Stay tuned! Ralph will soon be adding the topics for today.
Check out the top 10 topics from last week.
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Honduras coup rocks Central America
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Honduran soldiers rousted President Manuel Zelaya from his bed Sunday and exiled him at gunpoint to Costa Rica, halting his controversial push to redraw the constitution but spurring fresh concerns about democratic rule across Latin America. Mr. Zelaya called the action a kidnapping, and said he was still president. The U.S. and other countries condemned the coup. Central American leaders called a summit including the ousted president for Monday in Managua, Nicaragua to deal with the crisis, and the U.N. General Assembly planned to meet. Honduras's Supreme Court gave the order for the military to detain the president, according to a former Supreme Court official who is in touch with the court. Later, Honduras's Congress formally removed Mr. Zelaya from the presidency and named congressional leader Roberto Micheletti as his successor until the end of Mr. Zelaya's term in January. Mr. Micheletti and others said they were the defenders, not opponents, of democratic rule. Mr. Micheletti is a member of Mr. Zelaya's Liberal party. But he had opposed his plans for a referendum that could have led to overturning the constitution's ban on re-election, allowing Mr. Zelaya to potentially stay in power past January, when his term ends.
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 Wall Street Journal: Coup Rocks Honduras
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Liberty Rally today in Nashville
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I hope to see you all today at the Middle Tennessee Liberty Rally at Legislative Plaza in downtown Nashville. The rally starts at noon and runs to 2 p.m. In addition to the speeches by Phil Valentine, your truly and a number of other opinionated folks, groups that fight daily for the cause of liberty will have information booths set up to introduce themselves and let you know how you can use them to leverage your individual efforts to hold back the tide of socialism that is sweeping the country. If you cherish your independence, one way to protect it is to simply show up and be part of the crowd. The bigger our crowd, the louder our voice.
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tnteaparty.org: Middle Tennessee Liberty Rally
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Dems would tax health care benefits, exempt union benefits
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Bloomberg reports that the U.S. Senate proposal to impose taxes for the first time on “gold-plated” health plans may exempt the generous employee benefits negotiated by unions. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus says any change should exempt perks secured in existing collective- bargaining agreements, which can be in place for as long as five years. The exception is designed to make the proposal more politically palatable to Democrats from heavily unionized states such as Michigan. It would shield the 12.4 percent of American workers who belong to unions from being taxed while exposing the same benefits provided to other middle-income workers to the levy. Baucus is proposing to tax Americans whose health insurance is valued at a higher rate than what is offered to federal employees. Federal workers’ health benefits are worth about $4,200 for individuals and $13,000 for families. About 40 percent of insured Americans have costlier benefits.
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Bloomberg: Unions’ Health Benefits May Avoid Tax Under Proposal (Update1)
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SUPCO may overturn Sotomayor today
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The Supreme Court will release its last three opinions of the year today, including the one decided by SUPCO nominee Sonia Sotomayor, the closely watched discrimination suit by white firefighters who were denied promotions because minority firefighters were unable to pass the promotions exam. Sotomayor was one of three appeals court judges to ruled in favor of throwing out the exams because of “racially skewed results.”
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myway.com: Supreme Court to decide final 3 cases on Monday
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Big victory for Obama?
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The AP is calling the narrow House approval of the cap and trade bill Friday as a “big victory” for President Obama. I disagree. The House approved the big energy tax bill by a vote of 219 to 212. They even pulled Patrick Kennedy out of drug rehab to try to assure a victory. Speaker Nancy Pelosi got eight Republican votes but lost more than 40 Democrat votes (including Lincoln Davis of Tennessee). The conventional wisdom is that the bill is not likely to pass the Senate. Pelosi and Obama hammered away at the claim that this a job bill, that it would produce jobs. Even the Pelosi-friendly Congressional Budget Office admits that the legislation would reduce the size of the American economy. Anyone who thinks you can shrink economic output and produce a net job gain could not pass Economics 101. It can’t be done. The Heritage Foundation estimates the aggregate GDP loss over just the first two decades would be $4.8 trillion and result in a net loss of three million jobs. Even if their figures are high, even the CBO agrees with the direction this bill would take the economy and jobs. This bill is an attack on American made energy, including oil, gas and coal. It is a huge tax on consumers through higher energy prices, and a big drag on the economy and jobs. And the liberals are also losing traction on the climate change argument. More and more scientists and leaders of other countries are turning skeptical about the claims by the climate fanatics. Indeed, Analysis by our own Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that a 60 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 affect world temperatures by 0.1 to 0.2 degrees C.
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myway.com: Analysis: Obama scores major, much-needed victory
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Man holds canoe hostage
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14-year-old Casey Whittington only knew that someone took his canoe. He didn’t know who – until he got the ransom call. A man called and confessed that he had stolen Casey’s canoe and we was willing to give it back if Casey paid a ransom – a 30-pack of beer. And, just like in the movies, don’t even think about calling the police of I’ll sink this canoe and you’ll never see it again.
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redding.com: Man says he'll give teen back his canoe for a case of beer
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Downed power line + saw = Darwin Award
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I can’t tell you the best way to deal with a down power line, but thanks to this generous Darwin Award winner, we know a very wrong way. New York authorities say a 64-year-old Pond Eddy man was drunk and angry when he when he tried to cut through a downed power line with an industrial saw. Now, he’s just dead. It’s not clear what kind of saw he used, but chances are any kind would have produced the same effect.
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cbsatlanta.com: Angry Man Killed Trying To Cut Power Line
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Tweets get summer jobs supervisor fired
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It’s not David Le’s fault he got fired as a contractor working with the summer youth jobs program. It was Twitter’s fault. If not for Twitter, he would never have tweeted on June 15th, “Thank goodness my boss is making things easy, he told me to pretend to do work so he can mark me down for hours." Councilman Marion Barry (yeah, that Marion Barry), chairman of the committee that oversees the D.C. Department of Employment Services, called the message, and others, "unprofessional, wrong and racist." Le began working on June 10 and was paid $13 per hour to oversee participants in the Summer Youth Employment Program.
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Washington Post: D.C. Summer Jobs Contractor Fired for Posts on Twitter
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Driver crashes into eyeware store
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After an 89-year-old driver hopped the curb and drove though the front of an optician’s store, the store owner wanted to make one thing perfectly clear. Owner of Sussex Eyecare, Daeron McGee, said: 'He was wearing specs, but I have to say he wasn't one of my customers.”
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Daily Mail: Oops, should have gone to Specsavers! OAP crashes through front of opticians
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Madoff gets max - 150 years
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Finally, a just sentence for a staggering white collar crime. U.S. District Judge Denny Chin cited the unprecedented nature of the multibillion-dollar fraud as he sentenced Bernard Madoff to the maximum of 150 years in prison, a term comparable only to those given in the past to terrorists, traitors and the most violent criminals. There is no parole in federal prison. The massive Ponzi scheme run by Madoff since at least the early 1990s demolished the life savings of thousands of people, wrecked charities and shook confidence in the U.S. investment system. "Here the message must be sent that Mr. Madoff's crimes were extraordinarily evil and that this kind of manipulation of the system is not just a bloodless crime that takes place on paper, but one instead that takes a staggering toll," said Judge Chin.
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foxnews.com: Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years in Prison
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The future of American health care - part 5
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June 18, 2009 -- Sen. Lamar Alexander claims that just the Medicaid portion of the Kennedy health care plan would cost the state of Tennessee an amound equal to that generated by a new 10 percent state income tax.
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The future of American health care - part 4
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June 17, 2009 -- Cato Institute Senior Fellor Michael Tanner has been studying the so-called "Massachusetts Miracle," and concludes that mandating health insurance is a bad idea for both taxpayers and consumers.
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The future of American health care - part 3
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June 17, 2009 -- Author and economist Arnold Kling argues that the key to fixing health care is ending employer-provided health insurance.
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The future of American health care - part 2
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June 11, 2009 -- Sally Pipes, author of "Ten Myths of American Health Care" recommends consumer oriented solutions to America's health care problem.
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The future of American health care - part 1
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June 11, 2009 -- Dr. David Gratzer is a physician who practices in both the U.S and Canada. He once believed that government provided health care was the most efficient and campassionate. No longer. He explains why the U.S. should not follow the Canadian, or any other existing, model for health care.
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Convention centers a bad investment
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June 1, 2009 - A professor who has done extensive research on convention centers explains why these major investments rarely pay off, and won't for Nashville, which is on the verge of spending upwards of $1 billion on just such an "investment."
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Cheney defends terrorist treatment
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May 21, 2009 - Former Vice President Dick Cheney delivers a defining speech on the Bush administration's treatment of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay prison.
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287G a big success in Nashville
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April 16th, 2009 - On the 2nd anniversary of the 287G illegal alien identification and deportation program in Nashville, Sheriff Daron Hall discusses its accomplishments to date.
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What to do when your new assessment arrives
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April 14, 2009 - If you live in Davidson County, TN, you should either have, or will soon have, your new property assessment. Assessor George Rooker explains how his office assessed your property and what you should do it you disagree with the assessed value.
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Sen. Corker discusses 'stimulus' bill
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Feb. 3, 2009 -- Sen. Bob Corker and I engage in yet another philosophical debate -- this time over the "stimulus" bill, including the Republican ideas to manipulate the mortgage market.
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Tax cuts would help Tennessee Economy
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Jan. 5, 2009 -- The first Premeditated Ralph Rant of the year is an argument for two state tax changes to make Tennessee of the one attractive states in the country for people who pay taxes.
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Does Susan agree?
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Jan. 5, 2009 -- Does Rep. Susan Lynn (R-Lebanon, TN) agree with my 2009 state tax agenda? We run the idea by the newest of the "Three Wise Women" of Nashville's Morning News.
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Shallow end -- Rocky's send off
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Oct. 31, 2008 -- Friday was Rocky's last day, so we gave him a send off in the "Shallow End."
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Mini rant -- my favorite rich person
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Oct. 31, 2008 -- After talking with John Tamny about why some rich people don't mind tax increases, I told the story of my favorite rich person, who has nothing in common with those people.
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Mini rant -- Not Bush's economy
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Oct. 31, 2008 -- This economy is not president Bush's fault. Ralph goes off on a rant on Obama's biggest and most oft repeated lie.
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Sam Donaldson: Obama's not a socialist
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Oct. 29 2008 -- Sam and I get into a pretty good argument about whether Barack Obama is a socialist.
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Ralph Rant -- The Raw Deal is coming
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Monday, Oct. 27, 2008 -- Are you ready for the third wave of collectivism?
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Click here to see view the albums in Ralph's photo gallery.
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Social Security Calculator
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Use this Heritage Foundation calculator to see what your payroll taxes would have produced for your retirement if they had been invested in a conservative portfolio of stock and bonds.
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Distribution of Federal Income Taxes
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October, 2007 -- This is the latest IRS table reflecting the distribution of personal income and personal income taxes for Americans.
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The Founders' Almanac
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Find notable events, useful quotations, primary documents and other information about and from the nation's Founding Fathers.
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Snopes.com
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When you receive an e-mail with information you think might be suspect, check it out before forwarding it. This is one of the best sites for checking the veracity of items forwarded to you.
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 Ralph Bristol is a 30-year veteran of radio and TV broadcasting. He is a US Air Force veteran and holds a BS degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Ralph was a radio and TV reporter, anchor and news director in Missouri and Illinois before joining WORD Radio in Greenville/Spartanburg, SC in 1995.
In the spring of 2007, Supertalk 99.7 WWTN beckoned Ralph to Nashville. Ralph defies political labels, and has no partisan loyalties, but can best be described as a libertarian/conservative. Ralph writes and speaks extensively on education, tax and economic issues. In his spare time, Ralph terrorizes golf courses, invents useful things with sharp tools and dead wood, and entertains audiences with irreverent humor and contrarian insight. Invite him to speak to your group at your own risk. |
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