
I totally can’t take all the PC police! Say what you want to say!! However….it only makes sense that you make decisions about who you will listen to and where you will go and with whom you will hang…and hopefully you will make that decision based on values. That leads me to the ad that The Eagle runs for a restaurant/bar that advertises coming in for a “nooner.” I heard it twice before I knew I had really heard what I thought I heard. I turned The Eagle off and have kept it off since then. I didn’t protest or go throw burning condoms through the window of the restaurant. I just stopped listening. I did it because at age 58 my values have trumped titillation and entertainment. I enjoy listening to The Eagle, but not when my ears are assaulted with such garbage. I worked 7 years in a Crisis Pregnancy Center and saw the consequences of “nooners” if you will. There’s absolutely NOTHING funny about adultery. I’ve seen too many devastated lives. Just can’t giggle at STD’s, “unwanted” children, and broken and screwed-up lives. Just Nothing funny. So, you, sadly, are no longer part of my day.
Gary,
This is Roger your biggest fan.
My beautiful wife and I listen to your show every day and I call often(sure you remember me, right).
Anyways my wife and I want to say after 34 years of Marriage you are right…it does indeed make a difference. Your saying to her and the world that you love her enough to make it legal and hopefully a lasting forever commitment by putting it on paper so you have a beautiful certificate to frame and cherish forever.
Congratulations buddy and I hope the two make it a long beautiful partnership that lasts forever.
Lots of luck….
.
.
Sucker, you’ll need it!
(Just kidding…but you will need a good sense of humor so SMILE).
PS. You have my permission to read this on the air if you like. Spread the cheer.
Roger
Gary…I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN! I just recently married my mate of 9 years, and although everyone told me that it would change, I was convinvced that everything would be the same…after all, it’s just a piece of paper. But it DID change, we are a TEAM now, more than ever before, and we know that we are going to be by each other’s side for the rest of our lives, and somehow, although I didn’t think it was possible, that idea makes us stronger and more steadfast. We both feel it, and it is awesome!!! So happy for you!! Congratulations!
Alaina, congratulations to you, too. I think that it is not the piece of paper that makes the difference, it is what it represents… a lifetime committment to move forward together, as a ‘team’. Gary always says that he’s the lucky one and I always say that I am. Neither is true, because WE are equally lucky…to have found in each other the person who completes us. It IS an awesome experience!
Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes. We so appreciate them!
Congrats to you both Gary. I listen to your show from the other side of the world (New Zealand), you are on in my morning and it’s interesting to listen to your comments. One of these days I might even give you a ring.
Marriage needs to be worked at, and I know this better than most. A few years ago, I found out that my wife had a serious gambling problem on what we call “pokie” machines (slot machines I think you call them?) and this seriously buggered our marriage and finances up.
To cut a long story short, we each made a lot of mistakes; but have since mended the relationship and we remain married – my wife is also my best friend. We have since moved to give us a clear break between “then and now”, and have had some of the best years together since shortly after we got married.
So you are both bound to make some mistakes, but I have learned that forgiveness is a powerful tool, and I think in my case, we are better people for taking the hard way out and rescuing the relationship rather than taking the easy path and going our separate ways.
My best wishes to both you and Mrs Nolan – how is she responding to the new surname?
First, you asserted that the upper 1-25% of the income earners in this country work hard (perhaps even harder than the remaining members). I think this fails to consider how many individuals attain their wealthy status through nepotism/cronyism. These particular individuals can even be downright neglectful at their particular disciplines. Gary Foresee comes to mind. While I don’t know the specifics of how he attained his appointment, I find it absolutely gut-wrenching that after doing an absolutely horrid job as the Chief Executive Officer of Sprint/Nextel, he secured a $40 million dollar severance package. To me this indicates a fundamental flaw in our present model of economy and government’s tax policy. Wouldn’t it make more sense to give severance based on performance? Wouldn’t it also make more sense to take the over-the-top $40 million and redistribute it to the customers (to offset the federal and state taxes that they pass off to the customer), use it to offset the downsizing of the company so that individuals don’t lose their jobs do to his incompetence?
Only in the corporate executive world and politics do you get rewarded for being a failure. If you were a journeyman electrician and you incorrectly grounded a building that later caught fire, you would be fired, probably indicted criminally, and probably given a few months pay tops. You certainly wouldn’t be given a severance at least 10 times your yearly salary.
**As a quick aside: as a graduate student at the University of Missouri, I am absolutely terrified that he is now the President of the University of Missouri System.
Second, I think this statement by you is a misnomer:
Well run corporations get more money for research and development, to produce more great products, to improve productivity and lower our costs.
To correct it, you need simply to make a few adjustments (astericks surrounding):
“A well *lobbied for* corporation gets more money for research and development, to *eventually, but certainly not reasonably soon* produce more great products, to improve productivity and lower our costs.”
I’d love to know the libertarian view on lobbying? Do you feel that the ‘good’ lobbying outweighs the ‘evil’ lobbying? Or do you think that a downsized government would naturally eliminate the lobbying need/desire?
I am an avid animal lover, and am horrified by our treatment of animals raised for human consumption by large agri-businesses. I think serious and impacting legislation needs to be taken to overcome these serious deficiencies in humane treatment policies.
That being said, I find absolutely nothing wrong with using animals for scientific research. In fact I had an in depth conversation today on this very issue with my graduate thesis advisors. At least in the academic realm, it is 99.999% impossible to unethically and inhumanely treat research animals due to the oversight of IRBs, the reviewing bodies that govern what can and cannot be done when animal models are utilized.
As to the private industry, they too have review boards, but I believe they aren’t as stringent in their oversight. I’m not yet entirely convinced that the more risky (in terms of likely to cause some degree of animal suffering/pain/discomfort) testing need be in vivo, and not in vitro. I can only continue to hope that the governing panels that oversee these research approaches are populated with impartial experts and not those with ulterior motives.
I love it, love it love it love it. Perhaps this can be the first step in many on making us a healthier nation. Less second hand smoke will likely reduce cancer, costing less taxpayer money in healthcare costs. Conversely, if nutritional standards are improved, then you can expect lower rates of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, etc. meaning further reduction in taxpayer burdens for medical costs to treat these individuals. I find it a weak argument to poise the short term adjustment in the economy of municipalities from these bans against the long term reduction in health care costs to which they contribute.
As to the increased likelihood of drunk driving, that is not within the scope of the argument. If someone will drive drunk, they will drive drunk, regardless of weather they drive 0.5 miles or 10 miles. Your better off taking as many precautions you can. The foremost of which is being off the roads at hours most likely to see drunk drivers (10pm-4am).
1)I’d love to know how you/your party views lobbying?
2) I’d love to know how your view of downsizing the government plays specifically into government funded scientific research (specifically NIH grants)
3) I heard you mention a snipit on today’s show on the ills of government involvement (at all) with health insurance. Could you write specifics about how you believe this to be?
I’ve had a long time to contemplate politics, but only a short time to hear your thoughts. Even though I don’t agree with a fair amount of what you profess, I’m very glad for your program and the information you share on libertarian views.
First, I appreciate your responding to my query. I heard you reference to my postings today regarding this issue, and I hope I can tune in tomorrow to hear the more detailed version.
Isn’t the inherent problem (based on your description) that the entities with the greater capital to invest in lobbying will get a greater return on the investment, i.e get more legislation in their favor? If two lobbying forces at opposing ends of an issue lobby and one is lobbying on behalf of say a not for profit, and another is lobbying while representing the interests’ of a fortune 500 company, then is it better to have a system in place where the fortune 500 is more likely get the legislation in their favor?
In other words, who determines what the ‘harm’ is, and at what point the ‘harm’ is too great? Do you think its better to do away with lobbying all together?
I don’t have a problem with cutting taxes on the rich; but I need the tax break as well. The taxes on the middle class are ridiculous and we
CAN NOT AFFORD them; the rich can!! I am the poor child of a rich father (no inheritence tax, please). God help us, but if Obama wins, I am going to adopt a welfare family, because I am paying for them anyways, I might as well get the tax write off and help around the house to boot. In fact, I think that is a good idea take in the welfare family make them “work for their keep’, or wait, they never expected to work, did they? They want my money to pay for their wasteful lifestyle? I am pretty g— d— sick of paying for them. I went through a period in my life where I was VERY poor and I did not rely on welfare; I relied on myself and friends. Gary, pressure off the middle class please, we pay a huge amount of taxes and we can not afford them.
Thanks,
Cash
Zach, in order to understand fully the evils of big government and how they enable fortune 500 companies to lobby congress, you must first read the federalist papers or at least do a web search on the “doctrine of enumerated powers” in the constitution. Understanding the size and scope of federal power as it use to be, will make more clear that the fortune 500 company would not have reason to solicit the feds. They would have nothing to gain! If the government has no power over you, why would you bother trying to gain influence?
“A majority taken collectively is only an individual, whose opinions, and frequently whose interests, are opposed to those of another individual, who is styled a minority.”
that was Alexis. methinks you will never find a satisfactory answer by comparing the size and power of the relative groups. the issue is what kind of power the government should have.
for myself, if the government’s authority is derived from the people governed, they cannot give over any authority they did not themselves possess.
in a nutshell, if I have no right to dictate the use of your property, then no number of me can transfer that right, or any other right I do not possess.
I have been married 3 times. It takes some us the third time it’s a charm kind of thing. But this one is a keeper. Be kind, honest and laugh alot. and listen to 93.9 and have good discussions. LOL
Roy is absolutely correct when he says ““A majority taken collectively is only an individual…” Where he is somewhat off the mark is in assuming we have majority rule in this country. We do not. For example, the majority of Americans are Christians yet the non Christian minority has succeeded in eroding the majorities influences in our schools and our culture in general.
The power to tax is the power to destroy. Unfortunately, “to provide for the common defense” is expensive and taxes are inevitable. Our goal as citizens is to keep taxes and Government at a minimum. That goal is perhaps further from our grasp than at any time since the Revolution.
Libertarians, although idealists, believe we might exist in today’s world without Government. I am not sure how that could or would realistically come to be but I am sure that our wonderful host will explain.
I knew you were going “home”- but, didn’t know the occassion was so special! Congratulations, my friend. If anyone deserves to be happy, it is you!
Be happy and in love!
the obvious natural extent of the emloyer’s legitimate control of their employee is while the employee ‘on the job’. it certainly has nothing to do with their spouse. while such attempts to impose upon employees personal lives probably shouldn’t be illegal, they should definately be shunned.
People that refuse to see that most of the media is biased are those who simply agree with the media’s opinion. There really is no objective media anymore. But if you dare mention Fox News they claim it is biased towards the right simply because they present both sides? I don’t get it. Oh, so if you present both sides and aren’t kool-aid drinkers, then you’re biased? What a load of crap! Hypocrites is what I call those kind of people… the same people who claim to want the fairness doctrine. Well Fox News is as close to the “fairness doctrine” as you can get.
I have decided to start a salvage reclamation business off the coast of Texas and focus on gold bars because, hey, they are shiny and easy to spot. Later we may expand into looking for black gold.
As a venture enterprise, we are presently strapped for capitol, but will still offer a full benefit package with 100% coverage for life, health, car, dental, flood fire, STD’s, and although we offer no home insurance, there is the company condo in the Bahama’s and you get a key. Entry level positions are fully vested at 0.00%, and rapidly increase by a factor of 10 every 6 months, or 12% during Ramadan, for those of the towel headed persuasion. Use of the company condo in the Bahamas has the sole requirement of leaving more beer than was there, and of similar or better quality, than was there when you arrived. In the case that there was NO beer when you arrived, 3 cases of the “beer of the moment” will suffice. It should be shipped Federal Express to the home offices, where the distribution department will drink it.
Wait a minute, Phil! You sure you want benefits to include a 401k plan?
If I were you, I’d start stuffin’ all your cash in the mattress, couch and mason jars! Which reminds me. . .I’ve got a bunch of mason jars lyin’ around. You wanna buy ‘em? I’ll make ya’ a deal!
Honestly, I don’t even understand how they are teaching math in Columbia. Instead of starting problems with the 1’s column (right to left), they do them left to right. I don’t understand how a student could possibly learn that way. Its really bad when the students need help from their parents, they can’t help them because they don’t know how to do the math that way either. Its ridiculous. But this is only a small portion of the problems with the math curriculum.
I just moved here from a different MO school district and have been baffled by the Math teachings in Columbia. This is not a statewide strategy for teaching Math. My daughter basically had to start over in 3rd grade because she had learned how to process problems in such a different way at her old school.
When we began to see the product we would receive from CPS, we went another way.
I should hope I am wrong, but it seems to me that the public has no real leverage on the public school system. It was far easier for us to educate our own than attempt to wrest an education from the system we pay property taxes to.
I predict, if you fight and win, and get some common sense back in math instruction in public schools, you will have to fight again in a few years. The opposition is entrenched.
For myself, I think vouchers are what our opposition fears most.
Gary,
I think your “new Math” rant is much to do about nothing. I have children in 5th grade and in 2nd grade. Both are learning math. There are teaching methods of breaking down numbers–but I wouldn’t call that new–it is the same way I do math in my head with larger numbers. Always have–it’s something my mother taught me to do in stores to figure percent off sale merchadise.
While in 4th grade, my son did his assigned homework–we worked with old fashioned times table flash cards he made him self in class. They have to memorize the basics so they can use that base in larger problems. Kids that have problems do not complete this first step. The 4th grade teacher kept sending home notes to practice using flash cards. Most parents don’t take the time to sit down with their children at home.
Please do not jump on the band wagon to critisize that which you do not know. I have made an appointment to sit down with each of my children’s teachers each year in September. (Most are shocked and all have been very happy that I care & want to talk to them.) I want to know the teaching methods, and vocabulary they use in their class room. I show interest and gain a big return. Teachers love to talk to parents, it should be a partnership not a battle.
Please do your math homework.
Call any school, make an appointment, and sit down with a teacher. You might pick something up–but it won’t be “new.”
As an educator, I have seen the many changes in math curriculum in the past decade. A lot of schools are changing over to the “new math”, which may work for some, but I don’t see any difference in MAP scores. I’m not sure what the point of changing the methods of teaching simple math in elementary schools is.
In my opinion, breaking down the numbers is a waste of time and brain power. I was in elementary school in the 1990’s and we didn’t learn how to break down numbers like they teach now. We learned how to do the problem! We learned our multiplication tables to 12 in 2nd grade! They don’t even do that now.
It takes too much time to break down numbers for each problem. I can understand using this method to understand the logic behind how the numbers work together for the operations, but understanding logic is a high school task, not an elementary one.
As for Ellen, good for you for going to the school and talking with the teachers. Good for you for working with your kids. However, using your children as the basis for your reasoning behind educating thousands of other students who may not have the luxury of parents with time to work with their children extensively, is not a wise thing to do.
As far as criticizing that which you do not know, perhaps talking with other parents instead of the teachers might be of service to you. Teaching the students “new math” might be great for your kids, but for parents who might want to help their kids with their homework might have difficulty understanding exactly how the teacher is explaining it to the student. It creates strain between parents and children, and stress on the student who doesn’t have a grasp.
I fail to see how the algebra falls apart and how the equation (a+b)(a-b)=b(a-b) has nothing to do with the equation previous to it. Are you referring to the equation a² – b² = ab -b²?
oops, I stand ( somewhat ) corrected. I forgot conjugate pairs.
a² – b² does factor to (a + b)(a – b). the rest is factoring up to a + b = 0.
and my eldest boy tells me, “which leaves you with a+b = b and you know the rest. all the algebra up to this is clear and accurate. the utterly retarded part is where the idiot writing this out concluded that a = 1 when a = b = 0. that is the only mistake here. you don’t have to go through every step, hell you spotted that a = b = 0 halfway through. but all that math is good.”
now I see;
a + b = b,
subtract b from both sides and you get a = 0
oh well, not the first time I’ve ever needed correction.
I guess I see where you were trying to hand out some humor here. But the thing is Phill, where are you going to get a partime job that pays benefits and diversifies your investments? Your still a student, right?
Anyways, as for your investments, which is satirical, wouldn’t that be your problem for investing in those companies. No one forced you into those programs, and better yet, your should have been checking on them. No one would be to blame but you.
So get off your insane liberal obama attempt at a rant and shut up about things that you have no idea about. Your immaturity is showing through in this post.
The time I spent watching those debates last night would have been better served doing something more interesting like…i dunno, watching paint dry? rotating my tires with out the use of a jack, or better yet, watching the debates translated in Greek…I might have understood one of their pointless ideas a litle bit better. Haven’t they ever heard the term cause and effect? What caused the problems? Government. How do we fix the problem?…More government? doesnt seem right to me.
I find the way both candidates spoke to be insulting. Unfortunately, the may be correctly assessing both the attention spans, and processing capacity of the churlish masses who vote.
One thing that wearied me which I have not heard riposted elsewhere was in the foreign policy arena. They seem to think it is a goal to establish democracy abroad, when our founding fathers gave us a Republic – because they were fond of us, their posterity.
Interesting, Roy, as I too wondered where it was written that we are charged with the duty to “establish democracy abroad”.
It was also of interest to me that not once during the course of the debate did I hear the words “republic” or “constitution” from either candidate. Did they forget that we HAVE a Constitution? Are they aware that our country was designed by our Founding Fathers to BE a Republic? Or, are they so accustomed to perverting the Constitution that they have forgotten what it means to be a Republic?
Good Job! Give the police the tools and support they need to get the job done and not only will they protect us from others but if needed they can protect us against ourselves
It’s understandable that Gary is whining about the poor choice that the Republican party has made, but there’s no excuse for lying about Obama’s economic advisors.
I’ll bet that by “Obama’s top two economic advisors” who were “the heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac”, Gary is refering to two of the following three people: former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines, former Fannie Mae CFO Tim Howard, and former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson.
None of them are, or were, economic advisors of Barack Obama. Raines and Howard have never had any positions in the Obama campaign, and Johnson was a member of Obama’s VP vetting committee – not an economic advisor.
Meanwhile, one of John McCain’s economic advisors, Aquiles Suarez, oversaw Fannie Mae’s lobbying from 2003 to 2006 as Fannie Mae’s Director of Government and Industry Relations. Mr. Suarez was in charge of nearly fifty million dollars of lobbying money during that time, some of which he paid to other lobbyists who are now part of McCain’s campaign, including McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis.
Whining is your prerogative, Mr. Nolan; lying isn’t. You have a responsibility to your listeners, and you should be ashamed of the cavalier manner in which you’ve shirked that responsibility.
Ok, I guess what we could have done is let the guy jump, kill himself and God only knows how many innocent victims traveling down I-70. Since when do the criminals get to decide their force used against them when they decide to break the law! Columbia Police department unfortunately will always be the “bad guys” for doing their job! It’s a SHAME!
JJ..Acording to “factcheck.org” Mr. Raines was contacted by the Obama campaign. Mr. Raines said he had “taken calls from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters.” Mr.Raines then, through the Obama campaign, issued a statement saying, “I am not an advisor to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters.” One wonders which statement is true. As for Mr. Johnson, Mr. Obama demonstrated exceedingly poor judgment in naming him to his VP search committee… whereupon he resigned a week later. Mr. Obama makes these poor decisions, then denies or downplays them. While I freely admit my mistakes…on air…I endeavor to check the facts before I put forth any comment as truth. This is in contrast to Mr. Obama, who appears too arrogant to admit a poor choice or incorrect assertion. My only error was trusting the Washington Post about the extent of the relationship (which MAY be correct after all). If I err, explain it..DON”T tell me that I’m a liar. It appears that Whining is YOUR prerogative.
Thanks for leading me to factcheck.org, Gary. Here’s their answer to your allegation:
Q: Are three former Fannie Mae executives “economic advisers” to Obama?
A: No, claims made in a chain e-mail are false.
Now, let’s review your allegation again: “Obama’s top two economic advisors were the heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…”
Since you “endeavor to check the facts” before you “put forth any comment as truth”, you must have known your allegation was untrue – yet you still made the allegation, and you refused to admit that it was untrue. Spin it whichever way you want, but in my neighborhood, that’s called lying.
The urge to resort to name calling as you did in your post is overwhelming.. But I’ll not lower myself to your level. Obama definately DID ask for help in developing his economic plan. The only question is how much. Can we take Obama’s word for it? How can we? He LIES!! Next, I referenced the Washington Post. I only referenced “factcheck” AFTER your assertion that I was a liar. Next, I NEVER said “three former Fannie Mae executives “economic advisers” to Obama. God only knows WHERE you got THAT quote! He called ‘em, they admitted it and now what’s left is to determine just how extensive your candidate consulted with him. Because Obama DOES lie, we will never know for sure..will we? Clearly you are an Obamunist and that’s ok.. but don’t defend him by calling me names.
It wouldn’t be the first time ‘fastcheck’ was Obama ticket leaning, check this out; Foxnews – “Did Biden Get It Wrong? You Betcha”
JJMoron’ you really need to be more on your toes if you’re going up against Gary.
You’re just embarrassing yourself now, Gary. Read my posts again and you’ll see that I didn’t call you a name; I offered facts to refute your claim.
I did call your claim a lie, because that’s what it is. It’s not true, it’s not close to being true, and you’ve twice refused to admit it. You also implied that factcheck.org backed up your claim, when it specifically does the opposite. And you’ve accused me of name-calling, which I did not do – though you did (“Obamunist”, how cute).
I did not assert that you made this false claim about three Fannie Mae executives. I merely quoted the factcheck.org article, which debunks that claim about the three executives. I quoted you and the article accurately, and the three named in that article included the two you mentioned.
I’ll still refrain from calling you a name, though lying has been a pattern of yours in this thread. Your feigned outrage notwithstanding, what you’ve done – and continue to do – is lie about this. Save what remains of your credibility and own up to it.
OK, JJ…I watched this exchange between you and Gary then took a look at factcheck.org and the passage you reference. I noticed, after reading the response in its entirety, that there IS a little bit of doubletalk in there…the truth is that the Obama campaign DID contact Raines for his advice. Obama’s campaign also thought enough of Johnson to place him on the VP nominating committee until it was no longer politically expedient to have him there. One wonders what his cabinet, should he be elected, might look like. We are the company we keep, JJ, and Obama and those on his campaign need to thoroughly examine the individuals they choose to go to for advice and guidance if they wish to avoid attack.
Please, Louise. Here’s the accusation made by Gary: “Obama’s top two economic advisors were the heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…” Factcheck.org specifically says it’s not true.
Further reading, as you’ve done, tells you that Raines received “a couple of calls” from the Obama campaign. Do you really think that if he were one of Obama’s “top two economic advisors”, he would get just a couple of calls from the Obama campaign? The truth is that he has never been part of the Obama campaign, and the factcheck article clearly states that. Yet Gary refuses to admit it.
Speaking of the company we keep, in my first post on this topic I described McCain’s ties to Fannie Mae. One doesn’t have to wonder what McCain’s cabinet would look like; it would likely be populated by lobbyists, as his campaign is.
I guess neither major-party candidate will get your vote this year.
You are correct in that it is likely that neither major party candidate will get my vote, JJ. That is because they are both socialists, it is simply a matter of degree. They are both opportunists who do what is politically expedient at the time. Their friends and advisors are consist of those people whom donate the most money, wield the most influence. They would sell their owns mothers down the river if it was to their benefit. I don’t trust either of them or the political machines driving them and I don’t trust the media. I don’t even trust factcheck.org.
Referencing Ellie’s blog, there IS a liberal slant to their “FALSE” vote on Obama’s relationship with those men. While they may not, in fact, have been “top economic advisors”, the campaign thought enough of them to contact one of them for advice and put the other in a fairly important position before ousting him for being too politically risky. We’ll never know how much advice either man gave because Obama and his campaign don’t want us to know…and that includes any which may have come from the esteemed Rev. Wright, in whose church Obama sat for years…and Mr. Ayers, his acquaintance and neighbor. It’s a pattern, JJ, of deception, and so you know, I hold McCain in only marginally better regard. Frankly, I think they’re both liars.
I am sick and tired, JJ, of you, as I am of most liberals. You may wish to continue the march toward socialism but you will rue the day you chose to support Obama. There are too many unanswered questions and he gets an easy pass from the biased media with his promises of “sharing the wealth”. You know what, JJ? I work for my money, no one else does. I deserve the right to determine where and to whom it goes. I am sick and tired of standing in the grocery store in line behind a well-dressed, well-groomed woman who is paying for groceries I CAN’T AFFORD to buy with the welfare card THAT I PAY FOR. You see, JJ, it isn’t that I am adverse to helping those who need it…I object to the government choosing the who, where, and how I help.
I hope people are suspicious of Obama…and McCain…and the liberals who continue to pick my pocket for the good of the masses. You’d have been better off going after Gary, JJ, with your baseless attacks and liberal bias.
Whether or not Franklin Raines and Tim Howard are active or passive particpants in Obama’s campaign can be debated with each side pointing to its own set of facts. However, it is indisputabel that Raines, Howard, and Leanne Spencer agreed to pay 31.4 million for there roles in a 2004 accounting scheme. Raines, who was Bill Clinton’s budget director, portion of the settlement is worth 24.7 million dollars. In December 2004, Raines and Howard were removed from their respictive offices after the accounting fiasco. A couple years later, the company restated its earnings that erased 6.3 billion dollars in earlier reported profits. Raines made out fairly wellfrom 1998 to 2004 netting about 91.1 million dollars in compensation.
Let me get this correct. These individuals lied about earnings, manipulated quarterly reports so that they would recieve higher bonuses, and were paid very well for doing so. They fit right in with any of the current population in Washington.
A lack of honesty, integrity, and ethics. Regardless of whether they are active participants or passive advisors, why in the world would you ask any one of these individuals their advice on economic mattters. Unless, of course your planning on selling the Amrican populus a massive, socialistic redistribution of wealth and you need people who are adapt at running numbers for your agenda.
Louise, you’ve gotten away from the topic. I disagree with your angry assessment of me, and I don’t share your jealousy of those on welfare. But none of that belongs in this thread.
The fact is that Gary lied. Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson are not Obama’s “top two economic advisors”. Gary’s claim is not a misstatement and it’s not obfuscation; it’s a lie. Instead of taking responsiblity for his lie and correcting himself, Gary just dodged, deflected, and rationalized.
Gary is in a position of influence in his small slice of the world. He should take that position more seriously. Instead, he lashes out at someone who’s trying to hold him accountable for his own words.
JJ – Gary was correct in his statement – Mr. Raines advised obama on econimic issues an Mr. Johnson advised Obama on who to pick for VP. What don’t you get here?
In case the other posts to this blog haven’t yet made this clear to you, you are wrong…Gary is not a liar because his interpretation of the facts are different from yours. The associations are there and cannot be denied.
Also, understand this: I am not “jealous of those on welfare”, JJ, I resent them and a system in which some work and pay, and others don’t.
Go ahead, JJ, get the last word in…I have to go back to work now.
I called Gary one day about capital gains and he said I “did not get it”. I wrote asking why I pay 28% or more on the $10,000 I have saved up but someone making that same $10,000 from capital gains only pays 15%. No response so far. Cutting capital gains from 15% to 7.5% as McCain proposes would give 98.3% of the benefit to the top 20% and 0.2% to the middle 20%. See this article for full details: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/again-with-the-trickle-do_b_134796.html
Thank you JJ for calmly pointing out that calling Raines and Johnson Obama’s “top two economic advisors” is a lie. Not an interpretation, not opinion, a lie. Argue all you want about their character, the wisdom of contacting them but admit that that statement is not true.
“Lie” is such a harsh word. The only way to know if someone is lying is if we know for sure that he knows what he is saying is not true. Better to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that Gary’s claim is “wrong” or “not true”, and then prove it. If after he is given this proof, and he doesn’t refute the proof but continues to maintain his original claim, THEN you know that he’s lying.
So, Gary, do you still maintain that Raines and Johnson are Obama’s “top two economic advisors”? Not that they have given Obama some advice, but his “top two economic advisors”? If so, where is your proof?
Also, a little nitpick on another one of your points. I did a little Googling, and couldn’t find anything that said that Johnson was “forced to resign due to mismanagement”. He was accused of mismanagement several years after the fact, but it doesn’t look like that’s the reason he left Fannie Mae. And the reason he left the VP selection team wasn’t due to his Fannie Mae tenure, it was due to the Countrywide VIP loan scandal. At least that’s what I was able to find.
I will agree with Gary on one thing, it wasn’t a smart move by Obama to have Johnson on the VIP search team, even before the Countrywide scandal broke. See, we can agree on some things!
I posted this in response to “JJ” and it’s on the blog at #6. But “JJ” wants more, he wants a “gotcha’” moment. It won’t work. Obama is a socialist and he DID consult with both of these men and he HAS displayed poor judgement. I’m not a McCain fan either. It’s hard to think that with 300 million people to pick from this was the best that we could do. One socialist and one opportunist. When either wins we all lose.
” JJ..Acording to “factcheck.org” Mr. Raines was contacted by the Obama campaign. Mr. Raines said he had “taken calls from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters.” Mr.Raines then, through the Obama campaign, issued a statement saying, “I am not an advisor to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters.” One wonders which statement is true. As for Mr. Johnson, Mr. Obama demonstrated exceedingly poor judgment in naming him to his VP search committee… whereupon he resigned a week later. Mr. Obama makes these poor decisions, then denies or downplays them. While I freely admit my mistakes…on air…I endeavor to check the facts before I put forth any comment as truth. This is in contrast to Mr. Obama, who appears too arrogant to admit a poor choice or incorrect assertion. My only error was trusting the Washington Post about the extent of the relationship (which MAY be correct after all). If I err, explain it..DON”T tell me that I’m a liar. It appears that Whining is YOUR prerogative.”
The question is not whether Obama exercised bad judgement, the question is whether you stand by your statement that Raines and Johnson are “Obama’s top two economic advisors”. Simple question, where do you stand?
I still think “top economic advisor” is a lot different than someone Obama called a few times for advice. But that’s just me.
I’ve got another question for you. You called Obama a socialist. What do you base that on? Or maybe I should ask you what your definition of socialist is. Obama seems like a pretty standard liberal (but not way out there liberal) to me. More liberal than recent Democratic nominess, but not out of the mainstream. Maybe you think that all liberal Dems are socialists?
Colin Powell fought, bled and served our country with honor and distinction. He was a soldier for thirty-five years, rising from Second Lieutenant to General. He earned several medals for his service. And now that he has an opinion you don’t share, you claim he’s putting skin color above what’s best for his country.
I would say that Powell’s long history of dedication to America renders such an accusation pretty foolish. But I have respect for a lifetime of sacrifice to one’s country. Apparently, some don’t have such respect.
Rick, you’ve now seen that Gary continues to maintain his original claim. The question of whether he’s lying or just wrong has been answered.
It was possible that Gary was just ignorant, but he eliminated that possibility when he sourced factcheck.org. That website says, in bold print, that his claim was not true. Yet he never backed away from his statement.
I appreciate your hesitancy to use the word “lie”, but I believe that the accuracy is diminished when you use a kinder word. Language is important, and a lie doesn’t sound so bad if you call it an untruth or a misstatement. In the case of Gary’s claim, “lie” is the only word that fits.
I was glad to see the comments from you and Duane. It’s nice to know that on a partisan talk station’s website, there are other people who are willing to challenge the host.
Don’t worry, I use the words “lie” and “liar” all the time, when appropriate. For example, when Palin kept saying that she said Thanks But No Thanks to the bridge to nowhere, even after it had been thoroughly debunked. Or when McCain keeps claiming that Obama wants to raise taxes on everyone making over $42,000/year, when Obama repeatedly says that his plan doesn’t raise taxes on anyone making over $250,000. Or that ACORN is “on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy.” When I hear that kind of crap, I use the word Liar a lot.
So anyway, I try not to use the word Liar unless I’m sure that they’re really lying, and not just ignorant of the facts.
Now, stand aside as everyone on the right side of the aisle starts posting all of Obama’s lies.
“But I have respect for a lifetime of sacrifice to one’s country.”
Then you’re going to vote McCain? LOL That service somehow makes him above it all? “JJ,” you are simply a democratic sycophant. Take a few economics courses (austrian), study the constitution and remain socially tolerant and you will abandon both old parties and you’ll be a libertarian.
I’m not voting for McCain because he is wrong on the issues. The last eight years have shown me that tax cuts for the wealthy don’t trickle down, that deregulation only leads to theft, and that a misguided foreign policy can have disastrous repercussions. McCain will continue Bush’s agenda, and I’d like that agenda to end.
I believe that McCain wants what’s best for the country. I won’t accuse him of some nefarious ulterior motive. I also won’t sit by while you make such an accusation of Colin Powell.
I’ve taken economics courses, I’ve studied the Constitution, and I am socially tolerant. I’m also results-oriented, and I won’t vote to continue the policies that have put America in such a precarious position.
One other thing I won’t do is become a Libertarian. Libertarians always talk a good game, but they end up supporting the Republican party every time.
I’ve listened to you the last few days and read the last several post here; there’s no need for such outrage towards Senator Obama. You’re starting to sound a lot like Sean Hannity and we truly don’t need any more of that insanity. To claim one of the main reasons General Powell endorsed Senator Obama is because both of them are black is really low. Perhaps he endorsed him because he thinks Senator Obama is the best guy for the job? He has known Senator McCain for over 20 years so…
What seems to be your major complaint against Senator Obama is an ageless disagreement over the ideas of economics. You believe in watering the leaves to make the tree grow; whereas, we, “Obamunist”, believe one waters the roots.
The only article to The Constitution that specifically deals with the issue of how Congress shall raise taxes is:
Article 1 section 8
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;” (then a list of what the taxes are used for, look up for more details)
And then you have one Amendment that deals with taxes as well:
Amendment XVI
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”
So, taxes must be raised somehow too pay for the operations of the US as a whole – be it military, roads, educational, or whatever else – and the Constitution states that Congress shall collect taxes in whatever way they deem appropriate. We believe if the masses have more money they can spend more money; which will create more jobs, generate more tax revenue and make more money for all (even the rich, we’re not jealous of the rich either, we all want to be rich).
When Bush II took the reigns the national debt was around $5 trillion – and going down – when he leaves it’s going to be well north of $10 trillion and going up. In 8 years he’s more than double the debt which took over 200 years to amass, so clearly what going on now isn’t working. We’ve tried “Trickle Down Economics” for awhile now and I’m tried of getting pissed on. Lets try “Rise Up Economics” to see if it can run the country better for all, not just the few. As history has shown us, one of the reasons for Rome’s fall is the loss of the middle class and I don’t want to repeat that in this great country.
This is such nonsense I hardly know where to start. General Powell is NOT a conservative. Just because he served in the military it does not preclude him from being wrong or having a bias. Say what you will, the republican party has NOT moved to the right. McCain is off to the left. His reasons don’t add up.
Second, lets deal with taxes. Every time we reduce taxes, income to the federal government increases and the economy gets stronger. During the Administrations of Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge taxes were slashed from the confiscatory levels they had reached during World War I. The Revenue Acts of 1921, 1924, and 1926 reduced the top rate from 73 percent to 25 percent.
Spurred in part by lower tax rates, the economy expanded dramatically. In real terms, the economy grew 59 percent between 1921 and 1929, and annual economic growth averaged more than 6 percent.
Notwithstanding (or perhaps because of) the dramatic reduction in tax rates, personal income tax revenues increased substantially during the 1920s, rising from $719 million in 1921 to $1.16 billion in 1928.
President Kennedy proposed a series of tax rate reductions in 1963; the following year, legislation was passed that brought the top rate down from 91 percent in 1963 to 70 percent by 1965.
The Kennedy tax cuts helped to trigger a record economic expansion. Between 1961 and 1968, the inflation-adjusted economy expanded by more than 42 percent. On a yearly basis, economic growth averaged more than 5 percent.
Tax revenues grew strongly, rising by 62 percent between 1961 and 1968. Adjusted for inflation, they rose by one-third Just as in the 1920s, the share of the income tax burden borne by the rich increased. Tax collections from those making over $50,000 per year climbed by 57 percent between 1963 and 1966, while tax collections from those earning below $50,000 rose 11 percent. As a result, the rich saw their portion of the income tax burden climb from 11.6 percent to 15.1 percent.
President Reagan presided over two major pieces of tax legislation that, together, reduced the top tax rate from 70 percent in 1980 to 28 percent by 1988.
The economic effects of the Reagan tax cuts were dramatic. When President Reagan took office in 1981, the economy was being choked by high inflation and was in the middle of the 1980-1982 double-dip recession. The tax cuts helped to pull the economy out of its doldrums and ushered in a period of record peacetime economic growth. During the seven-year Reagan boom, economic growth averaged almost 4 percent.
Critics charge that the tax cuts caused higher deficits, but their argument is based on a misreading of the evidence. The Reagan tax cut, although approved in 1981, was phased in over several years. As a result, bracket creep (indexing was not implemented until 1985) and payroll tax increases completely swamped Reagan’s 1.25 percent tax cut in 1981 and effectively canceled out the portion of the tax cut that went into effect in 1982. The economy received an unambiguous tax cut only as of January 1983. Revenues then climbed dramatically. Personal income tax revenues led the way, increasing by more than 54 percent by 1989 (28 percent after adjusting for inflation).
Contrary to conventional wisdom, it was the “rich” who paid the additional taxes. The share of income taxes paid by the top 10 percent of earners jumped significantly, climbing from 48 percent in 1981 to 57.2 percent in 1988. The top 1 percent saw their share of the income tax bill climb even more dramatically, from 17.6 percent in 1981 to 27.5 percent in 1988.
The economic theory you subscribe to in morally wrong because it takes (at gun point if need be)from those who have and gives to those who don’t. (If that sounds like the failed policies of Karl Marx you are correct) You fight to confiscate more from those who are wealthy because you think the tax cuts put us in (greater) debt. You’re looking at the debt only, not the income to the federal government. Now as for those big spending republicans; you can place the blame for that on a war in Iraq we didn’t need to fight and their unchecked spending on bacon.
I’m not going to take the time to explain the system advantages evident in our founding fathers taxation plan. If you know the constitution as well as you say, you know about the changes made to the appointment of senators, number of members of the house and the “excise tax” which we still pay and the advantages of apportionment.
Now I’m sure you could get in the last word with an echo and you will try again. History is on my side.
No one is talking about going back to 80% and robbing the rich at gun point, such hyperbole is really unhelpful. If I’m not mistaken, Senator Obama wants to return to the top tax rate of what it was under President Regan, the golden age as you claim. What’s wrong with that? Is that Marxist? Saying one is a Marxist is a common argument when one is out of ideas. I’m saying that the “Trickle Down Economics” of Bush II is awful and not working, so it must be changed.
Sorry Ken, raising income based taxes is ALWAYS bad. Offering to give money to people who don’t pay taxes is Marxist. The evidence above shows “Trickle Down” DOES work. It may be a common argument, but sometimes it’s just exactly what it is. ECHO…
Ken, speaking of the Constitution, do you think the federal government should be restrained to only those tasks enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 (the bit you listed, but did not list the tasks)? If the federal government did that, the tax issue almost falls away.
Gary, you should at least give Dr. Mitchell and the Heritage Foundation credit when you copy their property word-for-word. Plagiarism is a serious matter.
My word JJ, you must be really filled with hate! lol You want to get any point you can to win and you just can’t.. You decimated me with your quick response.. echo..echo..
(PS..thank you http://www.Heritage.org )
I’m much more reluctant to use the word “liar” than the word “lie”. I don’t believe that a normally honest person who tells an occasional lie deserves to be called a liar, just as I don’t believe that toasting a slice of bread makes one a chef.
However, a normally honest person will likely correct the lie when the truth is revealed, while a person of lesser honesty will just get defensive. Gary may or may not be a liar; it’s a judgment call.
Not only filled with hate but blind too! Wake up “JJ” it’s a blog for discussion! lol Not an article in a magazine or a book. While you perseverate about where I obtained the facts you ignore the details of the data. You’re protesting too much..”obfuscate” comes to mind.
I raked in $1.2 mill this year, and I’ll probably bring in twice that with Obama’s foreign policy initiatives, but it kills me that you middle class turds are going to get such a big tax break under his administration. Do me a favor and vote McCain no matter what this “war hero” says.
Just a few more questions before I go if I may and no more ECHO/ECHO on this rant, I want to make sure I fully understand before I go vote.
Why on average, is the unemployment rate lower in last 60 years during Democratic Presidents and higher during Republican Presidents? Seems like, according to you and the Heritage Foundation, it should be lower? In my mind the best measure of the economy is the number of jobs it creates for all not the amount of money it generates for the wealthy, different priorities I suppose. Check this website out for more details:
Also, since you’re such a huge fan of Sarah Palin and of the Constitution, I was wondering if you could please help me understand what she meant by “Real Americans”? I missed that in the Constitution, well that and the part about how the Vice President has power in the Congress. Very strange and scary stuff I say. Makes one wonder how much power she thinks the Constitution would give her? From my reading not much, but I guess according to her I wouldn’t be a “Real” American so my opinion probably doesn’t matter. See for yourself, check out the videos. First one is about the “Real Americans” and the second is the power she sees somewhere listed in the Constitution for the Vice President.
Now go all Sean Hannity on me and let me know what a huge idiot I am and how much smarter you are than the rest of us. Also, don’t forget to call me a Marxist; it just wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t. ECHO/ECHo/ECho/ Echo/echo……………
First, I’m not a “huge fan of Sarah Palin.” But I think the far left have used a double standard when they refer to her. Just what is their definition of a feminist? She does anything the guys, ran for and won political office AND has a family. Now, you’d have to ask her, not me what she meant by “real Americans.” I suspect that rural America is less rooted in the welfare state and redistribution of wealth that you hear in larger urban areas. (If you look closely at “farm subsidies” you might find that view a little odd)
Your study makes way too many assumptions to be acurate. “assuming presidents are responsible…” I would argue that in some cases the dems do well. JFK offered a tax cut that was good for the economy. Reagan got the gift that Carter left him and it took several years to undo the damage. That could skew the numbers badly too. Clinton had the good fortune of having a republican congress push for a cap. gains cut to make the economy stronger.
But who says we are entitled to take the assaets of the wealthy? Where do we have the right to take the fruits of their labor? If we continue to take their assets, who will stop some despot from taking mine? “I looked around and no one was left…?
Laziness, sloth, is evil. But socialism is driven by envy, which is also evil. “Spread the wealth” means, “he has something I don’t have, I want it.” It’s my bible that says, “the love of money is the root of all evil.”
Alexis said, “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
In my human nature, there is nothing good. I rely on my faith, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Rush used to say, “America needs more God,” and that is where I am.
I cannot say with you that greed is good. Wanting to prosper is a good motivator, but not if I have to steal to do it. Without my faith, it would make perfect sense to just look out for myself. But I am commanded to love my neighbor as myself. Yes, I look after me. Yes, I am to look after you too.
“And if a man is taking away your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt as well. Give to everyone who asks you, and when a man has taken what belongs to you, don’t demand it back.”
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”
Let’s recap:
Gary says: Obama’s top two economic advisors were the heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
JJ points out that the people Gary alludes to are not official members of his campaign let alone the top advisers.
Gary responds that factcheck.org says Raines was called by the campaign and some other unrelated things and then says “My only error was trusting the Washington Post about the extent of the relationship (which MAY be correct after all)”
JJ points out that factcheck.org clearly points out that Gary’s claim is wrong.
Gary says that JJ has resorted to name calling (you will have to point out where he does that Gary) and then calls JJ an Obamunist.
I added nothing to the discussion but I would like for Gary to show the link where he got his Washington Post information. I have been quite disappointed with this discussion. I disagree with Gary all the time but I have respect for his libertarian principles and usually felt there was some rational discussion going on. This seems to be a simple hard-headed refusal to admit he was wrong. I don’t expect a gotcha moment, just a simple note saying “that statement was wrong” would have ended all this and the real point of Gary’s post, Obamas judgment, could have been discussed.
I know we are somewhat off topic, but I couldn’t resist commenting…I do feel a moral obligation to share my time and treasure, inasmuch as I can afford to. I also find that the love I give comes back to me more than 10-fold, whether it is in the form of my time, talent, or treasure. That said, what I give, how much, and to whom should be MY choice. My ‘greed’ enables me to have something to share; our system of taxation limits the extent to which I can do so.
eric – maybe you should cite the sourse as you have obviously taken it out of context. Then again maybe you should go back and read the whole passage with your priest so that he can tell you where you have misinterpreted it. The money used to pay Rome’s taxes was the Denarius. It had Caesar’s picture on it and everything. But the Jews had their own money, called the Shekel. So, when Jesus said “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” the really important point is that he was saying “Here, take your stinking Roman filth with you. I do not need it.”
Both the “Old” and “New” Testaments, this tax was only 10%. And yet in today’s world….well….that brings us to our next topic.
The Federal Income tax was not started until the around 1910. At that time the highest rate was 4%. Today we have Federal tax rates as high as 39%….plus State Income Taxes up to 8%….Plus sales taxes up to 8%….Plus other taxes on gas, electricity, phones….And then, should you happen to die with anything after all this taxation, the government demands 50% of whatever is left.
Duane, if you’re going to keep banging your head against the wall, I guess I will too.
Gary, I’m still waiting to hear why you think Obama is a socialist? I’ve been hearing that comment lately, but only used as an attack without providing any proof. Thanks.
Basically what she said is you are wrong! eric is not the only one of his kind taking things out of context. I see a lot of that in today’s liberal media. If you are going to take something from something else read it to its entirity and then you may speak with a sence of some knowlege, but to take one thing that someone or something has said and use it to tear down someones ideas down is sick. You(eric) need to see your facts or not write/talk at all.
Ellie Says: “…so that he can tell you where you have misinterpreted it. ”
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How did I interpret the quotes?
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Toby Says: “…then you may speak with a sence of some knowlege
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What did I ’say’ about the quotes? You guys are funny.
Powell wore out his welcome with Bush and his cronies over the Iraq Fiasco. He realizes Obama was correct in his opposition to our involvement. I know, “Obama was wrong about the surge”, and won’t admit it, but Bush or McCain will never acknowledge they were wrong about the invasion. The surge is successful for now, but the “war on terror” is unwinnable with the current mindset. We need to concentrate on defending our own borders, cities, and people. I wouldn’t mind at all seeing Powell in Obama’s cabinet.
you liberals(eric) don’t ever give up because you think that everything anyone with a differing opinion says is wrong. eric, you just can’t come to the fact that you were wrong because you again took the “quotes” wrong and didn’t read the entire passage,as ellie also said “Then again maybe you should go back and read the WHOLE PASSAGE with your priest so that he can tell you where you have misinterpreted it.” “If you are going to take something from something else, read it to it’s entirity and then you may speak with a sence of some knowlege.” I know from history that this won’t change your opinion and you probably still think your right but in reality your wrong. It’s ok to be wrong. We aren’t perfect, none of us are, but we all should try to tell the truth instead of giving people complete BS(liberal media) or diception(eric and liberal media). P.S. Eric read the entire passage. Good luck!
Toby says I am wrong (several times), yet I didn’t offer any commentary about the quotes. Go figure. If you want context, then go look it up. The Bible is the most widely distributed (and quoted) book in the world so you shouldn’t have trouble finding one.
As to Ellie’s interpretation (or Pastor Ahyh’s), I suggest they only pay their taxes with currency printed/coined by the controlling government and only use bills/coins that contains an image of one of that government’s leaders (or a check/electronic transfer representing the same).
The book eric refers to so much also points out that anyone who does not provide for their family is worse than an infidel (unbeliever).
The same book also says that you should not steal, lie, committ adultry, honor your god and your parents, adn not covet your neighbour’s goods. If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their own work quietly and to earn their own living.”
Christ was referring to those in need and unable to meet their own needs. If I drive down into Columbia what I see is a lot of gentlemen walking around with a lot of cell phones and very nice cars but never see any type of employment. I also see many young ladies who have allowed these men to cheapen there value by having numerous children with them, but not taking the responsibility to care for those kids.
God wants Christians provide for themselves and their families. He gives people what they need to earn a living: authority, strength, skills, and talent. Work is His gift, it’s His way of providing for his people. According to Paul, believers who beg, borrow, or steal dishonor the faith because it appears that God is unable or unwilling to provide for them. God doesn’t call his followers to poverty, but to adequacy. This is not to say that these circumstances will not exist, but God has placed a desire in the soul of man to provide for his family. Then when the church body sees a need they minister to it.
The federal and state governments have done nothing more than accelerate and provide a mechanism to alleviate the repsonsibility of work from some in our nation. They are seen as poor an unfortunate, without hope or a fair chance to succeed. WHile a sub set of this population maybe unable to escape the grips of poverty, what incentive is there when your house is paid for, you elcitricity is paid for, your helathcare is paid for and all you have to do is be a brood mare. Pardon the frankness, butworking actively in the medical profession and with the “poor”, I see children under the age of 16 encouraged directly by parents to get about the business of having as many kids as possible in order to start the fedaral and state sugar train rolling.
So if I am a little hesitant to give my coat to them it is probably because they all ready have a better one (usually a better car, cell phone, and othe rgoodies as well all courtousy of the US tax payer). So eric aren’t you a bit tired of having a large percentage of your check going to support those who do not wnat to work, have no desire to work, and are perfectly content to allow you to provide all their amenities while you and your family make it day to day. Maybe you are, but quite frankly I and others are tired of the blatant taxation without representation and expect more from our fellow americans and representatives.
I also have this to say;
Having been through the Carter years we have not seen double digit inflation or double digit unemployment yet.
But with Commrade Biden and COmmrade Barrack’s plan to confescate more of the wealth and spread it about, I am sure that is not to far off in the near future.
Hello; a plumber asks some questionis in Ohio and he is fileted by th epress and a political machine, a reporter asks a candidate some quesitons and her station is banned;
Yeah I know it is a blog, not a journal; but this is way too much fun.
I do own a bible in fact I own many Bibles and I do know that “The Bible is the most widely distributed (and quoted) book in the world…” point is you should read the whole passage. Whole Passage. Echo/ WHOLE PASSAGE. Just because it is widely distributed (and quoted) does not mean that all Pastors are right. In fact some times things are misquoted causing many different walks of the Christion faith. Yes, I would say that a lot of people have issues with misquoting. It’s ok, I’ve done it too. But the difference between you and I ,eric, is you won’t admit that you were wrong. And you shouldn’t lie to yourself until you believe the lie you’ve been telling. You should go look it up, if you think your so smart. And on behalf of Ellie your taking something she said way to far and again you aren’t looking back in histoy far enough (getting the WHOLE PASSAGE). See, when you study something, you don’t just make up stuff yourself or in your case make 2 + 2 = 5. You look at the events in time and look for the person or thing of intrest up and their PAST. Where have I seen this before? Maybe Bill Ayers or Maybe Rev. Wright? You don’t look at one or two quotes and decide for yourself you know what they were talking about. You liberals crack me up!!!
Eric
The context you are referring to is in Matthew 5:38-42.
Holding a grudge can consume us with hatred, blocking out all enjoyment of life. A grudge clouds our judgment and may lead us to an act of revenge that can never be undone. The Old Testament law specified equal revenge for equal wrong: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20), but that rule was too harsh for the new age of the kingdom of God. Jesus said the right thing to do is to take no revenge at all:
You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. (NRSV, Matthew 5:38-42)
Christ referred to the individual stealing the coat as an evildoer and it was the Christian’s responsibility not to seek revenge for the wrong doing. Basically it refers to if someone struck you (they performed the violent act) do not hit them back, if they forced you to go one mile, go two – the implication here is an individual being forced against their will by another individual who seems less than honorable in their intentions.
God wants us as much as possible to live at peace and harmony with out neighbors but he also expects responsible behavior from them on work, responsibilities, and relationships.
Well from the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis 2 we learn that work was part of God’s creative plan – He did not create man to be idle but to work to support himself and his family. God worked hard to create the world and then He set Adam to work in the garden – Genesis 2:15:
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it”
So notice that work was a good and positive part of daily activity BEFORE Adam and Eve sinned. God created us to be active and useful and we will therefore be most happy doing what our creator intended. Not working because we can’t be bothered is not an option. In the New Testament, Paul writes in Thessalonians 3:10-12:
“If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their own work quietly and to earn their own living.”
So Paul commends hard work -and condemns laziness. We are expected to work hard – whatever that work might be.
You know this way they could have a job, pay taxes, buy clothes, food etc. little things that a large majority of Americans do on a daily basis. I know it is wealth you want to spread but it smells like something else is being spread. Is the cow pen still full?
If you knew anything about Obama’s economic policy you would connect the dots to see that it’s socialist!!! Here it is in a few words for all of you liberal hard heads, GOVERNMENT TAKING MONEY FROM THE WORKING CLASS AND GIVING TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T WORK. That simple. not only is it socialist it is MARXIST. LOOK IT UP!
“Every time we reduce taxes, income to the federal government increases and the economy gets stronger. During the Administrations of Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge taxes were slashed from the confiscatory levels they had reached during World War I. The Revenue Acts of 1921, 1924, and 1926 reduced the top rate from 73 percent to 25 percent.
Spurred in part by lower tax rates, the economy expanded dramatically. In real terms, the economy grew 59 percent between 1921 and 1929, and annual economic growth averaged more than 6 percent.
Notwithstanding (or perhaps because of) the dramatic reduction in tax rates, personal income tax revenues increased substantially during the 1920s, rising from $719 million in 1921 to $1.16 billion in 1928.
President Kennedy proposed a series of tax rate reductions in 1963; the following year, legislation was passed that brought the top rate down from 91 percent in 1963 to 70 percent by 1965.
The Kennedy tax cuts helped to trigger a record economic expansion. Between 1961 and 1968, the inflation-adjusted economy expanded by more than 42 percent. On a yearly basis, economic growth averaged more than 5 percent.
Tax revenues grew strongly, rising by 62 percent between 1961 and 1968. Adjusted for inflation, they rose by one-third Just as in the 1920s, the share of the income tax burden borne by the rich increased. Tax collections from those making over $50,000 per year climbed by 57 percent between 1963 and 1966, while tax collections from those earning below $50,000 rose 11 percent. As a result, the rich saw their portion of the income tax burden climb from 11.6 percent to 15.1 percent.
President Reagan presided over two major pieces of tax legislation that, together, reduced the top tax rate from 70 percent in 1980 to 28 percent by 1988.
The economic effects of the Reagan tax cuts were dramatic. When President Reagan took office in 1981, the economy was being choked by high inflation and was in the middle of the 1980-1982 double-dip recession. The tax cuts helped to pull the economy out of its doldrums and ushered in a period of record peacetime economic growth. During the seven-year Reagan boom, economic growth averaged almost 4 percent.
Critics charge that the tax cuts caused higher deficits, but their argument is based on a misreading of the evidence. The Reagan tax cut, although approved in 1981, was phased in over several years. As a result, bracket creep (indexing was not implemented until 1985) and payroll tax increases completely swamped Reagan’s 1.25 percent tax cut in 1981 and effectively canceled out the portion of the tax cut that went into effect in 1982. The economy received an unambiguous tax cut only as of January 1983. Revenues then climbed dramatically. Personal income tax revenues led the way, increasing by more than 54 percent by 1989 (28 percent after adjusting for inflation).
Contrary to conventional wisdom, it was the “rich” who paid the additional taxes. The share of income taxes paid by the top 10 percent of earners jumped significantly, climbing from 48 percent in 1981 to 57.2 percent in 1988. The top 1 percent saw their share of the income tax bill climb even more dramatically, from 17.6 percent in 1981 to 27.5 percent in 1988.
The economic theory you subscribe to in morally wrong because it takes (at gun point if need be)from those who have and gives to those who don’t. (If that sounds like the failed policies of Karl Marx you are correct) You fight to confiscate more from those who are wealthy because you think the tax cuts put us in (greater) debt. You’re looking at the debt only, not the income to the federal government. Now as for those big spending republicans; you can place the blame for that on a war in Iraq we didn’t need to fight and their unchecked spending on bacon.” (These are Gary’s words)
may need not need a BA in economics but I was wondering if you could check out this math
While Obama is not going to “raise taxes” (The sudden urge to loose control of my bowels generally grips me when I here this) my understanding is he will let the Bush tax cuts lapse in 2010. If that occurs, according to the 2000 tax tables (you can google these) my taxes would go up at the federal level by 78.9% (roughly 5126 dollars).
By the by, I make way under 250 K/year. So how is that not a tax increase? Might be worth talking to some of your buds about and have them check the numbers say on families making 50K-150K and compare the 2000 versus the 2008 tax tables.
Any who, if they expire I and the equestrian I arrived in town on will be violated in a perverse manner.
If you make under $250,000 a year, your taxes won’t go up one dime under Obama. He has been very specific about this; it’s his “read my lips” pledge.
George H.W. Bush, the man who told you to read his lips, went back on his pledge and was not elected for a second term. Obama knows this, and knows that going back on his pledge would likely destroy his chances at serving two terms.
More specifically, since you make “way under $250,000″, Obama’s plan gives you a bigger tax break than McCain’s plan does – as much as three times the break you’d get with McCain.
You can look at the candidates’ plans or you can get all of your information through an ideological filter. But ask yourself two simple questions: Why wouldn’t Obama want you to have a bigger tax cut than the wealthy, and why would he center his campaign around a promise that he intends to break?
If your tax bill is your biggest issue, and you make less that $250K, you’d be a fool to vote for McCain.
JJ.. Lets have a chat here about “taxes.” I want you to examine what we say not defend any position.. Just a chat..OK?
Lets start with a couple of propositions here and see if we agree..
1) Most of us are in the “poor” to middle class” economic level and as such we buy MOST of the goods and services sold in this country. In other words, we buy most because we ARE the most. Can we agree on that?
I’ll add one more measure for voters to consider – the retention vote for Patricia Breckenridge on the Supreme Court. I’m planning to vote no based on her decision in the City of Arnold v. Homer R. Tourkakis eminent domain case:
Gary, I haven’t seen the stats on the percentages of goods and services purchased by the various income groups. For the sake of finding out where you’re going with this, I’ll agree to your assessment.
Thank you JJ.. Maybe it would seem more clear if I rephrase it.. I’ll use exxon oil for my example. Would it be fair to assume that the poor and middle class buy more gasoline from exxon than the rich do? IE more of us, more cars ergo.. more gasoline?
Can anyone help? Earlier this week, I was listening to Gary’s radio show, and the discussion was centered on Medicare and Social Security. The argument put forth by Gary was that if you decide to opt-out of Medicare, that automatically means you lose your Social Security benefits. I’ve tried to confirm this at both the Medicare and SS websites, but no luck. Called Medicare, but they would not say. Called Social Security, and they said you do NOT lose your benefits when you opt out of Medicare ! If someone can provide some evidence to support the arguement that SS is lost, please forward to me at Joe.in.MO@gmail.com . Thanks !
Obama is letting the $1,000 per child tax credit expire in 2010 with the rest of the Bush tax cuts. He’s been saying he’ll give out his $1,000 per family work credit, but this will immediately be negated by the expiration of the $1,000 child tax credit – unless of course you pay no taxes as then of course you would somehow still get a “tax cut”.
If the average family has 2 or 3 kids then their taxes will go up by $1000 – $2000 after you deduct Obama’s election gift of $1000 to every working family.
This is such a farce and unfortunately no one has spoken about it.
Obama is letting the $1,000 per child tax credit expire in 2010 with the rest of the Bush tax cuts. He’s been saying he’ll give out his $1,000 per family work credit, but this will immediately be negated by the expiration of the $1,000 child tax credit – unless of course you pay no taxes as then of course you would somehow still get a “tax cut”.
If the average family has 2 or 3 kids then their taxes will still go up by $1000 – $2000 after you deduct Obama’s election gift of $1000 to every working family.
This is such a farce and unfortunately no one has spoken about it.
Please get this information out there before it is to late.
Obama is letting the $1,000 per child tax credit expire in 2010 with the rest of the Bush tax cuts. He’s been saying he’ll give out his $1,000 per family work credit, but this will immediately be negated by the expiration of the $1,000 child tax credit – unless of course you pay no taxes as then of course you would somehow still get a “tax cut”.
If the average family has 2 or 3 kids then their taxes will go up by $1000 – $2000 after you deduct Obama’s election gift of $1000 to every working family.
This is such a farce and unfortunately no one has spoken about it.
I think you missed my point. I do not think anyone should pay higher taxes. (actually I think income based taxes are horrible and should be completely abolished)
However you can look at 1999 tax tables and compare those to 2007 tax tables and clearly see that if the bush tax cuts are allowed to expire taxes will go up for everyone. If you look at a 40K example, a couple filing jointly with two kids had a $5204 tax liability. If you look at 2007 a couple making 40K with 2 kids is $3221. Even with Columbia School math it will be an increase.
This increase would be across the board for all income levels but it becomes more unequal as you go up the income bracket. I am very blessed to have a good job and do make a very good living for my family so I will get it in the end (literally)
The point in the case is that if taxes go up, people will cut back on spending. More of our funds will go toward surviving as opposed to discretionary spending on other items. Inventories build up and produciton slows and people get laid off, etc, etc.
These are the same exact bonehead interventions attmepted by government in the 1930’s that lead to the depression and maintained the depressed economic state. Which in turn lead to one party monopolizing the government for so many years and Roosevelt’s stacking of the supreme court. Quite frankly, it was probably intentional on Roosevelt and others part, in order to maintain power and the “poor me I can’t do anything without the governemnt attitude”
If you make between 50-150K and do not think taxes will go up, then I have some real estate for sell in anartica that is ocean front primo property if anyone is interested.
Obama is letting the Bush tax cuts and credits expire in 2010 and yet he claims he is not raising taxes for 95% of Americans. Actually what he is doing is just the opposite and increasing the taxes on every working family in the country.
The other part of this is that people think they are getting an extra $1000 under Obama’s plan. Unfortunately that is only applicable for families if they currently pay no taxes. If you make $50K or more or if you have multiple kids your taxes are going up by thousands each year.
For fun I went ahead and put in various figures in Obama’s tax calculator and $40,000 and below is the magic number to get tax breaks from Obama. Oddly enough this is also the approx number where the typical family currently pays no taxes – go figure.
It is worth repeating that the $1000 that Obama says he is giving to every working family actually will disappear in 2010 if you have one child, as the $1000 child credit goes away. If you have 2 or more kids then your taxes will actually go up by at least $1000 under Obama’s compared to McCain’s plan. The more kids you have the higher your taxes will be under Obama’s plan. Gee, that sounds like a great family friendly plan to me.
If Obama ( assuming he wins ) lets the Bush tax cuts expire on the lower brackets without reinstating them then it will be a total “read my lips” moment and many voters will hold him accountable in the 2012 election. It could be political suicide and he will no longer have the benefit of a ‘historic election’ to aid him.
I think he has too much political savvy to make such a blunder but only time will tell.
Sorry Eric Obama is a socialist pure and simple. His ideas are new copies of marxist philosophies and his use of class envy will be what maintains his status as an elected official.
There is no incentive under his tax policies and economic ideas for me to be succesful. I wanted to have more so I went back to college, borrowed money, lived with parents and in laws to get a better education so I could enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Now Mr. Obaam wants to confiscate more of what I make and give it to those who do not want to work and incentivize them even more not to work. Please do not give me they are poor and unable load of crapt. I ws poor, diagnosed with a life changing disease and I made it so can they. The problem is you have to have integrity, a little personal responsibility, and some personal self respect. All most of Obama’s supproters see is not having to buy gas, pay their mortgage, and living off the backs of hardworking Americans
Look at what little of a voting record he has in Illinois, and in the senate to see what the next four years will bring.
Spare me the dribble about how unfortunate they are because I work in a sector that sees these individuals on a daily basis. We reward kids to have kids and more kids, and do not anyone responsible for this.
We are in for it. Obama wants to bankrupt the coal industry (you can google the financial implications of this), without proposing how he wold replace these jobs or create new forms of energy.
Winnel, I thought about listing the dozens of socialistic programs that are currently on the books or the dozens of socialistic programs/regulations/ideas that have been repealed/replaced though the years. I could suggest that you compare proposed tax rates to historical rates. We could look at the government’s size as a percentage to our GDP…but alas, nothing I could say or do will make any difference because you have already partaken of the Kool-aid.
BTW maybe you could google “cap and trade” then you might understand the concept he was explaining when the out of context quotes about coal plants came up or why he supports clean coal technology.
People were scared into the Iraq war …scared into voting for an undeserving Bush second term and now they have you scared again. You had better go hide in the corner because the big bad black Muslim Marxist boogieman is coming to get you and all your money and he may even bring some of his terrorist friends. Give me a break.
The dozens of socialist programs are breaking our country financially. I am sorry if the truth I see on a daily basis offends you and causes you grief but those are honest observations by myself and others.
It is amazing how everything is spun to where Mr. Obama is just misunderstood or completely taken out of context when he speaks. There is always an explanation for his comments and inability to efficectively communicate a point.
My point is his are the same policies that began the erosion of our rights and liberties in the 30s and the nanny state mindset continues to plague us to this day. It is you that has paretaken of the kool aid.
My father and his family grew up in the depression. He was awarded a bronze star in WWII and returned home to start his own business. I saw him struggle during many years and succeed in others. I know what it is not to have anything from my father’s accounts of the depression and my personal life, but that did not stop me feom trying to be succesful.
If you want to google something try the great depression and read some honest assessments of how Roosevelt’s liberal policies actually extended this period of time. Find some individuals who actually lived during that time and find out what it was really like to not have anything (health insurance, jobs, housing, etc). The great society was supposed to end poverty forever, but has done little to abate this problem if not make it worse (both of these programs were pressed by democratic presidents)
I rest my case. Your continued arguemnts prove that many Americans are incapable or willingly refuse to assume any type of responsibility for their actions or their personal lives, are perfectly content to allow others to work while they refuse to lift a finger, and are perfectly willing to allow government to live their lives and make their decisioins for them. Sounds a lot like animal farm to me.
So basically because I took responsibility and instead of feeling sorry for myself, studied hard and sacrificed, took the risk, and now I am succesful (and working in a business that supplies jobs for 19 others) I have drank the kool aid.
I think your last bit of discourse and rambling has more than proven my point without further comment being necessary.
I wish you the best and great success in the future.
America’s Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191), sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), is the latest and fastest-moving “cap and trade” bill introduced in Congress this year. All such climate change measures warrant careful scrutiny, as they would likely increase energy costs and do considerably more economic harm than environmental good
Cap and trade climate bills (googled it some more oh yeah I talked with a few riends who work at AECI in clinton and are paying millions for a new scrubber to make the air cleaner,
These measures would ease the limit on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use. It would impose a cap that would impose rationing of coal, oil, and natural gas on the American economy. Each covered utility, Oil Company, and manufacturing facility would be given allowances based on past emissions or some other formula. Those companies that emit less carbon dioxide that permitted by their excess could sell those that do not have excess. This is the trade portion of the cap. Over time, the cap would be ratcheted down, requiring greater cuts in emissions. Each o the proposals differ from the others on specifics; the stringency of the cap and the number and type of companies covered. In several respects S.2191 is more severe with its caps. Its requirement is that carbon emissions decline to 15 percent bellow 2005 levels by 2020. In the face of growing demand and a growing population this might be difficult at best.
Measures like S.2191 that target carbon emission greatly and aggressively will be costlier than those that give the economy more time to adjust to the energy constraints. Over the long term, energy companies nay find ways to capture and store CO2 better, may be able to store them under ground, or switch to lower leve alternative energy sources. Most experts see these targets as taking decades to accomplish and they may complicate the development of longer term innovations.
European efforts have racked up significant costs while failing to reduce emissions. Nearly every European country today participating has higher emissions than when the treaty was signed in 1997.
To pay for it some have suggested a regressive tax by limiting the supplies of fossil fuels and raising the cost of energy. For consumers cap and trade means more expensive gadolinite and electricity as well as net job lessen energy dependent sectors
The net jobs lost estimated to be lost by S21921 are estimated by Charles River Associates to be 1.2 million, to 2.3 million. Some of these jobs will be lost for good; others in the manufacturing sector will go over seas. S2191 could significantly raise the domestic manufacturing costs and that developed nations refuse to impose similar restrictions. In short, the American economy would experience an outsourcing of substantial degree of manufacturing jobs to those nations with lower energy cost.
Cap and trade bills are nothing short of government re-engineering of the America economy. S2191, with its aggressive targets to reduce emissions from fossil fuels, would put the nation on the path of serous economic hardship. In the slight event that s2191 raised costs on manufacturing; the American economy would experience a substantial outsourcing of manufacturing those products to those countries that aha lower cost
When you are driving north (past Moberly) on Hwy 63 and look off to the western horizon you can see smokestacks of AECI’s Thomas Hill power plant. (units 1,2 and the larger one is 3) It is nice to know the the ’smoke’ that is billowing up wards is almost entirely steam and yet when they finish this newest improvement they are working on the emissions will be reduced another 90%. I think that is great. Responsible companies like this shouldn’t be punished by a sensible application of a “cap and trade” policy. They could even reap a potential reward if they could sell off extra carbon credits to a less responsible company.
I actually spend time out at Thomas Hill because of my job and know seevral of the employees who work at that facility.
I have been told that, the new scrubbers they are putting in cannot come on line currently because of some hold up in federal rules regarding their application. They have been working on this project for quite some time at a lot of expense to AECI (here and at their sister palnt in new Madrid Missouri)
In addition, and without fail, each person I talk to says that the application of cap and trade will cost consumers more because of the process involved.
Nobody wants dirty air, and while cap and trade looks good on the surface we are talking about Washington. And if their is own thing we can agree on sensible applicationi of any policy goes out the window when full of crapt beurocrats get involved in the process.
Working in healthcare I know this. I spend more time with paperwork, and making sure every one of the forms are filled so I can be reimbursed either by the VA or Medicare
I am sorry, but I do not think of sensible appiclation of anything wihen I think of DC
speaking of sensible applications and in his own words from the san fransisco chronicle
OBAMA: When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know, under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.
And so the farmers will not feel left out from Time Magazine:
As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time, it’s creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs because they’re contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare costs. That’s just one sector of the economy.
This is going to be fun. Now he is blaming the farmers for diabetes and stroke, heart disease, and obesity – uh how about inactivy, lack of ohysical fitness, sitting in front of the TV, poor dietary habits – the farmer did no tmake you drive through Mcdonalds or put that cup cake in your hand.
People, wake up. The Libertarian Party will never, and I repeat, never have a member of Congress or the white house, EVER.
They will complain and whine that it’s because of this law or that laws that isn’t fair to 3rd parties, but that is bogus.
Libertarians lack political will, drive, and most importantly, ORGANIZATION. Where is your local libertarian headquarters? This isn’t one in Missouri. You want to know why? Because Libertarians are too busy worrying about drug laws or complaining about the system then actually doing something called “Campaigning”.
Now, the ideals of the libertarian party are great, less government, more freedom. But the mindset is where it stops. You people are seriously throwing a vote away voting for this group of unorganized bafoons. If you think they are intelligent idividuals, I suggest you take a look at Tamara Millay, who doesn’t live in the district, or Chris Dweyer, who doesn’t even follow the free market thinking of his party!
Libertarians are in disarray, and until they get their act together, they will never survive as a legitimate party.
I support many of Gary’s Libertarian principles but have been disappointed to hear him repeating Republican talking points lately. He ran with the ranting reverend story, the socialist label and the latest, that Obama “wanted” to bankrupt the coal companies. I never got to hear him play the clip but I can guarantee he did not play the whole clip where Obama explains that clean coal technologies can avoid the caps that will make dirty coal expensive. I have to second what a lady wrote to Gary on another thread: If I wanted to hear that stuff I would just listen to Sean Hannity.
I also support many of Gary’s priciples but am disappointed that the 3rd party did not campaign. I just could not pull the lever today for Bar, I pulled it for McCain. My gut told me it was not the right time to take a stand with all the economic crap going on. Also, I am sending a son to Afghanastan in Dec. The next 4 years will be a large roller coaster ride. God help us all.
I don’t recall anyone in the state party discussing drug laws lately. Eminent domain reform and NAIS are bigger issues, ones that Libertarians have been building coalitions on and working with like-minded groups. The Republican Party FAILED to protect private property rights with the eminent domain “reform” bill passed a couple legislative sessions ago. The Missouri Libertarian Party, working with Missouri Citizens for Property Rights, as well as some members of the Constitution Party and other true defenders of private property nearly got the constitutional amendments on the ballot this November. With two years to work on it for the next election cycle, they will definitely be on there.
It matters not that Ms. Millay is lives outside the Ninth Congressional District. The US Constitution sets who may run for that office, not the Missouri Constitution or state statutes. She is a resident of Missouri and that’s good enough for me.
Chris Dwyer has done an adequate job of expressing libertarian beliefs, even if he may not be a 100/100 on the (not Gary) Nolan Chart. I would say he’s done a better job than I did when I ran for state rep in 2002. If he wishes to run again in the future, I’m sure he will offer an even better presentation then.
Libertarians don’t need members in Congress or the White House to get the change we deserve (harrumph!). If either the Democrats or Republicans figure out there is a bloc of voters that lean libertarian and support those issues, they will get those votes. The Republicans took that group for granted in 2006 and you see what happened to them. I suspect the libertarian contingent of the Republican party will defect in larger numbers today, possibly to Barr, some to Chuck Baldwin perhaps. But the fault lies with the Republican Party getting haughty after the 1994 elections and forgetting their campaign promises.
So your telling me that after almost 35 years as a party, you Libertarians (Party Members) are happy with the gains that you have made!? 489,197. Thats it. If you believe that the party is making inroads, you are sadly mistaken.
Had I been in the district I would have voted for Chris Dwyer. He was the best candidate in that fight. You don’t have to be Libertarian to want those values and you don’t need large numbers to make your party understand you want that.
I think part of the problem with every “third party” that is out there is that many of them are in the fight just to tilt at windmills and be able to proclaim getting 4-5% of the vote as a “victory.”
Morkin makes a great point about the LP’s position in politics after being an alternative party for so long.
It seems like many of the candidates were just happy to get the Libertarian position out in front of the public. I watched the candidates during the debates and saw people just wanting to read the LP party platform without offering real leadership.
And Ellie…I’m sure Chris Dwyer is a nice guy and a true believer in his party’s ideals. But, I heard him on the air with Tom Bradley and didn’t get fired up about voting for him.
The Reform Party made an impact because they had a candidate in Ross Perot who had the money and personality to fire up a portion of the electorate. Nice guys who believe in your party’s principles don’t win big elections. It’s people who are passionate about their beliefs and can get voters fired up enough to vote for them instead of the other guy.
Personality and empty promises should not trump true positions on issues, but that aside, it all boils down to money…the big 2 have it and third parties do not. In short, the Democrats and Republicans have the money to sell their candidates while simultaneously buying constituents’ votes. Campaign finance laws make it nearly impossible for any third party candidate, in spite of their appeal, to succeed.
Keep fighting for Liberty Gary. There are a lot more out here that the politicians want to believe. A significant number of Republicans held their nose and voted R just to keep the Ds from running the country.
It is unthinkable that we have allowed our government to spend us into poverty yet here it is. The Great Depression was caused, in part, to people leveraging their stock purchases along with personal property. Now we leverage everything and the Nation is so heavily leveraged ownership is in question.
It has become a weakness that even the military would have trouble defending.
Gary,
I’m going to go ahead and agree with you whole heartedly on our need for self determination. Unfortunately, I feel we have passed so far from liberty that I think most people wouldn’t know what real liberty is. Even if people knew that they were getting the short end of the stick most people (myself included) have no real way of effecting change in favor of liberty. Our leaders say that we can enact change thru our representatives in Washington, but can one person adequately represent 750,000 people? I dare say alot of the ills we have today are a direct reflection of the “people” not having a voice in congress.
Just out of curiosity, how would a person try and bring about a constitutional convention within a state to amend the federal constitution?
I agree with you whole heartedly! This country has and is becoming a Socialist Nanny State. The horrible thing is… the people don’t care. Most people, especially the younger generations, (I am only 29) only care about what FUN they can do on the upcoming weekend or evening. They feel entitled to everything they have and colleges grads want everything their parents took 30 years to aquire, immediately after graduation. Most people just don’t care… FAT DUMB & HAPPY? RIGHT?
Here’s the Wiki info on “Imputed Income” and yes the Clinton’s were proposing to sock it to home owners for the “imputed income” attributed to their home ownership.
Gary, constitutional amendments are constitutional. The constitution allows itself to be changed according to the will of the people. Are you saying “the people” were wrong to change the constitution?
Also government is not necessarily bad just because you don’t like it. It can be corrupted however, most often by organized movements and often in the form of corporations. Ironically it seems we need regulation to limit the corruption of government by entrenched interests.
Also isn’t our system based on the idea that we the people can create the govement we want through are political activities, within the framework of checks and balances?
keep up the fight. Wanted to get your thoughts. My wife and I are working on a thesis for her constitution class. We are stating that the RNC and DNC have crossed over into political religions. That would mean that under separation of church and state, teachers could not have any political symbols or promote one party or another. This would leave the Libertarian party as the only true political party. What do you think?
Keep it up Gary!! You are right, right ,right (meaning correct). We need more voices like yours. You must urge people – if you do not like your job, RUN for local political office and start from the bottom up. It is the only way for true change BACK to better times.
Gary I think you have to much faith in people. I think man is inherently greedy and if he has a chance to shortchange his fellow man by not giving a fair wage for a service performed he will,especially at the corporate level where most employees are nothing more than badge numbers to them. So unions are important because they level the playing field
Unions play the same strong-arm tactics today that they always have. This is one example of what’s happening just down the street from us.
In St. Louis you will find fringe areas where it is legal for non-union shops to run wiring in new construction projects. In these areas a Union electrical contractor will frequently be hired to do high-voltage work, while a non-union low voltage shop will be hired to do the low-voltage (security, speaker wiring, phone and networking, etc.). It is not the least bit uncommon to see non-union work trucks with slashed tires, busted out windows, and stolen tools (you can’t see the stolen tools, but you catch my drift)… etc.
There is currently a strike going on at AB Chance in Centralia. You probably already knew this. Since contract negotiations are currently in progress you may not want to post or include this, I’ll leave that up to you.
Striking point was when the retirees were going to lose benefits promised to them throughout their career with Chance and Hubble. Some of these retirees plan to retire in less than 5 years. They do not have the opportunity to build another career. The company should have built the retirement costs into the cost of their product or phased out the policy.
They didn’t strike when their percentage of health ins costs went up, they’re not asking for more money.
I agree salary should be negotiated on its merit. Not that it factors in but this contract is not going to hurt Hubble’s financial position. Their 3rd qtr. reports were glowingly improved over last year. If the company was in trouble as with the auto industry you would see these home-town boys ready to negotiate in the interest of the company.
Gary, good topic. It is rediculous to pay a highschool graduate 100k+ a year. And that isn’t the final cost to employers you forgot to include works comp ensurance and the rest of the overhead costs. It is probably closer to 250k a year per employee. The unions have ruined every industry that they have been associated with, a good question to ask on the air is Has the unions improved ANY industry. I may be wrong on this but weren’t some of the unions started by the mob?
Bottom line: The autoworker need to have a “come to jesus talk” with the automakers…either the auto workers agree to take a lower wage (so they can continue to work and the auto companies can continue to provide those jobs which allow them to work) or the workers can stay at the same wage and the companies can go out of business. However, the companies aren’t without some blame.
If you look at the loss in market for GM over the past 20 years, it has been a constant downward trend. They should have seen this coming and adjusted (with layoffs). It is very difficult for me to have sympathy for GM which has lost market share over the last 20 years. At least Ford and Chrystler have only rewally started loosing market share since about 2000 (and Ford more so than Chrystler) so I have a tiny corner of sympathy for them.
However, the most important thing is the workers deciding if they want to work or be out of a job altogether. A compromise MUST be made. The current system cannot self sustain and the millions of auto workers need to realize this.
Strong dollar simple logic
We are guessing the “momentous historical development” that launches
the US dollar into a new multi-year bull trend was the credit crunch. It is a
game changer on risk appetite and correlation of every asset class (but
the dollar) going up at the same time, as the dollar credit was the driver.
We have marked the Credit Crunch on our long-term dollar – gold chart
-wide credit concerns (it’s still the
world’s money)
• Strong dollar makes oil cheaper (less dollar borrowing by countries
to buy oil)
• Strong dollar mollifies commodities prices and inflation expectations
(allows for rate relief needed in Asia and Europe)
• Strong dollar helps US consumption (imported goods cheaper i.e.
increases purchasing power)
• Strong dollar helps periphery exports (liquidity draining from
emerging markets, exports required to re-liquefy)
• Strong dollar helps German exports (and European manufacturing)
• Strong dollar combined with rising US yield differential (as ECB and
BOE and RBA and SNB…cut rates) might create a self-reinforcing
flow of hot money (speculative capital) into the US looking for a
home, thus reducing the burden of fiscal policy to stimulate the
private sector
If this logic is correct, then these are my guesses:
• European currencies continue to head much further south
• Commodity dollars sag
• Crude prices are pressured lower for a time
• Gold is finished in this cycle
• Spreads and interbank tension start to normalize
• Stocks—we don’t even wish to venture a guess
• World—it does not end.
• Congress—If wishing could make it so; but it can’t. Stuck with them
we are.
I agree about the lack of a father in the home and also think that the lack of real physical education classes is partially to blame as well. There is no time during the day that our children run until they can’t run any more – they do not get enough exercise.We all know that when kids are worn out they are too tired to fight! Additionally, they are constantly being told that they must control themselves and if they yell at someone or even begin to “act out” as they call it, they have to “Process” with the teacher. Geeze – if they hurt someone’s feelings they need to look that person in the eye and apologize. If they hit someone (lower grades is where this has to start), again, they need to look that person in the eye, apologize and then the two of them shake hands and move on. Our kids are being inundated with feelings of guilt about feeling things that are perfectly normal. Of course, bottom line is the parents as you always so aptly point out!
BTW – the “Protect your assets” folks are so busy thanks to you that they are having to call folks back – they are very appreciative!
Regarding Unions….they were created to Protect the worker. With Ford in particular…Henry Ford created the famous “service department” to bust the union organizers. BUST was a literal term. And I would like to meet a person who makes 250K on a Union job….I’ve never heard of one!
My brother works at ABChance/Hubbell and I think it is ridiculous what they are fighting over. Give the workers what they were promised! Most of those guys want to go back to work! Who can afford to NOT work right now.
If there weren’t unions, then corporations would be free to mistreat employees and not give fair wages and be able to get away with it.
On the topic of why kids in schools are fighting and not respecting those in authority–I agree with you about the role of parental responsibility being neglected. Somewhere along the way, parents have bought into this crazy idea rampant in our material society that we as parents have all these “rights”–to time off from our kids, to “help” in raising them, to passing off our duties as shared with other agencies so we can blame and complain if the end result isn’t what we hoped for. If we have children, we are responsible to raise them–to be there, to make the hard choices and be unpopular–whether it means that you get no mother’s days out and drive an old car so you can be around when supervision is called for. There are folks who can’t afford to be with their kids very much–and then there are folks driving nice cars with $300 phones with latch key kids….Finally, I’d like to throw out there one more influence that is easily overlooked in how kids act–the television. Anyone who thinks that t.v. is a harmless babysitter should sit and count the number of times that children on programs roll eyes or smart talk adults; even on shows for little kids, on the “good” stations–Bob the Builder gets eye rolling from his subordinate tractors sometimes. The culture has made it cool to be in opposition to those in authority–and kids, who sadly spend more time in front of the t.v. than their parents in many homes, get the message from a very early age. Sassy, smart alecky attitudes sell–walk through the mall and count the little girls and boys with rude messages on their clothes, and thank the media’s influence–when parents don’t do their jobs, the vultures are always ready to fill the void. Maybe the prescription isn’t so hard–home a little more, a whole LOT less television and media….
He thinks business should be able negotiate their product or service’s selling price but he doesn’t think the workers should be able to with their product (labor).
He thinks it is fine that companies like Microsoft will use their size and power to stifle competition but he doesn’t feel the lowly worker can bargain collectively to leverage their position.
When businesses break the law Gary see it as an exception but when unions do it Gary would have you believe that it was the rule.
Gary doesn’t like a union of working Americans to petition the government but he won’t tell you (in the same topic) that a union of business owners (corporations) possess many times the amount of power and influence in the halls of government because their lobbing expenditures dwarf that of the unions.
The car companies are failing because of a myriad of poor management decisions (including bad labor contracts that they agreed on based on their ill-conceived projected growth estimates).
Eric…I agree with one of the things you said, and you might find this of interest (an exerpt from the Downsize DC Dispatch):
“Did you know that GM and other automakers with UAW contracts have to pay many of their employees to do nothing! It’s called a Job Bank. Laid-off workers at Ford, GM, and Chrysler are paid 90% of their previous wages to sit in a room at the factory doing nothing!
Think of what this will mean if the politicians pass a bill to bailout GM, or Chrysler, or Ford. When you go to work you’ll be laboring part of the day to pay some members of the United Auto Workers union to sit and produce nothing.
Doesn’t that sound like a scam to you, and wouldn’t a bailout represent government sponsorship of this scam?
Do you think, perhaps, the Detroit automakers might not need a bailout if they didn’t sign such stupid contracts with the UAW union?
Do you think, perhaps, that no bailout should even be considered as long as such contracts are in place?”
That said, Eric, can you look deeper and see that unions take away the power of each individual and place it in the hands of ONE person for representation. These workers are led to believe they lack the mental acumen to bargain for themselves with an employer, an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.
Is it really fair, Eric, for an employer to be forced to cave to a collective that didn’t take the monetary chance on bringing a product or service to market or assume the financial risk of building the factory or business? What about the value of THAT effort?
Many factors are attributable to the failure of the car companies… including poor managament decisions …but let us not forget the government legislation forcing them to re-tool their plants for “greener cars” and the workers, who in demanding ridiculous pay and benefits, resulted in the building of an inferior product that people are not willing to pay for. There is plenty of blame to go around and the lessons will not be learned unless these companies are permitted to fail, to learn from their mistakes.
If you are sitting in your garage making widgets and you decide you can make greater profits by hiring help that is great (jobs are created). The widget maker offers a wage and the potential employee agrees.
With risk comes potential reward.
If nothing changes there is no risk to the widget maker but that isn’t reality. Demand for widgets change, rent changes, utility costs change, raw material costs change but the only variable that Gary finds so much distaste for is the cost of labor.
It is the free market Gary, you have to take the good with the bad.
louise, I don’t like the idea of this possible ‘bailout’/loan/whatever but I am still undecided.
OK Eric, if you’re going to eaves drop..pay attention. No wonder you’re a liberal..You only hear half of what is said! I have no problem with workers asking for and getting a raise. My problem is when they have the power to shut down MY shop because I don’t want to pay more for their labor. I don’t even know where you got the rest of the garbage in your response!LOL
Unions are not the problem…Corporations are not the problem…the inherent irrisponsible evil and greed in some humans is however the problem. That problem crosses the isle.
How do you solve THAT?
AB Chance is back to work. That is good news as Amelia will probably agree. Details of the new contract were not publicised but I only pray they were able to keep the retirement benefits for now.
I understand it is unusual for a Hubble plant to have these benefits. If they chose to phase them out it is still better than pulling the rug from someone who does not have the work-life left to build a retirement on thier own.
These were the terms of job when they agreed to sweat and labor 25-30+ years for this company. Whether you like unions or not a agreements should be upheld.
1. People need to understand there are many people who run small businesss. Every Internist, lawyer, plumber, sales man etc. are self-employed.
2.Union activist are just as discriminatory as any employer has ever been especially in this day and age. Good employees always find the highest level of pay for their competence.
And finally, it’s not about taxes, it’s not about Joe the Plumber it’s about political power and as long as you can convince the masses they can gain power and money through voting for their benifit at the expense of their follow citizen, they will vote for
for themselves and empower
those who promise it to them, regardless of those who pay the bills they inncur. The result will occur when the self-employed, the business owner,our economic system which understands that, (who do you keeps the local banks solvent) and the bill payers pressure the House of Representatives to protect our freedoms and insure out economy.
Toby why is it so important to you to prove that Eric is wrong in your mind? Perhaps someone should look in the mirror before they worry about someone else.
The reason McCain won has nothing to do with the color of the candidates but everything to do with TAXES. MISSOURIANS DO NOT LIKE TAXES AND MISSOURIANS VOTE DOWN TAXES ALL THE TIME. ESPECIALLY HERE IN RANDOLPH COUNTY where I guess we hold on to our religion and guns and hatred of TAXES !!!!!
Gary You are wrong on this. The Federal Holiday is Christmas. Not “Happy Holidays” Not “Seasons Greetings” but Christmas…… what the gentleman was trying to say was that there has been a effort to dismiss “Merry Christmas”
from everything……
Now you little comment just now about you don’t know who is standing in your line……it does not matter what or whom they are….It is the Christmas Holiday and therefore Christmas TIME and therefore those in line most often are not offended. Just the nuts are offended.
The helicopter – slash – blimp example of government wastwe was not true. The thing is in production, but has yet to be built, tested or have it’s first inevitable crash landing.
I am a Christian, and I don’t particularly care what greeting a retailer employs. Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, Merry Solstice, whatever; it’s the retailer’s choice. However, it’s also my choice as a shopper to not patronize stores which don’t use a greeting I appreciate.
The issue is really one of freedom; retailers can use whatever greetings they want, and shoppers can respond however they want. If there is an economic consequence to retailers because they choose to use a certain holiday greeting, then they can adjust if they so choose.
I don’t care how a retailer greets me. It’s up to the business and the policy of the store. However, when I’m greeted with Happy holiday I simpoly respond, “Thank you and Merry Christmas to you.” I have found over the past number of years that the clerk smiles and says thank you.
I am planning our company holiday party. Most of our employees celebrate Christmas, but there are a few that don’t. So I have to be middle of the road when I plan the party, because it is none of my business what they celebrate. So it is snowmen, blue, and happy holidays!
What Focus on the Family is doing is trying to get the stores to change their greeting BACK to Merry Christmas. That is the detail that makes the difference.
Had the stores said Happy Holidays for the past 20 years, that would be a different story. But these stores have given in to the secular crowd and changed their greeting. Many Christians feel that they’ve been push too far and it’s time to put pressure on these stores to change the greeting BACK to Merry Christmas.
Gary, just as it doesn’t make sense to you that people would be offended by retailers taking Merry Christmas away as a greeting, it doesn’t make sense to me why people would be offended by me saying Merry Christmas. If a jewish friend says Happy Hanaka to me I don’t take offense. It seems there’s alot more to be concerned over in this world. South park did a gret skit on this some time ago, should we quit saying happy easter? It seems retailers have no problem selling easter bunnys, eggs etc. We can become so politically correct that our country would be bland. Let’s celebrate our diffrences by allowing everyone to greet however they choose after all it is a greeting. Regina
I didn’t think Christmas was about buying things at stores it’s about family and being with the ones you love (at least to me), so why does it matter how some store greets it’s buyers? The stores are trying to make as much money as they can and are trying include everyone in their sells pitch. If you don’t want to shop somewhere because they say “Happy Holidaze” then that’s your choice, but I think all this hoopla over it is missing the true meaning of Christmas. As Dennis Miller once said (when he was funny), “That’s just my opinion I could be wrong.”
And I don’t think anyone is offended by someone saying “Merry Christmas”
Democratic leaders in Congress delayed a vote on bailing out the auto industry until next month and demanded the Big Three develop a plan assuring the money would make them economically viable. “Until they show us the plan, we cannot show them the money,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a hastily called news conference in the Capitol. The decision averted a likely defeat of legislation providing $25 billion in loans for the industry.
The Democratic leaders spoke after a small bipartisan group of lawmakers reached a deal among themselves to buoy the industry. Sens. Carl Levin, Kit Bond and George Voinovich were working on the compromise to give the industry $25 billion in loans. Shares of GM and Ford showed modest gains, pulling back from earlier sharp gains on hopes of a deal.
MO Sr. Senator, Kit Bond, is one of the lead senators on this deal!!! Call or email him and tell him to STOP. This industry does not need a bailout. It needs to file BK13 and be allowed to restructure their insane union contracts that are destroying this industry.
My name is tony Lupo and I was a guest on your show discussing global warming last spring? I heard Christopher Horner on your show yesterday and I was not suprised to hear no one challenge him. His book was great by the way. I heard him talk about all the threats that global warming skeptics like myself have recieved. i have been fortunate not to be threatened directly. I have been attacked in the media and sent a letter implying threats. But that’s about it. I find Missourians have been very receptive to hearing about a different viewpoint on climate change.
When, in your mind, does Bush deserve blame for what’s going on? When Clinton turn the country over to him all was good. The national debt was around 5 trillion and going down, jobs were going up, things were going along pretty well. Now after 8 years of Bush the debt is over 10 trillion and jobs going down. So I was wondering when in your mind the buck stops with the one in charge? Stop excusing what Bush has done by blaming “Liberals”. Look at the shape Bush left Texas when he took over and we’re surprised at how the US looks now?
When we “Liberals” ran the country things were going pretty well. And don’t tell me it’s all because of Newt.
Here is my plan to save our economy.
Send me enough money. We’ll pay off our mortgages, car loan, credit cards and other loans. This will give me enough money to buy a new stove, refrigerator, a second car, fix up my home and buy some much needed wardrobe for my family.
See the money goes right back into the FREE MARKET SYSTEM. Those that work get rich. I can save some money and the economy get a big boost.
If I get sick, I can go see a doctor even if I have no insurance. I will have more money to spend, because I will be debt free.
Gary doesn’t want to blame the big 3’s management decisions but the SUV was their solution to the C A F E standard. If they spent their time being innovative instead of trying to find a loophole in the C A F E standard, maybe they would have been ahead of Toyota’s successful hybrid instead of playing catch-up
Eric I sometimes wonder how you can put your pants on in the morning without special instructions from the government!? You couldn’t GIVE one of those hybrids away if the federal government didn’t underwrite their cost. Because of the ability of unions to shut down manufacturing, the “big 3″ gave into demands for expensive union benifits. This adds more than $1000.00 per vehicle made. That makes it tough to compete. Are you so blind that you think the big 3 don’t want to sell cars? If they could get a safe car to get 50mpg wouldn’t they out sell the competition? Make themselves even MORE money? Think man..use your head!? From what I’ve read you hate the host so much you can’t think straight!
“Eric I sometimes wonder how you can put your pants on in the morning without special instructions from the government!?”
Since the Libertarians never actually win national elections, it is difficult to debate Gary on his party’s policy decisions. This gives Gary an advantage in debate because he can always point to the mistakes of the two major parties but his party remains blameless (and powerless). So if one chooses to debate Gary they usually have to pick from of his two major topics; “Government is bad” and “Taxes are evil” both of which are popular notions. That puts the would-be debater in the untenable position of defending government or taxes. I don’t love either but I am a pragmatist and realize they aren’t going away so maybe we should focus our efforts on improving them instead of pointing out their shortcomings.
“You couldn’t GIVE one of those hybrids away if the federal government didn’t underwrite their cost.”
Toyota claims they have been making a profit on the Prius for several years. The difference is their management thinks long-term in their business plans, unlike the big 3 here in the United States.
“Because of the ability of unions to shut down manufacturing, the “big 3″ gave into demands for expensive union benefits. This adds more than $1000.00 per vehicle made. That makes it tough to compete”
Again, management was thinking about the short-term losses of a strike and not the long-term benefit of the company.
“Are you so blind that you think the big 3 don’t want to sell cars? If they could get a safe car to get 50mpg wouldn’t they out sell the competition? Make themselves even MORE money? Think man..use your head!?”
It is true that they want to sell more cars… in the next couple of years. The problem with your ‘50mpg safe car’ is that it involves being innovative and would cause losses in profit for a couple of year while they retooled. That is unacceptable because the American shareholder now only keeps a stock for an average of 6 months (thank you low capital gains tax) and they are only concerned with the profits of today. In turn, the corporate executives look for the short-term wins knowing that (not unlike a major league baseball player) they can always switch to a better team next year if things look bleak.
“From what I’ve read you hate the host so much you can’t think straight!”
I don’t know Gary but he seems very likeable, I certainly don’t hate him but I do disagree with him politically. I think Gary has a quality show and that is why I listen. If you pay attention to his show you will notice the Gary practically begs for people to call in and disagree with him and for good reason, nothing is as dull as 10 callers in a row saying “your right Gary” or “I am in total agreement”. Sports talk guys sometimes have to resort to ‘priming the pump’ by having producers call in with questions or comments. It makes for better radio, just like when I call in it gives Gary and his callers someone to beat up on for the next segment. I wish there were more dissenting callers because I don’t feel particularly comfortable on the radio.
Where in the world in Justin Aelferman(ap?) when you need him?
BTW Ken, Clinton administration did not bring record jobs and good economy. Capitalism did through the tech industry and the borrowed time the real estate boom gave him.
Still not the Bush fault alone.
Gary,if you want to change the direction(social,etc) of any country,start with the children(grade school,etc.).This is the reason, for this insanity. KYPD
1973 Supreme Court ruling in Enmons prevents union violence from being charged as extortion (under the 1946 Hobbs Act). It doesn’t prevent someone from being criminally charged by the state for murder or assault.
If it is important to you (Gary) that the Feds also bring charges then I assume that you are also a big supporter of federal hate crime legislation.
The fact that Obama does not attend church merely indicates to me that he believes there is no power greater than himself – something I do not find surprising in the least.
I have faith, it goes to my core. Everything I do comes out of what I believe. Religion is what other people see that they can attribute to my faith.
Faith without works is dead, but you cannot generate faith by good works. Or, logically, Faith implies works but works do not imply faith. That would be substituting the inverse for the proposition.
My faith would not allow me to sit through a sermon at Obama’s “church”, or his church has been seriously misrepresented to me.
One or the other. They preach racism, and I find no justification in scripture for that.
So, it looks to me like Obama’s missing church is not missing much. It will be very hard for Obama to disappoint me as I expect very little of any good from him.
a suggested amendment for the Read the Bills Act: require every line item cost in the bill to include a per-taxpayer cost; i.e., 300m taxpayers and a $300m line item (gold plated toilet seats for the Pentagon) = $1/per taxpayer.
I admire the WalMart for closing it’s doors in the wake of the employee being trampled. They could have directed everyone to their other entrance and continued to make money on the busiest shopping morning of the year.
I agree — it is a clear lack of understanding of the concept of “responsibility” to try and hold the company responsible for the death of that poor employee.
The people who trampled him to death are the ones responsible!
I agree with you on Wal-mart. Don’t get my wrong, I dislike Wal-Mart and avoid shopping there any chance I can. But these rude A**H**** that knocked over the worker and made it impossible to provide adequate care deserve to go to jail. I hope they find them on the camera and arrest them for Assault or Man-slaughter.
As for this Wind farm. We only pay for the energy consumed by them so we don’t have to worry about the capital costs or repair costs. But we do have a fixed monthly cost for the transmission lines. So every time we aren’t getting full capacity from the farm we are essentially paying a higher cost per Kilowatt hour. That just upsets me that we are paying for something we aren’t and can’t use at the moment. The contracts need to be revisited.
The problem is, were they pushing or were they being pushed by all of the people behind them. Who ultimately from the crowd can you charge and what would you charge them with. Did they actually know they stepped on someone?
Hey gary, im a female and I think that saying easily accessible can be turned into saying that someone is a slut. Maybe she should think about that before she has it all changed. I think it is stupid to waste money to change everything instead spend it in the schools to teach kids the difference.
Haven’t posted for a while, so have several comments….
For those upset that Obama isn’t going to church….He is doing the Chicago churches a favor! It would be pandemonium for him to attend a service. He is respecting all of those church members by not bringing a zoo down on them.
I was at an MU basketball game and Carl Edwards was sitting several rows in front of me enjoying the game with a friend. Well, the announcer thought it necessary to point him out in the crowd, and after that, the aisle was crowded with people wanting autographs….He couldn’t even enjoy the game! He ended up getting up at half time and not coming back…and I don’t blame him one bit! That is a SMALL example of how disruptive Obama’s presence would be to a Church that was not prepared for that kind of publicity or security.
And the fact that he is going and working out instead of going to church….
I think this country would be MUCH better off if more people went to work out on Sunday mornings than went to Church. There would be less hatred in the U.S.
Oh…and Unions are still good for workers. Corporations cannot have ALL of the power.
My brother is happy to be back to work at Hubbell.
Oh…and it was the COMPANY that brought up the renegotiation because they wanted to do it before Obama came into office because, and I quote a worker, “Obama is more for the working man than the republicans.”
Someone has to stand up for American workers, Gary….and you know what…I just don’t see corporations doing it.
All of your talk about how the free market can fix everything is bogus, Gary. The biggest problem being WE DON’T HAVE A TRUE FREE MARKET!!!!
Oh…and Obama is NOT a Socialist or a Marxist.
Speaking of socialism….which you so adamantly disagree with….should we get rid of our military? It is a perfect example of something that is collectively owned by all Americans.
Ok…I’ll be in my car so you can rail on my comments in a moment. Have fun.
The reason most people who are for banning fire arms completely starts with thier fear that they can’t do whatever they want. Publicly owned fire arms put a limit to unreasonable demands people would be subject too with out them.
Gary, in response to a previous caller, Charles. Although some textbooks do define an assault weapon as being capable of automattic fire, the issue in question does not make that distinction. Instead the assault weapons ban categorises assault weapons primarily on apperance, with a few mentions of actual mechanical function. The current fear is that if re-instated, some of these definitions would be broadened to include a much wider group of weapons.
On tonights topic, I feel that most of the supporters of such a ban are simply uninformed, not stupid or uninteligent, but uninformed.
Society needs a movement to expose the uninformed to the facts. Guns are a critical part of our culture for a reason. They are our guarantee of satety, freedom, and liberty.
The issue with the term “handicapped” is that the word comes from the term “Cap in Hand” as in begger. Should we change the word? No but empathy may prevail. It wasn’t lang ago the term “retarded” was considered to be offensive. Seems the global issue is American’s are so concerned with offending people with words they forget that sticks and stones break bones.
You had a gold coin seller on a few weeks back “SDL”. I assume SDL is a reputable company and I should have no fear of purchasing coins from them. Have you purchased any coins from SDL?
Just wondering if you’d seen that Hillary Clinton’s appointment as SecState technically violates the Constitution. It shouldn’t pose a problem and has happened before, but still kind of interesting.
There are some individuals who require assistance. Who should provide this assistance is a different question.
It seems to me that those who do not require assistance but choose to live on assistance, don’t invest in there own future. They do not take advantage of the one thing that is provided to every individual. Education. It is one of the most important strategic plans that a young person can enact. Kids live for today. People who do not choose to make a future live for today. I identify these grown people as liberal. If the example they are raised with is living for today only, they are a product upbringing.
A large part of the Big 3 cars are built in Mexico and Canada, while Toyota has been building plants in the US. Want to help out the American worker, buy a Toyota.
Gary,
Let us do some basic arithmetic: mediocre drivers plus cell phones equals poor drivers. Love the show, can’t stand driving in my home town anymore.
ck
I am taking pharmacology this semester @ MU and I think you are playing with fire by using the methods in the article below (see my prof’s comments from the article she forwarded to us)…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28098500/
Scientists back brain drugs for healthy people
Commentary calls for more research to manage the potential risks
updated 1:31 p.m. CT, Sun., Dec. 7, 2008
NEW YORK – Healthy people should have the right to boost their brains with pills, like those prescribed for hyperactive kids or memory-impaired older folks, several scientists contend in a provocative commentary.
College students are already illegally taking prescription stimulants like Ritalin to help them study, and demand for such drugs is likely to grow elsewhere, they say.
“We should welcome new methods of improving our brain function,” and doing it with pills is no more morally objectionable than eating right or getting a good night’s sleep, these experts wrote in an opinion piece published online Sunday by the journal Nature.
The commentary calls for more research and a variety of steps for managing the risks.
As more effective brain-boosting pills are developed, demand for them is likely to grow among middle-aged people who want youthful memory powers and multitasking workers who need to keep track of multiple demands, said one commentary author, brain scientist Martha Farah of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Almost everybody is going to want to use it,” said Farah.
“I would be the first in line if safe and effective drugs were developed that trumped caffeine,” another author, Michael Gazzaniga of the University of California, Santa Barbara, declared in an e-mail.
The seven authors, from the United States and Britain, include ethics experts and the editor-in-chief of Nature as well as scientists. They developed their case at a seminar funded by Nature and Rockefeller University in New York. Two authors said they consult for pharmaceutical companies; Farah said she had no such financial ties.
Some health experts agreed that the issue deserves attention. But the commentary didn’t impress Leigh Turner of the University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics.
“It’s a nice puff piece for selling medications for people who don’t have an illness of any kind,” Turner said.
The commentary cites a 2001 survey of about 11,000 American college students that found 4 percent had used prescription stimulants illegally in the prior year. But at some colleges, the figure was as high as 25 percent.
“It’s a felony, but it’s being done,” said Farah.
The stimulants Adderall and Ritalin are prescribed mainly for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but they can help other people focus their attention and handle information in their heads, the commentary says.
Another drug called Provigil is approved for sleep disorders but is also prescribed for healthy people who need to stay alert when sleep-deprived, the commentary says. Lab studies show it can also perk up the brains of well-rested people. And some drugs developed for Alzheimer’s disease also provide a modest memory boost, it says.
Ritalin is made by Switzerland-based Novartis AG, but the drug is also available generically. Adderall is made by U.K.-based Shire PLC and Montvale, N.J.-based Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., and some formulations are also available generically. Provigil is made by Cephalon Inc. of Frazer, Pa.
While supporting the concept that healthy adults should be able to use brain-boosting drugs, the authors called for:
More research into the use, benefits and risks of such drugs. Much is unknown about the current medications, such as the risk of dependency when used for this purpose, the commentary said.
Policies to guard against people being coerced into taking them.
Steps to keep the benefits from making socio-economic inequalities worse.
Action by doctors, educators and others to develop policies on the use of such drugs by healthy people.
Legislative action to allow drug companies to market the drugs to healthy people if they meet regulatory standards for safety and effectiveness.
Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said she agreed with the commentary that the nonprescribed use of brain-boosting drugs must be studied.
But she said she was concerned that wider use of stimulants could lead more people to become addicted to them. That’s what happened decades ago when they were widely prescribed for a variety of disorders, she said.
“Whether we like it or not, that property of stimulants is not going to go away,” she said.
Erik Parens, a senior research scholar at the Hastings Center, a bioethics think tank in Garrison, N.Y., said the commentary makes a convincing case that “we ought to be opening this up for public scrutiny and public conversation.”
One challenge will be finding ways to protect people against subtle coercion to use the drugs, the kind of thing parents feel when neighbor kids sign up for SAT prep courses, he said.
And if the nation moves to providing a basic package of health care to all its citizens, it’s hard to see how it could afford to include brain-boosting drugs, he said. If they have to be bought separately, it raises the question about promoting societal inequalities, he said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This article warns of addiction but ignores tachycardia, hypertension, bladder retention, constipation, reduced ability to control urges to overspend, cheat, participate in sex and crime, premature infants and low birthweight due to vasoconstriction of umbilical arteries, babies born addicted, psychological problems of next generation, reduced parenting skills. Is this what students should be risking to earn A’s and jobs? Would it be better to create a less stressful learning environment so students are not compelled to take these drugs? Particularly in medical schools, student use of these drugs is at least 25%. Every year during orientation week, medical school deans forewarns students that a high percentage of them will need stimulants anti-anxiety and anti-depressants to complete medical school. Students report they succumb to pressures to compete in medical school. Apparently doctors who succeeded in medical school on these drugs are more likely to prescribe them to students nationwide. These drugs are controlled substances that are out of control and sit high on the list of the most often prescribed drugs in the USA.
Whoohoo its Happy Hack day on Gary’s show! Maybe next time you can have a host who writes a book about how anyone who disagrees with them is a child molesting poop eater.
Heaven forbid people disagree with you or your guests about politics Gary.
First, I would not take a drug to increase my IQ. This is a moral question for me. I was created by the same God that did the entire universe, and evidently he likes me like this. If you want to argue with Him about how you were made, I might try to talk you out of it. But we need to be able to make mistakes, or we cannot mature.
From a political point of view, I believe our government is supposed to be by the people. I mean that the government only has the rights the citizens grant it. And we cannot grant a right we do not ourselves posses.
If I cannot force you to take a drug, or not take a drug, then I also cannot grant the government the ability to do so.
Want a nightmare?
It would be a public good if everybody was smarter, therefore, under present thought, the government can ( and probably should ) REQUIRE these drugs to be as widely used as possible.
Which is, of course, that which drops from the anal opening of a mature male bovine, non-castrated variety.
Of course I am going to attack your guest. He wrote a book attacking half of the country because they disagree with him on politics.
I will never understand how people can openly insult a segment of the country based on their political beliefs, and then act shocked when someone mocks them back.
Its good to know that a random book author knows what is best for me. Its also good to know that the libertarian movement now supports the Christian Right’s view on life. Hopefully I can get weekly updates on how to think and feel so I do not fall off the path.
wow bob, are you always this easily influenced? Or is it just you think all the rest of us are sheeple?
My family thinks for themselves, yet we appreciate thoughtful discussion that can encourage behavior in line with our values.
Bob was being sarcastic. The author’s argument is quite ridiculous. But I don’t expect much from one who believes wives should be submissive and not disagree with their husbands….along with a score of other things that would look at home on a fundamental Islamic website.
See the movie “Jesus Camp.” A documentary on evangelicals that unfortunately was filmed in Missouri. It scared the heck out of me!
After looking more into the background and other writings of the author you had on the air yesterday, Reb Bradley, I am absolutely shocked you would have someone like him on your show. I thought you were more open-minded than to have such a blatant sexist and radical fundamentalist on your show.
What he was saying, parents need to parent better to improve our society…of course, that is just common sense. He quoted lots of facts and figures about how crime, divorce, un-wed pregnancy, etc. have all increased in the past 70 years; but to attribute that just to Dr. Spock is absolutely ludicrous. The fact that crime drastically DECREASED 18 years after abortion was legalized is something I’m sure he does not want to acknowledge (I can get you actual research if you like).
Also, his statement that Dr. Spock is the second most printed book after the Bible is incorrect as well.
But, I can see why he would not want to mention that among those books ranking above Dr. Spock’s book are “Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung” and “The Qur’an.”
Gary, you often talk about “Junk Science” which is something that I disagree with you on…but this author, his “research” and his argument IS junk!
Check out some of his other writings…apparently he doesn’t believe people (especially women) should think at all.
If it were ladies day off he probably would have the same take on it Eric.
Just because he doesn’t want to be mistaken for one does not a homophob’ make.
but I agree he should probably take the day off for that cold. I had to last week for the same thing, ran a temp all day.
Besides it may be a great day to hybernate.
Columbia owns an electric company, water works, a railroad, free parking and a jail… if they could just buy Boardwalk and Park place and build a few hotels they will win for sure.
The problem with cameras, even if you can move them around, is that they cover only one part of town. More officers could cover all of Columbia, not just “The District”. I think I hear more news reported about crimes happening in homes, hotels and small businesses around town than downtown.
You should research the guy he had on his show yesterday before you suggest he shares your values. The guy thinks women are pieces of property who should just bow down to the whims of their husbands. If you feel that way all the power to you, but I am going to assume that most women would like to live in a world that has advanced past the 1950’s.
About the sarcasm, it was directed at Gary and his guest not you so take the sensitive meter down a bit.
Bob – the man may not share my values. However, the point being made, ‘children are born liberal and should be taught to value and respect earning’, is plausible.
I have never heard Gary shut someone down just because they disgree. Your argument gets lost in your sarcasm and mocking. Next time try sticking to the debate and I’m sure you will find him receptive to your point of view.
Do they really have to have a convention to implement this legislation. I think this is the goverments way of taking more of our rights away and the beginning of Social world.
Gary, sorry I missed the first part of the show on the Constitutional Convention and as it is an extremely important topic will you summarize or point us to a website or somewhere that we can find out the whole story? Thanks for all you do!
Alan
I do not care if he sees my point of view. He is a radio host who makes his living by getting people either A. Excited/Intrigued or B. Angry. The guy he had on his show is a religious whack job whose purpose was to get people tuned in to Gary’s show. It obviously worked well since I listened to the whole thing.
I am sarcastic and mocking because I have no interest in trying to change a radio host’s mind, I am simply having fun with the format available to me. No sane person would rely on talk radio hosts to get their information. But I will say that his segment today about the constitutional convention was very interesting and did worry me a bit.
Once again, I do not direct any sarcasm toward you.
Just wanted to make a couple of points: It would be up to the US Supreme Court to determine if a state can rescind its support for calling a convention. The Court has already ruled that a state can change its vote on an amendment, but only from voting no to voting yes. They cannot change from yes to no. Also, if a convention passed an amendment, it would still have to be ratified by 3/4 of the states (or 38 states). It would be up to Congress which method is used for ratification: either by state legislatures or by state ratifying conventions.
Dean
Get used to it. The Right is going to suspect evil doing in everything Obama does. To be fair the Left has done the same thing to Bush. Its the way things work unfortunately.
Bob, I agree the left never cut Bush any slack, he didn’t deserve a whole lot though. I think Obama probably knew the guy was a total scumbag and should rightly disassociate himself, but should not be judged today. OK, Battlefield Earth
I was just trying to be fair with Bush. Personally i agree that he deserved most of what he got from the Left, but the Right is going to do the exact same thing because it is in their best interests that Obama does not convince some of their members that he is not the Anti-Christ or a socialist. If he is able to do that then they will have a hard time beating him in 4 years.
This whole Illinois Governor thing is basically all the Republicans have to go after Obama for atm. I don’t think any of them actually believe he did anything wrong but they kind of need something to attack him for. Now the Governor is a complete idiot and I hope he ends up in jail.
Oh and check out http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28163452/ to see how happy Americans are with Obama’s transition so far. He has much higher approval ratings than either Clinton or Bush did coming in. The Bush numbers are pretty startling as well.
so having done nothing wrong is digging a hole? or could it be that because he comes from a political party you disagree with that you assume that whatever happens has to return to him being corrupt?
I am wondering what the “deal is” with your guest and the constitutional convention.
This would seem to be really big news but when I visit both sites (americanpolicy.org & freedom21.com) I see nothing about it?
It would seem to me that this would be the headline on either site but I can’t find a single link to it?
I am starting to suspect a sucker job to get myself and others to sign up for a newsletter or other list.
If you have some site where I can read about it and point others to then please point me there.
My last election joke! Not Republican or Democrat- And is actually a true story sent to me by a friend who teaches in a MO school.
The following is a funny and true story shared with me by a friend who teaches AP Government at a MO school. In one of the teacher’s classes, they were discussing the qualifications to be president of the United States. It was pretty simple.
The candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age.
However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how unfair was the requirement to be a natural born citizen. In short, her opinion was this requirement prevented many capable individuals from becoming president.
The teacher and the class were just taking it in and letting her rant, but everyone’s jaw hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating ….
“What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by c-section”.
Subject: A Ford Dealer Speaks Out
>
>
> Here is a well written “Letter to the Editor” from a Ford dealership owner.
>
>
> ELKINS FORDLAND, INC.
> 1211 Harrison Avenue, Elkins, WV 26241
>
> Editor:
>
> As I watch the coverage of the fate of the U.S. auto industry, one alarming
> and frustrating fact hits me right between the eyes. The fate of our
> nation’s economic survival is in the hands of some congressmen who are
> completely out of touch and act without knowledge of an industry that
> affects almost every person in our nation. The same lack of knowledge is
> shared with many journalists whom are irresponsible when influencing the
> opinion of millions of viewers.
>
> Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama has doomed the industry, calling it a
> dinosaur. No Mr. Shelby, you are the dinosaur, with ideas stuck in the
> ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. You and the uninformed journalist and senators that
> hold onto myths that are not relevant in today’s world.
>
> When you say that the Big Three build vehicles nobody wants to buy, you
> must have overlooked that GM outsold Toyota by about 1.2 million vehicles
> in the U.S. and Ford outsold Honda by 850,000 and Nissan by 1.2 million in
> the U.S. GM was the world’s No. 1 automaker beating Toyota by 3,000 units.
>
> When you claim inferior quality comes from the Big Three, did you realize
> that Chevy makes the Malibu and Ford makes the Fusion that were both rated
> over the Camry and Accord by J.D. Power independent survey on initial
> quality? Did you bother to read the Consumer Report that rated Ford on par
> with good Japanese automakers.
>
> Did you realize Big Three’s gas guzzlers include the 33 mpg Malibu that
> beats the Accord. And for ‘09 Ford introduces the Hybrid Fusion whose 39
> mpg is the best midsize, beating the Camry Hybrid. Ford’s Focus beats the
> Corolla and Chevy’s Cobalt beats the Civic.
>
> When you ask how many times are we going to bail them out you must be
> referring to 1980. The only Big Three bailout was Chrysler, who paid back
> $1 billion, plus interest. GM and Ford have never received government aid.
>
> When you criticize the Big Three for building so many pickups, surely
> you’ve noticed the attempts Toyota and Nissan have made spending billions
> to try to get a piece of that pie. Perhaps it bothers you that for 31
> straight years Ford’s F-Series has been the best selling vehicle. Ford and
> GM have dominated this market and when you see the new ‘09 F-150 you’ll
> agree this won’t change soon.
>
> Did you realize that both GM and Ford offer more hybrid models than Nissan
> or Honda. Between 2005 and 2007, Ford alone has invested more than $22
> billion in research and development of technologies such as Eco Boost, flex
> fuel, clean diesel, hybrids, plug in hybrids and hydrogen cars.
>
> It’s 2008 and the quality of the vehicles coming out of Detroit are once
> again the best in the world.
>
> Perhaps Sen. Shelby isn’t really that blind. Maybe he realizes the quality
> shift to American. Maybe it’s the fact that his state of Alabama has given
> so much to land factories from Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes Benz that he is
> more concerned about their continued growth than he is about the people of
> our country. Sen. Shelby’s disdain for “government subsidies” is very
> hypocritical. In the early ’90s he was the driving force behind a $253
> million incentive package to Mercedes. Plus, Alabama agreed to purchase
> 2,500 vehicles from Mercedes. While the bridge loan the Big Three is
> requesting will be paid back, Alabama’s $180,000-plus per job was pure
> incentive. Sen. Shelby, not only are you out of touch, you are a
> self-serving hypocrite, who is prepared to ruin our nation because of lack
> of knowledge and lack of due diligence in making your opinions and
> decisions.
>
> After 9/11, the Detroit Three and Harley Davidson gave $40 million-plus
> emergency vehicles to the recovery efforts. What was given to the 9/11
> relief effort by the Asian and European Auto Manufactures? $0 Nada. Zip!
>
> We live in a world of free trade, world economy and we have not been able
> to produce products as cost efficiently. While the governments of other
> auto producing nations subsidize their automakers, our government may be
> ready to force its demise. While our automakers have paid union wages,
> benefits and legacy debt, our Asian competitors employ cheap labor. We are
> at an extreme disadvantage in production cost. Although many UAW
> concessions begin in 2010, many lawmakers think it’s not enough.
>
> Some point the blame to corporate management. I would like to speak of Ford
> Motor Co. The company has streamlined by reducing our workforce by 51,000
> since 2005, closing 17 plants and cutting expenses. Product and future
> product is excellent and the company is focused on one Ford. This is a
> company poised for success. Ford product quality and corporate management
> have improved light years since the nightmare of Jacques Nasser. Thank you
> Alan Mulally and the best auto company management team in the business.
>
>
> The financial collapse caused by the secondary mortgage fiasco and the
> greed of Wall Street has led to a $700 billion bailout of the industry that
> created the problem. AIG spent nearly $1 million on three company
> excursions to lavish resorts and hunting destinations. Paulson is saying no
> to $250 billion foreclosure relief and the whole thing is a mess. So when
> the Big Three ask for 4 percent of that of the $700 billion, $25 billion to
> save the country’s largest industry, there is obviously oppositions. But
> does it make sense to reward the culprits of the problem with $700 billion
> unconditionally, and ignore the victims?
>
> As a Ford dealer, I feel our portion of the $25 billion will never be
> touched and is not necessary. Ford currently has $29 billion of liquidity.
> However, the effect of a bankruptcy by GM will hurt the suppliers we all do
> business with. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy by any manufacture would cost
> retirees their health care and retirements. Chances are GM would recover
> from Chapter 11 with a better business plan with much less expense. So who
> foots the bill if GM or all three go Chapter 11? All that extra health
> care, unemployment, loss of tax base and some forgiven debt goes back to
> the taxpayer, us. With no chance of repayment, this would be much worse
> than a loan with the intent of repayment.
>
> So while it is debatable whether a loan or Chapter 11 is better for the Big
> Three, a $25 billion loan is definitely better for the taxpayers and the
> economy of our country.
>
> So I’ll end where I began on the quality of the products of Detroit. Before
> you, Mr. or Ms. Journalist continue to misinform the American public and
> turn them against one of the great industries that helped build this
> nation, I must ask you one question. Before you, Mr. or Madam Congressman
> vote to end health care and retirement benefits for 1 million retirees,
> eliminate 2.5 million of our nation’s jobs, lose the technology that will
> lead us in the future and create an economic disaster including hundreds of
> billions of tax dollars lost, I ask this question not in the rhetorical
> sense. I ask it in the sincere, literal way. Can you tell me, have you
> driven a Ford lately?
>
> Jim Jackson
> Elkins Fordland
I have been listening to the eagle all day and nobody has mentioned the constitutional convention news you broke yesterday evening. What is going on???
I have been listening to the eagle all day and nobody has mentioned the constitutional convention news you broke yesterday evening. What is going on???
A few years ago I would have laughed at you for bringing up the one world government theory. But part of me has started to think there might be some truth to it. The only thing that keeps me from completely believing its happening around us is that there really is no person or group that has enough power or resources to accomplish it. It would take years maybe generations to pull something like that off.
Then again, I guess a SPECTRE group like in James Bond movies could exist.
I forgot to add that a more likely process happening around us is a frightening consolidation of power within our own country in the hands of corporations and the federal government. This may surprise you coming from a liberal but the idea of a federal government that has no check on its power scares the *bleep* out of me.
Doesn’t Glen Beck (and the others) listen to the other radio shows such as yours to keep up on the news? I tried to get in to the Glen Beck show this morning to tell him about the Constitutional Convention, but couldn’t get through. You are on the Eagle just as they are, why haven’t they heard this yet???
I may be wrong, but I believe Gary is local while Beck is carried nationally so they really have no connection to each other beyond being aired on the same station. Then again they could be old drinking buddies for all I know.
The Missouri legislature applied for a consitutional convention to propose a balanced budget amendment in 1983. A good introduction to the issue is on YouTube : Beware Article V
There are actually many varying applications for a constitutional convention. The following website is a good reference for the issue, despite advocating having a constitutional convention.
GARY! GARY! GARY!
3 best websites for more info about the fraud of the century:
For the real science behind this issue, I commend to you a powerful review of peer-reviewed research available at the website:
I’ve got BOTH here at home. BOTH are MUST SEE DVD’s.
The IPCC, of course, is a political organization and NOT a scientific one. Further, it holds one self-serving objective: building support for world taxation and rationing of industrially-useful energy.
Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant: it is plant food.
There is no conclusive evidence that humans have caused or are causing global warming, and certainly not by carbon dioxide emissions or increasing carbon use. The assertion that human CO2 release is the cause of the recent, now ended!, warming trend is the hoax / fraud of the century.
If we do not get the science right, we shall most certainly get the policy wrong.
All these people complaining that the officer was out of line need to think about this: If their kid was in the middle of that fight, the fight didn’t get broken up, and their kid was injured, they would be bitching that not enough was done….You’re right Gary, they need to get over it!
bob/d.c.
thanks, did you notice that the insinuations regarding obama and ex-gov. scumbag seem to have died down all of a sudden? i realize the story is long from dead, but i guess we must get ready for these pre-judgement smear attempts, even before the swear-in.
I don’t know about that Bob guy, but I am glad there is at least one more semi-liberal person who takes the time to talk on here.
As to the insinuations, it is kind of the Right’s job to do that. For many this is a team sport. At some point you pick either the Left or the Right and then you battle and belittle the other side no matter what happens. Things like this Governor situation allow hosts like Hannity to keep the team morale up and to focus on demonizing the enemy team rather than explaining why their team should be considered. Until more than the two parties are viewed as viable election options, it is never going to change.
I am not lumping Gary in with the likes of Hannity or Rush. I may disagree with him on a long list of issues, but I do believe that he is just stating his opinion every day. He also has a really interesting show and I get to hear about some crazy new topics. Last week I pissed off Tom Bradley by comparing him to Hannity and I probably should apologize to him someday but I kind of like hearing him read my emails on the air on the way to work:)
DC
I agree about Gary being even handed and fresh most of the time when he espouses the Libertarian viewpoint. Sometimes/lately he sways over there with his AM competitor who’s name rhymes with flush. I hope he doesn’t think he created a monster with this blog. We just have to keep him straightened every now and then. We don’t need anymore Hannity/Beck/Cunningham clones on this station, as much as I respect their opinions or I just turn them off.
Some of you folks are still feeling the teflon. Are you saying that Obama is right by saying he did not discuss the issue with the governor? He LIED! Sure it was a small lie, like the one about his other associations but it certainly makes me question other statements. Its not a prejudgement and I’m not demonizing him, I’m simply pointing out that, yes, there are reasons to question his supposed ‘can do no wrong’.
“There are weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq” – George Bush
And that’s just one lie from Bush. Until you white wingers impeach Bush for all his many lies -incuding before a joint session of Congress no less – then you have no reason to complain about Obama yet. For all you know he turned over the Governor.
And Ellie you know what he was talking about, turn off the radio and Faux Fox Noise for a second and listen to some other “news” you may learn a thing or two.
ken, you can quit bashing Bush now, his term is almost up. Furthermore, for what I know he said those things in good faith. Would you them impeach all the democ’s that said the same thing.
Now back to the Obama falsehood; I know what he was talking about? Yeah, he was saying he did not discuss the appointment with the governor. What did you think he was talking about?
BTW, I get my news from CNN as much as Fox. Trust but verify
Pointing out the fact Bush has lied a thousand times isn’t bashing him, facts are the facts.
Bush once said, “I know how hard it is putting food on your family” – which clearly is a flasehood. I don’t know anyone that puts food on their family, do you?
Or how about this classic, “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” What does he mean here?
And my all-time favorite Bush quote, “Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.”
I could go on but I hope you get the point. However, with regards to the ‘yellow cake’ being in Iraq, Bush clearly knew it wasn’t true when he said it in his state of the Union address – it was removed from a earlier speech in Cincy – but I trust you’ll verify just like Hannity. I just wish our current President would have verified something before he caused the death of so many people. And he still has a little over a month left…….
But if you want to split hairs on what Obama said then at least be honest with your self about what Bush has done. And CNN isn’t any better. Or MSNBC. Turn off the corporate news…..
Ken, your diversion does nothing to answer the questions I brought up.
You have just wasted blog space, I don’t know anyone who is still concerned about Bush’s public speaking skills except you. Maybe its yesterday’s news you focus on, I’ll stick with 93.9 The Eagle.
It’s an on going investigating so he couldn’y say anything if he did turn him over. No one knows anything yet and that’s my point. You know what they say when you assume something?
Gary,
What is proposed on the property where Bengals now sits is the State Historical Society NOT a new museum (and it is state not county as some people refer). While I do not agree with imminent domain, it is vital to keep the historical society here in Columbia and not have it moved to Jeff. City which some legislators would love to do.
I guess I just don’t care whether he made a small lie or not and for the record I actually don’t think he has done a single thing wrong in regards to the idiot from Illinois. My point was that people on the Right are going to flip out over every little thing he does because that’s how our political system works now. My side has done and will continue to do the exact same thing.
Actually you proved my whole point about the Right freaking out by connecting his answer to a reporter’s question to YOUR opinions that people he knows indicate his character.
He won the election and I am sorry if that makes you sad.
Breaking News!! Obama forgets to brush his teeth, is he a real American? Details on Faux News.
And Ellie I don’t hate Bush, heck I’m related to him – truly am, it goes back a long ways – I’m just pointing out the facts about him. But as I’ve said before, with facts as bad as these it can seem like bashing.
smoking a public nuisance? okay should we ban ALL the public nuisence? Like should we ban the freaky things people wear on campus? How about we get back to wearing business clothes to classes instead of looking like something that crawled out from under a bridge.
And Amelia, just because you choose to ignore the facts does not make them cease to esist.
Gary:
You mentioned the amount of crime in Columbia and I agree it is an every day event here.
Here is a New Years resolution (that doesn’t involve eating less) for you that I think will help.
As of January 1st you (and Shelly and whoever) start a crime calendar.
The eagle keeps track of every robbery, rape, shooting, etc and every time there is another (about EVERY DAY) you mention on the air that today is xx/xx/2009 and as of today there have been X number robberies, shootings, etc.
I think people tend to forget what’s going on and the city wants to forget too.
Doing “the daily crime tally” (or “the hind-end report”) will remind people and maybe embarrass the city which could help get more cops on the streets instead of more bicycles which seems to be the current plan.
You (and we the listeners) like stirring the pot and it could be fun too.
I was wondering if you have brought the authors of “The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom” on the show? I think your listeners might enjoy hearing more about the cases that led to the size of government we have today. Just an idea for an upcoming show. I really enjoyed this book as it gives an excellent explanation of the cases since the New Deal that have increased the size of government and eroded our liberties. I was familiar with several of the cases, but found others that I had never heard of prior to reading the book. It is an excellent read for any libertarian.
The poor are disproportionally more obese than the wealthy, and also consume more of the ‘vice tax’ products like tobacco, so not only is this method of taxation a bad idea on principle, its also more of a burden on those least able to afford additional expense.
Finally, I have to continue to wonder where the money will come from for all this spending if suddenly everyone started behaving the way the politicians would like. In Missouri I believe the cigarette tax is supposed to go to education, so smoking may be bad for me but its a sacrifice I make ‘for the children.’ (Obviously the Mayor is against education.)
(Chapter 149, RSMo) In addition to sales tax, a separate tax is collected on cigarettes and other tobacco products sold in the state. Money received from the tax is deposited in the State School Money Fund, the Health Initiatives Fund, and the Fair Share Fund. State law sets the tax based on mills (1/10 of one cent) per cigarette.
The State School Money Fund receives 4 ½ mills per cigarette (or 9 cents per pack of 20, for example); the Health Initiatives Fund receives 2 mills per cigarette (or 4 cents per pack of 20); the Fair Share Fund receives 2 mills per cigarette (or 4 cents per pack of 20).
Typically a licensed wholesaler files the reports and pays the tax to the department each month. If a retailer or individual purchases cigarettes or other tobacco products directly from a manufacturer or non-licensed wholesaler, the retailer or individual must pay the tax to the department.
That guy who wants $500,000 needs to pay the officers for SAVING HIS LIFE!!!! Also….wasn’t he committing a crime? Do we get to sue for breaking the law now?
does the remaining $300,000, after lawyer gets his cut, go toward his medical bills? Or does he stay on the indigent list at the hospital and the taxpayers pick that tab up too?
I have a better idea – when LE tell you to get down from the bridge…wait for it….you get down. When LE pull you over, you pull over….when they tell you to stop…you stop. Moreover, I can’t imagine taking a NON-LETHAL means out of the hands of LE so they have to go back to LETHAL means. Is that what we want? Do we want our officers to have to carry the burden of having to use lethal force when a non-lethal means is avilable?
This reminds me when I was in high school, there was an incident like this in my home town. I won’t say where I’m from, but you work with the current mayor.
Anyway, this guy decides to end it all, so he goes and sits in the middle of the road on the other side of an overpass. A member of my high school class is the next person to drive on the road, and of course hits this man sitting in the middle of the road.
Well, he didn’t die, and of course, then he decided to sue my friend for hitting him!
Didn’t these people learn traffic laws as child? Don’t stand in the road (or sit); Don’t jump off of bridges; and most important….Listen to the police if they say STOP or I’ll SHOOT! Now they just taze…..I think this guy got off lucky.
I know that you’ve moved on to a new topic, but I couldn’t wait to get home to comment! I agree that the govt shouldn’t tax items for social engineering; even if the additional money generated goes toward health care. I don’t trust that… just look at the food stamp program. With food stamps, the recipients can ‘buy’ fresh produce or meats, but they can also ‘buy’ soda, candy, chips, sugary cereal, etc. When they become ill due to poor nutrition choices, they use govt sponsored medicaid (at the tax payers expense). How twisted is that?!?
As far as this emotionally distraught guy, perched on top of the bridge overpass, if he wanted to die, he would have jumped off before the police showed up. While an attorney is taking advantage over the tasering of this guy, who by the way was tasered after he came down from his perch, my main concern is that the police handled a situation apparently without any mental heath professionals. (What ever happened to calling in the men in the white coats with their nets?) Finally, CPD is considering Crisis Intervention Training for just these kind of situations. Money is not always the issue, sometimes it’s how we handle people who are those exhibiting “out of their mind” behaviors. They are not all criminas. Some of them are just sick.
This hasn’t bben read over the air yet and I can’t get through on line, so it’s somewhat updated:
Gary,
Hope you get over your “cold” by Christmas.
As far as this emotionally distraught guy, perched on top of the bridge overpass, if he wanted to die, he would have jumped off before the police showed up. While an attorney is taking advantage over the tasering of this guy, who by the way was tasered after he came down from his perch, my main concern is that the police handled a situation apparently without any mental heath professionals. (What ever happened to calling in the men in the white coats with their nets?) Finally, CPD is considering Crisis Intervention Training for just these kind of situations. Money is not always the issue, sometimes it’s how we handle people who are exhibiting these “out of their mind” behaviors. They are not all criminals or opportunists.. Some of them are just sick.
Also Brotemarkle did his job and just broke up a fight like he was supposed to.
And the government should treat “corn srup and “diet soda” additives like a drug.
What’s all this concern about the guy who was on the overpass. Well for one he held up traffic on a major interstate. What about us poor sapps that were tied up for 90 minutes and were late for work and were docked for being late. Maybe some good samaritan lawyer could help us sue him. Fair is only Fair. If he wanted to kill himself he could have had the decency to do it at home.
To all those stuck in the traffic jam while that idiot was trying to decide to die or not (he made the wrong choice – he is still breathing) – you guys need to get one lawyer and work together, sue his butt!!! So that even if he gets money from the city, he will have to turn around and pay each of you guys something, PLUS drag it out so he has to pay a lawyer for their time to defend the stupid jerk!!!!…
Here’s what I see in the local “charity” hospital” with morbidly obese people:
They usually have type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, chronic kidney disease (and often long term dialysis, renal transplants, etc), diabetic retinopathy, arthritis, hyperlipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, and others that I am surely missing. These require intense management, including surgical procedures and multiple medications. And of course, most are on disability. I also hate that our tax dollars pay for the local hospital, but they do, and that will not change. If you do not want to tax the fatties, there is another option to fix their abuse of the medical system. This could also be extended to smokers, alcoholics, illegal immigrants, and even the elderly (as the majority of healthcare dollars are spent in the last 6 months of life). It’s simple: refuse health care. Do not provide health care to anyone with a BMI greater than 30. Do not treat any complications related to smoking, excessive alcohol intake, obesity, or anyone over the age of 65 with critical illness. Simple enough, right? It’s the only way to fix the hemorrhaging health care system.
“The current level of atmospheric CO2 is about 390 parts per million by volume (ppmv,) or 0.039% by volume of the atmosphere, and in 1900 it was about 295 ppmv. If the 20th century trend continues unabated, by about 2050 atmospheric CO2 will have doubled to about 600 ppmv. This is the basis for the usual ‘doubled CO2′ scenario.
Skeptic volume 14 number 1
“With more COs2 more outgoing radiant energy is absorded, changing the thermaol dynamics of the atmosphere. All hte extra greenhouse gasses that have entered the atmosphere since 1900, including CO2, equate to an extra 2.7 W/m2 of energy absorption by the atmosphere. This is the worrisome greenhouse effect.”
Skeptic volume 14 number 1
Are you suggesting that we get rid of the laws concerning cruelty to animals. If so, your taking Libertatianism way too far. Humans gives rights to themselves, we need to give our man-made rights to our fellow inhabitors of the earth.
I’m neutral on cat piercing except to say that it’s just as stupid as human piercing.
Is cruelty to animals OK, because your God gave us the right? There are laws on the books that say you can’t mistreat animals and they should remain enforcable, regardless of whether they are considered “rights”. This includes dogfighting, maybe not cat gothing.
Isn’t it funny you can destroy an eagle egg and go to jail….Yet you kill an un-born child and the same people that put you I jail for the eagle egg crys out…. “It’s your choice!! Some people sure are confused aren’t they.
Lets see if i can finish this time without accidentally hitting enter. There is no comparison between abortion and animal cruelty. A fairer comparison would be child abuse to animal cruelty. In Gary’s liberatarian utopia kids are personal property as well so I am assuming he is cool with me setting up a neighborhood pit fight resembling a Street Fighter video game where 10 years fight to the death.
One last point on my Street Fighter scenario. It would be so easy to set up betting and maybe sell drinks (FREE MARKET PRINCIPLES FOR YOU GARY!) while your wife hypes up the event.
“In this corner stands Antonio, who in his ten years has mastered the art of Tonka Truck Kung Fu and has the speed of a ninja”
“In this corner his opponent, Steve is a disciple of the ancient fighting technique called GI Joe ju jitsu.”
No Bob I am not trying to do a switch. What I am saying is that people have have confused “our”… you and I…. “our” rights with the rights of animals. That is the most clear point I can make that makes people think.
I’ll hop in here. Despite Bob’s awesome street fighter references, I get what he is saying.
I care and love for my two bulldogs just as much I would for a child. I feed and care for them. I take them to the doctor when they are sick or hurt. I train them and teach them new skills. They also bring me love and comfort. It would also destroy me if something were to happen to one of them. How are they any different than a child?
The most obvious comeback to what I am saying would be utility. A cynic would argue that a child has a higher potential for productivity and participation in society.
You obviously value children over animals, which is fine by me. But I actually find that my bulldogs do not cheat on me, lie to me, steal, kill, or disappoint me. To be perfectly honest in this world a well trained bulldog is much more reliable and loyal than any person I know besides my girlfriend.
I think what Gary was trying to do tonight was piss people off so that he would get a lot of calls and people would fight on here. I doubt even his strict libetarian code would allow him to stand by while I lit my dog on fire in front of him. Its about ratings my friends and he got what he wanted from us.
I too have two pets at home. In fact our westie sleeps at the foot of our bed in the bed. I do not condone anyone being cruel to an animal.
I caught Gary’s show at the tail end and I don’t know the whole story. What I gathered is some lady put piercings in her animal and was arrested..? if that is the headline…Are you kidding me.? That is not animal cruelty. I see people everyday with piercings in thier ears, nose, tounge, teeth,and other un-metionable places.
DC…in your second to last paragraph you sound serious when wrote ” You obviously value children over animals, which is fine by me.”… I would certainly hope so…but the way you said “fine by me” as if I am an exception to the rule, and you are graciously telling me that it’s ok for me to feel as I do.
The reason that your well trained bull dog is much more relaible to you is that you trained it. But it took time to train as it takes time to build and choose people to have relationships with.
No you can’t trust everyone ALL the time…Nor can I trust animals ALL the time!!
But, my point still remains that people have have confused “our”… you and I…. “our” rights with the rights of animals.
I am pretty weird, but I do value my pets more than most people. Outside of my family and friends, most people are selfish creatures.
I get your point and in the court of public opinion you would win hands down. I just wanted to defend the Bob a bit. I also wanted to highlight how I don’t think Gary really believes a lot of what he says, but rather he wants everyone to fight so they will listen to his show.
Chris and DC,
Gary really did get you guys goin’, not quite like two pit bulls in a ring. All he’s really saying is, the God of America and the Enlightenment gave human beings these inalienable rights, one of which is to mistreat animals, if they are your “property”, because we’re more intelligent than them(debatable) and that this God didn’t give anything else any “rights”. OK, I give, “uncle”, dogs and cats and rats can’t have our supreme rights. That’s why we make a few “laws” to protect them from us.
If more intelligent, evolved, alien beings ever show up and want to trump our rights based on what their god says, i guess we can all be led to the slaughter by nose rings. Or maybe they’ll make the cute ones their pets.
Gary-
I had another brilliant idea…Maybe would could make an exchange program that swaps our morbidly obese people for citizens of Mexico. At least they work! We could give the immigrants citizenship, and revoke citizenship from the fat people. That way we’d solve the illegal immigration problem, AND get rid of the fat people that continue to abuse the healthcare system.
It is just so sad how many tragedies have to happen before something is done to prevent them. How many lives lost are enough to finally make someone take notice of the “death trap” that I-70 has become. Semis fly down that road, many times accident were prevented from keen drivers being aware of their presence. Many times I have had to slow abruptly to keep from having one pull over on me when trying to pass. They stay in the passing lanes causing other drivers to have to try and go around them on the right side. They ride too close to other vehicles knowing if they had to stop with a full load behind them, it is almost impossible to do on dry roads, much less wet or icy ones. Too many times I have seen or heard how they plowed over someone for this very reason. Most often killing the person in the other vehicle while they walk away unharmed, at least physically. So one more young life lost to add to the growing total.
Gary, have you heard *anything* from the politi-things about fixing the problem that caused this economic crisis in the first place?
I’m speaking to the whole sub-prime loan debacle.
So far, we’ve been throwing money at the fallout; but unless we get RID of the lending requirements that LED to all those sub-prime loans (which led to the marketing bubble, which inflated the housing prices, which led to the bubble bursting), all of these expensive bailouts will only be money down the drain.
Socialism is the answer they offer, which appeals only if the problem exists. Rights will go down the toilet, the same way as the economy.
Btw, this rolling commentary is excellent; saves waiting on the phone.
Euthanasia is always wrong. It has to be separated from suicide to assisted killing. The person being killed has not committed any offense against society; exact crimes where no penalty has punishment to be exacted on the person. It is called existence for a reason deal with it.
Re suicide: I too believe an adult should have a right to decide when to leave this plain of existence. (That doesn’t mean, however, that I *condone* their action, or that their decision is necessarily the correct one. Circumstances do matter.)
On the other hand, children, definately not. In their case, intervention and treatment is in order.
The gentleman who chose to end his suffering must have felt so powerless over his destiny. Chosing the ‘how’ and ‘when’ he would end his pain gave him some control and must have offered him some measure of peace…this was HIS choice, and his wife’s, and I cannot object to that. I would not, however, choose to watch it happen.
California’s legislature is full of Liberal Communists who majored in Basket Weaving at Berkley and are so out of touch they think the “common” people still listen to Duran Duran on 8-tracks.
Unbelievable! The good samaritin couldn’t win either way, you know… if she weren’t being sued for pulling the victim out of the car to safety, she would’ve been sued for leaving her there!
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If the good samaritan had left the injured person inside and injury would have resulted, she probably would have sued her.
“DON’T TAZE ME BRO!” This guy suing because he was tazed is hilarious to me. WHY? Karma! You just wait. He will get his “payday” then he will be sued by the people that were waiting around on I-70 and end up owing them 1 million dollars for lost wages. KARMA!
Nice try, Gary. Obama needs to WALK HIS TALK…he could’ve taken a MUCH smaller plane and STILL managed to accomodate his Secret Service and other ‘needed staff members’…who’s paying for it, by the way? If he’s footing the bill, I’ll shut up already. If I’M footing the bill…
I wouldn’t care if he took the space shuttle if I didn’t have to pay for it AND he wasn’t telling me to turn down my thermostat and keep my tires properly inflated to save gasoline. It’s the hypocrisy that irritates me.
I have given money to homeless people in downtown Columbia in the past and I have seen them buying alcohol 30 minutes later. I had a homeless guy refuse food that I offered him after I told him that I would not give him money. I spend a lot of time downtown and I have decided to never give money to a homeless guy/girl, unless I can see that he/she is physically disabled.
This may seem coldhearted, but the ACLU doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Firstly, laws against vagrancy or loitering are not unprecidented. Secondly, either dircetly through violations or this law or through failure to pay citations, violators will find themselves in a tax-payer funded shelter: jail.
There is reasonable regulation of their treatment there, and any unpleasantness involved means that only those unable to find other options will be provided with that service.
Homeless shouldn’t be persecuted for their actions. I disagree with the idea of forcing the homeless off the streets much the same way I hate the loitering ordinances on public property. If they want to sleep on the bench, Let them! Now with that said I do believe in nuisance laws that prevent someone from using or taken up public goods to the expense that someone else could use them for there intended purpose. IE. if you are sleeping on the sidewalk when others are trying to walk on it, you need to move along because your are preventing it from being use for its originally intended purpose.
Also to defend Ayn Rand a little. She objected to just giving to public charity but didn’t say you can’t or shouldn’t give to others. Rather there should be something to gain for you. To this extent you are more than welcome to help someone if you think it will be beneficial to you.
Another site I found regarding Charity. I couldn’t find the study he referred to in the post. But the website of the study coordinator is:http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/
Okay, last post on this subject. This is a link to a study that measured charitable givings by nations according to GDP. I think that is probably the same study the previous post’s link referenced, given the data. But seeing as how I couldn’t find the previous’ post’s link’s data this will do.
This is a comparison done of total national individual (non-government) given to charitable causes as compared to GDP. It puts us at 2.2% which is a starkly greater amount as compared to others. Something to note about the data (it is marked just below the graph in foot notes) it does not take into account forced charitable givings. This being things like Germany’s forced tithe to your church. IE if you are required by German law to give a tithe (normally 10%) to the Catholic church, it is not calculated in the results. I believe this is fair notion to work from as you can’t realistically call forced donations charity; can you?
I loved the crying about conservatives being picked on by people. I have had to sit through talk radio hosts (not you that much Gary, but its been worse lately), Fox News, and internet sites claiming that Obama was A. A Muslim (not true and not sure why it mattered in the first place) B. An illegal citizen C. A buddy of terrorists. I feel no pity for any conservative who feels they are being picked on. They have dominated our government and political culture for over a decade so cry me a river.
To be fair, my side has an endless lists of cooks, liars, and babies. I just had to listen to Rachel Maddow cry about how Obama reaching out to the evangelical community by picking Rick Warren to do his inaugural prayer means that Obama now hates gay people.
In the end both sides are incredibly childish and stupid, but unfortunately for conservatives they do not get to claim sole bragging rights for the getting pooped on repeatedly award.
I forgot to add that the caller who believed that everything Hannity and Rush say is backed by hard proof has lost it. Those guys are entertainers who make their fortunes by scaring people and demonizing their political enemies. They appeal to the worst parts of us and are no different than Michael Moore or Bill Maher. Using them as sources of information is about as smart as relying on “that guy” you work with who claims he read on the internet that ninja turtles live in the sewers and are actually fighting crime at night.
the bike wth the banana seat was called the Stingray.
My memory: When I was a kid we lived in a house with a big yard and lots of trees. My dad would never put up any out door lights. So one year he decided he would decorate one of the bigger pine trees. So he bought a bunch of ligts and lit up that tree. Unfortunately that was when Jimmy Carter was in office, during the Oil Embargo and the President pretty much declared that outdoor lighting was a waste of precious energy and unAmercia. My dad did not care and we greatly enjoyed out lit up tree.
I’d prefer to read something like “The Narratives of Fredrick Douglass” or something of that nature to find out what it was like to be a slave than this guy’s version of history. And of course you can find an exception to the rule and find some good slave-owners that treated them somewhat nicely, however, that doesn’t change the fact that they were still slaves and had no rights whatsoever.
You all are right that it was a War over the fact that the South wanted “states rights”. But it was the right of the southern states to keep people as slaves and in chains and it seems to me that human rights should trump so called “states rights” on this one every time. I recall reading something in that big book, which you Christians like to quote all the time, about slaves and how to treat people. What was that guy’s name again? Oh I know, Jesus. But I guess that doesn’t matter since it was about states rights and you all only want to quote it when it justifies your ends, despicable.
Ken, the north had slaves also !
Lincoln’s ‘emancipation’ was only for territories in revolt not where his word meant anything. It was an empty PR gesture.
Had to comment on tonight’s topic about political parties. This is how I see it. We have three so called major political parties, Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians. Democrats can call it progressive or liberal or whatever they want, but they are simply socialists. Republicans used to be the conservative party, but they are now the liberals both fiscally and morally that the old Democrats used to be. There is NOTHING conservative about them anymore.I have always been a conservative Republican, but they lost me when they lost their conservatisim. Then we have the Libertarians. I actually agree with more of their positions than the other two parties, however I can’t swallow it all. I don’t want to tell my kids drugs are legal and immorality is ok. I don’t want America to become isolationists and I don’t want to go back to the days of living like the Puritians and Quakers which is where Libertairians want us to be. Socialists want the govenment to control everything, Libertarians want the government to do nothing for our country. So Libertarians are just as extreme and liberal as the Socialists, except on the other end of the spectrum. All of this to say that a Christian conservative like myself no longer has a political party they can affiliate with. We have no one to represent us which is very sad and very scary. Anyone ever heard of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible? America is fast on it’s way to making those places look like the Garden of Eden and we are folowing these so called political leaders blndly and actually believe the lies they tell us. It’s a sad, sad world.
Jay, I’m very aware of history and what the Emancipation did and didn’t do – he couldn’t outright free the slaves since he didn’t have the Constitutional power to do so. But to call it an empty PR gesture is foolish and perhaps one should go back re-read history that’s not slanted towards the Southern view of things? And just so I understand your point, are you arguing for Slavery?
what about the other kids parents, what were they doing when there kids where getting into that car. would they not be just as accountable for not knowing what there child was doing and there for making them just as much in the wrong???
Gary, I am not a lawyer, but I do have a handle on right and wrong.
the parents of the driver should not be sued for damages or criminally as long as they didn’t enable or assist the driver in his unlawfull behavior. Even if they did have a part in this event, they are not necessicarily responsible as they didn’t dirrectly cause the accident. In this case I feel that all of the persons in the care bear some individual responsibility, with the driver assuming most of the burden.
Kudos for knowing about French Press coffee!! Remember to recommend a Bodum press, and the beans should be FRESH ROASTED. If you don’t have a Zojirushi thermos, you’re missing the Porshe of warmth. Easily found on ebay for not so much.
When you’re ready to go espresso, you’ll never go back.
LOVE the show – want to run for President?? Senate??
my children are not in CPS, they attend Fayette. Granted it is a much smaller school, about 600 students in the district k-12. Average 15 students per classroom. The ‘Accountability Report Card’ from DESE’s website shows stark differences between schools. I would recommend Fayette schools above CPS and would feel good about paying tuition if needed. As it is, we felt good about voting to pay more taxes for our schools last April.
I will acknowledge up front that I could be more on top of what my kids are learning. Here are some of the low points that I would like to share. I have a child getting ready to graduate at Rock Bridge. Although he passed Integrated Math 3, he is retaking it again this year because he did not leave that class feeling that he had a grasp on the material. He struggled his whole junior year. He went in before AND afterschool tutoring. I kept thinking that this would help close this learning gap. It did not. We ended up paying an outside tutor the few months last year just to get that passing grade. I think with all that extra time spent at school, it is unimaginable that he couldn’t thrive. I have another child in 7th grade who is getting an A in math but can not tell you how much 6×8 is without great thought. Definitely not memorized. This is where I am also to blame, as she seems to be doing well in math if you look at her grade, but I know we should be more insistent at home that she masters some basic math. We have talked about taking her out and look at anything but CPS for education. I feel like CPS has done some horrible experiment with our sons math education and he will pay forever because of it. I would not recommend CPS and we will insist that our 7th grader takes the traditional math track and not allow her to take integrated when entering Junior High.
I am not ashamed to identify myself, but my children are forced to listen to you and I don’t want to embarrass them.
Name withheld
My two youngest children attend a private Christian school here in Columbia, my oldest child attends a junior high school in CPS. The reason my oldest child is in CPS is due to our private school not having high school available. We are very happy with our private school, which offers excellent educational opportunities and a great environment in which kids can learn well. So far my oldest child is happy in her junior high school, and she is active on a school sports team. We plan to follow the same pattern for our younger children, but we would not recommend parents send their children to CPS for elementary or middle school, especially in our district area, which I will not disclose.
LearnToCarry.com also has a nice selection of FREE “No Guns, No Money” cards that ccw permit holders can download and print. There’s a link to the card section right on the front page.
Permit holders use these cards to hand out to business owners who post signs prohibiting concealed carry on their premises. The cards basically let the business owner know that their “No Gun” sign prevented a LAW-ABIDING customer from coming in and doing business with them.
The backside of the card also provides basic info about Missouri ccw permit holders to further help educate and encourage businesses to take down those “No Gun” signs.
Gary’s coffee. I started the show today talking about coffee and I was asked to post my “how to” guide here.. so here you go!
First, buy whole beans and I’d suggest a “dark roast.”
Second buy a “French press.”
Third, get a “coffee mill.” Not a grinder, a mill. Set grinder for a “course grind.”
Fourth,Use 7-9 grams of freshly roasted coffee to make a cup of coffee.
Fifth, Boil water and remove from heat for about ten seconds. Then pour water in the “press.” We fill the press between 1/3 and half with water.
Sixth, let sit for 3.5 to 4 minutes then press the strainer down.
Seventh, pour into a thermos and thin to taste. If you like coffee and haven’t tried this then you don’t know what you’re missing.
It claims: “Columbia Metro Area, MO, schools spend $4,823 per student. There are 13 pupils per teacher, 499 students per librarian, and 346 children per counselor in Columbia Metro Area, MO schools.”
I don’t know how this was calculated though. I just graduated in 2005 and I can say that I have NEVER had a class with only 12 students in it. I wonder if maybe this data is collected from all schools; private, religious and public. That is about the only way I can think of to get the cost and size down. As the Catholic school here in town is low cost and small ratio of students to teachers. I don’t know about the other schools in town though.
There use to be (and probably still is) a reporter at the tribune that is highly educated on the education system her. I believe she would know what the cost are per kid.
Dear Gary…I am a Hockey Grandma and I have been “selected” by the Board of the Twisters Hockey League to approach you and ask if you would be willing to interview a spokesman from the League for a few minutes in the near future. There are several reasons why it would be so great if you did this…their season begins again around March and they are trying to bring it to the attention of the community about all the great attributes in getting involved with this sport. It is a healthy sport, these kids work hard at each and every game…it builds their self-esteem…it keeps these kids off the streets and involved in a game that is fun for the whole family.
As I said they are trying to recruit new kids and build the league, get new sponsors and get involved in fund raisers for kids who can’t afford the minimal fee to join and for the maintenance of the hockey fields…
Gary, there is a really bitter-sweet story behind the scenes about this League and it is about the founder John Briggs starting this league years ago and then having one of the female players in the league get killed in an auto accident about 2 or 3 years ago…this player was his daughter and she was sorely missed by the league and all their members as well as the parents who came to watch her play…they dedicated the hockey field in Hallsville to her…”Whitney Briggs Memorial Hockey Arena” upon her death…
you can read more about this league at twistershockey.com and I hope you will check it out…this is not only great for our communities, but like I said it gives kids these ages something to focus on and look forward to…
I hope and pray you will consider my request…you are the best person I know to interview someone and make it interesting and get the facts out there…
Thanks, in advance, for considering my request..
Sincerely,
Gaye Fleming
P.S. I forgot to tell you that they were on a local news show (it is out there on their website) and more recently, the team was interviewed on Pepper and Friends.
Gary-
Good question about catching the best friends spouse cheating…I would make my presence known at whatever establishment we were at so that he/she would know I saw what they were up to…Then I would tell them they have ‘x’ amount of days to tell my best friend or I will tell them-simple as that. That way it gives them a chance to come clean on their own-if they will.
Thanks!
I would not reccomend CPS, I moved from Columbia because of the politics in the schools. I used to Dispatch all the buses and you really don’t know the public until you’ve been in that postion. It’s unreal how parents think their children are little angels and don’t do anything wrong. The School District has no back bone and they let parents walk all other them. I know there is teachers out their that really do care but, I think the percentage of those who care verses a paycheck out weights. I’ve been very happy with BHS. Columbia Schools are just as bad as KC and ST. Louis
I would tell my freind. I would only tell them if I could show them with their own eyes which would take me out of the picture of “making up the story”. I was in the postion and it ended up causing my friends to divorce. I didn’t want that to happen but at the same time I did not want to put up with his crap anymore either. It all works itself out in the long run.
Thats the problem with the world now they don’t want to live up to their actions. When someone else see something they know is wrong they just stay quiet and hope it goes away. Don’t be the a fool.
I’d have to agree with Krystal. Let the cheating spouse break the bad news. I am not introvert enough to keep my mouth shut but not naive enough to think I know what is going on first hand.
So Marlene, who is to blame? The school district, the parents, or the teachers? You mentioned all three.
I am in complete agreement with you that parents take absolutely no responsibility for the actions of their own children. I had a mother tell me that it was the high school’s fault that her son dropped out of school! No! It is YOURS for allowing it!
The fact that you say the teachers are only there for a paycheck and don’t care….ludicrous. There are much better ways to make a living than teaching in public schools and dealing with all of the problems that come with that. Do you know what it takes to become a teacher today in Missouri!? You would have to be MAD or truly CARE about teaching kids to go through with it.
Teachers are supposed to “Care” about their job in order to be a good employee. Well, doesn’t that apply to ALL jobs/careers?
I am so sick of everyone in this town blaming everyone but themselves for their children’s failures.
Gary, I gotta say it, because it’s driving me crazy that no one has said this yet. Most of us (guys) would tell a friend if we saw his girlfriend out with another guy. We would most likely not tell the girlfriend of a buddy of ours, if our buddy was out with another girl. Hey, what are friends for? Trust, etc? We have friends for a reason. It would be enough to give some input on what we think our friend should do about a relationship, but any other involvent seems overboard.
-George
If I caught a friend of mine cheating on their boy/girlfriend I would walk right up to them. Ask something like “so hows your girlfriend doing?” just so the other could hear it. And depending on how well I knew their girlfriend I would probably not tell if I didn’t know them, but if they were my friend then I would. And if they were more than just Girlfriend / boyfriend, then I would tell regardless of how well I knew them.
But in neither case would I tell immediately, I would at least wait a couple days for my friend to fess up first.
Let me throw a scenario out to you, what if your best bud is cheating on his wife and you know about it and one day his wife ask you about it what do you tell her?
The man law is strong with you Gary I have been put into that situation before and I believe a “best bud” would not put their friend into that situation. I must admit I told her that she needed to ask him about it. Thanks for your response have a great day.
NO! I did not take it upon myself to report my sister (who was my best friend) to her spouse… my allegiance is always to her, even if I don’t always agree with her choices. I don’t see it as “man law”, either, I see it as “friend law”. Rather than make a moral judgement I talked to her about ending the affair or the marriage, since long-term, one of the two had to go.
Love your show! You never disappoint.
Spouses or couples cheating. No question. None of my business. If one or the other were to choose to make it my business, so be it. I’m there to listen. Do I know their situation. I doubt it and again, none of my business. We’ve all known people who cannot wait to share their “information” and have no qualms about who they hurt. They feel it in everyone’s best interest if they butt in and tell others what, how, why and when.
Simple indicators of what most if not all of society needs to do. Mind your own damn business.
Who is anyone else to judge and pass sentence? Again, not your business. So, to all the self righteous, sanctimonious , holier than though schmucks who think you need to run society’s party. Pi@% off.
I think I will remain “holier than thou”. Sure I wouldn’t tell the spouse but niether would I adhere to some unwritten code.
Simply I would and have distanced myself from so-called friend. If they aren’t true to their spouse they won’t be true to your freindship either and being USED as an alibi is not friendship.
I’m not that desperate for friends, I’d rather have my horse.
Beer for my horses….
An addendum…as I have seen the “cheating” circumstance before, many times it has ocurred, a guy will “rat” on another. Why? So the rat is hopefully a “hero” to the gal being cheated on and hopefully Mr. Rat will be able to “score” so to speak. Women do it to protect eachother.
my best friend is my wife, but my close friends are of the type that we hold each other accountable. if I had a close friend who was cheating, I would go to him and raise some knots on the top of his head. then, one way or another, he would get to tell his wife.
(if the close friend who was cheating was a female woman of the opposite sex, same deal, sans the knots on the head.)
then, if anyone is still talking to me, I recommend forgiveness and reconciliation, and I do what I can to help. I know at least one very good marriage counselor.
if they are not on speaking terms with me any longer, I pray.
(actually, much prayer would be prerequisite to the aforementioned knots on the knoggin.)
I know I may be totally off subject from what everyone on here is talking about but I do have a solution for the situation we, and the world are in. I want to get a movement going and would like to see your input on the matter and maybe see someone with a voice who can speak for us, for those who have no voice. I have thought through all the options available to us, we need to get our government to do something. I am not a democrat, nor am I a republican, I AM AN AMERICAN! Here is the solution to the whole problem. We have nearly $1 trillion going to bail out the “economy”. Instead of pumping this money into the car companies and banks directly, we use it in a way that gives us more bang for our buck. Regardless of if the big three are going under or not there will be someone to pickup this dollar. We take a good chunk (about 1/2) and put that into a fund to promote Hydrogen technology, but use that in conjunction with a federal mandate to ban, or faze out by domestic “tariffs” or “luxury” taxes, all fossil fuels used in our transportation in an extremely short time frame (3-7 years). Our “moon shot” is here. Having nearly $500 billion available for people who want to make money by starting up companies emphasizing on this green technology, would stimulate the economy by creating jobs, and by making CHEAP squeaky clean energy. We make the democrats happy by using clean energy, we make the republicans happy by creating a massive new market. Then to bring auto sales back in line, do what they are doing with the dtv converter boxes. The government takes another portion of the stimulus plan and issue $10,000 coupons to buy these hydrogen cars. Thus stimulating the economy even more and giving the car companies the cash they need. This “kick start” in the right direction could actually create a upward spiral and nip the problem in the bud. I realize this plan would be radical but what other choice do we have. The damage has been done, there is no chance for a good recovery putting into effect a plan that is essentially putting a feeding tube directly into the stomach of the economy, filling it with no nutrition and substance hence the “hollow” dollar. The government screws everything up, and is so bad it can make the right decision, but pervert it in someway. But this incompetent best, as I so despise of what has come of her, has caused the problem, but at the point we are at it may be the only very evil that saves us from complete anarchy or revolution. I don’t believe in big government and a firm believer in the free market system, but sometimes we must do must must be done to make better tomorrow.
I think if you want to serve your country, more power to you! Your sexual orientation should not be a factor.
I agree Gary with your statement…Sexual Harassment is Sexual Harassment. If it is a girl coming onto a girl or a guy, or a guy on a guy or a girl….it is a No No.
Why can’t society in the US understand that the military has dealt with the issue already and sufficiently enough for itself. If someone is persistent and flamboyant in their actions the problem is taken care of themselves. Besides the whole idea of don’t ask don’t tell is DON’T talk about it and that goes for heterosexuals and homosexuals. Heterosexuals don’t walk into the room and say I am straight and homosexuals don’t either. Besides some of the most “pushy people” are heterosexual men in the military.
I note that your award bears the phrase “carpe diem.”
While not correct latin, don’t you think that should instead read “Illegitimi non carborundum?”
Justa suggestion.
I don’t see the issue….there have been homosexual soldiers for thousands of years. Didn’t stop the Romans from conquering half the known world in the 2300 years ago.
When someone was expressing racist views in basic training, my drill instructor would correct them by saying: “There’s no black or white in the army. You’re all green.”
The biggest problem I can see with allowing openly homosexual individuals in the military is coming up with a clever phrase to clearly and concisely express the policy for the few recruits that would have a problem adjusting. Any ideas?
let’s say for example a commander has a dangerous mission at hand in which the person sent will most likely die, and that person happens to be his lover.
do you think he is going to send his lover, most likely not.
he will probably send someone less qualified thus endagering the mission and more live’s .
it’s the same reason they don’t want women in combat positions.
don’t go with the have a gay service thing either, then you would have people saying they were gay to get out of combat.
thats why plain and simple
and yes i am a veteran.
let’s say for example a commander has a dangerous mission at hand in which the person sent will most likely die, and that person happens to be his lover.
do you think he is going to send his lover, most likely not.
he will probably send someone less qualified thus endagering the mission and more live’s .
it’s the same reason they don’t want women in combat positions.
don’t go with the have a gay service thing either, then you would have people saying they were gay to get out of combat.
thats why plain and simple
and yes i am a veteran.
I was in the USMC for 4 years, and I am one who was against Don’t ask – Don’t tell, but now am for it.
The main reason women only serve on the front lines under certain circumstances has nothing to do with ability – nobody needs to thinking of anytthing to do with sex when you’re trying to get people to take a hill.
Since fraternization is against policy anyway, why tell? All it will do is cause a bunch of problems that we don’t have now.
And the difference between showering at the gym and in the service is that its your choice to shower at the gym.
I know I’m a day late but felt I needed to say something.
I’m a 10 year verteran of the USAF, including Desert Shield/Storm.
I don’t think the issue has anything at all to do with a person’s ability or desire to serve their country. It has to do with practical matters. One person stated that you should not be having sex on duty and off duty it doesn’t matter. The military is not like your normal job where you just go home after work.
For much of a person’s military career they are forced to live on base in either open bay barracks or in dormatories. In both cases they usually have to shower in open bay type showers. There are no shower curtains and there often is not enough room to even keep from touching other persons. In the desert the comodes in the latrine were so close together your hips would touch the person sitting next to you and there were no curtains. It’s not a comfortable situation even before adding the sex issue.
Would female service members feel comfortable sharing that type of shower or latrine with male service members? Would anyone suggest that all showers should be co-ed in the military? What is the difference between a heterosexual male being forced to shower with an openly homosexual male and a heterosexual female being forced to shower with a heterosexual male? I see no difference at all.
and what do you expect from a government that thinks we need a warning label on 5 gallon buckets or/and a society that expects that from their government !!!
I was a packer and big game guide in Montana in the 80’s. I got kicked by a mule which cracked a rib or two then had a 7 hour horse back ride out to the trailhead, leading a string of mules
I agree about the excessive headlights and I want to add; foglights! foglights are meant for FOG. I drive a low vehicle and foglights are as annoying as the brights at that level.
Frosts my big ole buns!
HID lights are the blue lights that you see on the highway today. These lights harness a plasma discharge rather than a filment on cars used today. This technology is very costly and the light that it emits is close to the actual light that is produced by the sun. The light that we are used to create a light that is almost orange, but the blue light still are a pain.
I caught a piece of it today in our break room at work. It seemed like he was freely admitting a lot of his mistakes.
The one in particular I heard was him saying that parachuting onto the aircraft carrier and dropping the “Mission Accomplished” banner was a huge mistake.
Gary- can’t call in until after 5, but am listening.
My brother died as a result of an asthma attack brought on by secondhand smoke. So I guess I have a somewhat personal viewpoint.
I do agree with you that government should NOT ban smoking in businesses, however. It would be like having a government ban on skylights in restaurants because the sun can cause skin cancer.
Gary, Have faith, we have the constitution to use as a north star.We need to educate people about the positve benifits of freedom. and we need to work, hard. tell the politicans NO MORE and keep telling them. herman cain.
Well I certainly hope this never makes it in Missouri. Like we don’t have enough public restroom phobia now we have to check the direction of the feet under the stall.
Try explaining that to a 5 year old.
Gary not only did you drive the nail home ….but counter sunk the nail on the show last night….even tho you were all bummin out on the big government liberal endless agenda, you came out ahead……..I mentioned that it means that you would have to let a hitch hiker smoke in your car because of his liberal rights….which resulted in your only laugh on the air……Yeah!!….Keep it up bro!!
Gary, listening to tonight’s show, 1/12, I can’t help but think of the last part of the book 1984. Big Brother promising to stop the pain the main character was experiencing, when all along Big Brother is causing the pain. That’s what our government is doing to us. Government’s promising to save us from the very things that Government is creating. They promise to protect us when they take away our right to protect ourselves. They promise to provide for us when they take away our ability and incentive to provide for ourselves. Man was that book ever prescient.
So here is my rant/point that I was unable to get through with on the phone due to breaks and the connection.
This last Saturday Mike McConnell had a story about a school breakfast program, someplace,somewhere….It’s everywhere.
The point is it started with a “good idea”, some kids don’t get breakfast so lets give it to them at school.
The fact is the school has a cost of $1 per meal but the Federal Gov (that’s us) pays the school $1.60 (no conflict of interest there….)
The school found that even with the free breakfast there many kids wouldn’t eat it so some “children’s hunger group” (probably using grant money from who?…the gov again) is buying prizes to bribe the kids to eat.
You have to wonder if there’s all these hungry kids why won’t they eat the free food?
It’s because there aren’t too many actual hungry kids. Again with tax money being used the “program” can’t stop so they have to find more ways to con the kids into joining in, besides it’s a profit center for the school.
But as always with government programs it just keeps going on and on and will probably continue until they determine it makes the kids fat and then they will have to alter the menu to healthier food instead of just stopping it.
There you have it another good idea government program gone stupid.
My gosh, I can’t understand this 22 year old. If there are men out there that have that kind of money to spend on something like this, then they don’t have a life. Are these people working for our goverment?
..would you have sex with a stranger for 5 million dollars? Why sure she will. How about 5 dollars? Now she is insulted. No insult here, we’re just establishing how much for the services of a WHORE! Of course, she can pass a lie detector, she is a sociopath and has no remorse for her behavior. Also, she is only a vaginal virgin as she has given service to her boyfriends orally and rectally.
There are a lot of influences outside the home that work on kids. As a parent we have to educate them or remove the influence. I got many educations with discipline often.
Score one for a 2 parent household, kids get by with less that way.
Gary,
I think that the disrespect of youth these days is largly the fault of bad parenting, but, may be the result of our soft hadned society. When we switched from spanking to “time out” we created generations of kids who dont understand consequence or respect authority.
I would have loved to stay home with my kids. Didn’t know I could before I already invested in an education and career. Frankly I feel like either parent could work at home, someone needs to be there but the one with the most earning power should be working, nurture later when you get home.
I think the parents could and should punish the girls. I don’t think they need this kind of charge on their records. The guys had nothing to do with it so that not an issue for me. The parents could give correct punishment. I’m sure there are other kids that have done alot worse then this and you didn’t even hear about it in the media.
Gary, we should prosecute the mindless bureaucrats who pass and try to enforce these laws for “terminal stupidity”. If found guilty we should TERMINATE their political careers by making them ineligible for any future elective office. PROSECUTORS HAVE PROSECUTORIAL DISCRETION ! ! !
You have got to be kidding me! These children SHOULD NOT be charged with child pornography! It is an issue that should be handled by the parents…one which is easily handled by turning off picture messaging…and having a long talk with the girls about what is and isn’t appropriate.
Teens charged with child porn for passing semi nude pics of themselves is ridiculous. These kids have instant access to the most graphic images ever imagined today on the Internet. They are desensatized to simple nudity. Adults that think this rises to the level of illegality live under a rock.
Gary Nolan keeps espousing the virtues of the free market. Regarding the electric utilities, how about that farm house way down at the end of the road. It takes a lot of money to run the power line way out there. Should the power company charge that farmer what it actually takes to make a fair profit on the service? Should that farmer have to pay more than his friends in town? How does the free market handle this problem.
currently both investor owned (ameren) and consumer owned (co-ops) have utility lines running over the same areas. The only problem is Ameren typically has the towns and cities while the co-ops operate in the more rural areas. I don’t know the reason but this makes no sense. I have been on both and will say the co-op has far fewer power interuptions.
I missed much of the discussion but could you fill me in on how AmerenUE is protected by the government?
one final note: Missouri law currently prohibits or maybe it just doesn’t allow for “grid tie” private power systems which would allow “extra” power produced by say myself to be put back into the grid afterwhich I would recieve some sort of reimbursement for. This could be a partial answer to the renewable energy law Missourians forced on power companies in the last election.
Gary I will say that although I like the libertarian idea in general, too often I hear you talk “theory” rather than reality.
You want to wait for the dog to chew up someone or their kid, then let the law deal with the owner. I assume we are talking financial and not jail time.
I ask who are the irresponsible dog owners? Are they the banker or the doctor? No.
Normal people or wealthy people don’t have dangerous dogs and if they do they keep them chained or fenced.
Typically the irresponsible ones (for lack of a better term) are white trash.
These are the people who want a mean dog, make the dog mean, like to brag they have one and don’t put enough effort into making sure the dog can’t get loose and hurt others.
These people typically don’t own much of anything so if their dog eats your kid you will have the satisfaction of getting a worthless judgment against them.
So the theory doesn’t work too well.
By the way the first thing most of these people will do is deny it was their dog that was loose or that it was their dog who mauled someone. I would say that’s one good part of the Fayette law, photos of the dogs.
Other towns have had laws like this for years and it keeps the problem from ever happening. The dog people move away or get rid of the dogs as they can’t afford the insurance (probably on their car too). New problem people don’t move in.
It’s the same with the theory on helmet laws, the idiots who will ride around without a helmet tend to be young guys on crotch rockets who own nothing or old scooter trash who own nothing so when they get brain damage there is nothing to sell to pay their hospital bills so it’s back to the tax payers to pay it. All the smart/wealthy folks wear helmets.
As for the guy who argued that there is no definition of a pit bull I will say it’s much like the definition of pornography. I can’t describe it but I know it when I see it.
Raising a child in an environment that politically incorrect is not child abuse, or a reason to take the children. The kids will still have free will when they are older to make up their own minds about race.
The political correctness police have over stepped a bit here.
hi gary, glad you mentioned the price tag of the inauguration. if they had spent just 50 million (which still would have been the most expensive ceremony ever, by a long shot), they could have fed 10,000 families of four very well for a year. And i mean well. thanks for the show. have fun watching the party tommorow night. haha
travis
Just wanted you to know that I’ve got your back, in spite of your attitude toward the “cowboys” who have chosen to take the responsibility to conceal carry. I happen to prefer businesses who do not bar CCW because unlike you, I like knowing that there’s a chance that someone who has been trained in the safe use of a firearm may be present in case something happens.
What you don’t understand is that we hope we NEVER have to draw our weapons. This is one of the many things I’ve learned since I began this process and since you clearly don’t understand it, here are a few more truths…We ARE NOT looking for a fight; we carry only to protect ourselves. Each time I leave the house I pray that the criminal who wouldn’t think twice about shooting me doesn’t make me shoot him because although he has NO conscience, I do. I find I am far more aware of my surroundings than I was before because I do not wish to knowingly put myself in harms way. I am more careful with myself because I carry; I don’t want my weapon to hurt anyone but a bad guy. None of us do.
You know, you might want to consider taking Tim Oliver’s Learn to Carry course because you need the education he offers. It will open your eyes to the things a LAW-ABIDING citizen must go through to conceal carry. You will see that Tim preaches gun safety ABOVE ALL ELSE. You will learn that we are taught NEVER to pull the weapon unless we are in imminent danger of becoming a victim. You will discover that we are not vigilanties looking to take the law into our own hands. Rather, you will find out that we are people just like you, mothers and fathers, friends, co-workers and neighbors who made a choice to stand up and say I WILL NOT BE A VICTIM.
I’d have called in but my darling husband was hogging the phone line and the internet.
The agenda for the media to hype this event up is RATINGS. They don’t care that much about the truth but boy aren’t people glued to their electronic devices and t.v.s today.
This could be historical, kind of reminds me of trapping mice in the barn. I’m not going anywhere near that many people that our enemies would like to destroy like drowning mice in the feed bin.
The female attorney who was sheltering homeless people is a hopeless liberal; way beyond the pale.
I suspect that Ms. Matthews did not provide proper housing for the homeless in her shed and is in violation of Columbia housing ordinances. She can be prohibited from allowing people to live in substandard housing.
Simon, newsflash…perfume, candles, fireplaces, fresh paint, carpets, and on and on , and your body odor; also causes bronchial problems, asthmatic attacks, exacerbates emphysema etc etc.
Simon, MANY things can aggravate the respiratory system and Fay has listed just a few. You need to take a critical look at the so-called evidence supporting the hazards of second hand smoke before you accuse anyone of providing irresponsible misinformation…like the global warming “data”, the data on second-hand smoke have been manipulated in such a way that they are only considered reliable by those who don’t like smoking or have a financial stake in eradicating it. You can dislike smoking, you can dislike smokers, and you can dislike the fact that reliable and vetted studies DO NOT support your position.
Bottom line is, you can’t change what is the truth…the shot of whiskey sitting on the bar in front of the guy next to you is releasing more cancer causing chemicals into the air than the cigarette the man who is about to drink it is smoking.
For the record, I have asthma which is aggravated by cold weather; perhaps liberals can find a way to hasten global warming instead of trying to stave it off for MY benefit!
Simon, I assume you are the same Simon that called in one day and gave a detailed explanation of your experience with the British National Health service. After giving an impressive list of first hand involvement, Gary’s response was “It doesn’t work”. Facts are irrelevant, just listen to Gary’s opinion.
I was disgusted today to see such a poor prospect sworn in as president but I wasn’t alarmed. It’s impossible to remain alarmed for a lifetime and I’ve never seen anything but alarming leadership during mine.
I heard a lot of reactions to the changeover but not many remarked that the main thing missing from it was change. Republicans seemed to forget how remarkably bad W was as president and conservatives seemed to forget that he was no conservative. Liberals left thought completely aside as usual in favor of feelings.
On Monday, McCain said that he wished he was the one taking the presidential oath. It’s no surprise to me that he’s not. The difference between W and McCain and Obama isn’t worth remarking on. They’re all stinking socialists. All that happened today was the opening of a new chapter in the protracted national disaster called American governance.
I debated the second hand smoke thing with Gary and he sent me links and studies and I know now that he’s right. As for the health system in England.. from the Wall Stret Journal:By SCOTT GOTTLIEB
In Britain, a government agency evaluates new medical products for their “cost effectiveness” before citizens can get access to them. The agency has concluded that $45,000 is the most worth paying for products that extend a person’s life by one “quality-adjusted” year. (By their calculus, a year combating cancer is worth less than a year in perfect health.)
Here in the U.S., President-elect Barack Obama and House Democrats embrace the creation of a similar “comparative effectiveness” entity that will do research on drugs and medical devices. They claim that they don’t want this to morph into a British-style agency that restricts access to medical products based on narrow cost criteria, but provisions tucked into the fiscal stimulus bill betray their real intentions.
The centerpiece of their plan is $1.1 billion of the $825 billion stimulus package for studies to compare different drugs and devices to “save money and lives.” Report language accompanying the House stimulus bill says that “more expensive” medical products “will no longer be prescribed.” The House bill also suggests that the new research should be used to create “guidelines” to direct doctors’ treatment of difficult, high-cost medical problems.
The bill gives incoming Health Secretary Tom Daschle wide discretion to set priorities, and he’s long advocated a U.S. approach modeled on the British agency, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Mr. Daschle argues that the only way to reduce spending is by allocating medical products based on “cost effectiveness.” He’s also called for a “federal health board” modeled on the Federal Reserve to rate medical products and create central controls on access.
Such calculations can’t account for all the variation in disease and patient preference that drive medical decisions. So it’s no surprise that in Britain there’s vocal dissent against NICE constraints, especially among cancer patients who are denied many effective new drugs that, for now, are widely prescribed in the U.S. The rich, of course, are able to opt out of the British controls. But the rest of the country has to appeal to politicians — rather than their doctors — to gain access to restricted medicines.
The biggest flaws in the House Democratic plan aren’t just political, they’re scientific. Key comparative medical questions usually hinge on when doctors should escalate care to include more invasive measures — not on bare comparisons between otherwise similar technologies, which is the focus of the House proposal.
Conducting worthwhile comparative research is also more expensive than this bill accounts for, since big trials are necessary in order to look for differences between two “active” treatments that work, one perhaps a little better than the other.
This is one reason why the Congressional Budget Office says that government-run comparative effectiveness studies won’t actually save much money. Despite this warning, the House still wants to conduct this research and, worse, to do the studies cheaply by adopting less rigorous research methods than what’s commonly accepted. The risk is that the conclusions will be flawed and still used to restrict coverage decisions, especially by Medicare.
– Gabriel Schoenfeld There’s wide agreement that medical practice benefits from comparative research. But there are better ways to generate this information without Washington calling the shots.
Private companies should take the lead in conducting these studies. Yet they have little incentive to do so, since the Food and Drug Administration prevents firms from publicizing most of their findings, even to groups that pay for health care. The FDA should create a safe harbor for claims that medical companies make to expert purchasers (including Medicare) based on the results of comparative studies.
The government should also leverage guidelines promulgated by medical professional societies when Medicare weighs competing technologies. These guidelines are based on systematic, rigorous reviews of available science and are written by leading doctors. They routinely address comparative medical choices. In order to ensure that these societies aren’t influenced by drug companies, Congress could push them to adopt principles for transparency as a quid pro quo for having Medicare adopt their work.
But the House plan isn’t really about filling evidence gaps — it’s about controlling costs. “Science” is merely a veneer.
Dr. Gottlieb is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Welcome to the first day in America with no Constitutional law left.
Somehow a man who was born in Mombasa Kenya (“birth records” sealed by the Kenyan Govt last year) and later adopted and converted to Indonesian citizenship (see travel to Pakistan in the 80’s – on his Indonesian passport- as travel there was forbidden to American Citizens) and who lied on his Illinois Bar information (see alais names, Barry Sotero, his Indonesian name and personality) later won 2 significant elections in Illinois because opponents were removed from the race, has passed thru the void of silence from the left leaning media to become …. President of the United States????
Just call me “far right wacko”, that’ll make it all better!
Don’t look into any of this, don’t read Phillip Bergs Supreme Court filings, just listen to what the big mainstream media tells you and do whatever they say!
So, … how many days is it till the next election????????
Think we’ll recognize America when we get there?
God, watch over us, we need you now, more than ever!
Recently we woke up to -21 degrees Celsius. Bismarck, North Dakota, reports that the temperature at Bismarck dropped to 44 degrees Fahrenheit below zero or -42 Celsius on 15th January at 7:34 am CT. This value broke the record low of 36 degrees below zero set on January 15, 1971.
I can hear the call of the global warming naysayers now who are always willing to extrapolate entire global climate over geologic timescales from a single unusual event like this. They’d do well to watch Nobel Prize winner Berrien Moore’s presentation (http://www.asprs.org/conference-archive/pecora17/multimedia/Tuesday_AM/Moore/Moore.wmv). We have the highest concentration of carbon dioxide (the primary grennhouse gas) in 400,000 years from evidence extracted from the Vostok (anatartic) Ice core record and is 35% above the pre-industrial level. The rate of change of concentration of CO2 is increasing exponentially. Since 1980 The annual artic sea ice coverage has been reduced by an area equal to half the size of lower 48 thereby createing a positive feed back loop i.e. less ice/snow means lower reflectivity which begets increased warming.
Gary, If you have a Florida condo I’d sell it now becasue it’s likely to end up under water and I don’t just mean it’s market value vs. the mortgage. Insurance companies have already woken up to this reality.
You’d best retire to your bunker in the woods, stock up on canned goods and ammo and fire up your generator. But don’t worry, if things get really bad your prayers to the flying spaghetti monster should help you through the next 4 years.
I sent this in a private email and we’ll see if the anti-tobacco extremists have the courage to call me.
“You want it.. call me on the air. You REALLY don’t have your facts in line!
I can’t wait.. I’m beggin’ you to call me! I await YOUR response!
Gary
The frozen desert interior of Antarctica was thought to be the lone holdout resisting the man-made warming affecting the rest of the globe, with some areas even showing signs of cooling.
Some global-warming contrarians liked to point to inner Antarctica as a counter-example. But climate researchers have now turned this notion on its head, with the first study to show that the entire continent is warming, and has been for the past 50 years.
Extreme weather starting to pressure insurance premiums
“Climate change and weather related disasters are now probably the most significant thing that the insurance industry is dealing with,” says the Insurance Council’s Chris Ryan.
Tonight second hand smoke.. Maybe Friday “Global warming.” Don’t have time to devote an entire program to enlightening the ill informed. As for the “threats is that all you have” comment doesn’t even deserve a response. Just be there or admit you’re wrong.. Simple as that. If you’re right, listeners will know.. Don’t be cowards now..
Who is qualified to determine which science is Junk and which is not? You claim johnson and johnson provided the funding to promote the dangers of second hand smoke?
Well, who was funding the studies you believe?
Simon.. No guts.. no glory. Either you have it or you don’t! 874-9390 at 4:05 pm today.. Otherwise, quit trying to challenge me. You will have plenty of time to cite your studies and make your point. As long as you don’t try to talk non-stop I’ll let you make your point and we can debate. It would take me all day to write down on this blog the major faults with the studies you cite.
Ita a personal decision, don’t cave to peer pressure. Tattoos, as you know, are premanent. Unless you want to endure the pain and expense to have them removed.
Gary Run a contest for a female to call and win a tatoo. You get to go with them as they get it and will judge the business based off your visit with the winner
The smoking debate is closed. Those of you who do not agree with me had a chance to call the program to debate but you couldn’t offer up a challenge. I don’t have all day to print out what you’re unwilling to research on your own. I simply won’t allow anyone to promote the lies of the anti smoking extremists. You had your chane..you failed..you lose.
Gary,
Now that the anti-smoking silliness bloging is over lets
get down to the things that are really important.
President O’Bama’s stance on our energy problems.
From what I am understanding O’Bama will has signed or will
sign the restrictions on off shore drilling, coal burning electric
power plants, nuclear power plants. This will ham string our
economic recovery to the point where it take several years longer
to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Oil prices in the last 2 days
have resin from 33 dollars a barrel to 44 dollars. Projections are
now oil will be back up near 80 to 100 dollars a barrel in 30 to
45 days.
O’Bama energy plan is to increase bio-fuels and push the use
of electric cars and trucks. With the restrictions now on nuclear
and or coal burning plants where is all this electricity going to
come from. Bio-fuels also will be drain on our food stocks.
Land once used for growing wheat, vegetables, fruits, beans
as in soybeans are now being used to just grow corn for
fuel. This has already caused a food shortage around the
world or the price is getting out of reach for people here in
our own country.
I keep hearing from people that don’t know how food is brought
to their tables other than going to the store say, “well when I travel
around the country I see a lot of land just sitting baron”.
If the land was useable it would already would be. Most of the land
they see is not farmable or needs to rest from heavy use. They also
see land with lots of trees, our forest, which they believe could be
used for food production. Here you get into the eco-nuts who
will fight you tooth and nail to keep you from stripping the forest.
There is another problem in which O’Bama has not addressed
or anyone else for that matter. When we move more to the use
of electric cars how are they going to collect the road use tax?
As it is now we are paying those taxes when we buy fuel for our
cars and trucks. Recharging the batteries for these electric cars
can be from any source any electrical outlet or even from the solar
cells using the sun as a source. So just putting a special meter
on your house opens up cheating on a very large scale. The only
alternative will be to put a millage meter on these electric cars
that you have to have reset every 30 days or the car will not
run. By the way you have to pay to get the meter reset. You
will have to pay per mile used. What a mess this is going to
turn out to be.
The system we have now works great. For all that is wrong
with using oil as a fuel source, it would be insane to limit its
use by not drilling for more sources to keep the price down.
This country runs on cheap transportation, jobs depend on it.
Yes we need to seek other methods and processes for
transportation but right now we need to keep this country
moving or we will become that dreaded third world country
which no one in this country wants or would be able exist in.
Seriousely though, I was thinking along these same lines this morning. As I drove by gas stations that advertise gas at about $2 less than a few months ago. I believe I would still gladly pay $3 a gallon if that’s what it took to make drilling domestically a serious issue. The usual watchdogs seem disturbingly complacent. I want to be free of foreign oil as much now as I did 6 months ago, do you?
If Obamas proposals to move us away from a carbon based energy economy is so bad then please explain to me why the Like of T. Boone Pickens support it?
* People who stop smoking before age 50 cut the risk of dying in the next 15 years in half, compared with those who continue to smoke, according to the American Cancer Society.
* Intermittent smokers — those who smoke, but not every day — are on the rise. One of four smokers in the U.S. is an intermittent smoker and that proportion has grown by 40 percent in a five-year period, according to a 2003 CDC report.
* Smokers have a 24-fold greater risk of lung cancer than those who have never smoked, according to the Surgeon General.
* Ninety percent of lung cancer is attributable to smoking.
* About 2 percent of all lung cancer deaths come from secondhand smoke, according to an EPA study.
Gary: Okay, I’m always a day late – I don’t have email at home, and I DON’T have a cell phone – so when I listen to your show on the way home – I’m not able to call in. At any rate – regarding the tattoos. Go for it. I have many and didn’t get my first until I turned 30. My husband has them and so does my son. We are good people with good jobs; contributing to society – and there is nothing wrong with having a tattoo or more than one. As is said – you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Any of us in my family would be more than happy to get the tattoo for you! Most of them we have we’ve gotten since we’ve moved here to Columbia – so depending on who it is – we might be able to tell you already if they are any good or not!
One thing I’ve noticed about almost all smokers is that they apparently believe they are immune to littering laws or that their litter is somehow benign or even invisible. Butts get tossed out of vehicle windows, stomped on in the street, in the park, even in kid playgrounds. I think the police should enforce the law and make an example of you.
Jim, Simon – get off it already. You are taking up precious brain space. we know the statistics, we can do the research if we care.
Matt had the only credible comment but you 2 already made the subject old.
Drop it! If you want the truth, do your own research.. here..I’ll help you: http://kuneman.smokersclub.com/
Now grow up and move on! It’s like religion with you two.
I wonder if Kenny Hulshof would be a good nomination. Its a little outdated but he did vote no on the bailout plan and still lost the election. Maybe too outdated?
Employers go on the social networking sites all of the time when interviewing candidates for employment to determine if they would be a “good fit.” State employees can’t be involved with certain political activities….so I think it is legitimate.
I never put anything on those sites that I would not be comfortable with a potential or current employer to see.
How about if you are a mother or father, you go on facebook and you see your child’s teacher on the site doing something that is racially offensive, sexually offensive…..would you want that person teaching your child?
if I had a child in a government school, and if one of their teachers posted egregious material on facebook, or some similar site, I would have a talk with my child. depending on the content, I would have different things I might say to my own child.
so often I hear the phrase “you wouldn’t want your child to….”
we cannot protect ourselves from idiots by government unless we grant the government the power to say what is an idiot. my first line of defense would be the relationship I have with my child.
as far as a government employee making racist comments, I think we are overlooking the elephant in the room. the utter hypocrisy of the government condemning anyone for racism.
the government is institutionalized racism.
every time you fill out a government form, and most times you fill out a form for any regulated industry, they ask your race FOR THE PURPOSES OF DISCRIMINATION BY RACE.
I didn’t hear the size of the town, but, to me, ‘volunteer firefighter’ says ’small town’. Everybody knows everybody in a small town and word would get around quickly about the facebook post.
I also wonder if, in this day and age, if there wasn’t some worry by the city about lawsuits. Suppose a black family had a fire, and they felt that the firemen didn’t do all that they could. They might say that it was because the firefighter was racist.
I have no doubt that you care very little about what I am saying. I just like to pick on you because you say incredibly dramatic and off the wall things sometimes. But this is what a blog is for so have fun.
dc – I am interested in what you write most of the time. I did agree with your position on your bulldogs. I’m glad you understand that you are their voice since they probably don’t speak English. Dogs can be eternally loyal and unconditionally loving.
Peace ~
The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4th 1776, was headed ‘The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America’ while also, later in the text, referring to the ‘United Colonies.’ In the Articles of Confederation, signed in late 1777, the name ‘The United States of America’ was adopted for the new republic.
The reason 3rd party challenges are so difficult is the winner take all electoral system. The result when second place gets nothing is always the formation of two large and amorphous political parties that mainly only pretend to oppose one another. Any successful 3rd party movement will be absorbed by one of the two dominant “big tent” parties. The Libertarian party will never succeed in electing anyone above the local level because the two dominant parties will close ranks against any outside party or else, if they can’t marginalize it, absorb it. The be absorbed and included as a faction of a major party – perhaps the dominant faction – would count as dream come true success for the Libertarians. It will never happen, of course. What use have intellectuals and wonks got for a political philosophy that aims to free people of the necessity and desire for intellectuals and wonks?
Bastards grind you down!! Just saw this on Reuters:
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Fallen Lehman Brothers Chief Executive Richard Fuld sold his $13.3 million mansion to his wife for just $100 last November, according to Florida real estate records. The 62-year old executive, who could face civil lawsuits after overseeing the storied investment bank’s collapse into Chapter 11 proceedings last September, transferred ownership of the 3.3 acres seaside home to Kathleen Fuld on November 10, records show.
The couple had jointly bought the home for $13.75 million in March 2004, as first reported by Cityfile.com.
Fuld has been blamed for Lehman’s collapse on September 15 after it was weighed down by bad assets leading to the largest-ever U.S. bankruptcy when it was unable to find a buyer to come to its rescue.
He was widely criticized for not acting quickly enough to save the 158-year old bank.
Though Fuld told U.S. lawmakers he took full responsibility for his actions and felt “horrible about what has happened to the company,” he insisted he shared the blame with U.S. regulators and Congress.
Fuld, who was awarded $22 million in compensation in fiscal 2007, stepped down as Lehman chief executive at the end of last year and did not receive any bonus or severance when he left.
They should NEVER teach both evolution and creationism in PUBLIC schools. Which version of creationism would you like to be taught? Every religion has a different version.
Religion should be taught in the home if a family chooses to do so.
If it means that much to you, send them to a private religious school or home school them.
However, have you seen some of those creation texts? They are scary! “Dinosaur bones were put on earth to test our faith in god” ???? What????!
pardon me for waking from the nap I did not mean to take. I missed some of this vapid tripe.
but if I had a culture of bacteria and I changed their environment as described on the air, if there had been one or two out of millions that COULD do this strange thing already – then through ten thousand generations all the others died out……
people don’t understand science, and frankly, I blame the government schools. everybody believes something. the people who want to not believe in God still believe something. like this…..
the present theories all (or almost all) treat time as a constant. why? it’s like living in a fish bowl, from in here, you cannot possibly know. we have measured and recorded and “proven” that time “runs slower” in a gravity well. how fast does it go in the FLAT space between galaxies? do you think we can measure that sort of thing sitting down here in this gravity well.
that is absurd, like Darwinism is absurd. believe what you like, God made you to be able to have that choice.
and if you look closely at evolution, explain the duck billed platypus to us. it seems to have gone down more than one evolutionary path. what? did it go back “up”, taking it’s hair with it, to the place where everything laid eggs?
or was it a bird that went back top before there were feathers?
and then tell me about the bill.
but the logic is even worse, to say that God did NOT create chickens from nothing like he created salamanders from nothing just because he used some of the same tricks as a pattern.
I bake cakes, I bake cookies, I bake pies. I used to make a lot of pizza – those were the days.
my pizza was never an apple pie first, that would be silly. and you were never an ape, although to become one might well be a step up in your reasoning abilities.
I don’t know why I’m posting this as it flies in the face of much that I believe (or take for granted) about evolution but there was a book published in 1988 entitled “How Life Began” by LR Croft, a biochemist trained at Oxford University ISBN # 0 85234 254 3. It is worth reading as it explains from a scientific perspective many “problems” with the primeval soup theory and evolution and will give those who want to argue either side more than just a faith-based argument. Dr Croft was a strange man…brilliant but controversial because of his anti-evolution views. He was my dissertation supervisor and we didn’t generally see eye to eye! I don’t know whether the book is still available but it’s nicely written and is an interesting and informative read whichever side you’re on.
I have only caught parts of this very interesting show. I have been out CHOPPING ICE that is 2 inches thicker everyday it stays below freezing. And then I had to work on a horse to keep her from going lame. I want to see her evolve into maybe a unicorn someday.
I agree with Roy about the evolution nonsense. Some things change but I do not believe DNA shifts into something else.
And only God can make a unicorn.
I can’t remember who, but I heard a creationist say that the rumor that Darwin recanted origins of species was folklore. I believe in a literal Genesis which I admit is pretty crazy… however is it any more crazy than believing that I evolved from a rock at the bottom of a primordial soup? Evolution is nothing more than an atheistic religion.
4 things.
1. Boy does it grind my gears when they tell me they aren’t going to continue with a topic when I call in and then a few minutes later, I hear people talking about it…
2. Evolution does not say anything about how man came from apes. Darwin wrote 2 things: Origin of Species that tells us how animals and plants adapt to suit the environment, and Descent of man which proposed the idea that man and ape may have come from the same beginnings (common descent). I believe it was Descent of man that may have been recanted, but not Origin of Species.
3. They don’t teach common descent in school. They teach evolution. Evolution says nothing about how man came from ape. All it says is that animals adapt to suit thier environment.
4. The reason they don’t teach creation in science class is because its not science. Science is based on evidence, religion is based on belief. They don’t argue, they talk about completely different things. Just like your big government, problems arise when one sticks its nose in the other.
(I’m a Christian. I’m a science teacher. I believe God created me. And I believe in evolution (just a reminder, evolution does NOT say we came from man, only that we adapt)
Start an open blog and everyone is an expert. Rather than give your long winded answer about why your God can kick someone else’s God’s ass, or how science Owns any and all religion, we should try to just leave science in the classroom and religion in the pews on Sunday.
government’s size is too large, but more importantly, they have redefined their own powers and have become tyrants. there is nothing they will not eventually meddle with, until comes the revolution.
as to my favorite government department, I like one so well I would expand it. I would have a Department of Defense, and a Department of Offense. there could be two flags denoting them, one the coiled snake saying “don’t tread on me”, and one with a large gorilla holding a big stick saying, “you should have listened to the snake.”
oh, and universities. but I would rework the model. they should FACILITATE rather than be paper mills. in my world, education should be something people seek, and others who have expertise should be like a big brother helping to make the learning curve less steep.
Eleven may be a little young in my opinion, but as a parent you must decide which battles to fight…as long as your child is acting responsible and has good grades, I see no harm in letting them have a little personal freedom.
Freedom of expression does not belong in academics in a large group. I would like to see them all in same type clothes, maybe uniform, and segregated by girl / boy. Art class and maybe drama would be the exception.
My husband I have four children and my oldest daughter wanted to dye her hair blue. Well, back then the color wasn’t as vibrant as it is now, so it looked more like she spent too much time in a chlorinated swimming pool.
We let her do it because you have to pick your battles. Hair grows out, gets cut, grows back. Hair seemed like a non-issue. By the way, she did not keep her hair blue. She just wanted to be able to make that choice. I think letting her make choices when she was a young teenager aided her ability to be able to make responsible choices later.
I am thinking this occurred over a summer because I don’t remember any school pictures with blue-ish/green-ish hair.
She was and remains conservative in her dress and manners. It really didn’t hurt her.
We also had a rule the girls could not their ears pierced until they were 13 years old because I wanted them to be able to take care of them by themselves. They accepted that and looked forward to that special day.
Our son was not allowed to get his ears pierced, but it was never an issue with him, anyway.
Also, the girl with the pink hair would have been a distraction for just a day or two. Now it is going to be dragged out for days/weeks.
Pink hair might be a distraction the first day. After that the novelty wears off and a girl with pink hair is just as normal as a blonde or a burnette. Most all of my school pictures are horrendous and I looked “normal.”
I’m having a hard time understanding how you justify a libertarian philosophy that has you telling someone what they can or cannot put in their hair. This is a parent’s decision, not the school’s.
What about the kid that doesn’t comb his hair? Should he be held down and forced to have a proper coif?
Of course other parents can decide whether to allow their kids to do silly things that don’t really harm anyone else. It’s none of my business. The problem here is government schools. If this were a private school, and the parents didn’t agree with the policy, they could take their business elsewhere by choosing another school. With government schools, on the other hand, even if the parents find a way to get their kid out of a school where they don’t agree with the rules, they’ll still be forced to pay for it. We’ll always have silly squabbles like this as long as we have collectivist government schools.
Confirmation to Roland. As a home schooling dad, I can tell you this kind of thing never came up. I have always encouraged my children to express themselves, verbally. I do my part when I listen.
One year their soccer colour was pink, and some of the team wanted to paint their hair pink ( for the day ) and I told them is would be OK and maybe even cool.
Nothing doing. Might have been cool, but would have looked ridiculous, was what they told me.
I am thinking Gary and Guest have read the same article by Walter E. Williams this morning.
“Politicians love it when the victims of their policies are invisible and the beneficiaries visible. Why? Because the beneficiaries know for whom to vote and the victims do not know who is to blame for their plight. ”
Gary, Gary. The mortgage interest deduction does not amount to “giving me something.” When government steals slightly less from me than it would be stealing from me otherwise, how is it “giving me something”?
Gary,
I am in favor of the “Fair Tax” in the context that it is a one-time tax on a particular item. Tax it new but once it is used and the tax has already been paid once, it should not be taxed a second or third time (i.e. auction or garage sale) when an owner has no further need for it.
Taxing services is really no different than what we are already doing – taxing payment for labor as “income” – it would still be a net tax on your income, and could be infinitely impossible to concretely prove many transactions. One of the core principals of the “Fair Tax” is to put unreported income on the radar for taxation through the legitimate purchase of goods.
That being said, how will the new tax proposal affect auctioneers and commission agents? Since auctioneers are, in many cases, liquidating an individual’s personal or estate property (which has already been taxed once when it was new) and are paid by a percentage of sales, is the commission a “service” which must be taxed, especially since it is essestially part of the sales price for an item which the taxes have already been paid?
This leads into another point – auctioneers that work in livestock auctions or automobile auctions are performing a service, even if they are not managing the sale facility.
One could argue that that auctioneer is an employee of the facility, and therefore wouldn’t have to collect a service tax, while outside auctioneers doing the exact same thing would have to collect service tax when selling used items. Yet when he buys a public address system, office supplies, vehicles, and other equipment he would be paying taxes on every item he buys because he is the end-user.
I just see a “service tax” as a back-door income tax on certain labor but not on other. I say tax new goods when they are new, but not retaxed every time they are sold and leave labor off the table, since there is no uniform way to tax labor without figuring it as an income tax.
With respect, I am not convinced there is significant differences between taxing the income of an auctioneer and ( I’ll call it a ) Fair Tax ( just to irk C. Kelly ) or taking some of the cut. My gut response is that his services are a service, and you could justly tax him his 10% for his fee. IF AND ONLY IF his fee is based upon the amount of revenue the sale generates is the tax at all connected to the resale of merchandise. So, garage sales would be exempt as would an auction be if the auctioneer was selling his own used merchandise.
Oops, I think I just created another loop hole. Let me complain again about the size of the edit box we type into.
Nope, if the auctioneer actually buys the second hand stuff so that he can turn around and “auction” it without paying sales tax, he has exposed himself to the risk of not not making as much as he paid for the merchandise, and market forces could make it all good. In other words, it would no longer really be an auction as we think of it presently.
It seems I am called to dinner. Thanks for the debate.
I agree with the subject of the letter. However, the names of the above “signatories” do not mean much because no titles are given. They could be any person signing as affilated with that particular institution, not necessarily a professor. I hope you sent titles to the Obama camp and that you received a response from them/him.
Gary mentioned Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) – their website is http://leap.cc for more information on why police officers and prosecutors think the current way to handle drug use is the wrong way.
May 19th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
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May 22nd, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Isn’t his name Gary NOLAN, rather than Noland?
May 27th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
I like the live bumps, but acoustically, I think the acoustic played better from my end of the Marconi…..
Give the Bradley a hard time for his blogophobia – if he can run his jaws for 150 minutes 5 days a week, he can type for a couple minutes a day.
“What? Miss the spot light?”
May 30th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Phil – I was listening on Friday morning to that show you run with Tom. What’s the name of that show? Is it “The Broke Back Bradley Show?
June 5th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Dear Phil…You are a refreshing replacement for Drew…(no offense, Drew)…Can’t believe you aren’t a morning person because you sure are bubbly when we hear you…take care and keep up the good work!!!
June 6th, 2008 at 9:30 am
What up Phil? I hear things are going well- keep up the good work. I’m upset that I missed gay day, but I get to hear you guys sometimes. Sounding good. Continue to speak your mind- stirring things up with the listeners is the best part of the job. Give Tom, Shelley and The Sly One my best.
June 9th, 2008 at 11:21 am
I believe that smoking is one’s choice, taxing that person whom chooses to smoke is wrong. Why are we not taxing candy and hydrogentated oils, which is making us fat. Sin tax is wrong.
June 10th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I agree ,stop the taxes. But I think the smokers need to change to. Most smoker, ALL that i know of, belive smokeing is their right. To do so anywhere or whenever they want to. ITS NOT. They smoke in my car,my house. When I tell them please don’t they get pissed.If I went to their place and did something they don’t like, I would be looked at as something very low. Why can’t they understand. it is there right to kill themself with smokes. Not their right to stink up my place or kill me with their smokes
June 13th, 2008 at 6:30 am
OMG Phil !!!!
Great bumper… I hope Tom allows your to continue the sports intro music.
June 13th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
The government is making fists full of cash off of cigs.. and I don’t mind, but then they go and sue the tobacco companies for massive amounts of cash because they are “bad.” The government makes almost as much, and in some cases, more, than the companies they are suing. Sounds like playing both sides to me.
June 16th, 2008 at 7:47 am
so, Phil is a Zizzer.
this explains much. does Phil remember coach Seals, or was that before you were born?
the bump? does not do anything for me musically, but it’s not wrong. bumper music is like graffiti – express yourself.
June 16th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
I’d really like to know your predication of the U.S. economy covering the next 5 years.
June 16th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I’d love to read a rundown of your opinion on how Obama and McCain will affect this country (negatively and positively) if elected. I’d ask you to throw in a Libertarian too, but that wouldn’t be too objective for you.
June 16th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Gary,
Small minds are concerned with the extraordinary, great minds with the ordinary.
Blaise Pascal
Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers.
Isaac Asimov
You want material?
Here is something I have had on my mind for years. Our nation misunderstands the concept of money.
Yet, we argue endlessly about the economy.
Ancient history – before coinage. People traded what they had for what they did not have. Chickens for goats or sugar beets for marijuana. But you had the down side that it was hard to get a steak, you needed the intermediary of a butcher.
Then they started trading salt. Everybody needed it, and it could be easily subdivided and stored. Later, precious metals. If you recall, England in precolonial days based her economy on silver. This was unfortunate in the fact that she waxed and wained based on the silver mined, and her economy had this limitation. But the “currency” had a base value it could not be worth less than. Salt was useful to everyone, as was silver.
These United Stated began on the gold standard, with very similar limitations. But now our money is guaranteed only by the full faith and trust we have in our government.
People think of the value of money as some sort of constant to compare other things with. This is simply wrong. And it distorts the argument(s) whenever the word “cost” is introduced.
It’s kind of a tough topic, if you intend to define it and then propose some resolution. Unless you cheat, and ask our friend, Walter Williams. But I would enjoy some dialog on any portion of the topic.
June 16th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
haha well i actually only lived in west plains for jr. high school, then moved back to my home town of mexico Mo
June 17th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
I’d love to hear you dissect and discuss political correctness. Just to get you started, I happen to think it is insidious and dangerous what do you think?
June 19th, 2008 at 10:21 am
To smoke or not to smoke? That is not the question anymore. The question is were to smoke. In the city limits of Columbia, unless you are in your home, this means almost no were. In the past year and a half that the ban has been in affect the city has lost a lot more than it has gained. This can be seen in the surge of business by those right out side the city limits, i.e. Prathersville, Millersburg and Midway to name a few. Columbia businesses are now competing in an uneven playing field that has cost many their jobs. This lose not only affects the people who were put out of work, but the entire city. The city has also put me and my children in harms way by increasing the number of people drinking and driving. Because lets face it, the businesses we are talking about are bars and restaurants. And if the former patrons of a bar a block from their house now drive five miles to enjoy a beer and a smoke. How do you think they are getting home. I could go on and on about the negatives of this ban. And yet the positives elude me because they all smack in the face of personnel freedom and choice.
June 19th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
I want to hear more about overpaid public service positions.
We need to cut the fat out of tax-funded administrative jobs. Times are tough, and the government needs to trim back like business, and everybody else.
Sales and Property taxes should never be raised in this city again. Columbia has grown greatly over the last 10 years. This expansion should provide the tax revenue for necessary roads, schools, or other public services. It’s not – and we’re going broke.
I believe our shortfalls are due to a mismanagement of funds, such as the $9,600,000 YouZeum, and overpaid administrators. You can buy alot of road graders, and fund alot of road improvement with 9.6 million dollars.
How can we make REAL CHANGE on these two topics: taxes and big-overpaid-government?
Keep giving us the financial facts behind these issues, like the salary work done on the school board. The facts catch my attention.
Thanks!
June 22nd, 2008 at 11:05 am
Write or well the new word blog
about:’The History Book’ Humphrey
Hawsley, and ‘1984′ with ‘Animal
Farm’George Orwell. How do you
think this is coming true, or is
this coming true?
June 24th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
where’s your picture producer phil??? everyone else has one now it’s your turn.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:52 am
Are you writing yet or did I miss it?
June 25th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
well, that’s you, me and Alexis de T in the choir.
when do they pass out the sheet music?
June 25th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
( double dipping )
you refer to the tyranny of the majority. that would be Alexis. here is another thought from Alexis that roy is quite fond of.
A majority taken collectively is only an individual, whose opinions, and frequently whose interests, are opposed to those of another individual, who is styled a minority. If it be admitted that a man possessing absolute power may misuse that power by wronging his adversaries, why should not a majority be liable to the same reproach? Men do not change their characters by uniting with one another; nor does their patience in the presence of obstacles increased with their strength. For my own part, I cannot believe it; the power to do everything, which I should refuse to one of my equals, I will never grant to any number of them.
Bien sur, je pense qu’il l’a ecrite en francias.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Why do we put issues up for a vote only to be over ruled? Such as the vote on gay marriage in Calipornia? These people used their spare time and burned cheap gasloline to go vote only to be subjected to the tyrany of the supreme court. Why did we waste these voters time?
June 26th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
“For the first time in the history of our Republic, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was and is an individual right as intended by our Founding Fathers,” McCain said in a statement.
I thought Republicans didn’t know it was a Republic?
June 26th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I said “they’ll PROBABLY say “a democracy.”” This doesn’t mean “ALWAYS” or that he respects the difference!
June 26th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
I tried soooo hard to get on the radio w/ you last night, but couldn’t get thru. I have a counter to Gary’s insistence that telephone conversations are private – if they belong to you and not the telephone company, why is the subpoena issued to the telephone company and not to an individual?
Thank you for your post today – I agree that the Supreme Court made the right choice!
June 26th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
I was listening to your show tonight on the way home from work and heard you talking about gun rights. I believe it is time to look at gun rights from a different perspective. When our constitution was written, 225+ years ago, a gun was a necessity. It provided food, safety and was required to survive as we explored and populated the continental U.S.. The wild, wild west is gone, along with all the reasons to own a gun, except for hunting. Handguns are only for shooting other people. Semi-automatic guns have no purpose whatsoever except for killing large groups of people. HONESTLY… can those two facts be disputed. If your only reason for keeping them is because other people have them. Isn’t that the most valid of arguments for taking them all away. If nobody had one, or if owning a handgun was a felony. We all would be much, much safer. This would require a very difficult transition, but isn’t the long range positive worth considerable sacrifice in the present. I know all the gun-toting wackos are going to respond irrationally and with about as much thought as I give to taking, well, you can finish that sentence. Most rational thinking people who are capable of generating a coherent sentence, I believe, have to come to the opinion that guns are bad and need to be controlled. This is not accomplished by taking every shmo who has 100 bucks and a free sunday afternoon a permit to carry a gun. Come on people be honest, what purpose does a gun have besides killing, and the gun does not know or care what it is aimed at, an animal, a target, or a person. Do you really believe that our nation, as desensitized as it is to violence, needs more people with weapons walking around. I will finish by saying that I am not a liberal or even a democrat, I’m just a citizen with my eyes open and trying to objectively argue the point that guns in our society are simply unnecessary.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:10 pm
Lance, have you even shot a gun? Hanguns and semi-automatic weapons have more uses than “shooting other people.” Find someone with a gun and go to local range (or the Rocky Fork conservation area just north of Columbia) and do a little plinking. It’s fun and the only deaths are to those evil commie watermelons and other targets you might like to shoot.
Semi-automatics are not as scary as some people like to claim. An accomplished marksman with a bolt-action rifle or a revolver can fire a comparable number of rounds in a similar amount of time. Do you now want us to return to the days of single-shot muskets and blunderbusses?
June 28th, 2008 at 4:22 am
“Ask most Democrats and Republicans what form of government we have and they’ll probably say “a democracy.” A libertarian will know the answer is a republic.”
Maybe those of us that know the correct answer should be the only ones allowed to carry a gun.
Just a thought.
June 28th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Lance…I am not a “gun-toting wacko”; I am a single woman who travels frequently and often to more remote areas. As a law-abiding citizen I will exercise my constitutional right to carry a gun as soon as I have taken the class and obtained my permit (unlike the criminals who may threaten me). I pray I never need to draw and fire my weapon, but will do so without hesitation if I am in danger. In short, Lance, I WILL NOT BE A VICTIM. You are being naive if you think there is no place for guns in today’s society. As Gary says, “an armed society is a polite society”.
June 29th, 2008 at 7:32 am
Ross Perol put Clinton in office in 92, Bob Barr will put B O in 08
June 29th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Les, that will be John McCain’s fault for not spreading a better message than Barack Obama.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:05 am
Hello Gary. I just saw your video the speech to columbia libs. I am a registered republican, and don’t want to vote for either of the d & R candidates. Ire there some links that could better inform me about the Lib party, and what the truly stand for.
Thank you
Jeremy Payton
July 1st, 2008 at 2:36 pm
It seems as though our Liberty is only as strong as our Economy…or is it the other way around?
One thing is for sure, broke or not, we ARE clinging to our guns. That gives me a sense of security.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Obama’s new plan to tax 75% of our income to pay for his ‘empty’ promises isn’t going to help this situation either.
July 1st, 2008 at 8:14 pm
Interesting interview. I am a smoker but I do understand the employers side, However, smoking is legal, if they want to ban it, then make it illegal! We have to realize that our country is no longer a republic, we are a Socialist country. Welcome to America, no longer the home of the free and the land of the brave. The government now controls what we do, what we say, what we eat, what we drink and everything else. Better get used to it, we have the King of Socalism poised to be president.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 am
I am not a smoker. Never have been. I find it to be a disgusting behavior. But it is not illegal, just stupid. And I haven’t seen any laws proposed to outlaw stupidity. I don’t think employees should be let go over lifestyles (unless it is proven to negatively impact their job performance), but I do believe that lifestyle choices which impact health SHOULD similarly impact that employees health insurance costs – directly. In short, as with all other insurance, if you have a lifestyle which increases the likelihood of you filing a claim, you should either be charged for the increase or denied the insurance. It is not fair nor appropriate to force me, as a relatively healthy non-smoker with very little risky behavior in my lifestyle, to pay the rates to cover the smokers and others who have considerable more risk in their lifestyles.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Here we go. If we can simply remove our head from our rectum and wake up and smell the roses. Commen sence has to fall into play sometime. The Dems, and Reps, both need a wake up call. How far can they expect to stretch us. “The fuel prices directly reflect the use of ethenol, and the use of ethonal is directly impacting the global fuel supply. HORSES&*^T!!!!. The current economic situation, now Starbucks closing 600 stores nationwide, 1 question why spend $6 on a cup of coffee anyway, but spending decreasing as a result of energy costs. It returns to the Global Warming debates and both parties are to blame and are cashing in on this line of bs. When Texas supplies over 30 percent of our current oil supply, The Dakotas, Wyoming, and Montana region supply another 10 percent. That leaves 60 percent that is split up between Alaska which all oil comes to the us, and Cananda and the Middle east. The government doesn’t need to go after Large Oil, We need to get our electded officials heads out of their hind end and there hands out of the cookie jar. Remember they are there as public servants not CEO’s. Yes it bothers me that CEO’s of large corporations recieve bonuses in the millions of dollars, but you know that have Earned it. If i could run a company like Exxon for example, located in over 30 countries, and make that business profitable, keep everything in line and organized and not loose your head you deserve everything you get. Dems and reps whether they want to admit it, all support this global warming farce by not closing there own cookie jar. We don’t need to drill in anwr. We have thousand of dericks that were producing in the 80’s and 90’s when Clinton capped the and banned the future of self sustainability. Weve had 8 years of a man who i voted for and the reps couldnt get it together, and now the dems have promised the world and it is costing me 400 per gallon, 100 dollars a week just to go to work. I personally have had enough. Both sides scare me and If we dont clear the junk out of ears, open our eyes, and call foul every now and then, we will be speaking french, or muslim or spanish, anything other than Englis because the rest of us will be sold to the highest bidder.
I am not voting for Obama because am a racist, as to which I am not, nor because his middle name is Huesein, ( i could really care less), I am not voting for Obama because i am a Capitalist American and i believe everyone should do everthing they can do to support themselves.
That is also the same reason i am not going to vote for McCain. Yes he is a war hero, and that does give him something to be proud of and proves his patriotism, but you can not be friends with someones family member was black bald during ww2 by selling scrap metal to the Japs while we were at war with them. But to each is own.
That is my rant, and will we have an economy in 5 years, Yes we will but if we dont start slapping our elected officials hands out the the jar and quit worrying about upsetting someone by telling them that they can’t do something, we will be back in the 70’s and praying for another Reagan.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
I have known Gary for a long time and he was never a smoker or drinker but he always allowed others their choice in that regard.
Years ago he ran a business for his ailing mother catering to smokers and drinkers, I think he understands the issue from their perspective.
I usually watch the show and am sorry I didn’t tune in that day. I would have been very surprised to see him. I would have liked to hear him go into a little bit more detail. The topic is a very hot one. My husband’s plant is going smoke free Jan 09. They have had the smoking shacks for a number of years. The total size of the plant is over 1,000,000 square feet so it takes some fast walking to get to the little buidings to have a smoke and get back to your area on time.
On another note I have always thought smokers got more breaks than the non-smokers, or so it seems. As a spouse and mother of 2 musicians I am in bars and restuarants weekly and have developed what seems to be a smokers cough. I am sensitive to all kinds of stuff now. I have also attended too many funerals for musicians who worked most of their lives in the smoke filled venues.
I am waiting for Michigan to pass the new ban on smoking in public places etc. They are still debating details.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
the economy in 5 years……
thinking about it is one thing. communicating the thoughts is quite another thing. there is a problem with definition of “economy”. I hold that people do not even grasp the concept of money clearly. they seem to want to think of it as some fixed value, independent of other concerns, and nothing could be further from the truth.
have you ever stood up in a small boat? there is no reaction without oposite reaction, and if you don’t grasp this quickly and well, you will be all wet soon.
money is no different. the gold standard had commerce tied to the amount of gold in reserve. now the only value money has is it’s ability to be exchanged. this is very greatly tied to perception, which is quite malable. expectations can be the highest god. just this once, perception approaches reality.
and the charlatans know this well.
just one example and I will quit. I have a 401K retirement account, which is measured in dollars. it is vested mostly in stocks, and they have been going down, much to my disapproval. but this is compounded by the fact that the dollar is also in decline. the economic forces causing this are legion and ubiquitous. it would seem that I am experiencing penetration by a course thread threaded fastener, and I did not even get a kiss.
as Niels Bohr said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”
accepting the concept of variable worth of money, I require other criteria to fuel my crystal ball. what every may has is time and property. now, the socialists make it increasingly apparent that any man’s property rights is only as inalienable as the majority decides. kind of like what we did to the native americans, but not racial. every american is now included.
fear of a “bad economy” will fuel those who insist on increasing socialism. this will worsen “the economy” at an increasing rate. offsetting that is the fact that we are sitting on a large pile of assets. in tough times, it will be the stupid who will be hurt most quickly. we have before us the opportunity to become wealthy by just holding still and let the churlish masses decline.
I choose to put my assets in places where there is a return – other than entertainment. you won’t hear me complaining about my cable bill, because I don’t have one. my humble opinion.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
living, breathing document makes me want to scream.
I write you a check – I intend for it to mean only one thing. in perpetuity.
those “supreme” court judges plainly would like a blank check, which is a good reason for me to stay armed….
July 9th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Claire was publicly educated.
July 10th, 2008 at 11:13 am
With three very liberal sponsors of the candidate debates I am very concerned as to whether or not the debate will be balanced.
July 15th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I’d rather see a non-subsistence living sales tax replace everything.
Also for all those who like to bring up the amount of money the top one percent make. They earn about 21% of the total US income yet pay 35% of the tax burden. Something to also remember those numbers are after all of their loop holes and reductions or cuts they can manage to get. Imagine how great the discrepancy would be if they didn’t get those.
With a non-subsistence living sales tax you remove the undo burden on the poor by lettings keep the money needed to survive while forcing those to want to indulge in the excess of life pay more. Also it ends the concerns about illegals not paying their fair share, because regardless if they register they will be paying the same taxes as the average US citizen. Also it brings in a load of income to the US from all the foreign vacationers that come to enjoy the sites. Now with a sales tax only system they would be helping fuel the economy and the government at the same time. It would also allow the government to actually stimulate the economy in a direct way by declaring a no-tax time period in efforts to increase consumer spending on non essentials. Lastly and the reason why it will never come into existence, it shows the average citizen the cost of their government. It would no longer be this insidious income tax that is taken from you before you even get to see your money, rather you would see how MUCH YOUR GOVERNMENT COST YOU each and every time you buy items. No longer would the cost be hidden behind piles of paper and bureaucracy but in plain sight before you. No longer would politicians be able to place the class card to rally votes by dividing us because we would all be equal before the tax code.
Dillon
July 15th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Gary,
I am confused, are you arguing against middle class tax cuts or are you saying both the upper AND the middle class should get tax cuts?
Regardless of how you feel about Obama’s tax plan, you have to admit it is smart politics for a Democrat to be talking tax cuts more than the Republican.
July 16th, 2008 at 1:48 am
It’s rare that I can find a truly high-grade load of crap, but Gary has provided a good one.
The Bush tax policies have led to a greater concentration of wealth and a shrinking middle class. It’s not the purchases of the wealthy that drive the economy, as they put a smaller percentage of their income back into the economy. Why do you think the economic stimulus package gave rebate checks to middle and lower class people?
The Obama plan is aimed at growing the middle class, who spend most of their money – and spend it in America. I understand that you’re against him, but you’ll have to find a better reason than taxes. We’ve seen the result of your trickle-down theory, and it’s not pretty.
The real problem with our tax code is that income from work is taxed higher than unearned income, and loopholes allow the wealthy a much lower effective tax rate than most people know. When someone like Warren Buffett can say that he pays a lower tax rate than his secretary, something’s very wrong.
I hope you make a lot of money, Gary. There’s nothing more pitifully stupid than a non-wealthy supply-sider.
July 16th, 2008 at 9:18 am
I do agree with that I rather cut taxes from the wealthy to us middle class work harder so that we make good money also. Because if you cut taxes from the middle class give them a break whos going to make up the rest the wealthy. which means that the wealthy will not buy as much and that makes us lose jobs. the wealthy do have there share of problems they have more debt then the middle class but they have money to do that.You don’t want them to sell there stuff to make ends meet cause that does not help you want them to buy more. So give the wealthy a break and make the middle class work harder so we don’t have to lose are jobs.
July 16th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I got my stimulus check last week, but first came the insult. They actually spent our tax dollars to first send me a letter to tell me they think I won’t know what to do with a check when I get one.
Over the past year our small business has been harassed by the IRS more than half a dozen times, resulting in many hours of lost production. They have yet to be right. But they get paid to harass me.
I don’t intimidate well, but I am real good at holding a grudge.
July 17th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
Obama himself said that the only reason to raise taxes is out of “fairness”. Raising taxes on the wealthy will not increase revenue to the IRS, it is a proven fact that revenue goes down upon a tax increase. Income redistribution is beautiful when your a politician. It is very easy to perpetuate wealth envy on the dumb masses.
By the way, I’m one of those pitifully stupid non-wealthy supply-siders.
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:54 am
I believe “Muzzle” is misspelled on the above diagram, though I might be mistaken.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:13 pm
taking offense:
people who are trying to get my goat can’t have it, and people who did not mean to offend – an excellent opportunity to extend grace.
and as an extra added bonus, I get to be copacetic in my own skin.
July 30th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Words evoke powerful emotion and are an immensely useful tool whether used for provocation or diplomacy. I have been called lots of things/names in my lifetime. Some nice, some not so nice and a couple names that were pretty terrible. It was my reaction positive or negative that was the reward for the “namecaller” in every case. I usually don’t react at all or just laugh and walk away. No reaction. No power.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:16 am
Nigger was a word used to enslave a whole race until after World War II (Read “Slavery by Another Name” for more on the full history of slavery in the US, if you’d like to know more). It’s like no other word in our recent history and it carries more weight and meaning than any word in the English language today; even if we, white people, don’t want to admit the truth.
While I agree that using the “N” word is juvenile, to not recognize the power and history of the word Nigger is an injustice to all those millions of people that were enslaved and killed with the word. It’s a word that tore families apart, killed dreams of a better tomorrow, and changed the world.
Richard Pryor started using it in his acts to try to remove the history and power of the word, which has worked to some degree; as black people use the word, with some irony, referring to each other as such. But when the word Nigger comes off the lips of a white man it carries different meaning and weight and we should be able to at least acknowledge that fact, as white people.
August 1st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
Gary just did this topic so he could get away with saying “nigger” on the air a bunch of times. This is his M.O. Say something outlandish and laugh when people get upset. After all his is your “equal opportunity annoyer”
August 4th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Why is a mouse cute furry animal when someone injects it with cancer and verminous filth when it nibbles a box of crackers? They’re mice for pete sake. As testing subjects thay have value…otherwise they are just vermin. If I had to kill one or a hundred and save a human then the mouse is a goner. Now, that said I AM against subjecting mice to non-lifesaving mascara trials.
August 5th, 2008 at 8:03 am
I don’t support needless abuses but even some of cosmetics testing is to see if chemicals will leach through to the animal. Ergo will it leach through to humans? So there isn’t much in the way of unnecessary testing because it cost a lot of money and if it isn’t needed then it isn’t going to be done.
It seems to me that environmentalist have this fatal flaw in how they perceive people. They think these heads of business are driven by wraith and will abuse anything or one they can. In reality they are driven by greed and only want to do what will make them money. Abusing animals without need doesn’t promote that greed they dearly cling to (as most of us do).
And for all those who are curious monkeys are real B*****ds and don’t deserve sympathy.
August 5th, 2008 at 4:00 pm
I totally agree with Susan, and if it is necessary to test make-up on animals then I’m not that fond of make-up anyway.
Working in a healthcare industry you start to understand the value of human health over vermin. There are worse things that could happen to a lot of these animals. Instead they benifit society and save lives.
August 5th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Sam, I heard the entire show and do not recall hearing Gary laugh even ONCE, nor do I recall any upset callers. You know, I think you may be focusing on the word while missing the point of the discussion. When a negative or demeaning word does not elicit the desired reaction from it’s intended target, it becomes powerless…it not only becomes a blow NOT landed, it diminishes the speaker. In this day and age I found this to be not only a relevant topic, but one worthy of discussion.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Ken–
All the more reason to diminish the power of this word in particular. In all cases of name calling it is the “callee” that must initiate change. That is just the way it is. To wait for “acknowledgement” from anyone for anything is just allowing them to have even more power over you. I don’t allow anyone’s bad attitude or prejudices to color my life and I don’t have the time and/or energy to wait for them to overcome their ignorance. When I ignore them they really do just gop away.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
or go away
August 11th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I totally can’t take all the PC police! Say what you want to say!! However….it only makes sense that you make decisions about who you will listen to and where you will go and with whom you will hang…and hopefully you will make that decision based on values. That leads me to the ad that The Eagle runs for a restaurant/bar that advertises coming in for a “nooner.” I heard it twice before I knew I had really heard what I thought I heard. I turned The Eagle off and have kept it off since then. I didn’t protest or go throw burning condoms through the window of the restaurant. I just stopped listening. I did it because at age 58 my values have trumped titillation and entertainment. I enjoy listening to The Eagle, but not when my ears are assaulted with such garbage. I worked 7 years in a Crisis Pregnancy Center and saw the consequences of “nooners” if you will. There’s absolutely NOTHING funny about adultery. I’ve seen too many devastated lives. Just can’t giggle at STD’s, “unwanted” children, and broken and screwed-up lives. Just Nothing funny. So, you, sadly, are no longer part of my day.
August 13th, 2008 at 8:54 am
ahem,
Bob Barr > Captain America
John McCain > Thor
Barack Hussein Obama > Loki
think about it.
August 13th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
congratulations. best wishes.
you don’t have to understand something to be right about it. think about that, or not.
August 13th, 2008 at 4:57 pm
You guys make a gorgeous couple. Cheers!!!
August 13th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Congratulations.
August 13th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Gary and Gwen..Congratulation!!
True love and respect is a fantastic experience! My very best wishes to you both for a long and happy life together!
August 14th, 2008 at 3:00 am
Gary,
This is Roger your biggest fan.
My beautiful wife and I listen to your show every day and I call often(sure you remember me, right).
Anyways my wife and I want to say after 34 years of Marriage you are right…it does indeed make a difference. Your saying to her and the world that you love her enough to make it legal and hopefully a lasting forever commitment by putting it on paper so you have a beautiful certificate to frame and cherish forever.
Congratulations buddy and I hope the two make it a long beautiful partnership that lasts forever.
Lots of luck….
.
.
Sucker, you’ll need it!
(Just kidding…but you will need a good sense of humor so SMILE).
PS. You have my permission to read this on the air if you like. Spread the cheer.
Roger
August 14th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Phil, you’re right on the money. And by the way, you look great in that inflatable Cap’n America suit pictured above.
August 14th, 2008 at 7:57 am
AWWWWWW! That’s sweet…..now get back to work. We missed you!
August 15th, 2008 at 6:42 am
Sounds like you’re both pretty lucky! Congratulations and Good Luck!
August 15th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Happy for you but as another guy I will quote the Wayne’s World guys and say “you’re not worthy”.
(we never are)
Looks like you found a good one.
August 18th, 2008 at 8:29 am
Gary…I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN! I just recently married my mate of 9 years, and although everyone told me that it would change, I was convinvced that everything would be the same…after all, it’s just a piece of paper. But it DID change, we are a TEAM now, more than ever before, and we know that we are going to be by each other’s side for the rest of our lives, and somehow, although I didn’t think it was possible, that idea makes us stronger and more steadfast. We both feel it, and it is awesome!!! So happy for you!! Congratulations!
August 18th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Alaina, congratulations to you, too. I think that it is not the piece of paper that makes the difference, it is what it represents… a lifetime committment to move forward together, as a ‘team’. Gary always says that he’s the lucky one and I always say that I am. Neither is true, because WE are equally lucky…to have found in each other the person who completes us. It IS an awesome experience!
Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes. We so appreciate them!
August 20th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Congrats to you both Gary. I listen to your show from the other side of the world (New Zealand), you are on in my morning and it’s interesting to listen to your comments. One of these days I might even give you a ring.
Marriage needs to be worked at, and I know this better than most. A few years ago, I found out that my wife had a serious gambling problem on what we call “pokie” machines (slot machines I think you call them?) and this seriously buggered our marriage and finances up.
To cut a long story short, we each made a lot of mistakes; but have since mended the relationship and we remain married – my wife is also my best friend. We have since moved to give us a clear break between “then and now”, and have had some of the best years together since shortly after we got married.
So you are both bound to make some mistakes, but I have learned that forgiveness is a powerful tool, and I think in my case, we are better people for taking the hard way out and rescuing the relationship rather than taking the easy path and going our separate ways.
My best wishes to both you and Mrs Nolan – how is she responding to the new surname?
Pete
Mangawhai Heads
New Zealand
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:25 pm
Gary, Gwen is a beautiful bride and you very obviously happy (and handsome) Groom. Best wish and Congratulations!It’s all in the journey!
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:30 pm
don’t mince words, Gary, what do you really think?
for myself, useless falls short. a feckless attempt to describe the culpability of the over reaching federal government.
they write laws that are not merely useless, but abusive and completely outside of their constitutional authority.
and what they do not legislate, they create entities to regulate so that the abuse of power may be complete.
yes?
August 24th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
You’re right as rain, Gary.
There oughta be a law against all this legislat’n and regulat’n.
August 29th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
I find fallacy in a few of your points.
First, you asserted that the upper 1-25% of the income earners in this country work hard (perhaps even harder than the remaining members). I think this fails to consider how many individuals attain their wealthy status through nepotism/cronyism. These particular individuals can even be downright neglectful at their particular disciplines. Gary Foresee comes to mind. While I don’t know the specifics of how he attained his appointment, I find it absolutely gut-wrenching that after doing an absolutely horrid job as the Chief Executive Officer of Sprint/Nextel, he secured a $40 million dollar severance package. To me this indicates a fundamental flaw in our present model of economy and government’s tax policy. Wouldn’t it make more sense to give severance based on performance? Wouldn’t it also make more sense to take the over-the-top $40 million and redistribute it to the customers (to offset the federal and state taxes that they pass off to the customer), use it to offset the downsizing of the company so that individuals don’t lose their jobs do to his incompetence?
Only in the corporate executive world and politics do you get rewarded for being a failure. If you were a journeyman electrician and you incorrectly grounded a building that later caught fire, you would be fired, probably indicted criminally, and probably given a few months pay tops. You certainly wouldn’t be given a severance at least 10 times your yearly salary.
**As a quick aside: as a graduate student at the University of Missouri, I am absolutely terrified that he is now the President of the University of Missouri System.
Second, I think this statement by you is a misnomer:
Well run corporations get more money for research and development, to produce more great products, to improve productivity and lower our costs.
To correct it, you need simply to make a few adjustments (astericks surrounding):
“A well *lobbied for* corporation gets more money for research and development, to *eventually, but certainly not reasonably soon* produce more great products, to improve productivity and lower our costs.”
I’d love to know the libertarian view on lobbying? Do you feel that the ‘good’ lobbying outweighs the ‘evil’ lobbying? Or do you think that a downsized government would naturally eliminate the lobbying need/desire?
August 29th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
I am an avid animal lover, and am horrified by our treatment of animals raised for human consumption by large agri-businesses. I think serious and impacting legislation needs to be taken to overcome these serious deficiencies in humane treatment policies.
That being said, I find absolutely nothing wrong with using animals for scientific research. In fact I had an in depth conversation today on this very issue with my graduate thesis advisors. At least in the academic realm, it is 99.999% impossible to unethically and inhumanely treat research animals due to the oversight of IRBs, the reviewing bodies that govern what can and cannot be done when animal models are utilized.
As to the private industry, they too have review boards, but I believe they aren’t as stringent in their oversight. I’m not yet entirely convinced that the more risky (in terms of likely to cause some degree of animal suffering/pain/discomfort) testing need be in vivo, and not in vitro. I can only continue to hope that the governing panels that oversee these research approaches are populated with impartial experts and not those with ulterior motives.
August 29th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
I love it, love it love it love it. Perhaps this can be the first step in many on making us a healthier nation. Less second hand smoke will likely reduce cancer, costing less taxpayer money in healthcare costs. Conversely, if nutritional standards are improved, then you can expect lower rates of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, etc. meaning further reduction in taxpayer burdens for medical costs to treat these individuals. I find it a weak argument to poise the short term adjustment in the economy of municipalities from these bans against the long term reduction in health care costs to which they contribute.
As to the increased likelihood of drunk driving, that is not within the scope of the argument. If someone will drive drunk, they will drive drunk, regardless of weather they drive 0.5 miles or 10 miles. Your better off taking as many precautions you can. The foremost of which is being off the roads at hours most likely to see drunk drivers (10pm-4am).
August 29th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
1)I’d love to know how you/your party views lobbying?
2) I’d love to know how your view of downsizing the government plays specifically into government funded scientific research (specifically NIH grants)
3) I heard you mention a snipit on today’s show on the ills of government involvement (at all) with health insurance. Could you write specifics about how you believe this to be?
I’ve had a long time to contemplate politics, but only a short time to hear your thoughts. Even though I don’t agree with a fair amount of what you profess, I’m very glad for your program and the information you share on libertarian views.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I was in jr. high from 77-79 in WP.
September 2nd, 2008 at 7:10 pm
First, I appreciate your responding to my query. I heard you reference to my postings today regarding this issue, and I hope I can tune in tomorrow to hear the more detailed version.
Isn’t the inherent problem (based on your description) that the entities with the greater capital to invest in lobbying will get a greater return on the investment, i.e get more legislation in their favor? If two lobbying forces at opposing ends of an issue lobby and one is lobbying on behalf of say a not for profit, and another is lobbying while representing the interests’ of a fortune 500 company, then is it better to have a system in place where the fortune 500 is more likely get the legislation in their favor?
In other words, who determines what the ‘harm’ is, and at what point the ‘harm’ is too great? Do you think its better to do away with lobbying all together?
September 2nd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
I don’t have a problem with cutting taxes on the rich; but I need the tax break as well. The taxes on the middle class are ridiculous and we
CAN NOT AFFORD them; the rich can!! I am the poor child of a rich father (no inheritence tax, please). God help us, but if Obama wins, I am going to adopt a welfare family, because I am paying for them anyways, I might as well get the tax write off and help around the house to boot. In fact, I think that is a good idea take in the welfare family make them “work for their keep’, or wait, they never expected to work, did they? They want my money to pay for their wasteful lifestyle? I am pretty g— d— sick of paying for them. I went through a period in my life where I was VERY poor and I did not rely on welfare; I relied on myself and friends. Gary, pressure off the middle class please, we pay a huge amount of taxes and we can not afford them.
Thanks,
Cash
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:34 am
Zach, in order to understand fully the evils of big government and how they enable fortune 500 companies to lobby congress, you must first read the federalist papers or at least do a web search on the “doctrine of enumerated powers” in the constitution. Understanding the size and scope of federal power as it use to be, will make more clear that the fortune 500 company would not have reason to solicit the feds. They would have nothing to gain! If the government has no power over you, why would you bother trying to gain influence?
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:26 pm
“A majority taken collectively is only an individual, whose opinions, and frequently whose interests, are opposed to those of another individual, who is styled a minority.”
that was Alexis. methinks you will never find a satisfactory answer by comparing the size and power of the relative groups. the issue is what kind of power the government should have.
for myself, if the government’s authority is derived from the people governed, they cannot give over any authority they did not themselves possess.
in a nutshell, if I have no right to dictate the use of your property, then no number of me can transfer that right, or any other right I do not possess.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
I have been married 3 times. It takes some us the third time it’s a charm kind of thing. But this one is a keeper. Be kind, honest and laugh alot. and listen to 93.9 and have good discussions. LOL
September 11th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Roy is absolutely correct when he says ““A majority taken collectively is only an individual…” Where he is somewhat off the mark is in assuming we have majority rule in this country. We do not. For example, the majority of Americans are Christians yet the non Christian minority has succeeded in eroding the majorities influences in our schools and our culture in general.
The power to tax is the power to destroy. Unfortunately, “to provide for the common defense” is expensive and taxes are inevitable. Our goal as citizens is to keep taxes and Government at a minimum. That goal is perhaps further from our grasp than at any time since the Revolution.
Libertarians, although idealists, believe we might exist in today’s world without Government. I am not sure how that could or would realistically come to be but I am sure that our wonderful host will explain.
September 12th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Hi Gary,
Congratulatoins. I pray God’s blessings on your marriage. I also hope that ingnorance would be buldozed from America!
September 13th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
100% argree
September 14th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I knew you were going “home”- but, didn’t know the occassion was so special! Congratulations, my friend. If anyone deserves to be happy, it is you!
Be happy and in love!
September 15th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
ahem.
“yes”.
September 16th, 2008 at 2:19 am
the obvious natural extent of the emloyer’s legitimate control of their employee is while the employee ‘on the job’. it certainly has nothing to do with their spouse. while such attempts to impose upon employees personal lives probably shouldn’t be illegal, they should definately be shunned.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:42 am
People that refuse to see that most of the media is biased are those who simply agree with the media’s opinion. There really is no objective media anymore. But if you dare mention Fox News they claim it is biased towards the right simply because they present both sides? I don’t get it. Oh, so if you present both sides and aren’t kool-aid drinkers, then you’re biased? What a load of crap! Hypocrites is what I call those kind of people… the same people who claim to want the fairness doctrine. Well Fox News is as close to the “fairness doctrine” as you can get.
September 17th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I have decided to start a salvage reclamation business off the coast of Texas and focus on gold bars because, hey, they are shiny and easy to spot. Later we may expand into looking for black gold.
As a venture enterprise, we are presently strapped for capitol, but will still offer a full benefit package with 100% coverage for life, health, car, dental, flood fire, STD’s, and although we offer no home insurance, there is the company condo in the Bahama’s and you get a key. Entry level positions are fully vested at 0.00%, and rapidly increase by a factor of 10 every 6 months, or 12% during Ramadan, for those of the towel headed persuasion. Use of the company condo in the Bahamas has the sole requirement of leaving more beer than was there, and of similar or better quality, than was there when you arrived. In the case that there was NO beer when you arrived, 3 cases of the “beer of the moment” will suffice. It should be shipped Federal Express to the home offices, where the distribution department will drink it.
Hurry, I don’t expect this offer will last.
September 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Wait a minute, Phil! You sure you want benefits to include a 401k plan?
If I were you, I’d start stuffin’ all your cash in the mattress, couch and mason jars! Which reminds me. . .I’ve got a bunch of mason jars lyin’ around. You wanna buy ‘em? I’ll make ya’ a deal!
September 19th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Honestly, I don’t even understand how they are teaching math in Columbia. Instead of starting problems with the 1’s column (right to left), they do them left to right. I don’t understand how a student could possibly learn that way. Its really bad when the students need help from their parents, they can’t help them because they don’t know how to do the math that way either. Its ridiculous. But this is only a small portion of the problems with the math curriculum.
September 20th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I just moved here from a different MO school district and have been baffled by the Math teachings in Columbia. This is not a statewide strategy for teaching Math. My daughter basically had to start over in 3rd grade because she had learned how to process problems in such a different way at her old school.
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:37 am
Life does not grade on the curve.
When we began to see the product we would receive from CPS, we went another way.
I should hope I am wrong, but it seems to me that the public has no real leverage on the public school system. It was far easier for us to educate our own than attempt to wrest an education from the system we pay property taxes to.
I predict, if you fight and win, and get some common sense back in math instruction in public schools, you will have to fight again in a few years. The opposition is entrenched.
For myself, I think vouchers are what our opposition fears most.
September 22nd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
I am sure if we knew who the person was that done the stabbing, someone would know that persons whereabouts.
September 22nd, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I agree, I thought it was odd the police department is asking for help locating the subject but does not devulge her name.
September 23rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
If you took her to Cleveland, she must love you!
September 23rd, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Gary,
I think your “new Math” rant is much to do about nothing. I have children in 5th grade and in 2nd grade. Both are learning math. There are teaching methods of breaking down numbers–but I wouldn’t call that new–it is the same way I do math in my head with larger numbers. Always have–it’s something my mother taught me to do in stores to figure percent off sale merchadise.
While in 4th grade, my son did his assigned homework–we worked with old fashioned times table flash cards he made him self in class. They have to memorize the basics so they can use that base in larger problems. Kids that have problems do not complete this first step. The 4th grade teacher kept sending home notes to practice using flash cards. Most parents don’t take the time to sit down with their children at home.
Please do not jump on the band wagon to critisize that which you do not know. I have made an appointment to sit down with each of my children’s teachers each year in September. (Most are shocked and all have been very happy that I care & want to talk to them.) I want to know the teaching methods, and vocabulary they use in their class room. I show interest and gain a big return. Teachers love to talk to parents, it should be a partnership not a battle.
Please do your math homework.
Call any school, make an appointment, and sit down with a teacher. You might pick something up–but it won’t be “new.”
No name on the air please.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:51 am
As an educator, I have seen the many changes in math curriculum in the past decade. A lot of schools are changing over to the “new math”, which may work for some, but I don’t see any difference in MAP scores. I’m not sure what the point of changing the methods of teaching simple math in elementary schools is.
In my opinion, breaking down the numbers is a waste of time and brain power. I was in elementary school in the 1990’s and we didn’t learn how to break down numbers like they teach now. We learned how to do the problem! We learned our multiplication tables to 12 in 2nd grade! They don’t even do that now.
It takes too much time to break down numbers for each problem. I can understand using this method to understand the logic behind how the numbers work together for the operations, but understanding logic is a high school task, not an elementary one.
As for Ellen, good for you for going to the school and talking with the teachers. Good for you for working with your kids. However, using your children as the basis for your reasoning behind educating thousands of other students who may not have the luxury of parents with time to work with their children extensively, is not a wise thing to do.
As far as criticizing that which you do not know, perhaps talking with other parents instead of the teachers might be of service to you. Teaching the students “new math” might be great for your kids, but for parents who might want to help their kids with their homework might have difficulty understanding exactly how the teacher is explaining it to the student. It creates strain between parents and children, and stress on the student who doesn’t have a grasp.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
in this thread’s image:
Given a = b
then, yes
a² = ab ( = ba = b² )
and
a² – b² = ab -b²,
because 0 = 0
but from there the algebra falls apart.
(a + b)(a – b) = b(a – b) has nothing to do with the equation previous to it.
and (a + b)(a – b) = b(a – b) is only true because a – b = 0
it simplifies to (a + b) * 0 = b * 0
and anything by zed is zed, by gum.
so, gum by zed is zed, by gum.
which is still zed.
yes?
that was fun. thanks.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:51 am
I fail to see how the algebra falls apart and how the equation (a+b)(a-b)=b(a-b) has nothing to do with the equation previous to it. Are you referring to the equation a² – b² = ab -b²?
September 25th, 2008 at 9:58 am
HA! leave it Roy to make the best case with the least amount of verbage.
And Gary, where did you get that picture of me?!!
September 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am
easy, we are ONLY given a = b
a² – b² = ab -b² has no addition component. forgive me, but the way I was taught gave me no example for verbiage needed here.
there is no direct path from a² – b² = ab -b² TO (a + b) or (a – b).
if it were English composition, it would be like starting an entirely new exposition.
non sequitur, it does not follow.
yes?
September 25th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
oops, I stand ( somewhat ) corrected. I forgot conjugate pairs.
a² – b² does factor to (a + b)(a – b). the rest is factoring up to a + b = 0.
and my eldest boy tells me, “which leaves you with a+b = b and you know the rest. all the algebra up to this is clear and accurate. the utterly retarded part is where the idiot writing this out concluded that a = 1 when a = b = 0. that is the only mistake here. you don’t have to go through every step, hell you spotted that a = b = 0 halfway through. but all that math is good.”
now I see;
a + b = b,
subtract b from both sides and you get a = 0
oh well, not the first time I’ve ever needed correction.
September 26th, 2008 at 7:43 am
Its ok. Just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t doing something incorrectly.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:42 am
I guess I see where you were trying to hand out some humor here. But the thing is Phill, where are you going to get a partime job that pays benefits and diversifies your investments? Your still a student, right?
Anyways, as for your investments, which is satirical, wouldn’t that be your problem for investing in those companies. No one forced you into those programs, and better yet, your should have been checking on them. No one would be to blame but you.
So get off your insane liberal obama attempt at a rant and shut up about things that you have no idea about. Your immaturity is showing through in this post.
BYE EVERYBODY BYE
September 30th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Thank you. Now I can balance my checkbook!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:04 am
Missed it. Is it available in archive for Pod or MP3 download?
thX
L
October 4th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
What is 700 billion divided by 300 million? Don’t forget to use the new new math.
p.s. Hey Roy it’s good to see you again.
October 5th, 2008 at 12:24 am
NEXT TIME GET BOTH SIDES OF THE STORY BEFORE YOU AIR IT. ONE MAY BE LIEING, I KNOW
October 8th, 2008 at 6:58 am
The time I spent watching those debates last night would have been better served doing something more interesting like…i dunno, watching paint dry? rotating my tires with out the use of a jack, or better yet, watching the debates translated in Greek…I might have understood one of their pointless ideas a litle bit better. Haven’t they ever heard the term cause and effect? What caused the problems? Government. How do we fix the problem?…More government? doesnt seem right to me.
October 8th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I find the way both candidates spoke to be insulting. Unfortunately, the may be correctly assessing both the attention spans, and processing capacity of the churlish masses who vote.
One thing that wearied me which I have not heard riposted elsewhere was in the foreign policy arena. They seem to think it is a goal to establish democracy abroad, when our founding fathers gave us a Republic – because they were fond of us, their posterity.
EOL
October 8th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Interesting, Roy, as I too wondered where it was written that we are charged with the duty to “establish democracy abroad”.
It was also of interest to me that not once during the course of the debate did I hear the words “republic” or “constitution” from either candidate. Did they forget that we HAVE a Constitution? Are they aware that our country was designed by our Founding Fathers to BE a Republic? Or, are they so accustomed to perverting the Constitution that they have forgotten what it means to be a Republic?
October 9th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJJN9qwhkkE
Its a Wonderful Life – Becomes real life?
October 14th, 2008 at 8:21 am
Well he should get lots of time to rest up.
October 14th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Good Job! Give the police the tools and support they need to get the job done and not only will they protect us from others but if needed they can protect us against ourselves
October 14th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
It’s understandable that Gary is whining about the poor choice that the Republican party has made, but there’s no excuse for lying about Obama’s economic advisors.
I’ll bet that by “Obama’s top two economic advisors” who were “the heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac”, Gary is refering to two of the following three people: former Fannie Mae CEO Franklin Raines, former Fannie Mae CFO Tim Howard, and former Fannie Mae CEO Jim Johnson.
None of them are, or were, economic advisors of Barack Obama. Raines and Howard have never had any positions in the Obama campaign, and Johnson was a member of Obama’s VP vetting committee – not an economic advisor.
Meanwhile, one of John McCain’s economic advisors, Aquiles Suarez, oversaw Fannie Mae’s lobbying from 2003 to 2006 as Fannie Mae’s Director of Government and Industry Relations. Mr. Suarez was in charge of nearly fifty million dollars of lobbying money during that time, some of which he paid to other lobbyists who are now part of McCain’s campaign, including McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis.
Whining is your prerogative, Mr. Nolan; lying isn’t. You have a responsibility to your listeners, and you should be ashamed of the cavalier manner in which you’ve shirked that responsibility.
October 15th, 2008 at 8:19 am
Ok, I guess what we could have done is let the guy jump, kill himself and God only knows how many innocent victims traveling down I-70. Since when do the criminals get to decide their force used against them when they decide to break the law! Columbia Police department unfortunately will always be the “bad guys” for doing their job! It’s a SHAME!
October 15th, 2008 at 8:22 am
JJ..Acording to “factcheck.org” Mr. Raines was contacted by the Obama campaign. Mr. Raines said he had “taken calls from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters.” Mr.Raines then, through the Obama campaign, issued a statement saying, “I am not an advisor to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters.” One wonders which statement is true. As for Mr. Johnson, Mr. Obama demonstrated exceedingly poor judgment in naming him to his VP search committee… whereupon he resigned a week later. Mr. Obama makes these poor decisions, then denies or downplays them. While I freely admit my mistakes…on air…I endeavor to check the facts before I put forth any comment as truth. This is in contrast to Mr. Obama, who appears too arrogant to admit a poor choice or incorrect assertion. My only error was trusting the Washington Post about the extent of the relationship (which MAY be correct after all). If I err, explain it..DON”T tell me that I’m a liar. It appears that Whining is YOUR prerogative.
October 15th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Thanks for leading me to factcheck.org, Gary. Here’s their answer to your allegation:
Q: Are three former Fannie Mae executives “economic advisers” to Obama?
A: No, claims made in a chain e-mail are false.
Now, let’s review your allegation again: “Obama’s top two economic advisors were the heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…”
Since you “endeavor to check the facts” before you “put forth any comment as truth”, you must have known your allegation was untrue – yet you still made the allegation, and you refused to admit that it was untrue. Spin it whichever way you want, but in my neighborhood, that’s called lying.
October 15th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
The urge to resort to name calling as you did in your post is overwhelming.. But I’ll not lower myself to your level. Obama definately DID ask for help in developing his economic plan. The only question is how much. Can we take Obama’s word for it? How can we? He LIES!! Next, I referenced the Washington Post. I only referenced “factcheck” AFTER your assertion that I was a liar. Next, I NEVER said “three former Fannie Mae executives “economic advisers” to Obama. God only knows WHERE you got THAT quote! He called ‘em, they admitted it and now what’s left is to determine just how extensive your candidate consulted with him. Because Obama DOES lie, we will never know for sure..will we? Clearly you are an Obamunist and that’s ok.. but don’t defend him by calling me names.
October 15th, 2008 at 3:15 pm
It wouldn’t be the first time ‘fastcheck’ was Obama ticket leaning, check this out; Foxnews – “Did Biden Get It Wrong? You Betcha”
JJMoron’ you really need to be more on your toes if you’re going up against Gary.
October 15th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
You’re just embarrassing yourself now, Gary. Read my posts again and you’ll see that I didn’t call you a name; I offered facts to refute your claim.
I did call your claim a lie, because that’s what it is. It’s not true, it’s not close to being true, and you’ve twice refused to admit it. You also implied that factcheck.org backed up your claim, when it specifically does the opposite. And you’ve accused me of name-calling, which I did not do – though you did (“Obamunist”, how cute).
I did not assert that you made this false claim about three Fannie Mae executives. I merely quoted the factcheck.org article, which debunks that claim about the three executives. I quoted you and the article accurately, and the three named in that article included the two you mentioned.
I’ll still refrain from calling you a name, though lying has been a pattern of yours in this thread. Your feigned outrage notwithstanding, what you’ve done – and continue to do – is lie about this. Save what remains of your credibility and own up to it.
October 15th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
OK, JJ…I watched this exchange between you and Gary then took a look at factcheck.org and the passage you reference. I noticed, after reading the response in its entirety, that there IS a little bit of doubletalk in there…the truth is that the Obama campaign DID contact Raines for his advice. Obama’s campaign also thought enough of Johnson to place him on the VP nominating committee until it was no longer politically expedient to have him there. One wonders what his cabinet, should he be elected, might look like. We are the company we keep, JJ, and Obama and those on his campaign need to thoroughly examine the individuals they choose to go to for advice and guidance if they wish to avoid attack.
October 15th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Please, Louise. Here’s the accusation made by Gary: “Obama’s top two economic advisors were the heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…” Factcheck.org specifically says it’s not true.
Further reading, as you’ve done, tells you that Raines received “a couple of calls” from the Obama campaign. Do you really think that if he were one of Obama’s “top two economic advisors”, he would get just a couple of calls from the Obama campaign? The truth is that he has never been part of the Obama campaign, and the factcheck article clearly states that. Yet Gary refuses to admit it.
Speaking of the company we keep, in my first post on this topic I described McCain’s ties to Fannie Mae. One doesn’t have to wonder what McCain’s cabinet would look like; it would likely be populated by lobbyists, as his campaign is.
I guess neither major-party candidate will get your vote this year.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
You are correct in that it is likely that neither major party candidate will get my vote, JJ. That is because they are both socialists, it is simply a matter of degree. They are both opportunists who do what is politically expedient at the time. Their friends and advisors are consist of those people whom donate the most money, wield the most influence. They would sell their owns mothers down the river if it was to their benefit. I don’t trust either of them or the political machines driving them and I don’t trust the media. I don’t even trust factcheck.org.
Referencing Ellie’s blog, there IS a liberal slant to their “FALSE” vote on Obama’s relationship with those men. While they may not, in fact, have been “top economic advisors”, the campaign thought enough of them to contact one of them for advice and put the other in a fairly important position before ousting him for being too politically risky. We’ll never know how much advice either man gave because Obama and his campaign don’t want us to know…and that includes any which may have come from the esteemed Rev. Wright, in whose church Obama sat for years…and Mr. Ayers, his acquaintance and neighbor. It’s a pattern, JJ, of deception, and so you know, I hold McCain in only marginally better regard. Frankly, I think they’re both liars.
I am sick and tired, JJ, of you, as I am of most liberals. You may wish to continue the march toward socialism but you will rue the day you chose to support Obama. There are too many unanswered questions and he gets an easy pass from the biased media with his promises of “sharing the wealth”. You know what, JJ? I work for my money, no one else does. I deserve the right to determine where and to whom it goes. I am sick and tired of standing in the grocery store in line behind a well-dressed, well-groomed woman who is paying for groceries I CAN’T AFFORD to buy with the welfare card THAT I PAY FOR. You see, JJ, it isn’t that I am adverse to helping those who need it…I object to the government choosing the who, where, and how I help.
I hope people are suspicious of Obama…and McCain…and the liberals who continue to pick my pocket for the good of the masses. You’d have been better off going after Gary, JJ, with your baseless attacks and liberal bias.
October 15th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Whether or not Franklin Raines and Tim Howard are active or passive particpants in Obama’s campaign can be debated with each side pointing to its own set of facts. However, it is indisputabel that Raines, Howard, and Leanne Spencer agreed to pay 31.4 million for there roles in a 2004 accounting scheme. Raines, who was Bill Clinton’s budget director, portion of the settlement is worth 24.7 million dollars. In December 2004, Raines and Howard were removed from their respictive offices after the accounting fiasco. A couple years later, the company restated its earnings that erased 6.3 billion dollars in earlier reported profits. Raines made out fairly wellfrom 1998 to 2004 netting about 91.1 million dollars in compensation.
Let me get this correct. These individuals lied about earnings, manipulated quarterly reports so that they would recieve higher bonuses, and were paid very well for doing so. They fit right in with any of the current population in Washington.
A lack of honesty, integrity, and ethics. Regardless of whether they are active participants or passive advisors, why in the world would you ask any one of these individuals their advice on economic mattters. Unless, of course your planning on selling the Amrican populus a massive, socialistic redistribution of wealth and you need people who are adapt at running numbers for your agenda.
Just BOHICA
October 15th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
Louise, you’ve gotten away from the topic. I disagree with your angry assessment of me, and I don’t share your jealousy of those on welfare. But none of that belongs in this thread.
The fact is that Gary lied. Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson are not Obama’s “top two economic advisors”. Gary’s claim is not a misstatement and it’s not obfuscation; it’s a lie. Instead of taking responsiblity for his lie and correcting himself, Gary just dodged, deflected, and rationalized.
Gary is in a position of influence in his small slice of the world. He should take that position more seriously. Instead, he lashes out at someone who’s trying to hold him accountable for his own words.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:23 am
JJ – Gary was correct in his statement – Mr. Raines advised obama on econimic issues an Mr. Johnson advised Obama on who to pick for VP. What don’t you get here?
October 16th, 2008 at 6:13 am
Forgive me, JJ, for digressing.
In case the other posts to this blog haven’t yet made this clear to you, you are wrong…Gary is not a liar because his interpretation of the facts are different from yours. The associations are there and cannot be denied.
Also, understand this: I am not “jealous of those on welfare”, JJ, I resent them and a system in which some work and pay, and others don’t.
Go ahead, JJ, get the last word in…I have to go back to work now.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I called Gary one day about capital gains and he said I “did not get it”. I wrote asking why I pay 28% or more on the $10,000 I have saved up but someone making that same $10,000 from capital gains only pays 15%. No response so far. Cutting capital gains from 15% to 7.5% as McCain proposes would give 98.3% of the benefit to the top 20% and 0.2% to the middle 20%. See this article for full details: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jared-bernstein/again-with-the-trickle-do_b_134796.html
Any response Gary?
October 20th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Thank you JJ for calmly pointing out that calling Raines and Johnson Obama’s “top two economic advisors” is a lie. Not an interpretation, not opinion, a lie. Argue all you want about their character, the wisdom of contacting them but admit that that statement is not true.
October 20th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
JJ/Duane,
“Lie” is such a harsh word. The only way to know if someone is lying is if we know for sure that he knows what he is saying is not true. Better to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that Gary’s claim is “wrong” or “not true”, and then prove it. If after he is given this proof, and he doesn’t refute the proof but continues to maintain his original claim, THEN you know that he’s lying.
So, Gary, do you still maintain that Raines and Johnson are Obama’s “top two economic advisors”? Not that they have given Obama some advice, but his “top two economic advisors”? If so, where is your proof?
Also, a little nitpick on another one of your points. I did a little Googling, and couldn’t find anything that said that Johnson was “forced to resign due to mismanagement”. He was accused of mismanagement several years after the fact, but it doesn’t look like that’s the reason he left Fannie Mae. And the reason he left the VP selection team wasn’t due to his Fannie Mae tenure, it was due to the Countrywide VIP loan scandal. At least that’s what I was able to find.
I will agree with Gary on one thing, it wasn’t a smart move by Obama to have Johnson on the VIP search team, even before the Countrywide scandal broke. See, we can agree on some things!
October 20th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Rick,
I posted this in response to “JJ” and it’s on the blog at #6. But “JJ” wants more, he wants a “gotcha’” moment. It won’t work. Obama is a socialist and he DID consult with both of these men and he HAS displayed poor judgement. I’m not a McCain fan either. It’s hard to think that with 300 million people to pick from this was the best that we could do. One socialist and one opportunist. When either wins we all lose.
” JJ..Acording to “factcheck.org” Mr. Raines was contacted by the Obama campaign. Mr. Raines said he had “taken calls from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign seeking his advice on mortgage and housing policy matters.” Mr.Raines then, through the Obama campaign, issued a statement saying, “I am not an advisor to Barack Obama, nor have I provided his campaign with advice on housing or economic matters.” One wonders which statement is true. As for Mr. Johnson, Mr. Obama demonstrated exceedingly poor judgment in naming him to his VP search committee… whereupon he resigned a week later. Mr. Obama makes these poor decisions, then denies or downplays them. While I freely admit my mistakes…on air…I endeavor to check the facts before I put forth any comment as truth. This is in contrast to Mr. Obama, who appears too arrogant to admit a poor choice or incorrect assertion. My only error was trusting the Washington Post about the extent of the relationship (which MAY be correct after all). If I err, explain it..DON”T tell me that I’m a liar. It appears that Whining is YOUR prerogative.”
October 20th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
The question is not whether Obama exercised bad judgement, the question is whether you stand by your statement that Raines and Johnson are “Obama’s top two economic advisors”. Simple question, where do you stand?
October 20th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
No gatcha’ moment here Duane.. read above!
October 20th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
I still think “top economic advisor” is a lot different than someone Obama called a few times for advice. But that’s just me.
I’ve got another question for you. You called Obama a socialist. What do you base that on? Or maybe I should ask you what your definition of socialist is. Obama seems like a pretty standard liberal (but not way out there liberal) to me. More liberal than recent Democratic nominess, but not out of the mainstream. Maybe you think that all liberal Dems are socialists?
October 20th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Colin Powell fought, bled and served our country with honor and distinction. He was a soldier for thirty-five years, rising from Second Lieutenant to General. He earned several medals for his service. And now that he has an opinion you don’t share, you claim he’s putting skin color above what’s best for his country.
I would say that Powell’s long history of dedication to America renders such an accusation pretty foolish. But I have respect for a lifetime of sacrifice to one’s country. Apparently, some don’t have such respect.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Rick, you’ve now seen that Gary continues to maintain his original claim. The question of whether he’s lying or just wrong has been answered.
It was possible that Gary was just ignorant, but he eliminated that possibility when he sourced factcheck.org. That website says, in bold print, that his claim was not true. Yet he never backed away from his statement.
I appreciate your hesitancy to use the word “lie”, but I believe that the accuracy is diminished when you use a kinder word. Language is important, and a lie doesn’t sound so bad if you call it an untruth or a misstatement. In the case of Gary’s claim, “lie” is the only word that fits.
I was glad to see the comments from you and Duane. It’s nice to know that on a partisan talk station’s website, there are other people who are willing to challenge the host.
October 20th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
JJ,
Don’t worry, I use the words “lie” and “liar” all the time, when appropriate. For example, when Palin kept saying that she said Thanks But No Thanks to the bridge to nowhere, even after it had been thoroughly debunked. Or when McCain keeps claiming that Obama wants to raise taxes on everyone making over $42,000/year, when Obama repeatedly says that his plan doesn’t raise taxes on anyone making over $250,000. Or that ACORN is “on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy.” When I hear that kind of crap, I use the word Liar a lot.
So anyway, I try not to use the word Liar unless I’m sure that they’re really lying, and not just ignorant of the facts.
Now, stand aside as everyone on the right side of the aisle starts posting all of Obama’s lies.
October 21st, 2008 at 5:38 am
“But I have respect for a lifetime of sacrifice to one’s country.”
Then you’re going to vote McCain? LOL That service somehow makes him above it all? “JJ,” you are simply a democratic sycophant. Take a few economics courses (austrian), study the constitution and remain socially tolerant and you will abandon both old parties and you’ll be a libertarian.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:07 am
I’m not voting for McCain because he is wrong on the issues. The last eight years have shown me that tax cuts for the wealthy don’t trickle down, that deregulation only leads to theft, and that a misguided foreign policy can have disastrous repercussions. McCain will continue Bush’s agenda, and I’d like that agenda to end.
I believe that McCain wants what’s best for the country. I won’t accuse him of some nefarious ulterior motive. I also won’t sit by while you make such an accusation of Colin Powell.
I’ve taken economics courses, I’ve studied the Constitution, and I am socially tolerant. I’m also results-oriented, and I won’t vote to continue the policies that have put America in such a precarious position.
One other thing I won’t do is become a Libertarian. Libertarians always talk a good game, but they end up supporting the Republican party every time.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:50 am
Mr. Nolan,
I’ve listened to you the last few days and read the last several post here; there’s no need for such outrage towards Senator Obama. You’re starting to sound a lot like Sean Hannity and we truly don’t need any more of that insanity. To claim one of the main reasons General Powell endorsed Senator Obama is because both of them are black is really low. Perhaps he endorsed him because he thinks Senator Obama is the best guy for the job? He has known Senator McCain for over 20 years so…
What seems to be your major complaint against Senator Obama is an ageless disagreement over the ideas of economics. You believe in watering the leaves to make the tree grow; whereas, we, “Obamunist”, believe one waters the roots.
The only article to The Constitution that specifically deals with the issue of how Congress shall raise taxes is:
Article 1 section 8
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;” (then a list of what the taxes are used for, look up for more details)
And then you have one Amendment that deals with taxes as well:
Amendment XVI
“The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without regard to any census or enumeration.”
So, taxes must be raised somehow too pay for the operations of the US as a whole – be it military, roads, educational, or whatever else – and the Constitution states that Congress shall collect taxes in whatever way they deem appropriate. We believe if the masses have more money they can spend more money; which will create more jobs, generate more tax revenue and make more money for all (even the rich, we’re not jealous of the rich either, we all want to be rich).
When Bush II took the reigns the national debt was around $5 trillion – and going down – when he leaves it’s going to be well north of $10 trillion and going up. In 8 years he’s more than double the debt which took over 200 years to amass, so clearly what going on now isn’t working. We’ve tried “Trickle Down Economics” for awhile now and I’m tried of getting pissed on. Lets try “Rise Up Economics” to see if it can run the country better for all, not just the few. As history has shown us, one of the reasons for Rome’s fall is the loss of the middle class and I don’t want to repeat that in this great country.
Take care,
Ken
October 21st, 2008 at 10:36 am
This is such nonsense I hardly know where to start. General Powell is NOT a conservative. Just because he served in the military it does not preclude him from being wrong or having a bias. Say what you will, the republican party has NOT moved to the right. McCain is off to the left. His reasons don’t add up.
Second, lets deal with taxes. Every time we reduce taxes, income to the federal government increases and the economy gets stronger. During the Administrations of Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge taxes were slashed from the confiscatory levels they had reached during World War I. The Revenue Acts of 1921, 1924, and 1926 reduced the top rate from 73 percent to 25 percent.
Spurred in part by lower tax rates, the economy expanded dramatically. In real terms, the economy grew 59 percent between 1921 and 1929, and annual economic growth averaged more than 6 percent.
Notwithstanding (or perhaps because of) the dramatic reduction in tax rates, personal income tax revenues increased substantially during the 1920s, rising from $719 million in 1921 to $1.16 billion in 1928.
President Kennedy proposed a series of tax rate reductions in 1963; the following year, legislation was passed that brought the top rate down from 91 percent in 1963 to 70 percent by 1965.
The Kennedy tax cuts helped to trigger a record economic expansion. Between 1961 and 1968, the inflation-adjusted economy expanded by more than 42 percent. On a yearly basis, economic growth averaged more than 5 percent.
Tax revenues grew strongly, rising by 62 percent between 1961 and 1968. Adjusted for inflation, they rose by one-third Just as in the 1920s, the share of the income tax burden borne by the rich increased. Tax collections from those making over $50,000 per year climbed by 57 percent between 1963 and 1966, while tax collections from those earning below $50,000 rose 11 percent. As a result, the rich saw their portion of the income tax burden climb from 11.6 percent to 15.1 percent.
President Reagan presided over two major pieces of tax legislation that, together, reduced the top tax rate from 70 percent in 1980 to 28 percent by 1988.
The economic effects of the Reagan tax cuts were dramatic. When President Reagan took office in 1981, the economy was being choked by high inflation and was in the middle of the 1980-1982 double-dip recession. The tax cuts helped to pull the economy out of its doldrums and ushered in a period of record peacetime economic growth. During the seven-year Reagan boom, economic growth averaged almost 4 percent.
Critics charge that the tax cuts caused higher deficits, but their argument is based on a misreading of the evidence. The Reagan tax cut, although approved in 1981, was phased in over several years. As a result, bracket creep (indexing was not implemented until 1985) and payroll tax increases completely swamped Reagan’s 1.25 percent tax cut in 1981 and effectively canceled out the portion of the tax cut that went into effect in 1982. The economy received an unambiguous tax cut only as of January 1983. Revenues then climbed dramatically. Personal income tax revenues led the way, increasing by more than 54 percent by 1989 (28 percent after adjusting for inflation).
Contrary to conventional wisdom, it was the “rich” who paid the additional taxes. The share of income taxes paid by the top 10 percent of earners jumped significantly, climbing from 48 percent in 1981 to 57.2 percent in 1988. The top 1 percent saw their share of the income tax bill climb even more dramatically, from 17.6 percent in 1981 to 27.5 percent in 1988.
The economic theory you subscribe to in morally wrong because it takes (at gun point if need be)from those who have and gives to those who don’t. (If that sounds like the failed policies of Karl Marx you are correct) You fight to confiscate more from those who are wealthy because you think the tax cuts put us in (greater) debt. You’re looking at the debt only, not the income to the federal government. Now as for those big spending republicans; you can place the blame for that on a war in Iraq we didn’t need to fight and their unchecked spending on bacon.
I’m not going to take the time to explain the system advantages evident in our founding fathers taxation plan. If you know the constitution as well as you say, you know about the changes made to the appointment of senators, number of members of the house and the “excise tax” which we still pay and the advantages of apportionment.
Now I’m sure you could get in the last word with an echo and you will try again. History is on my side.
October 21st, 2008 at 11:10 am
Mr Nolan,
No one is talking about going back to 80% and robbing the rich at gun point, such hyperbole is really unhelpful. If I’m not mistaken, Senator Obama wants to return to the top tax rate of what it was under President Regan, the golden age as you claim. What’s wrong with that? Is that Marxist? Saying one is a Marxist is a common argument when one is out of ideas. I’m saying that the “Trickle Down Economics” of Bush II is awful and not working, so it must be changed.
Take care,
Ken
October 21st, 2008 at 11:30 am
Sorry Ken, raising income based taxes is ALWAYS bad. Offering to give money to people who don’t pay taxes is Marxist. The evidence above shows “Trickle Down” DOES work. It may be a common argument, but sometimes it’s just exactly what it is. ECHO…
October 21st, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Ken do you know what Obama’s polocy is?
October 21st, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Mr Nolan,
It works, if one enjoys getting tickled on. ECHO, ECHO, OUT!
Take care,
Ken
October 21st, 2008 at 4:36 pm
Ken, speaking of the Constitution, do you think the federal government should be restrained to only those tasks enumerated in Article 1, Section 8 (the bit you listed, but did not list the tasks)? If the federal government did that, the tax issue almost falls away.
October 21st, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Gary, you should at least give Dr. Mitchell and the Heritage Foundation credit when you copy their property word-for-word. Plagiarism is a serious matter.
October 21st, 2008 at 6:10 pm
My word JJ, you must be really filled with hate! lol You want to get any point you can to win and you just can’t.. You decimated me with your quick response.. echo..echo..
(PS..thank you http://www.Heritage.org )
October 21st, 2008 at 7:15 pm
So you won’t give credit to the author of the article? You know, the article that you posted under your own name?
October 21st, 2008 at 7:30 pm
I’m much more reluctant to use the word “liar” than the word “lie”. I don’t believe that a normally honest person who tells an occasional lie deserves to be called a liar, just as I don’t believe that toasting a slice of bread makes one a chef.
However, a normally honest person will likely correct the lie when the truth is revealed, while a person of lesser honesty will just get defensive. Gary may or may not be a liar; it’s a judgment call.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Not only filled with hate but blind too! Wake up “JJ” it’s a blog for discussion! lol Not an article in a magazine or a book. While you perseverate about where I obtained the facts you ignore the details of the data. You’re protesting too much..”obfuscate” comes to mind.
October 21st, 2008 at 9:49 pm
An “echo” “JJ.”
October 22nd, 2008 at 2:59 am
Way to jump on the bandwagon Powell.
I raked in $1.2 mill this year, and I’ll probably bring in twice that with Obama’s foreign policy initiatives, but it kills me that you middle class turds are going to get such a big tax break under his administration. Do me a favor and vote McCain no matter what this “war hero” says.
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
Mr Nolan,
Just a few more questions before I go if I may and no more ECHO/ECHO on this rant, I want to make sure I fully understand before I go vote.
Why on average, is the unemployment rate lower in last 60 years during Democratic Presidents and higher during Republican Presidents? Seems like, according to you and the Heritage Foundation, it should be lower? In my mind the best measure of the economy is the number of jobs it creates for all not the amount of money it generates for the wealthy, different priorities I suppose. Check this website out for more details:
http://www.eriposte.com/economy/other/demovsrep.htm
Also, since you’re such a huge fan of Sarah Palin and of the Constitution, I was wondering if you could please help me understand what she meant by “Real Americans”? I missed that in the Constitution, well that and the part about how the Vice President has power in the Congress. Very strange and scary stuff I say. Makes one wonder how much power she thinks the Constitution would give her? From my reading not much, but I guess according to her I wouldn’t be a “Real” American so my opinion probably doesn’t matter. See for yourself, check out the videos. First one is about the “Real Americans” and the second is the power she sees somewhere listed in the Constitution for the Vice President.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9S0_qdwYq8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1y6xzJ5AqM
Now go all Sean Hannity on me and let me know what a huge idiot I am and how much smarter you are than the rest of us. Also, don’t forget to call me a Marxist; it just wouldn’t be the same if you didn’t. ECHO/ECHo/ECho/ Echo/echo……………
Take care,
Ken
October 22nd, 2008 at 11:48 am
First, I’m not a “huge fan of Sarah Palin.” But I think the far left have used a double standard when they refer to her. Just what is their definition of a feminist? She does anything the guys, ran for and won political office AND has a family. Now, you’d have to ask her, not me what she meant by “real Americans.” I suspect that rural America is less rooted in the welfare state and redistribution of wealth that you hear in larger urban areas. (If you look closely at “farm subsidies” you might find that view a little odd)
Your study makes way too many assumptions to be acurate. “assuming presidents are responsible…” I would argue that in some cases the dems do well. JFK offered a tax cut that was good for the economy. Reagan got the gift that Carter left him and it took several years to undo the damage. That could skew the numbers badly too. Clinton had the good fortune of having a republican congress push for a cap. gains cut to make the economy stronger.
But who says we are entitled to take the assaets of the wealthy? Where do we have the right to take the fruits of their labor? If we continue to take their assets, who will stop some despot from taking mine? “I looked around and no one was left…?
October 22nd, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Laziness, sloth, is evil. But socialism is driven by envy, which is also evil. “Spread the wealth” means, “he has something I don’t have, I want it.” It’s my bible that says, “the love of money is the root of all evil.”
Alexis said, “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
In my human nature, there is nothing good. I rely on my faith, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Rush used to say, “America needs more God,” and that is where I am.
I cannot say with you that greed is good. Wanting to prosper is a good motivator, but not if I have to steal to do it. Without my faith, it would make perfect sense to just look out for myself. But I am commanded to love my neighbor as myself. Yes, I look after me. Yes, I am to look after you too.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
“And if a man is taking away your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt as well. Give to everyone who asks you, and when a man has taken what belongs to you, don’t demand it back.”
“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”
Do I need to site the source roy?
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:59 pm
make that ‘cite the source’
October 22nd, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Let’s recap:
Gary says: Obama’s top two economic advisors were the heads of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
JJ points out that the people Gary alludes to are not official members of his campaign let alone the top advisers.
Gary responds that factcheck.org says Raines was called by the campaign and some other unrelated things and then says “My only error was trusting the Washington Post about the extent of the relationship (which MAY be correct after all)”
JJ points out that factcheck.org clearly points out that Gary’s claim is wrong.
Gary says that JJ has resorted to name calling (you will have to point out where he does that Gary) and then calls JJ an Obamunist.
I added nothing to the discussion but I would like for Gary to show the link where he got his Washington Post information. I have been quite disappointed with this discussion. I disagree with Gary all the time but I have respect for his libertarian principles and usually felt there was some rational discussion going on. This seems to be a simple hard-headed refusal to admit he was wrong. I don’t expect a gotcha moment, just a simple note saying “that statement was wrong” would have ended all this and the real point of Gary’s post, Obamas judgment, could have been discussed.
October 23rd, 2008 at 5:16 am
I know we are somewhat off topic, but I couldn’t resist commenting…I do feel a moral obligation to share my time and treasure, inasmuch as I can afford to. I also find that the love I give comes back to me more than 10-fold, whether it is in the form of my time, talent, or treasure. That said, what I give, how much, and to whom should be MY choice. My ‘greed’ enables me to have something to share; our system of taxation limits the extent to which I can do so.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:02 am
eric – maybe you should cite the sourse as you have obviously taken it out of context. Then again maybe you should go back and read the whole passage with your priest so that he can tell you where you have misinterpreted it. The money used to pay Rome’s taxes was the Denarius. It had Caesar’s picture on it and everything. But the Jews had their own money, called the Shekel. So, when Jesus said “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” the really important point is that he was saying “Here, take your stinking Roman filth with you. I do not need it.”
Both the “Old” and “New” Testaments, this tax was only 10%. And yet in today’s world….well….that brings us to our next topic.
The Federal Income tax was not started until the around 1910. At that time the highest rate was 4%. Today we have Federal tax rates as high as 39%….plus State Income Taxes up to 8%….Plus sales taxes up to 8%….Plus other taxes on gas, electricity, phones….And then, should you happen to die with anything after all this taxation, the government demands 50% of whatever is left.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:03 am
citation;
Pastor Ahyh, 8:55 am pst, Friday September 15, 2000, in Valley Center California
October 23rd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Duane, if you’re going to keep banging your head against the wall, I guess I will too.
Gary, I’m still waiting to hear why you think Obama is a socialist? I’ve been hearing that comment lately, but only used as an attack without providing any proof. Thanks.
October 23rd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Basically what she said is you are wrong! eric is not the only one of his kind taking things out of context. I see a lot of that in today’s liberal media. If you are going to take something from something else read it to its entirity and then you may speak with a sence of some knowlege, but to take one thing that someone or something has said and use it to tear down someones ideas down is sick. You(eric) need to see your facts or not write/talk at all.
October 23rd, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Ellie Says: “…so that he can tell you where you have misinterpreted it. ”
——————————
How did I interpret the quotes?
——————————
Toby Says: “…then you may speak with a sence of some knowlege
——————————
What did I ’say’ about the quotes? You guys are funny.
October 25th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Powell wore out his welcome with Bush and his cronies over the Iraq Fiasco. He realizes Obama was correct in his opposition to our involvement. I know, “Obama was wrong about the surge”, and won’t admit it, but Bush or McCain will never acknowledge they were wrong about the invasion. The surge is successful for now, but the “war on terror” is unwinnable with the current mindset. We need to concentrate on defending our own borders, cities, and people. I wouldn’t mind at all seeing Powell in Obama’s cabinet.
October 25th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
you liberals(eric) don’t ever give up because you think that everything anyone with a differing opinion says is wrong. eric, you just can’t come to the fact that you were wrong because you again took the “quotes” wrong and didn’t read the entire passage,as ellie also said “Then again maybe you should go back and read the WHOLE PASSAGE with your priest so that he can tell you where you have misinterpreted it.” “If you are going to take something from something else, read it to it’s entirity and then you may speak with a sence of some knowlege.” I know from history that this won’t change your opinion and you probably still think your right but in reality your wrong. It’s ok to be wrong. We aren’t perfect, none of us are, but we all should try to tell the truth instead of giving people complete BS(liberal media) or diception(eric and liberal media). P.S. Eric read the entire passage. Good luck!
October 26th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Toby says I am wrong (several times), yet I didn’t offer any commentary about the quotes. Go figure. If you want context, then go look it up. The Bible is the most widely distributed (and quoted) book in the world so you shouldn’t have trouble finding one.
As to Ellie’s interpretation (or Pastor Ahyh’s), I suggest they only pay their taxes with currency printed/coined by the controlling government and only use bills/coins that contains an image of one of that government’s leaders (or a check/electronic transfer representing the same).
October 26th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
The book eric refers to so much also points out that anyone who does not provide for their family is worse than an infidel (unbeliever).
The same book also says that you should not steal, lie, committ adultry, honor your god and your parents, adn not covet your neighbour’s goods. If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their own work quietly and to earn their own living.”
Christ was referring to those in need and unable to meet their own needs. If I drive down into Columbia what I see is a lot of gentlemen walking around with a lot of cell phones and very nice cars but never see any type of employment. I also see many young ladies who have allowed these men to cheapen there value by having numerous children with them, but not taking the responsibility to care for those kids.
God wants Christians provide for themselves and their families. He gives people what they need to earn a living: authority, strength, skills, and talent. Work is His gift, it’s His way of providing for his people. According to Paul, believers who beg, borrow, or steal dishonor the faith because it appears that God is unable or unwilling to provide for them. God doesn’t call his followers to poverty, but to adequacy. This is not to say that these circumstances will not exist, but God has placed a desire in the soul of man to provide for his family. Then when the church body sees a need they minister to it.
The federal and state governments have done nothing more than accelerate and provide a mechanism to alleviate the repsonsibility of work from some in our nation. They are seen as poor an unfortunate, without hope or a fair chance to succeed. WHile a sub set of this population maybe unable to escape the grips of poverty, what incentive is there when your house is paid for, you elcitricity is paid for, your helathcare is paid for and all you have to do is be a brood mare. Pardon the frankness, butworking actively in the medical profession and with the “poor”, I see children under the age of 16 encouraged directly by parents to get about the business of having as many kids as possible in order to start the fedaral and state sugar train rolling.
So if I am a little hesitant to give my coat to them it is probably because they all ready have a better one (usually a better car, cell phone, and othe rgoodies as well all courtousy of the US tax payer). So eric aren’t you a bit tired of having a large percentage of your check going to support those who do not wnat to work, have no desire to work, and are perfectly content to allow you to provide all their amenities while you and your family make it day to day. Maybe you are, but quite frankly I and others are tired of the blatant taxation without representation and expect more from our fellow americans and representatives.
I also have this to say;
Having been through the Carter years we have not seen double digit inflation or double digit unemployment yet.
But with Commrade Biden and COmmrade Barrack’s plan to confescate more of the wealth and spread it about, I am sure that is not to far off in the near future.
Hello; a plumber asks some questionis in Ohio and he is fileted by th epress and a political machine, a reporter asks a candidate some quesitons and her station is banned;
Yeah I know it is a blog, not a journal; but this is way too much fun.
October 26th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I do own a bible in fact I own many Bibles and I do know that “The Bible is the most widely distributed (and quoted) book in the world…” point is you should read the whole passage. Whole Passage. Echo/ WHOLE PASSAGE. Just because it is widely distributed (and quoted) does not mean that all Pastors are right. In fact some times things are misquoted causing many different walks of the Christion faith. Yes, I would say that a lot of people have issues with misquoting. It’s ok, I’ve done it too. But the difference between you and I ,eric, is you won’t admit that you were wrong. And you shouldn’t lie to yourself until you believe the lie you’ve been telling. You should go look it up, if you think your so smart. And on behalf of Ellie your taking something she said way to far and again you aren’t looking back in histoy far enough (getting the WHOLE PASSAGE). See, when you study something, you don’t just make up stuff yourself or in your case make 2 + 2 = 5. You look at the events in time and look for the person or thing of intrest up and their PAST. Where have I seen this before? Maybe Bill Ayers or Maybe Rev. Wright? You don’t look at one or two quotes and decide for yourself you know what they were talking about. You liberals crack me up!!!
October 26th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Thank you Winnel!!!
October 26th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Eric
The context you are referring to is in Matthew 5:38-42.
Holding a grudge can consume us with hatred, blocking out all enjoyment of life. A grudge clouds our judgment and may lead us to an act of revenge that can never be undone. The Old Testament law specified equal revenge for equal wrong: “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:23-25, Leviticus 24:19-20), but that rule was too harsh for the new age of the kingdom of God. Jesus said the right thing to do is to take no revenge at all:
You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. (NRSV, Matthew 5:38-42)
Christ referred to the individual stealing the coat as an evildoer and it was the Christian’s responsibility not to seek revenge for the wrong doing. Basically it refers to if someone struck you (they performed the violent act) do not hit them back, if they forced you to go one mile, go two – the implication here is an individual being forced against their will by another individual who seems less than honorable in their intentions.
God wants us as much as possible to live at peace and harmony with out neighbors but he also expects responsible behavior from them on work, responsibilities, and relationships.
Well from the very beginning of the Bible in Genesis 2 we learn that work was part of God’s creative plan – He did not create man to be idle but to work to support himself and his family. God worked hard to create the world and then He set Adam to work in the garden – Genesis 2:15:
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it”
So notice that work was a good and positive part of daily activity BEFORE Adam and Eve sinned. God created us to be active and useful and we will therefore be most happy doing what our creator intended. Not working because we can’t be bothered is not an option. In the New Testament, Paul writes in Thessalonians 3:10-12:
“If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their own work quietly and to earn their own living.”
So Paul commends hard work -and condemns laziness. We are expected to work hard – whatever that work might be.
You know this way they could have a job, pay taxes, buy clothes, food etc. little things that a large majority of Americans do on a daily basis. I know it is wealth you want to spread but it smells like something else is being spread. Is the cow pen still full?
October 26th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
Hey eric did you see the SNL skit saturday night about the McCain Lady? … That’s what you sound like!
October 27th, 2008 at 12:06 am
Do you mean Sarah Palin? Now that really cuts deep Toby.
October 27th, 2008 at 1:38 am
No, It was the name of a skit on SNL about a McCain supporter.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:05 am
you know the lady that asked McCain at one of his rallies if Obama was an Arab… They were makin fun of her.
October 27th, 2008 at 2:07 am
http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/update-crazy-mccain-lady-we-liked-it/768741/
October 27th, 2008 at 2:54 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaABV1CWXug
If you knew anything about Obama’s economic policy you would connect the dots to see that it’s socialist!!! Here it is in a few words for all of you liberal hard heads, GOVERNMENT TAKING MONEY FROM THE WORKING CLASS AND GIVING TO PEOPLE WHO DON’T WORK. That simple. not only is it socialist it is MARXIST. LOOK IT UP!
October 27th, 2008 at 3:06 am
“Every time we reduce taxes, income to the federal government increases and the economy gets stronger. During the Administrations of Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge taxes were slashed from the confiscatory levels they had reached during World War I. The Revenue Acts of 1921, 1924, and 1926 reduced the top rate from 73 percent to 25 percent.
Spurred in part by lower tax rates, the economy expanded dramatically. In real terms, the economy grew 59 percent between 1921 and 1929, and annual economic growth averaged more than 6 percent.
Notwithstanding (or perhaps because of) the dramatic reduction in tax rates, personal income tax revenues increased substantially during the 1920s, rising from $719 million in 1921 to $1.16 billion in 1928.
President Kennedy proposed a series of tax rate reductions in 1963; the following year, legislation was passed that brought the top rate down from 91 percent in 1963 to 70 percent by 1965.
The Kennedy tax cuts helped to trigger a record economic expansion. Between 1961 and 1968, the inflation-adjusted economy expanded by more than 42 percent. On a yearly basis, economic growth averaged more than 5 percent.
Tax revenues grew strongly, rising by 62 percent between 1961 and 1968. Adjusted for inflation, they rose by one-third Just as in the 1920s, the share of the income tax burden borne by the rich increased. Tax collections from those making over $50,000 per year climbed by 57 percent between 1963 and 1966, while tax collections from those earning below $50,000 rose 11 percent. As a result, the rich saw their portion of the income tax burden climb from 11.6 percent to 15.1 percent.
President Reagan presided over two major pieces of tax legislation that, together, reduced the top tax rate from 70 percent in 1980 to 28 percent by 1988.
The economic effects of the Reagan tax cuts were dramatic. When President Reagan took office in 1981, the economy was being choked by high inflation and was in the middle of the 1980-1982 double-dip recession. The tax cuts helped to pull the economy out of its doldrums and ushered in a period of record peacetime economic growth. During the seven-year Reagan boom, economic growth averaged almost 4 percent.
Critics charge that the tax cuts caused higher deficits, but their argument is based on a misreading of the evidence. The Reagan tax cut, although approved in 1981, was phased in over several years. As a result, bracket creep (indexing was not implemented until 1985) and payroll tax increases completely swamped Reagan’s 1.25 percent tax cut in 1981 and effectively canceled out the portion of the tax cut that went into effect in 1982. The economy received an unambiguous tax cut only as of January 1983. Revenues then climbed dramatically. Personal income tax revenues led the way, increasing by more than 54 percent by 1989 (28 percent after adjusting for inflation).
Contrary to conventional wisdom, it was the “rich” who paid the additional taxes. The share of income taxes paid by the top 10 percent of earners jumped significantly, climbing from 48 percent in 1981 to 57.2 percent in 1988. The top 1 percent saw their share of the income tax bill climb even more dramatically, from 17.6 percent in 1981 to 27.5 percent in 1988.
The economic theory you subscribe to in morally wrong because it takes (at gun point if need be)from those who have and gives to those who don’t. (If that sounds like the failed policies of Karl Marx you are correct) You fight to confiscate more from those who are wealthy because you think the tax cuts put us in (greater) debt. You’re looking at the debt only, not the income to the federal government. Now as for those big spending republicans; you can place the blame for that on a war in Iraq we didn’t need to fight and their unchecked spending on bacon.” (These are Gary’s words)
October 27th, 2008 at 6:00 am
I knew who you meant Toby, I was
just trying to make a joke.
October 27th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
It ‘fails’, because a-b was divided out. a-b=0, and we must never ever divide by zero. Lucky, the world didn’t end this time.
October 27th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
Gary
may need not need a BA in economics but I was wondering if you could check out this math
While Obama is not going to “raise taxes” (The sudden urge to loose control of my bowels generally grips me when I here this) my understanding is he will let the Bush tax cuts lapse in 2010. If that occurs, according to the 2000 tax tables (you can google these) my taxes would go up at the federal level by 78.9% (roughly 5126 dollars).
By the by, I make way under 250 K/year. So how is that not a tax increase? Might be worth talking to some of your buds about and have them check the numbers say on families making 50K-150K and compare the 2000 versus the 2008 tax tables.
Any who, if they expire I and the equestrian I arrived in town on will be violated in a perverse manner.
Keep up the heat
October 28th, 2008 at 12:42 am
Winnel,
If you make under $250,000 a year, your taxes won’t go up one dime under Obama. He has been very specific about this; it’s his “read my lips” pledge.
George H.W. Bush, the man who told you to read his lips, went back on his pledge and was not elected for a second term. Obama knows this, and knows that going back on his pledge would likely destroy his chances at serving two terms.
More specifically, since you make “way under $250,000″, Obama’s plan gives you a bigger tax break than McCain’s plan does – as much as three times the break you’d get with McCain.
You can look at the candidates’ plans or you can get all of your information through an ideological filter. But ask yourself two simple questions: Why wouldn’t Obama want you to have a bigger tax cut than the wealthy, and why would he center his campaign around a promise that he intends to break?
If your tax bill is your biggest issue, and you make less that $250K, you’d be a fool to vote for McCain.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Gary, thanks for the post. I actually agreed with you on every one, and already voted as such. Keep up the good work.
October 28th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
JJ.. Lets have a chat here about “taxes.” I want you to examine what we say not defend any position.. Just a chat..OK?
Lets start with a couple of propositions here and see if we agree..
1) Most of us are in the “poor” to middle class” economic level and as such we buy MOST of the goods and services sold in this country. In other words, we buy most because we ARE the most. Can we agree on that?
October 28th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
I’ll add one more measure for voters to consider – the retention vote for Patricia Breckenridge on the Supreme Court. I’m planning to vote no based on her decision in the City of Arnold v. Homer R. Tourkakis eminent domain case:
http://www.courts.mo.gov/Courts/PubOpinions.nsf/0f87ea4ac0ad4c0186256405005d3b8e/8bd102d5546a573b8625740f006a459c?OpenDocument
October 28th, 2008 at 11:57 pm
Gary, I haven’t seen the stats on the percentages of goods and services purchased by the various income groups. For the sake of finding out where you’re going with this, I’ll agree to your assessment.
October 29th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Thank you JJ.. Maybe it would seem more clear if I rephrase it.. I’ll use exxon oil for my example. Would it be fair to assume that the poor and middle class buy more gasoline from exxon than the rich do? IE more of us, more cars ergo.. more gasoline?
October 31st, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Gary,
Here’s some interesting information about Amendment 4:
http://www.gonemild.com/2008/10/looking-down-ballot-missouri_960.html
October 31st, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Can anyone help? Earlier this week, I was listening to Gary’s radio show, and the discussion was centered on Medicare and Social Security. The argument put forth by Gary was that if you decide to opt-out of Medicare, that automatically means you lose your Social Security benefits. I’ve tried to confirm this at both the Medicare and SS websites, but no luck. Called Medicare, but they would not say. Called Social Security, and they said you do NOT lose your benefits when you opt out of Medicare ! If someone can provide some evidence to support the arguement that SS is lost, please forward to me at Joe.in.MO@gmail.com . Thanks !
October 31st, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Joe, the information came from the Wall Street Journal and I will forward it to you on monday.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:35 am
Obama is letting the $1,000 per child tax credit expire in 2010 with the rest of the Bush tax cuts. He’s been saying he’ll give out his $1,000 per family work credit, but this will immediately be negated by the expiration of the $1,000 child tax credit – unless of course you pay no taxes as then of course you would somehow still get a “tax cut”.
If the average family has 2 or 3 kids then their taxes will go up by $1000 – $2000 after you deduct Obama’s election gift of $1000 to every working family.
This is such a farce and unfortunately no one has spoken about it.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:41 am
Obama is letting the $1,000 per child tax credit expire in 2010 with the rest of the Bush tax cuts. He’s been saying he’ll give out his $1,000 per family work credit, but this will immediately be negated by the expiration of the $1,000 child tax credit – unless of course you pay no taxes as then of course you would somehow still get a “tax cut”.
If the average family has 2 or 3 kids then their taxes will still go up by $1000 – $2000 after you deduct Obama’s election gift of $1000 to every working family.
This is such a farce and unfortunately no one has spoken about it.
Please get this information out there before it is to late.
November 1st, 2008 at 9:43 am
Obama is letting the $1,000 per child tax credit expire in 2010 with the rest of the Bush tax cuts. He’s been saying he’ll give out his $1,000 per family work credit, but this will immediately be negated by the expiration of the $1,000 child tax credit – unless of course you pay no taxes as then of course you would somehow still get a “tax cut”.
If the average family has 2 or 3 kids then their taxes will go up by $1000 – $2000 after you deduct Obama’s election gift of $1000 to every working family.
This is such a farce and unfortunately no one has spoken about it.
November 1st, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Gary
I think you missed my point. I do not think anyone should pay higher taxes. (actually I think income based taxes are horrible and should be completely abolished)
However you can look at 1999 tax tables and compare those to 2007 tax tables and clearly see that if the bush tax cuts are allowed to expire taxes will go up for everyone. If you look at a 40K example, a couple filing jointly with two kids had a $5204 tax liability. If you look at 2007 a couple making 40K with 2 kids is $3221. Even with Columbia School math it will be an increase.
This increase would be across the board for all income levels but it becomes more unequal as you go up the income bracket. I am very blessed to have a good job and do make a very good living for my family so I will get it in the end (literally)
The point in the case is that if taxes go up, people will cut back on spending. More of our funds will go toward surviving as opposed to discretionary spending on other items. Inventories build up and produciton slows and people get laid off, etc, etc.
These are the same exact bonehead interventions attmepted by government in the 1930’s that lead to the depression and maintained the depressed economic state. Which in turn lead to one party monopolizing the government for so many years and Roosevelt’s stacking of the supreme court. Quite frankly, it was probably intentional on Roosevelt and others part, in order to maintain power and the “poor me I can’t do anything without the governemnt attitude”
If you make between 50-150K and do not think taxes will go up, then I have some real estate for sell in anartica that is ocean front primo property if anyone is interested.
November 1st, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Well said Winnel and that was my point as well.
Obama is letting the Bush tax cuts and credits expire in 2010 and yet he claims he is not raising taxes for 95% of Americans. Actually what he is doing is just the opposite and increasing the taxes on every working family in the country.
The other part of this is that people think they are getting an extra $1000 under Obama’s plan. Unfortunately that is only applicable for families if they currently pay no taxes. If you make $50K or more or if you have multiple kids your taxes are going up by thousands each year.
For fun I went ahead and put in various figures in Obama’s tax calculator and $40,000 and below is the magic number to get tax breaks from Obama. Oddly enough this is also the approx number where the typical family currently pays no taxes – go figure.
It is worth repeating that the $1000 that Obama says he is giving to every working family actually will disappear in 2010 if you have one child, as the $1000 child credit goes away. If you have 2 or more kids then your taxes will actually go up by at least $1000 under Obama’s compared to McCain’s plan. The more kids you have the higher your taxes will be under Obama’s plan. Gee, that sounds like a great family friendly plan to me.
November 2nd, 2008 at 5:31 am
If Obama ( assuming he wins ) lets the Bush tax cuts expire on the lower brackets without reinstating them then it will be a total “read my lips” moment and many voters will hold him accountable in the 2012 election. It could be political suicide and he will no longer have the benefit of a ‘historic election’ to aid him.
I think he has too much political savvy to make such a blunder but only time will tell.
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:31 pm
Sorry Eric Obama is a socialist pure and simple. His ideas are new copies of marxist philosophies and his use of class envy will be what maintains his status as an elected official.
There is no incentive under his tax policies and economic ideas for me to be succesful. I wanted to have more so I went back to college, borrowed money, lived with parents and in laws to get a better education so I could enjoy the fruits of my labor.
Now Mr. Obaam wants to confiscate more of what I make and give it to those who do not want to work and incentivize them even more not to work. Please do not give me they are poor and unable load of crapt. I ws poor, diagnosed with a life changing disease and I made it so can they. The problem is you have to have integrity, a little personal responsibility, and some personal self respect. All most of Obama’s supproters see is not having to buy gas, pay their mortgage, and living off the backs of hardworking Americans
Look at what little of a voting record he has in Illinois, and in the senate to see what the next four years will bring.
Spare me the dribble about how unfortunate they are because I work in a sector that sees these individuals on a daily basis. We reward kids to have kids and more kids, and do not anyone responsible for this.
We are in for it. Obama wants to bankrupt the coal industry (you can google the financial implications of this), without proposing how he wold replace these jobs or create new forms of energy.
November 2nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Winnel, I thought about listing the dozens of socialistic programs that are currently on the books or the dozens of socialistic programs/regulations/ideas that have been repealed/replaced though the years. I could suggest that you compare proposed tax rates to historical rates. We could look at the government’s size as a percentage to our GDP…but alas, nothing I could say or do will make any difference because you have already partaken of the Kool-aid.
BTW maybe you could google “cap and trade” then you might understand the concept he was explaining when the out of context quotes about coal plants came up or why he supports clean coal technology.
People were scared into the Iraq war …scared into voting for an undeserving Bush second term and now they have you scared again. You had better go hide in the corner because the big bad black Muslim Marxist boogieman is coming to get you and all your money and he may even bring some of his terrorist friends. Give me a break.
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Eric
The dozens of socialist programs are breaking our country financially. I am sorry if the truth I see on a daily basis offends you and causes you grief but those are honest observations by myself and others.
It is amazing how everything is spun to where Mr. Obama is just misunderstood or completely taken out of context when he speaks. There is always an explanation for his comments and inability to efficectively communicate a point.
My point is his are the same policies that began the erosion of our rights and liberties in the 30s and the nanny state mindset continues to plague us to this day. It is you that has paretaken of the kool aid.
My father and his family grew up in the depression. He was awarded a bronze star in WWII and returned home to start his own business. I saw him struggle during many years and succeed in others. I know what it is not to have anything from my father’s accounts of the depression and my personal life, but that did not stop me feom trying to be succesful.
If you want to google something try the great depression and read some honest assessments of how Roosevelt’s liberal policies actually extended this period of time. Find some individuals who actually lived during that time and find out what it was really like to not have anything (health insurance, jobs, housing, etc). The great society was supposed to end poverty forever, but has done little to abate this problem if not make it worse (both of these programs were pressed by democratic presidents)
I rest my case. Your continued arguemnts prove that many Americans are incapable or willingly refuse to assume any type of responsibility for their actions or their personal lives, are perfectly content to allow others to work while they refuse to lift a finger, and are perfectly willing to allow government to live their lives and make their decisioins for them. Sounds a lot like animal farm to me.
So basically because I took responsibility and instead of feeling sorry for myself, studied hard and sacrificed, took the risk, and now I am succesful (and working in a business that supplies jobs for 19 others) I have drank the kool aid.
I think your last bit of discourse and rambling has more than proven my point without further comment being necessary.
I wish you the best and great success in the future.
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
eric
I took our advice and googled cap and trade
America’s Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191), sponsored by Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA), is the latest and fastest-moving “cap and trade” bill introduced in Congress this year. All such climate change measures warrant careful scrutiny, as they would likely increase energy costs and do considerably more economic harm than environmental good
November 2nd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Cap and trade climate bills (googled it some more oh yeah I talked with a few riends who work at AECI in clinton and are paying millions for a new scrubber to make the air cleaner,
These measures would ease the limit on carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use. It would impose a cap that would impose rationing of coal, oil, and natural gas on the American economy. Each covered utility, Oil Company, and manufacturing facility would be given allowances based on past emissions or some other formula. Those companies that emit less carbon dioxide that permitted by their excess could sell those that do not have excess. This is the trade portion of the cap. Over time, the cap would be ratcheted down, requiring greater cuts in emissions. Each o the proposals differ from the others on specifics; the stringency of the cap and the number and type of companies covered. In several respects S.2191 is more severe with its caps. Its requirement is that carbon emissions decline to 15 percent bellow 2005 levels by 2020. In the face of growing demand and a growing population this might be difficult at best.
Measures like S.2191 that target carbon emission greatly and aggressively will be costlier than those that give the economy more time to adjust to the energy constraints. Over the long term, energy companies nay find ways to capture and store CO2 better, may be able to store them under ground, or switch to lower leve alternative energy sources. Most experts see these targets as taking decades to accomplish and they may complicate the development of longer term innovations.
European efforts have racked up significant costs while failing to reduce emissions. Nearly every European country today participating has higher emissions than when the treaty was signed in 1997.
To pay for it some have suggested a regressive tax by limiting the supplies of fossil fuels and raising the cost of energy. For consumers cap and trade means more expensive gadolinite and electricity as well as net job lessen energy dependent sectors
The net jobs lost estimated to be lost by S21921 are estimated by Charles River Associates to be 1.2 million, to 2.3 million. Some of these jobs will be lost for good; others in the manufacturing sector will go over seas. S2191 could significantly raise the domestic manufacturing costs and that developed nations refuse to impose similar restrictions. In short, the American economy would experience an outsourcing of substantial degree of manufacturing jobs to those nations with lower energy cost.
Cap and trade bills are nothing short of government re-engineering of the America economy. S2191, with its aggressive targets to reduce emissions from fossil fuels, would put the nation on the path of serous economic hardship. In the slight event that s2191 raised costs on manufacturing; the American economy would experience a substantial outsourcing of manufacturing those products to those countries that aha lower cost
November 3rd, 2008 at 6:50 am
Amen.
The Republicans should have nominated Ron Paul. (Yes, I am being serious)
November 3rd, 2008 at 7:15 am
When you are driving north (past Moberly) on Hwy 63 and look off to the western horizon you can see smokestacks of AECI’s Thomas Hill power plant. (units 1,2 and the larger one is 3) It is nice to know the the ’smoke’ that is billowing up wards is almost entirely steam and yet when they finish this newest improvement they are working on the emissions will be reduced another 90%. I think that is great. Responsible companies like this shouldn’t be punished by a sensible application of a “cap and trade” policy. They could even reap a potential reward if they could sell off extra carbon credits to a less responsible company.
November 3rd, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I actually spend time out at Thomas Hill because of my job and know seevral of the employees who work at that facility.
I have been told that, the new scrubbers they are putting in cannot come on line currently because of some hold up in federal rules regarding their application. They have been working on this project for quite some time at a lot of expense to AECI (here and at their sister palnt in new Madrid Missouri)
In addition, and without fail, each person I talk to says that the application of cap and trade will cost consumers more because of the process involved.
Nobody wants dirty air, and while cap and trade looks good on the surface we are talking about Washington. And if their is own thing we can agree on sensible applicationi of any policy goes out the window when full of crapt beurocrats get involved in the process.
Working in healthcare I know this. I spend more time with paperwork, and making sure every one of the forms are filled so I can be reimbursed either by the VA or Medicare
I am sorry, but I do not think of sensible appiclation of anything wihen I think of DC
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:57 pm
how do I best spend my vote?
Obama clearly is the fast track to hell. McCain is the scenic route, but Bob seems to have no wheels on the train.
I can go where I would not be, or fail to get to where I would go.
Palin is my bright spot, and that is the way I am leaning. my conscience is leaning to Bob…..
November 4th, 2008 at 6:22 am
speaking of sensible applications and in his own words from the san fransisco chronicle
OBAMA: When I was asked earlier about the issue of coal, uh, you know, under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.
And so the farmers will not feel left out from Time Magazine:
As a consequence, our agriculture sector actually is contributing more greenhouse gases than our transportation sector. And in the mean time, it’s creating monocultures that are vulnerable to national security threats, are now vulnerable to sky-high food prices or crashes in food prices, huge swings in commodity prices, and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs because they’re contributing to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease, obesity, all the things that are driving our huge explosion in healthcare costs. That’s just one sector of the economy.
This is going to be fun. Now he is blaming the farmers for diabetes and stroke, heart disease, and obesity – uh how about inactivy, lack of ohysical fitness, sitting in front of the TV, poor dietary habits – the farmer did no tmake you drive through Mcdonalds or put that cup cake in your hand.
This is fubar
November 4th, 2008 at 7:13 am
Roy, thought you had more sense then that.
People, wake up. The Libertarian Party will never, and I repeat, never have a member of Congress or the white house, EVER.
They will complain and whine that it’s because of this law or that laws that isn’t fair to 3rd parties, but that is bogus.
Libertarians lack political will, drive, and most importantly, ORGANIZATION. Where is your local libertarian headquarters? This isn’t one in Missouri. You want to know why? Because Libertarians are too busy worrying about drug laws or complaining about the system then actually doing something called “Campaigning”.
Now, the ideals of the libertarian party are great, less government, more freedom. But the mindset is where it stops. You people are seriously throwing a vote away voting for this group of unorganized bafoons. If you think they are intelligent idividuals, I suggest you take a look at Tamara Millay, who doesn’t live in the district, or Chris Dweyer, who doesn’t even follow the free market thinking of his party!
Libertarians are in disarray, and until they get their act together, they will never survive as a legitimate party.
November 4th, 2008 at 2:06 pm
I support many of Gary’s Libertarian principles but have been disappointed to hear him repeating Republican talking points lately. He ran with the ranting reverend story, the socialist label and the latest, that Obama “wanted” to bankrupt the coal companies. I never got to hear him play the clip but I can guarantee he did not play the whole clip where Obama explains that clean coal technologies can avoid the caps that will make dirty coal expensive. I have to second what a lady wrote to Gary on another thread: If I wanted to hear that stuff I would just listen to Sean Hannity.
November 4th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I also support many of Gary’s priciples but am disappointed that the 3rd party did not campaign. I just could not pull the lever today for Bar, I pulled it for McCain. My gut told me it was not the right time to take a stand with all the economic crap going on. Also, I am sending a son to Afghanastan in Dec. The next 4 years will be a large roller coaster ride. God help us all.
November 4th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Morkin, you are correct that there is no Libertarian HQ in Missouri, but we’re working on that:
http://lpmo.org/strategic/
I don’t recall anyone in the state party discussing drug laws lately. Eminent domain reform and NAIS are bigger issues, ones that Libertarians have been building coalitions on and working with like-minded groups. The Republican Party FAILED to protect private property rights with the eminent domain “reform” bill passed a couple legislative sessions ago. The Missouri Libertarian Party, working with Missouri Citizens for Property Rights, as well as some members of the Constitution Party and other true defenders of private property nearly got the constitutional amendments on the ballot this November. With two years to work on it for the next election cycle, they will definitely be on there.
It matters not that Ms. Millay is lives outside the Ninth Congressional District. The US Constitution sets who may run for that office, not the Missouri Constitution or state statutes. She is a resident of Missouri and that’s good enough for me.
Chris Dwyer has done an adequate job of expressing libertarian beliefs, even if he may not be a 100/100 on the (not Gary) Nolan Chart. I would say he’s done a better job than I did when I ran for state rep in 2002. If he wishes to run again in the future, I’m sure he will offer an even better presentation then.
Libertarians don’t need members in Congress or the White House to get the change we deserve (harrumph!). If either the Democrats or Republicans figure out there is a bloc of voters that lean libertarian and support those issues, they will get those votes. The Republicans took that group for granted in 2006 and you see what happened to them. I suspect the libertarian contingent of the Republican party will defect in larger numbers today, possibly to Barr, some to Chuck Baldwin perhaps. But the fault lies with the Republican Party getting haughty after the 1994 elections and forgetting their campaign promises.
November 6th, 2008 at 10:29 am
John,
So your telling me that after almost 35 years as a party, you Libertarians (Party Members) are happy with the gains that you have made!? 489,197. Thats it. If you believe that the party is making inroads, you are sadly mistaken.
November 6th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Had I been in the district I would have voted for Chris Dwyer. He was the best candidate in that fight. You don’t have to be Libertarian to want those values and you don’t need large numbers to make your party understand you want that.
Morkin – may a ray of sunshine… you get the point
November 7th, 2008 at 11:19 am
I think part of the problem with every “third party” that is out there is that many of them are in the fight just to tilt at windmills and be able to proclaim getting 4-5% of the vote as a “victory.”
Morkin makes a great point about the LP’s position in politics after being an alternative party for so long.
It seems like many of the candidates were just happy to get the Libertarian position out in front of the public. I watched the candidates during the debates and saw people just wanting to read the LP party platform without offering real leadership.
And Ellie…I’m sure Chris Dwyer is a nice guy and a true believer in his party’s ideals. But, I heard him on the air with Tom Bradley and didn’t get fired up about voting for him.
The Reform Party made an impact because they had a candidate in Ross Perot who had the money and personality to fire up a portion of the electorate. Nice guys who believe in your party’s principles don’t win big elections. It’s people who are passionate about their beliefs and can get voters fired up enough to vote for them instead of the other guy.
November 7th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Personality and empty promises should not trump true positions on issues, but that aside, it all boils down to money…the big 2 have it and third parties do not. In short, the Democrats and Republicans have the money to sell their candidates while simultaneously buying constituents’ votes. Campaign finance laws make it nearly impossible for any third party candidate, in spite of their appeal, to succeed.
November 11th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Keep fighting for Liberty Gary. There are a lot more out here that the politicians want to believe. A significant number of Republicans held their nose and voted R just to keep the Ds from running the country.
It is unthinkable that we have allowed our government to spend us into poverty yet here it is. The Great Depression was caused, in part, to people leveraging their stock purchases along with personal property. Now we leverage everything and the Nation is so heavily leveraged ownership is in question.
It has become a weakness that even the military would have trouble defending.
November 11th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Gary,
I’m going to go ahead and agree with you whole heartedly on our need for self determination. Unfortunately, I feel we have passed so far from liberty that I think most people wouldn’t know what real liberty is. Even if people knew that they were getting the short end of the stick most people (myself included) have no real way of effecting change in favor of liberty. Our leaders say that we can enact change thru our representatives in Washington, but can one person adequately represent 750,000 people? I dare say alot of the ills we have today are a direct reflection of the “people” not having a voice in congress.
Just out of curiosity, how would a person try and bring about a constitutional convention within a state to amend the federal constitution?
jesse
November 12th, 2008 at 9:28 am
I agree with you whole heartedly! This country has and is becoming a Socialist Nanny State. The horrible thing is… the people don’t care. Most people, especially the younger generations, (I am only 29) only care about what FUN they can do on the upcoming weekend or evening. They feel entitled to everything they have and colleges grads want everything their parents took 30 years to aquire, immediately after graduation. Most people just don’t care… FAT DUMB & HAPPY? RIGHT?
November 12th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Gary,
Here’s the Wiki info on “Imputed Income” and yes the Clinton’s were proposing to sock it to home owners for the “imputed income” attributed to their home ownership.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imputed_income
Read It & Weep,
Don Spies
November 12th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Gary, constitutional amendments are constitutional. The constitution allows itself to be changed according to the will of the people. Are you saying “the people” were wrong to change the constitution?
Also government is not necessarily bad just because you don’t like it. It can be corrupted however, most often by organized movements and often in the form of corporations. Ironically it seems we need regulation to limit the corruption of government by entrenched interests.
Also isn’t our system based on the idea that we the people can create the govement we want through are political activities, within the framework of checks and balances?
Demonizing government is overly simplistic.
November 15th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
keep up the fight. Wanted to get your thoughts. My wife and I are working on a thesis for her constitution class. We are stating that the RNC and DNC have crossed over into political religions. That would mean that under separation of church and state, teachers could not have any political symbols or promote one party or another. This would leave the Libertarian party as the only true political party. What do you think?
November 17th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Keep it up Gary!! You are right, right ,right (meaning correct). We need more voices like yours. You must urge people – if you do not like your job, RUN for local political office and start from the bottom up. It is the only way for true change BACK to better times.
November 17th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
You have the best looking producer in radio.
-anonymous
November 17th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Gary I think you have to much faith in people. I think man is inherently greedy and if he has a chance to shortchange his fellow man by not giving a fair wage for a service performed he will,especially at the corporate level where most employees are nothing more than badge numbers to them. So unions are important because they level the playing field
November 17th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Unions play the same strong-arm tactics today that they always have. This is one example of what’s happening just down the street from us.
In St. Louis you will find fringe areas where it is legal for non-union shops to run wiring in new construction projects. In these areas a Union electrical contractor will frequently be hired to do high-voltage work, while a non-union low voltage shop will be hired to do the low-voltage (security, speaker wiring, phone and networking, etc.). It is not the least bit uncommon to see non-union work trucks with slashed tires, busted out windows, and stolen tools (you can’t see the stolen tools, but you catch my drift)… etc.
November 17th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
There is currently a strike going on at AB Chance in Centralia. You probably already knew this. Since contract negotiations are currently in progress you may not want to post or include this, I’ll leave that up to you.
Striking point was when the retirees were going to lose benefits promised to them throughout their career with Chance and Hubble. Some of these retirees plan to retire in less than 5 years. They do not have the opportunity to build another career. The company should have built the retirement costs into the cost of their product or phased out the policy.
They didn’t strike when their percentage of health ins costs went up, they’re not asking for more money.
I agree salary should be negotiated on its merit. Not that it factors in but this contract is not going to hurt Hubble’s financial position. Their 3rd qtr. reports were glowingly improved over last year. If the company was in trouble as with the auto industry you would see these home-town boys ready to negotiate in the interest of the company.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Gary, good topic. It is rediculous to pay a highschool graduate 100k+ a year. And that isn’t the final cost to employers you forgot to include works comp ensurance and the rest of the overhead costs. It is probably closer to 250k a year per employee. The unions have ruined every industry that they have been associated with, a good question to ask on the air is Has the unions improved ANY industry. I may be wrong on this but weren’t some of the unions started by the mob?
November 17th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Bottom line: The autoworker need to have a “come to jesus talk” with the automakers…either the auto workers agree to take a lower wage (so they can continue to work and the auto companies can continue to provide those jobs which allow them to work) or the workers can stay at the same wage and the companies can go out of business. However, the companies aren’t without some blame.
If you look at the loss in market for GM over the past 20 years, it has been a constant downward trend. They should have seen this coming and adjusted (with layoffs). It is very difficult for me to have sympathy for GM which has lost market share over the last 20 years. At least Ford and Chrystler have only rewally started loosing market share since about 2000 (and Ford more so than Chrystler) so I have a tiny corner of sympathy for them.
However, the most important thing is the workers deciding if they want to work or be out of a job altogether. A compromise MUST be made. The current system cannot self sustain and the millions of auto workers need to realize this.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
to get Andrew Gause CD about buying gold.. Call 800-468-2646 and mention Gary Nolan to get it for free..
November 17th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
I’d love to have the security of gold, but since it is a commodity, the tax rate on your profits could be as high as 28%, isn’t that true?
November 17th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Strong dollar simple logic
We are guessing the “momentous historical development” that launches
the US dollar into a new multi-year bull trend was the credit crunch. It is a
game changer on risk appetite and correlation of every asset class (but
the dollar) going up at the same time, as the dollar credit was the driver.
We have marked the Credit Crunch on our long-term dollar – gold chart
-wide credit concerns (it’s still the
world’s money)
• Strong dollar makes oil cheaper (less dollar borrowing by countries
to buy oil)
• Strong dollar mollifies commodities prices and inflation expectations
(allows for rate relief needed in Asia and Europe)
• Strong dollar helps US consumption (imported goods cheaper i.e.
increases purchasing power)
• Strong dollar helps periphery exports (liquidity draining from
emerging markets, exports required to re-liquefy)
• Strong dollar helps German exports (and European manufacturing)
• Strong dollar combined with rising US yield differential (as ECB and
BOE and RBA and SNB…cut rates) might create a self-reinforcing
flow of hot money (speculative capital) into the US looking for a
home, thus reducing the burden of fiscal policy to stimulate the
private sector
If this logic is correct, then these are my guesses:
• European currencies continue to head much further south
• Commodity dollars sag
• Crude prices are pressured lower for a time
• Gold is finished in this cycle
• Spreads and interbank tension start to normalize
• Stocks—we don’t even wish to venture a guess
• World—it does not end.
• Congress—If wishing could make it so; but it can’t. Stuck with them
we are.
November 17th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I agree about the lack of a father in the home and also think that the lack of real physical education classes is partially to blame as well. There is no time during the day that our children run until they can’t run any more – they do not get enough exercise.We all know that when kids are worn out they are too tired to fight! Additionally, they are constantly being told that they must control themselves and if they yell at someone or even begin to “act out” as they call it, they have to “Process” with the teacher. Geeze – if they hurt someone’s feelings they need to look that person in the eye and apologize. If they hit someone (lower grades is where this has to start), again, they need to look that person in the eye, apologize and then the two of them shake hands and move on. Our kids are being inundated with feelings of guilt about feeling things that are perfectly normal. Of course, bottom line is the parents as you always so aptly point out!
BTW – the “Protect your assets” folks are so busy thanks to you that they are having to call folks back – they are very appreciative!
November 17th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Gary, you rock dude!!!
November 17th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Regarding Unions….they were created to Protect the worker. With Ford in particular…Henry Ford created the famous “service department” to bust the union organizers. BUST was a literal term. And I would like to meet a person who makes 250K on a Union job….I’ve never heard of one!
My brother works at ABChance/Hubbell and I think it is ridiculous what they are fighting over. Give the workers what they were promised! Most of those guys want to go back to work! Who can afford to NOT work right now.
If there weren’t unions, then corporations would be free to mistreat employees and not give fair wages and be able to get away with it.
Unions are good for America.
November 17th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
On the topic of why kids in schools are fighting and not respecting those in authority–I agree with you about the role of parental responsibility being neglected. Somewhere along the way, parents have bought into this crazy idea rampant in our material society that we as parents have all these “rights”–to time off from our kids, to “help” in raising them, to passing off our duties as shared with other agencies so we can blame and complain if the end result isn’t what we hoped for. If we have children, we are responsible to raise them–to be there, to make the hard choices and be unpopular–whether it means that you get no mother’s days out and drive an old car so you can be around when supervision is called for. There are folks who can’t afford to be with their kids very much–and then there are folks driving nice cars with $300 phones with latch key kids….Finally, I’d like to throw out there one more influence that is easily overlooked in how kids act–the television. Anyone who thinks that t.v. is a harmless babysitter should sit and count the number of times that children on programs roll eyes or smart talk adults; even on shows for little kids, on the “good” stations–Bob the Builder gets eye rolling from his subordinate tractors sometimes. The culture has made it cool to be in opposition to those in authority–and kids, who sadly spend more time in front of the t.v. than their parents in many homes, get the message from a very early age. Sassy, smart alecky attitudes sell–walk through the mall and count the little girls and boys with rude messages on their clothes, and thank the media’s influence–when parents don’t do their jobs, the vultures are always ready to fill the void. Maybe the prescription isn’t so hard–home a little more, a whole LOT less television and media….
November 18th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Gary is such a hypocrite.
He thinks business should be able negotiate their product or service’s selling price but he doesn’t think the workers should be able to with their product (labor).
He thinks it is fine that companies like Microsoft will use their size and power to stifle competition but he doesn’t feel the lowly worker can bargain collectively to leverage their position.
When businesses break the law Gary see it as an exception but when unions do it Gary would have you believe that it was the rule.
Gary doesn’t like a union of working Americans to petition the government but he won’t tell you (in the same topic) that a union of business owners (corporations) possess many times the amount of power and influence in the halls of government because their lobbing expenditures dwarf that of the unions.
The car companies are failing because of a myriad of poor management decisions (including bad labor contracts that they agreed on based on their ill-conceived projected growth estimates).
November 18th, 2008 at 6:29 am
Eric…I agree with one of the things you said, and you might find this of interest (an exerpt from the Downsize DC Dispatch):
“Did you know that GM and other automakers with UAW contracts have to pay many of their employees to do nothing! It’s called a Job Bank. Laid-off workers at Ford, GM, and Chrysler are paid 90% of their previous wages to sit in a room at the factory doing nothing!
Think of what this will mean if the politicians pass a bill to bailout GM, or Chrysler, or Ford. When you go to work you’ll be laboring part of the day to pay some members of the United Auto Workers union to sit and produce nothing.
Doesn’t that sound like a scam to you, and wouldn’t a bailout represent government sponsorship of this scam?
Do you think, perhaps, the Detroit automakers might not need a bailout if they didn’t sign such stupid contracts with the UAW union?
Do you think, perhaps, that no bailout should even be considered as long as such contracts are in place?”
That said, Eric, can you look deeper and see that unions take away the power of each individual and place it in the hands of ONE person for representation. These workers are led to believe they lack the mental acumen to bargain for themselves with an employer, an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.
Is it really fair, Eric, for an employer to be forced to cave to a collective that didn’t take the monetary chance on bringing a product or service to market or assume the financial risk of building the factory or business? What about the value of THAT effort?
Many factors are attributable to the failure of the car companies… including poor managament decisions …but let us not forget the government legislation forcing them to re-tool their plants for “greener cars” and the workers, who in demanding ridiculous pay and benefits, resulted in the building of an inferior product that people are not willing to pay for. There is plenty of blame to go around and the lessons will not be learned unless these companies are permitted to fail, to learn from their mistakes.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:05 am
If you are sitting in your garage making widgets and you decide you can make greater profits by hiring help that is great (jobs are created). The widget maker offers a wage and the potential employee agrees.
With risk comes potential reward.
If nothing changes there is no risk to the widget maker but that isn’t reality. Demand for widgets change, rent changes, utility costs change, raw material costs change but the only variable that Gary finds so much distaste for is the cost of labor.
It is the free market Gary, you have to take the good with the bad.
louise, I don’t like the idea of this possible ‘bailout’/loan/whatever but I am still undecided.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:21 am
OK Eric, if you’re going to eaves drop..pay attention. No wonder you’re a liberal..You only hear half of what is said! I have no problem with workers asking for and getting a raise. My problem is when they have the power to shut down MY shop because I don’t want to pay more for their labor. I don’t even know where you got the rest of the garbage in your response!LOL
November 18th, 2008 at 7:41 am
Gary, I only hear half of what you said because I don’t live in my car.
So you don’t have a problem with unions? I guess we don’t have a disagreement.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Unions are not the problem…Corporations are not the problem…the inherent irrisponsible evil and greed in some humans is however the problem. That problem crosses the isle.
How do you solve THAT?
November 18th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
AB Chance is back to work. That is good news as Amelia will probably agree. Details of the new contract were not publicised but I only pray they were able to keep the retirement benefits for now.
I understand it is unusual for a Hubble plant to have these benefits. If they chose to phase them out it is still better than pulling the rug from someone who does not have the work-life left to build a retirement on thier own.
These were the terms of job when they agreed to sweat and labor 25-30+ years for this company. Whether you like unions or not a agreements should be upheld.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Gary,
1. People need to understand there are many people who run small businesss. Every Internist, lawyer, plumber, sales man etc. are self-employed.
2.Union activist are just as discriminatory as any employer has ever been especially in this day and age. Good employees always find the highest level of pay for their competence.
And finally, it’s not about taxes, it’s not about Joe the Plumber it’s about political power and as long as you can convince the masses they can gain power and money through voting for their benifit at the expense of their follow citizen, they will vote for
for themselves and empower
those who promise it to them, regardless of those who pay the bills they inncur. The result will occur when the self-employed, the business owner,our economic system which understands that, (who do you keeps the local banks solvent) and the bill payers pressure the House of Representatives to protect our freedoms and insure out economy.
November 19th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Toby why is it so important to you to prove that Eric is wrong in your mind? Perhaps someone should look in the mirror before they worry about someone else.
I’m so glad Obama won…..
November 19th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
The reason McCain won has nothing to do with the color of the candidates but everything to do with TAXES. MISSOURIANS DO NOT LIKE TAXES AND MISSOURIANS VOTE DOWN TAXES ALL THE TIME. ESPECIALLY HERE IN RANDOLPH COUNTY where I guess we hold on to our religion and guns and hatred of TAXES !!!!!
November 19th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Gary You are wrong on this. The Federal Holiday is Christmas. Not “Happy Holidays” Not “Seasons Greetings” but Christmas…… what the gentleman was trying to say was that there has been a effort to dismiss “Merry Christmas”
from everything……
Now you little comment just now about you don’t know who is standing in your line……it does not matter what or whom they are….It is the Christmas Holiday and therefore Christmas TIME and therefore those in line most often are not offended. Just the nuts are offended.
November 19th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
The helicopter – slash – blimp example of government wastwe was not true. The thing is in production, but has yet to be built, tested or have it’s first inevitable crash landing.
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/07/29/blimp-skyhook.html
November 19th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
It is also our freedom not to shop at stores that do not reflect our mind set.
It is called FREEDOM OF CHOICE
November 19th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
I am a Christian, and I don’t particularly care what greeting a retailer employs. Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, Merry Solstice, whatever; it’s the retailer’s choice. However, it’s also my choice as a shopper to not patronize stores which don’t use a greeting I appreciate.
The issue is really one of freedom; retailers can use whatever greetings they want, and shoppers can respond however they want. If there is an economic consequence to retailers because they choose to use a certain holiday greeting, then they can adjust if they so choose.
November 19th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I don’t care how a retailer greets me. It’s up to the business and the policy of the store. However, when I’m greeted with Happy holiday I simpoly respond, “Thank you and Merry Christmas to you.” I have found over the past number of years that the clerk smiles and says thank you.
November 19th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
I’m doing all my Christmas shopping at the bank. New $20 bills for all. (maybe a $5 for Ryan the producer)
November 19th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Does the ATM say Merry Christmas?
November 19th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I am planning our company holiday party. Most of our employees celebrate Christmas, but there are a few that don’t. So I have to be middle of the road when I plan the party, because it is none of my business what they celebrate. So it is snowmen, blue, and happy holidays!
November 19th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Gary,
What Focus on the Family is doing is trying to get the stores to change their greeting BACK to Merry Christmas. That is the detail that makes the difference.
Had the stores said Happy Holidays for the past 20 years, that would be a different story. But these stores have given in to the secular crowd and changed their greeting. Many Christians feel that they’ve been push too far and it’s time to put pressure on these stores to change the greeting BACK to Merry Christmas.
November 19th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Gary, just as it doesn’t make sense to you that people would be offended by retailers taking Merry Christmas away as a greeting, it doesn’t make sense to me why people would be offended by me saying Merry Christmas. If a jewish friend says Happy Hanaka to me I don’t take offense. It seems there’s alot more to be concerned over in this world. South park did a gret skit on this some time ago, should we quit saying happy easter? It seems retailers have no problem selling easter bunnys, eggs etc. We can become so politically correct that our country would be bland. Let’s celebrate our diffrences by allowing everyone to greet however they choose after all it is a greeting. Regina
November 19th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I didn’t think Christmas was about buying things at stores it’s about family and being with the ones you love (at least to me), so why does it matter how some store greets it’s buyers? The stores are trying to make as much money as they can and are trying include everyone in their sells pitch. If you don’t want to shop somewhere because they say “Happy Holidaze” then that’s your choice, but I think all this hoopla over it is missing the true meaning of Christmas. As Dennis Miller once said (when he was funny), “That’s just my opinion I could be wrong.”
And I don’t think anyone is offended by someone saying “Merry Christmas”
November 19th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Gary, you might want to check this our their referencing your show now.
http://www.newstribune.com/articles/2008/11/18/opinion/045op12.txt#blogcomments
November 19th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Real Service
November 20th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
This was in a Wall Street Journal email to me:
Nov. 20, 2008
Democratic leaders in Congress delayed a vote on bailing out the auto industry until next month and demanded the Big Three develop a plan assuring the money would make them economically viable. “Until they show us the plan, we cannot show them the money,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a hastily called news conference in the Capitol. The decision averted a likely defeat of legislation providing $25 billion in loans for the industry.
The Democratic leaders spoke after a small bipartisan group of lawmakers reached a deal among themselves to buoy the industry. Sens. Carl Levin, Kit Bond and George Voinovich were working on the compromise to give the industry $25 billion in loans. Shares of GM and Ford showed modest gains, pulling back from earlier sharp gains on hopes of a deal.
MO Sr. Senator, Kit Bond, is one of the lead senators on this deal!!! Call or email him and tell him to STOP. This industry does not need a bailout. It needs to file BK13 and be allowed to restructure their insane union contracts that are destroying this industry.
November 21st, 2008 at 2:51 pm
My name is tony Lupo and I was a guest on your show discussing global warming last spring? I heard Christopher Horner on your show yesterday and I was not suprised to hear no one challenge him. His book was great by the way. I heard him talk about all the threats that global warming skeptics like myself have recieved. i have been fortunate not to be threatened directly. I have been attacked in the media and sent a letter implying threats. But that’s about it. I find Missourians have been very receptive to hearing about a different viewpoint on climate change.
November 21st, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Hey Gary,
When, in your mind, does Bush deserve blame for what’s going on? When Clinton turn the country over to him all was good. The national debt was around 5 trillion and going down, jobs were going up, things were going along pretty well. Now after 8 years of Bush the debt is over 10 trillion and jobs going down. So I was wondering when in your mind the buck stops with the one in charge? Stop excusing what Bush has done by blaming “Liberals”. Look at the shape Bush left Texas when he took over and we’re surprised at how the US looks now?
When we “Liberals” ran the country things were going pretty well. And don’t tell me it’s all because of Newt.
Take care,
Ken
November 21st, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Here is my plan to save our economy.
Send me enough money. We’ll pay off our mortgages, car loan, credit cards and other loans. This will give me enough money to buy a new stove, refrigerator, a second car, fix up my home and buy some much needed wardrobe for my family.
See the money goes right back into the FREE MARKET SYSTEM. Those that work get rich. I can save some money and the economy get a big boost.
If I get sick, I can go see a doctor even if I have no insurance. I will have more money to spend, because I will be debt free.
What’s wrong with that?
November 21st, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Congrats Gary,
Barr received twice the percent in Boone county vs the state as a whole.
( .8% vs .4%
November 21st, 2008 at 6:45 pm
C A F E standards applied to both imports and domestic cars, so there wasn’t any competitive disadvantage given to US car companies.
November 21st, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Gary doesn’t want to blame the big 3’s management decisions but the SUV was their solution to the C A F E standard. If they spent their time being innovative instead of trying to find a loophole in the C A F E standard, maybe they would have been ahead of Toyota’s successful hybrid instead of playing catch-up
November 21st, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Eric I sometimes wonder how you can put your pants on in the morning without special instructions from the government!? You couldn’t GIVE one of those hybrids away if the federal government didn’t underwrite their cost. Because of the ability of unions to shut down manufacturing, the “big 3″ gave into demands for expensive union benifits. This adds more than $1000.00 per vehicle made. That makes it tough to compete. Are you so blind that you think the big 3 don’t want to sell cars? If they could get a safe car to get 50mpg wouldn’t they out sell the competition? Make themselves even MORE money? Think man..use your head!? From what I’ve read you hate the host so much you can’t think straight!
November 22nd, 2008 at 8:11 am
“Eric I sometimes wonder how you can put your pants on in the morning without special instructions from the government!?”
Since the Libertarians never actually win national elections, it is difficult to debate Gary on his party’s policy decisions. This gives Gary an advantage in debate because he can always point to the mistakes of the two major parties but his party remains blameless (and powerless). So if one chooses to debate Gary they usually have to pick from of his two major topics; “Government is bad” and “Taxes are evil” both of which are popular notions. That puts the would-be debater in the untenable position of defending government or taxes. I don’t love either but I am a pragmatist and realize they aren’t going away so maybe we should focus our efforts on improving them instead of pointing out their shortcomings.
“You couldn’t GIVE one of those hybrids away if the federal government didn’t underwrite their cost.”
Toyota claims they have been making a profit on the Prius for several years. The difference is their management thinks long-term in their business plans, unlike the big 3 here in the United States.
“Because of the ability of unions to shut down manufacturing, the “big 3″ gave into demands for expensive union benefits. This adds more than $1000.00 per vehicle made. That makes it tough to compete”
Again, management was thinking about the short-term losses of a strike and not the long-term benefit of the company.
“Are you so blind that you think the big 3 don’t want to sell cars? If they could get a safe car to get 50mpg wouldn’t they out sell the competition? Make themselves even MORE money? Think man..use your head!?”
It is true that they want to sell more cars… in the next couple of years. The problem with your ‘50mpg safe car’ is that it involves being innovative and would cause losses in profit for a couple of year while they retooled. That is unacceptable because the American shareholder now only keeps a stock for an average of 6 months (thank you low capital gains tax) and they are only concerned with the profits of today. In turn, the corporate executives look for the short-term wins knowing that (not unlike a major league baseball player) they can always switch to a better team next year if things look bleak.
“From what I’ve read you hate the host so much you can’t think straight!”
I don’t know Gary but he seems very likeable, I certainly don’t hate him but I do disagree with him politically. I think Gary has a quality show and that is why I listen. If you pay attention to his show you will notice the Gary practically begs for people to call in and disagree with him and for good reason, nothing is as dull as 10 callers in a row saying “your right Gary” or “I am in total agreement”. Sports talk guys sometimes have to resort to ‘priming the pump’ by having producers call in with questions or comments. It makes for better radio, just like when I call in it gives Gary and his callers someone to beat up on for the next segment. I wish there were more dissenting callers because I don’t feel particularly comfortable on the radio.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Where in the world in Justin Aelferman(ap?) when you need him?
BTW Ken, Clinton administration did not bring record jobs and good economy. Capitalism did through the tech industry and the borrowed time the real estate boom gave him.
Still not the Bush fault alone.
November 25th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Gary,if you want to change the direction(social,etc) of any country,start with the children(grade school,etc.).This is the reason, for this insanity. KYPD
November 25th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
1973 Supreme Court ruling in Enmons prevents union violence from being charged as extortion (under the 1946 Hobbs Act). It doesn’t prevent someone from being criminally charged by the state for murder or assault.
If it is important to you (Gary) that the Feds also bring charges then I assume that you are also a big supporter of federal hate crime legislation.
November 25th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
you forgot to listen again!? We were told that 17 states have the same law!
November 25th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
The fact that Obama does not attend church merely indicates to me that he believes there is no power greater than himself – something I do not find surprising in the least.
November 25th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Religion & Faith.
I have faith, it goes to my core. Everything I do comes out of what I believe. Religion is what other people see that they can attribute to my faith.
Faith without works is dead, but you cannot generate faith by good works. Or, logically, Faith implies works but works do not imply faith. That would be substituting the inverse for the proposition.
My faith would not allow me to sit through a sermon at Obama’s “church”, or his church has been seriously misrepresented to me.
One or the other. They preach racism, and I find no justification in scripture for that.
So, it looks to me like Obama’s missing church is not missing much. It will be very hard for Obama to disappoint me as I expect very little of any good from him.
EOL
November 25th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I believe the state laws exempt unions from extortion and racketeering laws but not murder.
I don’t approve of union violence and would be ok if they weren’t given added protections.
November 26th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
you believe wrong!
November 26th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
a suggested amendment for the Read the Bills Act: require every line item cost in the bill to include a per-taxpayer cost; i.e., 300m taxpayers and a $300m line item (gold plated toilet seats for the Pentagon) = $1/per taxpayer.
November 28th, 2008 at 8:13 am
DAMN!!! This is an ugly ugly man.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I admire the WalMart for closing it’s doors in the wake of the employee being trampled. They could have directed everyone to their other entrance and continued to make money on the busiest shopping morning of the year.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:45 pm
I agree — it is a clear lack of understanding of the concept of “responsibility” to try and hold the company responsible for the death of that poor employee.
The people who trampled him to death are the ones responsible!
December 1st, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I agree with you on Wal-mart. Don’t get my wrong, I dislike Wal-Mart and avoid shopping there any chance I can. But these rude A**H**** that knocked over the worker and made it impossible to provide adequate care deserve to go to jail. I hope they find them on the camera and arrest them for Assault or Man-slaughter.
As for this Wind farm. We only pay for the energy consumed by them so we don’t have to worry about the capital costs or repair costs. But we do have a fixed monthly cost for the transmission lines. So every time we aren’t getting full capacity from the farm we are essentially paying a higher cost per Kilowatt hour. That just upsets me that we are paying for something we aren’t and can’t use at the moment. The contracts need to be revisited.
December 1st, 2008 at 5:50 pm
The problem is, were they pushing or were they being pushed by all of the people behind them. Who ultimately from the crowd can you charge and what would you charge them with. Did they actually know they stepped on someone?
December 1st, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Ooh!! Question for Tim Oliver—
Could he please clarify the status of open-carry (rules/laws) in the Boone County area? Columbia? Jeff City?
I know local communities can make different laws. Do any of the above places prohibit open-carry?
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Hey gary, im a female and I think that saying easily accessible can be turned into saying that someone is a slut. Maybe she should think about that before she has it all changed. I think it is stupid to waste money to change everything instead spend it in the schools to teach kids the difference.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Haven’t posted for a while, so have several comments….
For those upset that Obama isn’t going to church….He is doing the Chicago churches a favor! It would be pandemonium for him to attend a service. He is respecting all of those church members by not bringing a zoo down on them.
I was at an MU basketball game and Carl Edwards was sitting several rows in front of me enjoying the game with a friend. Well, the announcer thought it necessary to point him out in the crowd, and after that, the aisle was crowded with people wanting autographs….He couldn’t even enjoy the game! He ended up getting up at half time and not coming back…and I don’t blame him one bit! That is a SMALL example of how disruptive Obama’s presence would be to a Church that was not prepared for that kind of publicity or security.
And the fact that he is going and working out instead of going to church….
I think this country would be MUCH better off if more people went to work out on Sunday mornings than went to Church. There would be less hatred in the U.S.
Oh…and Unions are still good for workers. Corporations cannot have ALL of the power.
My brother is happy to be back to work at Hubbell.
Oh…and it was the COMPANY that brought up the renegotiation because they wanted to do it before Obama came into office because, and I quote a worker, “Obama is more for the working man than the republicans.”
Someone has to stand up for American workers, Gary….and you know what…I just don’t see corporations doing it.
All of your talk about how the free market can fix everything is bogus, Gary. The biggest problem being WE DON’T HAVE A TRUE FREE MARKET!!!!
Oh…and Obama is NOT a Socialist or a Marxist.
Speaking of socialism….which you so adamantly disagree with….should we get rid of our military? It is a perfect example of something that is collectively owned by all Americans.
Ok…I’ll be in my car so you can rail on my comments in a moment. Have fun.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:28 pm
you’re either missing or refusing to see that guns represent the one thing that people who specialize in gathering power abhor most…empowerment
an empowered people would never stand for what most of our legislators do
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:31 pm
The reason most people who are for banning fire arms completely starts with thier fear that they can’t do whatever they want. Publicly owned fire arms put a limit to unreasonable demands people would be subject too with out them.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Just because something is in the constitution does not mean that it is not socialist.
Who pays for the military? Even if it is mandated that we have it? The Americans do!
Oh…and I am a democrat and I am FOR Guns. And your statement that all democrats are against them is false.
But…the truth is…you don’t need a gun to kill someone. Countries in Africa do very well killing one another with machetes.
It is the operator of the gun…not the gun that is to blame; just as a previous caller said.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Oh…and for all of you “Merry Christmas” Nazis.
Who cares what they say? I am rarely greeted by any worker at a store anyway, much less Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Gary, in response to a previous caller, Charles. Although some textbooks do define an assault weapon as being capable of automattic fire, the issue in question does not make that distinction. Instead the assault weapons ban categorises assault weapons primarily on apperance, with a few mentions of actual mechanical function. The current fear is that if re-instated, some of these definitions would be broadened to include a much wider group of weapons.
On tonights topic, I feel that most of the supporters of such a ban are simply uninformed, not stupid or uninteligent, but uninformed.
Society needs a movement to expose the uninformed to the facts. Guns are a critical part of our culture for a reason. They are our guarantee of satety, freedom, and liberty.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Gun control is a symptom of the death of common sense.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
The issue with the term “handicapped” is that the word comes from the term “Cap in Hand” as in begger. Should we change the word? No but empathy may prevail. It wasn’t lang ago the term “retarded” was considered to be offensive. Seems the global issue is American’s are so concerned with offending people with words they forget that sticks and stones break bones.
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:10 pm
You had a gold coin seller on a few weeks back “SDL”. I assume SDL is a reputable company and I should have no fear of purchasing coins from them. Have you purchased any coins from SDL?
December 3rd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Gun control.
My father says that a civilized society should not need guns. I say, until we have a civilized society, we need guns more than ever.
December 3rd, 2008 at 3:52 pm
Just wondering if you’d seen that Hillary Clinton’s appointment as SecState technically violates the Constitution. It shouldn’t pose a problem and has happened before, but still kind of interesting.
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
“Poop” now THAT’s funny.
December 3rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
There are some individuals who require assistance. Who should provide this assistance is a different question.
It seems to me that those who do not require assistance but choose to live on assistance, don’t invest in there own future. They do not take advantage of the one thing that is provided to every individual. Education. It is one of the most important strategic plans that a young person can enact. Kids live for today. People who do not choose to make a future live for today. I identify these grown people as liberal. If the example they are raised with is living for today only, they are a product upbringing.
December 4th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
A large part of the Big 3 cars are built in Mexico and Canada, while Toyota has been building plants in the US. Want to help out the American worker, buy a Toyota.
December 5th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Gary,
Let us do some basic arithmetic: mediocre drivers plus cell phones equals poor drivers. Love the show, can’t stand driving in my home town anymore.
ck
December 5th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
still would like to hear the rest of the story. Although I would not want to be on this jury.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I am taking pharmacology this semester @ MU and I think you are playing with fire by using the methods in the article below (see my prof’s comments from the article she forwarded to us)…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28098500/
Scientists back brain drugs for healthy people
Commentary calls for more research to manage the potential risks
updated 1:31 p.m. CT, Sun., Dec. 7, 2008
NEW YORK – Healthy people should have the right to boost their brains with pills, like those prescribed for hyperactive kids or memory-impaired older folks, several scientists contend in a provocative commentary.
College students are already illegally taking prescription stimulants like Ritalin to help them study, and demand for such drugs is likely to grow elsewhere, they say.
“We should welcome new methods of improving our brain function,” and doing it with pills is no more morally objectionable than eating right or getting a good night’s sleep, these experts wrote in an opinion piece published online Sunday by the journal Nature.
The commentary calls for more research and a variety of steps for managing the risks.
As more effective brain-boosting pills are developed, demand for them is likely to grow among middle-aged people who want youthful memory powers and multitasking workers who need to keep track of multiple demands, said one commentary author, brain scientist Martha Farah of the University of Pennsylvania.
“Almost everybody is going to want to use it,” said Farah.
“I would be the first in line if safe and effective drugs were developed that trumped caffeine,” another author, Michael Gazzaniga of the University of California, Santa Barbara, declared in an e-mail.
The seven authors, from the United States and Britain, include ethics experts and the editor-in-chief of Nature as well as scientists. They developed their case at a seminar funded by Nature and Rockefeller University in New York. Two authors said they consult for pharmaceutical companies; Farah said she had no such financial ties.
Some health experts agreed that the issue deserves attention. But the commentary didn’t impress Leigh Turner of the University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics.
“It’s a nice puff piece for selling medications for people who don’t have an illness of any kind,” Turner said.
The commentary cites a 2001 survey of about 11,000 American college students that found 4 percent had used prescription stimulants illegally in the prior year. But at some colleges, the figure was as high as 25 percent.
“It’s a felony, but it’s being done,” said Farah.
The stimulants Adderall and Ritalin are prescribed mainly for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but they can help other people focus their attention and handle information in their heads, the commentary says.
Another drug called Provigil is approved for sleep disorders but is also prescribed for healthy people who need to stay alert when sleep-deprived, the commentary says. Lab studies show it can also perk up the brains of well-rested people. And some drugs developed for Alzheimer’s disease also provide a modest memory boost, it says.
Ritalin is made by Switzerland-based Novartis AG, but the drug is also available generically. Adderall is made by U.K.-based Shire PLC and Montvale, N.J.-based Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., and some formulations are also available generically. Provigil is made by Cephalon Inc. of Frazer, Pa.
While supporting the concept that healthy adults should be able to use brain-boosting drugs, the authors called for:
More research into the use, benefits and risks of such drugs. Much is unknown about the current medications, such as the risk of dependency when used for this purpose, the commentary said.
Policies to guard against people being coerced into taking them.
Steps to keep the benefits from making socio-economic inequalities worse.
Action by doctors, educators and others to develop policies on the use of such drugs by healthy people.
Legislative action to allow drug companies to market the drugs to healthy people if they meet regulatory standards for safety and effectiveness.
Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said she agreed with the commentary that the nonprescribed use of brain-boosting drugs must be studied.
But she said she was concerned that wider use of stimulants could lead more people to become addicted to them. That’s what happened decades ago when they were widely prescribed for a variety of disorders, she said.
“Whether we like it or not, that property of stimulants is not going to go away,” she said.
Erik Parens, a senior research scholar at the Hastings Center, a bioethics think tank in Garrison, N.Y., said the commentary makes a convincing case that “we ought to be opening this up for public scrutiny and public conversation.”
One challenge will be finding ways to protect people against subtle coercion to use the drugs, the kind of thing parents feel when neighbor kids sign up for SAT prep courses, he said.
And if the nation moves to providing a basic package of health care to all its citizens, it’s hard to see how it could afford to include brain-boosting drugs, he said. If they have to be bought separately, it raises the question about promoting societal inequalities, he said.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
This article warns of addiction but ignores tachycardia, hypertension, bladder retention, constipation, reduced ability to control urges to overspend, cheat, participate in sex and crime, premature infants and low birthweight due to vasoconstriction of umbilical arteries, babies born addicted, psychological problems of next generation, reduced parenting skills. Is this what students should be risking to earn A’s and jobs? Would it be better to create a less stressful learning environment so students are not compelled to take these drugs? Particularly in medical schools, student use of these drugs is at least 25%. Every year during orientation week, medical school deans forewarns students that a high percentage of them will need stimulants anti-anxiety and anti-depressants to complete medical school. Students report they succumb to pressures to compete in medical school. Apparently doctors who succeeded in medical school on these drugs are more likely to prescribe them to students nationwide. These drugs are controlled substances that are out of control and sit high on the list of the most often prescribed drugs in the USA.
December 8th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
As usual this country is wanting a fast fix and they want it in pill form.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Gary….Do you believe that homosexuality is something that one is born with? If so, the same should apply to I.Q.
A pill CANNOT change your I.Q. It might make you more focused so that you can score higher on a test…but no IQ test is perfect or standardized.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
Whoohoo its Happy Hack day on Gary’s show! Maybe next time you can have a host who writes a book about how anyone who disagrees with them is a child molesting poop eater.
Heaven forbid people disagree with you or your guests about politics Gary.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Gary,
First, I would not take a drug to increase my IQ. This is a moral question for me. I was created by the same God that did the entire universe, and evidently he likes me like this. If you want to argue with Him about how you were made, I might try to talk you out of it. But we need to be able to make mistakes, or we cannot mature.
From a political point of view, I believe our government is supposed to be by the people. I mean that the government only has the rights the citizens grant it. And we cannot grant a right we do not ourselves posses.
If I cannot force you to take a drug, or not take a drug, then I also cannot grant the government the ability to do so.
Want a nightmare?
It would be a public good if everybody was smarter, therefore, under present thought, the government can ( and probably should ) REQUIRE these drugs to be as widely used as possible.
Which is, of course, that which drops from the anal opening of a mature male bovine, non-castrated variety.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Gary,
Of course I am going to attack your guest. He wrote a book attacking half of the country because they disagree with him on politics.
I will never understand how people can openly insult a segment of the country based on their political beliefs, and then act shocked when someone mocks them back.
December 8th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Maybe I should write a book about why conservatives are so selfish because their parents didn’t buy them toys for Christmas…..
December 8th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Gary,
Its good to know that a random book author knows what is best for me. Its also good to know that the libertarian movement now supports the Christian Right’s view on life. Hopefully I can get weekly updates on how to think and feel so I do not fall off the path.
December 9th, 2008 at 9:52 am
wow bob, are you always this easily influenced? Or is it just you think all the rest of us are sheeple?
My family thinks for themselves, yet we appreciate thoughtful discussion that can encourage behavior in line with our values.
December 9th, 2008 at 11:47 am
Ellie,
Bob was being sarcastic. The author’s argument is quite ridiculous. But I don’t expect much from one who believes wives should be submissive and not disagree with their husbands….along with a score of other things that would look at home on a fundamental Islamic website.
See the movie “Jesus Camp.” A documentary on evangelicals that unfortunately was filmed in Missouri. It scared the heck out of me!
December 9th, 2008 at 11:54 am
ellie,
I am going to mail you a brand new sarcasm detector.
December 9th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Gary,
After looking more into the background and other writings of the author you had on the air yesterday, Reb Bradley, I am absolutely shocked you would have someone like him on your show. I thought you were more open-minded than to have such a blatant sexist and radical fundamentalist on your show.
What he was saying, parents need to parent better to improve our society…of course, that is just common sense. He quoted lots of facts and figures about how crime, divorce, un-wed pregnancy, etc. have all increased in the past 70 years; but to attribute that just to Dr. Spock is absolutely ludicrous. The fact that crime drastically DECREASED 18 years after abortion was legalized is something I’m sure he does not want to acknowledge (I can get you actual research if you like).
Also, his statement that Dr. Spock is the second most printed book after the Bible is incorrect as well.
But, I can see why he would not want to mention that among those books ranking above Dr. Spock’s book are “Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung” and “The Qur’an.”
Gary, you often talk about “Junk Science” which is something that I disagree with you on…but this author, his “research” and his argument IS junk!
Check out some of his other writings…apparently he doesn’t believe people (especially women) should think at all.
http://www.familyministries.com/articles.html
December 9th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I got the sarcasm. I just don’t like the implication that we might all be so influenced by a guest on this show.
December 9th, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Gary seems a bit homophobic. I think Gary should take tomorrow off and recover from his cold (nod, nod, wink, wink )
Happy gay day Gary.
December 9th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
If it were ladies day off he probably would have the same take on it Eric.
Just because he doesn’t want to be mistaken for one does not a homophob’ make.
December 9th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
but I agree he should probably take the day off for that cold. I had to last week for the same thing, ran a temp all day.
Besides it may be a great day to hybernate.
December 9th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Columbia owns an electric company, water works, a railroad, free parking and a jail… if they could just buy Boardwalk and Park place and build a few hotels they will win for sure.
December 9th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
The problem with cameras, even if you can move them around, is that they cover only one part of town. More officers could cover all of Columbia, not just “The District”. I think I hear more news reported about crimes happening in homes, hotels and small businesses around town than downtown.
December 9th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
Ellie,
You should research the guy he had on his show yesterday before you suggest he shares your values. The guy thinks women are pieces of property who should just bow down to the whims of their husbands. If you feel that way all the power to you, but I am going to assume that most women would like to live in a world that has advanced past the 1950’s.
About the sarcasm, it was directed at Gary and his guest not you so take the sensitive meter down a bit.
December 10th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Bob – the man may not share my values. However, the point being made, ‘children are born liberal and should be taught to value and respect earning’, is plausible.
I have never heard Gary shut someone down just because they disgree. Your argument gets lost in your sarcasm and mocking. Next time try sticking to the debate and I’m sure you will find him receptive to your point of view.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Do they really have to have a convention to implement this legislation. I think this is the goverments way of taking more of our rights away and the beginning of Social world.
December 10th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Gary, sorry I missed the first part of the show on the Constitutional Convention and as it is an extremely important topic will you summarize or point us to a website or somewhere that we can find out the whole story? Thanks for all you do!
Alan
December 10th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
ellie,
I do not care if he sees my point of view. He is a radio host who makes his living by getting people either A. Excited/Intrigued or B. Angry. The guy he had on his show is a religious whack job whose purpose was to get people tuned in to Gary’s show. It obviously worked well since I listened to the whole thing.
I am sarcastic and mocking because I have no interest in trying to change a radio host’s mind, I am simply having fun with the format available to me. No sane person would rely on talk radio hosts to get their information. But I will say that his segment today about the constitutional convention was very interesting and did worry me a bit.
Once again, I do not direct any sarcasm toward you.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Just wanted to make a couple of points: It would be up to the US Supreme Court to determine if a state can rescind its support for calling a convention. The Court has already ruled that a state can change its vote on an amendment, but only from voting no to voting yes. They cannot change from yes to no. Also, if a convention passed an amendment, it would still have to be ratified by 3/4 of the states (or 38 states). It would be up to Congress which method is used for ratification: either by state legislatures or by state ratifying conventions.
Dean
December 10th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Please don’t pass judgement on Mr. Obama yet. The story is 1 day old. Just because the scumbag called him a MF does not mean he did anything.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
bad movies:
1. Any movie by Uwe Boll. Some people like the Toxic Avenger, but this is the guy who helped such classics as Surf Nazis must die.
2. The new Punisher Movie.
3. AI
December 10th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
oooh forgot about BloodRayne. That movie was so bad I felt like I had committed a crime for watching it.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
why bring it up and cast aspersions. what you said was, “If he called him a MF, Obama turned down the deal”. check the tape.
anything with Swayze sucks
December 10th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Mark,
Get used to it. The Right is going to suspect evil doing in everything Obama does. To be fair the Left has done the same thing to Bush. Its the way things work unfortunately.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
red dawn or dirty dancing
December 10th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
honestly, based on your list Gary I would have to say Battlefield Earth. That movie was just down right terrible.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
wow – my little kids like Cheaper By The Dozen and my older kids like Red Dawn and Dirty Dancing.
Anything Michael Moore or Al Gore sits at the top of the worst for me.
When I’m watching a documentary I at least want it to be factual.
December 10th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Bob, I agree the left never cut Bush any slack, he didn’t deserve a whole lot though. I think Obama probably knew the guy was a total scumbag and should rightly disassociate himself, but should not be judged today. OK, Battlefield Earth
December 10th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
worst movie… Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.. Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds
December 10th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Mark,
I was just trying to be fair with Bush. Personally i agree that he deserved most of what he got from the Left, but the Right is going to do the exact same thing because it is in their best interests that Obama does not convince some of their members that he is not the Anti-Christ or a socialist. If he is able to do that then they will have a hard time beating him in 4 years.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
last comment and i’ll drop it until the facts come out: Is it cut and dried because Scumbag called Obama a MF because he wouldn’t make a deal?
swayze was ok in ghosts, i guess
December 10th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Bob/Mark,
This whole Illinois Governor thing is basically all the Republicans have to go after Obama for atm. I don’t think any of them actually believe he did anything wrong but they kind of need something to attack him for. Now the Governor is a complete idiot and I hope he ends up in jail.
Oh and check out http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28163452/ to see how happy Americans are with Obama’s transition so far. He has much higher approval ratings than either Clinton or Bush did coming in. The Bush numbers are pretty startling as well.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
Southland Tales & The Fountain are tied for the worst movies ever.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Obama is digging his own hole. We don’t have to help him, we just call it a hole.
December 10th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
naturally,
so having done nothing wrong is digging a hole? or could it be that because he comes from a political party you disagree with that you assume that whatever happens has to return to him being corrupt?
December 10th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I am wondering what the “deal is” with your guest and the constitutional convention.
This would seem to be really big news but when I visit both sites (americanpolicy.org & freedom21.com) I see nothing about it?
It would seem to me that this would be the headline on either site but I can’t find a single link to it?
I am starting to suspect a sucker job to get myself and others to sign up for a newsletter or other list.
If you have some site where I can read about it and point others to then please point me there.
December 11th, 2008 at 1:16 am
kinda hard to miss on americanpolicy.org, it’s the first story: http://americanpolicy.org/sledgehammer/twostates.htm
December 11th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Nice to see the headline and link was ADDED since I was there.
Curious how many years have the states been voting to do an article V ?
The only one I see in recent news is Ohio.
December 11th, 2008 at 10:25 am
naturally,
I would like to know what “hole” you are referring to??
December 11th, 2008 at 10:26 am
I have 2 nominations for worst movie ever.
Manos: The Hands of Fate
Plan 9 from Outer space
December 11th, 2008 at 11:14 am
My last election joke! Not Republican or Democrat- And is actually a true story sent to me by a friend who teaches in a MO school.
The following is a funny and true story shared with me by a friend who teaches AP Government at a MO school. In one of the teacher’s classes, they were discussing the qualifications to be president of the United States. It was pretty simple.
The candidate must be a natural born citizen of at least 35 years of age.
However, one girl in the class immediately started in on how unfair was the requirement to be a natural born citizen. In short, her opinion was this requirement prevented many capable individuals from becoming president.
The teacher and the class were just taking it in and letting her rant, but everyone’s jaw hit the floor when she wrapped up her argument by stating ….
“What makes a natural born citizen any more qualified to lead this country than one born by c-section”.
And someday she’ll vote!
December 11th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
here is a link to news of South Carolina passing a call for a Con-Con bill back in Feb 2008
http://www.jbs.org/index.php/jbs-news-feed/526-south-carolina-senate-passes-resolution-calling-for-federal-constitutional-convention
December 11th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Another informational link from 2006
http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-29177605_ITM
difficult to find had to search for “call for federal constitutional convention”
December 11th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Subject: A Ford Dealer Speaks Out
>
>
> Here is a well written “Letter to the Editor” from a Ford dealership owner.
>
>
> ELKINS FORDLAND, INC.
> 1211 Harrison Avenue, Elkins, WV 26241
>
> Editor:
>
> As I watch the coverage of the fate of the U.S. auto industry, one alarming
> and frustrating fact hits me right between the eyes. The fate of our
> nation’s economic survival is in the hands of some congressmen who are
> completely out of touch and act without knowledge of an industry that
> affects almost every person in our nation. The same lack of knowledge is
> shared with many journalists whom are irresponsible when influencing the
> opinion of millions of viewers.
>
> Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama has doomed the industry, calling it a
> dinosaur. No Mr. Shelby, you are the dinosaur, with ideas stuck in the
> ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. You and the uninformed journalist and senators that
> hold onto myths that are not relevant in today’s world.
>
> When you say that the Big Three build vehicles nobody wants to buy, you
> must have overlooked that GM outsold Toyota by about 1.2 million vehicles
> in the U.S. and Ford outsold Honda by 850,000 and Nissan by 1.2 million in
> the U.S. GM was the world’s No. 1 automaker beating Toyota by 3,000 units.
>
> When you claim inferior quality comes from the Big Three, did you realize
> that Chevy makes the Malibu and Ford makes the Fusion that were both rated
> over the Camry and Accord by J.D. Power independent survey on initial
> quality? Did you bother to read the Consumer Report that rated Ford on par
> with good Japanese automakers.
>
> Did you realize Big Three’s gas guzzlers include the 33 mpg Malibu that
> beats the Accord. And for ‘09 Ford introduces the Hybrid Fusion whose 39
> mpg is the best midsize, beating the Camry Hybrid. Ford’s Focus beats the
> Corolla and Chevy’s Cobalt beats the Civic.
>
> When you ask how many times are we going to bail them out you must be
> referring to 1980. The only Big Three bailout was Chrysler, who paid back
> $1 billion, plus interest. GM and Ford have never received government aid.
>
> When you criticize the Big Three for building so many pickups, surely
> you’ve noticed the attempts Toyota and Nissan have made spending billions
> to try to get a piece of that pie. Perhaps it bothers you that for 31
> straight years Ford’s F-Series has been the best selling vehicle. Ford and
> GM have dominated this market and when you see the new ‘09 F-150 you’ll
> agree this won’t change soon.
>
> Did you realize that both GM and Ford offer more hybrid models than Nissan
> or Honda. Between 2005 and 2007, Ford alone has invested more than $22
> billion in research and development of technologies such as Eco Boost, flex
> fuel, clean diesel, hybrids, plug in hybrids and hydrogen cars.
>
> It’s 2008 and the quality of the vehicles coming out of Detroit are once
> again the best in the world.
>
> Perhaps Sen. Shelby isn’t really that blind. Maybe he realizes the quality
> shift to American. Maybe it’s the fact that his state of Alabama has given
> so much to land factories from Honda, Hyundai and Mercedes Benz that he is
> more concerned about their continued growth than he is about the people of
> our country. Sen. Shelby’s disdain for “government subsidies” is very
> hypocritical. In the early ’90s he was the driving force behind a $253
> million incentive package to Mercedes. Plus, Alabama agreed to purchase
> 2,500 vehicles from Mercedes. While the bridge loan the Big Three is
> requesting will be paid back, Alabama’s $180,000-plus per job was pure
> incentive. Sen. Shelby, not only are you out of touch, you are a
> self-serving hypocrite, who is prepared to ruin our nation because of lack
> of knowledge and lack of due diligence in making your opinions and
> decisions.
>
> After 9/11, the Detroit Three and Harley Davidson gave $40 million-plus
> emergency vehicles to the recovery efforts. What was given to the 9/11
> relief effort by the Asian and European Auto Manufactures? $0 Nada. Zip!
>
> We live in a world of free trade, world economy and we have not been able
> to produce products as cost efficiently. While the governments of other
> auto producing nations subsidize their automakers, our government may be
> ready to force its demise. While our automakers have paid union wages,
> benefits and legacy debt, our Asian competitors employ cheap labor. We are
> at an extreme disadvantage in production cost. Although many UAW
> concessions begin in 2010, many lawmakers think it’s not enough.
>
> Some point the blame to corporate management. I would like to speak of Ford
> Motor Co. The company has streamlined by reducing our workforce by 51,000
> since 2005, closing 17 plants and cutting expenses. Product and future
> product is excellent and the company is focused on one Ford. This is a
> company poised for success. Ford product quality and corporate management
> have improved light years since the nightmare of Jacques Nasser. Thank you
> Alan Mulally and the best auto company management team in the business.
>
>
> The financial collapse caused by the secondary mortgage fiasco and the
> greed of Wall Street has led to a $700 billion bailout of the industry that
> created the problem. AIG spent nearly $1 million on three company
> excursions to lavish resorts and hunting destinations. Paulson is saying no
> to $250 billion foreclosure relief and the whole thing is a mess. So when
> the Big Three ask for 4 percent of that of the $700 billion, $25 billion to
> save the country’s largest industry, there is obviously oppositions. But
> does it make sense to reward the culprits of the problem with $700 billion
> unconditionally, and ignore the victims?
>
> As a Ford dealer, I feel our portion of the $25 billion will never be
> touched and is not necessary. Ford currently has $29 billion of liquidity.
> However, the effect of a bankruptcy by GM will hurt the suppliers we all do
> business with. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy by any manufacture would cost
> retirees their health care and retirements. Chances are GM would recover
> from Chapter 11 with a better business plan with much less expense. So who
> foots the bill if GM or all three go Chapter 11? All that extra health
> care, unemployment, loss of tax base and some forgiven debt goes back to
> the taxpayer, us. With no chance of repayment, this would be much worse
> than a loan with the intent of repayment.
>
> So while it is debatable whether a loan or Chapter 11 is better for the Big
> Three, a $25 billion loan is definitely better for the taxpayers and the
> economy of our country.
>
> So I’ll end where I began on the quality of the products of Detroit. Before
> you, Mr. or Ms. Journalist continue to misinform the American public and
> turn them against one of the great industries that helped build this
> nation, I must ask you one question. Before you, Mr. or Madam Congressman
> vote to end health care and retirement benefits for 1 million retirees,
> eliminate 2.5 million of our nation’s jobs, lose the technology that will
> lead us in the future and create an economic disaster including hundreds of
> billions of tax dollars lost, I ask this question not in the rhetorical
> sense. I ask it in the sincere, literal way. Can you tell me, have you
> driven a Ford lately?
>
> Jim Jackson
> Elkins Fordland
December 11th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I have been listening to the eagle all day and nobody has mentioned the constitutional convention news you broke yesterday evening. What is going on???
December 11th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I have been listening to the eagle all day and nobody has mentioned the constitutional convention news you broke yesterday evening. What is going on???
December 11th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Gary,
A few years ago I would have laughed at you for bringing up the one world government theory. But part of me has started to think there might be some truth to it. The only thing that keeps me from completely believing its happening around us is that there really is no person or group that has enough power or resources to accomplish it. It would take years maybe generations to pull something like that off.
Then again, I guess a SPECTRE group like in James Bond movies could exist.
December 11th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Gary,
I forgot to add that a more likely process happening around us is a frightening consolidation of power within our own country in the hands of corporations and the federal government. This may surprise you coming from a liberal but the idea of a federal government that has no check on its power scares the *bleep* out of me.
December 11th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Doesn’t Glen Beck (and the others) listen to the other radio shows such as yours to keep up on the news? I tried to get in to the Glen Beck show this morning to tell him about the Constitutional Convention, but couldn’t get through. You are on the Eagle just as they are, why haven’t they heard this yet???
December 11th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
darah,
I may be wrong, but I believe Gary is local while Beck is carried nationally so they really have no connection to each other beyond being aired on the same station. Then again they could be old drinking buddies for all I know.
December 11th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
The Missouri legislature applied for a consitutional convention to propose a balanced budget amendment in 1983. A good introduction to the issue is on YouTube : Beware Article V
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za8_pdJ1dPo
There are actually many varying applications for a constitutional convention. The following website is a good reference for the issue, despite advocating having a constitutional convention.
http://www.article-5.org/
This constitutional convention has been in the works for decades. A good editorial on the dangers is at:
http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/1987/sept87/psrsept87.html
What needs to happen in Missouri is that the state legislature needs to rescind our application for a convention.
Tom
December 11th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
GARY! GARY! GARY!
3 best websites for more info about the fraud of the century:
For the real science behind this issue, I commend to you a powerful review of peer-reviewed research available at the website:
http://www.petitionproject.org/gwdatabase/GW_Article/GWReview_OISM600.pdf
It’s got the best charts!!!
3 words: Medieval Climate Optimum
Then there’s Christopher Monckton’s rebuttal and total refutation of “An Inconvenient Truth”, scope it at:
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/monckton/goreerrors.html
35 Inconvenient Truths: The errors in Al Gore’s movie (and with the whole IPCC finding mess).
Not least – pointers to the availablilty of the 2 most fascinating videos pointing out the fraud:
The Great Global Warming Swindle
Monckton’s “Apocalypse NO!”
http://greatswindle.com/
I’ve got BOTH here at home. BOTH are MUST SEE DVD’s.
The IPCC, of course, is a political organization and NOT a scientific one. Further, it holds one self-serving objective: building support for world taxation and rationing of industrially-useful energy.
Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant: it is plant food.
There is no conclusive evidence that humans have caused or are causing global warming, and certainly not by carbon dioxide emissions or increasing carbon use. The assertion that human CO2 release is the cause of the recent, now ended!, warming trend is the hoax / fraud of the century.
If we do not get the science right, we shall most certainly get the policy wrong.
Tom.
December 11th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Ah, my other favorite “get the big picture” reference on this:
State of Fear by Michael Crichton.
“This is a work of fiction. Except for the footnotes. Footnotes are real.”
December 11th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
A good like with actual scientific references is at arXiv:
http://arxiv.org/find/all/1/all:+AND+climate+change/0/1/0/all/0/1
These are pre-prints and papers by the people actually performing the research.
Tom H.
December 11th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Re: Grotemarkel.
Thanks for saying what I’ve been thinking since I heard Tom on this topic first thing this A.M.
…
Nah, the officer wasn’t picking on them because of skin color. He “picked on” them because…
THEY WERE FIGHTING in school.
T.
December 11th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
This is Hoof, the fillin producer.
All these people complaining that the officer was out of line need to think about this: If their kid was in the middle of that fight, the fight didn’t get broken up, and their kid was injured, they would be bitching that not enough was done….You’re right Gary, they need to get over it!
December 11th, 2008 at 8:35 pm
bob/d.c.
thanks, did you notice that the insinuations regarding obama and ex-gov. scumbag seem to have died down all of a sudden? i realize the story is long from dead, but i guess we must get ready for these pre-judgement smear attempts, even before the swear-in.
December 11th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Mark,
I don’t know about that Bob guy, but I am glad there is at least one more semi-liberal person who takes the time to talk on here.
As to the insinuations, it is kind of the Right’s job to do that. For many this is a team sport. At some point you pick either the Left or the Right and then you battle and belittle the other side no matter what happens. Things like this Governor situation allow hosts like Hannity to keep the team morale up and to focus on demonizing the enemy team rather than explaining why their team should be considered. Until more than the two parties are viewed as viable election options, it is never going to change.
I am not lumping Gary in with the likes of Hannity or Rush. I may disagree with him on a long list of issues, but I do believe that he is just stating his opinion every day. He also has a really interesting show and I get to hear about some crazy new topics. Last week I pissed off Tom Bradley by comparing him to Hannity and I probably should apologize to him someday but I kind of like hearing him read my emails on the air on the way to work:)
December 11th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
DC
I agree about Gary being even handed and fresh most of the time when he espouses the Libertarian viewpoint. Sometimes/lately he sways over there with his AM competitor who’s name rhymes with flush. I hope he doesn’t think he created a monster with this blog. We just have to keep him straightened every now and then. We don’t need anymore Hannity/Beck/Cunningham clones on this station, as much as I respect their opinions or I just turn them off.
December 12th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Some of you folks are still feeling the teflon. Are you saying that Obama is right by saying he did not discuss the issue with the governor? He LIED! Sure it was a small lie, like the one about his other associations but it certainly makes me question other statements. Its not a prejudgement and I’m not demonizing him, I’m simply pointing out that, yes, there are reasons to question his supposed ‘can do no wrong’.
December 12th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Another question; why did he feel the need to lie about it?
1. he doesn’t respond well to crisis, doesn’t think on his feet
2. he doesn’t see anything wrong with deception
mark/bob/dc -before you pounce on me for bringing this up, just keep in mind; you brought this up in the discussion. Now I’m commenting on it.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
“There are weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq” – George Bush
And that’s just one lie from Bush. Until you white wingers impeach Bush for all his many lies -incuding before a joint session of Congress no less – then you have no reason to complain about Obama yet. For all you know he turned over the Governor.
And Ellie you know what he was talking about, turn off the radio and Faux Fox Noise for a second and listen to some other “news” you may learn a thing or two.
Take care,
Ken
December 12th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
ken, you can quit bashing Bush now, his term is almost up. Furthermore, for what I know he said those things in good faith. Would you them impeach all the democ’s that said the same thing.
Now back to the Obama falsehood; I know what he was talking about? Yeah, he was saying he did not discuss the appointment with the governor. What did you think he was talking about?
BTW, I get my news from CNN as much as Fox. Trust but verify
December 12th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Ms Ellie,
Pointing out the fact Bush has lied a thousand times isn’t bashing him, facts are the facts.
Bush once said, “I know how hard it is putting food on your family” – which clearly is a flasehood. I don’t know anyone that puts food on their family, do you?
Or how about this classic, “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” What does he mean here?
And my all-time favorite Bush quote, “Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.”
I could go on but I hope you get the point. However, with regards to the ‘yellow cake’ being in Iraq, Bush clearly knew it wasn’t true when he said it in his state of the Union address – it was removed from a earlier speech in Cincy – but I trust you’ll verify just like Hannity. I just wish our current President would have verified something before he caused the death of so many people. And he still has a little over a month left…….
But if you want to split hairs on what Obama said then at least be honest with your self about what Bush has done. And CNN isn’t any better. Or MSNBC. Turn off the corporate news…..
Take care,
Ken
December 12th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Ken, your diversion does nothing to answer the questions I brought up.
You have just wasted blog space, I don’t know anyone who is still concerned about Bush’s public speaking skills except you. Maybe its yesterday’s news you focus on, I’ll stick with 93.9 The Eagle.
December 12th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Thank you for proving my point.
December 12th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Mr Ken, what point is that?…that you are our friendly resident Bush basher and nothing else matters to you?
I’ll shut up now and enjoy the show.
You take care too.
December 12th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Mr Nolan,
It’s an on going investigating so he couldn’y say anything if he did turn him over. No one knows anything yet and that’s my point. You know what they say when you assume something?
Take care,
Ken
December 12th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Gary,
What is proposed on the property where Bengals now sits is the State Historical Society NOT a new museum (and it is state not county as some people refer). While I do not agree with imminent domain, it is vital to keep the historical society here in Columbia and not have it moved to Jeff. City which some legislators would love to do.
December 12th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
Gary….
Yes, the campus should be able to ban smoking if they want.
Smoke is a public nuisance and I still don’t agree with you that second-hand smoke is not dangerous to one’s health.
December 12th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Ellie,
I guess I just don’t care whether he made a small lie or not and for the record I actually don’t think he has done a single thing wrong in regards to the idiot from Illinois. My point was that people on the Right are going to flip out over every little thing he does because that’s how our political system works now. My side has done and will continue to do the exact same thing.
Actually you proved my whole point about the Right freaking out by connecting his answer to a reporter’s question to YOUR opinions that people he knows indicate his character.
He won the election and I am sorry if that makes you sad.
December 12th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Breaking News!! Obama forgets to brush his teeth, is he a real American? Details on Faux News.
And Ellie I don’t hate Bush, heck I’m related to him – truly am, it goes back a long ways – I’m just pointing out the facts about him. But as I’ve said before, with facts as bad as these it can seem like bashing.
December 13th, 2008 at 8:53 am
smoking a public nuisance? okay should we ban ALL the public nuisence? Like should we ban the freaky things people wear on campus? How about we get back to wearing business clothes to classes instead of looking like something that crawled out from under a bridge.
And Amelia, just because you choose to ignore the facts does not make them cease to esist.
December 13th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Gary:
You mentioned the amount of crime in Columbia and I agree it is an every day event here.
Here is a New Years resolution (that doesn’t involve eating less) for you that I think will help.
As of January 1st you (and Shelly and whoever) start a crime calendar.
The eagle keeps track of every robbery, rape, shooting, etc and every time there is another (about EVERY DAY) you mention on the air that today is xx/xx/2009 and as of today there have been X number robberies, shootings, etc.
I think people tend to forget what’s going on and the city wants to forget too.
Doing “the daily crime tally” (or “the hind-end report”) will remind people and maybe embarrass the city which could help get more cops on the streets instead of more bicycles which seems to be the current plan.
You (and we the listeners) like stirring the pot and it could be fun too.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:33 am
I was wondering if you have brought the authors of “The Dirty Dozen: How Twelve Supreme Court Cases Radically Expanded Government and Eroded Freedom” on the show? I think your listeners might enjoy hearing more about the cases that led to the size of government we have today. Just an idea for an upcoming show. I really enjoyed this book as it gives an excellent explanation of the cases since the New Deal that have increased the size of government and eroded our liberties. I was familiar with several of the cases, but found others that I had never heard of prior to reading the book. It is an excellent read for any libertarian.
December 15th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Matt,
I had him on just as the book was released. It was fascinating and
only served to make me MORE angry about the SC and FDR.
Gary
December 15th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
How about the “Youzeum” Let the city take from itself for once.
December 15th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Happy birthday!
December 15th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
1st amendment check
December 16th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Gary, I am listening online right now, and I swear that it is a repeat from last week? Are you there today?
You are reading comments I posted last week and saying it was yesterday.
December 16th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
My bad….It’s a best of week! Missed that intro! Thanks producer!
December 16th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
oh boy, a replay about carrying weapons. happy holidays.
December 16th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Doesn’t Santa Claus reload ammunition?
December 16th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Gas is $1.59 today in Columbia.
December 16th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Amelia…I caught the very beginning of the show…it’s a ‘best of’ today because Gary is sick…
December 17th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Gary,
I agree fully that taxation should not be used for social engineering and social engineering should not be used as an excuse for more taxation.
December 17th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
golden earring
December 17th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
free hospital?
December 17th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
radar love
December 17th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
The poor are disproportionally more obese than the wealthy, and also consume more of the ‘vice tax’ products like tobacco, so not only is this method of taxation a bad idea on principle, its also more of a burden on those least able to afford additional expense.
Finally, I have to continue to wonder where the money will come from for all this spending if suddenly everyone started behaving the way the politicians would like. In Missouri I believe the cigarette tax is supposed to go to education, so smoking may be bad for me but its a sacrifice I make ‘for the children.’ (Obviously the Mayor is against education.)
December 17th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
(Chapter 149, RSMo) In addition to sales tax, a separate tax is collected on cigarettes and other tobacco products sold in the state. Money received from the tax is deposited in the State School Money Fund, the Health Initiatives Fund, and the Fair Share Fund. State law sets the tax based on mills (1/10 of one cent) per cigarette.
The State School Money Fund receives 4 ½ mills per cigarette (or 9 cents per pack of 20, for example); the Health Initiatives Fund receives 2 mills per cigarette (or 4 cents per pack of 20); the Fair Share Fund receives 2 mills per cigarette (or 4 cents per pack of 20).
Typically a licensed wholesaler files the reports and pays the tax to the department each month. If a retailer or individual purchases cigarettes or other tobacco products directly from a manufacturer or non-licensed wholesaler, the retailer or individual must pay the tax to the department.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
That guy who wants $500,000 needs to pay the officers for SAVING HIS LIFE!!!! Also….wasn’t he committing a crime? Do we get to sue for breaking the law now?
December 17th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
does the remaining $300,000, after lawyer gets his cut, go toward his medical bills? Or does he stay on the indigent list at the hospital and the taxpayers pick that tab up too?
December 17th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I have a better idea – when LE tell you to get down from the bridge…wait for it….you get down. When LE pull you over, you pull over….when they tell you to stop…you stop. Moreover, I can’t imagine taking a NON-LETHAL means out of the hands of LE so they have to go back to LETHAL means. Is that what we want? Do we want our officers to have to carry the burden of having to use lethal force when a non-lethal means is avilable?
December 17th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
This sounds like a fishing expedition on the part of the lawyer. I think the lawyer is behind this.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Gary,
This reminds me when I was in high school, there was an incident like this in my home town. I won’t say where I’m from, but you work with the current mayor.
Anyway, this guy decides to end it all, so he goes and sits in the middle of the road on the other side of an overpass. A member of my high school class is the next person to drive on the road, and of course hits this man sitting in the middle of the road.
Well, he didn’t die, and of course, then he decided to sue my friend for hitting him!
Didn’t these people learn traffic laws as child? Don’t stand in the road (or sit); Don’t jump off of bridges; and most important….Listen to the police if they say STOP or I’ll SHOOT! Now they just taze…..I think this guy got off lucky.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
I know that you’ve moved on to a new topic, but I couldn’t wait to get home to comment! I agree that the govt shouldn’t tax items for social engineering; even if the additional money generated goes toward health care. I don’t trust that… just look at the food stamp program. With food stamps, the recipients can ‘buy’ fresh produce or meats, but they can also ‘buy’ soda, candy, chips, sugary cereal, etc. When they become ill due to poor nutrition choices, they use govt sponsored medicaid (at the tax payers expense). How twisted is that?!?
December 17th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Gary,
Hope you get over your “cold” by Christmas.
As far as this emotionally distraught guy, perched on top of the bridge overpass, if he wanted to die, he would have jumped off before the police showed up. While an attorney is taking advantage over the tasering of this guy, who by the way was tasered after he came down from his perch, my main concern is that the police handled a situation apparently without any mental heath professionals. (What ever happened to calling in the men in the white coats with their nets?) Finally, CPD is considering Crisis Intervention Training for just these kind of situations. Money is not always the issue, sometimes it’s how we handle people who are those exhibiting “out of their mind” behaviors. They are not all criminas. Some of them are just sick.
December 17th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
This hasn’t bben read over the air yet and I can’t get through on line, so it’s somewhat updated:
Gary,
Hope you get over your “cold” by Christmas.
As far as this emotionally distraught guy, perched on top of the bridge overpass, if he wanted to die, he would have jumped off before the police showed up. While an attorney is taking advantage over the tasering of this guy, who by the way was tasered after he came down from his perch, my main concern is that the police handled a situation apparently without any mental heath professionals. (What ever happened to calling in the men in the white coats with their nets?) Finally, CPD is considering Crisis Intervention Training for just these kind of situations. Money is not always the issue, sometimes it’s how we handle people who are exhibiting these “out of their mind” behaviors. They are not all criminals or opportunists.. Some of them are just sick.
Also Brotemarkle did his job and just broke up a fight like he was supposed to.
And the government should treat “corn srup and “diet soda” additives like a drug.
December 17th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
YAH!!! for getting the Officer a gift certificate to CC’s! Good work Gary and Scott.
December 17th, 2008 at 8:46 pm
What’s all this concern about the guy who was on the overpass. Well for one he held up traffic on a major interstate. What about us poor sapps that were tied up for 90 minutes and were late for work and were docked for being late. Maybe some good samaritan lawyer could help us sue him. Fair is only Fair. If he wanted to kill himself he could have had the decency to do it at home.
December 17th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
So do you think this guys lawyer was hanging around the emergency room trolling for clients or did he actually chase the ambulance to the hospital?
Looks like that stupid and little used ped overpass is going to cost this city even more now.
December 18th, 2008 at 12:03 am
Funny how truth is stranger than fiction.
While flipping channels on my Dish I came across this listing on TV Land.
Third rock episode:
1996 – Dick the vote
Harry runs against a corrupt politician (Al Franken) for city council.
I watched it and sure enough Al is a politician who will stop at nothing to get elected.
It’s a weird world.
December 18th, 2008 at 8:56 am
To all those stuck in the traffic jam while that idiot was trying to decide to die or not (he made the wrong choice – he is still breathing) – you guys need to get one lawyer and work together, sue his butt!!! So that even if he gets money from the city, he will have to turn around and pay each of you guys something, PLUS drag it out so he has to pay a lawyer for their time to defend the stupid jerk!!!!…
December 18th, 2008 at 10:25 am
My dearest Gary,
Here’s what I see in the local “charity” hospital” with morbidly obese people:
They usually have type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, chronic kidney disease (and often long term dialysis, renal transplants, etc), diabetic retinopathy, arthritis, hyperlipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, and others that I am surely missing. These require intense management, including surgical procedures and multiple medications. And of course, most are on disability. I also hate that our tax dollars pay for the local hospital, but they do, and that will not change. If you do not want to tax the fatties, there is another option to fix their abuse of the medical system. This could also be extended to smokers, alcoholics, illegal immigrants, and even the elderly (as the majority of healthcare dollars are spent in the last 6 months of life). It’s simple: refuse health care. Do not provide health care to anyone with a BMI greater than 30. Do not treat any complications related to smoking, excessive alcohol intake, obesity, or anyone over the age of 65 with critical illness. Simple enough, right? It’s the only way to fix the hemorrhaging health care system.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Well….The person who was just on who went to the license bureau is mistaken. The license bureau is PRIVATELY run now because of Blunt.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
“The current level of atmospheric CO2 is about 390 parts per million by volume (ppmv,) or 0.039% by volume of the atmosphere, and in 1900 it was about 295 ppmv. If the 20th century trend continues unabated, by about 2050 atmospheric CO2 will have doubled to about 600 ppmv. This is the basis for the usual ‘doubled CO2′ scenario.
Skeptic volume 14 number 1
December 18th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
“With more COs2 more outgoing radiant energy is absorded, changing the thermaol dynamics of the atmosphere. All hte extra greenhouse gasses that have entered the atmosphere since 1900, including CO2, equate to an extra 2.7 W/m2 of energy absorption by the atmosphere. This is the worrisome greenhouse effect.”
Skeptic volume 14 number 1
December 18th, 2008 at 6:12 pm
Are you suggesting that we get rid of the laws concerning cruelty to animals. If so, your taking Libertatianism way too far. Humans gives rights to themselves, we need to give our man-made rights to our fellow inhabitors of the earth.
I’m neutral on cat piercing except to say that it’s just as stupid as human piercing.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
It’s the law, Gary. Man made law, man-made rights.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
The right to be cruel to lesser creatures? That’s sad.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Is cruelty to animals OK, because your God gave us the right? There are laws on the books that say you can’t mistreat animals and they should remain enforcable, regardless of whether they are considered “rights”. This includes dogfighting, maybe not cat gothing.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
we wonder, is there an animal rights proponent who is also pro-choice?
just asking.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Gary-
Isn’t it funny you can destroy an eagle egg and go to jail….Yet you kill an un-born child and the same people that put you I jail for the eagle egg crys out…. “It’s your choice!! Some people sure are confused aren’t they.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Good luck if your agenda is to repeal cruelty to animal laws because your way outnumbered.
I better refrain from further comment because I have probably reached a limit.
Thanks for responding.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Chris,
Nice try with the abortion switch there.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
The rat poison is “legal”, commonly agreed upon cruelty is illegal for now.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
chris,
Lets see if i can finish this time without accidentally hitting enter. There is no comparison between abortion and animal cruelty. A fairer comparison would be child abuse to animal cruelty. In Gary’s liberatarian utopia kids are personal property as well so I am assuming he is cool with me setting up a neighborhood pit fight resembling a Street Fighter video game where 10 years fight to the death.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
we understand all those caviats, as well as you just love to stir the pot
December 18th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
chris,
One last point on my Street Fighter scenario. It would be so easy to set up betting and maybe sell drinks (FREE MARKET PRINCIPLES FOR YOU GARY!) while your wife hypes up the event.
“In this corner stands Antonio, who in his ten years has mastered the art of Tonka Truck Kung Fu and has the speed of a ninja”
“In this corner his opponent, Steve is a disciple of the ancient fighting technique called GI Joe ju jitsu.”
Brilliant plan if you ask me.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
No Bob I am not trying to do a switch. What I am saying is that people have have confused “our”… you and I…. “our” rights with the rights of animals. That is the most clear point I can make that makes people think.
December 18th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Bob you are wrong…..A child is a person..Not an animal. Question Bob…Why do yo compare human beings to animals??
December 18th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Mr. Chris,
I’ll hop in here. Despite Bob’s awesome street fighter references, I get what he is saying.
I care and love for my two bulldogs just as much I would for a child. I feed and care for them. I take them to the doctor when they are sick or hurt. I train them and teach them new skills. They also bring me love and comfort. It would also destroy me if something were to happen to one of them. How are they any different than a child?
The most obvious comeback to what I am saying would be utility. A cynic would argue that a child has a higher potential for productivity and participation in society.
You obviously value children over animals, which is fine by me. But I actually find that my bulldogs do not cheat on me, lie to me, steal, kill, or disappoint me. To be perfectly honest in this world a well trained bulldog is much more reliable and loyal than any person I know besides my girlfriend.
I think what Gary was trying to do tonight was piss people off so that he would get a lot of calls and people would fight on here. I doubt even his strict libetarian code would allow him to stand by while I lit my dog on fire in front of him. Its about ratings my friends and he got what he wanted from us.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I too have two pets at home. In fact our westie sleeps at the foot of our bed in the bed. I do not condone anyone being cruel to an animal.
I caught Gary’s show at the tail end and I don’t know the whole story. What I gathered is some lady put piercings in her animal and was arrested..? if that is the headline…Are you kidding me.? That is not animal cruelty. I see people everyday with piercings in thier ears, nose, tounge, teeth,and other un-metionable places.
DC…in your second to last paragraph you sound serious when wrote ” You obviously value children over animals, which is fine by me.”… I would certainly hope so…but the way you said “fine by me” as if I am an exception to the rule, and you are graciously telling me that it’s ok for me to feel as I do.
The reason that your well trained bull dog is much more relaible to you is that you trained it. But it took time to train as it takes time to build and choose people to have relationships with.
No you can’t trust everyone ALL the time…Nor can I trust animals ALL the time!!
But, my point still remains that people have have confused “our”… you and I…. “our” rights with the rights of animals.
December 18th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
chris,
I am pretty weird, but I do value my pets more than most people. Outside of my family and friends, most people are selfish creatures.
I get your point and in the court of public opinion you would win hands down. I just wanted to defend the Bob a bit. I also wanted to highlight how I don’t think Gary really believes a lot of what he says, but rather he wants everyone to fight so they will listen to his show.
December 18th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
What’s the big deal with piercing your kitty cat?
If having a pierced kitty cat is made illegal a large percentage of MU co-eds will have to go to jail.
There are a couple places in this town that will pierce your kitty cat and anything else you would like jewelry in.
December 18th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
Chris and DC,
Gary really did get you guys goin’, not quite like two pit bulls in a ring. All he’s really saying is, the God of America and the Enlightenment gave human beings these inalienable rights, one of which is to mistreat animals, if they are your “property”, because we’re more intelligent than them(debatable) and that this God didn’t give anything else any “rights”. OK, I give, “uncle”, dogs and cats and rats can’t have our supreme rights. That’s why we make a few “laws” to protect them from us.
If more intelligent, evolved, alien beings ever show up and want to trump our rights based on what their god says, i guess we can all be led to the slaughter by nose rings. Or maybe they’ll make the cute ones their pets.
December 19th, 2008 at 8:18 am
Gary-
I had another brilliant idea…Maybe would could make an exchange program that swaps our morbidly obese people for citizens of Mexico. At least they work! We could give the immigrants citizenship, and revoke citizenship from the fat people. That way we’d solve the illegal immigration problem, AND get rid of the fat people that continue to abuse the healthcare system.
December 19th, 2008 at 11:00 am
It is just so sad how many tragedies have to happen before something is done to prevent them. How many lives lost are enough to finally make someone take notice of the “death trap” that I-70 has become. Semis fly down that road, many times accident were prevented from keen drivers being aware of their presence. Many times I have had to slow abruptly to keep from having one pull over on me when trying to pass. They stay in the passing lanes causing other drivers to have to try and go around them on the right side. They ride too close to other vehicles knowing if they had to stop with a full load behind them, it is almost impossible to do on dry roads, much less wet or icy ones. Too many times I have seen or heard how they plowed over someone for this very reason. Most often killing the person in the other vehicle while they walk away unharmed, at least physically. So one more young life lost to add to the growing total.
December 19th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
AP, I am STILL laughing…
Isn’t it interesting that the US has the fattest poor people in the world?
How about gym memberships instead of food stamps?
December 20th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Need any more evidence of just how screwed we are:
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/with-economy-in-shambles-congress-gets-a-raise-2008-12-17.html
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:10 pm
Gary, have you heard *anything* from the politi-things about fixing the problem that caused this economic crisis in the first place?
I’m speaking to the whole sub-prime loan debacle.
So far, we’ve been throwing money at the fallout; but unless we get RID of the lending requirements that LED to all those sub-prime loans (which led to the marketing bubble, which inflated the housing prices, which led to the bubble bursting), all of these expensive bailouts will only be money down the drain.
Socialism is the answer they offer, which appeals only if the problem exists. Rights will go down the toilet, the same way as the economy.
Btw, this rolling commentary is excellent; saves waiting on the phone.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Ultimate morbidity to televise this. No I would not watch such a specticle. I don’t what reason was given.
If a person want to die, let them, if they are that sick.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
I don’t want to watch people die. Although…I do have an ex-wife that I’d like to….ummm….nevermind.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Euthanasia is always wrong. It has to be separated from suicide to assisted killing. The person being killed has not committed any offense against society; exact crimes where no penalty has punishment to be exacted on the person. It is called existence for a reason deal with it.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Re suicide: I too believe an adult should have a right to decide when to leave this plain of existence. (That doesn’t mean, however, that I *condone* their action, or that their decision is necessarily the correct one. Circumstances do matter.)
On the other hand, children, definately not. In their case, intervention and treatment is in order.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
hairy.. of course I know that you are the caller.. A shame about you..Maybe with a little time on a doctors couch…
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
The gentleman who chose to end his suffering must have felt so powerless over his destiny. Chosing the ‘how’ and ‘when’ he would end his pain gave him some control and must have offered him some measure of peace…this was HIS choice, and his wife’s, and I cannot object to that. I would not, however, choose to watch it happen.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I’d rather herd rabid chinchillas in death valley while wearing a gorilla costume than watch an assisted suicide on TV.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
California’s legislature is full of Liberal Communists who majored in Basket Weaving at Berkley and are so out of touch they think the “common” people still listen to Duran Duran on 8-tracks.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Unbelievable! The good samaritin couldn’t win either way, you know… if she weren’t being sued for pulling the victim out of the car to safety, she would’ve been sued for leaving her there!
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If the good samaritan had left the injured person inside and injury would have resulted, she probably would have sued her.
The common sensical thing to do is walk away.
December 22nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Gary
Your earlier remark about how the Republic is doomed… ditto.
Here is the quagmire…
HOW can you educate against socialism, when a socialist-leaning government *runs* the EDUCATION system?
You can’t!!!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
“DON’T TAZE ME BRO!” This guy suing because he was tazed is hilarious to me. WHY? Karma! You just wait. He will get his “payday” then he will be sued by the people that were waiting around on I-70 and end up owing them 1 million dollars for lost wages. KARMA!
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Ha ha ha! Tim the caller!
Everyone elected is called “President-Elect” until they are in office! Good Grief! How does that make him arrogant?
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Nice try, Gary. Obama needs to WALK HIS TALK…he could’ve taken a MUCH smaller plane and STILL managed to accomodate his Secret Service and other ‘needed staff members’…who’s paying for it, by the way? If he’s footing the bill, I’ll shut up already. If I’M footing the bill…
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
They take their own secret service cars!
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:16 pm
It has to be big….do you know all the stuff that they take!
I’m sure he had NO choice in the size of plane.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:17 pm
Oh…and I’m pretty sure that Bush took big planes on his various vacations to Texas.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:24 pm
I wouldn’t care if he took the space shuttle if I didn’t have to pay for it AND he wasn’t telling me to turn down my thermostat and keep my tires properly inflated to save gasoline. It’s the hypocrisy that irritates me.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Santas Disable Enforcement Cameras in Tempe
http://kfyi.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=&article=4766345
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I have given money to homeless people in downtown Columbia in the past and I have seen them buying alcohol 30 minutes later. I had a homeless guy refuse food that I offered him after I told him that I would not give him money. I spend a lot of time downtown and I have decided to never give money to a homeless guy/girl, unless I can see that he/she is physically disabled.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:17 pm
This may seem coldhearted, but the ACLU doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Firstly, laws against vagrancy or loitering are not unprecidented. Secondly, either dircetly through violations or this law or through failure to pay citations, violators will find themselves in a tax-payer funded shelter: jail.
There is reasonable regulation of their treatment there, and any unpleasantness involved means that only those unable to find other options will be provided with that service.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Homeless shouldn’t be persecuted for their actions. I disagree with the idea of forcing the homeless off the streets much the same way I hate the loitering ordinances on public property. If they want to sleep on the bench, Let them! Now with that said I do believe in nuisance laws that prevent someone from using or taken up public goods to the expense that someone else could use them for there intended purpose. IE. if you are sleeping on the sidewalk when others are trying to walk on it, you need to move along because your are preventing it from being use for its originally intended purpose.
Also to defend Ayn Rand a little. She objected to just giving to public charity but didn’t say you can’t or shouldn’t give to others. Rather there should be something to gain for you. To this extent you are more than welcome to help someone if you think it will be beneficial to you.
Issues involving American Charity.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/content.view/cpid/736/print/1.htm
I recommend reviewing question three.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Another site I found regarding Charity. I couldn’t find the study he referred to in the post. But the website of the study coordinator is:http://www.philanthropy.iupui.edu/
Article is at: http://jacklewis.net/weblog/archives/2007/06/breaking_our_ar.php
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Okay, last post on this subject. This is a link to a study that measured charitable givings by nations according to GDP. I think that is probably the same study the previous post’s link referenced, given the data. But seeing as how I couldn’t find the previous’ post’s link’s data this will do.
http://www.cafonline.org/pdf/International%20Comparisons%20of%20Charitable%20Giving.pdf
This is a comparison done of total national individual (non-government) given to charitable causes as compared to GDP. It puts us at 2.2% which is a starkly greater amount as compared to others. Something to note about the data (it is marked just below the graph in foot notes) it does not take into account forced charitable givings. This being things like Germany’s forced tithe to your church. IE if you are required by German law to give a tithe (normally 10%) to the Catholic church, it is not calculated in the results. I believe this is fair notion to work from as you can’t realistically call forced donations charity; can you?
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I loved the crying about conservatives being picked on by people. I have had to sit through talk radio hosts (not you that much Gary, but its been worse lately), Fox News, and internet sites claiming that Obama was A. A Muslim (not true and not sure why it mattered in the first place) B. An illegal citizen C. A buddy of terrorists. I feel no pity for any conservative who feels they are being picked on. They have dominated our government and political culture for over a decade so cry me a river.
To be fair, my side has an endless lists of cooks, liars, and babies. I just had to listen to Rachel Maddow cry about how Obama reaching out to the evangelical community by picking Rick Warren to do his inaugural prayer means that Obama now hates gay people.
In the end both sides are incredibly childish and stupid, but unfortunately for conservatives they do not get to claim sole bragging rights for the getting pooped on repeatedly award.
December 23rd, 2008 at 10:12 pm
oh,
I forgot to add that the caller who believed that everything Hannity and Rush say is backed by hard proof has lost it. Those guys are entertainers who make their fortunes by scaring people and demonizing their political enemies. They appeal to the worst parts of us and are no different than Michael Moore or Bill Maher. Using them as sources of information is about as smart as relying on “that guy” you work with who claims he read on the internet that ninja turtles live in the sewers and are actually fighting crime at night.
December 24th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
My favorite present was the old upright piano I received when I was 5 years old. My parents paid $50 for it and I played it for years!
December 24th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
the bike wth the banana seat was called the Stingray.
My memory: When I was a kid we lived in a house with a big yard and lots of trees. My dad would never put up any out door lights. So one year he decided he would decorate one of the bigger pine trees. So he bought a bunch of ligts and lit up that tree. Unfortunately that was when Jimmy Carter was in office, during the Oil Embargo and the President pretty much declared that outdoor lighting was a waste of precious energy and unAmercia. My dad did not care and we greatly enjoyed out lit up tree.
December 24th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
Amen DC!!!!!
December 30th, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Nightline stated that slaves were five dollars or by 2004 inflation 50,000 dollars.
December 30th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Really that is what they said, but I am, so sorry.
December 30th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Thank You for addressing the ‘war of northern aggression’ written by the victors !!
December 31st, 2008 at 11:05 am
I’d prefer to read something like “The Narratives of Fredrick Douglass” or something of that nature to find out what it was like to be a slave than this guy’s version of history. And of course you can find an exception to the rule and find some good slave-owners that treated them somewhat nicely, however, that doesn’t change the fact that they were still slaves and had no rights whatsoever.
You all are right that it was a War over the fact that the South wanted “states rights”. But it was the right of the southern states to keep people as slaves and in chains and it seems to me that human rights should trump so called “states rights” on this one every time. I recall reading something in that big book, which you Christians like to quote all the time, about slaves and how to treat people. What was that guy’s name again? Oh I know, Jesus. But I guess that doesn’t matter since it was about states rights and you all only want to quote it when it justifies your ends, despicable.
December 31st, 2008 at 2:51 pm
Ken, the north had slaves also !
Lincoln’s ‘emancipation’ was only for territories in revolt not where his word meant anything. It was an empty PR gesture.
December 31st, 2008 at 5:24 pm
Why would you not want mothers to breastfeed in public places? I just dont get what the big deal is.
December 31st, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Had to comment on tonight’s topic about political parties. This is how I see it. We have three so called major political parties, Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians. Democrats can call it progressive or liberal or whatever they want, but they are simply socialists. Republicans used to be the conservative party, but they are now the liberals both fiscally and morally that the old Democrats used to be. There is NOTHING conservative about them anymore.I have always been a conservative Republican, but they lost me when they lost their conservatisim. Then we have the Libertarians. I actually agree with more of their positions than the other two parties, however I can’t swallow it all. I don’t want to tell my kids drugs are legal and immorality is ok. I don’t want America to become isolationists and I don’t want to go back to the days of living like the Puritians and Quakers which is where Libertairians want us to be. Socialists want the govenment to control everything, Libertarians want the government to do nothing for our country. So Libertarians are just as extreme and liberal as the Socialists, except on the other end of the spectrum. All of this to say that a Christian conservative like myself no longer has a political party they can affiliate with. We have no one to represent us which is very sad and very scary. Anyone ever heard of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible? America is fast on it’s way to making those places look like the Garden of Eden and we are folowing these so called political leaders blndly and actually believe the lies they tell us. It’s a sad, sad world.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Jay, I’m very aware of history and what the Emancipation did and didn’t do – he couldn’t outright free the slaves since he didn’t have the Constitutional power to do so. But to call it an empty PR gesture is foolish and perhaps one should go back re-read history that’s not slanted towards the Southern view of things? And just so I understand your point, are you arguing for Slavery?
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:24 pm
what about the other kids parents, what were they doing when there kids where getting into that car. would they not be just as accountable for not knowing what there child was doing and there for making them just as much in the wrong???
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:41 pm
You need to put a page up showing who you interviewed for books.
January 2nd, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Gary, I am not a lawyer, but I do have a handle on right and wrong.
the parents of the driver should not be sued for damages or criminally as long as they didn’t enable or assist the driver in his unlawfull behavior. Even if they did have a part in this event, they are not necessicarily responsible as they didn’t dirrectly cause the accident. In this case I feel that all of the persons in the care bear some individual responsibility, with the driver assuming most of the burden.
January 5th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Kudos for knowing about French Press coffee!! Remember to recommend a Bodum press, and the beans should be FRESH ROASTED. If you don’t have a Zojirushi thermos, you’re missing the Porshe of warmth. Easily found on ebay for not so much.
When you’re ready to go espresso, you’ll never go back.
LOVE the show – want to run for President?? Senate??
Thanks,
Diane
January 5th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
my children are not in CPS, they attend Fayette. Granted it is a much smaller school, about 600 students in the district k-12. Average 15 students per classroom. The ‘Accountability Report Card’ from DESE’s website shows stark differences between schools. I would recommend Fayette schools above CPS and would feel good about paying tuition if needed. As it is, we felt good about voting to pay more taxes for our schools last April.
January 5th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I will acknowledge up front that I could be more on top of what my kids are learning. Here are some of the low points that I would like to share. I have a child getting ready to graduate at Rock Bridge. Although he passed Integrated Math 3, he is retaking it again this year because he did not leave that class feeling that he had a grasp on the material. He struggled his whole junior year. He went in before AND afterschool tutoring. I kept thinking that this would help close this learning gap. It did not. We ended up paying an outside tutor the few months last year just to get that passing grade. I think with all that extra time spent at school, it is unimaginable that he couldn’t thrive. I have another child in 7th grade who is getting an A in math but can not tell you how much 6×8 is without great thought. Definitely not memorized. This is where I am also to blame, as she seems to be doing well in math if you look at her grade, but I know we should be more insistent at home that she masters some basic math. We have talked about taking her out and look at anything but CPS for education. I feel like CPS has done some horrible experiment with our sons math education and he will pay forever because of it. I would not recommend CPS and we will insist that our 7th grader takes the traditional math track and not allow her to take integrated when entering Junior High.
I am not ashamed to identify myself, but my children are forced to listen to you and I don’t want to embarrass them.
Name withheld
January 5th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
My two youngest children attend a private Christian school here in Columbia, my oldest child attends a junior high school in CPS. The reason my oldest child is in CPS is due to our private school not having high school available. We are very happy with our private school, which offers excellent educational opportunities and a great environment in which kids can learn well. So far my oldest child is happy in her junior high school, and she is active on a school sports team. We plan to follow the same pattern for our younger children, but we would not recommend parents send their children to CPS for elementary or middle school, especially in our district area, which I will not disclose.
January 5th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
Hey Gary or Tim, if you get an opportune moment…
LearnToCarry.com also has a nice selection of FREE “No Guns, No Money” cards that ccw permit holders can download and print. There’s a link to the card section right on the front page.
Permit holders use these cards to hand out to business owners who post signs prohibiting concealed carry on their premises. The cards basically let the business owner know that their “No Gun” sign prevented a LAW-ABIDING customer from coming in and doing business with them.
The backside of the card also provides basic info about Missouri ccw permit holders to further help educate and encourage businesses to take down those “No Gun” signs.
P.S. – The actual card section is located here:
http://learntocarry.com/nogunsnomoney/
January 5th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Links for sites mentioned by Tim:
The Missouri Sport Shooting Association (NRA State Affiliate):
http://MissouriSportShooting.org/
MissouriCarry – where Missouri gun folks go to meet and discuss issues (online forums):
http://MissouriCarry.com/
and of course:
http://LearnToCarry.com/
January 5th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
Gary’s coffee. I started the show today talking about coffee and I was asked to post my “how to” guide here.. so here you go!
First, buy whole beans and I’d suggest a “dark roast.”
Second buy a “French press.”
Third, get a “coffee mill.” Not a grinder, a mill. Set grinder for a “course grind.”
Fourth,Use 7-9 grams of freshly roasted coffee to make a cup of coffee.
Fifth, Boil water and remove from heat for about ten seconds. Then pour water in the “press.” We fill the press between 1/3 and half with water.
Sixth, let sit for 3.5 to 4 minutes then press the strainer down.
Seventh, pour into a thermos and thin to taste. If you like coffee and haven’t tried this then you don’t know what you’re missing.
January 5th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
I was looking up a cost per child in our school district. It took me 12 pages of google searching but I found this: https://www.bestplaces.net/Metro/Columbia-Missouri.aspx
It claims: “Columbia Metro Area, MO, schools spend $4,823 per student. There are 13 pupils per teacher, 499 students per librarian, and 346 children per counselor in Columbia Metro Area, MO schools.”
I don’t know how this was calculated though. I just graduated in 2005 and I can say that I have NEVER had a class with only 12 students in it. I wonder if maybe this data is collected from all schools; private, religious and public. That is about the only way I can think of to get the cost and size down. As the Catholic school here in town is low cost and small ratio of students to teachers. I don’t know about the other schools in town though.
There use to be (and probably still is) a reporter at the tribune that is highly educated on the education system her. I believe she would know what the cost are per kid.
January 6th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Dear Gary…I am a Hockey Grandma and I have been “selected” by the Board of the Twisters Hockey League to approach you and ask if you would be willing to interview a spokesman from the League for a few minutes in the near future. There are several reasons why it would be so great if you did this…their season begins again around March and they are trying to bring it to the attention of the community about all the great attributes in getting involved with this sport. It is a healthy sport, these kids work hard at each and every game…it builds their self-esteem…it keeps these kids off the streets and involved in a game that is fun for the whole family.
As I said they are trying to recruit new kids and build the league, get new sponsors and get involved in fund raisers for kids who can’t afford the minimal fee to join and for the maintenance of the hockey fields…
Gary, there is a really bitter-sweet story behind the scenes about this League and it is about the founder John Briggs starting this league years ago and then having one of the female players in the league get killed in an auto accident about 2 or 3 years ago…this player was his daughter and she was sorely missed by the league and all their members as well as the parents who came to watch her play…they dedicated the hockey field in Hallsville to her…”Whitney Briggs Memorial Hockey Arena” upon her death…
you can read more about this league at twistershockey.com and I hope you will check it out…this is not only great for our communities, but like I said it gives kids these ages something to focus on and look forward to…
I hope and pray you will consider my request…you are the best person I know to interview someone and make it interesting and get the facts out there…
Thanks, in advance, for considering my request..
Sincerely,
Gaye Fleming
P.S. I forgot to tell you that they were on a local news show (it is out there on their website) and more recently, the team was interviewed on Pepper and Friends.
January 6th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Gary-
Good question about catching the best friends spouse cheating…I would make my presence known at whatever establishment we were at so that he/she would know I saw what they were up to…Then I would tell them they have ‘x’ amount of days to tell my best friend or I will tell them-simple as that. That way it gives them a chance to come clean on their own-if they will.
Thanks!
January 6th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
I would not reccomend CPS, I moved from Columbia because of the politics in the schools. I used to Dispatch all the buses and you really don’t know the public until you’ve been in that postion. It’s unreal how parents think their children are little angels and don’t do anything wrong. The School District has no back bone and they let parents walk all other them. I know there is teachers out their that really do care but, I think the percentage of those who care verses a paycheck out weights. I’ve been very happy with BHS. Columbia Schools are just as bad as KC and ST. Louis
January 6th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
I would tell my freind. I would only tell them if I could show them with their own eyes which would take me out of the picture of “making up the story”. I was in the postion and it ended up causing my friends to divorce. I didn’t want that to happen but at the same time I did not want to put up with his crap anymore either. It all works itself out in the long run.
January 6th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
I would also take a picture on my cell phone to show proof. I would go to my best friend.
January 6th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Thats the problem with the world now they don’t want to live up to their actions. When someone else see something they know is wrong they just stay quiet and hope it goes away. Don’t be the a fool.
January 6th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I’d have to agree with Krystal. Let the cheating spouse break the bad news. I am not introvert enough to keep my mouth shut but not naive enough to think I know what is going on first hand.
January 6th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
So Marlene, who is to blame? The school district, the parents, or the teachers? You mentioned all three.
I am in complete agreement with you that parents take absolutely no responsibility for the actions of their own children. I had a mother tell me that it was the high school’s fault that her son dropped out of school! No! It is YOURS for allowing it!
The fact that you say the teachers are only there for a paycheck and don’t care….ludicrous. There are much better ways to make a living than teaching in public schools and dealing with all of the problems that come with that. Do you know what it takes to become a teacher today in Missouri!? You would have to be MAD or truly CARE about teaching kids to go through with it.
Teachers are supposed to “Care” about their job in order to be a good employee. Well, doesn’t that apply to ALL jobs/careers?
I am so sick of everyone in this town blaming everyone but themselves for their children’s failures.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
Gary, I gotta say it, because it’s driving me crazy that no one has said this yet. Most of us (guys) would tell a friend if we saw his girlfriend out with another guy. We would most likely not tell the girlfriend of a buddy of ours, if our buddy was out with another girl. Hey, what are friends for? Trust, etc? We have friends for a reason. It would be enough to give some input on what we think our friend should do about a relationship, but any other involvent seems overboard.
-George
January 6th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
If I caught a friend of mine cheating on their boy/girlfriend I would walk right up to them. Ask something like “so hows your girlfriend doing?” just so the other could hear it. And depending on how well I knew their girlfriend I would probably not tell if I didn’t know them, but if they were my friend then I would. And if they were more than just Girlfriend / boyfriend, then I would tell regardless of how well I knew them.
But in neither case would I tell immediately, I would at least wait a couple days for my friend to fess up first.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Let me throw a scenario out to you, what if your best bud is cheating on his wife and you know about it and one day his wife ask you about it what do you tell her?
January 6th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
The man law is strong with you Gary
I have been put into that situation before and I believe a “best bud” would not put their friend into that situation. I must admit I told her that she needed to ask him about it. Thanks for your response have a great day.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
NO! I did not take it upon myself to report my sister (who was my best friend) to her spouse… my allegiance is always to her, even if I don’t always agree with her choices. I don’t see it as “man law”, either, I see it as “friend law”. Rather than make a moral judgement I talked to her about ending the affair or the marriage, since long-term, one of the two had to go.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Hello Gary,
Love your show! You never disappoint.
Spouses or couples cheating. No question. None of my business. If one or the other were to choose to make it my business, so be it. I’m there to listen. Do I know their situation. I doubt it and again, none of my business. We’ve all known people who cannot wait to share their “information” and have no qualms about who they hurt. They feel it in everyone’s best interest if they butt in and tell others what, how, why and when.
Simple indicators of what most if not all of society needs to do. Mind your own damn business.
Who is anyone else to judge and pass sentence? Again, not your business. So, to all the self righteous, sanctimonious , holier than though schmucks who think you need to run society’s party. Pi@% off.
January 6th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
I think I will remain “holier than thou”. Sure I wouldn’t tell the spouse but niether would I adhere to some unwritten code.
Simply I would and have distanced myself from so-called friend. If they aren’t true to their spouse they won’t be true to your freindship either and being USED as an alibi is not friendship.
I’m not that desperate for friends, I’d rather have my horse.
Beer for my horses….
January 6th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
An addendum…as I have seen the “cheating” circumstance before, many times it has ocurred, a guy will “rat” on another. Why? So the rat is hopefully a “hero” to the gal being cheated on and hopefully Mr. Rat will be able to “score” so to speak. Women do it to protect eachother.
January 6th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Trust my horse more than most folks too Fay!
January 6th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
my best friend is my wife, but my close friends are of the type that we hold each other accountable. if I had a close friend who was cheating, I would go to him and raise some knots on the top of his head. then, one way or another, he would get to tell his wife.
(if the close friend who was cheating was a female woman of the opposite sex, same deal, sans the knots on the head.)
then, if anyone is still talking to me, I recommend forgiveness and reconciliation, and I do what I can to help. I know at least one very good marriage counselor.
if they are not on speaking terms with me any longer, I pray.
(actually, much prayer would be prerequisite to the aforementioned knots on the knoggin.)
EOL
January 6th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Dear Gary,
I know I may be totally off subject from what everyone on here is talking about but I do have a solution for the situation we, and the world are in. I want to get a movement going and would like to see your input on the matter and maybe see someone with a voice who can speak for us, for those who have no voice. I have thought through all the options available to us, we need to get our government to do something. I am not a democrat, nor am I a republican, I AM AN AMERICAN! Here is the solution to the whole problem. We have nearly $1 trillion going to bail out the “economy”. Instead of pumping this money into the car companies and banks directly, we use it in a way that gives us more bang for our buck. Regardless of if the big three are going under or not there will be someone to pickup this dollar. We take a good chunk (about 1/2) and put that into a fund to promote Hydrogen technology, but use that in conjunction with a federal mandate to ban, or faze out by domestic “tariffs” or “luxury” taxes, all fossil fuels used in our transportation in an extremely short time frame (3-7 years). Our “moon shot” is here. Having nearly $500 billion available for people who want to make money by starting up companies emphasizing on this green technology, would stimulate the economy by creating jobs, and by making CHEAP squeaky clean energy. We make the democrats happy by using clean energy, we make the republicans happy by creating a massive new market. Then to bring auto sales back in line, do what they are doing with the dtv converter boxes. The government takes another portion of the stimulus plan and issue $10,000 coupons to buy these hydrogen cars. Thus stimulating the economy even more and giving the car companies the cash they need. This “kick start” in the right direction could actually create a upward spiral and nip the problem in the bud. I realize this plan would be radical but what other choice do we have. The damage has been done, there is no chance for a good recovery putting into effect a plan that is essentially putting a feeding tube directly into the stomach of the economy, filling it with no nutrition and substance hence the “hollow” dollar. The government screws everything up, and is so bad it can make the right decision, but pervert it in someway. But this incompetent best, as I so despise of what has come of her, has caused the problem, but at the point we are at it may be the only very evil that saves us from complete anarchy or revolution. I don’t believe in big government and a firm believer in the free market system, but sometimes we must do must must be done to make better tomorrow.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
I think if you want to serve your country, more power to you! Your sexual orientation should not be a factor.
I agree Gary with your statement…Sexual Harassment is Sexual Harassment. If it is a girl coming onto a girl or a guy, or a guy on a guy or a girl….it is a No No.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Why can’t society in the US understand that the military has dealt with the issue already and sufficiently enough for itself. If someone is persistent and flamboyant in their actions the problem is taken care of themselves. Besides the whole idea of don’t ask don’t tell is DON’T talk about it and that goes for heterosexuals and homosexuals. Heterosexuals don’t walk into the room and say I am straight and homosexuals don’t either. Besides some of the most “pushy people” are heterosexual men in the military.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I note that your award bears the phrase “carpe diem.”
While not correct latin, don’t you think that should instead read “Illegitimi non carborundum?”
Justa suggestion.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:42 pm
I don’t see the issue….there have been homosexual soldiers for thousands of years. Didn’t stop the Romans from conquering half the known world in the 2300 years ago.
January 7th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
When someone was expressing racist views in basic training, my drill instructor would correct them by saying: “There’s no black or white in the army. You’re all green.”
The biggest problem I can see with allowing openly homosexual individuals in the military is coming up with a clever phrase to clearly and concisely express the policy for the few recruits that would have a problem adjusting. Any ideas?
January 7th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
it’s a readiness issue,
let’s say for example a commander has a dangerous mission at hand in which the person sent will most likely die, and that person happens to be his lover.
do you think he is going to send his lover, most likely not.
he will probably send someone less qualified thus endagering the mission and more live’s .
it’s the same reason they don’t want women in combat positions.
don’t go with the have a gay service thing either, then you would have people saying they were gay to get out of combat.
thats why plain and simple
and yes i am a veteran.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
it’s a readiness issue,
let’s say for example a commander has a dangerous mission at hand in which the person sent will most likely die, and that person happens to be his lover.
do you think he is going to send his lover, most likely not.
he will probably send someone less qualified thus endagering the mission and more live’s .
it’s the same reason they don’t want women in combat positions.
don’t go with the have a gay service thing either, then you would have people saying they were gay to get out of combat.
thats why plain and simple
and yes i am a veteran.
January 7th, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I was in the USMC for 4 years, and I am one who was against Don’t ask – Don’t tell, but now am for it.
The main reason women only serve on the front lines under certain circumstances has nothing to do with ability – nobody needs to thinking of anytthing to do with sex when you’re trying to get people to take a hill.
Since fraternization is against policy anyway, why tell? All it will do is cause a bunch of problems that we don’t have now.
And the difference between showering at the gym and in the service is that its your choice to shower at the gym.
January 8th, 2009 at 8:48 am
I know I’m a day late but felt I needed to say something.
I’m a 10 year verteran of the USAF, including Desert Shield/Storm.
I don’t think the issue has anything at all to do with a person’s ability or desire to serve their country. It has to do with practical matters. One person stated that you should not be having sex on duty and off duty it doesn’t matter. The military is not like your normal job where you just go home after work.
For much of a person’s military career they are forced to live on base in either open bay barracks or in dormatories. In both cases they usually have to shower in open bay type showers. There are no shower curtains and there often is not enough room to even keep from touching other persons. In the desert the comodes in the latrine were so close together your hips would touch the person sitting next to you and there were no curtains. It’s not a comfortable situation even before adding the sex issue.
Would female service members feel comfortable sharing that type of shower or latrine with male service members? Would anyone suggest that all showers should be co-ed in the military? What is the difference between a heterosexual male being forced to shower with an openly homosexual male and a heterosexual female being forced to shower with a heterosexual male? I see no difference at all.
January 8th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
and what do you expect from a government that thinks we need a warning label on 5 gallon buckets or/and a society that expects that from their government !!!
January 8th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
the bumper music you played from Tull…..
the lyrics start like this:
who would be a poor man, a beggar man, a thief
if he had a rich man in his hand
and who would steal the candy from a laughing baby’s mouth
if he could take it from the money man
now, was this intentional, or was the flute alone worth the trip?
January 8th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
carpe diem quam minimum credula postero
Illegitimi non carborundum?
Were we to employ ReNivinism in the Barackian Obamination, perhaps we should rather swear by Finagle.
tanj !
January 9th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Gary, the real question is who is a bigger pain an ex-wife or an ex-husband?
January 9th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
I was a packer and big game guide in Montana in the 80’s. I got kicked by a mule which cracked a rib or two then had a 7 hour horse back ride out to the trailhead, leading a string of mules
January 9th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Just watched Barney Frank and Barbra Boxer on cnn nothing more painful then that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 9th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Ask the guy that broke both arms who was his best friend?
January 9th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
I agree about the excessive headlights and I want to add; foglights! foglights are meant for FOG. I drive a low vehicle and foglights are as annoying as the brights at that level.
Frosts my big ole buns!
January 9th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
HID lights are the blue lights that you see on the highway today. These lights harness a plasma discharge rather than a filment on cars used today. This technology is very costly and the light that it emits is close to the actual light that is produced by the sun. The light that we are used to create a light that is almost orange, but the blue light still are a pain.
January 9th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
whatever, it’s still hard on the eyes
January 9th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
I’d rather run through a bike bar wearing a tutu while humming the theme to Gilligan’s Island than pay a prostitute for sex.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I caught a piece of it today in our break room at work. It seemed like he was freely admitting a lot of his mistakes.
The one in particular I heard was him saying that parachuting onto the aircraft carrier and dropping the “Mission Accomplished” banner was a huge mistake.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Oh and his claim that he “inherited a recession;” complete falsehood.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:19 pm
Gary–
I don’t agree with your point of view on second hand smoke…but I knew this would FROST YOUR BUNS!!!
In Tennessee:
“Doctors want ban on smoking if kids are in the car”
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090112/NEWS07/901120335
January 12th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
and…..there is now THIRD-hand-smoke to worry about.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28560099/
January 12th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Gary- can’t call in until after 5, but am listening.
My brother died as a result of an asthma attack brought on by secondhand smoke. So I guess I have a somewhat personal viewpoint.
I do agree with you that government should NOT ban smoking in businesses, however. It would be like having a government ban on skylights in restaurants because the sun can cause skin cancer.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Gary, Have faith, we have the constitution to use as a north star.We need to educate people about the positve benifits of freedom. and we need to work, hard. tell the politicans NO MORE and keep telling them. herman cain.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Well I certainly hope this never makes it in Missouri. Like we don’t have enough public restroom phobia now we have to check the direction of the feet under the stall.
Try explaining that to a 5 year old.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
And this listener wants to thank Mark Brokemarkle for his dedication and service.
January 12th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
When did homosexuality become a protected class?
January 12th, 2009 at 7:13 pm
Gary not only did you drive the nail home ….but counter sunk the nail on the show last night….even tho you were all bummin out on the big government liberal endless agenda, you came out ahead……..I mentioned that it means that you would have to let a hitch hiker smoke in your car because of his liberal rights….which resulted in your only laugh on the air……Yeah!!….Keep it up bro!!
January 12th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Fay,
Homosexuality should be just as protected as heterosexuality.
Hence…you should have the right to have sex with any consenting person of any sex you choose.
January 12th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Gary, listening to tonight’s show, 1/12, I can’t help but think of the last part of the book 1984. Big Brother promising to stop the pain the main character was experiencing, when all along Big Brother is causing the pain. That’s what our government is doing to us. Government’s promising to save us from the very things that Government is creating. They promise to protect us when they take away our right to protect ourselves. They promise to provide for us when they take away our ability and incentive to provide for ourselves. Man was that book ever prescient.
January 13th, 2009 at 12:23 am
So here is my rant/point that I was unable to get through with on the phone due to breaks and the connection.
This last Saturday Mike McConnell had a story about a school breakfast program, someplace,somewhere….It’s everywhere.
The point is it started with a “good idea”, some kids don’t get breakfast so lets give it to them at school.
The fact is the school has a cost of $1 per meal but the Federal Gov (that’s us) pays the school $1.60 (no conflict of interest there….)
The school found that even with the free breakfast there many kids wouldn’t eat it so some “children’s hunger group” (probably using grant money from who?…the gov again) is buying prizes to bribe the kids to eat.
You have to wonder if there’s all these hungry kids why won’t they eat the free food?
It’s because there aren’t too many actual hungry kids. Again with tax money being used the “program” can’t stop so they have to find more ways to con the kids into joining in, besides it’s a profit center for the school.
But as always with government programs it just keeps going on and on and will probably continue until they determine it makes the kids fat and then they will have to alter the menu to healthier food instead of just stopping it.
There you have it another good idea government program gone stupid.
January 13th, 2009 at 11:04 am
Amelia, heterosexuality is not a protected class either, nor should it be.
You want equality here you go, as Gary stated, ‘you got an outie go to the mens room’.
January 13th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Fay-
I agree with the “outie” statement.
January 13th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
My gosh, I can’t understand this 22 year old. If there are men out there that have that kind of money to spend on something like this, then they don’t have a life. Are these people working for our goverment?
January 13th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Wow….when Tom Bradley was talking about the “bidding” this morning it was only at 3.7 Million….
Guess all the press is upping the numbers faster! 5 Million now!
January 13th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
My answer is NO. Money has never been an issue in my life, its the little things in life that keep me going. Sharing and caring.
January 13th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
..would you have sex with a stranger for 5 million dollars? Why sure she will. How about 5 dollars? Now she is insulted. No insult here, we’re just establishing how much for the services of a WHORE! Of course, she can pass a lie detector, she is a sociopath and has no remorse for her behavior. Also, she is only a vaginal virgin as she has given service to her boyfriends orally and rectally.
January 13th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
There are a lot of influences outside the home that work on kids. As a parent we have to educate them or remove the influence. I got many educations with discipline often.
Score one for a 2 parent household, kids get by with less that way.
January 13th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Gary,
I think that the disrespect of youth these days is largly the fault of bad parenting, but, may be the result of our soft hadned society. When we switched from spanking to “time out” we created generations of kids who dont understand consequence or respect authority.
January 13th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I would have loved to stay home with my kids. Didn’t know I could before I already invested in an education and career. Frankly I feel like either parent could work at home, someone needs to be there but the one with the most earning power should be working, nurture later when you get home.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I think the parents could and should punish the girls. I don’t think they need this kind of charge on their records. The guys had nothing to do with it so that not an issue for me. The parents could give correct punishment. I’m sure there are other kids that have done alot worse then this and you didn’t even hear about it in the media.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Gary, we should prosecute the mindless bureaucrats who pass and try to enforce these laws for “terminal stupidity”. If found guilty we should TERMINATE their political careers by making them ineligible for any future elective office. PROSECUTORS HAVE PROSECUTORIAL DISCRETION ! ! !
January 14th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
You have got to be kidding me! These children SHOULD NOT be charged with child pornography! It is an issue that should be handled by the parents…one which is easily handled by turning off picture messaging…and having a long talk with the girls about what is and isn’t appropriate.
January 14th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Teens charged with child porn for passing semi nude pics of themselves is ridiculous. These kids have instant access to the most graphic images ever imagined today on the Internet. They are desensatized to simple nudity. Adults that think this rises to the level of illegality live under a rock.
January 14th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
I couple of other good websites to learn more about Federal Reserve is Campaign for Liberty and the Mises Institute
January 15th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Gary Nolan keeps espousing the virtues of the free market. Regarding the electric utilities, how about that farm house way down at the end of the road. It takes a lot of money to run the power line way out there. Should the power company charge that farmer what it actually takes to make a fair profit on the service? Should that farmer have to pay more than his friends in town? How does the free market handle this problem.
January 15th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
currently both investor owned (ameren) and consumer owned (co-ops) have utility lines running over the same areas. The only problem is Ameren typically has the towns and cities while the co-ops operate in the more rural areas. I don’t know the reason but this makes no sense. I have been on both and will say the co-op has far fewer power interuptions.
I missed much of the discussion but could you fill me in on how AmerenUE is protected by the government?
one final note: Missouri law currently prohibits or maybe it just doesn’t allow for “grid tie” private power systems which would allow “extra” power produced by say myself to be put back into the grid afterwhich I would recieve some sort of reimbursement for. This could be a partial answer to the renewable energy law Missourians forced on power companies in the last election.
January 16th, 2009 at 12:29 am
The Pit Bull law:
Gary I will say that although I like the libertarian idea in general, too often I hear you talk “theory” rather than reality.
You want to wait for the dog to chew up someone or their kid, then let the law deal with the owner. I assume we are talking financial and not jail time.
I ask who are the irresponsible dog owners? Are they the banker or the doctor? No.
Normal people or wealthy people don’t have dangerous dogs and if they do they keep them chained or fenced.
Typically the irresponsible ones (for lack of a better term) are white trash.
These are the people who want a mean dog, make the dog mean, like to brag they have one and don’t put enough effort into making sure the dog can’t get loose and hurt others.
These people typically don’t own much of anything so if their dog eats your kid you will have the satisfaction of getting a worthless judgment against them.
So the theory doesn’t work too well.
By the way the first thing most of these people will do is deny it was their dog that was loose or that it was their dog who mauled someone. I would say that’s one good part of the Fayette law, photos of the dogs.
Other towns have had laws like this for years and it keeps the problem from ever happening. The dog people move away or get rid of the dogs as they can’t afford the insurance (probably on their car too). New problem people don’t move in.
It’s the same with the theory on helmet laws, the idiots who will ride around without a helmet tend to be young guys on crotch rockets who own nothing or old scooter trash who own nothing so when they get brain damage there is nothing to sell to pay their hospital bills so it’s back to the tax payers to pay it. All the smart/wealthy folks wear helmets.
As for the guy who argued that there is no definition of a pit bull I will say it’s much like the definition of pornography. I can’t describe it but I know it when I see it.
January 16th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Chris,
I am talking about criminal! Manslaughter, assult with a deadly weapon.. that would put an end to the madness!
Gary
January 16th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Gary,
Isn’t it ironic that the State uses fascist tactics to punish parents for naming their children after famous fascist rulers.
January 16th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Raising a child in an environment that politically incorrect is not child abuse, or a reason to take the children. The kids will still have free will when they are older to make up their own minds about race.
The political correctness police have over stepped a bit here.
January 16th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Gary, MUSTANGS ROCK! I bought an ‘09 last July and haven’t looked back.
January 19th, 2009 at 8:39 am
Go to http://www.bfro.net to find sighting stories from all over North America.
BFRO stands for Bigfoot Research Organization.
January 19th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
hi gary, glad you mentioned the price tag of the inauguration. if they had spent just 50 million (which still would have been the most expensive ceremony ever, by a long shot), they could have fed 10,000 families of four very well for a year. And i mean well. thanks for the show. have fun watching the party tommorow night. haha
travis
January 19th, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Hey, David…
Just wanted you to know that I’ve got your back, in spite of your attitude toward the “cowboys” who have chosen to take the responsibility to conceal carry. I happen to prefer businesses who do not bar CCW because unlike you, I like knowing that there’s a chance that someone who has been trained in the safe use of a firearm may be present in case something happens.
What you don’t understand is that we hope we NEVER have to draw our weapons. This is one of the many things I’ve learned since I began this process and since you clearly don’t understand it, here are a few more truths…We ARE NOT looking for a fight; we carry only to protect ourselves. Each time I leave the house I pray that the criminal who wouldn’t think twice about shooting me doesn’t make me shoot him because although he has NO conscience, I do. I find I am far more aware of my surroundings than I was before because I do not wish to knowingly put myself in harms way. I am more careful with myself because I carry; I don’t want my weapon to hurt anyone but a bad guy. None of us do.
You know, you might want to consider taking Tim Oliver’s Learn to Carry course because you need the education he offers. It will open your eyes to the things a LAW-ABIDING citizen must go through to conceal carry. You will see that Tim preaches gun safety ABOVE ALL ELSE. You will learn that we are taught NEVER to pull the weapon unless we are in imminent danger of becoming a victim. You will discover that we are not vigilanties looking to take the law into our own hands. Rather, you will find out that we are people just like you, mothers and fathers, friends, co-workers and neighbors who made a choice to stand up and say I WILL NOT BE A VICTIM.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I’d have called in but my darling husband was hogging the phone line and the internet.
The agenda for the media to hype this event up is RATINGS. They don’t care that much about the truth but boy aren’t people glued to their electronic devices and t.v.s today.
This could be historical, kind of reminds me of trapping mice in the barn. I’m not going anywhere near that many people that our enemies would like to destroy like drowning mice in the feed bin.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Thanks, today I could use it.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
The female attorney who was sheltering homeless people is a hopeless liberal; way beyond the pale.
I suspect that Ms. Matthews did not provide proper housing for the homeless in her shed and is in violation of Columbia housing ordinances. She can be prohibited from allowing people to live in substandard housing.
January 20th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
ok We’ll just send all the homeless to Nicole’s house and hope she doesn’t live anywhere near me!
January 20th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
OMG please distract us!
January 20th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Simon, newsflash…perfume, candles, fireplaces, fresh paint, carpets, and on and on , and your body odor; also causes bronchial problems, asthmatic attacks, exacerbates emphysema etc etc.
January 20th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Bravo Simon! As one who lost a family member due to an asthma attack brought on by second hand smoke….I could not agree with you more!
January 20th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I know this having had a family member suffer from chronic pulminary desease; perfumed anything was the worst.
January 20th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Simon, MANY things can aggravate the respiratory system and Fay has listed just a few. You need to take a critical look at the so-called evidence supporting the hazards of second hand smoke before you accuse anyone of providing irresponsible misinformation…like the global warming “data”, the data on second-hand smoke have been manipulated in such a way that they are only considered reliable by those who don’t like smoking or have a financial stake in eradicating it. You can dislike smoking, you can dislike smokers, and you can dislike the fact that reliable and vetted studies DO NOT support your position.
Bottom line is, you can’t change what is the truth…the shot of whiskey sitting on the bar in front of the guy next to you is releasing more cancer causing chemicals into the air than the cigarette the man who is about to drink it is smoking.
For the record, I have asthma which is aggravated by cold weather; perhaps liberals can find a way to hasten global warming instead of trying to stave it off for MY benefit!
January 20th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Louise–
Kind of like the bending of data to support the “Fair” Tax?
Give me a break.
I suppose dinosaur bones were just put on earth by god to test our faith, too?
January 20th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Bravo Duane!
January 20th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Simon, I assume you are the same Simon that called in one day and gave a detailed explanation of your experience with the British National Health service. After giving an impressive list of first hand involvement, Gary’s response was “It doesn’t work”. Facts are irrelevant, just listen to Gary’s opinion.
January 20th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
I was disgusted today to see such a poor prospect sworn in as president but I wasn’t alarmed. It’s impossible to remain alarmed for a lifetime and I’ve never seen anything but alarming leadership during mine.
I heard a lot of reactions to the changeover but not many remarked that the main thing missing from it was change. Republicans seemed to forget how remarkably bad W was as president and conservatives seemed to forget that he was no conservative. Liberals left thought completely aside as usual in favor of feelings.
On Monday, McCain said that he wished he was the one taking the presidential oath. It’s no surprise to me that he’s not. The difference between W and McCain and Obama isn’t worth remarking on. They’re all stinking socialists. All that happened today was the opening of a new chapter in the protracted national disaster called American governance.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:30 am
I debated the second hand smoke thing with Gary and he sent me links and studies and I know now that he’s right. As for the health system in England.. from the Wall Stret Journal:By SCOTT GOTTLIEB
In Britain, a government agency evaluates new medical products for their “cost effectiveness” before citizens can get access to them. The agency has concluded that $45,000 is the most worth paying for products that extend a person’s life by one “quality-adjusted” year. (By their calculus, a year combating cancer is worth less than a year in perfect health.)
Here in the U.S., President-elect Barack Obama and House Democrats embrace the creation of a similar “comparative effectiveness” entity that will do research on drugs and medical devices. They claim that they don’t want this to morph into a British-style agency that restricts access to medical products based on narrow cost criteria, but provisions tucked into the fiscal stimulus bill betray their real intentions.
The centerpiece of their plan is $1.1 billion of the $825 billion stimulus package for studies to compare different drugs and devices to “save money and lives.” Report language accompanying the House stimulus bill says that “more expensive” medical products “will no longer be prescribed.” The House bill also suggests that the new research should be used to create “guidelines” to direct doctors’ treatment of difficult, high-cost medical problems.
The bill gives incoming Health Secretary Tom Daschle wide discretion to set priorities, and he’s long advocated a U.S. approach modeled on the British agency, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Mr. Daschle argues that the only way to reduce spending is by allocating medical products based on “cost effectiveness.” He’s also called for a “federal health board” modeled on the Federal Reserve to rate medical products and create central controls on access.
Such calculations can’t account for all the variation in disease and patient preference that drive medical decisions. So it’s no surprise that in Britain there’s vocal dissent against NICE constraints, especially among cancer patients who are denied many effective new drugs that, for now, are widely prescribed in the U.S. The rich, of course, are able to opt out of the British controls. But the rest of the country has to appeal to politicians — rather than their doctors — to gain access to restricted medicines.
The biggest flaws in the House Democratic plan aren’t just political, they’re scientific. Key comparative medical questions usually hinge on when doctors should escalate care to include more invasive measures — not on bare comparisons between otherwise similar technologies, which is the focus of the House proposal.
Conducting worthwhile comparative research is also more expensive than this bill accounts for, since big trials are necessary in order to look for differences between two “active” treatments that work, one perhaps a little better than the other.
This is one reason why the Congressional Budget Office says that government-run comparative effectiveness studies won’t actually save much money. Despite this warning, the House still wants to conduct this research and, worse, to do the studies cheaply by adopting less rigorous research methods than what’s commonly accepted. The risk is that the conclusions will be flawed and still used to restrict coverage decisions, especially by Medicare.
– Gabriel Schoenfeld There’s wide agreement that medical practice benefits from comparative research. But there are better ways to generate this information without Washington calling the shots.
Private companies should take the lead in conducting these studies. Yet they have little incentive to do so, since the Food and Drug Administration prevents firms from publicizing most of their findings, even to groups that pay for health care. The FDA should create a safe harbor for claims that medical companies make to expert purchasers (including Medicare) based on the results of comparative studies.
The government should also leverage guidelines promulgated by medical professional societies when Medicare weighs competing technologies. These guidelines are based on systematic, rigorous reviews of available science and are written by leading doctors. They routinely address comparative medical choices. In order to ensure that these societies aren’t influenced by drug companies, Congress could push them to adopt principles for transparency as a quid pro quo for having Medicare adopt their work.
But the House plan isn’t really about filling evidence gaps — it’s about controlling costs. “Science” is merely a veneer.
Dr. Gottlieb is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:41 am
Welcome to the first day in America with no Constitutional law left.
Somehow a man who was born in Mombasa Kenya (“birth records” sealed by the Kenyan Govt last year) and later adopted and converted to Indonesian citizenship (see travel to Pakistan in the 80’s – on his Indonesian passport- as travel there was forbidden to American Citizens) and who lied on his Illinois Bar information (see alais names, Barry Sotero, his Indonesian name and personality) later won 2 significant elections in Illinois because opponents were removed from the race, has passed thru the void of silence from the left leaning media to become …. President of the United States????
Just call me “far right wacko”, that’ll make it all better!
Don’t look into any of this, don’t read Phillip Bergs Supreme Court filings, just listen to what the big mainstream media tells you and do whatever they say!
So, … how many days is it till the next election????????
Think we’ll recognize America when we get there?
God, watch over us, we need you now, more than ever!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:14 am
Amen.
January 21st, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Simon – “Passive smoking clearly increases the risk of lung cancer,” says Paolo Vineis”
At what level/concentration?
January 21st, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Gary,
Recently we woke up to -21 degrees Celsius. Bismarck, North Dakota, reports that the temperature at Bismarck dropped to 44 degrees Fahrenheit below zero or -42 Celsius on 15th January at 7:34 am CT. This value broke the record low of 36 degrees below zero set on January 15, 1971.
I can hear the call of the global warming naysayers now who are always willing to extrapolate entire global climate over geologic timescales from a single unusual event like this. They’d do well to watch Nobel Prize winner Berrien Moore’s presentation (http://www.asprs.org/conference-archive/pecora17/multimedia/Tuesday_AM/Moore/Moore.wmv). We have the highest concentration of carbon dioxide (the primary grennhouse gas) in 400,000 years from evidence extracted from the Vostok (anatartic) Ice core record and is 35% above the pre-industrial level. The rate of change of concentration of CO2 is increasing exponentially. Since 1980 The annual artic sea ice coverage has been reduced by an area equal to half the size of lower 48 thereby createing a positive feed back loop i.e. less ice/snow means lower reflectivity which begets increased warming.
Gary, If you have a Florida condo I’d sell it now becasue it’s likely to end up under water and I don’t just mean it’s market value vs. the mortgage. Insurance companies have already woken up to this reality.
January 21st, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Blaine,
You’d best retire to your bunker in the woods, stock up on canned goods and ammo and fire up your generator. But don’t worry, if things get really bad your prayers to the flying spaghetti monster should help you through the next 4 years.
January 21st, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I sent this in a private email and we’ll see if the anti-tobacco extremists have the courage to call me.
“You want it.. call me on the air. You REALLY don’t have your facts in line!
I can’t wait.. I’m beggin’ you to call me! I await YOUR response!
Gary
January 21st, 2009 at 4:05 pm
4 o’clock..my show be there if you have the courage of your junk science and be ready to get chewed up.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
More evidence of global climate change:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7843186.stm
January 21st, 2009 at 4:14 pm
More evidence from a place more akin to your political persuasions:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,481227,00.html
The frozen desert interior of Antarctica was thought to be the lone holdout resisting the man-made warming affecting the rest of the globe, with some areas even showing signs of cooling.
Some global-warming contrarians liked to point to inner Antarctica as a counter-example. But climate researchers have now turned this notion on its head, with the first study to show that the entire continent is warming, and has been for the past 50 years.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Insurers raise premiums: Blame Climate change
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/money/news/2006/02/higher-insurance-premiums-206/overview/index.htm
January 21st, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Extreme weather starting to pressure insurance premiums
“Climate change and weather related disasters are now probably the most significant thing that the insurance industry is dealing with,” says the Insurance Council’s Chris Ryan.
http://www.3news.co.nz/News/NationalNews/Extreme-weather-starting-to-pressure-insurance-premiums/tabid/423/articleID/86858/cat/64/Default.aspx
January 21st, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Tonight second hand smoke.. Maybe Friday “Global warming.” Don’t have time to devote an entire program to enlightening the ill informed. As for the “threats is that all you have” comment doesn’t even deserve a response. Just be there or admit you’re wrong.. Simple as that. If you’re right, listeners will know.. Don’t be cowards now..
January 21st, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Maybe this will help you cool your jets.
http://www.iceagenow.com/Time_to_pray_for_global_warming_says_columnist.htm
January 21st, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Gary,
Who is qualified to determine which science is Junk and which is not? You claim johnson and johnson provided the funding to promote the dangers of second hand smoke?
Well, who was funding the studies you believe?
January 21st, 2009 at 4:34 pm
In the largest study ever, The American Cancer Society!
January 21st, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Simon.. No guts.. no glory. Either you have it or you don’t! 874-9390 at 4:05 pm today.. Otherwise, quit trying to challenge me. You will have plenty of time to cite your studies and make your point. As long as you don’t try to talk non-stop I’ll let you make your point and we can debate. It would take me all day to write down on this blog the major faults with the studies you cite.
January 21st, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Gary,
I went to the American Cancer Society’s webpage, and all I saw was page after page of them talking about how bad second-hand smoke is.
??
January 21st, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Or better yet, that Mayor Hindman looks like Teller (of Penn & Teller)
http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/Council/Images/hindman.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Teller_Rio.jpg
You judge
January 21st, 2009 at 5:29 pm
So….Mayor Hindman is secretly a smoker.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0672536/
January 21st, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Which is worse?
The government protects one (Gay Marriage) and censor the other.
January 21st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
YEAH!!!!
January 21st, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I have two…in fact, I have the Microsoft Logo.
Do it Gary.
Columbia has some great Tattoo Parlors
January 21st, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Sorry Mike…..Happily spoken for!
January 21st, 2009 at 6:10 pm
haha…thanks Amelia, take care!
January 21st, 2009 at 6:13 pm
I would bet it is Living Canvas in Columbia. My wife had her last one done there and it is a great place.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Hey Jim…..Boring Second Hand Smoke talk is over. We have moved on to TATs
January 21st, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Ita a personal decision, don’t cave to peer pressure. Tattoos, as you know, are premanent. Unless you want to endure the pain and expense to have them removed.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Gary,
This is just out:
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/19/eco.globalwarmingsurvey/
January 21st, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Gary, I don’t think I would get one, but get a few Crown & Cokes in me and who knows?
January 21st, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Is it Justin Elferman? If so its good to hear your voice, wish you called in more often.
January 21st, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Gary Run a contest for a female to call and win a tatoo. You get to go with them as they get it and will judge the business based off your visit with the winner
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:56 am
The smoking debate is closed. Those of you who do not agree with me had a chance to call the program to debate but you couldn’t offer up a challenge. I don’t have all day to print out what you’re unwilling to research on your own. I simply won’t allow anyone to promote the lies of the anti smoking extremists. You had your chane..you failed..you lose.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 am
Gary,
Now that the anti-smoking silliness bloging is over lets
get down to the things that are really important.
President O’Bama’s stance on our energy problems.
From what I am understanding O’Bama will has signed or will
sign the restrictions on off shore drilling, coal burning electric
power plants, nuclear power plants. This will ham string our
economic recovery to the point where it take several years longer
to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Oil prices in the last 2 days
have resin from 33 dollars a barrel to 44 dollars. Projections are
now oil will be back up near 80 to 100 dollars a barrel in 30 to
45 days.
O’Bama energy plan is to increase bio-fuels and push the use
of electric cars and trucks. With the restrictions now on nuclear
and or coal burning plants where is all this electricity going to
come from. Bio-fuels also will be drain on our food stocks.
Land once used for growing wheat, vegetables, fruits, beans
as in soybeans are now being used to just grow corn for
fuel. This has already caused a food shortage around the
world or the price is getting out of reach for people here in
our own country.
I keep hearing from people that don’t know how food is brought
to their tables other than going to the store say, “well when I travel
around the country I see a lot of land just sitting baron”.
If the land was useable it would already would be. Most of the land
they see is not farmable or needs to rest from heavy use. They also
see land with lots of trees, our forest, which they believe could be
used for food production. Here you get into the eco-nuts who
will fight you tooth and nail to keep you from stripping the forest.
There is another problem in which O’Bama has not addressed
or anyone else for that matter. When we move more to the use
of electric cars how are they going to collect the road use tax?
As it is now we are paying those taxes when we buy fuel for our
cars and trucks. Recharging the batteries for these electric cars
can be from any source any electrical outlet or even from the solar
cells using the sun as a source. So just putting a special meter
on your house opens up cheating on a very large scale. The only
alternative will be to put a millage meter on these electric cars
that you have to have reset every 30 days or the car will not
run. By the way you have to pay to get the meter reset. You
will have to pay per mile used. What a mess this is going to
turn out to be.
The system we have now works great. For all that is wrong
with using oil as a fuel source, it would be insane to limit its
use by not drilling for more sources to keep the price down.
This country runs on cheap transportation, jobs depend on it.
Yes we need to seek other methods and processes for
transportation but right now we need to keep this country
moving or we will become that dreaded third world country
which no one in this country wants or would be able exist in.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:19 am
O’Bama? Is he Irish?
Seriousely though, I was thinking along these same lines this morning. As I drove by gas stations that advertise gas at about $2 less than a few months ago. I believe I would still gladly pay $3 a gallon if that’s what it took to make drilling domestically a serious issue. The usual watchdogs seem disturbingly complacent. I want to be free of foreign oil as much now as I did 6 months ago, do you?
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:20 am
Toby Mack,
If Obamas proposals to move us away from a carbon based energy economy is so bad then please explain to me why the Like of T. Boone Pickens support it?
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:24 am
Quitting Smoking Before Age 50 Cuts Risk Of Death
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99652538
Smoking By The Numbers
* People who stop smoking before age 50 cut the risk of dying in the next 15 years in half, compared with those who continue to smoke, according to the American Cancer Society.
* Intermittent smokers — those who smoke, but not every day — are on the rise. One of four smokers in the U.S. is an intermittent smoker and that proportion has grown by 40 percent in a five-year period, according to a 2003 CDC report.
* Smokers have a 24-fold greater risk of lung cancer than those who have never smoked, according to the Surgeon General.
* Ninety percent of lung cancer is attributable to smoking.
* About 2 percent of all lung cancer deaths come from secondhand smoke, according to an EPA study.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:32 am
Gary: Okay, I’m always a day late – I don’t have email at home, and I DON’T have a cell phone – so when I listen to your show on the way home – I’m not able to call in. At any rate – regarding the tattoos. Go for it. I have many and didn’t get my first until I turned 30. My husband has them and so does my son. We are good people with good jobs; contributing to society – and there is nothing wrong with having a tattoo or more than one. As is said – you can’t judge a book by it’s cover. Any of us in my family would be more than happy to get the tattoo for you! Most of them we have we’ve gotten since we’ve moved here to Columbia – so depending on who it is – we might be able to tell you already if they are any good or not!
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:41 am
One thing I’ve noticed about almost all smokers is that they apparently believe they are immune to littering laws or that their litter is somehow benign or even invisible. Butts get tossed out of vehicle windows, stomped on in the street, in the park, even in kid playgrounds. I think the police should enforce the law and make an example of you.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:45 am
Jim, Simon – get off it already. You are taking up precious brain space. we know the statistics, we can do the research if we care.
Matt had the only credible comment but you 2 already made the subject old.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:54 am
Drop it! If you want the truth, do your own research.. here..I’ll help you: http://kuneman.smokersclub.com/
Now grow up and move on! It’s like religion with you two.
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Matt – wrong topic, focus will ya!
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:14 pm
Matt, are you trying to filibuster a blog? It doesn’t work we just scroll past your regurgitation of nonsense.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Tattoos are fun…..and addictive!
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:13 pm
addictive?…ok now seriously count me out, I’ve got enough addictions.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
I wonder if Kenny Hulshof would be a good nomination. Its a little outdated but he did vote no on the bailout plan and still lost the election. Maybe too outdated?
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Well, you get one, and then you start thinking about other cool ones that you would like, too.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Employers go on the social networking sites all of the time when interviewing candidates for employment to determine if they would be a “good fit.” State employees can’t be involved with certain political activities….so I think it is legitimate.
I never put anything on those sites that I would not be comfortable with a potential or current employer to see.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Doesn’t facebook require you to be a “friend” before you can view someone page.
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:38 pm
How about if you are a mother or father, you go on facebook and you see your child’s teacher on the site doing something that is racially offensive, sexually offensive…..would you want that person teaching your child?
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:26 pm
fay,
No need to bash on Matt, I scroll past your nonsense all the time too:)
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:42 pm
dc – and you think I care? Maybe you didn’t see the garbage matt was spewing.
January 22nd, 2009 at 8:01 pm
if I had a child in a government school, and if one of their teachers posted egregious material on facebook, or some similar site, I would have a talk with my child. depending on the content, I would have different things I might say to my own child.
so often I hear the phrase “you wouldn’t want your child to….”
we cannot protect ourselves from idiots by government unless we grant the government the power to say what is an idiot. my first line of defense would be the relationship I have with my child.
as far as a government employee making racist comments, I think we are overlooking the elephant in the room. the utter hypocrisy of the government condemning anyone for racism.
the government is institutionalized racism.
every time you fill out a government form, and most times you fill out a form for any regulated industry, they ask your race FOR THE PURPOSES OF DISCRIMINATION BY RACE.
hypocrites.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:53 pm
I didn’t hear the size of the town, but, to me, ‘volunteer firefighter’ says ’small town’. Everybody knows everybody in a small town and word would get around quickly about the facebook post.
I also wonder if, in this day and age, if there wasn’t some worry by the city about lawsuits. Suppose a black family had a fire, and they felt that the firemen didn’t do all that they could. They might say that it was because the firefighter was racist.
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:23 am
Fay,
I have no doubt that you care very little about what I am saying. I just like to pick on you because you say incredibly dramatic and off the wall things sometimes. But this is what a blog is for so have fun.
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:58 am
dc – I am interested in what you write most of the time. I did agree with your position on your bulldogs. I’m glad you understand that you are their voice since they probably don’t speak English. Dogs can be eternally loyal and unconditionally loving.
~
Peace
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
fay,
I do love my bulldogs. Probably not the smartest investment I ever made, but it is worth when they maul me everyday when I get home.
I am also sorry if I am a smart ass to you sometimes. I will work on being more open minded.
Have a great weekend.
-DC
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:46 pm
To answer the caller:
The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4th 1776, was headed ‘The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America’ while also, later in the text, referring to the ‘United Colonies.’ In the Articles of Confederation, signed in late 1777, the name ‘The United States of America’ was adopted for the new republic.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I am as worried about Global Warming as I am about the mating behavior of Howler Monkeys.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Bawney Fwank is a corrupt idiot.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:24 pm
The reason 3rd party challenges are so difficult is the winner take all electoral system. The result when second place gets nothing is always the formation of two large and amorphous political parties that mainly only pretend to oppose one another. Any successful 3rd party movement will be absorbed by one of the two dominant “big tent” parties. The Libertarian party will never succeed in electing anyone above the local level because the two dominant parties will close ranks against any outside party or else, if they can’t marginalize it, absorb it. The be absorbed and included as a faction of a major party – perhaps the dominant faction – would count as dream come true success for the Libertarians. It will never happen, of course. What use have intellectuals and wonks got for a political philosophy that aims to free people of the necessity and desire for intellectuals and wonks?
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:29 pm
By way of a “frost my buns” comment – people who don’t understand that the major parties only pretend to oppose one another frost my buns.
January 26th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Bastards grind you down!! Just saw this on Reuters:
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Fallen Lehman Brothers Chief Executive Richard Fuld sold his $13.3 million mansion to his wife for just $100 last November, according to Florida real estate records. The 62-year old executive, who could face civil lawsuits after overseeing the storied investment bank’s collapse into Chapter 11 proceedings last September, transferred ownership of the 3.3 acres seaside home to Kathleen Fuld on November 10, records show.
The couple had jointly bought the home for $13.75 million in March 2004, as first reported by Cityfile.com.
Fuld has been blamed for Lehman’s collapse on September 15 after it was weighed down by bad assets leading to the largest-ever U.S. bankruptcy when it was unable to find a buyer to come to its rescue.
He was widely criticized for not acting quickly enough to save the 158-year old bank.
Though Fuld told U.S. lawmakers he took full responsibility for his actions and felt “horrible about what has happened to the company,” he insisted he shared the blame with U.S. regulators and Congress.
Fuld, who was awarded $22 million in compensation in fiscal 2007, stepped down as Lehman chief executive at the end of last year and did not receive any bonus or severance when he left.
January 26th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Bundy is full of it. That’s the same garbage that people try to pull with hard music and violent video games.
P.S.- do you get fined for people cussing on the air?
You’ve had to cut a lot of people off lately.
January 26th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Evolution.
January 26th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
They should NEVER teach both evolution and creationism in PUBLIC schools. Which version of creationism would you like to be taught? Every religion has a different version.
Religion should be taught in the home if a family chooses to do so.
If it means that much to you, send them to a private religious school or home school them.
However, have you seen some of those creation texts? They are scary! “Dinosaur bones were put on earth to test our faith in god” ???? What????!
January 26th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
pardon me for waking from the nap I did not mean to take. I missed some of this vapid tripe.
but if I had a culture of bacteria and I changed their environment as described on the air, if there had been one or two out of millions that COULD do this strange thing already – then through ten thousand generations all the others died out……
people don’t understand science, and frankly, I blame the government schools. everybody believes something. the people who want to not believe in God still believe something. like this…..
the present theories all (or almost all) treat time as a constant. why? it’s like living in a fish bowl, from in here, you cannot possibly know. we have measured and recorded and “proven” that time “runs slower” in a gravity well. how fast does it go in the FLAT space between galaxies? do you think we can measure that sort of thing sitting down here in this gravity well.
that is absurd, like Darwinism is absurd. believe what you like, God made you to be able to have that choice.
and if you look closely at evolution, explain the duck billed platypus to us. it seems to have gone down more than one evolutionary path. what? did it go back “up”, taking it’s hair with it, to the place where everything laid eggs?
or was it a bird that went back top before there were feathers?
and then tell me about the bill.
but the logic is even worse, to say that God did NOT create chickens from nothing like he created salamanders from nothing just because he used some of the same tricks as a pattern.
I bake cakes, I bake cookies, I bake pies. I used to make a lot of pizza – those were the days.
my pizza was never an apple pie first, that would be silly. and you were never an ape, although to become one might well be a step up in your reasoning abilities.
TTFN
January 26th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I don’t know why I’m posting this as it flies in the face of much that I believe (or take for granted) about evolution but there was a book published in 1988 entitled “How Life Began” by LR Croft, a biochemist trained at Oxford University ISBN # 0 85234 254 3. It is worth reading as it explains from a scientific perspective many “problems” with the primeval soup theory and evolution and will give those who want to argue either side more than just a faith-based argument. Dr Croft was a strange man…brilliant but controversial because of his anti-evolution views. He was my dissertation supervisor and we didn’t generally see eye to eye! I don’t know whether the book is still available but it’s nicely written and is an interesting and informative read whichever side you’re on.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
I have only caught parts of this very interesting show. I have been out CHOPPING ICE that is 2 inches thicker everyday it stays below freezing. And then I had to work on a horse to keep her from going lame. I want to see her evolve into maybe a unicorn someday.
I agree with Roy about the evolution nonsense. Some things change but I do not believe DNA shifts into something else.
And only God can make a unicorn.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I can’t remember who, but I heard a creationist say that the rumor that Darwin recanted origins of species was folklore. I believe in a literal Genesis which I admit is pretty crazy… however is it any more crazy than believing that I evolved from a rock at the bottom of a primordial soup? Evolution is nothing more than an atheistic religion.
January 26th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
4 things.
1. Boy does it grind my gears when they tell me they aren’t going to continue with a topic when I call in and then a few minutes later, I hear people talking about it…
2. Evolution does not say anything about how man came from apes. Darwin wrote 2 things: Origin of Species that tells us how animals and plants adapt to suit the environment, and Descent of man which proposed the idea that man and ape may have come from the same beginnings (common descent). I believe it was Descent of man that may have been recanted, but not Origin of Species.
3. They don’t teach common descent in school. They teach evolution. Evolution says nothing about how man came from ape. All it says is that animals adapt to suit thier environment.
4. The reason they don’t teach creation in science class is because its not science. Science is based on evidence, religion is based on belief. They don’t argue, they talk about completely different things. Just like your big government, problems arise when one sticks its nose in the other.
(I’m a Christian. I’m a science teacher. I believe God created me. And I believe in evolution (just a reminder, evolution does NOT say we came from man, only that we adapt)
January 26th, 2009 at 8:31 pm
Start an open blog and everyone is an expert. Rather than give your long winded answer about why your God can kick someone else’s God’s ass, or how science Owns any and all religion, we should try to just leave science in the classroom and religion in the pews on Sunday.
January 27th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
government’s size is too large, but more importantly, they have redefined their own powers and have become tyrants. there is nothing they will not eventually meddle with, until comes the revolution.
as to my favorite government department, I like one so well I would expand it. I would have a Department of Defense, and a Department of Offense. there could be two flags denoting them, one the coiled snake saying “don’t tread on me”, and one with a large gorilla holding a big stick saying, “you should have listened to the snake.”
oh, and universities. but I would rework the model. they should FACILITATE rather than be paper mills. in my world, education should be something people seek, and others who have expertise should be like a big brother helping to make the learning curve less steep.
want to come and live in my world?
January 28th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Eleven may be a little young in my opinion, but as a parent you must decide which battles to fight…as long as your child is acting responsible and has good grades, I see no harm in letting them have a little personal freedom.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Freedom of expression does not belong in academics in a large group. I would like to see them all in same type clothes, maybe uniform, and segregated by girl / boy. Art class and maybe drama would be the exception.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
I hope I am writing in the correct place.
Gary, do you have kids?
My husband I have four children and my oldest daughter wanted to dye her hair blue. Well, back then the color wasn’t as vibrant as it is now, so it looked more like she spent too much time in a chlorinated swimming pool.
We let her do it because you have to pick your battles. Hair grows out, gets cut, grows back. Hair seemed like a non-issue. By the way, she did not keep her hair blue. She just wanted to be able to make that choice. I think letting her make choices when she was a young teenager aided her ability to be able to make responsible choices later.
I am thinking this occurred over a summer because I don’t remember any school pictures with blue-ish/green-ish hair.
She was and remains conservative in her dress and manners. It really didn’t hurt her.
We also had a rule the girls could not their ears pierced until they were 13 years old because I wanted them to be able to take care of them by themselves. They accepted that and looked forward to that special day.
Our son was not allowed to get his ears pierced, but it was never an issue with him, anyway.
Also, the girl with the pink hair would have been a distraction for just a day or two. Now it is going to be dragged out for days/weeks.
January 28th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Pink hair might be a distraction the first day. After that the novelty wears off and a girl with pink hair is just as normal as a blonde or a burnette. Most all of my school pictures are horrendous and I looked “normal.”
January 28th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
I’m having a hard time understanding how you justify a libertarian philosophy that has you telling someone what they can or cannot put in their hair. This is a parent’s decision, not the school’s.
What about the kid that doesn’t comb his hair? Should he be held down and forced to have a proper coif?
January 28th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Of course other parents can decide whether to allow their kids to do silly things that don’t really harm anyone else. It’s none of my business. The problem here is government schools. If this were a private school, and the parents didn’t agree with the policy, they could take their business elsewhere by choosing another school. With government schools, on the other hand, even if the parents find a way to get their kid out of a school where they don’t agree with the rules, they’ll still be forced to pay for it. We’ll always have silly squabbles like this as long as we have collectivist government schools.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Confirmation to Roland. As a home schooling dad, I can tell you this kind of thing never came up. I have always encouraged my children to express themselves, verbally. I do my part when I listen.
One year their soccer colour was pink, and some of the team wanted to paint their hair pink ( for the day ) and I told them is would be OK and maybe even cool.
Nothing doing. Might have been cool, but would have looked ridiculous, was what they told me.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:21 pm
Way to go, Roy. Home schooling parents are my heroes.
January 28th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
I am thinking Gary and Guest have read the same article by Walter E. Williams this morning.
“Politicians love it when the victims of their policies are invisible and the beneficiaries visible. Why? Because the beneficiaries know for whom to vote and the victims do not know who is to blame for their plight. ”
full read here:
http://townhall.com/columnists/WalterEWilliams/2009/01/28/there_is_no_santa
January 28th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Gary, Gary. The mortgage interest deduction does not amount to “giving me something.” When government steals slightly less from me than it would be stealing from me otherwise, how is it “giving me something”?
January 28th, 2009 at 6:39 pm
Wasn’t arguing for income tax! Yes, get rid of it!
January 29th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
My kids played on that league years ago. Great fun and an alternative to other organized sports.
Go Twisters
January 29th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Gary,
I am in favor of the “Fair Tax” in the context that it is a one-time tax on a particular item. Tax it new but once it is used and the tax has already been paid once, it should not be taxed a second or third time (i.e. auction or garage sale) when an owner has no further need for it.
Taxing services is really no different than what we are already doing – taxing payment for labor as “income” – it would still be a net tax on your income, and could be infinitely impossible to concretely prove many transactions. One of the core principals of the “Fair Tax” is to put unreported income on the radar for taxation through the legitimate purchase of goods.
That being said, how will the new tax proposal affect auctioneers and commission agents? Since auctioneers are, in many cases, liquidating an individual’s personal or estate property (which has already been taxed once when it was new) and are paid by a percentage of sales, is the commission a “service” which must be taxed, especially since it is essestially part of the sales price for an item which the taxes have already been paid?
This leads into another point – auctioneers that work in livestock auctions or automobile auctions are performing a service, even if they are not managing the sale facility.
One could argue that that auctioneer is an employee of the facility, and therefore wouldn’t have to collect a service tax, while outside auctioneers doing the exact same thing would have to collect service tax when selling used items. Yet when he buys a public address system, office supplies, vehicles, and other equipment he would be paying taxes on every item he buys because he is the end-user.
I just see a “service tax” as a back-door income tax on certain labor but not on other. I say tax new goods when they are new, but not retaxed every time they are sold and leave labor off the table, since there is no uniform way to tax labor without figuring it as an income tax.
Thanks and keep up the good work..
January 29th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Charles,
With respect, I am not convinced there is significant differences between taxing the income of an auctioneer and ( I’ll call it a ) Fair Tax ( just to irk C. Kelly ) or taking some of the cut. My gut response is that his services are a service, and you could justly tax him his 10% for his fee. IF AND ONLY IF his fee is based upon the amount of revenue the sale generates is the tax at all connected to the resale of merchandise. So, garage sales would be exempt as would an auction be if the auctioneer was selling his own used merchandise.
Oops, I think I just created another loop hole. Let me complain again about the size of the edit box we type into.
Nope, if the auctioneer actually buys the second hand stuff so that he can turn around and “auction” it without paying sales tax, he has exposed himself to the risk of not not making as much as he paid for the merchandise, and market forces could make it all good. In other words, it would no longer really be an auction as we think of it presently.
It seems I am called to dinner. Thanks for the debate.
roy
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:16 pm
I agree with the subject of the letter. However, the names of the above “signatories” do not mean much because no titles are given. They could be any person signing as affilated with that particular institution, not necessarily a professor. I hope you sent titles to the Obama camp and that you received a response from them/him.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:44 pm
FYI, the above is the text of an ad the Cato Institute ran in papers last week, you might find more information on the positions at cato.org.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Gary mentioned Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) – their website is http://leap.cc for more information on why police officers and prosecutors think the current way to handle drug use is the wrong way.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
There is apparently no known Castle Doctrine law on the books in Virginia.
Wikipedia: Castle Doctrine in the United States
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
(Yes, I’m here.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Reference car carry, see:
Section 571.030 RSMo, Subsection 3
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:50 pm
MissouriCarry.com
Great online forum for pro-gun discussion of issues, etc.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Free “No Guns, No Money” cards (just download and print)
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:59 pm
The 17 places you cannot carry a gun:
571.107 RSMo
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Gary and T