February 26, 2009 Show Line Up . . .

Are you ready to be entertained while you hear about politics, the economy, education, capitalism and free speech?  Let’s Pump Up the Volume!

Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter is an American political commentator, syndicated columnist, and best-selling author. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public and private events. Known for her controversial and confrontational style, Coulter has described herself as a polemicist who likes to “stir up the pot” and, unlike “broadcasters”, does not “pretend to be impartial or balanced”.

Coulter has made frequent guest appearances on many television and radio talk shows, including The Today Show, Hannity and Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, American Morning, Crossfire, Real Time with Bill Maher, Politically Incorrect, The Fifth Estate, The Sean Hannity Show, The Rush Limbaugh Show, and Mike Gallagher.

Her most recent book “Guilty Liberal “Victims” and Their Assualt on America

Let’s talk about Education and Public Schools.

We’ll hear different opinions this evening on how to tackle education. Our own Northampton County Superintendent Mr. Bowmaster is scheduled to join us.  Other guests this evening that will be discussing Education will be Chancellor Michelle Rhee from Washington D. C.’s public school system and also Neal P. McCluskey, Associate Director, Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute and Dan Lips from the Heritage Foundation.

“The U.S. spends more per pupil on elementary and high school education than most developed nations. Yet it is behind most of them in the math and science abilities of its children. Young Americans today are less likely than their parents were to finish high school. This is an issue that is warping the nation’s economy and security, and the causes are not as mysterious as they seem. The biggest problem with U.S. public schools is ineffective teaching, according to decades of research.

Rhee has promised to make Washington the highest-performing urban school district in the nation, a prospect that, if realized, could transform the way schools across the country are run. She is attempting to do this through a relentless focus on finding–and rewarding–strong teachers, purging incompetent ones and weakening the tenure system that keeps bad teachers in the classroom. This fall, Rhee was asked to meet with both presidential campaigns to discuss school reform. In the last debate, each candidate tried to claim her as his own, with Barack Obama calling her a “wonderful new superintendent.” Time 11/26/08

Neal McCluskey is the associate director of Cato’s Center for Educational Freedom. Prior to arriving at Cato, McCluskey served in the U.S. Army, taught high school English, and was a freelance reporter covering municipal government and education in suburban New Jersey. More recently, he was a policy analyst at the Center for Education Reform. McCluskey is the author of the book Feds in the Classroom: How Big Government Corrupts, Cripples, and Compromises American Education, and his writings have appeared in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Baltimore Sun, and Forbes. In addition to his written work, McCluskey has appeared on C-SPAN, CNN, the Fox News Channel, and numerous radio programs. McCluskey holds a master’s degree in political science from Rutgers University.

Dan Lips is a Senior Policy Analyst at The Heritage Foundation, where he researches and writes on federal and state education issues.

His research has been widely cited and he has appeared on major media outlets.   His commentaries have appeared in print and online venues such as National Review Online, The Houston Chronicle, and The Baltimore Sun. Lips also has testified before congressional and state legislative committees. In 2008, he was appointed to the D.C. State Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

On Free Speec and Protecting Capitalism from Eco-Tourism we’ll hear from Dr. Onkhar Ghate a senior fellow at the Ayn Rand Center. He teaches at the Institute’s Objectivist Academic Center, speaks on philosophy and Objectivism across North America, and publishes scholarly articles on Ayn Rand’s fiction and philosophy. His op-eds have been printed in many places, including the Houston Chronicle, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Providence Journal, the San Diego Business Journal, the Orange County Register, and BusinessWeek.com. He has given numerous  radio interviews, including BBC radio, and has appeared as a television guest on CNBC, KCET, Fox News Channel and the CBS Evening News. Dr. Ghate received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Calgary.   We’ll discuss his articles The Fear to Speak Comes to America’s Shores  and Who Will Defend Industry from Eco-Terrorism?

Worried about the Economy?  Let’s talk to

R. David Ranson, President and Director of Research at H.C. Wainwright Economics.

Prior to becoming a general partner of Wainwright in 1977, Mr. Ranson taught economics at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. He has been an assistant to then Treasury Secretary William E. Simon, and a member of George P. Shultz’s personal staff at the Office of Management and Budget. Prior to his service in Washington, he was a member of the Boston Consulting Group. David Ranson has addressed audiences and published articles on a wide range of economic and investment topics, and has provided testimony to a number of Congressional committees. His work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor and other publications. He holds an M.A. and B.Sc. degrees from Queen’s College, Oxford, and an M.B.A. in finance and a Ph.D. in business economics from the University of Chicago.

We will also hear the highlights from the interview with Prof. Richard Epstein from the University of Chicago School of Law on Zoning, Economics and Protectionism.

Think we’ll run out of time?  I wouldn’t have it any other way!

Thursday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Don’t miss a minute!

Northampton County Planning Commission Recommends Approval of the Zoning Ordinance to Board of Supervisors

After YEARS of review and in the face of an almost certain nationwide economic depression, the Northampton County Joint Local Planning commission tonight recommeded the Zoning Ordinance for approval to the Board of Supervisors – a plan that will DOWN ZONE all the commercial property in the county .  .  . a plan that contains NO MULTIFAMILY zoning by-right ANYWHERE in the county. . . a plan that will surely reduce the value of numerous properties throughout the county  WITHOUT WAITING FOR THE RESULTS OF THE  ECONOMIC ANALYSIS THAT WAS ORDERED AT A COST OF OVER $20,000.00 — the report is expected to be completed by mid-March.  This is the study that the public asked for over two years ago, the same study that was repeatedly represented WOULD be considered before recommendation  of the zoning ordinance by the NCJLPC to the BOS. 

There are no land hungry developers about to develop the last available stretch of farmland in the next three weeks.  Why weren’t they willing to wait for the study?  What is the rush?  A group of 11 people that can recommend sweeping changes to the land in the entire county with NO REGARD FOR THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF THOSE CHANGES??!!  IS THIS WHAT YOU EXPECT YOUR PLANNING COMMISSION TO DO?  ARE THEY REPRESENTING YOUR INTERESTS? 

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT  WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE TOWN REPRESENTATIVES, IT WAS THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS THAT APPOINTED THE MEMBERS TO THE STEERING COMMITTEE AND THE PLANNING COMMISSION TO CARRY OUT THEIR DESIRED AGENDA.

FOR THE RECORD, MYSELF, Mrs. Carter and Ms. Francis voted AGAINST the motion. (Mr. Gardiner was absent and Mr. Hughes had already resigned.)

Feb. 19 Show Lineup

Here is the line up for this weeks show:

Senator Ken Cuccinelli, II

Republican – District 37

Cuccinelli has been a strong conservative leader in the Virginia State Senate on issues such as fighting tax increases, protecting property rights, defending Second Amendment rights, fighting illegal immigration, protecting human life and traditional marriage, and keeping Virginia a low-regulation and pro-business state. He is a 2009 candidate for Attorney General of Virginia.

Dr. Eric Daniels 

Dr. Eric Daniels is a Research Assistant Professor at Clemson University’s Institute for the Study of Capitalism. He previously served as a postdoctoral fellow and visiting assistant professor at Duke University’s Program on Values and Ethics in the Marketplace, where he was nominated for a teaching award. In addition, Daniels has taught at the University of Wisconsin, where he earned his doctorate in American history. He has lectured internationally on the history of American ethics, American business and entrepreneurship, and the American Enlightenment. He has appeared on C-SPAN’s “American Writers” series and his articles have appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the San Diego Business Journal. Daniels’s other publications include a chapter in The Abolition of Antitrust and five entries in the Oxford Companion to United States History. Most recently, he co-authored the U.S. Economic Freedom Index, 2008 Report.

The Morality of Capitalism Despite the enormous success of American capitalism at producing material abundance and political freedom, critics continue their assault on the system, calling it immoral. In this lecture, Dr. Eric Daniels makes the case that capitalism is the only moral social system. He also examines the conventional defense of capitalism, which relies on the practical, economic argument, and illustrates why only a defense of pure laissez-faire capitalism can succeed.

Eric Daniels Defends Free Speech

 

Mr. Daniels favorite charity is the Ayn Rand Institute.

Congressman Glenn Carlyle Nye III (VA-02) is a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Virginia’s 2nd congressional district since 2009. He defeated two-term Republican incumbent Thelma Drake in the 2008 congressional election.

Nye was born in Philadelphia, but his family has lived in the Hampton Roads area for five generations. He grew up in Norfolk and graduated from high school at Norfolk Academy. A graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., he volunteered on medical education missions to the Middle East while in college. He began his foreign service career focusing on economic development in war-torn Eastern Europe while working for the U.S. Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Taxes,Spending and the Economy – Nye supports maintaining the Bush tax cuts ^[2] He also supports the balanced budget amendment to ensure better spending practices.^[3] 

Congressman Nye’s favorite charity is The Veterans Transition House.

Alexandra Harney (Author) will join us to discuss her new book: The China Price : The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage

Dreaded by competitors, the China price has become the lowest price possible, the hallmark of China’s incredibly cheap, ubiquitous manufacturers. Financial Times editor Harney explores the hidden price tag for China’s economic juggernaut. It’s a familiar but engrossing tale of Dickensian industrialization.

Randal O’Toole is author of “The Best Laid Plans”, In the 1990s, O’Toole emerged as an outspoken critic of New Urbanist design and smart growth strategies. O’Toole contends that these development strategies—in which regulatory measures and tax incentives are employed to encourage denser development, more efficient land use, and greater use of public transportation—ignore the desires and preferences of most housing consumers and ultimately waste public funds.Randal O’Toole is a Cato Institute Senior Fellow working on urban growth, public land, and transportation issues.  He is an American economist and public policy analyst. He has held the position of director at the Oregon-based Thoreau Institute since 1975. Since 1995, he has been associated with the Cato Institute as an adjunct scholar. The majority of O’Toole’s work has focused on environmental policy, particularly public land use and regional and urban development.

 O’Toole is the author of numerous Cato papers. He has also written for Regulation magazine as well as op-eds and articles for numerous other national journals and newspapers. He also has a daily blog called The Antiplanner. O’Toole travels extensively and has spoken about free-market environmental issues dozens of cities.  he is also the author of:

The Planning Penalty

How Smart Growth Makes Housing Unaffordable

Smart growth and other land-use restrictions cost U.S. homebuyers at least $275 billion in 2005. This conclusion is based on several measures of housing affordability in more than 300 metropolitan areas. The 48-page report finds that high housing prices are almost always due to government planning rules that prevent homebuilders from meeting the demand for new homes. Such rules cause prices to increase much faster than incomes, which quickly makes housing unaffordable.

O’Toole has held fellowships at Yale University, and served as a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley and Utah State University.

One of Mr. O’Toole’s favorite charities is American Dream Coalition. The American Dream Coalition’s mission is to support citizens and organizations that promote the American Dream of freedom, mobility, and affordable homeownership.

Will we run out of time again?  You betcha ~ don’t miss a minute!

Show Notes Jan. 29, 2009

We were first joined by our own Virginia Delegate Lynwood Lewis.  He shared with us the typical day in the life of a legislator and we discussed some of his current initiatives.  His visit was cut short due his being called back into a committee meeting, we hope he can join us again soon.

Riveting! That is the word that comes to mind when I try to describe my conversation with Prof. Richard Epstein.  A quick perusal of the list of books this man has authored will give you some insight into how dynamic a speaker he is: How the Progressives Rewrote the Constitution (2006); Free Markets under Siege: Cartels, Politics and Social Welfare (Hoover Institution Press, 2005), Skepticism and Freedom: A Modern Case for Classical Liberalism (2003); Principles for a Free Society: Reconciling Individual Liberty with the Common Good (1998); Mortal Peril: Our Inalienable Right to Health Care? (1997); Simple Rules for a Complex World (1995); Bargaining with the State (1993); Forbidden Grounds: The Case against Employment Discrimination Laws (1992); and Takings: Private Property and the Power of Eminent Domain (1985). Epstein is also the editor of Cases and Materials in the Law of Torts (8th ed. 2004) and has written a one-volume treatise, Torts (1999). 

Our main focus this show was property rights and also the intrinsicly false thinking behind zoning and government protectionism that stem from a naive understanding of economics that leads planners and supervisors to champion restrictive zoning that will ultimately strangle the areas where it is imposed.   Richard A. Epstein,  probably has a better understanding of property rights, zoning and its relation on economics then all the planners and supervisors put together.  He is the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, is the Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Member, Property Rights, Freedom, and Prosperity Task Force.  A Cato Institute Adjunct Scholar, his resume is impressive and far too long to list here so please visit: http://www.hoover.org/bios/epstein.html

Then Steven Minor the Accomack County Administrator  http://www.co.accomack.va.us/index2.html joined us to discuss new happenings in the county.  I am very very envious as to the number of jobs that Accomack County has the opportunity to attract in the face of this looming recession.  Kudo’s to you all and here’s hoping that you get your zoning in order in time to actually snare those potential jobs!  If only Northampton wanted to have that type of opportunity.  But alas, your potential business endeavors do not include agriculture, aquaculture or tourism so they probably didn’t want them anyway.  Right?!

Phil Dunn and Bob Savage shared their expertise in well and septic requirements.  Mike Starling answered survey questions.

Finally, H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS, http://eteam.ncpa.org/about/sterling-burnett one of the country’s leading authorities on energy and environmental issues. He is the lead analyst of the National Center for Policy Analysis’ E-Team — one of the largest collections of energy and environmental policy experts and scientists who believe that sound science, economic prosperity and protecting the environment can go hand in hand.Burnett routinely discusses energy and environmental policy on national television and radio networks. 

Jan. 29, 2009 Show Schedule

Ok, let’s PUMP UP THE VOLUME with some talk about Economics & Property Rights.  Our first guest, Richard A. Epstein,  the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, is the Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and Member, Property Rights, Freedom, and Prosperity Task Force.  A Cato Institute Adjunct Scholar, his resume is impressive and far too long to list here so please visit: http://www.hoover.org/bios/epstein.html

Then we’ll be joined by our own Virginia Delegate Lynwood Lewis.  Del. Lewis has a number of initiatives he is working on for 2009.  Call in and share your questions or concerns.

Steven Minor the Accomack County Administrator will be on deck to discuss new happenings in the county.

Phil Dunn and Bob Savage have some serious expertise in well and septic requirements.  Mike Starling can answer any survey or subdivision plat question you might have.  Put that expertise together and let’s chat about the difficulty and negative impact the proposed zoning ordinance in Northampton county could have on the residents there.

Finally, H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., Senior Fellow at NATIONAL CENTER FOR POLICY ANALYSIS  is one of the country’s leading authorities on energy and environmental issues.  (Oh? What’s that you say ~ you hadn’t heard that 2008 was the COOLEST since 2000?!  C’mon folks, take a deep breath and remember that Climate CHANGES.  If the ‘man made’ global warming scenario were indeed true we wouldn’t have had a COOLER year.  Sorry, I’m not buying into it, explain it as you will we’ll still come back to a simple truth.  COOLING is not warming ~ it’s COOLER. Climate goes in cycles, so CHILL out already!) He is the lead analyst of the National Center for Policy Analysis’ E-Team — one of the largest collections of energy and environmental policy experts and scientists who believe that sound science, economic prosperity and protecting the environment can go hand in hand.Burnett routinely discusses energy and environmental policy on national television and radio networks, including CNN Headline News, Fox News, and CNBC. His commentaries and articles have appeared in publications such as USA Today, The Washington Times, Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Rocky Mountain News, and the Miami Herald.
 

 Whew ~  I’ll just admit right now that we’ll probably run out of time yet again!  Tune in — don’t miss a minute! Thursday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.