Commentary Transcriptions
Commentary transcriptions are generally posted the day after air date.
Monday, November 9, 2009 Morning
Happy World Freedom Day, America. That’s the holiday created to celebrate something we baby boomers never imagined we would see: the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was 20 years ago today that the world saw stunning images of that concrete and barbed wire obscenity cracking apart, the people from the East and West sides reaching through the hole to shake hands, and young people dancing on top of it, as if they were literally dancing on the grave of communist oppression.
Monday, November 9, 2009 Midday
America has a new weapon in the fight against terrorism: the amphibious assault ship, the USS New York. But this one carries more than shells and bullets: it carries the memories of why we fight. Made with 7-1/2 tons of steel reclaimed from the wreckage of the World Trade Center, it was launched Saturday at pier 86 in New York, in front of a crowd of dignitaries…but more importantly, it was sent off to sea by hundreds of family members of victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Advertisement
Monday, November 9, 2009 Midday
Banks are sitting on reserves instead of lending them out to entrepreneurs, and business owners are hunkering down because they’re afraid Washington’s massive new entitlement programs, deficit spending and employer mandates are going to cost them a fortune in new taxes and turn every new employee into a financial liability.
Friday, November 6, 2009 Morning
It was just a couple of days ago that I saluted the fine people of Killeen and Fort Hood, Texas, as Huck’s Heroes, for the way they were rallying to help the local animal shelter that was gutted by fire. It showed one of the many ways in which they represent the very best of the American character. Sadly, today, Fort Hood and Killeen are back in the news, only this time it’s because the people there are victims of the worst of human nature.
Friday, November 6, 2009 Midday
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network found a surprise in the fine print in the Senate health care bill. It would allow people with preexisting conditions like cancer, who can’t get private insurance, to apply for high-risk pool insurance. But they have to have gone without insurance for six months before they’re eligible. This is the compassionate alternative to private insurance? News flash: when someone with cancer has to go six months without insurance, he can easily move from the high-risk pool to the dead pool.
Friday, November 6, 2009 Afternoon
Yesterday, reality pounded on the door of Congress, and nobody answered. Around 10,000 Tea Party followers came from around the country to the Capitol, to express their firm, loud opposition to a trillion-dollar-plus government takeover of America’s health care. One woman said she’d flown all the way from Colorado, just to remind Congress that the Constitution isn’t written on toilet paper. At one point, the crowd even chanted, “Can you hear us now?”
Thursday, November 5, 2009 Morning
I’ve heard of whistling past the graveyard, but when it comes to Tuesday’s elections, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a marching band through Grant’s Tomb. Pelosi said, “From our perspective, we won.” To quote Monty Python, explain the logic underlying this conclusion! Well, Pelosi says Democrats won two House seats, and those are two more votes for her 1990-page health care reform bill.
Thursday, November 5, 2009 Midday
The Senate voted 98-0 yesterday to extend and expand the tax credit for first-time home buyers. But that’s just the beginning. Over the next year, a slew of tax cuts and credits are set to expire. Some are recent, others stretch back to 9/11, but they’re all about to run out.
Thursday, November 5, 2009 Afternoon
The A.P. is continuing its analysis of the government’s claims of how many jobs the stimulus bill created or saved. It was claimed that one office at HHS saved over 14,500 jobs. But the A.P. says two-thirds of those federal workers were already there and just got raises and bigger benefits.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Morning
It’s morning in America again. This is Mike Huckabee, from Arlington, Virginia, where I’m on the road for my new book, “A Simple Christmas,” and to meet listeners of “The Huckabee Report.” Tomorrow, I’ll be at bookstores in Lancaster, Harrisburg and Allentown, Pennsylvania. If you’re in one of those cities, I hope you’ll come out and say hi. To find out when and where I’ll be in your hometown, or to order “A Simple Christmas” direct from Amazon, just drop by MikeHuckabee.com.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Midday
Well, the House health care plan hasn’t even been voted on yet, and already, it’s running about 40 percent over budget. Speaker Pelosi said it would cost $890 billion over 10 years. But hold on: so much more spending was added in the final hours, the non-partisan Congressional budget office now puts the tab at $1.2 trillion.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 Afternoon
Investment guru Warren Buffet says he’s making “an all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.” Buffet’s investment fund will pay $26 billion to buy the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad. That will only pay off if there are a lot of goods being manufactured, sold and shipped by rail, so let’s hope he’s right. Even for Warren Buffet, $26 billion is a lot to pay just to get a train set for Christmas.
Monday, October 26, 2009 Morning
President Obama has declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency. About 1,000 people have died from it. The government estimated a few months ago that up to 120 million doses of the vaccine would be available by mid-October. So far, only 11 million have gone out. In some locations, angry crowds were sent home after waiting for hours in line. Well, all I can say is, I hope they enjoyed their first taste of government-run health care.
Monday, October 26, 2009 Midday
It’s been reported that Ross Kari, the new chief financial officer of Freddie Mac, the government-controlled mortgage finance company, was offered a salary and signing bonus package totaling about $5.5 million. A spokesman for the Federal Housing Finance Agency says that pay was approved because it’s comparable to what others in the financial services industry make.
Monday, October 26, 2009 Afternoon
Officials in Ft. Collins, Colorado, released some documents from their investigation of the Heene family’s alleged “balloon boy” hoax. They indicate that the mom confessed that the stunt was a pre-planned hoax to land a reality show.
Friday, October 23, 2009 Morning
President Obama has a habit of blaming all current problems on the previous administration. And in some cases, that might be justified. President Bush has followed the gentleman’s agreement not to criticize Presidents who came before or after you. But former Vice President Dick Cheney is making it clear there’s no such muzzle on him.
Friday, October 23, 2009 Midday
You’re probably aware that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. But you might not be aware that the disease can strike men, too. Peter Criss, the original drummer for the rock group KISS, just revealed that he was shocked to discover he had breast cancer. He was treated in 2008, but he told CNN that he kept it secret because he was embarrassed about what the tabloids would say.
Friday, October 23, 2009 Afternoon
Occasionally, we hear American millionaires, some of them big Hollywood stars, moaning that we have a deficit not because spending is out of control, but because Americans’ taxes just aren’t high enough. I always like to point out to them that there’s a little line on the tax form, where they can write in any amount as a voluntary contribution to reduce the national debt. If they really feel that strongly about paying more, they might instruct their teams of high-powered tax attorneys to fill in that line sometime.
