Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 45 stations) with the sobering news that it’s been three years since the ill-conceived Dodd-Frank bill was enacted supposedly to clean up the banking industry. Yet in its wake, it has dried up loans to small businesses and hurt mortgages.
Neal’s first guest was returning banking expert John Berlau, Senior Fellow for Finance and Access to Capital in the Center for Economic Freedom at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
“From its very beginning most people knew that Dodd-Frank was a bad idea. Bank fees went up, community banks stopped lending to small business and people, even with good credit, now can’t get a mortgage. It definitely contributed to the housing crisis, while doing nothing to rein in Freddie and Fannie Mac,” according to Berlau.
As a result of its impact on community banks, the Competitive Enterprise Institute is representing a small Texas bank to bring suit against the government for passing a rule for which it lacks the oversight.
Joining the show as a first-time guest was veteran journalist and author M. Stanton Evans, who has revealed a $300 million community organizer slush fund
designed to help illegal aliens circumvent new immigration laws.
“These new laws are ludicrous. For example, you can become a citizen if you are convicted for two DUIs (but not three) and you can be convicted for falsifying nine passports, but not 10. The slush fund gives Obama administration “supporting” groups serving Hispanics with money to help illegal aliens “complete” the forms required to gain citizenship,” said Evans,
Evans is particularly concerned about the blatant cronyism connected to the new slush fund where Cecilia Muñoz, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council and former White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, has received $20 million for her organization, National Council of La Raza.
Another first time guest on Made in America was Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president of The Americas, Ford Motor Company. Prior to this role, Hinrichs served as group vice president and president of Asia Pacific Africa beginning in December 2009. Hinrichs led Ford’s Asia Pacific growth plan, overseeing the construction of nine new plants.
“Our One-Ford plan brings together the best thinking from around the globe to help us design new models while enhancing our existing top selling models like the Fusion, Escape and F150,” said Hinrich.
He noted that American car manufacturing has a bright future, as evidenced by Japanese and Korean car manufacturers that are building plants in America. He predicts that China and India also will be building American plants.
Made in America’s final guest was Daniel Simmons, Director of Regulatory and State Affairs for the Institute for Energy Research. He oversees energy research and outreach at the state level.
Simmons reported that in 2005, U.S. oil production was down, oil exports were up, and consumption was rising, so there was a move for alternate domestic energy. Hydraulic fracking helped expand domestic energy resources, while ethanol production is on the rise, despite the fact it is expensive, delivers poor power and is supported by big farm subsidies. Bio fuels also are driving up the cost of food.
Neal and co-host Dr. Rich Roffman concluded the show by returning to the topic of cronyism and its impact on job creation.
“Now we’re learning that Hillary Clinton’s brother Anthony played a part in a crony visa deal that was obfuscated by the current nominee for Homeland Security Department’s number 2 official: Harry Hamburg. This was an EB-5 operation that was promoted heavily by Alejandro Mayorkas—who currently serves as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency within Homeland Security. It is alleged that Hamburg personally intervened to win approval for Gulf Coast Funds Management, a financing company headed by Clinton’s brother Anthony Rodham. “This viral cronyism just doesn’t stop…and continues to corrupt our political system.”
The sad story in America is that as a result of cronyism for every new job created, two more people go on food stamps. But the cronies are always the winners.
“Finally, Victoria Nuland, who successfully fended off questions about Benghazi without providing any information, was rewarded with a high ranking post in the Obama administration,” concluded Dr. Roffman. She will now serve as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
Each week Neal Asbury’s Made in America provides Neal’s insights into the week’s top news stories and their impact on the worlds of entrepreneurship, small business ownership and the overall economy. Neal’s analysis, together with co-host Dr. Richard Roffman, a veteran 30-year publisher with extensive domestic and international experience, takes a non-biased approach based on real life experience in business as an American manufacturer and exporter. Made in America airs nationally each Saturday from 7-8:00 PM on Radio America. Link to Made in America at http://www.nealasburysmadeinamerica.com.
JUL
