Today's Nuze: April 19, 2006

Wednesday -- April 19, 2006

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE UNDEREDUCATED --- LET'S TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!

If you've been paying any attention to the morning news shows you will know that the heat is being turned up on so-called "Big Oil" and on President Bush. To listen to the news you would think that gas prices are rising due to two, and only two factors: (1) the evil Big Oil companies are price gouging; and, (2) President Bush isn't doing anything about it. Democrats are demanding hearings and investigations. They're clearly trying to create a feeling in Americans ignorant of the true facts that those extra dollars that are being spent to fill up the tanks are the fault of none other than George Bush and the wicked Republicans. Oh ... and the media seems to be more than anxious to help them spread the word.

Let's take a look at a few facts. First, the cost of crude oil for each gallon of gas sold in this country has gone up from about 35 cents per gallon in 1999 to $1.59 per gallon in 2006. So ... crude oil prices go up by 454% over a period of seven years. How much did gas prices go up during the same period? Try 162%. Looks to me like things could be worse.

So ... did George Bush set those crude oil prices? Did the oil companies go out there and set the prices that high? Helllloooo! Do you think the oil producing countries like Saudi Arabia might have had anything to do with it? Is it possible that the ever-increasing worldwide demand for crude oil was a factor? How about the fact that oil exploration slowed several years ago when crude was selling for under $20 a barrel? Now that the price is so much higher many more companies are getting into the exploration business ... but it takes somewhere around 5 years from discovery of an oil deposit to actual production. The price of oil didn't start its uphill swing until about 2004. Do the math. You also have the fact that oil is a commodity that is traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Traders have much to do about setting prices. Do you suppose that George Bush is calling these traders in to coach them on just what those prices should be? That's what the Democrats want you to believe.

Besides .. can Big Oil set the price, even if it wanted to? As The Motley Fool points out on their website, there are dozens of publicly traded oil companies. Add to that mix the government-owned oil companies like Saudi Aramco, and the hundreds of small private companies (my brother used to be the president of one such company) that are drilling around the world ... and the Democrats want you to believe that they all got together to set these crude prices? Not one of these companies wants to seek an advantage in the market place by lowering their prices?

This is all about playing on the ignorance of the American people for political advantage. These Democrats and most in the media know the score. They understand the difference between gross profits and profit margins ... and they know that most Americans do not.

Once again --- just why do you think they defend our system of hideous government education so much?

ANOTHER MESSAGE SENT

Are you still a little bit in doubt as to the real purpose behind the Latino invasion across the U.S. / Mexican border? Another small clue was delivered in a comment by a reader of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This line appeared in the AJC "Vent" feature yesterday:

In Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, it shouldn't be thought of as illegal immigration. It's just Mexico returning to its original borders.

Put this together with stories depicting this invasion as the "re-conquest" of America and proudly stating "With all due respect, Los Angeles is ours" and you start to get the idea.

Thomas Sowell wrote about some of the speeches he heard from protestors in recent days: "These were not the speeches of people who wanted to join American society, but people who wanted their own turf on American soil."

LET'S ONLY REPORT ON THE TAX REFUND HE GOT

Who out there hasn't read that the Vice President got a $1.9 million tax refund this year! Why that's just wrong, isn't it! That's outrageous! That must be all of the proof that we need that Dick Cheney is just a typical evil, greedy Republican. Nobody deserves a tax refund that large!

So ... what you're saying here is that if someone overpays their income taxes by $1.9 million, they shouldn't get the overpayment back? OK, so what should be the maximum? What should be the maximum amount you can overpay the government in your income taxes and still get that overpayment back? One million? Five hundred thousand?

Oh .. and in those same stories, tell me if you read this: In 2005 the Cheneys donated $6.97 million to charity. That's right. Almost $7 million in charitable donations. The headlines speak of the refund. The charitable donations are buried. I will absolutely guarantee you that if Cheney were a Democrat the headlines would tout the charitable donations.

MCKINNEY DETAILS RELEASED

Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia Al-McKinney's little indiscretion involving her hitting a Capitol Hill police officer may have slid off the front page, but the case is still very much alive. Today comes word that the official report on the incident says McKinney not only hit the police officer that was trying to stop her, but that she assaulted him in the chest with a closed fist. Not good.

Now before we go any further, stop and ask yourself something. Where do you suppose you would be if you struck a police officer in the chest with a closed fist? That's right, you'd be sitting in the joint....and rightfully so. But not Cynthia McKinney. I guess that's all part of that special treatment thing. Besides ... you must remember ... Georgia's embarrassment hit the police officer because he clearly was a racist. At any rate, let's hope that McKinney gets hers soon...a grand jury is hearing the case and my fondest hope is for an indictment. If you can't be indicted for assaulting a cop, what good are our laws anyway?

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

No expense was spared on this wedding cake. More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Atlanta listeners, what will you do with $10,000?
How about a $10,000 shopping spree with Clark Howard?
Register here for your chance at a $10,000 shopping spree and then listen for your name weekday mornings. Contest details.

The U.S. has told Israel to think twice before retaliating for suicide bombings. Oh really...what would we have told a country that warned us to think twice before we retaliated for 9/11? Probably something along the lines of 'mind your own business.'

It would seem landlords are getting more than a little fed up with Hurricane Katrina victims occupying their properties. Naturally, the response has been lawsuits...price gouging of course. Maybe a little racism while we're at it!

Opponents of eminent domain abuse have come up with a new idea to protest the theft of private property by the government. They're going to start surrounding the land with protesters. That might work...of course, the property will still be taken.

One of the retired generals criticizing Rumsfeld was evidently singing a different tune back during the Clinton administration. Anthony Zinni told Congress then that Saddam probably was doing nuclear research and had WMD. But today, he says differently. How convenient! Although, in another matter, Zinni does take the blame for the USS Cole incident.

It would seem these days that democracy hasn't exactly been the roaring success around the world that people thought it would be. Ralph Peters wonders if democracy has been oversold, or if the people involved are really the problem?

Former New York Mayor Ed Koch says his fellow Democrats can win this November....but not by bashing George W. Bush. He says they need to be pushing their own ideas. Of course, this isn't something they're used to doing.

Tax day has come and gone.....but John Stossel takes a look at just how much your tax burden really is. Of course, he reminds people that just because they got a refund, that doesn't mean they didn't pay anything.

With the calls for Donald Rumsfeld's firing reaching a deafening roar, John Podhoretz says the defense secretary has to stay. The reason? Zipping Rummy would cause us to lose the war in Iraq.

When the federal government spends more than it takes in, we call that a deficit. It's universally thought that our children will pay the money borrowed by the government. But economics expert Dr. Walter E. Williams says that's not true. Read on.

Thomas Sowell takes a look at the recent legislation that made it a felony for an employer to hire illegal aliens. He says that's probably going too far, but what about the act of breaking into the United States in the first place?

Duke lacrosse rape accusation more complex than it seems.

"Hey ya'll, watch this!"

BOORTZ BLAST NEWSLETTER
Everyone is talking about the Boortz Blast newsletter. Do you want yours? Sign up here and we'll deliver it directly to your inbox every 2 weeks. If you signed up but aren't receiving it, either your company or your spam filter could be keeping it from you. Try using a personal email address and check your spam filter's junk folder for wayward newsletters.

COMMUNITY
If you like Neal and are looking for like minded people to hang out with online or off, check out these places:

Talkmaster Yahoo Group