9/17/03

THE WASHINGTON POST CORRECTS THE RECORD

Yesterday I detailed how The Washington Post "Dowdified" a quote from Vice President Dick Cheney.  Dick Cheney's comments on last Sunday's Meet the Press were misquoted in the Post article so as to make it appear as if Cheney felt that the attacks of 9/11 were behind us and done with.  Well, to its credit, the Washington Post corrected the record today and said that the words of the Vice President had been mischaracterized.  To this date The New York Times has not issued either a correction or an apology for Maureen Dowd's misquoting of George Bush some months ago. 

CLEAN AIR STANDARDS

Over the next days and weeks you are going to hear plenty about Bush's proposals to make it easier for power generating plants to upgrade and modernize.  Under Clinton rules a plant could not make any major repairs or modernize a piece of equipment without going ahead with a complete modernization of the entire plant to meet current pollution standards, something that would cost many millions of dollars.  Under Bush's proposal a plant could make repairs and modernize some of its equipment without having to bring the entire plant up to current clean air standards.  But ... there's a restriction; a caveat, and this is a restriction that the anti-capitalist environmental crowd won't disclose to you.  Under no circumstances will that plant be allowed to produce any more pollution than it is permitted to produce right now.  In other words, the rule change cannot result in dirtier air.  Ah ha!  You didn't know that, did you.  Golly, imagine that.  Surely the mainstream media would have shared this little tidbit with you by now.

HURRICANE EVACUATIONS

The order has gone out from the Governor of North Carolina .. a mandatory evacuation of North Carolina's outer banks.  Every time a mandatory evacuation is ordered you find citizens who resist, people who want to stay in their homes. 

Just why do these people ignore evacuation orders?  Some of them are just thrill seekers or ignorant.  Others won't leave because they know that if they do they'll play hell getting back.

I guarantee that when this hurricane gets through with its business along the Carolina and Virginia coastline we're going to hear stories of frustrated property owners trying to get back to their homes, and we'll hear from local government officials who will say that these people will be allowed to return to their property "as soon as it's safe."  The skies will be clear, the waters calm, and property owners will be waiting to get back to their homes.  They'll hear sad tales about roads being cleared, power lines down, dangerous drinking water and all the rest.  It doesn't matter.  They have property to save and property to protect and they want back ... NOW.

You actually get the impression that these local government officials get some sort of a perverse pleasure in calling the shots for such a large number of people.  "You can go back to reclaim and protect your property when I say you can."  Government, no matter how hard it tries, can't make conditions and life 100% safe for everyone.  You can't evacuate every neighborhood with a downed power line, and you can' t tell people to leave when there's a problem with water ... so why keep these people from their homes when the storm has passed?

If some of these property owners didn't fear the arrogance and unreasonableness of government they would probably follow the evacuation orders.

Oh ... one more thing.  I hope not, but there might be looters after this hurricane passes.  The law should allow a property owner or a law enforcement officer to shoot a looter on sight.  A bullet is really too good for some of these bastards.

HITTING A NERVE

My most recent column on World Net Daily seems to have struck a nerve, at least with some readers.  In this column I made a second effort to wake a few Americans up on the subject of property rights, more particularly on the subject of eminent domain abuse.  Click here to give the column a read, then come back and read some of the responses I've received from readers.

Now ... if you followed instructions, you have read the column.  If you did not follow instructions go take your Ritalin and try again in an hour or so.  Here are excerpts from just a few of the e-mails I received. 

People, thank goodness, get it.

• Neal Boortz is on target about the slow death of property rights, but, what can I do about it?
  
  Our education system is mostly owned and operated by collectivists, anti-individualists, anti-capitalists, and anti-competitionists. George Bush let Edward Kennedy control the recent education bill which among other things takes money from me and gives it to wealthy environment groups to misinform and disinform the public about the environment. No help here.
  
  Our judicial system is mostly owned and operated by collectivists, anti-individualists, anti-capitalists, and anti-competitionists. To them, the regulate interstate commerce and equal protection clauses give government total power over everything, including the implementation of equality of result. George Bush caves on his judicial appointments and so have the weak-kneed GOP Senators. No help here.
  
  The House and Senate? I can't get Congressman David Price to tell the truth about the national debt which increased every year during Clinton's tenure. My Senators, if I understand them correctly, want to federalize prescription drug programs. This despite the fact that 2/3 of the public when informed of the facts about this federalization oppose it. What a democracy. No help here.
  
  The media? Some hope here, the Internet and talk radio. As I type this, many GOP and Democrat politicians are planning to kill the free market of radio choice.
  
• Thank God for you writing about eminent domain and the abuse of it by our local officials! I lived in South Bend, Indiana and the county government did the very same thing to allow GM to expand and build the new Hummer H2 plant. It was called area 51 given that 51 homeowners were affected. I was appalled that the community did not cry out that the county was buying the properties up, selling it to GM and I would imagine making a profit. One local government official at a meeting with the homeowners actually arrogantly told them - you WILL leave (to paraphrase). I wrote many letters over that issue to the local paper. I am so disappointed with our fellow citizens for not fighting this abuse of power. Or corruption - really. Please keep this in the forefront. It must be heard. Thank you Neal.
  
• Good evening! Please Neal, continue writing about property rights. We are fighting hard to make the politicians see the dangers of grabbing property in the name of wetlands, reserves, preserves, etc. paid for by taxpayers--thousands--no millions are taken off the tax rolls, then must be managed, guarded, maintained by hired government employees who get great benefits not available to the private sector. This is dangerous.

CONGRATULATIONS SEATTLE

The voters of Seattle have, by a margin of over 60%, turned back the "Latte tax."  They were asked to approve a ten-cent per cup tax on espresso coffee drinks, and they said no.  This is one of America's most liberal cities.  Are they finally getting a bit fed up with taxes out there, or is it just because it was their precious coffee that was being hit?

WHEN DO WE GET TO READ BILL CLINTON'S BOOK?

Next fall, that's when.  And just why would Bill Clinton time the release of his book for the Fall of 2004?  Simple, because there's a presidential election scheduled for around that time and he wants take as much attention away from that race as possible.  You did hear Bill Clinton say over the last weekend that the two hottest stars in the Democratic Party are his "wife" and Wesley Clark.  Same objective.  All part of the same game plan, that game plan being to make damned sure that no Democrat beats George Bush in 2004.  Do whatever you can do to take attention and credibility away from the current crop of Democratic candidates.  Hillary must have an empty White House to run against in 2008.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

We have more trouble with the recall election in California.  The trouble isn't with the punch card voting machines.  No, this time, among other problems, it's those pesky new computer voting machines.  Those machines may not have the capacity to put all of the candidate's names on the ballots.  Who knows, maybe they won't be able to have the recall election at all.

We've all heard the rumors that Saddam Hussein may have sent some of his uglier weapons to be hidden in Syria.  The U.S. is investigating those claims at this time.  In the meantime Syria is developing medium range missiles with help from North Korea and Japan, and turns a blind eye to the Islamic goons crossing its border into Iraq to attack American soldiers. 

Wait, we're not through:  Syria

is also purchasing nuclear materials.  You know what?  This is all

probably just more lies from the Bush Administration, right?  Let's just

not do anything about it.

I don't think there is anyone out there better at analyzing a presidential election than Dick Morris.  Morris writes that as his numbers slide in the polls, Bush has one ace up his sleeve.  That ace is Howard Dean, "who Bush could defeat with his eyes closed."

Always a good read, James Taranto's "Best of the Web." 

David Limbaugh has an imaginary conversation with the Democratic presidential candidates.  It seems to me that this would be very much like trying to have a conversation with a flock of pigeons.

'President Bush is an incessant liar bent on destroying America's social safety net, central bank guru Alan Greenspan should shut his mouth on issues unrelated to monetary policy and the U.S. media have done a terrible job of keeping the public informed." OK now ... read the entire column.

This Krauthammer column in Time Magazine is not to be missed.  Krauthammer wonders just what it is that makes the "Bush haters" so mad!  "Democrats are seized with a loathing for President Bush - a contempt and disdain giving way to a hatred that is near pathological - unlike any since they had Richard Nixon to kick around."

Do you buy this statement about campaign finance reform?  "No ideas of the rich have ever dominated the ideological marketplace in the United States in modern times. Keynesian economics, New Deal infatuations, and the progressive income tax have been touted with at least as much vigor as supply side dogmas, free enterprise and self-help and a flat tax. Further, campaign finance in federal elections was generally unregulated until the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974. But no cogent evidence has been marshaled showing the putative ability of the wealthy to drown out the voices of individual citizens has diminished during the 29 years following the 1974 contribution limitations."  Read on.

The conventional (though moronic) wisdom in the US is that the Bush tax cuts are responsible for the predicted budget deficit.  If you adhere to this bit of "wisdom," do you have the intellectual courage to read this column by Stephen Moore?

Thomas Sowell writes that California is our purest example of liberal fundamentalism.  "Protect parasites and law-breakers ... and attack those who are producing." 

But, are they blaming this on the leftist politicians?  No way!  

No ... they're blaming it on Proposition 13.  All of California's problems

are the result of California's inability to collect enough taxes from property

owners.

I am no fan of the so-called "Hip Hop Culture."  Any culture which dictates that it is wrong to be caught smiling, and which glorifies violence in the way the Hip Hop does deserves an early death.  I can't wait until these "rappers" are looking for a new way to earn a living.  There's one particularly noxious rapper out there who goes by the handle "Nelly."  Nelly has decided to market his own energy drink.  He's calling it "Pimp Juice."  Clarence Page isn't amused.

This column is for those who participate in that "all the good jobs are being shipped overseas" group whine.  Walter Williams is proposing a new law that would make it a crime for a corporation to employ a cheaper method of producing a good or service.  You know, it sure is a lot easier to sit around whining about corporations "moving jobs overseas" than it is to actually get out there and find a way to turn your talents (You do have talents, don't you?) into income.

Prosecutors in Virginia are hard at work right now trying to prepare for a capital murder trial.  The defendants will be John Muhammad and Lee Malvo .. .the sniper killers.  While prosecutors are getting the case ready, there's a Moose on the loose seemingly trying to do everything he can to taint the jury pool while publicizing his book.  Michelle Malkin thinks that Moose is motivated by a desire to exploit his supposed lifelong racial grievances.  Can you believe that The Chief Moose would actually withhold physical descriptions of suspects from his police officers if those suspects were black?   Learn the truth about the Moose.

Brent Bozell writes "It takes the passage of time for a true historical verdict to be reached, but the Clinton legacy on terrorism is one virtually no one wants to discuss. When they do touch on it, the authors seem very sensitive to appearing to be too anti-Clinton."  He's right.  The record is becoming more and more clear ... Clinton had not only the opportunity, but the obligation to go after Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda ... and he failed.

Princess Stephanie of Monaco has married a circus acrobat.  Well, her last husband was her bodyguard.  She has also dated circus directors and an elephant trainer.  She has a daughter by a bodyguard, but not the bodyguard she was married to.  Now THAT'S what I call guarding a body.

NEALZ LINKS FOR NUZE

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
World Net Daily
NewsMax
Wall Street Journal opinions
Washington Times
Washington Post
Real Clear Politics
Media Research Center
The Drudge Report
The Associated Press
SF Gate