Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 71 stations) with his disbelief that Martin O’Malley, a former Maryland governor and former Mayor of Baltimore, has the audacity to run for president after being exposed as an inept politician who lost his position to a Republican candidate in last year’s election. “This is what can occur when you have 39 years of one-party rule,” proposed Neal.
Pennsylvania Congressman Mike Kelly returned to Made in America to weigh in on the misperceptions surrounding the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).
“The sad part of TPP and granting Obama fast-track authority is that people in both parties don’t trust him to make the right decisions. What has happened is that TPP has become Obama’s trade agreement, but it’s really America’s trade agreement because it will help create millions of good American jobs,” according to Kelly.
The real danger, according to Kelly, is that other nations won’t stand by while America makes a decision. They will usurp the leadership of the agreement and pass rules that favor them at America’s expense.
“Even members of Congress haven’t grasped the fact that no trade agreement can be ratified without its approval by Congress. We will be looking at the agreement’s parameters. What is lost is that Obama can’t sign anything unless Congress signs off on it. We can negate bad deals,” noted Kelly.
With only 15-20 Democrats that will grant Obama fast-track authority, Neal wondered if Republicans have the votes to sway the final vote and if they are willing to grant Obama the power to negotiate after demonstrating a poor record on other international agreements.
“Republicans have the votes, but many aren’t ready to grant Obama fast-track authority unless they are assured that we can approve the final agreement before it is submitted. Congress needs to know it is relevant within the decision-making process,” concluded Kelly.
Made in America welcomed return guest Aloysius Hogan, Esq., a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who is studying the union unrest at West Coast ports that has adversely impacted imports and exports.
“The teamsters that run the ports want more members so they can consolidate power and collect more dues. They are pushing companies that use independent workers to convert them to full-time employees so they can be unionized. This has real implications not just for port workers and truck drivers, but for franchises, cleaning services, customer service reps and others. They are essentially trying to change what employment means in America,” maintained Hogan.
Joining the show was James Simpson, an investigative journalist, businessman and former economist and budget analyst for the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Simpson discussed the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS), designed to provide improved radio and broadband communication for the public safety providers of the greater Los Angeles region.
What started out as a good idea, prompted by the communications problems during 9/11, LA-RICS, was to involve 88 different communities and be shovel-ready by 2009, and carry a $600 million budget.
But now, some 6 years later, as a result of a bidding war between original contactor Raytheon and Motorola (with deep Obama ties), the program is just getting off the ground. $154 million has been earmarked to build 232 hardened cell towers that could withstand earthquakes. And a national version – First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) – is being studied.
Justin Danhof, the final guest on Made in America, is the General Counsel for the National Center for Public Policy Research, as well as Director of the Center’s Free Enterprise Project.
He recently returned from the GE annual shareholder’s meeting, where he confronted GE CEO Jeff Immelt, and asked him to explain if the $1.12 billion power plant awarded to GE in Algeria came about because GE had contributed $500,000 to $1,000,000 to the Clinton Family Foundation while Hillary was secretary of state.
“He danced around the answer, but it’s an indication of the ‘crony-state’ that exists between big Clinton donors and business favors,” noted Danhof.
In his recurring cronyism report, co-host Dr. Rich Roffman noted that even Vox.com, a liberal publication, is wondering why nobody is talking seriously about the Clinton contributions.
“If you want to track who has contributed to the Clinton Foundation you can use the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ as a guide. It’s not a coincidence that 22 of 36 companies receiving special recognition by the White House and State Department were Clinton donors. Ultimately 7 of 10 big donors received contracts and special consideration. It’s cronyism gone amok,” concluded 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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