RTS Radio

New RTS Radio Podcast For 8/19/2010

2010-08-19T19:00:00.001-07:00

Check out this episode on my podcast "Obama, The Mosque and Blago": http://podOmatic.com/r/V2cjK3b

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Elena Kagan

2010-08-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

As the talk of Supreme Court Justice Nominee Elena Kagan's confirmation hearing continues unabated, there has also been talk of potential filibuster from the Republicans. As I've said before, this is bad policy. It was improper to filibuster when the Democrats were in the minority, and it is still improper when the Republicans are in the minority. For better or worse, every nominee sent to the Senate by the President deserves an "up or down" vote before the full Senate. If juducial nominees are locked up in comittee, it prevents the will of the full Senate from being expressed. The Constitution requires that all nominees will be decided upon by with the "advice and consent of the Senate". If the minority fillibusters or a committee bottles up a nominee, this does not allow for the consent of the Senate...only the consent of that PART of the Senate. We must not fall into the trap of letting this unconstitutional precident (started by the Democrats during Bush's tenure) continue while the Republicans are the minority. It is a very dangerous road to travel down.

Ryan Smith
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New Social Network Links

2010-06-12T19:07:00.001-07:00

I'm updating all future blog posts with social networking links. This will make it easier to share the blog with friends.

More soon....

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The Health Care Summit

2010-02-09T12:01:00.001-08:00

Well, well, well after months debating and shutting out all opposition from the Republican party and coming close to ramming through a health care bill that the vast majority of the American people did not want, President Obama is finally ready to talk with the Republicans.

In the previous months the Democrats in the House and Senate have held closed-door meetings to hash out the details of the bill while LITERALLY locking the Republicans out. They did this after telling the Republicans that if they had any ideas to bring them to the table. But when they attempted to bring those ideas, they were met with literally a locked door. Then President Obama and the Democrats have the gall to call them the party of "no ideas"!!! Excuse me Mr. President!!!! But if you lock them out of the meeting, how are they supposed to present their ideas???!!!

This was the day that they held majorities in both houses of Congress and a filibuster-proof (60 or more seats) in the Senate. Now with the recent election of Republican Scott Brown to the Massachusetts Senate seat, they have lost the ability to simply cut off debate on a bill. This is now forcing the Democrats to include the Republicans in the discussion.

The Politico quoted one White House Staff member as saying: "While (Obama's) been very clear that he supports the House and Senate bills, if Republicans or anyone else has a plan for protecting Americans from insurance company abuses, lowering costs, reducing prescription drug prices for seniors, making coverage more secure, and offering affordable options to those without coverage, he's anxious to see it and debate the merits of it." It's amazing how quickly they have changed their tune. Additionally, he also wants the discussions to be televised. Interesting, that they didn't want to televise it before when they were simply trying to ram it through.

I do think the Republicans should still attend the meeting. However, they need to make it clear that as the bill stands right now, it is unacceptable. Even though they don't want to, the Congress needs to start from scratch, and the Republicans should make this clear.

Ryan Smith
rtsradio@yahoo.com
www.twitter.com/rtsradio
www.ryan-smith.info

Senate GOP Leader Watson gets frank about Obama

2010-01-25T10:42:00.001-08:00

We will be posting an interview with former Illinois State Senator Frank Watson soon. In the meantime, here's a video of him.

State Analysis: Alabama

2009-10-12T17:26:00.001-07:00

Alabama is for the most part a solidly Republican state. Its location in the deep south no doubt contributes to it's staunch conservatism. There still are, however, opportunities for the GOP to advance here. In the Presidential and Senatorial races, the GOP continues to have a solid lock on the offices, so our focus will be on the races for the House of Representatives.

House Districts 1 & 4 have been solidly Republican for the last several cycles and will most likely continue to be.

House Districts 3 & 6 have been in Republican hands for awhile, but may need some shoring up. District 3 was a solidly Republican in 2004 and 2006, but was a much closer race (53% to 47%) in the 2008 election. District 6 has had unopposed Republican representation for the past 3 election cycles and the GOP must make certain that they are not taking this district for granted.

House Districts 2 & 5 are possible pick-ups for the GOP in the 2010 election. District 2 has been solidly Republican in 2004 and 2006 and even voted for the John McCain in 2008, but a Democrat narrowly won the house seat in a nearly 50/50 election. This is a seat the GOP should definitely try to regain. District 5 is another opportunity for the GOP. This district had unopposed Democrat representation in 2004 and 2006, but a the Republican was able to gain 48% of the vote in 2008 making this district a potential pick-up for the GOP in 2010.

House District 7 is the wild-card of the group, but the Democrats still have the advantage here. The last two-party race here was in 2004 with the GOP pulling only 25% of the vote (with John Kerry winning 64% of the vote in the Presidential race). In the last two election cycles, the Democrat has run unopposed. However, the incumbent Democrat is retiring from the seat giving the GOP it's best possible shot at the seat. This district will be a difficult one for the GOP, but it is one which it should explore the possibilities in.

Overall, Alabama gives the GOP a good chance at gaining 2 seats and potential third.

Gotta Love Sarah!

2009-07-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

The media is going over and over about how Sarah Palin resigned as governor. Evidently she isn't exiting from the scene though. She's already submitted this great op-ed to the Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/13/AR2009071302852.html

Enjoy!

From Lincoln's Toolbox....Literally!

2009-07-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

Nope that's not a metaphor I'm using. That cutting tool you see me holding in that picture is actually from Abraham Lincoln's personal toolbox. In one of the photos, you can see where Lincoln carved an "A. L." for his initials. It it housed in the old state capitol museum in Vandalia, Illinois where Lincoln served as a state legislator. It's not everyday that you get to handle an actual artifact that was used daily by such a great historical figure.

2010 House Elections

2009-07-04T21:44:00.000-07:00

In preparation for the 2010 elections, I wanted to post the seats that the GOP lost in the House of Representatives in 2008 as a starting point for which seats to try and take back. In a later blog, I will post the seats that were lost 2006. It is a must for the GOP to retake the House since it is the best shot that they have to slow down President Obama's agenda.
Alabama

· Alabama's 2nd congressional district: The district leans Republican — George W. Bush won 67% in 2004 here. Bright (D) won 50% of the vote to Love's [R] 49%.
[edit] Arizona

· Arizona's 1st congressional district: George W. Bush won 54% of the vote in this northern Arizona State district in 2004. Kirkpatrick [D] won the seat with 56% of the vote.
[edit] Colorado

· Colorado's 4th congressional district: That, along with her 51% showing in 2004 despite George W. Bush winning 58% of the vote in this eastern Colorado district that includes the Fort Collins area (CPVI=R+9), made her vulnerable in 2008. Markey [D] defeated Musgrave [R] by a wider than expected margin of 56% to 43%.
[edit] Connecticut

· Connecticut's 4th congressional district: In 2004 in a district that went to John Kerry with 53% in 2004 (CPVI=D+5). After a hard fought race, Himes [D] edged out Shays [R] by a margin of 50% to 48%.
[edit] Florida

· Florida's 8th congressional district: The district, which includes part of Orlando, leans Republican: George W. Bush won 55% here in 2004 [32] (CPVI=R+3). Grayson [D] defeated Keller [R] 52% to 48%.

· Florida's 24th congressional district: George W. Bush won 55% here in 2004 (CPVI=R+3). Kosmas [D] defeated Feeney [R] 57% to 41%.

[edit] Idaho

· Idaho's 1st congressional district: Minnick [D] narrowly defeated Sali [R] by 51% to 49% in the general election, giving Idaho its first Democratic member of Congress since 1995.[38]

[edit] Illinois

· Illinois's 11th congressional district: The district, which includes Chicago's southern suburbs as well as Bloomington in central Illinois, narrowly went for George W. Bush in 2004 with 53% to 47% for John Kerry (CPVI=R+1). Halvorson [D] defeated Ozinga [R] 58% to 35%.
[edit] Maryland

· Maryland's 1st congressional district: This seat, which includes Maryland's eastern shore as well as some of Baltimore's northern suburbs, leans Republican: George W. Bush won with 62% here in 2004 (CPVI=R+10). However, Kratovil [D] was financially aided by national Democrats, which allowed him to win, 49% to 48%[55].
[edit] Michigan

· Michigan's 7th congressional district: This district, which includes Battle Creek, is Republican leaning: Bush won 54% here in 2004 (CPVI=R+2). Schauer [D] defeated Walberg [R] 49% to 46%.

· Michigan's 9th congressional district: Knollenberg, who was 75 in 2008, won only 52% of the vote in 2006 in this eastern Oakland County district that gave George W. Bush only 50% of the vote in 2004 (CPVI=R+0) and is far from the Republican stronghold it once was. Knollenberg [R] lost the election to Peters [D], 52% to 43%.
[edit] Nevada

· Nevada's 3rd congressional district: George W. Bush barely won this district with 50% to 49% for John Kerry in 2004 (CPVI=D+1). Titus [D] unseated Porter [R] 48% to 42%.
[edit] New Jersey

· New Jersey's 3rd congressional district: This suburban Philadelphia district is historically Republican, but George W. Bush barely won with 51% to 49% for John Kerry in 2004 (CPVI=D+3). However, Adler [D] defeated Myers [R] 52% to 48%.
[edit] New Mexico

· New Mexico's 1st congressional district: John Kerry narrowly won this Albuquerque-based district with 52% in 2004 (CPVI=D+2). Heinrich [D] won 55% to 45%.

· New Mexico's 2nd congressional district: Bush won here with 58% to 42% for John Kerry in 2004 (CPVI=R+6). Teague [D] won 56% to 44%.
[edit] New York

· New York's 13th congressional district: McMahon [D] won the seat 61% to 33%.

· New York's 25th congressional district: John Kerry won 53% here in 2004 (CPVI=D+3). Maffei [D] was more successful in his second attempt to win the seat, defeating Sweetland [R] 55% to 42%.

· New York's 29th congressional district: His Elmira and suburban Rochester district gave Bush 56% in 2004 (CPVI=R+5). Kuhl [R] and Massa [D] faced one another again, with Massa winning 51% to 49%.
[edit] North Carolina

· North Carolina's 8th congressional district: This Piedmont area district leans Republican: Bush won 54% here in 2004. Kissell [D] was the winner this time, defeating Hayes 55% to 45%.
[edit] Ohio

· Ohio's 1st congressional district: His district barely went to George W. Bush with 50% to 49% for John Kerry in 2004 and includes the western portion of the Cincinnati area. The district experienced another close race, with Driehaus [D] defeating Chabot [R] 51% to 49%.

· Ohio's 15th congressional district: George W. Bush barely won here in 2004 with 50.3% to 49.7% for John Kerry. This district, which includes much of Columbus and western suburbs, does not clearly favor either party. Kilroy [D] defeated Stivers [R] by a margin of over 2000 votes.[74]

· Ohio's 16th congressional district: This district went for Bush with 53% to 46% for Kerry in 2004. Aided by some gaffes that Shuring had made during the campaign, Boccieri [D] won 55% to 45%.[75]

[edit] Pennsylvania

· Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district: This Erie-based district that gave George W. Bush 53% of the vote and 47% of its vote to John Kerry in 2004. She defeated English [R] 52% to 48%.
edit] Virginia

· Virginia's 2nd congressional district: In 2004, Drake received 55% of the vote in this Virginia Beach-based district, which was won by George W. Bush with 57% to 42% for John Kerry in 2004, but in 2005 Democrat Tim Kaine won the district by 50% to 47% in his gubernatorial election.Nye [D] defeated Drake [R] and swung the seat, 52%-48%.[79]

· Virginia's 5th congressional district: This district includes much of Southside Virginia. Except for Democratic-leaning Charlottesville, the district usually votes Republican; Bush won 56% here in 2004. The recount completed on December 17, and Perriello [D] was certified to have won the election by 727 votes. [83]

· Virginia's 11th congressional district: George W. Bush barely won this district with 50% to 49% for John Kerry, which includes part of Fairfax and Prince William counties, in 2004. Connolly [D]won, 55%-43%.[85]

Obama's Supreme Court Pick

2009-06-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

The past several days of news have all been a-buzz with Obama's nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as the newest Justice for the US Supreme Court bench. While she is certain to have liberal (and probably even activist) leanings, there have been a number of statements by her that have raised a few eyebrows. I am not going to deal with these statements as many others have already made solid arguments for why she is unfit for the court. My point is simply to touch on what I believe the GOP Senators should do in response to this nomination.

There has been some talk by some in the GOP of filibustering the nomination, especially since that is what the Democrats did to many of Bush's nominees. I do not believe this is the proper way of going about it. First off, filibustering a nominee breaks previous precedent. Yes, the Democrats filibustered many of Bush's judges, but they were breaking a precedent that had never been broken before. And to continue breaking that precedent is trying to make a right out of two wrongs. The proper approach to this is one that OPPOSES the nomination, but still permits the traditional up-or-down vote before the entire Senate.

If we are going to be true conservatives...that is we play by the rules established by the Constitution and by precedent given to us by those who laid down the Constitution, we are going to have to find a new way to deal with this. After all, we want to continue to be examples of what we preach and filibustering will make us hypocrites.

Another reason we don't want to filibuster is that it simply will do us no good. Sooner or later, Obama will get his nominee through....we simply do not have the votes to stop it and it would be an absolute waste of political capital to simply delay the inevitable.

So, what do I suggest? First off, allow the nominee to get through committee. That is, ask her various questions about her judicial philosophy to get an idea of how she views the law and the Constitution. Second, during debate before the FULL Senate, lay out your reasons why you oppose this nomination. Third, vote against the nomination.

No, this does not stop her from going to the court, but then again there are not the votes to stop it from happening. However, by expressing your disagreement and voting against it you are at least putting yourself on the record as a strong voice of opposition.

This as well as speaking out consistently on several other issues will allow the GOP to build up strong arguments for use in the upcoming 2010 elections.

No, there's not much that can be done to stop Obama right now, but by being a voice of true opposition, you leave the entire responsibility for things with him.

What's A Conservative To Do?

2009-05-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

If you take a look across the current political landscape, you find an overwhelmingly dominant Democratic Party and a nearly decimated Republican Party. The Republicans have just lost Senator Spector to the Democrats, and have nearly lost their Minnesota seat to Al Franken which would give the Democrats a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. The Democrats also have a popular President in Barack Obama and an large majority in the House of Representatives. With the retirement of Justice David Souter from the Supreme Court, it opens the way for President Obama to make his first appointment to the high court. It would seem that all is gloom and doom for the Republicans. But is it really?

While it is true that the Republicans can offer little more than protest at this moment, that means that the Democrats will now hold full credit and/or blame for what now emerges. In other words, good or bad the Democrats own it. As a full believer in true conservative principles, I do not believe that the liberal philosophy currently held by the national Democratic Party can work in the long run. Also, this gives Republicans a chance to put together a true alternative by the 2010 elections. I also believe that the Democrats have overreached in a huge way...in ways that many moderate individuals who supported President Obama in the election do not approve of. This is not to say that I think the President is currently unpopular. On a personal level, he is still VERY popular. However, I don't think that there is near as strong a support for his left-wing policies.

What other hope's are there? On the horizon there are some great candidates who have already made a large splash like Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin. Frankly, I would have a hard time choosing between the two of them if they were both running in a primary. I'd love to see them on the same ticket. Though, I doubt that will ever happen. Additionally, the current balance-of-power on the Supreme Court is tilted slightly to the right. So, that should help keep some things in check.

There is still one thing left that the public can do, and that is burn up the lines of communication by calling, writing, and e-mailing. You have to personally stay in touch with your representatives (especially the ones up for election in 2010) and let them know that if they do not vote the way you want them to on a bill then they are OUT in 2010. Always, remember that all of these people work for you and you have the right to fire them.

It is going to be an uphill battle, but if we continue to fight, pay attention, and stay vigilant, things will turn out right.

Go get them!

A Pirate's Life For Me

2009-04-13T15:46:00.000-07:00

With everything going on with our government these days, I'm glad to know that at least one part of it is functioning properly: the military. Our Navy Seals did an excellent job yesterday. As I said on my Twitter feed yesterday: Captain rescued, 3 dead pirates, 1 pirate in custody is the best headline I've heard all week.

As to whether President Obama gets any credit, I say this. He is the Commander-in-Chief, and that is the credit he receives. He did the right thing in allowing the commander in the area to have the latitude to make the proper decisions. However, the majority of the credit goes to our Navy Seals. Good going guys!

Obama Losing His Clout

2009-04-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how quickly it's happening, but it seems that Obama is losing his clout around Washington. I wouldn't count him out for possible re-election though. Anyone capable of pulling off election once is sharp enough to do it again. But it is enough to give the GOP some leverage for 2010. As for 2012, I'm still watching Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney. Honestly, I wish I could have them both....maybe as President and VP.

Here's a few Obama stories:

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Still Following The Economy

2009-04-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still watching the economy for signs of the bottom and a possible turn around. I'm still the eternal optimist.

Here's some stories to ponder:

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The New York House Race

2009-04-01T18:05:00.000-07:00

So, is this thing a referendum on Obama? I'm not sure if I can answer this question easily, because I think a strong case can be made for either argument. Though it was a district won handily by Obama on this go around, it has been traditionally a strong district for the GOP. However, if the GOP can even make it close (which they have done it seems) the argument can be made that Obama's popularity has at least been reduced somewhat there. However, I would not yet use even a GOP victory as a harbinger of things to come since it is such a cloudy situation.

Here's a few stories to keep your interest:

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The Useful...Or Useless G20 Meeting

2009-04-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

As Barack Obama is in Europe this week, he's already beginning to get some push back from the EU states Merkel of Germany and Sarkozy of France especially are doing some pushing. It's not surprizing to find it coming from two CONSERVATIVE leaders. There is even criticism coming from the current EU President, the Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek. Ironically, just a couple of years ago the situation was reversed with conservative leadership in the US and liberal leadership in France and Germany. Some commentators have even questioned whether there is any point to the current G20 meeting. I suppose it does serve the one purpose of allowing President Obama to finally introduce himself to the other national leaders in the group, but that is about it.

I don't want to be negative here, but Obama really needs to get over the messianic complex that he has. Because he's not going to fix all of the world's problems by just waving his arm. He is my President, and we'll have to deal with him for the next four years. I just hope we can someone better next time.

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Economy Recovering?

2009-03-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

So, this economy may be reaching the bottom after all. Even the Fed Chairman seems to think so. In my opinion, I think this recession is merely a cleansing of all the really bad junk that had piled up for a LONG time. That's why it's been so deep and so hard. Of course, I am no economist (as I am so fond of saying. But I do watch things and read. We'll see what happens.

http://tinyurl.com/cdp9c3
http://tinyurl.com/cm7wfz
http://tinyurl.com/cwgrd6

State Analysis: Missouri

2009-02-11T20:11:00.000-08:00

With this blog, I am beginning a state-by-state analysis to see towards which party various states are trending and where the potential battle grounds exist. For this analysis, I will have 6 categories of states: Strong Republican, Strong Democrat, Moderate Republican, Moderate Democrat, Swing State, and Split State. "Strong" states are those which a party has very little opposition in. "Moderate" states are those that tend towards one party, but can still be won by the other if a lot of work is done. "Swing" states are those which determine the elections, because no party truly has an on-going edge there. Split states are those that tend towards one party on Presidential races, but tend to elect members of the opposite party for house or Senate races.

Since it is known as the "Bell Weather" State, I felt that Missouri would be a good state to begin with. Generally speaking, it tends to be a fairly close state, but it has trended somewhat Republican in the last decade.

In the Presidential elections of 2000, 2004, and 2008, it has stayed in the Republican column by the following margins: 50.4%/47.1%, 53.6%/46.4%, & 50.1%/49.9%.

In the Senate elections, it has fluctuated somewhat while remaining very close. Democrats won in 2000: 50.4%/48.4%. The Republicans then won the next two elections: 2002-49.8%/48.7% & 2004-56%/42.8%. The Democrats won again in 2006-49.6%/47.3%.

The House elections have shown a more permanent shift. There are currently 9 House seats allotted to Missouri. In 2000, Democrats won a 5/4 majority of the seats. This changed to 5/4 seat majority for Republicans in 2002 and has remained in that position for 2004, 2006, and 2008.

I would not say that this is a state that Republicans can take for granted, because their margins here are not huge. But generally speaking here they still have the edge. Therefore I categorize this state as "Moderate Republican".

The Stimulus May Actually Prolong The Recession

2009-02-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

The Democrat-controlled Congress now seems hell bent on passing this stimulus package. It seems to me that they simply picked a number (around $800 billion) at random and have just been throwing any programs they can think of into the mix until they reach that magic number. While I commend the House Republicans for standing against the bill and for the Senate Republicans working to get the size of the bill down somewhat (though, only by about $100 billion), this bill still is too much too quickly. I was not a supporter either of the first $700 billion bill that was passed in the last months of the Bush administration. What needs to happen right now (the "idealist" inside of me now speaks) is to wait and see the effects of the first bill. To be honest, I am already beginning to see the beginning signs of a recovery, and the government may actually wind up killing that recovery if it does too much.

I would like to leave you with a quote from Dr. William Wirt who was the Superintendent of Schools for Gary, Indiana in 1933. He recounted (in a hearing under oath before Congress) a dinner-meeting he attended with several Roosevelt administration officials and their strategy to deal with the current Great Depression. See if this doesn't remind you of today:

"I was told they believe that by thwarting our then evident economic recovery (in 1933!!!!)
they would be able to prolong the country's destitution until they had demonstrated to the American people that the Government must operate business and commerce. By propaganda they would destroy institutions making long-time capital loans -- and then push Uncle Sam into making these loans. Once Uncle Sam becomes our financier he must also follow his money with control and management."

So, the economy was already beginning to recover by 1933, huh? And the stuff done by Roosevelt helped to prolong it...whether by intent or accident is not really relevent. The point is that we must not repeat our past mistakes. Stay on your Congress-members and Senators and tell them "NO!!!!".

Backtaxes and Other Annoyances

2009-02-04T05:04:00.000-08:00

As I sit down to write this blog, I've been dealing with a lot of mixed thoughts and emotions about the new Obama administration. True, I never voted for the man and new that he was a liberal democrat from day 1, but I find it unsettling that so many people that he has nominated for positions seem to be arriving with baggage. I could somewhat look past it if there had been some questionable associations, because you can't totally discredit someone because they have had some interaction with questionable people. However, FOUR of his recent appointment have had issues over something shared....TAXES. My question is, what's happening here? Why are these people having TAX problems? If only one of them had had issues with it, it wouldn't raise any questions, but why do all these people have this issue in common?

Oh well, at least they aren't axe murderers.....

My Thoughts On The Current Economic Crisis

2009-01-30T14:33:00.000-08:00

With all of the bad economic news and reports of job layoffs and end-of-year losses, you might be convinced that this is somehow the end of the world, that there is no recovery from this, and that somehow we’re going to fall into another Great Depression. Personally, though, I think there’s good reason for optimism. I’m not going to say that we aren’t in a recession, because we are. But I also believe it is just that, a recession. In other words, it is what always happens at the end of a business cycle. I think that the main reason that this recession has been so rough is because of all the talk about the next “Great Depression”. A lot of this talk didn’t really start until late in the year, though we had been in a recession for most of 2008. When the housing crisis hit late in the year, all of the “depression” talk began. Credit markets froze with TED (Treasury-Euro Dollar) index spiked to nearly 5% and the Volatility Index reached the 80s.

The reason I’m not buying into the “depression” talk anymore is because it’s all based on events that occurred in the PREVIOUS quarter and not what is CURRENTLY occurring. Why do I say this? Well, for one thing, the TED Index is now back below 1% which is the normal level, and the Volatility Index is also back in the low to mid 40s. Also, all of the data coming out now is reflecting where we were during the final months of LAST year. But if you’ll look at the news stories I have linked at the end of this post, you’ll notice that the CURRENT indicators really aren’t as bad. They aren’t great, but they do seem to indicate that we may have reached the bottom of this thing and may be poised for a rebound. Some of the stories do mention some bad news, but focus on the things that talk about where the economy is NOW, not where they WERE last year.

Keep watching….

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Podcasting After Inauguration

2009-01-18T08:11:00.001-08:00

I will be picking up the podcast again next week after Obama's Inauguration. Even though there has been some news this week, I've been working on a few things coming up over the next several programs that I think you will like.

Stay tuned....

Federalist Papers Link

2009-01-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to The Federalist Papers that I discussed with Sean John on the Indy Thinker podcast.

Good News!

2009-01-14T19:10:00.000-08:00

Things may actually be getting better in the credit markets slowly. Read about it here.

I can't believe it!

2009-01-14T19:07:00.000-08:00

You mean that US News & World Report is actually admitting that the news media distorted Bush's economic record! Wow!

The Federalist Papers

2009-01-14T19:04:00.000-08:00

That's what I'm discussing with Sean John on the latest episode of the Indy Thinker podcast. Check it out.

New Podcast Friday

2009-01-07T06:42:00.003-08:00

I will be posting my first podcast for the new year on Friday. Should be a good one!

Old Blog Site

2008-12-29T18:19:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to my old blog site. I didn't do a whole lot with it, but it has a few posts that you might find interesting.

The Great Social Security Craziness

2008-12-29T17:55:00.000-08:00

On this issue, I admit that I may not completely tow the line the ultra-right conservatives since I don't seek to completely abolish the Social Security system. However, I would certainly be one to reform in it along the lines of allowing workers to invest a portion of their funds. People will remember that George W. Bush spent a good part of 2005 campaigning for it and wasn't quite able to get it done, but still brought it to a significant level of attention. His opponents (mostly the Democrats) said that it would only drain money from the Social Security "Trust Fund". This was despite the fact that Bill Clinton himself recommended doing the same thing during his presidency....go figure!

So, what is this "trust fund"? Well, it's made up of those Social Security taxes taken out of your paycheck. They then take those funds and "invest" them. How do they "invest" them? They do it by turning around and buying US GOVERNMENT debt. So, on paper we're lending money to ourselves, but all we're doing is filling up the SS with IOU's. Go figure again!!! At least there's one tiny piece of good news in this. We actually are more than 52% in national debt to ourselves than we are to foreign governments. So, at least we're keeping the debt here at home. But it's not going to be pretty when the Baby Boomers start retiring and "collecting" on those loans.

Good luck....

New Podcast

2008-12-23T09:13:00.000-08:00

Since I haven't put up my own podcast yet this week, I thought you might be interested in my appearance on the Indy Thinker podcast. We had a lot of fun, and he's asked me to come back for another one next week.

A Follow-up To Today's Post

2008-12-22T15:17:00.000-08:00

As a follow up on the TED Index, check out this story from US News & World Report. It's fun when you call one accurately once in awhile. But I'm still being cautious though optimistic.

Fundamentals Are Looking Interesting

2008-12-22T08:09:00.000-08:00

As I noted on Saturday, the situation on the TED Index continues to improve, indicating an improvement in the fundamental credit market. Also a positive note is that the Volatility ("Fear") Index continues to show improvement as well. Let me caution that I am NOT an economist, and I am merely paying attention to some of the leading indices. Plus, we've had some VERY rough patches the last few months. So, I am trying to be cautious about making any major predictions about where we are. However, I did want you to know that there are some positive economic news stories out there. Here's one you might find of interest: http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2008/12/22/why-the-economy-might-recover-faster-than-you-think.html?s_cid=rss%3Acapital-commerce%3Awhy-the-economy-might-recover-faster-than-you-think

In other notes, I will be getting back to the podcast later this week. It's just been a little busy with all of the holiday stuff.

Talk to you soon!

Where Is The Economy Headed?

2008-12-20T20:06:00.000-08:00

OK, first off I am no economist. So, I really can't make any authoritative judgments on it, but I suppose I can take a stab at it. I do know that many people have been talking about a freezing in the credit-markets which has caused the recession that we are now in. However, there is something interesting to note. Take a look the Bloomberg TED Index. You'll notice that at the height of the panic in early October, the rate on inter-bank lending spiked to nearly 5%. As of this writing, it is now at 1.5%. The TED Index is considered the most accurate of all the leading indicators. Whenever it spikes, the economy always slows and vice-versa. "Normal" level is anything below 1%. This seems to indicate to me that we're possibly beginning to see a bottom. I'm not ready to call this thing over yet, but there seems to be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Welcome To The RTS Radio Blog

2008-12-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the official blog for the RTS Radio podcast program located at RTSRadio. This weekly podcast and daily blog are here to bring you analysis and opinions about news and political events. While I am a conservative and make no apologies for it, I will always try to be fair. At the same time, you will always know where I stand.

My background is primarily in music and audio engineering. However, I am an avid student of American history, politics, and governement. In fact, I've done the near-impossible and read the ENTIRE Federalist Paper and actually enjoyed it. As far as what I do for a living, I'm a librarian as well as a part-time radio board-operator. Interesting combination, huh?

Feel free to contact me at: rtsradio@yahoo.com

Let's get to work...