Pervasive Drunkenness Unites Republicans and Democrats

WASHINGTON, DC
With less than fifty days until the mid-term elections, both Democrats and Republicans hope to define the differences between their two parties. But no matter how distinct the party line may be on issues such as the War in Iraq, taxes, or immigration, one issue unites Republicans and Democrats like no other: personal intoxication. Statistics and anecdotal evidence seem to indicate that holding a seat in Congress makes one more likely to abuse alcohol.

Recently, this issue has been brought to light by the revelation that Senate hopeful Mike McGavick (R-WA) was arrested for driving under the influence in 1993. McGavick volunteered the information himself in order to control the potential damage to his campaign. But when further investigation found the details of the incident to be much worse than those reported by McGavick, campaign spokesman Elliott Bundy declined further comment. Nevertheless, McGavick has little to fear, experience shows that a past DUI conviction doesn’t hinder a Congressional candidate’s chances. In fact, it might actually be a resume enhancer.

Around the same time as the McGavick mea culpa, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) found himself in the media hot seat for suspicion of drunk driving after he crashed his car into a security barricade near the Capitol. Witnesses said they saw Kennedy, nephew of notorious drinker Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), “staggering” as he exited the vehicle. If so, it wouldn’t be a Congressional first. According to a report by CapitolHillBlue.com, “In the 1998 Congressional session, 84 Representatives and Senators were stopped for drunken driving.” That’s an astounding statistic that equates to 15.7% of the sitting Congress being flagged for a DUI in one calendar year.

In addition, rumors of widespread drinking by Congressional Republicans and Democrats grow on a daily basis. In July, The New York Times reported that Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and John McCain (R-AZ) engaged in a “vodka drinking contest” while on a 2004 Congressional trip to Estonia. A spokesman for Sen. Clinton simply replied “What happens in Estonia, stays in Estonia.” Meanwhile, this past week, Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez spoke before the United Nations, branding President Bush “an alcoholic.” The charge prompted one of Bush’s most staunch political opponents, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) to circle the wagons and announce his unwavering support for Bush. Rangel, whose Party accused Bush of covering up a thirty-year-old DUI charge during the 2000 presidential campaign, referred to Bush as “my president,” yet further evidence of alcohol’s ability to unite Republicans and Democrats.

However, the news isn’t entirely gloomy. A recent Reason Foundation study published in the Journal of Labor Research shows a direct correlation between personal economic success and a willingness to engage in “social drinking.” As a result, one could draw the conclusion that an inebriated Congress is the reason for our unprecedented economic prosperity.

Regardless, it all lends credence to an old adage often voiced by disgruntled voters. When it comes to Democrats and Republicans, what’s the difference? When it comes to the issue of pervasive drunkenness, the sad and resounding answer is: absolutely nothing.

The Way Things Ought To Be by Rush Limbaugh

Few books have rocked the publishing world like Rush Limbaugh's "The Way Things Ought To Be" (which he wrote by utilizing "talent on loan from God"...) This book, along with author's daily radio program, literally launched a revolution - touching everything from the composition of Congress in 1994 to the resurrection of AM talk radio. Unlike his second book, "See, I Told You So", which deals in great part with the infant Clinton administration and the current events of the early 1990's, "The Way Things Ought To Be" is just what its title suggests - a point-by-point analysis of what ails America. The first four chapters of the book tackle Rush's personal road to success, the birth of his nationally-syndicated radio show, and the groundswell of popular support that rose up to embrace it.

The remainder of the book deals with timeless issues such as abortion, defending the 1980's (and specifically Ronald Reagan's record), AIDS, congressional malfeasance, animal rights, radical environmentalism, multiculturalism, feminism, the homeless, and Hollywood elitists. For the most part, all of these issues are at the forefront of the national debate to this day, making "The Way Things Ought To Be" as relevant for our time as when it was first published.

Concluding his book, Rush inserts a special chapter titled "Ronald Reagan: Setting Things Straight". Here, he tells the true story of the 1980's and the Reagan presidency, one you will never hear from your friends in the mainstream media. The book ends with an optimistic look at where the nation is headed, as well as a section titled "The Limbaugh Lexicon" that acts as a dictionary for people unfamiliar with the show and its unique vocabulary. In short, the Maha Rushie (in collaboration with Bo Snerdley) writes a book certain to leave feminazis and environmentalist wackos across the Fruited Plain on the near brink of assuming room temperature as they read statements that are documented to be almost always right; 97.9 percent of the time!

If you love The Rush Limbaugh Show, this book is a treasured classic. If you've never heard the show, then this book may well be the method by which you are drawn in. So be warned... Read this book only on the condition that you're prepared to become an EIB (Excellence In Broadcasting) addict - the only healthful addiction known to man!

See, I Told You So by Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh's second book, "See, I Told You So" is a great follow up to "The Way Things Ought To Be" and a conservative classic in its own right.
In trademark Rush fashion, the book begins on a note of optimism with Rush recounting past run-ins with star athlete Danny Ainge as well as his former high school football coach. The stories he tells reveal life lessons that anyone can implement in his own life, and they provide the reader with personal inspiration in addition to entertainment value. According to Rush, the American Dream is still alive... To achieve your dreams you only need passion, hard work, and the pursuit of excellence... Too often these ideals are lost in the everyday bickering of political life, and by injecting them back into the national debate, Rush Limbaugh brings a bit of Jimmy Stewart back into the political landscape.

As he did in his first book, Rush then moves into a full-fledged examination of the American culture war, highlighting the liberal bias of school textbooks, the degradation of traditional values, and the dumbing-down of America. As always the book is filled with tidbits of humor, written in a witty style unique to the author and pleasing to the reader. Other aspects of the book assess the then future Clinton presidency and Rush's opinions on how such an administration would govern. These chapters seem almost prophetic in nature following the aftermath of an administration bereft with corruption and scandal (and a president that was impeached, just as Rush predicted)...

Overall, if you enjoy The Rush Limbaugh Show, then you'll love "See, I Told You So".

The Fair Tax Book by Neal Boortz

Few people would expect a book about taxes to take The New York Times bestseller list by storm, but that's exactly what The Fair Tax Book has done. For decades, Americans from every point on the political spectrum have moaned about April 15th and the maze of ridiculous instructions and high confiscatory taxation that accompanies that day. The current tax code is a labyrinth of over nine million pages of indecipherable jargon only a federal bureaucrat could fully appreciate. So is there anything we can do about this monstrosity?

You bet. The Fair Tax Book, authored by Georgia Congressman John Linder and nationally syndicated talk radio host Neal Boortz, lays out a perfect case for why the current tax code should and can be replaced by a simple and easy to understand tax system that slashes the current nine million pages of red tape in favor of a 133-page gateway to prosperity.

The concept is simple. All current federal taxes - income taxes, medicare taxes, social security taxes, gasoline taxes, capital gains taxes, etc. - will be eliminated overnight. In their place, the federal government will levy a single 23% sales tax on all retail goods. Workers will finally get to take home 100% of their paychecks. Investors will finally be able to invest without having worry about the tax consequences. And April 15th will become just another ordinary day. Sounds simple right? Well, you'll probably have more than a few questions and concerns. But The Fair Tax Book performs a stellar job in addressing the most commonly asked questions. Questions such as the following:

If we do this, won't prices go up 23%? No. The elimination of all current federal taxes will also eliminate the embedded tax costs inherent in all products currently sold. Since the Fair Tax will only be applied to final retail products, and not the inputs used in the manufacture of those products, prices will drop an average of 22% across the economy. So prices will remain the same!

What about the poor, won't they get hammered by the Fair Tax? Absolutely not. In fact, the Fair Tax is the only tax reform bill before Congress that totally eliminates the tax burden of the poor. Under the Fair Tax, every American (from the richest among us to the poorest among us) will receive a monthly rebate check from the federal government that covers the cost of the 23% sales tax up the poverty level. So a check for approximately $450 will be deposited in everyone's bank account to cover the 23% tax on the basic necessities of life (such as food, gasoline, clothing, etc.)

You'll probably have more questions than can possibly be addressed in this short review, but I have no doubt they'll all be answered if you simply take the time to read The Fair Tax Book. Authors Neal Boortz and John Linder brilliantly lay out their case for tax reform in an easy to read format that's also quite entertaining. And with powerful and influential Americans such as Tom Delay, Alan Greenspan, and Sean Hannity all trumpeting their support for the Fair Tax, it seems certain to dominate the realm of political discourse in the months and years ahead.

Once you've read it, you'll probably agree that The Fair Tax Book is probably the most important book to hit the American political landscape since Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Fair Tax is simple and easy to understand. More importantly, it returns America to the original intent of the Founding Fathers by creating a system of voluntary taxation that unleashes the true potential of free individuals. The explosion in wealth creation certain to follow will fuel America's position as the world's leading superpower for decades to come and solidify our nation's future for our children and grandchildren.

As a result, The Fair Tax Book will probably launch a political revolution. So if you're grappling with the decision of whether or not to spend your hard-earned money on this book... Do yourself a favor and buy it now.

In fact, buy ten so you can enlighten your friends and neighbors!

Unhinged: Exposing Liberals Gone Wild by Michelle Malkin

In "Unhinged: Liberals Gone Wild," nationally syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin catalogues real life instances of liberals coming completely unglued. Utilizing her trademark brand of humor, she chronicles a nation overrun with an epidemic of outrageous liberal behavior. From college campi (the EIB plural form for those of you in Rio Linda) to the cubicles of the Leftist media elite, the author offers up news stories and events that illustrate the sheer nuttiness of modern day liberalism - stories you're almost certain to have never heard from the big mainstream media outlets.

Malkin illustrates the absurd behavior of liberal activists, environmentalist wackos, Democrat voters who attack their neighbors, Democrat congressmen who hatch wild conspiracy theories, Democrat legislators who spew vile hatred from the floor of the statehouse, and much more. Several pages of photographs are inserted in the middle of the book, and they serve to further illustrate the wacky insanity endemic to today's liberal icons (the picture of Martin Sheen with a "peace" sticker covering his mouth is alone worth the price of the book). Read this book and you'll learn of a number of outrageous, sometimes violent, liberal acts that either got buried on page E24 of The New York Times or were never mentioned at all. Stories such as the man who tried to run a soccer mom off the road because she had a George W. Bush bumper sticker on her minivan or the enraged Florida Democrat who tried to run over Katherine Harris with his car! The stories are nearly endless, the liberal nuttiness ever more kooky! If you enjoy a good laugh, especially at the expense of mentally unbalanced liberals run amuck, then Michelle Malkin's "Unhinged: Liberals Gone Wild" is the book for you. It's a true entertainment masterpiece!

An Army Of Davids by Glenn Reynolds

The story of David and Goliath has survived the centuries and remains an inspiration to this day. But how exactly did David defeat Goliath? He did so with leverage. More specifically, with the leverage of technology. It was the technology of the slingshot that evened the playing field between the giant warrior Goliath and the undersized peasant boy David.

In his new book, An Army Of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths (Nelson Current, 2006), successful blogger Glenn Reynolds (otherwise know as Instapundit) lays out a convincing case for the transformative effect of today's technology and the technologies to come. The publishing ease and worldwide reach of the Internet has put individuals in head to head competition with metropolitan newspapers. Thus, the phenomenon known as "the blogosphere".

But are blogs the end of the road or just the beginning? Reynolds portends that new technologies will spread the benefits of a captalist marketplace through the increased freedom and entrepreneurism endemic to emerging technologies. The new landscape will enable individuals and small nible organizations to compete with large bureaucracies and stogy old corporate empires. To a certain extent we've witnessed this effect in the likes of Microsoft taking on IBM and the blogosphere taking on Dan Rather and CBS news.

However, Reynolds argues that the future will offer more advantages and greater opportunity for enterprising individuals than ever before. Let's hope he's right, because nothing could be more desirable for the human condition than to witness individuals gaining greater freedom, liberty, and personal responsibility to administer their own affairs as they see fit.

On This Date In History...

On this date in 1972, liberal Hollywood director Michael Moore created his first ever fake documentary, a muckraker exposing the evil deeds perpetrated by his own parents. Vast conspiracies were unraveled, and the truth was revealed. It would begin a career that would take the fake documentary segment of Hollywood liberal propagandists by storm.

Moore’s propensity for producing fake documentaries exposing evil corporations and conservative politicians culminated in his crowning achievement, ‘Fahrenheit 911’. The film proved once and for all that George W. Bush is the nefarious missing lovechild of Adolph Hitler and Satan, a man wrapped in corruption and steeped in sinister conspiracies with the Yale Skull & Bones Society, Halliburton, and the Bin Laden family. For this, all Americans owe Moore a dearth of gratitude. For without his fake documentaries, the truth would never have been revealed…

Ironically, the popularity of Michael Moore’s fake documentaries would give the very liberal kooks he hoped to promote a false sense of security as they began to believe the fake documentaries themselves, and thus, came to believe that others would believe the fake documentaries as well. Unfortunately, American voters are not the “stupid idiots” Michael Moore believed. The result is continued liberal Democrat ineptitude at the ballot box and continued Democrat frustration in the halls of power…

View last week's On This Date in History...

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