Today's Nuze: March 01, 2006

Wednesday -- March 1, 2006

NASCAR OR THE HOMELESS ... HUMMMMM. SUCH A TOUGH CHOICE

The City of Atlanta is locked in a battle with Daytona Beach, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina to land a NASCAR Hall of Fame attraction. It looks like Charlotte is probably going to win. Georgia legislators have thus far offered about $92 million in cash and other benefits to land the deal. Now ... before we go further ... let's get this on the table. It's very simply not a proper function of government to take money by force from the people who earned it and to then spend that money on a hall of fame dedicated to people proven adept at making high speed left turns. If NASCAR wants to bring their attraction to Atlanta, fine. They would be welcomed with open arms. But when you use tax money for such a cause you are, in effect, telling those taxed that you believe that it is more important for you (the government) to take that money and spend it on a hall of fame for race car drivers than it would be to allow the person who earned that money to keep it and spend it on such mundane projects as feeding, clothing and educating your children, saving for a home, paying off a car, or covering some medical bills.

Now ... having said that. Let's consider the choices faced by Georgia and Atlanta officials given the fact that, one way or another, they are going to seize this money from those who earned it and spend it on something. The decision in this case seems to be whether to spend it on attracting the NASCAR project, or spending it on the homeless. The problem, you see, is that the twenty or so million extra dollars legislators are plotting to use to sweeten the NASCAR bid would come from funds already dedicated by Atlanta officials to helping the homeless, or, as I like to call them, the urban outdoorsmen.

Let's see. Do we want to spend that money on a project that could attract tens of thousands of tourists to downtown Atlanta; a project that would over time generate millions upon millions of revenue for Atlanta businesses and many millions more in tax revenues for government, or should we spend it on the homeless? Should we spend that money on a project that will generate many jobs, or spend that money on people who have chosen ---- yes, chosen ---- a lifetime of dependency on others? Do you spend the money to create opportunity? Or do you spend the money to reward those who have refused to take advantage of opportunity?

Only government, and those who think our country is great because of government, would have a tough time with that decision.

NEW ORLEANS BACK TO NORMAL

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 6 months ago, we heard over and over again that New Orleans would never be the same, that it was changed forever. The city was deserted...no one was ever coming back. Because the city was scarred for life, government was going to have to step in and spend billions of everybody's money to put things back the way they were.

Well, guess what. As I'm sure you've seen on TV, things are back into full swing down in New Orleans. Mardi Gras just ended...and while it didn't have as many people, there were plenty of drunks crowded into the French Quarter, including Britney Spears. Women were lined up on the balconies flashing their fun bags for beads, just as in past years.

And so New Orleans will be returning to even more normalcy over the coming months. Looks like the city no one thought would ever be the same is slowly becoming...well, the same. What will those who demand the government reach into our pockets and spend billions of taxpayer dollars on a recovery say when the place is recovering by itself?

Oh...and isn't there something ironic about the government paying to house "refugees" from New Orleans when thousands of people are on TV at a giant party in that very city?

So -- New Orleans has had its Mardi Gras celebration. It was a grand symbol of renewal and regeneration for a devastated city. Fat Tuesday is over, the revelers are gone, and guess what? The whiners who didn't want the celebration to happen in the first place are now going to have to find something else to bitch about. These poor, miserable people who just didn't think that it was very nice for the people of New Orleans to have their celebration while they were still recovering from the hurricane will head out today to find something else to be miserable over. This is the way they have always been, and shall always be.

FROM THE VIOLENT WORLD OF RAP

Today comes news that two security guards were shot at a concert in London by rapper Kanye West. Evidently an altercation took place after somebody tried to get in without a ticket....whatever. The point is this: why is it that the only time you hear of violence at a concert is when it involves rappers? When's the last time somebody got shot at say...a Barry Manilow concert? (We're not counting suicides, either.)

This should come as no surprise. People who go to concerts are fans of today's rap music. In that music, they are told that it's just fine and dandy to carry around a gun and use it when somebody disrespects you. It's a world that promotes violence against women and total antisocial behavior.

Oh..and to show just how bad things have gotten...the Academy Awards (Oscars) are coming up. The producers have announced that the words "Bitches" and "Ho's" will be completely acceptable during rap performances. And Hollywood wonders why ratings for the Oscars have been down in recent years.

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

A couple of warm days and thoughts turn to summer cookouts on the ol' grill. More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

Sent in by Carter & Katherine

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Neal's guest today, Bill Sammon, author of Strategery: How George W. Bush Is Defeating Terrorists, Outwitting Democrats, and Confounding the Mainstream Media.

The CEO of Dubai Ports World testified in front of the Senate yesterday, saying his company wasn't taking over or buying the ports...just merely operating them. Right. So they're not taking them over...just....taking them over.

Meanwhile, the parent company of Dubai Ports World officially boycotts Israel. So we'd be turning over operation of our ports to Islamic fanatics that oppose one of our allies in the Middle East and one of the few democracies there. Good move! It should come as no surprise that the Anti-Defamation League opposes the deal.

A 41-year-old former teacher in Virginia has been arrested again. This time she's charged with molesting two other 13-year-old boys. Imagine the ones you don't hear about!

Walter E. Williams reminds everybody that the word "democracy" appears neither in The Declaration of Independence, nor the U.S. Constitution. In fact, he says that the United States isn't a democracy and that Iraq shouldn't be one either.

More slanted polling: a new poll suggests that most troops want out of Iraq within a year and only 23% are willing to stay as long as it takes. Of course, it's all in who you ask.

John Stossel continues his promotion of free market solutions to everyday problems. He takes on those who say big government knows best.

The rise and fall of GM proves that people (in this case, labor unions) want something for nothing. Thomas Sowell says only government can give you something for nothing.

Jonah Goldberg talks about a recent Supreme Court case over campaign finance. He says people support free speech most of the time....except when it comes to things like political speech.

ABC recently covered Saddam Hussein's secret tapes....where he talks about everything from weapons of mass destruction to terrorist attacks on the United States. But as Brent Bozell points out, the mainstream media was largely uninterested in such a negative portrayal of Uncle Saddam.

Michelle Malkin takes on those on the right who are criticizing anyone who has concerns over the Dubai Ports World deal. She calls them the 'elite right' who are playing the race card.

What is this Sarbanes-Oxley act?

Where's the latest, greatest place to inject collagen? The g-spot. Warning, language in article.

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