To unsubscribe please visit: http://www.chuckmuth.com/remove X-ListMember: [email protected] [[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
*********************************** A Very Special 13 Percent Secretary of State Colin Powell, during a recent trip to the UN in New York, was approached by an Iraqi news reporter, who asked, "Is it true that only 13 percent of young Americans can find Iraq on the map?" The Secretary turned to the reporter with a smile and said, "Yes, that's true. But the sad news for Iraq is that the 13 percent are United States Army Special Forces!" - Forwarded by a N&V reader *********************************** Go Forth and e-Multiply If you know someone who might like to receive News & Views, you can sign 'em up at: http://www.chuckmuth.com. *********************************** Presidential Hunting Season Opens "On Jan. 28, the president will deliver the 2003 State of the Union address, the day after Hans Blix delivers the 'Interim Report' of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) to the Security Council. On Wednesday, Mr. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will sit down to map out 'next steps' for dealing with Iraq. By Friday, every pundit with an inkwell and pollster with a telephone will be taking pot shots at the president." - Columnist Oliver North *********************************** A Lesson in Job Creation "The fact that 10 million more people work for government than work in manufacturing highlights an important point. When government officials talk about 'creating jobs,' they usually mean creating government jobs. The trouble is that those in 'public service' expect to be paid well, and their perks are fabulous. Unfortunately, any method of paying salaries and benefits in the government sector has to destroy jobs in the private sector. . . . In short, governments can't 'create jobs.' Adding government jobs is never a net addition to employment opportunities, because it means a heavier burden on private employers and employees." - Columnist Alan Reynolds *********************************** Doc Crisis Hits Georgia "Nearly one in five Georgia doctors is abandoning high-risk medical procedures, including delivering babies, and hundreds more are leaving the state or retiring because of high medical malpractice insurance rates, according to a study (by the Georgia Board for Physician Workforce) released yesterday." - "Around the Nation," Washington Times, 1/26/03 *********************************** Winning Over the Long Haul ""The way the 'death-tax' debate developed and matured showed Republicans that you can beat class warfare. When people started working on 'death-tax' repeal five or six years ago, most of us were remotely optimistic about how this issue would play out. With the top 1 percent reaping an enormous percentage in benefits, this was an issue tailor-made for the class-warfare argument. But the American people responded to the moral argument that we shouldn't double-tax people because they die." - Dan Mitchell of the Heritage Foundation, Washington Times, 1/26/03 ************************************ GREAT Advice for Tax-Hiking Republicans "The problem for states is a familiar one. During good economic times, they spend money. When a downturn comes, they cry about the 'pain' of budget cuts and propose tax increases. But when taxes are raised, businesses often leave and take jobs with them, creating a greater long-term problem than the one they were hoping to solve. "The American Legislative Exchange Council and the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research have published an essay called 'Show Me the Money: Budget-Cutting Strategies for Cash-Strapped States' (www.alec.org). They include reducing the size of government: 'State employees' salaries and benefits account for a significant portion of states' costs. Most states will find it almost impossible to balance their budgets without impacting state employees.' "The essay also recommends selling state-owned enterprises and assets, such as airports, stadiums, ports, utilities, liquor operations, buildings, land and gas and electric utilities; competition in the delivery of services; a reduction or elimination of programs that perform poorly; rewarding employees for saving money, not spending it; create cost-cutting brigades to allow state budgets to be examined and reformed by experts. "This last proposal is what Texas did in the early 1990s. It assembled more than 100 of the best budget analysts, auditors and number crunchers. They came up with more than 1,000 recommendations and identified more than $2.4 billion in budget savings, ending the budget crisis and averting the need for a state income tax. "That's the approach states should take before asking taxpayers to contribute more of their money to government. For Republicans to be suggesting taxes should be raised eliminates the need for a Republican Party. If Republicans behave like Democrats, it would be better to vote for the real thing and spare us the disappointment." - Columnist Cal Thomas ************************************ Long Savings on Long Distance Just 4.97 cents/minute (5.97 cents for some non-regional bell companies) * All state-to-state calls in the continental U.S. * Residential or commercial * 6-second billing increments after the first 18 seconds * 24 hours/day * 7 days/week * No access codes * No minimums * No activation fees * No monthly service charge unless your bill is less than $20.00 a month (then a $2.50 service charge will apply) * No need to change your local phone company * No hassles * Easy sign-up. *And a small portion of each bill goes to help continue publishing our FREE Chuck Muth's News & Views e-newsletter. go to <http://www.GOPLongDistance.com> today. ************************************ Blind to Reality "(On this year's Martin Luther King holiday) Donna Brazile, the campaign manager of Mr. Lieberman's ill-fated 2000 quest, continued the affirmative-action debate on CNN's 'Crossfire.' In a telling moment, conservative host Tucker Carlson asked Miss Brazile, the first black American to manage a major party presidential campaign, a straightforward question: 'What percentage of black children in this country are born out-of-wedlock?' She replied, 'I would think around 35 to 45 percent.' 'Actually,' Mr. Carlson told her, 'it's two out of three.' "Indeed, according to the data published last month by the National Center for Health Statistics, 68.4 percent of black births in 2001 were to unmarried women. And among the births in 2001 to black women who themselves were born in the United States, 72 percent were out of wedlock. "When Mr. Carlson pressed Miss Brazile to address this familial catastrophe, she incongruously replied, 'The number of blacks in prison has increased.' Sadly, if Miss Brazile has absolutely no comprehension of the extent of the out-of-wedlock problem, she probably does not know that there is an indisputable correlation between rising proportions of illegitimacy and increasing prison populations." - Washington Times editorial, 1/26/03 *********************************** Vulture Vows to Continue Fighting Big Mac "Lest I be misunderstood from Friday's editorial 'The Sweet tooth,' I said that Judge Robert Sweet's opinion temporarily dismissing the obesity lawsuit against McDonald's provides a 'road map' for success for the same reason the impartial Obesity Policy Report termed the ruling a 'pyrrhic victory for McDonald's' that 'practically gives the plaintiffs a roadmap to file a new complaint.' The New York Post called it 'Mickey D's Hollow Victory.' "The judge gave plaintiffs 30 days to cure what the Post called a 'legal technicality' by amending the complaint to cite specific examples of some of 'the dangers of McDonald's products not commonly well known' by consumers. The judge then went on to describe a few he thought would allow the case to proceed. "For example, the judge wrote that 'Chicken McNuggets, rather than being merely chicken fried in a pan, are a Frankenstein creation of various elements not utilized by the home cook. ... Chicken McNuggets, while seemingly a healthier option than McDonald's hamburgers because they have 'chicken' in their names, actually contain twice the fat per ounce as a hamburger.' "Plaintiffs plan to amend the complaint as suggested by Judge Sweet so the case can go forward in his court and they can seek potentially damaging documents in McDonald's files to help prove our case - as we did so successfully with tobacco." - Professional ambulance chaser John Banzhaf, letter-to-the-editor, Washington Times, 1/26/03 ********************************** The Goldwater Doctrine "I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed in their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is 'needed' before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents' interests, I shall reply that I was informed their main interest is liberty and that in that cause I am doing the very best I can." - Barry Goldwater, "The Conscience of a Conservative" To help promote the "Goldwater Doctrine" in public policy and government, join the Goldwater Club by going to: http://chuckmuth.com/goldwater.htm ********************************* ********************************* Published by The Goldwater Club Chuck Muth Editor/Publisher P.O. Box 15307 Middle River, MD 21220 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] The opinions and views expressed in Chuck Muth's News & Views reflect those of the writers, editors and columnists therein and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the sponsors, advertisers ... heck, even some of our readers. To be REMOVED, go to: http://www.chuckmuth.com/newsletter/ and complete the removal request instructions you'll find there. Or send your request to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # #
