The War on Terror, the TSA & Rupert Murdoch: On & About This Week's Show

This week on the show we talked about the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden, but are we safer, and is this a big victory for Obama?

Are we really safer?

Are we really safer now that Osama bin Laden is dead? If he had been killed ten years ago, then I would say, yes, I feel safer, but the fact that that is no longer my answer is to me proof in itself that we have made things worse not better. We have taken out the two strongest, secular leaders, Hussein & Gaddafi–whether they were monsters or not, they were strong & they were secular and their deaths have increased instability in the region and caused radical Islam to spread, not to be contained. And we have gained absolutely nothing by our actions in Afghanistan as it looks like the Taliban will return to power there after we leave–as predicted by the courageous (and angry!) Michael Sheuer in his book Imperial Hubris.
Of course the powers that be speak out of both sides of their mouths, telling us that Al Qaeda is largely contained if not close to eradication, and at the same time double down on Homeland Security as if there were an imminent threat to the homeland by some massive invasion of terrorists. (See below.)

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Documentary Review: a/k/a Tommy Chong

a/k/a Tommy Chong, written, produced, and directed by Josh Gilbert, is a documentary film that chronicles the Drug Enforcement Administration raid on comedian Tommy Chong’s house and his subsequent jail sentence for trafficking in illegal drug paraphernalia. Chong was sentenced to 9 months in federal prison. Here’s the trailer….Continue reading >>>

Ron Paul Guest Hosts Squawk Box & Debates Yale Professor Stephen Roach: RP 1, Prof Roach 0

Below is the youtube video of Ron Paul guest hosting on CNBC’s Sqawk Box earlier this week. The whole thing was great watching and worth the time. At one point, Dr. Paul is debating with a guest, Yale Professor Stephen Roach (beginning at 10:27). Dr. Paul claims that the dollar has lost 97% of its … Read more

Clark Howard, Hookers and Operation Fast & Furious: On & About This Week's Show

Clark Howard Stopped By the Studio!
What a great show! I was truly honored by a visit from WSB star, Clark Howard.  My hour with Clark was the most fun I’ve ever had on the radio.  If you missed it, you can check out show archives on wsbradio.com.  At first I thought Clark was annoyed that I was destroying the planet with incandescent light bulbs but really he was just giving me his!  He insists that the new light bulbs save money in year one and that they’re worth having for economic reasons alone.  I found that argument pretty persuasive.  And just for the record…It’s NOT that I want to destroy the planet,

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Ron Paul Responds To Elizabeth Warren! Plus Bonus: Is Ron Paul a Voluntarist?

On the show Saturday night I played a clip from Elizabeth Warren describing her vision of America, which is based on a socialist conception of government. Little did I know, Ron Paul responded to this very same clip on ABC News awhile back. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7otK5NsuA4k] As an added bonus, here’s a video Eric Bigelow sent me … Read more

Why Was Tax Day Late This Year?

Normally, Tax Day is April 15, but this year it’s April 17–that’s because the 15th was on a Sunday and the 16th is Emancipation Day, which is a holiday in DC that celebrates Lincoln’s signing of the DC Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862, nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation.  A little known fact, … Read more

The Forgotten 4%

All this talk about fairness and the “rich” paying their “fair share”, you’d think the lower classes were bearing the greatest burden of taxation but they are not, not by a long shot!  First of all, 49.5% of tax filers pay NO INCOME TAX WHATSOEVER–these of course are the lowest earners, not the highest earners!  For this reason, and others, the United States has one of the most progressive tax systems in the world and has the highest corporate tax rate in the world.
I do think the current tax system is unfair, but because only the top half of all earners pay anything at all! And what’s worse, it’s the top earners, not the wealthiest, who pay the vast majority of the taxes. The idle rich (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) and the government-connected rich (there IS something wrong with that!) aren’t necessarily the ones paying income tax. Income tax is paid by those who earn an income for labor. The richer you are the less you need to do this so per force the majority of the highest earners are still below the level of those rich enough not to have to work–this is primarily (and perhaps by definition) the upper middle class.
According to the chart below, the lower 95% of earners are paying the same in taxes as the top 1%–both groups pay roughly 40% of the taxes. That other 4%,

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