Unofficial Summary of the Rush Limbaugh Show for Wednesday, October 19, 1994 by John Switzer This unofficial summary is copyright (c) 1994 by John Switzer. All Rights Reserved. These summaries are distributed on CompuServe and the Internet, and archived on CompuServe (DL9 of the ISSUES forum) and Internet (cathouse.org and grind.isca.uiowa.edu). The /pub/jrs directory at ftp.netcom.com contains the summaries for the past 30 days. Distribution to other electronic forums and bulletin boards is highly encouraged. Spelling and other corrections gratefully received. Please read the standard disclaimer which was included with the first summary for this month. In particular, please note that this summary is not approved or sanctioned by Rush Limbaugh or the EIB network, nor do I have any connection with them other than as a daily listener. ************************************************************* October 19, 1994 BRIEF SUMMARY OF TOPICS: Kathleen Brown claims she can be tough on crime because her daughter was once raped and her son mugged; AIDS patients can be considered employees of insurance companies, so they can sue to prevent insurers from capping AIDS-related benefits; words to EIB's PSA to stop friends from voting Democratic; Clinton budget cuts are hurting hungry people, according to Second Harvest, a national foodbank network; EIB staffer impresses her daughter's teachers by revealing she works for EIB; NYC NOW chapter asks members to boycott NY Times because Rush is doing TV ads for them; Rush, deciding to take advantage of how the left boycotts whatever he supports, endorses Mario Cuomo for New York's governor; Rush presents his version of Gorbachev's Ten Commandments for the environment; Rush and caller discuss how to determine whether you're conservative or liberal; caller changed from being Democrat to Republican during Reagan's first term; Roger Ailes suggests that Clinton is getting credit for the recovering economy - if the economy was not good as it is, Clinton would be even lower in the polls; Senator Jim Sasser (D-TN) is telling his state's voters that he has "earned the opportunity to be Majority Leader in the United States Senate"; Leon Panetta claims the White House is deluged with request for Clinton to appear with Democrats running for re-election; play in San Francisco is titled "Rush Limbaugh in Night School," and mocks the Rush; Wall Street Journal quotes Reagan's inaugural address, showing what a true conservative is; Arnold Schwarzenegger is denying he ever campaigned for Ted Kennedy; a NYC newsdealer, along with a superintendent, capture a punk who stabbed and robbed an ATM patron; Pentagon is sending Combat Stress Team to find out why there seem to be so many suicides among U.S. troops there; Gallup poll finds that charitable giving in the U.S. has declined by 25% since 1989; character issues have something to do with why Clinton is not getting any credit for the recovering economy, but more importantly people simply aren't confident about the future; 73% of those polled are worried about not having enough money in the future; Ted Kennedy is blaming Rush and talk radio for his re-election problems; caller says he appreciates just how good a role model Rush is for his children; Rush reveals his favorite cigar cutter and lists his favorite cigars; cigars are not cigarettes, as Rush's local nicotine addict, H.R. "Kit" Carson, regularly proves; NY Times does feature story on celebrities who smoke cigars; Columbus improved the cigar - he didn't steal it from the Indians, as is proven by the fact that nobody smokes tobacco in corn stalks anymore; owner of a fast food restaurant finds it hard to find any help, much less good help; Wall Street Journal features editorial about how politicians are blaming the voters for Congress's problems; caller is disappointed by Jack Kemp's opposition to California's Proposition 187; caller gives definition of "Al-Gorithm"; Tom Foley (D-WA) is 11 points behind his Republican challenger; Foley tells voters that if he's re-elected, he'll make sure Congress lives under the same laws they pass for everyone else; Rush reads part of the statement released by Jack Kemp and William Bennett about why they oppose Proposition 187; Jeb Bush scores some points in debate against Lawton Chiles, who got a bit testy and who repeatedly attacked Bush's financial dealings; Florida press has been ruthless in examining Jeb Bush's financial dealings; Governor Ann Richards calls George W. Bush a "jerk" for criticizing her record; 1982 Supreme Court ruling forces public schools to admit all children, even those of illegal aliens; caller is not impressed with Bennett's and Kemp's statement against Proposition 187; Proposition 187 is leading in the California polls by two to one; Isn't it proper for those who disagree about how benefits are being given to illegal aliens to force this issue in the courts?; immigration is an issue that will never go away; U.S. signs agreement with North Korea that puts off international inspections of its nuclear facilities for five years; Morton Halperin wants to create a new bureaucracy for the goal of creating world democracy; caller agrees that it's hard to find good workers who can think for themselves with any initiative; government is afraid of independent, self-sufficient people because such people aren't dependent on government and thus can't be controlled; caller doesn't like how Rush promotes cigar smoking by talking about it on the air; charitable contributions are definitely not down, assuming you use Clinton's definition of "contributions" as taxes; Congress authorizes a Secretary of Gender Equity; since Hillary Clinton and her friends in the CDF think white males deserve only 35% of power in America, shouldn't Rush take only 35% of his callers from white males?; current economic recovery is really the Bush recovery, so if Bush didn't get any credit for it, why should Clinton? LIMBAUGH WATCH October 19, 1994 - It's now day 638 (day 657 for the rich and the dead, and 20 days until the November elections) of "America Held Hostage" (aka the "Raw Deal" which has 824 days left) and 701 days after Bill Clinton's election, but Rush is still on the air with 659 radio affiliates (with more than 20 million listeners weekly world-wide), 250 TV affiliates (with a national rating of 3.7), and a newsletter with nearly 500,000 subscribers. His first book was on the NY Times hardback non-fiction best- seller list for 54 consecutive weeks, with 2.6 million copies sold, but fell off the list after Simon and Schuster stopped printing it. The paperback version of "The Way Things Ought To Be" was on the NY Times paperback non-fiction best-seller list for 28 weeks. Rush's second book, "See, I Told You So," was on the NY Times best-seller list for 16 weeks and has sold over 2.45 million copies. NEWS o Democrat Kathleen Brown, who's challenging Governor Pete Wilson (R-CA), insisted during last Friday's gubernatorial debates that she could be tough on crime because he son was once mugged and her daughter raped. During the debate, Brown told Wilson the following: "What I resent most of all is you questioning my commitment to be tough on crime. You cannot imagine what it's like to be a mother, waiting at home late at night for your kids to come home - waiting for your daughter to come home in the evening, and having her come home, and comfort her because she's been raped." After the debate, Brown told reporters that her son had been mugged when the family lived in New York in the late 80s, while her daughter Sascha Rice, 25, was raped during a date. Rice was unavailable for comment, but Brown's eldest daughter, Hillary Armstrong remarked that she was surprised by her mother's comment as her sister "wants to keep it private" because "she's been through enough." o A federal appeals court ruled Monday that people with disabilities can, in some cases, be considered employees of health insurers, so they are protected against discrimination under the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA). According to the court, insurers could be considered someone's "employer" if they "exercised significant control over an important aspect of his employment"; in this case, "significant control" was defined as an insurer or provider acting on behalf of an employer to control and limit health care costs. The ruling came in a case originally brought when AIDS patient Ronald Senter sued his health insurance provider for capping his benefits for AIDS-related treatment; normally, employees would sue their employer, but since Senter owned his own business, he sued the insurer. Although the ADA made a distinction between insurance companies and employers, allowing insurers to cap benefits, the court's ruling allows Senter's suit, taken over by his mother after his death, to continue. LEST WE FORGET The following are from the Rush Limbaugh show on Wednesday, October 21, 1992: o A poll in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette showed that Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) was leading Lynn Yeakel by 10 points; a new adjective was coined for how Specter had come out on the offensive against Yeakel - he "Anita Hilled her," meaning that Specter was "mean" to the woman. o Perot's number two man, Orson Swindle, said that a vote for Clinton would be a disaster for the country, and that President Bush would therefore be a better second choice to Perot. Perot, however, called this comment by Swindle a "serious mistake" and said it was "just a personal opinion" on Swindle's part that did not represent the "organization." o Hazel from Brooklyn explained the difference between the accusations made against Senator Inouye (D-HI) and those against Clarence Thomas: feminists were "very classist." Anita Hill was a lawyer who went to Yale, so she met with the feminists' approval. The hairdresser attacking Inouye, though, was viewed with disdain by the feminists who figured "she's not like me." Had Clarence Thomas been accused of harassment by a toilet scrubber, feminists would never have risen to her defense. o Stan Baron of Indiana wrote Rush that all would not be lost if Clinton were elected, and he predicted the following news events in such a situation: January 20th, 1993 - James Carville attended last night's inauguration alone; his normal companion Mary Matalin was rumored to be in New York City last night, seeking solace from a noted radio talk show host. November 9, 1994 - The stunning upset of Senator Kennedy yesterday, which gave Republicans control of the US Senate, was attributed by party officials to the nationally best-selling "See, I Told You So" by Rush and Mary Limbaugh, according to GOP Chairman Bill Bennett. September 9, 1995 - NBC announced today that it was scrapping its entire fall lineup, and that the Tonight Show, starring Rush Limbaugh, would be extended to three hours, and broadcast 8 to 11 p.m., Monday through Friday. November 6, 1996 - President Clinton conceded defeat last night as the Kemp/Limbaugh ticket carried all 50 states and the People's Republic of New Columbia. o EIB had a new public service announcement: <> You've heard the excuses before . . . <> But honest, it was only a couple! <> The self-deception . . . <> One more couldn't possibly hurt! <> The self-denial . . . <> Hey, I'm in control! I could stop any time I wanted. <> But the results are always the same. Once the initial euphoria dies, the trip is a descending spiral that slowly steals away your family, your friends, your job, your savings, your life. Be concerned! Friends don't let friends vote Democratic. A public service message from the Excellence in Broadcasting Network. <> Hey! Which way to the voting booth? o The NY Times' lead editorial quoted Clinton from Monday night's debate: "I will not raise taxes on the middle class to pay for my programs." The Times pointed out that Clinton made his no tax pledge not just once, but four times. "This was no mere slip of the tongue," said the Times which was mad at Clinton for making this promise; the paper complained that for Clinton to rule out tax hikes was "to risk diving into the same policy straitjacket that has paralyzed Mr. Bush." o Rush was impressed by how the Marine Corps Commandant called the Toronto Blue Jays to apologize for his Marines' flying the Canadian flag upside down during the second game of the World Series. The Commandant asked the Blue Jays to allow the Marines to carry the Canadian colors again during the third game, and this turned out to be a very classy and moving way to rectify the error. o Madonna's book of erotica hit the bookstores, and the reviews were scathing, except for NY gossip columnist Liz Smith. The Washington Post reviewer said the price of the book, plus tax, came to about $65, "which is about the price of a cheap trick on Times Square." USA Today also panned the book. o USA Today reported "good economic news signals stronger recovery." Housing starts rose for the second month in a row in August; personal computer sales were exploding with Apple, Compaq, and IBM posting huge sales gains. The demand for semiconductor chips was way up, and Motorola and Intel were reporting record revenue. Retailers were also reporting better than expected sales in September, and the Salomon Brothers index showed a 7.5% average revenue jump. All of this showed that the US economy for moving again, but Clinton and Gore were saying that anyone who was positive and optimistic was out of touch and "sad," as if these people were to be pitied along with Alzheimer's victims. Allen Reynolds' column, in fact, stated the following: "Bill Clinton has been chided for his slippery lack of truthfulness when it comes to the draft, but a much more pervasive disregard for the truth is on display almost every time he opens his mouth to talk about the economy. Let's take the debates. In the first debate, Clinton said we're suffering `the first decline in industrial production ever.' "What? This country has never before had a recession, Governor? There's nothing wrong with making a mistake in the heat of the debate, though. We might have expected some impolite person somewhere to ask the Governor what he meant to say, though, instead of saying that. Instead the anchor on one network noted that Mr. Clinton had displayed his `mastery of the facts.'" Reynolds pointed out that industrial production, contrary to Perot's repeated claims, had risen by 2.1% since May, 1991. Manufacturing alone had risen 2.8% in America, while industrial production had fallen 2.5% in Germany and 7.6% in Japan. If it weren't for the US defense cutbacks, America would have had 2.3% growth in the past 5 quarters, instead of the actual 1.6% growth. Reynolds therefore asked how Clinton's further cutbacks of defense could help out in this situation. In their debates Clinton and Gore continually asserted that the economy was either the worst since the Great Depression or the worst in the past 50 years, but Reynolds disagreed, noting the "stagflationary mess" of the 1973/75 and 1980/82 recessions. In 1973-75, the GDP fell by 4.3% and unemployment was 9%. In 1980- 82, the GDP fell by 2.8% and unemployment hit 10.8%. Inflation was high and interest rates were well above 10% in both recessions. In the 1990-1991 recession, however, real output fell only by 2.2%, unemployment peaked at 7.8%, and inflation and interest rates have been quite low. Reynolds' final paragraph stated the following: "In the rush to change, everything seems to be a crisis. To define a health care crisis, Senator Gore claims that 40 million Americans who work full-time do not have health insurance. Wrong! The latest Monthly Labor Review shows 83% of all full-time workers have employer-financed medical care coverage. The remaining 17% don't even add up to 15 million people. But, the 17% figure is also misleading, because millions of full-time workers are self-employed workers, and are often affluent, so it makes no sense to even ask them if they have an employer-financed medical plan." o House bill HR4848, the Long Term Care Family Security Act of 1992, contained a provision that would allow the US government to tax at the time of someone's death their personal property in excess of $200,000; this was a third of the current $600,000 limit. Also, tax rates would be raised to between 33% and 55%. This bill was being held up, though, until after the election so that Congress could be certain of having a President who would sign it. o Judy from Williamsburg, PA saw Reed Irvine on Geraldo tell the story about how Clinton bumped a black woman from an Arkansas state job so that he could give the job to Gennifer Flowers. Geraldo, though, cut Irvine right off and didn't let him tell the story, which was exactly what the media is doing nationwide. Rush noted that Irvine was on Nightline and asked this question of Rune Arledge, who replied that this stuff was old news and not worth reporting. o The NAACP called for "greater efforts to deal with black-on-black crime," citing statistics that showed 94% of all African-Americans killed by violence were killed by other African-Americans. "Blaming these tragic figures on racism alone is not enough," according to the NAACP. o NOW President Patricia Ireland stated that there was a simple way for men to determine if their actions constituted sexual harassment: all they had to do was ask themselves if their mother, wife, or daughter would be embarrassed to see their behavior. If the answer is yes, then the man's actions were sexual harassment. Rush, however, pointed out that many men would be embarrassed to have their mothers watch them make love to their wives, but is this sexual harassment? What if some sleazy and irresponsible guy wasn't embarrassed by anything; should he be allowed to do anything he wanted? ******** MORNING UPDATE According to the Census Bureau, poverty in America has increased, with the number of poor people rising, which makes Rush ask how this can be - weren't Clinton's tax increases on the wealthy supposed to fix this problem and disparity in income? Yet there's more bad news - Second Harvest, a network of foodbanks in the nation, is reporting that the administration's $25 million budget cuts from the Emergency Food Assistance program are having a major impact on the nation's hungry. According to Second Harvest, food pantries, soup kitchens, and foodbanks are cutting back their hours, and might even be forced to close because of these cuts. People are going hungry as a result, the group claims, with senior citizens and those in public housing being hit the hardest. Yet Rush doesn't see any front page stories about the cruelties of these budget cuts, nor does he see any protests at the White House or hunger marches on Washington. Where have all the compassionate journalists and protestors gone? Don't they care anymore? And it's also being reported that charitable contributions are down, in sharp contrast to how during the 80s, charitable contributions skyrocketed to new heights. The bottom line is that the Clinton 90s, when compassionate liberals finally got even with the dirty rich, have hurt the poor. Somehow, Rush notes in his best Algore impersonation, "everything that should be down is up, and everything that should be up is down." FIRST HOUR Items o Rush's new secretary, "Mrs. Wiggins 2," tells Rush that she was at her daughter's school yesterday for a teachers evaluation, and when the teachers found out whom she worked for, everyone wanted to not only shake her hand but to get her autograph, as well as to ask her to get Rush to sign things for her. Rush is impressed that the teachers were willing to show their support for him openly. o Rush will not be at EIB tomorrow or Friday because he's taking a mini-vacation to Paris. Tomorrow's show will have as its guest host Mary Matalin and Friday's guest host will be Tony Snow. Both will broadcasting from Washington, which means Bo Snerdley of the dreaded "Limbaugh staff" will be invading the nation's capitol. o Rush recalls how he joked a couple of weeks ago that since he was doing TV ads for the NY Times, the National Organization for Women would start boycotting him, just as they did Florida Orange Juice. Rush was only joking, but even so he's turned out to be right because the New York chapter of NOW has announced that they are going to boycott the NY Times. A gossip columnist in the NY Daily News is announcing that the New York chapter of NOW is "targeting" the NY Times because they're using Rush in one of their ads. A spokeswoman for the Times, however, noted that Rush was chosen to show that the paper features a variety of columnists and viewpoints; for example, Jesse Jackson will be doing an upcoming ad. Diane Welch, NYC chapter president, however, was not mollified, saying she was still going to "urge our members to exercise choice and not buy the Times while Limbaugh is being used." Thus, it will be interesting to see if the Times will cave in to feminist pressure. Fortunately, NY Times columnist Anna Quindlen has already announced her intention to leave the Times to go write books; otherwise, she'd be forced with the terrible choice of whether to boycott her own paper. Rush, however, thinks that if the Times is wise, they'll delay putting on the Jackson ads and keep on using him, guaranteeing that sales of their paper will skyrocket, as did sales of Florida orange juice when NOW tried to boycott that, too. o Rush, though, has not been unaware that his endorsement of products has created, in many instances, boycotts of those products. Given this awesome power that he has, Rush has been thinking of how to best use it; what can he advertise next, so as to do what's best for the nation and its people? Rush has found a way, so he's going to do a commercial for Mario Cuomo. As the music of Frank Sinatra singing "New York, New York" plays in the background, Rush says the following: "Mario Cuomo, he was the first to praise `flim-flam' Florio for raising taxes in New Jersey! Mario Cuomo, his solution for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was `ah, what the hell, give `em a couple of islands!' Mario Cuomo, he came up with community ratings for health care, and even the Democrats in Congress called it `a disaster.' "Mario Cuomo, he brought in the nutty professor Leonard Jeffries, with his sun people/ice people theory to set up multiculturalism in New York's schools. Mario Cuomo, he sent his wife Mathilda out on the campaign trail to suggest that race riots would plague New York if his opponent, George Pataki, actually won. "Mario Cuomo, he punished the rich by driving New York's bond rating to the second worst in the country. Mario Cuomo, who has called George Pataki, his Republican opponent, `a puppet.' Is this a moral leader or a desperate politician? Is this a healer or a divider? Is Mario Cuomo a man who respects all Americans regardless of race, religion, and political affiliations, or mocks some as puppets? "Mario Cuomo, vote Cuomo, he's liberal and proud of it! Vote Cuomo, Limbaugh endorses Cuomo! Limbaugh says vote Cuomo, he's liberal and proud of it!" *BREAK* Rush just heard the news that Roseanne is marrying her bodyguard; they reportedly are registered at Ben and Jerry's. Update Gorbasm ("Theme from the Empire Strikes Back") Gorbachev is back; yesterday Rush did an update about his talk at the Environmental Media Awards, where he called for an Environmental Ten Commandments. As Rush has said for years, the militant environmental movement is the new home for world socialism, where socialists are gathering, awaiting a new chance for their resurgence towards power. Gorbachev is proving this point for Rush, but sadly Rush didn't have Gorbachev's Ten Commandments with him yesterday to hammer this point home. However, after a day of exhaustive study, Rush has found what they might be. I. Thou Shalt Not Prosper. II. Thou Shalt Not Have More Than Thy Neighbor. III. Thy Shalt Enjoy Standing in Line. IV. Thou Shalt Drink a Lot of Vodka To Make the Time Pass Quickly. V. Thou Shalt Not Believe in God. VI. Thou Shalt Respect Thy Parents, Bill and Hillary. VII. Thou Shalt Not Own Property. VIII. Thou Shalt Hate the 80s. IX. Thou Shalt Not Harm Anything on the Earth That Can Feel Pain, Except a Human in the Womb. X. Thou Shalt Not Ever Cut Down a Tree, Unless It's to Build a Mansion for a Liberal Democrat. In honor of the last commandment, Rush plays his Timber Update theme ("Lumberjack" by Jackyl). Phone Shaun from Wichita, KS Shaun gives "househusband dittos"; he just left the military and is a non-traditional, 28-year-old student doing a sociology paper at a small community college. He thinks most people don't know whether they're liberals or conservatives, and he himself isn't sure what he is. Rush says he thinks most people who are liberals really aren't; if you go out and ask people what they think about things, without bringing up the labels, they'll explain they believe in self-reliance, healthy values in the home, etc. However, these people refuse to define themselves as conservatives because they assume all conservatives are bigoted and racist, not to mention that liberals are supposed to be the only ones who have compassion. Therefore, instead of saying that most people don't know whether they're conservative or liberal, Rush would say that most liberals are really conservatives but are afraid to call themselves that because of the stereotypical attacks made against conservatives, or perhaps they aren't sure what a conservative is. Rush holds Shaun over the break. *BREAK* Phone Shaun from Wichita, KS (continued) Shaun says Rush is on the same wavelength he is, as he's trying to compile different statements and hand them out to the class, asking his classmates to identify those statements as liberal, conservative, etc. After this, he's then going to tell people "if you think this, this is what you are." Rush thinks Shaun will find a lot of his classmates will be stunned by being shown what they really are, and Shaun agrees, so he'd love to get some statements from Rush he could use for this purpose. Rush gives a few: "What has made America great is what government has done for people." "What has made America great is its freedom, which has allowed people to do for themselves." Anyone who thinks government is what makes government great is leaning heavily towards liberalism, while those who believe in freedom and individualism are conservatives. Another question would be: "Does money in America belong to Washington or to those who work for it?" This is an interesting question because the Washington Post last week stated that Washington "doesn't have the money to give the middle class a tax cut." This implies that Washington owns all the money and that what people have is due only to the government's good graces. Rush, of course, would reply to this arrogant assumption "Washington, it ain't your money." Shaun says "higher taxes or lower taxes" was something he was thinking about, as well as "social programs" and "civil rights." Rush says Shaun will have to give more specifics about these issues than this in order to find people's true beliefs. Other questions would be: "Do you think people should be allowed to keep more of what they earn, or should they turn more of what they earn over to government?" "Is compassion measured by the number of people who receive government benefits or by the number of those who no longer need such help because they've been taught to be self-reliant?" Rush asks when Shaun has to finish this paper, and he says he has to do his presentation on November 1st. Rush would like to know the results, so he puts Shaun on hold so EIB can call him back next month to find out how his survey turns out. He thanks Shaun for calling. Phone Jim from Springdale, AK Jim says nobody should complain about Bo because he was great while screening Jim's call; he laughed "every time he's picked up the phone." Jim notes that he voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976, but now looks back on those days in shame. He recalls that he was in the construction business back then, suffering from lots of lay- offs and lack of work. However, he became a Republican after Reagan's first term in office because he saw the economy improve markedly. A lot of his friends are now turning to the Republican side because of three people: Hillary Clinton, Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, and Labor Secretary Robert B. Reich. People are scared of what they're losing, which is why Arkansas might get its first Republican governor in years this year. Rush notes that this topic is perplexing the "finest minds in journalism" - they can't understand why Clinton isn't getting credit for the economy. However, Rush's friend Roger Ailes told Rush recently that Clinton is getting credit for the economy and the accompanying 10 to 15% bump in the polls; if the economy weren't doing so well, his approval rating would be down around 25% instead of the 38 to 42% it is now. Rush has to agree with that because other Democrats are suffering, too. Senator Jim Sasser (D-TN), for example, is nearly pleading with his state's voters, claiming that he has "earned the opportunity to be Majority Leader in the United States Senate." Yet this is the exact opposite of what he should be saying - in fact, except for this statement, Sasser is avoiding mentioning Washington at all. He's also avoiding any mention of Clinton and of how he helped the President get his economic plan, plus he's avoiding mentioning that he's a Democrat. In fact, Sasser is now even stating that he stood up to Bill Clinton. Thus Rush would have to agree with Ailes that Clinton is getting the credit for the economy and corresponding bump in the polls, and he thanks Jim for calling. *BREAK* Leon Panetta has said that the White House has been overwhelmed with requests from Democrats wanting Clinton to campaign for them, but it appears that the "next Clinton campaign" swing will feature its first stop at Cairo. Then he'll go to Damascus, followed by Tel Aviv, on a "foreign policy campaign trail." Undoubtedly, this will disappoint all those Democrats who were counting on the President to "help" them out this year. Phone Michael from San Francisco, CA Michael says that a play mocking Rush has just opened in San Francisco; the play is titled "Rush Limbaugh in Night School," and the review of it in the local paper starts off by saying: "On the face of it, taking on Rush Limbaugh in a town like Rush Limbaugh should be a piece of cake. It's not that Limbaugh is easy to lampoon - he's almost impervious to exaggeration, but a collection of his own `know-nothingisms' would be enough to have any reasonably sophisticated audience rolling in the aisles, when not gasping in horrified disbelief." Rush thinks this is great, and Michael promises to send Rush the review. Evidently the play features "Rush" playing Othello, while "Cokie Roberts" plays Desdemona and "Garrison Keillor" plays Iago. Rush is impressed, and notes that his radio show does very well in San Francisco, always ending up in the top three radio shows in the city. It is not surprising, therefore, that they are doing a play about him and not "Sister Boom-Boom." Rush thanks Michael for calling, and begs him to not just send him the review, but also to sneak in a video camera into the theater so as to get a pirate videotape of the play. Phone Scott from Pittsburgh, PA Scott says that Rep. John Kasich (R-MI) wrote an article for yesterday's Wall Street Journal, and the pull quote was of a quote from Ronald Reagan's inaugural address. If anyone agrees with this quote, they have to be a conservative; Scott adds that his wife thinks Rush is overbearing, but Scott doesn't care because he agrees with what Rush believes, plus Rush is entertaining, not overbearing. Scott adds that he's also a cigar aficionado, and thus attends the "cigar camps" that a local store, Bloom's Cigar, offers each Saturday morning. It's a great time, and Rush's name comes up frequently at these meetings. Scott suggests that should Rush come in town for a Steelers game, he make a trip to Bloom's. Rush likes that idea and thanks Scott for calling. *BREAK* This morning Rush received a call from an associate of Arnold Schwarzenegger, claiming the media reports about how Schwarzenegger campaigned for Ted Kennedy were untrue. Rush thus called Schwarzenegger's office in California, and they also denied that the actor ever appeared with his wife, Maria Shriver, on behalf of Ted Kennedy. In fact, the only politician that Schwarzenegger has publicly supported in this campaign has been Governor Pete Wilson of California, so Rush wants to get the record straight, given that this was mentioned on his show when it occurred. *BREAK* SECOND HOUR Items o Rush again repeats that he'll be away for the rest of the week, and notes that Mary Matalin will have on as guests Newt Gingrich, Dick Armey, and Phil Gramm. Bo Snerdley interjects that William Kristol will also be on the show, and Rush wonders why Bo didn't tell him about this beforehand. Bo explains he forgot and can only hope his ruthless boss doesn't suspend him for this memory lapse. Rush pledges he won't take such action and adds that Tony Snow will conduct a traditional Open Line Friday on Friday's show. o At six-thirty in the morning yesterday, Richard Stagner, owner of a newsstand on the East Side of New York at 60th and Lexington, noticed a man loitering nearby and feared the guy was casing the joint to rob it. A minute later, the superintendent of a neighboring building, Scott Robison, showed up to pick up a newspaper. Stagner asked Robison if he'd mind hanging around for a few minutes to help keep an eye on the loiterer, and Robison agreed. Sure enough, the loiterer turned out to be a robber, but he was only interested in robbing the next customer of the nearby ATM machine. When Stagner and Robison saw the punk stab someone and push the victim out of the ATM kiosk, they ran over and barricaded the guy inside until the cops arrived to arrest him. Rush thinks these men should be applauded and praised for not only seeing the potential problem, but taking action to apprehend the criminal. Perhaps the Crime Bill should be rewritten to put 50,000 news dealers and 50,000 apartment superintendents on the streets to deter crime. o Rush notes that he pronounces the word "figures" as "fig-ers" because this is how America's "most intelligent newsman" (or so ABC billboard's say) Peter Jennings pronounces the word. Jennings must know, so Rush would be a fool to ignore his example. Rush muses on the outcry that would result if he promoted himself as "the world's most intelligent talk show host." The EIB staff point out that EIB has already done this, and the ads resulted in howls of complaints about Rush's "arrogance" and "egotism." Rush thanks his staff for reminding him of that, and starts to talk about the "fig-ers" on charitable contributions that just came out, but gets distracted by a news story about how the Pentagon is sending in a psychiatric team to Haiti after three suicides among U.S. troops there. The "Combat Stress Action Team" hopefully can discover why some of the troops in Haiti are killing themselves. Rush, though, didn't think there had been any combat in Haiti, so perhaps the DC park police could be sent instead to find out the truth about these suicides. Finally getting back to the figures, Rush explains that he's talking about the figures from the recent Gallup poll about how charitable giving has declined in the U.S. Charitable giving, of course, was at or near record highs during the 80s, but it dropped 19% from 1989 to 1991, dropping 6% more last year. The average amount given, adjusted for inflation, slid from $855 per family in 1989 to $646 last year. Many people are wondering how this can be, given that big- hearted, compassionate liberals are now in charge, and that the decade of greed and selfishness is over. Rush would posit, however, this has something to do with why Clinton is getting much credit from the current recovering economy. Of course, there are the character issues, such as how Clinton is the first President to be sued for sexual harassment in office, not to mention asking the public to pay his legal fees. His wife scored big on a cattle futures deal that commodities experts still can't explain, and the Whitewater affair is still continuing; plus, there's the fact that Hillary denied at first any knowledge of files taken from Vince Foster's office, but then later admitted that she personally instructed her chief of staff Maggie Williams to move those files to the White House residence. There are a lot of reasons why the American people are uncomfortable about the Clintons and mistrust them, but there are other reasons as well, which are tied to the drop in charitable contributions. The Gallup poll that discovered the drop in contributions first asked if people were worried about not having enough money in the future, and the number of those answering yes is 73%, up from 57% in 1988. Charity officials point to this question as explaining the drop in contributions, but this also explains why people aren't giving the President credit for a good economy: the people just don't sense a good economy out there. A Times Mirror survey also shows that American cynicism is on the rise, which would also explain a lot. Contrasted to this are groups such as the 70,000 who protested last Sunday for welfare and other benefits for illegal immigrants. There are more and more people with their hands out demanding "gimmie, gimmie, gimmie," and working Americans are tired of being called racists and bigots because they are being blamed for not doing enough. Those inside the Washington Beltway should understand that Americans are tired of Washington telling them that they're the problem, and how those in Washington never believe in tax cuts. Those in Washington claim they "don't have the money" for this, but it's not their money. Working Americans are tired of liberals defining compassion as giving away everyone else's money and of blaming all social problems on those who are unwilling to pay more in taxes. Now Americans are not even confident that they'll have a job or money in the future, and this is confounding the liberals, who seek villains in talk radio and elsewhere. U.S. News and World Report, for example, reports that Senator Ted Kennedy is blaming Rush and talk radio for his current problems. Rush admits he'd love to take the credit for this, to claim that for the past six years he's been executing a careful strategy to poison the people's minds against Ted Kennedy. Sadly, Rush is not responsible for this - Senator Kennedy is in trouble because of one man: Senator Kennedy. *BREAK* Phone Dave from Morgantown, PA Dave says that a caller on Monday took Rush to task for being a lousy role model and for making fun of people. Rush says he's beginning to think that woman was a setup, given that she spouted so many liberal cliches; it's as if someone passed her a sheet titled "here's how to criticize Rush Limbaugh." Dave notes he has five children as well as a new nephew, and he appreciates that Rush is around to be a role model for them. Rush appreciates hearing that and thanks Dave for calling. Rush recalls that yesterday he commented how a survey done by Link magazine about the college crowd's favorite radio personality, and Rush was number one. "We're still waiting on the press release for that," Rush adds, but without much conviction that it will ever show up. Phone Michael from San Diego, CA Michael gives "megadittos from a free-thinking, meat-eating, gun-owning, cigar-smoking patriotic American," and adds that he almost fainted when his call was picked up by Bo Snerdley. He works at a local TV station, which is also amazed that Michael got through, so he would like Rush to say hello to Jenny, the station's "kids club" director. Rush makes Jenny's day by saying hello to her, and Michael says he's 25, a Republican, who's been smoking cigars long before he started listening to Rush. He wants to know what kind of cigar cutter Rush uses, and he replies he uses the absolute best cutter available, a Davidoff Double-Guillotine, the "Zeno Cutter." He admits that he's not a big fan of the V-cut because he wants to totally expose the head of the cigar when he smokes it; this way, you get the full flavor of the tobacco blend. Michael asks for his all-time favorite cigar, and Rush, under pressure from all the possible choices, says a Partagas Number Ten might be it, or anything by Arturo Fuente. However, there are many other fine cigars out there, so Rush holds Michael over the break. *BREAK* Phone Michael from San Diego, CA (continued) Rush says there are far too many great cigars to avoid mentioning them, too. Partagas Number Ten is a great cigar, but cigars are something that you don't necessarily want to have the same experience with all the time. Some people, for example, think you should start out the day with a mild cigar and work your way up to "all out" at night; Rush, however, prefers to smoke "all-out" all day. Michael asks about the Primo Del Rey cigars from the Dominican Republic, and Rush admits he knows little about them. Arturo Fuente makes a great series of cigars, especially the Meduro Churchills, such as a Gloria Cubana. Sadly, those, these cigars are so popular that they're nearly impossible to get. Partagas cigars are so much in demand that they're backordered a million cigars. There was a big smoke in Los Angeles a while ago, with 3,000 people showing up to smoke, which just goes to show the demand that exists for fine cigars. Speaking of fine cigars, Rush also suggests the "L'Essentialis Toros," a Dominican cigar, along with the Ashton and Avo brands. Michael says cigars to him are a treat, and he smokes maybe only half-dozen a month. If he smoked more, it wouldn't be as big a treat. Rush agrees they are a fine indulgence, and as far as the woman from Coarsegold, CA who called to complain about cigars, Rush points out they are not cigarettes. Rush, being a compassionate, loving, and generous boss, shares cigars with his coworkers, such as H.R. "Kit" Carson. Recently he gave H.R. a fine cigar, and H.R.took an hour to smoke it, savoring every puff. However, as soon as he finished he lit up a foul cigarette to get his nicotine fix, proving that cigars are not the health risks that dirty, little cigarettes are. A great cigar is a fine thing in life, and recently the NY Times did a story about all the celebrities smoking cigars now - it's the fad thing to do now, which sort of disappoints Rush because cigars are more than a mere fad. Cigars have been around since Columbus found Indians smoking tobacco in corn stalks and refined the art. Bo Snerdley points out that this means Columbus "stole" the cigar from the Indians, but Rush points out that if this were really true, people would be smoking cheap tobacco in corn stalks. Bo asks if Rush has tried it, and Rush says no, pointing out "if it were good, they'd make it! They'd be selling them!" Rush thanks Michael for calling about his passion, and adds that in addition to his Zeno Double Guillotine cigar cutter, he's got a fine cigar lighter, which he calls a "torch." He lights it up near the mike, making listeners think he's unleashed a flame throwing inside the studios, but quickly backs the flame off from the EIB Golden Microphone lest it melt. Phone Joe from Springfield, IL Joe gives "Abraham Lincoln dittos from the leading edge of societal decay," and notes that he owns a fast-food restaurant at which he works 18-hour days. Rush asks what kind of restaurant it is, and Joe replies "we sell Whoppers," which reminds Rush how when Clinton built his jogging track at the White House, Rush suggested that a Burger King also be built there, given that both Clinton and Burger King share a slogan: "billions and billions of Whoppers told here!" Joe says today's Wall Street Journal has a lead editorial about how Fred Grandy, Jay Rockefeller, and Warren Rudman are all blaming the voters for the problems in Washington. Grandy complains that he's leaving Congress because he can't do his job due to the "schizophrenic signals" being sent to him by the voters. Joe, though, doesn't think it's the voters' fault at all. Rush agrees, adding that he spent much of Monday's show about this. He finds this arrogance to be amazing - the voters are being blamed for not realizing how great members of Congress really are. Joe says he met with Rep. Dick Durbin recently to fight against health care reform, given that it would cost the average fast food restaurant $50,000 a year. They can't raise their prices to cover all this, so that means restaurants either go out of business or at the very least, new restaurants don't get built. Joe was also asking Durbin about welfare reform because it's getting next to impossible to find employees. He hires people above minimum wage, but he can't keep employees; he'd be building more restaurants, but he can't find people to work. There's no more work ethic, and in some cases Joe ends up being the first person to discipline his workers. Joe would love to build more restaurants and make more money so as to buy more cigars, but he's finding the lack of workers to be a real problem. Rush asks what kind of cigars Joe smokes, and he replies Avo Number Fives, a Churchill-sized cigar. Rush thinks that's a fine choice, and he thanks Joe for calling about this. Rush notes that sometimes when he talks to other employers, he marvels at how unemployment isn't 30%, given the type of incompetence that exists in some employees. As to Washington's attempt to blame the voters, Rush thinks this will just backfire - it's what liberals think anyway, that the people are bumbling idiots who need liberal guidance on a daily basis, with liberals telling the people what to think and what to believe. When the people vote along with the liberals, of course, the people are smart, but should the people dare to disagree, the people become idiots overnight. However, the fact is that people living in Springfield, IL did not write the Lobby Reform and Disclosure Act of 1994, a bill so badly written that even those in Congress can't agree on what it says or would do. How can anyone vote for a bill when it's not clear what the bill says, but this is the kind of stuff that Congress is turning out. And it's not the people who are to blame for this. *BREAK* Vegetarian Bo Snerdley has brought his lunch of "health food": pea soup and fried cheese. Rush continues to marvel at what his call screener thinks is healthy food. Phone Albert from Los Angeles, CA Albert is a second-time caller, having first called right before the 1992 Republican Convention to suggest that George Bush withdraw from the Presidential race, opening up the convention. Rush remembers Albert's call, and Albert remarks that two years ago he had been thinking Jack Kemp would be a good choice to replace Bush. Albert is no longer so sure of this, though, because Jack Kemp has just come out against Proposition 187, the "Save Our State" initiative in California that would restrict educational, health care, and welfare benefits for illegal immigrants. Thus, Albert is bit disappointed about Kemp, given that California spends about $3 billion a year on these benefits, and the taxes paid by the illegal aliens don't being to pay for these programs. Rush says the statistics he saw said that the net cost of these benefits to California was about $1.8 billion a year. Albert says that the illegal aliens also ship their money down to Mexico, so they don't have any left, and that's why they go on welfare. He's disappointed in both Kemp and Bennett for their denunciation of this proposition, given that the people of California are fed up with being told that they are going to have to pay for liberals' compassion. Albert and a lot of others were infuriated at the protest of 70,000 people in Los Angeles last Sunday, and many of them were carrying Mexican flags. He thinks that the country has to start enforcing its immigration laws, and this means getting tougher on illegal immigrants. Rush says he got a copy of the statement that Jack Kemp, along with William Bennett, put out as to why they're opposed to Proposition 187. Rush won't have time to read this statement until the third hour's monologue, so he asks Albert to hang on through the next couple of breaks so as to get his response to it. *BREAK* Phone Janette from Fayetteville, NY Janette gives "mega-stay-at-home dittos," and thinks Rush is the "doctor of diction," so she thought he'd be interested in a definition she came across recently: "algorithm - a mathematical term; for example, you can win or tie every game of Tic-Tac-Toe by following a simple `Al-Gorithm': start in the middle and block every move made by your opponent." Rush thinks these are great and hopes that next time she calls, Janette looks up "poltroon." *BREAK* THIRD HOUR The Elway poll has nothing to do with football, but rather is a Washington state poll that has been keeping close tabs on the race between House Speaker Tom Foley (D-WA) and Republican George Nethercutt; the latest figures show Nethercutt leading Foley 49% to 38%. On either tonight's TV show or Thursday, Rush will show a clip of Foley speaking to the Rotary Club or something like it, and Foley promised them that if he's re-elected, he'll see to it that members of Congress have to obey the same laws they pass for everyone else. "What a guy!" Rush exclaims, taken over by Foley's magnanimousness. Rush has to wonder if Foley truly thinks this is campaign rhetoric which will send him back to DC; if anything, this is something that members of Congress should avoid mentioning, given that the people don't look kindly on those in Washington who don't think they have to obey the same rules as everyone else. ******** The statement issued by Jack Kemp and William Bennett about their opposition to California's Proposition 187 has caught some people by surprise, especially since Governor Pete Wilson has used the immigration issue to turn his deficit in the polls to a strong lead. Rush digresses to note that Governor Lawton Chiles (D-FL) and challenger Jeb Bush had a debate the other day, and Bush mopped up big. Chiles had repeatedly criticized the former governor Bob Martinez, whom Jeb Bush had served as Commerce Secretary. Chiles also attacked Tom Feeny, Bush's conservative running mate. In his closing statement, Bush stated the following: "Why do you have this Feeny fetish? You're not running against Tom Feeny, you're not running against Bob Martinez, and you're not running against my parents. Face it, Governor, you're running against Jeb Bush." Chiles got a bit testy at one point in the debate; he had persistently raised questions about possible financial improprieties in Bush's Miami business dealings, so Jeb Bush asked "don't you feel a sense of shame at rehashing matters that have been thoroughly scrutinized in the Florida press?" Chiles replied "it ain't scrutinized until I scrutinize it!" Chiles, of course, is the guy who thinks it would be better not to sell Florida orange juice as opposed to letting Rush sell it. Rush, though, has been to Florida several times over the past months and has seen how the press has scrutinized Jeb Bush; the coverage of Bush has been vicious. It's similar to how the New York press insists on referring to Mitt Romney as "millionaire Mitt Romney," without bothering to label Kennedy as "multimillionaire without having to work for it a day in his life Ted Kennedy." Similarly, the Florida press has examined Jeb Bush's finances so thoroughly that Rush is amazed Jeb Bush's poll numbers are still so good. Bush, though, kept his cool, never let the press get to him, but rather stayed rooted in his principles and kept focus. Thus, he looks like he might actually beat Chiles this year. Meanwhile, Ann Richards is crashing and burning in Texas, facing another son of President Bush, George W. Bush. Richards actually called George Bush a "jerk" for criticizing her and her record. Everyone, of course, is claiming that it's the "Bush money" that is funding the two Bush campaigns, and President Bush is even being criticized for campaigning for his sons. The November elections will thus be very interesting to see. Rush, noting the time, realizes that he hasn't enough time to read the Kemp/Bennett statement on Proposition 187, so he'll do so after the break. *BREAK* Phone Albert from Los Angeles, CA (continued) Rush reads three quick excerpts from the statement issued by Jack Kemp and William Bennett about California's Proposition 187. "At the same time, concerns about illegal immigration should not give rise to a series of fundamentally flawed, constitutionally questionable solutions which are not consonant with our history, which would prove ineffectual, and which would help contribute to a nativist and anti-immigration climate. We are concerned, too, that the line which should separate our attitude toward illegal and legal immigrants is being blurred, that the legitimate concerns about illegal immigrants broadening into an ugly antipathy towards all immigrants. "The vast majority of immigrants hold principles which the Republican party warmly embraces: an entrepreneurial spirit and self-reliance, hostility toward government intervention . . . <> . . . [previously the Republican party increased the] Democratic base in many of America's cities with its hostile stand towards the last generation of immigrants from Italy, Ireland, and other nations of Central Europe. Can anyone calculate the political cost of again turning away immigrants, this time turning away Asians, hispanics, and others? "And to reiterate a point we alluded to above, there is a myth that is driving much of the support for Proposition 187. The myth is that illegal immigrants are allowed by law to receive welfare benefits. In fact, under current law, illegal immigrants are already ineligible for publicly funded welfare assistance or food stamps, and they can already be criminally prosecuted for producing or obtaining fraudulent work permits. "Finally, Proposition 187 would be immediately enjoined by the courts. Both sides concede that it's unconstitutional because in 1982 the Supreme Court ruled that states cannot bar children, including children of illegal immigrants, from attending public schools. Proponents of Proposition 187 want to force a legal challenge; it will be several years before the court hears the case, and it's not likely to pass constitutional muster. In the meantime there will be no effective control on illegal immigration. "First the educational and medical care systems will have tremendous new regulatory burdens. They'll need to fill out new forms, send people to new training sessions, hire lawyers to be available to answer tricky questions about documents. Second, the state will spend hundreds of thousands of legal bills, bringing the case to the courts. Third, the state will undoubtedly be sued by immigrants who are wrongfully denied schooling or medical care based on previous Supreme Court decisions." Rush asks Albert for his reaction, and he replies "claptrap, nothing but sheer claptrap"; he's disappointed that Kemp and Bennett would come up with reasoning. As to the constitutional issues, aside from the fact that the courts are becoming more liberal, the initiative's proponents are certain the proposition will be upheld in the courts. Albert is a first-generation American, whose parents immigrated to America, but the issue is not immigration, but illegal immigration. Rush asks about the point Bennett and Kemp made that the wrath against illegal aliens is becoming an "anti-immigrant" sentiment that will harm legal immigrants, too. Albert says that if something isn't done about illegal immigration, this is exactly what will happen. The people are fed up with how laws are either not enforced at all, or enforced in ways that will please the special interests. The people of California are tired of living under this burden and paying this high cost; they simply think the government should enforce the law. This is not a racist issue, and 52% of hispanics in California support Proposition 187. Rush asks if this measure will force illegal immigrants into the Democratic party, but Albert doesn't care because illegal aliens don't vote. Besides, illegal aliens have no allegiance to this country, and they are just balkanizing the state. The liberals love the idea of illegal immigration, though, because it gives support to their idea that the country needs "multiculturalism." Rush adds that the left loves illegal immigration because it increases the power of the state that's expected to support them. This is an issue that's polarizing the nation, and the "nativists" mentioned by Bennett and Kemp think that the nation is being plundered and raped by those who have no intention of becoming citizens and becoming a part of America. Nativists are basically protectionists who argue that the country should first train its own citizens to access the opportunities of America before allowing everyone else in. Bennett and Kemp, though, would claim that it's the immigrants who are the most eager and capable of accessing the opportunities borne of America's freedom. These people have been so shackled by their own country that when they get to America, they work hard, both in business and in school. The argument is that most immigrants are not free-loaders with their hand out, but this is in contrast to the 70,000 protestors who demonstrated in Los Angeles Sunday demanding "gimmie, gimmie, gimmie." However, one should not think that the majority of immigrants are free-loaders. Even so, Proposition 187 is leading in the California polls by two to one, so it looks as if it will pass. If it does, though, it's a certainty that it will be challenged in court, if for no other reason because the Supreme Court ruled in 1982 that you can't deny access to public education to any children, even if they are the children of illegal immigrants. *BREAK* Items o As to Proposition 187, Rush notes that there are stories coming out about how illegal aliens arrive at the U.S. and head straight to a hospital for health care, which the hospitals in certain states are required by law to offer. If this is happening in California, and if because of a Supreme Court ruling, public schools are being forced to admit the children of illegal aliens, then isn't it proper for those who disagree with this to force the issue? Rush thinks so and adds that it's not "nativist" at all to want to eliminate policies that give away benefits and services to those who violate the law to come to America. Why aren't existing laws being enforced? Where was the INS during the protest of 70,000 against Proposition 187 in Los Angeles last Sunday? Immigration, though, is a debate and issue that will never go away. Rush recalls how a few years ago, he was driving his grandfather around Cape Girardeau, MO, and the topic of immigration came up. Rush's grandfather stunned Rush by revealing that his high school's debate topic in 1908 was about immigration and whether the influx of southern Europeans should be stopped. There were fears that these "dirty, filthy" immigrants would destroy American culture. Thus, immigration has been around for quite a while and will remain so. o The United States signed a "great" deal with North Korea about nuclear weapons. President Clinton hailed his "breakthrough" agreement as being good for the safety of the U.S. and the world; U.S. officials, however, conceded that North Korea could already have produced a nuclear bomb, but this agreement puts off for five years any international inspections of North Korean nuclear facilities. Even the Washington Post reports "Deal would allow Communist nation to keep key plutonium-making facilities for years," so what kind of deal is this? Why is the U.S. going to pick its nose for five years, letting North Korea possibly keep its nuclear weapons. o Morton Halperin is a special assistant to the President and senior director for democracy at the National Security Council; Halperin was denied a State Department appointment by the Senate, by the way, because of statements he had made in the past against the U.S. and in favor of Communist states. Halperin said yesterday that the United States' push for world-wide democracy has been "crippled by the lack of a bureaucracy to deal with it." Halperin said an entire institution was created to send a man to the moon, so "maybe we need the same thing for democracy." Rush, though, had thought this was what the purpose of what the United Nations was, but Halperin also complained "the United States government is not well structured to learn what is going on in the world." Thus, Halperin wants to create yet another new bureaucracy; shall this be the "Democracy Bureaucracy," with Halperin in charge? Phone Pat from Little Rock, CA Pat remarks that he told Snerdley "damn it, you're right," and he agrees with the previous caller who complained about how hard it was to get good workers. His girlfriend manages a restaurant, and she has to lead these people, who are in their 20s or older, around by the hand, pointing out what they should do next. They don't seem to think for themselves or have any initiative. Rush says this is an interesting topic, given that Generation X is a big discussion topic; a lot of people look at today's young people and see a bright, intelligent generation which will revolt against their parents' style of doing things. Others, though, such as today's callers comment that they are uneducated, incompetent kids. Pat suspects that this is due partly to the school system, but also due to how the government tries to make people dependent on it. Pat recalls how a few years ago there was a big scare about survivalists, painted as gun-waving, camo-clad nuts; however, Pat thinks the government was most afraid of how these were independent, self-sufficient people, who were not dependent on government. Those who aren't dependent on government can't be controlled, and that's what this is all about. Rush thinks this might be a big excessive, although there are certainly members of the political class who see independent people as a threat to their own political survival. A lot of people would agree with Pat, though, that when you spend years creating a dependency class, you end up with people who can't think for themselves or who have any initiative. However, Rush has also heard from many that the younger generation is very impatient and expects to have it all today, when they're 20, simply because they're Americans. It would be difficult, however, to typecast the younger generation - you've got good apples and bad apples, as in any generation, and hopefully the good apples of this generation will prevail. Phone Charley from Tampa, FL Charley loves Rush and his show, but he doesn't like how Rush promotes cigars. He has no problems with Rush smoking cigars himself, but doesn't think he should be talking about them and promoting them. "It's not a good thing, it's that simple!" he exclaims, fearing that Rush might be encouraging others to take up smoking. Charley is not a liberal or environmentalist wacko, but he doesn't think smoking of any form - cigarettes, cigars, or pipes - is a good thing. Rush agrees that cigarettes are pretty bad, but he doesn't advocate that others smoke; instead he talks to those who do. Rush has always said cigar smoking is one of the finer things in life, but he's not encouraging others to go out and try it. Plus, there is an anti-smoking gestapo out there trying to enforce its will on everyone else, which means smoking is also an issue of freedom. Rush admits that he has heard Charley's complaint from others, but he doesn't think cigar smoking is nearly as dangerous as anything you might inhale. As Rush is saying this, though, Bo Snerdley has lit a cigarette in defiance of his boss, but in any case there is the principle of freedom, and until smoking a cigar or cigarette is made illegal, then all the judgmentalism should be held back. Besides, if Rush lights up a cigar in his own studio, it is not harming anyone who listens to his program. Rush understands Charley's point, so he will take his suggestions under advisement, but it's unlikely Rush will change his cigar habits soon. He thanks Charley for calling. *BREAK* Phone Stefanie from Kansas City, MO Stefanie is a bit confused about the poll on charitable contributions - why poll the "hostages" on what they're contributing, when such contributions have been nationalized. Rush agrees this is a brilliant point - Clinton did refer to taxes as contributions, and Stefanie remarks that she'd love to collect the data on all the "checks" Clinton has made out to all the people he's visited in his travels as President; it seems that every time he goes out, he goes with his checkbook, too. Rush adds that if you now use Clinton's definition of "contributions," then contributions are indeed way up, thanks to Clinton's tax increases. Plus, these are forced contributions, so how can contributions be down? He recalls yesterday's caller from Denver who noted that he was paying more in taxes than ever, yet he's now being accused of not giving enough privately. Rush suspects this caller speaks for a lot of others, and thanks Stefanie for calling. Phone Marilyn from Dallas, TX Marilyn heard Lamar Alexander a couple of weeks ago remark on Meet the Press that the Congress had authorized a Secretary of Gender Equity. She recalls that in 1990, the Children's Defense Fund had Hillary Clinton as its director, and she was helped by Donna Shalala and Marion Wright Edelman; in 1990, CDF published a paper saying that white males "deserved" no more than 35% of the power in America, and their paper included a blueprint to make this happen. Marilyn thus thinks that since Rush is a law-abiding citizen, he should have only 35% of his callers be white males. After all, if Rush is going to obey the law in Clinton's America, he should be working hard to meet their desired Gender Equity laws. Rush remarks that Alexander was right in what he said, but notes that EIB has in the past devoted entire hours and shows to women callers. Rush thinks this would be easy to do this again, but Bo Snerdley obviously disagrees because he starts screaming. Rush ignores his call screener and notes that he really hasn't done any special shows like that since the 1992 campaign. Perhaps, though, EIB will try that again, and he thanks Marilyn for calling. *BREAK* Phone Dennis from Cincinnati, OH Dennis thinks one reason Clinton might not be getting any credit for the economic recovery is because the recovery started before he took office. The economy grew by 3.5% in 1992, but Bush didn't get any credit for it, so why should Clinton? Rush says that the fourth quarter of 1992 did have a phenomenal growth rate, and some people think that the normal business cycles were at work. Rush recalls saying that Clinton's economic policies would slow down the economy, and he thinks this will happen when the Clinton policies enter with their full force. Rush doubts, though, that any administration can do much to positively affect an economy unless it's with tax policies. Rush thanks Dennis for calling.