Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Arlen Specter Spineless Switch
The announcement that Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter was switching parties tells you what a whore he is. This clown knows he was going to lose the Republican primary to the more conservative and more Repulican Congressman Pat Toomey. So rather than take the beating he so richly deserves, he slithers over to the Democrats. what a sleaze. Hopefully he'll still get his ass kicked by Toomey in the general election.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Limbaugh's Right On This One
I’ll be the first person to tell you Rush Limbaugh has evolved into a self-absorbed bore and a half in recent years. When he first began broadcasting at WABC radio in New York in 1988 and prior to national syndication, Rush was a very talented and opinionated talk show host with a decidedly conservative bent. At the time I was producing the Morton Downey Jr. Show, which was the hottest talk show on television. We were actually beating The Tonight Show and Nightline on a regular basis. Getting on the Downey show was considered a huge opportunity for anyone looking to make a name for himself.
I had listened to Limbaugh many times and when he called expressing an interest in appearing on our show, I was more than interested. That was until I mentioned it to Mort who launched into a profane tirade about what a no talent bum Limbaugh was. Downey told me never to book Rush on the program and that was that. I later found out Rush had successfully replaced Mort on a Sacramento radio station years before and Mort somehow hated him for that. The fact that Downey had been fired for using a racist slur didn’t seem to factor into Mort’s evaluation of Rush. So I had the misfortune of having to tell Mr. Limbaugh we didn’t want him on the show. He was extremely gracious about it and I always liked him more after that.
But those days are way over. Like Mort before him, he has fallen in love with himself and can’t seem to get through a call or segment without congratulating himself. So I’ve tuned him out over the years but something he said recently got my attention. Limbaugh told his national audience he intends to sell his New York residence and become a full time resident of Palm Beach, Florida. This was in response to Gov. David Paterson’s doomsday budget which will impose yet another massive financial burden on the so-called top two-percent. This appears to be the final straw for Limbaugh. His reasoning is simple. Why should he be responsible for subsidizing the least productive New Yorkers? He’s right.
He can declare residency in Florida and pay zero state income tax, nada! The Governor of New York has joined democrats in general in making the wealthy the piggy bank for the poor. The wealthy already pay an absurd percentage of the tax revenues collected. The two percenters account for more than 50% of all taxes collected. Shouldn’t that be enough? But it isn’t.
Democrats have demonized the most productive in our society. They have somehow persuaded a significant number of people that there must be something wrong if someone makes a lot of money. They conveniently forget that in a capitalist society money is one of the ways we keep score. It shouldn’t be the only one but it should be part of the analysis. The great unwashed lap it up because they’d rather believe that than acknowledge their own shortcomings. Have you ever heard a successful person say their pay didn’t reflect their contribution? No, because it usually does. It’s called class warfare and it’s tearing this country apart. We’re all divided into have and have-nots with a heavy dose of cultural warfare tossed in.
But the bigger issue here is the Rush Limbaugh’s of New York will, in fact, take their act somewhere else if the state insists on taxing them completely out of proportion. Just because someone makes a lot of money or has a lot of money doesn’t obligate them to pay the bills for the rest of us. That’s called socialism or communism. The individual has a legitimate and important place in the capitalist hierarchy.
Here’s what’s going to happen if Paterson insists on this insane bit of populist government. The wealthy will indeed go elsewhere much as the rich Brits did in the 1970’s in England. The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and the Beatles didn’t move to the United States for the hot dogs. They moved here to avoid the onerous taxes imposed upon the rich in the UK in the ‘70’s. What will happen here is wealthy New Yorkers will go state shopping. They and their lawyers will ascertain what states are taxpayer friendly and set up shop. They’ll all visit New York or keep a second home here but they won’t pay taxes. If you run the two-percenters out of town, the other 98% are going to be in a world of hurt. This time you’re right, Rush.
I had listened to Limbaugh many times and when he called expressing an interest in appearing on our show, I was more than interested. That was until I mentioned it to Mort who launched into a profane tirade about what a no talent bum Limbaugh was. Downey told me never to book Rush on the program and that was that. I later found out Rush had successfully replaced Mort on a Sacramento radio station years before and Mort somehow hated him for that. The fact that Downey had been fired for using a racist slur didn’t seem to factor into Mort’s evaluation of Rush. So I had the misfortune of having to tell Mr. Limbaugh we didn’t want him on the show. He was extremely gracious about it and I always liked him more after that.
But those days are way over. Like Mort before him, he has fallen in love with himself and can’t seem to get through a call or segment without congratulating himself. So I’ve tuned him out over the years but something he said recently got my attention. Limbaugh told his national audience he intends to sell his New York residence and become a full time resident of Palm Beach, Florida. This was in response to Gov. David Paterson’s doomsday budget which will impose yet another massive financial burden on the so-called top two-percent. This appears to be the final straw for Limbaugh. His reasoning is simple. Why should he be responsible for subsidizing the least productive New Yorkers? He’s right.
He can declare residency in Florida and pay zero state income tax, nada! The Governor of New York has joined democrats in general in making the wealthy the piggy bank for the poor. The wealthy already pay an absurd percentage of the tax revenues collected. The two percenters account for more than 50% of all taxes collected. Shouldn’t that be enough? But it isn’t.
Democrats have demonized the most productive in our society. They have somehow persuaded a significant number of people that there must be something wrong if someone makes a lot of money. They conveniently forget that in a capitalist society money is one of the ways we keep score. It shouldn’t be the only one but it should be part of the analysis. The great unwashed lap it up because they’d rather believe that than acknowledge their own shortcomings. Have you ever heard a successful person say their pay didn’t reflect their contribution? No, because it usually does. It’s called class warfare and it’s tearing this country apart. We’re all divided into have and have-nots with a heavy dose of cultural warfare tossed in.
But the bigger issue here is the Rush Limbaugh’s of New York will, in fact, take their act somewhere else if the state insists on taxing them completely out of proportion. Just because someone makes a lot of money or has a lot of money doesn’t obligate them to pay the bills for the rest of us. That’s called socialism or communism. The individual has a legitimate and important place in the capitalist hierarchy.
Here’s what’s going to happen if Paterson insists on this insane bit of populist government. The wealthy will indeed go elsewhere much as the rich Brits did in the 1970’s in England. The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and the Beatles didn’t move to the United States for the hot dogs. They moved here to avoid the onerous taxes imposed upon the rich in the UK in the ‘70’s. What will happen here is wealthy New Yorkers will go state shopping. They and their lawyers will ascertain what states are taxpayer friendly and set up shop. They’ll all visit New York or keep a second home here but they won’t pay taxes. If you run the two-percenters out of town, the other 98% are going to be in a world of hurt. This time you’re right, Rush.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Where I've Been
For those of you wondering where I've been, I have a simple answer. Due to the demise of the newspaper chain I was writing for, I decided to start my own paper. I have and it's called the Hudson Valley News. We have published three weekly editions and are doing great. Ads and news stand sales are going very well. In about a week, we will have our own website so you can read the column there asw well. My apologies for vanishing but we've been very busy putting this paper together. JKL
Thumbs Up For Obama and the SEALS.
The news over the weekend that Navy Seal snipers smoked three Somalian “pirates” in a daring and flawlessly executed rescue of kidnapped Captain Richard Phillips made most Americans stand a little taller. Incidentally, can we stop calling these murderous thugs pirates? They’re terrorists and pirates sound too romantic. Johnny Depp these guys aren’t.
I must say I went into this whole thing with very low expectations. We have a new president who’s been on something of a world apology tour having to deal with a terrorist incident with a decidedly Muslim feel to it. Mr. Obama had recently indicated the United States is not at war with Islam or Muslims. No sooner had he made that statement than the American cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, was seized by Somalian thugs 300 miles out in the Indian Ocean. The crew retook the ship but not before seeing Captain Phillips taken prisoner aboard a life boat.
For days we saw the spectacle of the USS Bainbridge idling about 100 feet from the lifeboat containing Captain Phillips and his captors. The lifeboat which had run out of fuel continued to drift toward the Somalia coast and was said to be within 10 miles of land. At one point in this drama Captain Phillips actually escaped the lifeboat and attempted to swim to the Bainbridge. His escape was thwarted when the terrorists begin firing at him and he returned to the lifeboat.
My reaction was what the heck was the Navy doing? Why didn’t they whistle a howitzer at the lifeboat and pluck the good Captain from the sea. I guess that’s why nobody ever nominated me for the Naval Academy. Then the news broke that France had actually rescued hostages being held by more Somalian thugs and had used deadly force in the process. Mon dieu! France actually attacked someone and won.
Here’s what I thought was coming next. President Obama, in full democrat hand wringing mode, would send the hero of the Bosnian tarmac, Hillary Clinton, to negotiate the release of Captain Phillips. She would probably be accompanied by Special Envoy Richard Holbrook, in case Madam Secretary began growing a spine. The hours and days would go by and the terrorists and their captive would make their way to land. Various deadlines would come and go and the story would fade from view as hope subsided. A few weeks from now it would be reported that Captain Phillip’s body had been recovered and we would have more negotiations about its return. This thing had Jimmy Carter written all over it.
Boy was I wrong and I couldn’t be happier. President Obama served notice that he’s President of the United States of America not Moveon.org or Cindy Sheehan nation.
He remained calm and focused and quietly authorized the Navy to use deadly force if necessary to save Captain Phillips. Unlike his predecessor George Bush, there was no chest thumping or doing the cock walk. President Obama apparently knows the United States is still the strongest nation on the face of the earth and won’t be dictated to by a bunch of marauding criminals masquerading as latter day buccaneers.
I suspect the President knows full well these criminals will try again and may be quick to avenge their loss. That is a price President Obama has clearly chosen to pay. Terrorists have for too long counted on the United States to tire of any prolonged military confrontation or unpleasantness. While not justifying our costly incursion into Iraq, may I draw your attention to the thousands of Iraqi terrorists currently receiving visitors at the graveyard? One of life’s proven facts is bad guys go somewhere else if they think you really mean it.
But ultimate kudos goes to the Navy Seal snipers who fired simultaneously taking out all three terrorists in an instant. Their action had to be precise and there was no second chance for Captain Phillips if even one sniper was off the mark. Congratulations to those brave Seals. You made us proud to be Americans. Hats off to the Navy itself for nurturing and training such extraordinary people. You don’t just wake up one morning lying on the fantail of a huge naval ship and start picking off terrorists in the dark. It takes discipline and training and the Navy clearly meted out both.
So let’s hear it for our new President and his courage to stand up for America without apology.
I must say I went into this whole thing with very low expectations. We have a new president who’s been on something of a world apology tour having to deal with a terrorist incident with a decidedly Muslim feel to it. Mr. Obama had recently indicated the United States is not at war with Islam or Muslims. No sooner had he made that statement than the American cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, was seized by Somalian thugs 300 miles out in the Indian Ocean. The crew retook the ship but not before seeing Captain Phillips taken prisoner aboard a life boat.
For days we saw the spectacle of the USS Bainbridge idling about 100 feet from the lifeboat containing Captain Phillips and his captors. The lifeboat which had run out of fuel continued to drift toward the Somalia coast and was said to be within 10 miles of land. At one point in this drama Captain Phillips actually escaped the lifeboat and attempted to swim to the Bainbridge. His escape was thwarted when the terrorists begin firing at him and he returned to the lifeboat.
My reaction was what the heck was the Navy doing? Why didn’t they whistle a howitzer at the lifeboat and pluck the good Captain from the sea. I guess that’s why nobody ever nominated me for the Naval Academy. Then the news broke that France had actually rescued hostages being held by more Somalian thugs and had used deadly force in the process. Mon dieu! France actually attacked someone and won.
Here’s what I thought was coming next. President Obama, in full democrat hand wringing mode, would send the hero of the Bosnian tarmac, Hillary Clinton, to negotiate the release of Captain Phillips. She would probably be accompanied by Special Envoy Richard Holbrook, in case Madam Secretary began growing a spine. The hours and days would go by and the terrorists and their captive would make their way to land. Various deadlines would come and go and the story would fade from view as hope subsided. A few weeks from now it would be reported that Captain Phillip’s body had been recovered and we would have more negotiations about its return. This thing had Jimmy Carter written all over it.
Boy was I wrong and I couldn’t be happier. President Obama served notice that he’s President of the United States of America not Moveon.org or Cindy Sheehan nation.
He remained calm and focused and quietly authorized the Navy to use deadly force if necessary to save Captain Phillips. Unlike his predecessor George Bush, there was no chest thumping or doing the cock walk. President Obama apparently knows the United States is still the strongest nation on the face of the earth and won’t be dictated to by a bunch of marauding criminals masquerading as latter day buccaneers.
I suspect the President knows full well these criminals will try again and may be quick to avenge their loss. That is a price President Obama has clearly chosen to pay. Terrorists have for too long counted on the United States to tire of any prolonged military confrontation or unpleasantness. While not justifying our costly incursion into Iraq, may I draw your attention to the thousands of Iraqi terrorists currently receiving visitors at the graveyard? One of life’s proven facts is bad guys go somewhere else if they think you really mean it.
But ultimate kudos goes to the Navy Seal snipers who fired simultaneously taking out all three terrorists in an instant. Their action had to be precise and there was no second chance for Captain Phillips if even one sniper was off the mark. Congratulations to those brave Seals. You made us proud to be Americans. Hats off to the Navy itself for nurturing and training such extraordinary people. You don’t just wake up one morning lying on the fantail of a huge naval ship and start picking off terrorists in the dark. It takes discipline and training and the Navy clearly meted out both.
So let’s hear it for our new President and his courage to stand up for America without apology.
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