RUSH: Monroe, Michigan, and Laurie. Laurie, did you call us earlier and we didn’t get to you and you got back through today? Is that how this happened?
CALLER: Yeah, yeah, I called you on Wednesday, and first I have to say, mega dittos, Rush! It’s so exciting to say that. I used to think you were this huge windbag until my neighbor influenced me to listen to you, and I was converted September 2004 to hard-core conservatism.
RUSH: Well, thank you. Welcome home. I have to ask, though.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Why did you think I was a windbag?
CALLER: Well, I must admit. I was a liberal. I listened to what everybody else told me about you. I listened to Dan Rather. I listened to all those idiots out there, and I don’t listen anymore. I do not watch TV for my news. You and Sean Hannity are my news. Frank Beckmann from WJR, Paul W. Smith, that’s my news.
RUSH: Well, I rejoice over these kind of stories, because people always, ?You know, Rush, you gotta branch out. All you?re doing is preaching to the choir.?
CALLER: No, no, no, no. I was hard-core liberal. In fact, my husband used to call me a closet liberal.
RUSH: Were you a feminazi?
CALLER: Oh, I don’t think I went that far, but I was hard for women’s issues and things, and I’m a registered nurse, so I have the social doctrine there, too.
RUSH: Yeah. You know what my guess is? My guess is you think or thought you were a hard-core liberal, but you probably weren’t as liberal as you thought you were once you got educated —
CALLER: Maybe.
RUSH: — on what conservatism really is.
CALLER: Of course that must be it because I’ve been listening to the Limbaugh Institute, and I have been educated!
RUSH: Well, we’re happy to have you here as a great success story. It?s another notch in the belt here.
CALLER: There’s one thing I do want to talk about. That Iraq soldier who called, and you were talking about 7,000 deaths by poorly written orders from doctors and things?
RUSH: Yes.
CALLER: Well, I do want to let you know that estimate is — I just got done taking a course on it, 44,000 to 88,000 Americans die in hospitals as a result of medical errors each year. That’s even higher.
RUSH: Okay, that statistic that I had was 7,000 people die from improperly filled prescriptions because the pharmacist can’t read.
CALLER: Well, yes. That’s probably it. But the total in hospital, 44,000 to as much as 98,000 Americans die in hospitals each year as a result of medical errors. I just got done taking a test on that. So that’s another bit of information for you.
RUSH: That sounds high, but I’ll accept it since you’re a nurse.
CALLER: Well, you can definitely look it up. It’s definitely proven.
RUSH: Well, you can look anything up. All right, time is dwindling here —
CALLER: Okay, okay, what I’m calling for, that one individual was talking about one coupon, he wants a coupon for the gas companies, I could get one from the pizzeria, how come not from the oil companies? Well, BP gas company, the credit card does give rebates. We get 5% on all BP location gas, 2% rebate on traveling and dining, 1% on eligible purchases and once you earn your purchases you can receive a BP gift card or receive a check. There’s no limit on the amount of rebates.
RUSH: I heard this. I heard this from people, people who have a Shell Oil credit card —
CALLER: Yeah, everybody does it.
RUSH: Use the Shell credit card, get 5% off on the purchase —
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: They do offer discounts.
CALLER: We saved $275 last year.
RUSH: But, and I love the oil companies — don’t misunderstand the question — what’s the interest rate on the unpaid balance?
CALLER: Well, we pay it off. I don’t even look at that.
RUSH: Okay.
CALLER: I gotta tell you something else, too. My husband and I consciously boycott Citgo because of that little dictator, Hugo Chavez. Why don’t these individuals who despise the oil company profits boycott, walk everywhere, then they can help the —
RUSH: Because Chavez is providing heating oil for poor —
CALLER: I know.
RUSH: — old Bostonians, thanks to Bill Delahunt. He’s a socialist dictator; liberals love him.