Podcast 331

DHS Funding and Netanyahu. Minnesota’s 6th District Congressman Tom Emmer voted for the ‘clean’ DHS funding bill, as congress capitulates to the President. Emmer says he is disappointed in his colleagues who fought to refuse funding the President’s effort to ‘amnestitize’ illegal aliens through executive memoranda. Emmer says the courts will handle it. The question really is where supporters in the 6th district – one of America’s most conservative – will come down on the issue. Congress seems to be loathe to actually have a fight with the President, in order to put some limits on what he thinks he can do with executive action. The fact is, capitulating to President Obama will only further embolden him to issue yet more executive orders, and cause further disputes Congressional Republicans can run away from. According to the White House, Obama is considering executive action on corporate taxation, and second amendment issues as his staff works day in and day out to find ways for him to run the country more like a Boris Yeltsin or Vladimir Putin, than a constitutional US Chief Executive. For those who suggest Republicans need to ‘keep their powder dry’, or pick the big issue they can win to fight on … If not now, when? Be prepared; the new argument is you’re a ‘child’ if you advocate cutting the Government Gordian Knot. What we need, they’ll say, is trustworthy conservatives to make it run, right. Which is exactly what Obama said in 2008. The fact is, ‘radical’ ideas of lesser government aren’t childish, they date back to the birth of the republic. Moreover, there are structured proposals to audit the Fed, as well as eliminating agencies that are inefficient, or don’t work. They’re hardly rash, or childish. The idea that ‘conservatives’ need to nominate ‘responsible’ candidates ‘who can win’ is back. Times have changed, though, and the last thing this country and the Republicans need is another retread from the 1980’s, or timid go-along-get-along ‘problem solvers’ who believe NASA and the Interstate Highway system represent our future. As the so called radicals get organized, and raise money and votes, the message from Minnesota’s 6th voters, may soon be akin to Wyatt Earp’s … “Commence to fighting or get out of the way!” Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress, upsetting White House aides who tweeted insults, and apparently nearly bringing minority leader Pelosi to tears. Contrary to critics, Netanyahu’s speech does provide alternatives to the agreement now being negotiated with Iran which the Israeli leader says constitutes an existential threat to Israel, and the US. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. 

Podcast 330

Kirk, Spock & Puppies. Updates to start the week on the big stories. First, Leonard Nimoy, the actor who played Mister Spock on the original “Star Trek” series, died this weekend. We could leave it at that, but apparently the actor who played Captain Kirk on the show, William Shatner is unable to attend Nimoy’s funeral because of other engagements. This has provoked outrage from chi-dults (Editor’s Note: Child-Adults, or Chi-Dults.) infuriated that Captain Kirk would not attend the funeral of his first officer. People! This was a TV show in the mid 1960’s! Captain Kirk and Mister Spock aren’t real. Frank Underwood is not the President of the United States. There really isn’t a beautiful woman, also known as ‘The Mother Of Dragons’ as seen in ‘Game of Thrones’. It’s shocking, but it’s time someone finally told you the truth. These are actually TV shows. Dramatic portrayals of stories, made for distribution over your television! Imagine! Meanwhile, in the real world Christians are being kidnapped by the hundreds for presumed execution by beheading or some other horrible fate, at the hands of terror armies in the Middle East. And the top story? A puppy that, regrettably, was lit on fire and left for dead in a dumpster on the Red Lake Reservation in Northern Minnesota. If it bleeds it leads, and the Puppy Dog’s fate leads! The dog is recovering and will require several skin grafts. A five thousand dollar reward is offered for the identity of his tormenter. Perhaps visiting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu will be happy to take the back seat to Captain Kirk and Mister Spock, and the puppy dog. Netanyahu will speak to a joint US Congress presumably to urge President Obama not to make nuclear deal with Iran. President Obama is furious at Congress for inviting Netanyahu and the Prime Minister for accepting, and will not be watching. As far the Islamic State is concerned, remember that big Iraq army offensive to retake Mosul from the IS? Postponed again. We’ll tell you why in this podcast. And US Economic Growth in the 4th quarter of 2014 has been revised townward from 2.5 percent to 2.2 percent, suggesting the US economy has a long way to go before the boom the President and some cheerleading financial reporters seem to think is happening, actually happens. By the way, where’s the ‘cheap gas acting like a tax-cut’ effect? Experts say next quarter. Yeah. Sure. Foreign Policy and Economics are sure to be major issues in the 2016 Presidential race. Minnesota is projecting a budget surplus and some podcast subscribers want to know what will happen with the surplus. Let’s put it this way; Don’t expect a rebate. And, if you thought the job of an Air Marshall was boring, listen to this podcast. Sponsored by X Government Cars

Podcast 329

CPAC 2015. Updates for your weekend. This weekend CPAC kicks off the 2016 Presidential Campaign, at least on the Republican side and at least for the Washington Press Corps which doesn’t seem to have much to do these days, other than haunt appearances by one of the many potential Republican candidates. The latest political story line is about how the media giveth and taketh away from ‘untried’ candidates like Wisconsin’s Scott Walker. Walker most recently bristled to what’s referred to as a ‘gotcha’ question regarding the religion of the President. Walker lambasted the media for its coverage of his answer, raised money on the ensuing ‘viral’ stories about that, and wrote a piece in reply which appeared in USA Today. Really? Do you think the average person in this country pays any attention to this kind of high school nonsense? The Washington Press Corps in particular seems to think of itself as some kind of monolithic institution, with the job of ‘vetting’ future presidents. In reality they are a bunch of ninnies who couldn’t vet a lawn service, let alone a potential president. Moreover, Scott Walker has plenty of experience with bruising fights with media, given what’s been going on in Wisconsin in the last few years. Secretary of State John Kerry – with his fake plastic surgery square jaw – made a fool of himself again. Find out how in this podcast. So, terrorism’s cause is the plight of the poor. Poor people have no other choice but to become Jihadists, right? It was revealed this week that so called ‘Jihadi John’, the guy cutting people’s heads off recently, is in fact the son of a well to do family from London, and has a degree in computer science. The fight in Minnesota about state commissioner pay continues, and is brought into perspective with the revelation that over sixteen thousand federal workers made more than two hundred thousand dollars last year. Meanwhile Vice President Joe Biden says the wealth of the top one percent should be ’emancipated’, apparently not realizing he is talking about himself and most of the people who work for our Federal Government. It’s time to emancipate the taxpayer from the burden of perfumed princes who earn a lot more than people in the private sector. Drones have already revolutionized war, now they’re about to revolutionize farming. Soon drone technology may become one of two or three essential tools of the farmer. Whether flown by remote control, or autonomously, farmers of all people are adopting and adapting drones. Find out how. Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul