Matt
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Homepage: http://www.newbraunfelslefties.com
Posts by Matt
The GOP Final Four
Feb 8th
And then there were four! Here we are in February and we are down to four real GOP candidates. Listen in as Mike and Matt break down the pros and cons (mostly cons) of Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, , and Rick Santorum.
Key details are coming out in regards to the sanity of the candidates (can you say moon base and child labor?) and how they move forward.
In addition to this, Stephen Colbert continues to make news not only for his ego but also for his dedication to exposing the wretched Citizen’s United ruling. Speaking of which, funding is a huge issue this year as President Obama reveals his bundlers and returns lobbyist money while no one else will commit to do so.
This is a really long episode, mainly because we have been behind. We are planning out some news segments to recap undercovered issues and bring on our long awaited panelists. Two are cued up already and chomping at the bit! Look for more detailed coverage as the season wears on. Let’s get our lefty on!
Not Enough Press When It Matters Most
Dec 20th
It is the holiday season so it has been especially hard to get our most recent podcast out. While we wait, I felt it especially necessary to comment on what may be the most important moment in our country in the last nine years. The Iraq War is finally, officially, over. Not “mission accomplished” bull shit over, I mean really over. Our men and women are, as we speak, headed home and out of harms way.
I think I speak for many, many progressives when I say, it is about damn time. Our countrymen have been putting themselves in harms way for years, some in countless tours of duty for a cause that many of us do not believe in. I believe that in historical terms, the future will judge this situation more harshly than even Vietnam in retrospect. Not only did we take a huge toll on our country, both physically, emotionally, financially and mentally, but we took another nation with us.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, displaced, or forever scarred by the past nine years. We played a large role in this effort and will be accountable for many years to come. We will be trying to heal from all our wounds for years and will have less of a view of how that country heals after we leave.
I am very glad that everyone is coming home and hopefully we can move to a new chapter in these efforts. I have to applaud the approach to this chapter closing by the administration. There has been a low level of fanfare or exuberance, realizing the sobering reality of the moment, unlike others who have tried to capitalize on false rewards. But now is not the time to bicker about how this began or was run. It is a time to rejoice that it is complete.
So this is meant to be a quick thank you to those that made this happen…finally. Welcome home to all those that fought and gave their lives, pride and honor to this great country. You are all appreciated.
The 2012 GOP Rundown Part One
Nov 28th
Listen in right here!
Initial discussions on the insanity of the GOP 2012 race so far. We have another update on this bizarre race to be posted soon. This one focuses on the stupidity of Rick Perry and why is wrong for America. We look at his capital punishment record, a little Dick Cheney appearance, why Ron Paul will lose out once again, and more. It is important to listen to this run down before hearing our updated takes on Gingrich, Cain and more.
Raise The Roof
Jul 31st
Listen in right here!
It is time to have a serious discussion about the debt ceiling. It seems like our leadership is not ready to act like adults and take care of our fragile economy. NBL sat down with economist Joe Daleiden once again to discuss some of the truths and myths surrounding the insanely partisan discussions we have heard in the past six months.
This podcast is extra special because not only did we get Joe’s trained opinion, but we also got a lot of participation in our questions for discussion straight from our listeners. Thank you to everyone that participated through email, Facebook, and Twitter. Technology is something else. We were able to combine our community efforts and put together a great interview.
The fact remains that our income does not match our expenditures. Period. Whether we cut spending, raise revenue, or both, we all have to agree that something has to be done long term to change the fact that we even have to use a debt ceiling. In Joe’s opinion there is not enough that can be cut to make the numbers work in the short term without raising taxes. The most sensible move is to eliminate subsidies, which is NOT a tax hike, but is instead a sensible and mature move for the government to make to raise revenue. The chart below shows the American income versus expense, and how the gap grows. The lack of leadership in this issue is appalling, but what is most frightening is the lack of understanding, in technical terms, how this process functions and what the impact of political posturing is to our economy.
Thank you again to Joe Daleiden for his time and efforts in this meeting. For those that are not familiar with Joe, here is a quick biography:
Joe Daleiden is an economist, demographer, public policy analyst and long term planner. He has published books and papers in the fields of economics, sociology, philosophy and finance. He is frequently invited to deliver lectures on economics and demographics at universities and colleges.
As Manager of Economic and Demographic Studies for Illinois Bell, Mr. Daleiden developed long term projections of population, labor force and economic growth. He developed the first large scale econometric simulation model of a firm, as well as demographic models for forecasting future labor availability for specific jobs and geographic areas.
In 1978 Mr. Daleiden served as a consultant to the White House to provide recommendations for reorganizing the economic functions of the Executive Office of the President. He was also responsible for implementing a Presidential Executive Order, “The Metropolitan and Community Impact Analysis” designed to assess the long term impact of major budgetary and legislative initiatives on America’s urban areas.
In 1984 Joe was appointed Director of Corporate Planning and Capital Budgeting for Ameritech where he developed a planning system to integrate and assess the long term plans of all Ameritech companies.
In 1993 he retired from Ameritech to write and lecture on philosophy and economics. His third book, The American Dream: Can It Survive the 21st Century?, released in 1999, was rated “Highly Recommended” by Future Survey, the book review digest of the World Future Society.
Joe co-founded the Midwest Coalition to Reform Immigration (MCRI), a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization to educate Americans as to the long term consequences of mass immigration, and develop immigration policies in the best interest of present and future Americans.
Most recently Joe served on the McHenry County Planning commission.
This interview is a tad over one hour in length and is chock full of great insight, debunking, and solid economics. To entice you to listen to the whole podcast, here are some references on what you will find in this episode:
- Link to Joe Daleiden’s biography and books
- Jon Stewart’s commentary on the British knock down drag out parliamentary system. English CSPAN rocks
- The Budget of the Congressional Progressive Caucus Fiscal Year 2012
- The concept of an infrastructure Bank
- The history of the debt limit and its increases
- The Federal Reserve’s role in devaluing the dollar
- The living wage calculator. Do you earn a livable wage? The assault on the working class
Technical note: The NBL microphone starting giving feedback about fifteen minutes before the end of the interview. It is not your listening device causing any distortion you may hear.
