Host Neal Asbury opened his nationally syndicated “Neal Asbury’s Made in America” show on Radio America (now on 70 stations) by suggesting that America’s economy has been in such dire straits that the new normal is ever-increasing bad news. Twenty-two percent of all children in the U.S. live in poverty, translating into some 3 million children. One in five Americans collects government assistance and 45 million are on food stamps.
At the same time, according to co-host Dr. Rich Roffman, the administration continues to trot our positive employment news, boasting that there are only 255,000 jobless claims for the past week, the lowest since 1973.
“They are so out of touch that they think this is good news. It’s like Peter Pan saying if you believe, clap your hands, think good thoughts…and you can fly,” proposed Dr. Roffman.
The first guest on Made in America was Michi Iljazi from The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA), a non-profit non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public through the research, analysis and dissemination of information on the government’s effects on the economy.
Iijazi proposes that much like the government created housing bubble, the policymakers’ goal to increase renewable energy production is arbitrary and unnecessary. Handouts at the federal and state level are creating a solar bubble that taxpayers are propping up, and it will be the taxpayers and investors who take the hit when the industry comes crashing down,” maintains Lijazi, who noted that solar subsidies are moving from Washington to Wall Street, leaving the taxpayer defenseless between two powerful lobbies.
He reveals that in recent years, companies have used a variety of financing mechanisms, most notably third-party solar leasing, to take advantage of lavish handouts. Companies are then bundling and securitizing those leases to raise funds to pay the upfront costs for more home and small business solar installations. This soars into the billions.
To no one’s surprise, renewable energy companies that support Obama are reaping the rewards of solar energy handouts. This includes the likes of Solyndra, which was able to capture private sector funding because the government guaranteed $1 billion in taxpayer loans. Solyndra famously failed, taking with it the money invested by the DOE—in excess of half a billion dollars.
The saddest part of this cronyism deal is that only .06 percent of the nation’s energy needs are met by solar energy, notes Neal.
“Old habits die young. We need leadership that will face up to the public money going to the solar industry. The industry needs to stand by itself without government funding. Let the free market work and get taxpayers off the hook,” concluded Lijazi.
The discussion turned to Hillary Clinton’s ability to spin her story and avoid Department of Justice scrutiny and sustained media coverage involving her email security lapses.
“Governor Christie was roasted by the media over the ‘Bridgegate’ controversy, which later found that he had nothing to do with it. So a firestorm evolved over a local issue when an international security breach gets a pass. It’s hypocrisy,” suggested Neal.
Dr. Roffman agreed, adding that Hillary’s contentions she released 55,000 emails in no way absolves her of the security lapse and her great efforts to suppress any investigation of her emails. “It’s pure spin –a Clinton specialty,” maintained Dr. Roffman.
The upshot, according to Neal, is that people don’t trust Hillary, and her double-speak is moving her so far to the left that she will lose her base.
Returning Made in America guest, John Berlau, from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, suggested that on the five-year anniversary of the disastrous Dodd-Frank bill, there at last may be good news that will restore the viability of small community banks.
“A 3-member circuit court, which includes an Obama appointee, seems to agree that Dodd-Frank over reaches its mandates as it applies to community banks. There is a realization that the bureaucracy surrounding Dodd-Frank is out of character since it gets its oversight from the Federal Reserve, and not congress. The bill hurts community banks and credit unions, and while Hillary Clinton has weighed in on it, let’s see if there’s any movement to rule on Dodd-Frank,” proposed Berlau.
The final guest on Made in America was Charlie Haje from Operation Renewed Hope Foundation, whose mission is to provide quality housing and supportive services to our nation’s homeless Veterans.
“There are 47,000 homeless veterans, and we are trying to support them with housing, medical help and jobs. Ninety-four percent of our money goes back into the foundation. Our goal is to encourage companies to help with housing and create jobs for our veterans and support us with cash donations. The kinds of jobs we prioritize are those in PBX operations, security, warehouse management, and logistics. Fortunately we have sports and entertainment celebrities that support us, which helps raise our visibility,” according to Haje.
Neal encouraged Haje to work with vocational training centers to learn the skills in demand by manufacturers.
On his ongoing report on cronyism, Dr. Roffman revealed that former Obamacare officials have taken high paying lobbyist jobs, leveraging their tight connections with the Obama administration. For example, Marilyn B. Tavenner, former Administrator for the Centers for Medicare—and a major player in the failed Obamacare rollout, is now CEO of the America’s Health Insurance Plans, which represents nearly 1300 member companies and provides health insurance coverage to more than 200 million Americans.
Dr. Roffman also urged listeners to follow the Iran deal and watch for Obama cronies like Facebook and Google to grab market share of the emerging Iranian technology sector, which could reap billions of dollars.
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.
JUL
