IS THERE A BETTER IDEA? YOU BET! 

By Neal Boortz @ January 9, 2009 9:16 AM

So we now have the benefit of PEBO's* general position on a plan to stimulate our economy. Government shall be our savior. We shall not want. More specifically, government spending. About $800 billion (probably more) will be created out of thin air and then spent by politicians and their cronies in an effort to get our economy moving. PEBO has decided that our economy can be stimulated by purchasing computers for teachers and building windmills.

Obama's stimulus plan is very little more than a plan to enhance and solidify the power of the Imperial Federal Government over our economy at the expense of the private sector and free markets.

Is there a better idea out there? You bet there is, and it came from the 1st Congressional District of Texas. We've talked about this great idea several times on the show ... and after Obama's speech its time to bring it up again.

Texas Congressmen Louie Gohmert notes that the federal government collects about $100 billion in income taxes every month, plus another $60 billion in Social Security and Medicare taxes. If those of you who are government educated have a calculator handy, you'll see that this adds up to about $160 billion a month. Now if you divide Obama's proposed $800 billion stimulus plan by $160 billion, you'll come up with five. This means that our government will collect $800 billion in income and payroll taxes from February through June of 2009.

So, Gohmert asks, instead of bureaucrats and politicians deciding how all of this money is going to be spent, why not let the people who actually worked for this cash make their own independent spending decisions for this money. How would you do that? Simple: declare a five-month tax holiday. From February through June everybody keeps their paycheck. No income tax withholding ... no payroll taxes. No income or payroll taxes owed. What will the people do with this money? What, are you crazy? They'll spend it, that's what. And they'll spend it on the stuff that they want! Not the stuff Obama promised during his campaign. Talk about stimulating the economy!

Let's just wrap this up with a handy little chart. Politicians just love charts.

	OBAMA'S STIMULUS	SIX MONTH TAX HOLIDAY
Stimulus plan's affect on national debt	The government prints $800 billion for government to spend, thus insuring that the money will be spent as politicians and government bureaucrats want it to be spent. Plan adds $800 billion in additional debt.	The government prints $800 billion to replace the lost tax revenue needed for ordinary government expenses while people are spending the money they earned to stimulate our economy. Plan adds $800 billion in additional debt.
Either way we add $800 billion to our deficit.
Who gets the power to chose economic winners and losers?	Government makes the choices of who wins and loses. Winners include teacher's unions, government contractors, politicians and businesses favored by government and political operatives. This plan grows government.	The people who actually earned the money get to choose the economic winners and losers through their spending decisions. Winners include private sector businesses that provide quality products and services. This plan grows the private-sector economy.
Either way $800 billion gets poured into our economy!!!
Who comes out with more power?	Enhances the power of government and promotes the cause of a state -controlled economy.	Enhances the power of the individual taxpayer/consumer and promotes the cause of economic liberty and the free market.
Power to the people? Or to government?
Who gets the happy ending?	Thrills those who love government	Pleases those who love liberty

Is there a detriment to the Gohmert plan? You betcha! And the flaw is fatal. If you declare a full tax holiday people are actually going to figure out how much they earn. No more of this "take home pay" nonsense. You get your whole paycheck. Now just imagine what happens in July with the withholding starts again.

Revolt.

PEBO'S PLAN IS SO TRANSPARENT

By Neal Boortz @ January 9, 2009 9:19 AM

Are you starting to see what is happening here? Yesterday Obama gave a big speech about his economic stimulus plan .. he is calling it an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. Well there's a nice focus group title. "Reinvestment," by the way, means "spending." We could call this the "American Government Growth and Spending Plan." Anyways ... so we have this speech yesterday and the clouds are starting to break. I am starting to see the light .. and it ain't pretty. This economic recovery plan is nothing but a camouflaged way of enacting the promised spending programs of Obama's candidacy.

Someone 'splain something to me: How on God's green Earth is investment in education supposed to stimulate the economy? Even if you wait a generation for that education to pay off .. these people will have been educated in government schools. So that doesn't seem too promising. But part of Obama's stimulus speech was that he wants to "equip tens of thousands of schools, community colleges, and public universities with 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries." He also wants new computers and new training for teachers. And just how does THAT stimulate our economy? Answer: It doesn't. It stimulates teachers and their unions. Stimulation you pay for under the guise of economic stimulation.

Another one of Obama's plans to stimulate the economy is to double the production of alternative energy. He wants to improve energy efficiency. He wants you to go out there and build solar panels and wind turbines. Oh and by the way, Obama says that these will be jobs "that pay well and can't be outsourced." That's a pretty ballsy thing to promise. How can he guarantee that? He can't .. unless he uses the force of government to do so. Goodbye whatever is left of the free market. Again, this is Obama deciding where your money should be spent, not you. If you want to spend money improving energy efficiency they you can do so. This is nothing less than Obama using economic scare tactics to enact green campaign promises.

Then there's healthcare. Again, can someone please explain to me how switching all of America's medical records to computers is going to provide an immediate stimulus to our economy? Anyone? I didn't think so. It isn't going to. But this was one of Obama's great promises on the campaign trail. Which allows me to reinforce my point .. PEBO is going to capitalize on America's economic crisis in order to enact his agenda. Pretty clever, huh? Anything that Obama proposes will, from here on out, be part of his efforts to "stimulate the economy."

Do you now see how much this man loves government? PEBO said, "At this particular moment, only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe." That's right. Only government. Not your personal self reliance or perseverance. Not your commitment to your community. Not your employer's paycheck or benefits. Not more money in your pocket. No more economic activity from the private sector. Only government.

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Seven Habits for a Financially Fit New Year

Mary Hunt

Everyday Cheapskate

Personal character is made of habits and habits come in two varieties: good and bad. The secret to learning good habits or breaking bad ones is found in conscious repetition. To create a habit, you must repeat an action over and over again until it becomes a natural response. To break a habit, you must to create a new one or choose not to do something over and over until it becomes a natural response.

Want to become more financially responsible? Consciously focus on the following practices. Repeat them over and over until they become natural responses. Before you know it, these will be your habits, too.

Habit 1. Regularly balance your accounts. Financially responsible people calculate a current balance in their checkbook or online account after every transaction. They know where they are at all times.

Habit 2. Save money consistently. Financially responsible people do not spend all the money they have and then rely on credit. They always save some and they do it first, before they pay anyone else.

Habit 3. Think first and spend later. This is the habit that keeps financially responsible people from spending money they don't have. They do not buy things impulsively. They make lists, weigh the consequences, wait for sales and above all, exercise self-control.

Habit 4. Focus on the real price. Financially responsible people see through the come-ons, marketing hype and financing options. They know how to calculate the bottom line. If they can afford the full price, fine. If not, they are not interested in monthly payments.

Habit 5. Know your financial condition. Financially responsible people know within a few bucks the current balance on their mortgage, their investment accounts and other assets. They make decisions based on how their net worth will be affected.

Habit 6. Refuse unsecured debt. Financially responsible people shun debt of all kinds, but especially unsecured debt. If they have secured, i.e. mortgage debt, they repay it rapidly.

Habit 7. Make principle-based decisions. Financially responsible people make financial decisions based on principles, not feelings. They know their feelings are fickle and can change.

Experts in human behavior say it takes 21 repetitions to break a bad habit or to establish a new habit. That means if you do something every day, after three weeks it will become a nearly automatic response, a habit. Continue for another 21 days and you will have established a life-long habit. It takes just six weeks to change your life.

It is possible to learn good habits and unlearn bad ones, even those that are deeply ingrained. It's all a matter of choice and determination!

Where Have All The Leaders Gone?

Lee Iacocca


an excerpt from the book Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.

But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.' Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!' You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the 'America' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.

We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving.

We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country.

We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.

Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy.

Our schools are in trouble.

Our borders are like sieves.

The middle class is being squeezed every which way.

These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throwing away our shampoo?

We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm.

Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? - that some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America. In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World Wars I and II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,'the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11.

If I've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a "Call to Action" for people who, like me, believe in America'. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'

Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future.

Our future is at stake!!

"This process of election affords a moral certainty that the office of President will seldom fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications."

--Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 68, 14 March 1788

"To cherish and stimulate the activity of the human mind, by multiplying the objects of enterprise, is not among the least considerable of the expedients, by which the wealth of a nation may be promoted."

--Alexander Hamilton, Report on Manufactures, December 1791

"For myself the delay [in assuming the office of the President] may be compared with a reprieve; for in confidence I assure you, with the world it would obtain little credit that my movements to the chair of Government will be accompanied by feelings not unlike those of a culprit who is going to the place of his execution: so unwilling am I, in the evening of a life nearly consumed in public cares, to quit a peaceful abode for an Ocean of difficulties, without that competency of political skill, abilities and inclination which is necessary to manage the helm."

--George Washington, comment to General Henry Knox, March 1789

"[The President] is the dignified, but accountable magistrate of a free and great people. The tenure of his office, it is true, is not hereditary; nor is it for life: but still it is a tenure of the noblest kind: by being the man of the people, he is invested; by continuing to be the man of the people, his investiture will be voluntarily, and cheerfully, and honourably renewed."

--James Wilson, Lectures on Law, 1791

Secret Ballots? We Don't Need No Secret Ballots?

by Chuck Muth

January 14, 2009

Big Labor came through for the Democrats last November big time. They put their man in the White House, helped expand the Democrats' majorities in Congress. Now it's payback time.

The biggest problem facing organized labor in this country today is that so many people have wised up to their scam and no longer are joining unions voluntarily. Indeed, the only membership growth area for organized labor is among government workers, not in the private sector. Go figure.

For years now, harassed and brow-beaten workers have been publicly nodding their heads in agreement just to get union organizers to leave them alone, but then in the privacy of their secret ballots they've been voting, "Thanks, but no thanks." That's why union membership today is at its lowest level in half a century.

Unable to win traditional elections fair and square, Big Labor has a new idea: Just get rid of secret elections altogether. Which is exactly what the ridiculously misnamed "Employee Free Choice Act" (EFCA) would do.

Instead of workers being allowed to cast secret ballots in a union organizing election, union agitators - with or without brass knuckles and baseball bats on their shoulders - would go out and coerce workers into signing a "card" which says the worker wants the union to represent him or her. Once the union agitators collect enough pro-union "cards," the employer would be forced to recognize and negotiate with the union without a secret ballot election being held.

A better name for this bill would be the "Employee Coerced Choice Act." Either way, it stinks.

Taken to its logical conclusion, here's how elections in this country could be held in the future:

Union agitators dressed as street hoods and gang members would patrol neighborhoods, going door-to-door with slate cards featuring only Democrat candidates for offices scheduled to be on the ballot in November. Voters would be pressured to sign the slate card indicating they support the election of all the Democrats listed. And once the agitators scare the bejeepers out of a majority of voters into signing the Democrat slate cards in a given district, the election would be called off and the Democrats declared the winners.

Absurd, right? Yet if organized labor gets its way, that's exactly what will soon begin happening to workers in non-union American businesses such as Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Starbucks and even your local bank.

Barack Obama was elected by secret ballot. Rep. Hilda Solis - who has been nominated to be the next Labor Secretary - was elected to her congressional seat by secret ballot. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was elected by secret ballot. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was elected by secret ballot. And yet all of these folks support organized labor's push to deny average U.S. workers the same right to cast a vote free of coercion.

While this is certainly "change," it's also as un-American as it gets. A harbinger of things to come?

"No Man's life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session."

--American lawyer, editor, politician, Judge Gideon Tucker (1826-1899)

"Each individual of the society has a right to be protected by it in the enjoyment of his life, liberty, and property, according to standing laws. He is obliged, consequently, to contribute his share to the expense of this protection; and to give his personal service, or an equivalent, when necessary. But no part of the property of any individual can, with justice, be taken from him, or applied to public uses, without his own consent, or that of the representative body of the people. In fine, the people of this commonwealth are not controllable by any other laws than those to which their constitutional representative body have given their consent."

--John Adams, Thoughts on Government, 1776

A 92-year-old, well-poised and proud man....

who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, hair combed and face shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. 

As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.

"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. "It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life.

Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Treat all with compassion.

2. Worry doesn't help.

3. Live simply.

4. Give more.
5. Say 'yes' to life.

"[R]eligion, or the duty which we owe to our creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and this is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity towards each other."

--Virginia Bill of Rights, Article 16

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall - and a pretty good spring and summer, too.

Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.

W. Clement Stone