RUSH: Here’s Mark in Norfolk, Virginia, as we go back to the phones. Well, not ‘go back.’ We’re just starting. Mark, it’s great to have you here. It’s nice to have on you at EIB Network, sir. Hello.
CALLER: Thank you, Rush. Thanks for manning the EIB chair on this holiday.
RUSH: Thank you, sir.
CALLER: Question. You know in general, Rush, looking at NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, do you know roughly how much the talking heads make in income a year?
RUSH: Well, yeah. I can guesstimate it, based on the famous faces that you know. You want to know the numbers?
CALLER: Yeah, roughly.
CALLER: The reason why I say that, Rush, is that I believe — if my recollection is correct — that in the first round of TARP money, those particular networks, of course, are owned by GE. I believe that GE took taxpayer money, took TARP money, and if that’s the case, Rush, why are taxpayers…?
RUSH: Wait a second. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I just can’t go on speculation here. I just can’t, because GE’s not a bank, and only banks got it.
CALLER: Well, yeah, but see, remember that about 55% of GE’s revenue comes from GE Capital.
RUSH: Oh, yeah!
CALLER: It comes from the financial side.
RUSH Oooooooooooooooh m’yeah!
CALLER: They make lots and lots of loans.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: They have lots and lots of money outstanding.
RUSH: That had totally slipped my mind out there. You are right.
CALLER: Well, my question is, if that’s the case, Rush, why are taxpayers being asked to subsidize these exorbitant salaries? Can’t these people give some back? Can’t they do with less? Why are we as taxpayers subsidizing them —
RUSH: Yeah, because —
CALLER: — especially when their ratings are going down?
RUSH: This is an excellent observation by Mark in Norfolk, Virginia. I think there should be a cap on the salaries.
CALLER: Totally.
RUSH: Brian Williams ought to not be able to make more than a million and a half.
CALLER: Five hundred thousand dollars.
RUSH: Well, that’s the bonus. That’s the bonus.
CALLER: But his ratings are going down, so obviously they’re not doing their job.
RUSH: Well, actually that’s not true. Brian, NBC Nightly News, had a pretty good week.
CALLER: Ah. How about MSNBC?
RUSH: Well, now, that’s a different thing. For that, we’re talking pure Thomas Crapper.
CALLER: Uh-huh.
RUSH: Since there’s no Bush to lambaste, and of course —
CALLER: Right.
RUSH: — they’re trying to replace Bush with me, but I’m not an unlikable hate figure.
CALLER: (laughs) Yes.
RUSH: I mean, they just can’t gin up all this hatred for me because I have too many members of the audience here who know the truth. I mean, I’m loved and adored by all those who regularly listen, like you.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: And there’s nobody in the media could say anything about me to those of you who know me that’s going to change your opinion of me.
CALLER: That’s very true, Rush. One more question, if I might, if I may.
RUSH: Yes, yes.
CALLER: I know this number is tossed around, but I like to see it a little differently, and that is the Porkulus bill. We know that eventually it’s going to be paid back by income taxpayers. Social Security is not going to pay it back. It’s going to come from the income tax. I would love to know how much broken down this is going to cost each taxpayer. Not each person in the country, but how much this adds up to per income taxpayer. It would be rather illuminating.
RUSH: Well, I’ve seen some numbers of what the share is.
CALLER: I think per household. I’ve seen per person, but I mean per income payer, because as you know people there are not that many people in this country anymore that actually pay income tax.
RUSH: Right. Well, no, no, no. There’s still quite a few, but it’s a dwindling number, and —
CALLER: It is.
RUSH: — it’s been made even less, even smaller by the Porkulus bill.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: I think your question, however, is flawed.
CALLER: Really?
RUSH: (laughs) You really expect any of this to be paid back?
CALLER: Well, somebody, perhaps my children or my grandchildren.
RUSH: Nobody is going to be able to pay it back! Their tax rates are going sky-high, no question about it, but they’re not going to pay anything back because these clowns are not going to stop spending it.
CALLER: Good point.
RUSH: I saw something over the weekend. I’ve gotta researcher this for myself to see if this is true, but supposedly, the combined obligations of the United States government, not just the national debt.
CALLER: Fifty-five trillion.
RUSH: It’s larger than the combined GDP of the rest of the world.
CALLER: I saw that.
RUSH: What we owe is larger than the combined GDP of the other nations in the world!
CALLER: When you add the Social Security implied indebtedness and whatnot, I think that’s true.
RUSH: No question about it. Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, all of these things.
CALLER: Mmm-hmm. All the bailouts.
RUSH: And we’re just going to continue to print money. It’s the only way they’re going to be able to pay for these things. At some point… At some point, it’s going to implode.
CALLER: Yeah, I think inflating our way out of it is the only hope that they are looking for. That’s the only way.
RUSH: Yeah. Well, guess who gets creamed with that?
CALLER: Everybody who has any kind of savings.
RUSH: Yeah, everybody.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Whether they got savings or not. Your income is less.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: Prices of everything goes up. Now, inflation’s, that’s —
CALLER: Calm right now. It’s under control now.
RUSH: (chuckling)
CALLER: But a year from now, two years from now, watch out.
RUSH: Yeah, inflation is under control.
CALLER: For now.
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: For now. (laughs)
RUSH: Right.
CALLER: Give it a year.
RUSH: I’m looking at all these price drops out there on day-to-day things.
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: Cars are coming down a little bit. Let’s see. Gasoline’s down.
CALLER: Then, of course, homes. Real estate.
RUSH: (interruption) Electronics? Well, that’s just because people like me buy the expensive stuff, Snerdley, in electronics, making it affordable for the rest of you.
CALLER: (laughs)
RUSH: I had somebody pitch me… I was told, for example, just six months ago, my audio-video guys said, ‘You’ve got a state-of-the-art rear projector for your 16-foot screen in my media room. There’s only one other projector like this in a customer’s home in the country. It’s in California.’
So I get an e-mail from these guys. ‘Guess what? There’s a new projector out, five times the resolution. It goes beyond 1080p. The manufacturer wants to bring it to your house and demo it, and they wouldn’t waste their time on that if it weren’t noticeable to your eye.’
Now, I have one of only two projectors already supposedly state-of-the-art in homes in the country today. And already, already they’re coming back at me to get this new thing into production, because if I don’t buy it, who will? And then the price will never get down to ten or twelve thousand from the current 180!