ONE KICK-ASS NEALZ NUZE

Do they give Pulitzers for websites?  This edition of Nealz Nuze is so awesome that I actually hesitate to post it for fear that you will expect the same tomorrow ... or the next day.   Actually ... I pulled some items from this Nuze and set them aside for later. 

Believe me, I paid a domestic price for spending this much time at the 'puter over the weekend.  Don't get your hopes up.

NOW --- A THIRD REASON TO SUPPORT GEORGE BUSH

This news came across a bit late this morning for me to make any extensive notes, but it certainly will be a topic of conversation on the Boortz show today.  Drudge is reporting that a domestic centerpiece of the Bush/GOP agenda for the second Bush term will be tax reform.  Not a half-assed attempt at tax reform mirroring past efforts, but a true top-to-bottom change in the way the federal government finances its operations.  Drudge is reporting that Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert will be pushing for replacing the federal income tax with a national retail sales tax or a value added tax. 

Tune in the show today for more details.

NEW YORK IN THE CROSSHAIRS

The Department of Homeland Security says Al-Qaeda terrorists are threatening to blow up the financial districts in three major cities.  Security at financial sites in New York City, Washington D.C. and northern New Jersey has been increased because the federal government has raised the terror threat level to orange.  Commercial traffic was stopped through New York's Holland Tunnel last night.  The targets in question are the IMF, the World Bank, Prudential Plaza, the Citigroup building, and the New York Stock Exchange.  All symbols of American capitalism, all hated by the Islamic thugs that want to blow them up.

Tom Ridge says the intelligence suggests car and truck bombs were planned for those targets.  Al Qaeda has reportedly been monitoring the flow of pedestrians in and out of these buildings, all to see just how many civilians they might be able to kill with one well-parked bomb.   Where did the information come from?  The New York Times says it was a captured Al Qaeda figure in Pakistan that turned out to be a computer engineer in charge of transmitting coded messages to other Al Qaeda members. 

The Islamic jihadists are waiting to kill more Americans.  Who do you want running the show?  The fighter or the appeaser?  Maybe John Kerry is the answer.  In threatening times like these Kerry would be hard at work trying to get people to like us.  That way, if the Islamic terrorists do happen to kill another 3,000 Americans -- or more -- at least we'll be able to get some sympathy from all of those nations out there who respect us. 

By the way ... whatever we do in response to this latest terrorist threat ... let's make sure we don't profile.  The protection of the principals of political correctness trumps the safety of our people. 

FOOTNOTE

When Americans feel a heightened threat from Islamic terrorism they tend to gravitate toward the candidate they think will protect them.  Clearly, that's Bush. So .. before the day is out expect some Democrat to suggest that this whole terror alert scenario is false; just an attempt to scare people at the very time Kerry should be enjoying his convention bounce.  Just watch.

UPDATE!

Well .. that didn't take long.  The culprit was none other than Howard Dean.  There he was on CNN this morning suggesting that this was just an attempt by the Bush Administration to rally Americans to his side.  Of course if there was an attack without a warning Howard Dean would be out there yelling "What did the president know about this attack?  When did he know it?  Why didn't he warn us?  Bottom line ... Bush can't win with these jerks.

I'M GOING TO CATCH HELL FOR THIS ONE .... BUT I'M RIGHT

Just a small wager:  I'll collect from you on this on the morning of November 3rd.  I'm betting that an impartial observer of the November 2nd election will be able to tell you who won our presidential election merely by watching the video -- no audio -- only the video of any of several Arabic television stations or news channels.  Just watch the people in the streets of Tehran, Cairo or Damascus.  If they're shouting, celebrating and shooting their AK-47s into the air, you'll know that Kerry won.  If there are long faces in the capitols of the sponsors of terrorism, you can get ready for another four years of George W. Bush.

I'LL CATCH HELL FOR THIS ONE ALSO

By now we all have heard the wonderful, heart-warming story of Licorice The Hamster.  It was Vanessa Kerry's hamster.  Or maybe it was Alexandra's hamster.  Who really cares.  The point is, Licorice got knocked into the water -- while in his cage, no less -- during a Kerry family outing some years ago.  The brave John Kerry fished Licorice from the briny deep and revived Licorice with some hamster CPR.  Nice.  I had hamsters when I was a kid, so I appreciate John Kerry's efforts. 

Now ... for the insensitive part.  Isn't it nice that Massachusetts has at least one U.S. Senator who isn't afraid to make a water rescue?  What does it say about the Senior Senator from Massachusetts that while his junior colleague would risk life and limb for a 1 ounce rodent, Ted Kennedy wouldn't lift a finger to rescue a young lady from a car he had just driven into the water!

Can we surmise that if it had been John Kerry instead of Ted Kennedy driving Mary Jo home that night 35 years ago she might be alive today?  Probably so.

CONVENTION A BUST FOR THE POODLE

You had to know something was fishy when Friday and Saturday came and went and there were no breathless reports of the latest polls.  Come on!  Where are they!  Where are all the polls showing Kerry's huge bounce out of the convention?  Where was the front-page story showing his new momentum?  Well .. over the weekend, at least ... there weren't any.

Maybe we need to go back to the media template here.  You remember, don't you?  If the news would hurt Bush, hammer it.  If the news would help Bush, bury it.  Well, the news about polls looks bad for Kerry, good for Bush.  Maybe that's why you haven't been reading about them.  The polls, you see,  show that Kerry got no bounce in the polls, and one poll even showed him sliding against President Bush. 

This is huge - the Kerry/Edwards campaign has to be on suicide watch right about now.  They put their best foot forward last week, they ran their 'A' game in prime time, and they came up completely empty.  They got nothing out of it at all. 

The latest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows Bush leading The Soufflé, 50% to 46% among likely voters.  More importantly, Bush is also leading in the electoral college.  As Al Gore found out, when it comes down to it, the magic number in November is not any percentage of the vote, it's 270.

Maybe people watching were either already in the Kerry column, maybe they weren't swayed, or maybe hardly anybody cared.  It could just come down to the fact that voters saw right through the Democrats pretending to be Republicans on national security and the standard liberal issues. 

Or, it just comes down to two undeniable facts going into the election:  Americans trust Bush on national security, and the economy is rebounding thanks to the Bush tax cuts.  What else can The Poodle offer?  More spending?  Raise taxes?  They've got nothing.

They went to Boston, put on a show, and it didn't stick.  How embarrassing.

THIS YOU MUST REMEMBER ABOUT JOHN KERRY'S TAX PLANS

I'm going to explain why this is a bad idea.  To most of my listeners I offer this apology for the slow, plodding way I am going to go about this.  The problem is that most of the people who realize that Kerry's tax increases are dangerous already understand what I'm going to tell you.  Those who think it's a great idea were probably educated in government schools.  That's why I have to take this slow.  These folks aren't the easiest people to educate.

OK ... first of all, on the campaign trail Kerry will usually chose his words carefully.  He will say that he wants to raise taxes only on "people earning more than $200,000 a year."  He intends for you to believe that he's talking about individuals here; individuals earning more than two hundred grand a year.  But Kerry didn't say "individuals."  He'll say "people" or "Americans."  The secret here is that married couples fit under the definition of "people" and "Americans."  Kerry's tax-increase plans include any couple reporting more than $200,000 in income on a joint tax return.  So, you may be making $85,000 a year, and your wife or husband may be making $120,000 a year, and you think you've escaped Kerry's tax increase.  Sorry!  File that joint return and join the club! 

Now ... just who are these people earning more than $200,000 a year?  Sure, some of them are salaried individuals or commissioned sales weasels ... but a lot of them are small business owners.  In fact, a huge percentage of them are small business owners.  To be more specific ... a huge percentage of these people are the very small business owners our economy depends on for well over 75% of all jobs.

These small business owners are operating their businesses under such legal structures as a Subchapter-S Corporation or an LLC, a Limited Liability Corporation.  These legal structures allow these individuals to operate their businesses with most of the legal protections afforded regular corporations, but without some of the more onerous accounting and financial requirements.  These Sub-S and LLC business owners do not file corporate tax returns.  All of their business earnings are reported on their personal tax returns as personal income.  So, if you're running a dry cleaner, a restaurant or manufacturing company; if you're a doctor, lawyer or dentist; if you own a construction company or any other small  business as a Sub-S or LLC you will report the earnings from that company on your personal tax return.  You can see that it won't take much at all for your income to exceed the magic Kerry-targeted $200,000.  

Now just what happens when you raise the income taxes on these $200,000 + income earners?  Come on now.  I know you went to government schools ... but you can see the effect here, can't you?  You're not really raising an individual's taxes, you're raising taxes on a business.  These small business owners turn over to the government in taxes the money they could be using to expand!  Why do they want to expand their businesses?  Because the more business they do, the more money they make!  To do more business they may need more employees!  But if the government is taking more of their earnings, then there is less money available to hire new employees or purchase equipment that is needed for business expansion!

This is why you see economic growth following tax cuts.  Sure, the extra money in the pockets of individual taxpayers doesn't hurt ... but the real growth comes from small business owners using their tax savings to expand their businesses by purchasing new equipment and hiring new people!

Does Kerry understand all this?  Two weeks ago I would have told you that he understands it all-too-well.  Today, I'm not so sure.  After all, just last week I interviewed a congressman from Detroit, John Conyers, who didn't even know that American corporations have to pay federal income taxes to our federal government for earnings realized solely from overseas operations.  So, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that Kerry might be as dumb as most other Americans on this issue.

I'm going to make the assumption, though, that The Poodle knows who these people are he wants to hit with a tax increase, and he knows what the effect will be.  He knows, but he doesn't give a damn.  For Kerry, it's all about power.  He knows that the vast majority of Americans couldn't write a coherent sentence about the tax treatment of Sub-S and LLC small businesses.  He knows that when he talks up a tax increase on "Americans making more than $200,000 a year" that most people create a mental image of some high-roller somewhere simply getting a $10,000 paycheck every two weeks.  The voters Kerry is after know that they'll never see a paycheck like that, and by God they want to punish those evil people who do.  After all, they're only making that kind of money because they've cheated someone else or because they have crooked lawyers.  They're not really working people like us, are they?  They just sit around all day polishing their Benz and sipping Chardonnay.  Those $200,000 a year types were just lucky.  After all, didn't Richard Gephardt say that they were the ones who "won life's lottery?"  And don't they call us the "less fortunate?"

So, if you happen to be on the fence in this election, here's your question.  Do you want these small business owners to keep that money and spend it on business expansion, or do you want the government to take it and spend it on who-knows-what in some congressman's district to help him buy some votes?

If there was any decent economic education in our pitiful government schools we wouldn't be discussing this right now.

THE POODLE WANTS AN AMERICA THAT'S "FAIR"

Uh oh.  Here we go with another campaign theme for the Democrats.  The Soufflé wants America to be "fair" again. 

"Fair."  Now there's a nice little word that resonates well with pretty much everyone!  Everyone just loves fairness, don't they?  Everyone wants to be fair, and everyone wants to vote for a candidate that's fair. 

Just what does Kerry mean by "fair" though?  That's something we're really going to have to explore more in the next nine weeks.  Here's an example of how Democrats might define "fairness." 

• Not Fair:  Allowing someone to keep the money that they earn.
• Fair:  Taking money away from people who are earned a lot just because they're lucky and giving that money to people who, doggone it, just aren't that lucky.
   
• Not Fair:  Allowing someone to take the money that they worked for and earned and to make their own decisions on how to invest that money for retirement.
• Fair:  Taking 14% of every person's paycheck and then telling them that they may get that money back with about a 1% return when they retire, if, that is, they live long enough to retire.
   
• Not Fair:  Allowing you to have that money back so that you can make up your own mind on where your child will go to school.
• Fair:  Seizing sizeable portions of your income to fund hideously bad government schools.

Any suggestions from you folks?

BUSH LIED? NOPE

One of the centerpieces of the Democratic stump speech these days has been that 'Bush lied.'  The loony left likes to say that Bush 'misled the country.'  I've been trying for months now to get just one caller to tell my vast (but not vast enough) audience just what lie Bush told us.  So far, no luck.  It's a lot easier to run around saying that Bush lied than it is to actually come up with an example*.

Still, even thought mountains of evidence, along with two reports by the British and United States governments, exonerate the president, it's still a rallying cry for the left.  In case you come across one of these weirdoes, let's examine the evidence.

David Kay, the leader of the Iraq Survey Group, speaking about the intelligence said there was "no sign that the administration pressured analysts."  Then there was the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee which completely absolved the administration of any lying.  Over in Great Britain, something called The Butler Report found no evidence that Prime Minister Tony Blair misled anyone.  Then, there's the 9/11 Commission, which found that the administration was misled by a flawed intelligence network.  And finally, even Hans Blix himself said who said "I don't think they acted in bad faith."

So why do people keep repeating the fantasy that "Bush lied?"  Because their hatred of George W. Bush is so deep, they fail to see the facts (something liberals don't like anyway.)

Next time somebody tells you Bush lied, ask them to prove it.  They won't be able to.

*Remember, a statement can only be a lie if you knew that statement to be untrue at the time you made it.  If I tell you that I'm going to take Paul's phone call right after the break, and Paul hangs up during the break, I can't be tagged with a lie. 

SEX TOYS BANNED IN ALABAMA

The Alabama state legislature has once again voted to outlaw the sale of devises used for sexual stimulation or gratification.  And you wonder why Alabamastan is the butt of so many jokes?   Think this one through:  Government has a monopoly on the use of force.  Only government can use force to pursue its goals.  Now the State of Alabama can use it's police power; i.e., use a GUN to prevent someone from selling or purchasing an item that can be used to sexually stimulate one's self.  Nobody's rights are being violated by such a sale or purchase.  Nobody is being denied their right to life, liberty or property through either force or fraud through the sale of a vibrator or other similar device.  Nobody has to even know that one of these dangerous instrumentalities is in the neighborhood! Yet and still, the State of Alabama can use force, deadly if need be, to prevent the sale or purchase of such an item, and can actually deprive a person of their liberty or property (jail time or a fine) if they sell or purchase one of these tools of Satan. 

Free country, right?  Tell that to Alabama.

Meanwhile ... we have to wonder what the problem is with the men of Alabama.  Most of the Alabama legislature is made up of men.  Just who are they protecting here? It's a pretty sad state of affairs when the men folk have to get together and pass laws to keep their women from utilizing alternative methods for sexual gratification.  What do you Alabama studs need?  Lessons?

HOW VERY PROUD THEY MUST BE

We're getting close to the start of the Olympics in Athens.  Almost $1.5 billion (that's with a "B") has been spent just on security for these Olympics.  That's more than ten times what was spent on security in Atlanta eight years ago.  There's one primary reason for these concerns over security and this spending.  One reason, one word.  Muslims.  The great and wonderful peaceful religion of Islam has spawned a violent arm that wants nothing more than to kill anything not Muslim.  How proud Muslims must be.  By the way, does anyone remember reading, seeing or hearing a statement from a Muslim group calling for fellow Muslims to leave the Olympics alone?  I went to the website for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) this morning to look for just such a statement.  So ... what did I find?

1.  We had a story from Florida about a meeting between CAIR and Florida law enforcement officials.  The subject of sensitivity training for law enforcement came up.

2.  California Muslims are a bit upset with what they call "pressure tactics" used on a detainee during an investigation of a Muslim charity.  Muslim charities in America seem to be involved in quite a bit of funding activities for terrorists.

3.  There's an older story there about Muslims and Arabs trying to get a voice at the Democratic Party convention. 

4.  And then there's the "Hate Hurts America Campaign."  The CAIR website says "This campaign is based on the premise that the increasing attacks on Islam by conservative talk show hosts nationwide is not only offensive to Muslims and other people of conscience, but also harms the United States by creating a downward spiral of interfaith mistrust and hostility."  The Hate Hurts America Campaign is presently targeting Jewish comedian Jackie Mason.  Imagine my surprise. If you go to the campaign website they'll provide you with a handy little "Hate Watch" link to report your very own hate filled talk show host to CAIR.

Let's see how fast this Nuze item gets me an honorable mention.

NEAL RECOMMENDS Today, Neal had on Bob Barr to discuss his new book The Meaning of Is: The Squandered Impeachment and Wasted Legacy of William Jefferson Clinton

READING ASSIGNMENTS

How about a bit of good news.  The Supreme Court in Michigan says that the government can't seize property from one private individual to give to another private individual.  A victory for private property rights!

I didn't see Zell Miller at the Democratic National Convention.  Zell explains why.

These Marines weren't exactly thrilled to be a part of The Poodle's campaign stop.

Our friends the al Qaeda are reported to be plotting another attack on the financial district of New York City.

Now this is how to be a Republican.  You turn off the pork spigot.  Band uniforms are not an emergency.

What about John Kerry's missing years?  We know all about Vietnam, and we know what John Kerry is going to do when he becomes president.  Thomas Sowell wants to know about all those years in between.

Here's a little fact-checking on Bush's 16 words about Iraq seeking uranium in Africa in his 2003 State of the Union address.

A newspaper is claiming that Michael Moore altered their headline used in his movie.  Michael  Moore...a liar?  You don't say!

The Democratic mayor of St. Paul has endorsed George W. Bush for re-election. Of course, different points of view are not allowed in the Democratic party, so they say he is doing voters a "disservice."

The latest USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll finds that not only did The Poodle get no bounce from the convention, but he's now trailing Bush.

The Poodle embarrassed himself in a Wendy's over the weekend....he approached four U.S. Marines, who happened to be big supporters of the war in Iraq.  Oops.

sKerry claims to have a special way of using private negotiations to persuade other heads of state to assist in reconstructing Iraq.  Yeah right...like they're going to change their mind just because we elected a Poodle.

This could be huge....the speaker of the House of Representatives plans to eliminate the IRS and replace it with a national sales tax.  Sounds like the Fair Tax proposal, and it's a good one.  What will the Democrats say?  No? I doubt it.

The White House is none too pleased with the upcoming movie 'Team America.'  Check out the trailer here.  It actually looks pretty good, and it apparently makes fun of both sides.  (Quicktime required.)

As the polls are now bearing out, people weren't too excited by The Poodle's presentation at the convention....but the Democrats in attendance loved it, as Mark Steyn writes.

The convention was a demonstration of values that the Democratic party neither holds nor wants to be made public.  John Leo says the problem wasn't in your set.

Don't believe for a minute that things aren't going well in Iraq....the Iraqi people are taking back their country at a rate faster that the United States projected.  Evan Osnos reports.

Delegates at the Democratic National Convention were bonded not by their appreciation of John Kerry, but rather by their hatred of George W. Bush.  Michael Barone has more.

By stressing his service in Vietnam, The Poodle has now opened the door to criticism of that record, says Robert Novak.

Is Kerry running for president, or an Oscar?  Diana West has more.

The two Johns say they won't take America to war unless they have to, not because they want to.  But as Debra Saunders points out, both of them voted in favor of the war in Iraq.

Professor Mike Adams talks about what it's like to turn 40.

Michael Moore and Bill Maher beg Ralph Nader to drop out of the race.

A naked man allegedly dancing around with a woman's bra and panties on his head on the shoulder of I-95 has been arrested.

Restaurant bans customers under 25 years old. Maybe they should consider franchising...

WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE POINTY HAND THINGS?
These are links to each individual story on the Nuze, p-links for the geeks out there. Plus, they work today and they'll work tomorrow. Now you can easily discuss/debate/rip apart the Nuze without worrying about the links going bad. Enjoy!

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