THE IOWA CAUCUS

I guess it's on now! Today we have the Iowa caucus. Next Tuesday it's the New Hampshire Primary .. so by this time next week we're going to have a much better idea of how this election is going to work out than we do now.

I had dinner last night with a well-respected talk show host. He didn't say I could mention his name, so I'll just refer to him as Cranston. Cranston seems to think that Hillary is going to be the MoveOn Democrat nominee, and expects her to win the election ... and he doesn't necessarily think that this is a bad thing. Cranston is in the Dick Morris camp in this regard. Morris believes that if Hillary wins the election her first two years will be an unmitigated disaster .. so much so that in the 2010 congressional elections the Republicans will take back both the House and the Senate, and Hillary will work the last two years of her term as a virtual lame duck. All that would be fine, I guess, except for the fact that in those first two years with MoveOn Democrats running the congressional show Hillary could make some disastrous Supreme Court nominations that could do irreparable damage to our Republic.

I still feel this anger toward the Republicans. Their betrayal of the voter revolution of 1994 can't be forgiven. They came into control of the congress pledging to reduce the size of the federal government. Instead, they more than doubled it. We're paying the price in this election cycle.

Things are so close in Iowa today that the predictions are all over the map. Some say Romney, others Huckabee. One pollster predicts Obama, another says it will be Hillary. There is one thing that many of the pundits seem to agree on ... this is a must-win for Edwards and Huckabee.

John Edwards is pushing his anti-capitalist populism big time. Yesterday he was pandering to wealth envy with his talk of "corporate greed." This is a line of rhetoric that Edwards could not pursue if he was talking to an educated audience, but the fact is he's talking to government educated dumb masses don't' realize what a demagogue Edwards is. Yesterday Edwards made a specific reference to oil companies "making billions on insane gas prices." This line of blab is popular with the ignorant. They pay $50 to fill up their car and truly believe that the only reason they're paying so much is because of excess profits in big oil ... and John Edwards is ready to exploit this ignorance. The people who hang on Edwards' every word couldn't explain the difference between a profit and a profit margin if their lives depended on it .. and they damned sure shouldn't be carrying that stupidity with them into a voting booth. Cosmetics companies have higher profit margins than oil companies. Why in the hell do we have to turn the future of this country over to people who don't have a clue? Just now I saw a woman on Fox News saying that one of the reasons she was supporting Edwards was because "I like his haircut." God save America from idiots like this.

Well ... let's see how this all works out. The process is under way. Millions of functional illiterates are going to join forces with millions who actually have a clue to determine the future of this country. 2008 is going to be a very dangerous year.

THE ELECTION AND THE FAIRTAX

We're just over four weeks from the debut of "FairTax, The Truth: Answering the Critics" The release date is February 12th. Gotta tell you ... I'm really feeling guilty about this one. Those who have read this book say that it does an excellent job of addressing virtually all of the criticisms that have been lodged against the FairTax during this campaign. If I had met the original contract deadline for the delivery of the manuscript to Harper Collins the book would have been on the shelves for several weeks. As it turned out, I was late, and so is the book ... thought the Harper Collins people have done everything they can to get it out as quickly as possible.

Pretty nifty cover, don't you think?

One of the best ways to shove the FairTax right down the throat of this election process would be for FairTax, The Truth to debut very high on the New York Times bestseller's list. If you're a supporter you can help by ordering the book on line right now. Here are your link to order the book from Amazon.com. Come on, it's only $10.17 on Amazon. (It didn't take that large a book to answer the criticisms.) We should be able to improve on this number by the end of the day. If the bookstores see this book ranking high even before its release they're more likely to stock it ... and that means more people will see it on the shelves, buy it, and learn of this incredible tax reform idea.

Before we move on ... here's an article I found on the Internet this morning. It's by a libertarian named John Armstrong who wants Ron Paul to get on board with the FairTax.

OUR FUTURE HEALTHCARE

Here's another little look into our future after Hillary Clinton (or any Democrat for that matter) places our healthcare into the hands of government.

Arlene Meeks is from Canada. In many parts of Canada it would be illegal for you to take your own money and pay for your own health care from a private provider. The Canadian government, you see, wants to maintain its monopoly on health care. It's all about power. Anyway .... Arlene was visiting her family in California when she needed emergency surgery because her appendix burst. Lucky for Arlene, she was in the United States when this happened and she was able to seek immediate care. But two weeks later, Arlene still hasn't been transferred back to Canada. She can't go home. And why not? Because the South Fraser Health Region in British Colombia where she lives has a shortage of ventilated intensive care unit beds. They are saying it is because of the holidays, and it is no surprise that those beds fill up. So ... no room for Arlene in the hospital. She has to stay in the U.S. The beds are full because the Liberal government cut acute care beds in British Colombia by 1,300. A report was issued last fall indicating that they are at least 650 beds short ... but just like government, nothing has yet to be done.

This is the future of health care in the U.S. ... and every vote for a MoveOn Democrats brings this future closer.

LARD-ASS WATERING HOLE

Just go to your local buffet if you want to see the true lard-asses of the world. Now here's a man who just can't handle the painful truth that he is fat. When he was little, mommy and daddy told him how cute he was, and if he was teased on the play ground, his parents probably patted his belly and said that their little angel is just big-boned. Ricky Labit ate at least 3 times a week at the Manchuria Restaurant in Houma, Louisiana. On his last visit he was given a bill for twice the regular amount of an adult buffet. The waitress said that Ricky and his wife's cousin were fat and simply ate too much food.

Now the men say they feel discriminated against because of their size. No kidding. The cousin said he was stunned that somebody would say something like that. "I ain't that fat." The waitress apparently pointed out that he "had a baby in the belly."

The restaurant says that they were charged extra because they made it a habit of dining solely on expensive seafood dishes like crab legs and frog legs. The men were eventually comped for the meal, being told it was a "mistake." But they were asked not to return to the restaurant.

By the way, for all of you parents who like to bring your kids to restaurants. This restaurant had a little sign on the wall as a courteous reminder, "Food is for eating, not toys for your child."

PHOTOS IN PUBLIC

A couple visiting Great Britain have been banned for life from a shopping center for taking pictures of their grandchildren. Kim and Trevor Sparshott were visiting from Spain and wanted to surprise their family in Great Britain who were out shopping. The couple whipped out their cameras and started taking pictures of their grandchildren as they were being surprised by their visit. That's when the security guard stepped in and told them to stop taking pictures because it was a security threat. They were thrown out of the shopping center and banned for life after they insisted on taking a photo. The guard said that cameras were banned because of a risk of a terrorist attack and that the couple had, in fact, committed an act of terrorism.

Now don't get me wrong. This shopping center is a private property and it can impose any rules and regulations it wants ... but there comes a point where logical common sense has to be questioned. The mall in Omaha with its "No Guns Here" policy, for example. But if this couple had been in the United States, they wouldn't have been able to take the photos to protect the children from child predators ... from sex offenders. The obsession with this "protect the children" crap has gone completely out of control.

STEP BY STEP ...

Just in case any Muslims out there are looking for a way to gain accommodations for your religion, we here at the Neal Boortz Show have done your homework for you. Here's a six-step guide to religious (Muslim) accommodation in government schools:

Step #1: Know the laws about religious freedom.

Knowing what laws and regulations govern the issue of religious accommodation is crucial before attempting to reach the right authorities.

Step #2: Get the support of a teacher.

Getting the support of a teacher is crucial. It indicates to the principal that the religious accommodation you are seeking will not interfere with your child's performance as a student.

However, if the principal refuses to grant the accommodation, step three will be necessary.

Step #3: Leave a paper trail, but first, be really nice.

If you find the meeting is not going anywhere then leave a paper trail, meaning, write letters. But before doing that, try to do it in a very non-confrontational way by simply sitting down with the principal and a teacher

Step #4: Writing to the supportive teacher.

The letter will be to request to meet with teacher, and it will indicate I want to discuss with you my child's religious needs and I would like to share with you what our president has instructed the teachers and schools to accommodate them.

Following the meeting, a thank you letter to the teacher should be sent. It will also indicate you would like to set up second meeting with the school's principal, and ask the teacher if s/he would be kind enough to go with you to discuss the topics the two of you talked about in your first meeting. (Sample letters are included)

Step #5: Meeting a second time with the principal.

Arm yourself with the district's education code along with the state educational code as it relates to the topics that you're going to discuss. You are simply there to help them accommodate my child's needs that they are supposed to do anyway. Make it a win-win situation, not an us versus them situation, and that in itself is the message of Islam.

Step #6: If necessary, repeat these steps with the school district or superintendent

You can repeat the letters and meet with the school district superintendent if the principal still does not accommodate.

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

I'm sure plenty of redneck children were happy to find these in their stockings Christmas morning. More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Oil reached $100 a barrel yesterday. Great. Glad we got that out of our systems. Now let's continue on and complain about things we can actually do something about, unless, that is, you want to support the idea of drilling in ANWR and off the cost of West Florida.

The number of people who identify themselves as Republicans has risen to a two year high.

Hispanics in Oregon submitted a petition to the DMV asking for a year's delay of new rules that would make it harder for illegal aliens to get drivers licenses.

Not only does John Edwards want to cowardly withdraw from Iraq, but he wants to withdraw American troops who are training Iraqi soldiers and police within 10 months after being elected. Hopefully his candidacy will be over by this time tomorrow.

This global warming news was actually printed in the New York Times?

I like to tease that Belinda is a helicopter parent. Hopefully she won't be as bad as some as these parents who are still hovering around as far as the graduate job market.

Muslims in Germany are upset with Angela Merkel's party for being "anti-foreigners." Politicians are calling for the end of coddling of immigrants in the name of "multiculturalism."

You know it is sad when the British are excited for Cynthia McKinney to be running for US president.

A former lamestream media reporter says that NBC would not let him report on stories of al Qaeda and Islamic fundamentalism after 9/11.

More drama from Italian soccer players. This time, players have adopted the Hizbullah logo in an attempt to boost morale. They felt inspired by Hizbullah's "spirit of resistance."

A candlelight vigil was held in San Francisco ... for the tiger that killed one person and injured two others at the San Francisco Zoo. Four people attended the ceremony.

This is just what the world needs: a resurgence of male belly dancers.

This probably won't happen in my lifetime, but sex with robots seems to be right on track for all you flat bellies out there. Any port in a storm, I guess.

In addition to his regular noon time chat with Neal, Jamie Dupree is blogging this election season.

Mythbusters answers the burning question: do pretty girls fart?

Apparently it takes John Edwards at least 2 minutes to get all of his hair just right.

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

Belinda Skelton, Cristina Gonzalez and Laura Nunemaker assist in the daily preparation of Nealz Nuze!