RUSH: Indiana on the highways of Ohio. Welcome to Open Line Friday. Great to have you here.
CALLER: Ah, thank you, Rush. Good afternoon. I’ve got a couple of quick comments about this economy, and the unemployment. Of course the economy is gonna get better, of course the employment right is going to go up because it’s the fourth quarter. I mean look at the fourth quarter: You’ve got Halloween, you have Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. It always goes up. It’s kind of a cyclic thing every year. Wait ’til January, February, and, you know, let it roll around to where they jump all these jobs from the seasonal and see what happens then.
RUSH: You’re talking about temporary seasonal jobs and hires.
CALLER: Correct. It’s still gonna change.
RUSH: Yeah, but here’s the thing. I like to have people prepared, I like to have your spine steeled, and that distinction is not going to be made by the State-Controlled Media. That’s not even gonna be referenced. It’s gonna be, “The economy’s back! It took longer than we thought, but Obama’s policies are working!” That’s what’s coming.
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RUSH: This is Gordon in Great Falls, Montana. Great to have you on the program. Hello.
CALLER: Hey, Rush. How you doing?
RUSH: Very well, sir. Thank you.
CALLER: Hey, look, I was reading an article you mentioned at the Heritage Foundation about the flat tax over in Russia. Why haven’t we looked at this? We looked at it in the past, I know, but talking about the GOP candidates. You know, Herman Cain and also Rick Perry coming out with his flat tax. Why haven’t we looked at his plan, you know, what he’s done over there, what Russia has done over in their country, and why haven’t we looked at it a little bit closer?
RUSH: Why haven’t we looked at Russia’s flat tax plan?
CALLER: Yeah.
RUSH: I don’t know. I don’t even know what it is.
CALLER: Well, they started the plan that they implemented was about a Russian — Russian — just in Russian president, Putin, put they put in I think it was a 13% flat tax.
RUSH: Well, why should we look at there’s when we’ve got a couple candidates proposing their own? We’ve got the FairTax; we’ve got the flat tax. Perry’s got his version of it. What do you like about the Russian tax?
CALLER: Not necessarily what do I like about it but why don’t we take a look what they’re doing and see what works and how it works and —
RUSH: Well, because we’re too busy looking at what the ChiComs are doing. That’s what Obama wants to emulate.
CALLER: (chuckles) I would certainly hope that one of the candidates would maybe mention it. Nobody’s ever mentioned what they’re doing and at least there’s one country there that’s got a flat tax that we can look at, and I think other countries once Russia started their flat tax have pursued that as well.
RUSH: Well, I do remember the Heritage story on the Russian tax. I remember. It’s a long time ago. I remember the story, something about their tax and their economy was — revenue generated by it was at an all-time high. I can’t tell you why the Republicans don’t do or do do things. I’m not one of them. I can tell you why Obama’s not interested in it and I can tell you why the Democrats aren’t interested in it and that is they’re not interested in things that generate revenue. The Democrats, they don’t care about deficits. As a talking point they will say, “Well, if we’re gonna cut that tax over there, we have to pay for it somewhere else.” They do not want to lose any revenue, but they’re not concerned about raising it. That’s not their purpose for the tax code. Their purpose the tax code is growing government and usurping individual liberty and freedom. Now, as to why the Republicans don’t incorporate the Russian plan, I don’t know. I haven’t the slightest idea.
Jordan in Daytona Beach, welcome to the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: Hey, Rush, it’s great to speak to you today.
RUSH: Thank you very much.
CALLER: My comment for you is: We shouldn’t be letting the left define “greed” as the people who use superior talents and abilities to achieve wealth. Instead we should turn it around and define greed as being the people who vote for politicians based on the sole principle of who is going to give them the most money out of someone else’s paycheck.
RUSH: Yeah. This is a good point. The greed… You know, I hear politicians talking about greed. The greed in this country resides in two places, Washington — and of course you’re right, maybe three places. The greed of the people who expect to be given things from other people, but then greedy academics. Look at these people! Look at how they benefit from rising tuition and all of the other added finances that institutions of higher learning get. The greed is everywhere. They are attempting to say that people who want to keep more of what they earn is greed, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. But, again, the reality of definitions is not their point. This is character assassination and basically other attempts here to denigrate conservatives and Republicans, because it’s worked in the past. The media picks it up, runs with it, and so the “greedy” are now considered to be the people who work and who are achieving and want to keep what they earn. The greedy are not those who want to take it from them, and you’re right: It’s just the exact opposite.
Mary in Soldiers Grove, Wisconsin, Open Line Friday. You’re next. Hello.
CALLER: Hi, Rush. Thanks for taking my call.
RUSH: You bet.
CALLER: My husband and I are a small business, and in 2008, the year Obama got elected, first quarter unemployment I paid $2800. In 2011, first quarter, based upon the same amount of payroll I’m paying over $14,000. Plus I got hit with a $938 assessment based on interest owing to the federal government that Wisconsin had to pay.
RUSH: Let me make sure I understand this. Before Obama was elected your unemployment insurance payment was $2800, and now it’s over $14,000? Is that a year or a month?
CALLER: A quarter. Per quarter.
RUSH: A quarter.
CALLER: Yes.
RUSH: So the amount you pay for unemployment compensation for your employees, if they need it, is $14,000 a quarter?
CALLER: Correct.
RUSH: Wow.
CALLER: Yes. And then I’ve had three people in the past year turn down jobs saying that I was not offering them enough money to get off of unemployment. People forget that employers pay unemployment. We pay based on payroll taxes to the state level.
RUSH: They don’t think that. They think Obama’s paying for it. They think the federal government’s paying for unemployment, and for 99 weeks — and you’re exactly right. Unemployment is so high now that there are people to whom it’s a much better deal to stay on unemployment than to go get a job.
CALLER: Also, Rush, I wanted to point out a lot of schools encourage kids to take out student loans. Quote, “it helps their credit rating.”
RUSH: Yeah.
CALLER: And they encourage them to do it. They don’t sit back and say, “Why don’t you get a job going to school?” They now require unpaid internship, community service before you can get your graduation, and they encourage them not to work.
RUSH: That’s right. “Go ahead and get a loan, establish your credit rating, go to school. That guarantees that the money you borrow we will get.” It’s a racket.
CALLER: Rush, thank you so much for taking my call.
RUSH: You are welcome.
CALLER: You have a good day.
RUSH: You do the same.