Today's Nuze: May 08, 2006

Monday -- May 8, 2006

AND JUST WHY ISN'T AMERICAN IN THE TOP 8 ON ECONOMIC FREEDOM???

Every time I mention on the air the fact that the United States does not even rank in the top-8 countries when it comes to economic freedom I get calls and incredulous emails asking me how I could make such an absurd statement.

OK --- fine. I have an example for you.

In the area of my second home in Southwest Florida there is much gnashing of teeth these days about the issue of affordable housing. A few months ago I saw a report that the median price of a new home in the city of Naples .. the median price, not the average price ... was $1.9 million. With prices like that it's easy to see that many of the people who are essential to a community --- teachers, nurses, firemen, policemen --- won't be able to find a place to live that they can afford! Many solutions are being considered. Some are suggesting changes in zoning and land use laws. Well, think about this for a second. If changing zoning and land use laws would help to solve an affordable housing crisis, isn't it fair then to say that those zoning and land use laws were part of the problem in the first place?

But .. I digress. Here's another solution they're considering. In the past attempts have been made to build affordable housing in Southwest Florida for middle income earners. There was a bit of a problem though. A rising tide lifts all boats, and as the real estate market soared it wasn't only the market-priced homes that saw huge gains. The homes built as affordable housing saw some pretty good-sized appreciation also. And then what happens? The owner sells to take advantage of the huge appreciation.

Well, know what? That's capitalism and free enterprise for you! You own an asset that appreciates rapidly, you sell, and you pocket mucho dinero! The problem here is that the house in question isn't exactly what you would call "affordable" any more.

So ... fans of capitalism ... here is what some of the great minds have thought up. Put restrictions on just how much appreciation a homeowner in one of these "affordable" homes will be allowed to realize! That's right. You own the house, you make the payments, you provide the insurance, you cut the lawn, you pay the real estate taxes .... but the government gets to tell them how much they can sell it for! Wow! What a concept! Forcing a homeowner to sell the biggest investment in his life at well-below a market price!

Like I said ... we aren't even in the Top-8!

"GREEDY DEVELOPERS"

Here's the toilet lid sink Neal talked about this morning

Another thing about Naples, Florida ... and just about every area of the country. As I've mentioned before, I am an avid reader of the "letters to the editor" section of the Naples Daily News. Of special interest to me, of course, are the letters who deride those, like me, who spend only part of the time in Naples but who maintain our principal homes elsewhere. Full-time residents don't seem to like the traffic we generate ... but my guess is that they're not too upset over the taxes that we pay, including the tens of millions of dollars in school taxes for school systems that are of no use to us.

But ... I digress. (Imagine that!) I've also noticed that there is apparently some sort of an unwritten law in Naples to the effect that you aren't allowed to write a letter to the Naples Daily News containing the word "developer" unless that word is preceded by the word "greedy." Here's a paragraph from a letter in yesterday's Naples Daily News from a Naples resident named Steve DeFillippo. DeFillippo is upset about the proliferation of strip mall development:

"Have you considered that these continuing phenomena may be a blessing in disguise? That maybe the greedy developers have a grand design that we had not foreseen? That their wisdom may be cloaked in our contempt for their activities? That perhaps our health may improve and our pocketbooks may retain some of our money?"

So, there you go. It's those "greedy" developers again. Their actions are worthy of our contempt! Tell me, what is the difference between a greedy developer and an ordinary developer? I have a few ideas:

A developer is someone who is building something for you. A greedy developer is someone who is building something for someone else.
A developer builds homes for people in middle and low income groups. A greed developer builds homes for people in high income groups.
A developer thinks that impact fees are still not high enough. A greedy developer feels that impact fees are too high and interfere with the construction of affordable housing.
A developer does not make a profit on his activities or, if he does make a profit, it's a profit that you, in your business wisdom, deem to be appropriate. A greedy developer makes a profit that you, drawing on your vast experience as a businessman, deem to be too much.
A developer drives a Ford Taurus. A greedy developer drives a Jaguar.
A developer thinks it would be an outrage to build within five miles of an eagle's next. A greedy developer will seek the advice of wildlife experts, follow all the federal and state rules and build a reasonable distance away from the eagle's nest, but build he will.
A developer is someone who recognizes the fact that now that you have your boat dock, nobody else should have boat docks. A greedy developer feels that people in his development have pretty much the same right to a boat dock as you do.

The truth here is that the word "greed" has no real meaning in our language other than its accepted use as a pejorative word to be applied to people you do not like. My experience in taking 37 years of calls on the radio is that once you hear a caller use any derivative of the word "greed" on the air you need to start looking for a way to move on to the next caller ... because you'll never get any worthwhile thoughts or ideas from anyone who throws the "G" word about. Mr. DeFillippo has shown this to be true.

SUE? SUE FOR WHAT?

As we get closer to the release of The Da Vinci Code in theatres worldwide we are beginning to see more and more reasons why we need to make sure a firm line between government and religion is drawn .. and stays drawn.

Catholic Cardinal Francis Arinze was considered to be a leading candidate for pope in last year's papal election. Now Cardinal Arinze is making waves in another way ... he's suggesting that Catholics around the world file lawsuits against the movie. And just what does Cardinal Arinze see as the basis for a cause of action? Why, he is offended by the movie! Cardinal Arinze is taking the position that other religions (Islam?) won't stand still for any offenses against their faith, and neither should Christians. It's time, he says, for Christians go get tough. Get tough and file lawsuits.

Well ... so much for the concept of freedom ... especially freedom of expression. Here we have a book that has sold 40 million copies worldwide, and is now ready to debut on the silver screen, and we have this leading Roman Catholic talking about lawsuits ... lawsuits because he is and other Catholics should be (gasp!) offended!

Bear in mind, now, that for me to say one single negative word about Cardinal Arinze and his call for lawsuits by easily-offended Catholics is nothing less than "Christian bashing" and is all the proof the world needs that Neal Boortz is a godless atheist.

Well .. I hate to disappoint, but an atheist I am not. I am also not a theocrat. I acknowledge and fear the huge numbers of people, both abroad and here at home, who are driven by a desire to gain control of the government's exclusivity on the use of force in order to promote their own religious ideals. These are people who are not merely satisfied to live their lives in accordance with their deeply held beliefs; they feel compelled to see that you live your life as a testament to their religious viewpoints as well. It was these very people Ambrose Bierce had in mind when he defined a Christian as: "Someone who believes that the Bible is a divinely inspired book, admirably suited for the needs of his neighbor."

The very act of a highly respected Cardinal suggesting that people attempt to use legal processes to prevent the distribution of a move that he finds offensive has placed a stain on the Catholic church. Let's all watch carefully now to see if anyone in the Vatican actually steps forward to praise the concept of freedom and to defend our rights to express ourselves in our words and our writing.

I, for one, am not holding my breath.

Before we move on .... let's acknowledge the fact that Cardinal Arinze's words have the effect of giving aid and comfort to the world's Islamic terrorists. The Muslim riots around Europe and the world over those silly Mohammed cartoons in a Danish newspaper have now been somewhat legitimized by Cardinal Arinze's words. Hey .. if Muslims can get upset and attack the principles of free speech and free expression, then why can't Catholics? Today ... lawsuits. Tomorrow ...... ?

LETTER FROM IRAN

An interesting development today from Iran. The head kook over there, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has decided to play nice with the United States and write us a letter. The point of the letter: let's make a deal...we can work things out, right?

Hmm...and just what do you suppose prompted this letter. Sounds like somebody blinked. After all, this little bit of surrender comes after Iran has made some pretty bold statements these past few months. Now all of a sudden they want to be our friends. I wonder why? Could it be because they've realized that most of the world, and even the United Nations, really isn't on their side? Do they suddenly realize that this George Bush character actually will use military force if he feels it necessary to protect his country?

Well .... maybe not! When you noodle this one, it sounds more like a ploy by Iran to create international sympathy. It goes like this: they reach out to us, we take the hard line and tell them to take a hike. Then they are able to tell the whole world "see...we tried to negotiate with the United States, but they aren't being reasonable." So what should President Bush do with this letter?

Perhaps he could write them back. It could go a little something like this: "Dear Iran, Dismantle your nuclear reactors and destroy your nuclear stockpiles, or we'll do it for you. Sincerely, The United States of America." Or words to that effect.

It will be interesting to see how this is handled. Of course, expect the Democrats to be right there, demanding the Bush Administration appease the Islamic terrorist regime. It's all they know.

THE DEMOCRATIC PLAN

With polls showing the Republican Congress could be on the way out, Democrats are starting to taste victory. Believing they'll be in control of the majority, and thus have full subpoena power to investigate the Bush Administration, the left is already planning to take over. And just what do they cite as one of their goals upon taking over next year? Let's take a look at their plans.

They are planning a "legislative blitz" (whatever that means, ) that includes raising the job-killing minimum wage, repealing some of the prescription drug plan...perhaps not a bad idea...and reinstating budget deficit controls. Make no mistake: when a Democrat talks about controlling the budget deficit, they don't mean cutting spending. Oh no, far from it. What they mean is raising taxes to cover the shortfall. So apparently we can look forward to much higher taxes if the Democrats take the gavel in January.

Then there's the investigations. Not satisfied with the endless investigations that have already been conducted, Nancy Pelosi wants to investigate the Bush administration some more. Everything from the energy task force, the intelligence used to invade Iraq and even though they won't admit it, start an impeachment inquiry against George W. Bush.

So, to review: Democrats want to destroy the economy and waste millions of dollars investigating something to death that's already been investigated. What a plan!

THE KATRINA EFFECT

More charity fatigue from the folks in Houston...this time, the generous Texans who took in thousands of Katrina refugees are getting tired of the criminal element that they imported from New Orleans. Here are the numbers. So far this year, a quarter of murders are being attributed to Katrina "evacuees." The city is lamenting that their murder rate would have actually declined, had it not been for the refugees running it up. No good deed goes unpunished, I guess.

But this was predicted. Despite long and flowing tributes to the area after Hurricane Katrina, the fact remains that a large portion of the affected area was a complete dump. Now we are seeing what happens when you take a government-dependent and crime-ridden neighborhood and relocate it to another city. Surprise! You get the same thing, just this time in Texas instead of Louisiana.

The worst part? How does Houston get rid of these people? You can bet the next time a hurricane strikes, cities are going to think twice about helping out...and that's unfortunate.

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

This ain't your momma's tractor pull...warning: not safe for work. Bare bottom here. More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

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Members of Congress are wetting their pants...worried that President Bush might nominate a military general to run the CIA. Gee...it's not like the CIA has exactly been a well-oiled machine the past couple years. Perhaps it might do them some good.

To give you some idea of just how bad the illegal alien invasion is, check out this news account of just how children of illegals are being smuggled in. Some of them are being stuffed in gas tanks. That's right...gas tanks.

Tired of paying high prices for gasoline? Here's a concept some are trying: a gasoline hedge fund. It's simple: you buy 500 gallons of gas when it's cheap, thus "locking in" the lower price, then draw off that "bank" when summer comes around.

John Kerry is accusing the Bush Administration of promoting intolerance and suppressing dissent when it comes to the war in Iraq. It's hard out here for a Poodle.

Are Republicans on the verge of losing the House? John Fund says maybe...but it will be the GOP giving it away if it happens, not anything the Democrats have done to win.

Despite whatever tax measure the White House is wanting, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley is pushing his own agenda. Robert Novak takes a look at just what Grassley is proposing.

One thing that people may not realize is just how suppressed religious freedoms are in China. Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum highlights one such case.

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 and afternoons. Contest details.

Republicans are supposedly in trouble all over the country, but

Star Parker highlights one black Republican who seems to already be getting 
things done.  She profiles Ken Blackwell, who has just won his party's 
nomination for Governor in Ohio. 


Today Professor Mike Adams publishes  his top 10 favorite conspiracy 
theories.  He points out these conspiracy theories come from so-called 
educated people, like college students and college professors.  Don't miss 
this one.


Teddy Kennedy is always talking about how government officials should be 
held accountable. 

But as Jeff Jacoby points out, the Kennedys are never held accountable for 
anything.

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