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Somebody's Gotta Say It, by Neal Boortz

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The Wrath

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As you may know, I am partial to Neal Boortz, despite his flaws, because of the endless hours of my previous job that became sufferable as a result of his entertaining and thought-provoking show.

I just finished his new book, and I recommend it to anyone here. It isn't perfect...aside from the typos (of which there are many), he briefly touches on immigration and his personal religious beliefs. As much as he harps on immigration on his show, you'd think he'd discuss it at length in this book, but all it gets is a single paragraph and a couple of other off-hand mentions. As for his religion...that mostly comes in a series of chapters that are dedicated to denouncing the religious right and their attempts at theocratic legislation. He just gives his own views to give the reader an idea of where he's coming from, but then goes on to denounce any legislation that is made as a result of religious beliefs.

The positives far outweigh the negatives. Before he delves into specific political issues, he writes a good deal on individualism. Here are some of my favorite quotes from these chapters:

“Do you exist for yourself as an individual? Or do you merely exist as a member of some group, ripe for exploitation by a collectivist society eager to use you to satisfy some vague idea of just what would serve the ‘greater good?”

“I can’t speak for you, but I am an individual. I exist for me, my family, and my friends�#8221;not for the state. I have individual likes and dislikes, wants and needs. Like you, I am unique, not merely a stamped-out variation of some larger group template.”

“Every single person in this country should loudly proclaim is or her status as a unique and rare human being.”

“You are not a tool of the state. You are not to be used as political cannon fodder for the elevation of a politician or political movement. You belong to you, certainly not to the government. Reclaim your ownership of yourself, and let these politicians know that you recognize and reject their war on the individual.”

He even throws an Ayn Rand quote in one of the opening chapters.

I was also pleased with how serious he seemed throughout the whole book. He cracks jokes here and there, but the book isn't nearly as tongue-in-cheek as I was expecting. All in all, he does a great job at denouncing the utter lunacy that makes up so much of what our government does. He harps on the Democrats more than the Republicans, but he also makes it clear that he's no fan of the Republicans. Nothing in this book is particularly new, but it's refreshing to read it presented (as the title suggests) in the way that it needs to be presented--that is, not candy-coated, politically-correct bullshit. He says it as bluntly as he possibly can, with no candy-coating and no apologies, which is exactly what this country needs.

P.S.

If you can read the chapter titled "Chasing Cats" without laughing out loud, then something is wrong with you.

Edited by Moose
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One of my favorite things that he has said is something along the lines, if you don't have the money, don't start a family! That's something I think we're now afraid to say to people today. Suppose someone said, "But I'm too stupid to raise a kid. I won't know what to feed him or how to take care of him. I'd just end up hurting him." Most people would probably have the gall to say, "Then you don't have the right to have a kid! You're incompetent and will only reneged on your responsibilities as a parent! The solution isn't for everyone else to take care of your kid, but for you to keep your pants on or wrap it in rubber." If someone said, "I'm too lazy. I just wouldn't be motivated enough to take care of a kid--I'd rather smoke weed and play video games," we would probably have no problem saying, "Then the government should take your kids away from you!" But for some reason, we balk when someone says, "I don't have the money to care for a kid." To adapt what Boortz has said, I don't have the money to finance a yacht--so I don't have any damn yachts in my driveway! But no, I'm sitting hear listening to author of Chutes and Ladders on NPR, hearing about how people on middle-aged people on minimum wage cannot support a family.

... Anyway, yeah. Good read. Indeed, somebody does have to say these things.

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