Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 69 stations) by taking issue with the Obama administration for not imposing travel restrictions on flights to the U.S. from Ebola-infected countries; an action already undertaken by 30 other countries. Neal is concerned that the lack of Ebola response is undermining the nation’s confidence in the government which could derail the economy.
Joining Made in America was Benjamin Zycher, the John G. Searle Chair and a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he works on energy and environmental policy.
Zycher questioned the rationale for 185 foundations and individuals that have pledged to divest some $50 billion of their holdings in fossil fuel as a political statement.
“For now let us consider the implications of the divestment stance. The fossil-fuel sector is huge—about $5 trillion in market capitalization—because other sectors demand energy, and fossil fuels overwhelmingly are the most efficient forms with which to provide it. So if investment in fossil-fuel sectors engenders some sort of moral quandary, does the same principle apply to investment in industries that use energy? After all, they are responsible for the very existence of the energy producers; will the divestment campaign expand to agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, retailing, the household sector, and all the rest?” asked Zycher, writing for Real Clear Markets.
He proposed that the divestment campaign “has slipped into the anti-human trap that is the hidden but essential core of modern environmentalism: Far from being a resource, ordinary people are a scourge on the planet.”
Neal and Dr. Roffman returned to a discussion of inept handling of the Ebola cases within the U.S.
“I was in Hong Kong during 2002, when an outbreak of what is believed to be severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), began in the Guangdong province of China, which borders on Hong Kong. It spread to other parts of Asia, and essentially shut down the economy in Hong Kong. One of the underlying reasons is that the people lost confidence in the government’s handling of the crisis. We’re seeing a semblance of that in the US. with our government’s inability to manage the Ebola cases, which could impact our economy,” noted Neal, who notes that 12 years later, the Hong Kong airport continues to monitor passengers that appear to be sick. .
Co-host Dr. Rich Roffman agreed, pointing to the CDC’s decision to allow a nurse that had contact with an Ebola patient to fly on a commercial airline, putting many people at risk.
“One result of this is that airline stocks have tanked because people are afraid to fly, mechanics are afraid to work on them and cleaners are terrified of what they might encounter. And then the White House’s feeble response is to name an ‘Ebola Czar’ who has no medical background,” maintained Dr. Roffman.
The next guest on Made in America was Jeffrey Anderson, executive director of Project 2017, which is working to advance a conservative reform agenda that will secure the blessings of liberty and promote the happiness of the citizenry.
“Analysis of Congressional Budget Office projections by the Senate Budget Committee found that Obamacare will increase the deficit by more than $100 billion over the next decade. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has not actually scored the deficit impact of Obamacare since the summer of 2012. At that time, it estimated that Obamacare would reduce deficits by $109 billion over a decade. Most people never believed this and now we know why,” noted Anderson, who believes that Obamacare needs to be repealed, especially since it the first time in history that American citizens were forced to buy a product.
Anderson predicted that while the president, by congressional law, can’t bail out the insurance companies that will start to bleed money next year– a loophole will be found to circumvent congress.
Dr. Roffman agreed, noting the Democrats are refusing to reveal the real Obamacare numbers until after the election, claiming that they don’t know the numbers.
“This is nonsense. I know what my premiums will cost next year, my wife knows what her premiums will cost and so do the insurance companies. They just won’t publicly state them because people will be furious,” proposed Dr. Roffman.
Joining the show for the first time was Beth Sobel, founder of Miami Fashion Week, who leveraged a 20-year modeling career to found Miami Fashion Week, which is the one of the Top 5 Fashion Weeks around the world and brings in $16 million to the Miami economy.
“I wanted a change from modeling and was producing fashion shows, so when I was approached to create an event for the Miami Merchandise Mart, I hit upon a fashion week concept, which has really taken off. I started by bringing in Latin American designers, since Miami is such a hub for international fashion, especially from Latin designers. I love the fashion industry, and although it’s hard work, I’m proud what we’ve done here in Miami,” concluded Sobel.
Neal and Dr. Roffman moved on to their weekly segment identifying rampant cronyism.
Dr. Roffman continued his warning to unskilled workers that their jobs are very likely to be replaced by robots. He points to the Monsieur robot, which will be an electronic bartender, able to fill any drink order. And a robot from TOMI, which will sing and tell stories, acting as an electronic nanny.
On the cronyism front, Dr. Roffman was aided by a CBS report that questioned why $40 million of taxpayer money is being used so that Obama can fly to fundraising events.
“And now we learn that 297 members of congress are dipping into some $3.8 billion in government funds to contribute to organizations that support their agendas or those of their family,” revealed Dr. Roffman.
He concluded with a report that Democratic Senator Kay Hagan’s husband, Chip received nearly $390,000 in federal grants for energy projects and tax credits created by the 2009 stimulus law for his co-owned JDC Manufacturing Company. After spending the money on those projects, he had money left over, but rather than return it, kept it for himself.
“That, my friends is cronyism at its best,” noted Dr. Roffman.
Each week Neal Asbury’ 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.
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