Rush Limbaugh, 1951 to 2021

At the age of 70, radio host Rush Limbaugh died of lung cancer early Wednesday morning, after having been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer a year prior.

Yes, before the question is even asked, Rush Limbaugh was a smoker, first of cigarettes and then of cigars.

So I’d like to take you on a journey to more fully understand and appreciate Rush Limbaugh.

That’s the point of writing this. Because I too was in radio for a number of years, both in AM and FM as a proverbial musical “disc jockey” and also in talk radio, as well as various forms of support to include Traffic Reporter, FM Programmer, News Editor — all at KFBK — and Station Manager, Program Director, Promotions Director, and on-air talent at numerous other stations.

Rush Limbaugh was a radio icon, a great supporter of America, and single-handedly responsible for providing a voice to Conservatives who, heretofore, were mostly voiceless.

America discovered Rush had passed away when his wife Kathryn spoke at the beginning of his Wednesday show, February 17th.

Here is her statement presented on YouTube, if you cannot play the above.

And that is how we discovered that a true American icon had died.

Rush Limbaugh’s last show was on Tuesday, February 2nd, where he was able to provide us with two hours of broadcasting excellence.

For his last words from the EIB studio, start at 1:52:50.

His last words were “see you all next time.” And we will. Just not in the radio format.

Radio on KFBK in August of 1986. Note the reel-to-reel tape deck, the voluminous cart rack, and the Shure SM7 microphone. Producer Kitty O’Neal talks with the then-35-year-old Rush Limbaugh.

I wrote about Rush on my blog back in 2006:

Rush Limbaugh provided the voice and the venue for those of a Conservative bent and a movement was started. There are those who would credit the political process itself for the Right finding its voice — and certainly the Ronald Reagan years should not be discounted as it was during the temper of these times that Rush Limbaugh worked his way to syndication in 1988.

From there the culture wars may have officially begun. After literally decades of ruling all forms of media and, moreover, its content, liberals were most chagrined to discover AM radio shortly became the bastion of conservatives. It took literally years for the Left to even attempt inroads to AM radio via Air America — and we all know how solvent and powerful Air America is currently.

From there, the internet blossomed. Conservatives took to the net like fish to water. This in turn led to various conservative magazines with links to the internet, Fox News and, most recently, to my venue — the blog. Conservatives are big in the Blogosphere.

As grew the voice of Conservatives, so the Left and liberals felt (because, let’s face it, they were) more challenged. Not everything they said and espoused was accepted by rote. Persons actually had, egads, the temerity to speak up and attempt to refute what the MSM said and wrote. And, egads, it was proven time and again that the MSM occasionally seemed to omit some very salient things from their stories — some people call them facts.

Mind you, this is me in 2006. Only two years after I started my blog in 2004.

Liberals then, during that transition and now (witness this book and others) feature themselves the victims in this heinous and oppressive power grab by the Right.

What happened is this: common people found a voice. They found an outlet for their frustrations. People from the heartland. People from the working class who wanted to get ahead and didn’t want the government to do it for them. People who wanted to be left alone to prosper. People who believe in Capitalism and believe that hard work should yield benefits. People who believe in a higher being as did our Founding Fathers, who believed in justice, in ethics and morals.

So in truth, Conservatives haven’t “fought back” — they just had the gall to voice their beliefs and concerns in a way they never had before.

And that’s what’s threatening to liberals.

It began with a word: information. And the dissemination of and access to information.

Because it’s all about the power and, for the first time in recent political memory, around 1988, the Democrats didn’t have an absolute stranglehold on the control of information and, consequently, their power diminished. Because, after all, information is power and where politics are concerned, it’s always about power and money.

When did this begin? What dynamic changed the situation?

In my opinion, it wasn’t a dynamic, it was a person. One little bitty radio person who started a talk show on KFBK in my home town, Sacramento, Fornicalia. Rush Limbaugh.

Rush Limbaugh gave voice to an entire generation, and to generations after, an entire strata of persons who thought they had no voice, who had no idea there were so many others just like themselves. Conservatives began to realize: I’m not alone.

Perhaps I’m simplifying things but I think not; Rush started an actual revolution of conservative self-realization — a very important concept and a base upon which was built subsequent generations of conservative talk show hosts attempting to capitalize on Rush’s success, his cash and, more importantly, fundamentally conservative leanings.

Rush Limbaugh created, particularly in 1988 when his national syndication took off, a starting point for a trend that has mutated into an entirely new paradigm of how we, as Americans, access and process our news and information. And how we have become much more politically aware of what goes on about us.

Make no mistake: Leftist dogma is every bit a religion; Leftists believe the greatest enemy is the United States. We already know how that goes. We saw it with the Leftist-Anarchist Summer of Hate in 2020.

So I submit that where we are now is because, in great part, to Rush Limbaugh. Not in a negative fashion, but in a positive fashion.

Because if Conservatives never found a voice, the Republicans would be in even worse, smashed, pounded, shape than they are now. And moreover, Conservatives, as individuals, as groups, would possibly have continued to evolve at a much slower pace.

Rush Limbaugh is that important to two critical areas:

  • The format of radio — as an effective communications tool which could, simultaneously, inform, entertain, and poke fun, and
  • Republicans and Conservatives finding their own voice and, once found, using that voice to advance Conservative thought and agendas

So make no mistake, Rush Limbaugh was a Republican but — then — a Conservative mover and shaker.

I tried to think of all the bullet points that would be applicable to Rush Limbaugh, otherwise I’d simply have to write a book. Here goes:

  • It could be said that Rush Limbaugh revitalized all of AM radio, which had been drying up courtesy of the FM radio challenge.
  • As AM radio was “dying” Limbaugh single-handedly brought it back during what might be considered “the worst of times” for Conservatives as President Clinton was in office in 1992 — despite that his listenership exploded.
  • I could say that without Limbaugh there might not have been House control in 1993, as Speaker Newt Gingrich confirms.
  • He made politics fun, with parodies of himself and others.
  • Just as he was eternally optimistic, he showed us all that, overall, Conservatives are much more optimistic, happy and, more importantly, oriented towards creativity and building.
  • He emphasized that contrast so it became obvious that Leftists are negative, unhappy, and focus on destruction.
  • He emphasized that America is fundamentally decent, good, caring and charitable.
  • He shared some characteristics with President Trump, insofar as he was the initial outsider, a trend setter, who spoke his mind and was attacked for it.
  • He said, of the American people, “simply get out of their way and let them triumph.”
  • Limbaugh was self-taught. He had no college. He failed any number of times and kept going, persevered, and got better and more facile with each radio job.
  • Rush Limbaugh paved the way for Fox News, which went live in October of 1996.
  • It could be said he cleared the way for President Trump — whom he supported.
  • His clear key was: “I simply validated what everyone already felt.”

So who was “everyone” to Rush Limbaugh? Was it the elites? I submit: No. It was the same people for whom President Trump fought. The average working man or woman, who pulled a wage, paid taxes, whose “paint job” didn’t matter — but who was voiceless, ignored, used like a Kleenex and then thrown away first by Demorats and then by Republicans today — which is more than abundantly clear.

What were some of the attributes that you felt Rush Limbaugh possessed?

And what did Rush Limbaugh mean to you?

For that matter, what does radio in general mean to you?

But things didn’t just start at KFBK in Sacramento. It took Rush Limbaugh twenty years to even get there. And “there” was in fact the “50,000 watt flame thrower” of AM radio stations, as KFBK was licensed back when AM stations could be licensed for 50,000 watts of power.

Limbaugh dropped out of college in 1971 and then was subsequently fired from four radio stations. He got involved with sales with the Kansas City Royals in 1979, then went back to radio in 1983. He was fired after a year then, two weeks later, got hired by KFBK to replace Morton Downey Jr, who called a local politician a “chink.”

Here’s a Rush Limbaugh aircheck from 1974, at station KQV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Limbaugh’s first show on KFBK was October 14th of 1984. An ominous year, yes? 1984?

But it was the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine—which had required that stations provide free air time for responses to any controversial opinions that were broadcast—by the FCC on August 5, 1987, meant stations could broadcast editorial commentary without having to present opposing views.

Daniel Henninger wrote, in a Wall Street Journal editorial, “Ronald Reagan tore down this wall (the Fairness Doctrine) in 1987 … and Rush Limbaugh was the first man to proclaim himself liberated from the East Germany of liberal media domination.”

The end of government-mandated “fairness” — translated: equity. Guaranteed equal outcomes. Not guaranteed opportunity.

Limbaugh failed and failed a number of times. KGO in San Francisco turned him down. But he persevered because doing radio was something he loved, had a passion for.

Limbaugh became syndicated in 1988, left KFBK, and continued on, first to WABC in New York — the proverbial big time — creating millions of listeners per year.

Here is an April 29th, 1993 re-broadcast of Rush Limbaugh from KFBK. This, by the way, was Bill Clinton’s 100th day in office.

From there, any number of controversies occurred.

Limbaugh lasted a few weeks as an ESPN commentator in 2003. Then stated the obvious.

I don’t think he’s been that good from the get-go. I think what we’ve had here is a little social concern in the NFL. I think the media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. They’re interested in black coaches and black quarterbacks doing well. I think there’s a little hope invested in McNabb and he got a lot of credit for the performance of his team that he really didn’t deserve. The defense carried this team

“Social concern”? Rush Limbaugh nailed “Social Justice” before there was such a thing. And frankly, as history proved, McNabb wasn’t that good. So off of ESPN went Rush.

If you recall, Rush Limbaugh announced that he was addicted to painkillers on air, in 2003.

The radio talk show host said he first became addicted to painkillers “some years ago,” following spinal surgery. However, he added, “the surgery was unsuccessful and I continued to have severe pain in my lower back and also in my neck due to herniated discs. I am still experiencing that pain.”

In April of 2006, Rush Limbaugh turned himself in to authorities, on a warrant issued by the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s office, and was arrested “on a single charge of prescription fraud” His record was later expunged.

Worse yet, for broadcasters — particularly in radio — Rush Limbaugh revealed in 2001 that he was suffering from rapid-onset hearing loss as a result of a rare condition called autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED).

Could a common painkiller have contributed to Rush Limbaugh’s well-known hearing loss?

Research findings suggest the radio talk-show host’s apparent addiction to Vicodin could be the culprit behind his mysterious attack of deafness two years ago.

Doctors over the past several years have reported dozens of cases of Vicodin addicts who became deaf and, in some cases, only regained their hearing with the help of cochlear implants such as the ones received by Limbaugh.

“It’s pretty clear that there is this association,” says Dr. Jeffrey Harris, an ear specialist at the University of California, San Diego Medical School. “The ear is sensitive to drugs, and this particular association with Vicodin has become more relevant as people are getting their hands on it as a recreational drug.”

However, the full extent of the problem isn’t known, and researchers aren’t sure how painkillers may harm the ear in the first place.

How frightening it must have been to lose one’s hearing in radio.

He was diagnosed in May of 2001 and told his listeners in October that he was almost entirely deaf as a result of an autoimmune inner-ear disease. He said he had lost 100 percent hearing in his left ear and 80 percent in his right ear.

He successfully had a cochlear implant placed in his left ear to restore his hearing. He announced in January 2002 that he could hear his own radio show “for the first time in nearly four months via a medical marvel.”

Until then, he relied solely on a TelePrompTer and his staff’s assistance to understand his callers.

Did anyone listen to Rush during his days of using a TelePrompTer? That’s extremely difficult yet Rush continued. He persevered. Like Dr Donald D Rose at KFRC in San Francisco.

Despite his cheerful persona, Rose suffered over three decades of debilitating pain from assorted medical problems. In 1972, he underwent a botched heart surgery, which caused chronic knee infections that required 11 more operations and led to his losing his kneecap. He broadcast his daily radio show flat on his back from his home hospital bed for months. In 1984, after a fall made the knee problems worse, he had the damaged leg amputated.

Perseverance. Dogged determination. Doing what you love, with passion.

But let’s talk about the risk, reward, and the work.

Because the Rush Limbaugh gig was three hours of talk radio with commercial breaks, for 33 years. In that amount of time he had no guests. Correct. Zero guests to take some of the time and weight from your shoulders — with some exceptions like the president and other difficult “gets.”

What Rush Limbaugh had was an endless, cogent, insightful, logical narrative — day after day, week after week, year after year. Quality broadcasting for 33 years.

And he made is seem completely effortless, so smooth, so seamless. But he definitely believed in what I believe: Show Prep.

Some don’t do show prep.

Joe Concha, media pundit, wrote:

Not Rush. The man was notorious for prepping. He also was exceptional at effortlessly weaving narratives. More importantly, he made you look at the same story everyone else was discussing from an angle you hadn’t considered. That made The Rush Limbaugh Show appointment listening, the kind that made you sit in a parking lot long after reaching your destination to hear Rush finish his point. 

His secret? The old military training rule: “The more we sweat in training, the less we bleed in war.” Your average ta

lk radio host wings it by showing up, flipping through a newspaper and depending heavily on callers.

As radio hosts know: always have a Plan B, a Plan C, D, and E. Because seldom does all go as planned.

Many people hung onto the cape of Rush Limbaugh — including Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Dennis Prager, Hugh Hewitt, and many, many, more — to include myself and hundreds of other internet show hosts.

You would think that, with this amount of seniority and dollars, Rush Limbaugh would have been an Ego Shock Missile — but when meeting Rush, many were a bit taken aback by how quiet and almost shy he was. One of his quotes was “I socially distanced before it was fashionable.”

Not like a Michael Savage, whose line of “Borders, Language, and Culture” resonates massively — in other words, a great message. But in my opinion, one of the harshest and worst of messengers imaginable. Savage goes through producers like some people change underwear.

Not Rush. Kit Carson was around for years until his passing from cancer at 58, in 2015. And few know this his producer of many years, “Bo Snerdley,” is actually a gracious and facile man named James Golden, a black Republican, who has been Rush’s call-screener, Producer and Engineer since about 1992, beginning with Limbaugh’s TV show.

Here, Rush Limbaugh is interviewed on the CBS show “60 Minutes” by Steve Kroft in 1991.

And this is Rush speaking at CPAC — the Conservative Political Action Conference — in 2009.

And this is Rush Limbaugh’s last broadcast of 2020, on December 23rd.

Here, Rush Limbaugh receives the highest honor the country can bestow upon a civilian, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, delivered by President Trump and placed by First Lady, Melania Trump — at the State of the Union Address, February 4th of 2021.

We then received the news of Rush’s passing just yesterday, after having been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer on January 20th of 2020.

Leftists then commenced to spit on Rush Limbaugh, of course, because all Demorats and Leftists can do is destroy.

But when they spit on Rush, that means they are all spitting on you and me. Look.

If you want to read filth, read what the Huffington Post (now owned by Buzzfeed) wrote after Limbaugh’s passing here.

Rush Limbaugh, Bigoted King Of Talk Radio, Dies At 70

Limbaugh saturated America’s airwaves with cruelty and conspiracies, amassing millions of listeners and transforming the Republican Party.

The accolades rolled in, the testimonies, the stories. Mary Steyn wrote a beautiful tribute here on his website.

Throughout his entire time on air, there were genius GOP consultants who, in reaction to any electoral setbacks, would insist that what the GOP needed to do was come up with a way to ditch Limbaugh. As I said on air many years ago: Really? For almost a third of a century, Rush’s audience was over half the total Republican vote. How many do all you genius “Republican reformers” bring to the table? I’ve recounted previously the first time I was asked to guest-host, back in 2006, when I happened to be down in Australia and the Prime Minister, John Howard, asked me to some or other event a day or two hence. And I politely declined, saying I had to get back to America to host The Rush Limbaugh Show. “I hear that’s a pretty big show,” said the PM.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Twenty-five, thirty million listeners.”

“‘Strewth,” said Mr Howard. “Rush has more listeners than we have Australians.”

Indeed. And all these GOP clever-clogs never explain, once you throw Rush and his millions overboard, what’s going to replace them.

Indeed.

What are some of things Rush said?

What are your final thoughts on Rush Limbaugh?

Let’s go back a bit.

Rush Limbaugh used to say he had “talent on loan from God.”

Mark Steyn wrote the best finalizing sentence in his article praising Rush.

To modify Rush’s tag line: Talent returned to God.

Perfect.

BZ

 

 

BZ’s Berserk Bobcat Saloon Radio Show, Tuesday, 2-16-21: Where will Trump do the best good – as President or out of DC?

Hours 1 and 2: BZ provided new updates on fresh breaking news, Happy Stories, and began an entirely new show segment entitled “You Can’t Write This Shit.”

PLUS: is President Trump more valuable coming back as president following his ACQUITTAL? Or is he more valuable working from outside DC and providing leadership and motivation?

Listen to the show, audio only, on Spreaker. Click on the yellow arrow below.

Listen to “BZ’s BBS, Tuesday, 2-16-21: Where Is Trump More Valuable?” on Spreaker.

If you want to watch on YouTube, click the red arrow below. You realize you can watch the Zeppmeister on YouTube or Facebook LIVE right on your huge TV screen, right?

Join me, the Bloviating Zeppelin every Tuesday and Thursday night on the SHR Media Network from 11 PM to 1 AM Eastern and 8 PM to 10 PM Pacific, at the Berserk Bobcat Saloon — where the speech is free but the booze is not.

  • Want to listen to all the Berserk Bobcat Saloon archives on SpreakerGo here.
  • Want to listen to the Saloon on iHeart radio? Click here.
  • Like Apple products? You can listen to the Saloon here on Apple Podcasts.
  • Want to listen to the show on the huge Podcast AddictClick on this.
  • Do you like Spotify? You can listen to the Saloon via Spotify right here.
  • Want to watch past shows on the SHR Media Facebook page? Go here.
  • Want to watch past Berserk Bobcat Saloon shows on YouTubeGo here.

Thank you one and all for listening, watching and supporting the SHR Media Network: “Conservative Media Done Right.”

BZ

 

 

BZ’s Berserk Bobcat Saloon Radio Show, Thursday, 2-4-21, with Co-Host JEREMY HANSON and the Week In Review

Hours 1 and 2: BZ along with Co-Host JEREMY HANSON of the Unleashed Jeremy Hanson podcast, conspired to conduct a Week In Review of the Biden Regime, discovering, of course, that Biden intends to completely undo the work of President Trump and then enslave the rest of the US population, removing their rights and imposing greater taxes, restrictions and regulations.

This show also includes the End Of Watch broadcast for Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff Adam Gibson, shot and killed on January 18th, 2021, following a vehicle stop on a parolee. His K9 partner Riley was also shot and killed.

Listen to the show, audio only, on Spreaker. Click on the yellow arrow below.

Listen to “BZ’s BBS, Thursday, 2-4-21, w/Co-Host JEREMY HANSON” on Spreaker.

If you want to watch on YouTube, click the red arrow below.

Join me, the Bloviating Zeppelin every Tuesday and Thursday night on the SHR Media Network from 11 PM to 1 AM Eastern and 8 PM to 10 PM Pacific, at the Berserk Bobcat Saloon — where the speech is free but the booze is not.

  • Want to listen to all the Berserk Bobcat Saloon archives on SpreakerGo here.
  • Want to listen to the Saloon on iHeart radio? Click here.
  • Like Apple products? You can listen to the Saloon here on Apple Podcasts.
  • Want to listen to the show on the huge Podcast AddictClick on this.
  • Do you like Spotify? You can listen to the Saloon via Spotify right here.
  • Want to watch past shows on the SHR Media Facebook page? Go here.
  • Want to watch past Berserk Bobcat Saloon shows on YouTubeGo here.

Thank you one and all for listening, watching and supporting the SHR Media Network: “Conservative Media Done Right.”

BZ

 

 

Ah, what this week?

Let’s begin with at least a few HAPPY STORIES before we delve into the morose material — because all work and no play makes BZ a dull boy.

That’s called “Let’s Larf At Leftists.”

HAPPY STORY: Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis paves the way for logic and safety.

Ron DeSantis’s Florida is the unsung success story of coronavirus

WAExaminer, 2-3-21

Beginning Jan. 20, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo acquired a new problem. He cannot very well blame President Biden for his performance on the coronavirus, so he now lacks a federal scapegoat toward which to deflect blame for his own shortcomings.

As a consequence, both Cuomo and his erstwhile cheerleaders in the media have been forced to come to grips with the utter incompetence underlying his ostentatious, self-indulgent behavior. The pandemic has caused more death in his state than in any other, and a higher rate of death than in any other save New Jersey. And there is now ample evidence that Cuomo’s specific policy decisions brought this tragic situation about and also that he tried to cover it up.

Perhaps the best example of a large state succeeding amid this crisis is conservative Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Florida. Florida is larger in population than New York, more disproportionately elderly, visited by more potentially infected tourists, and (as of the last census) its population is more concentrated in urban areas. Yet somehow, in spite of all these disadvantages, Florida’s death rate from the coronavirus is roughly half that of the Empire State. (Before you leap to attribute this to the sunny weather, note that Arizona, Louisiana, and Mississippi are all in the top 10 for death rate, whereas frigid Vermont, Idaho, Maine, and Utah are near the bottom.)

If the goal were to minimize coronavirus deaths while also maximizing the openness of one’s state, the numbers bear out DeSantis’s success. In addition to having a much lower death rate, Florida had 25% fewer hospitalizations and 25% fewer new cases as of the end of January. In contrast to Cuomo’s heavy-handed vaccination policies, which had hospitals doing all the heavy lifting and resulted in many doses being thrown out rather than given to the “wrong” people, DeSantis has created drive-thru testing and vaccination sites and expects to administer more than 300,000 shots this week.

In contrast to Cuomo, DeSantis was unendingly crucified and vilified by the media for his far more targeted approach, which focused on protecting the most vulnerable while letting society and the economy function to the extent reasonably possible.

The media threw a fit over his keeping beaches and schools open, as though they were certain this would result in mass die-offs. They also promoted a bogus conspiracy theory about the state manipulating the number of deaths. They were all just plain wrong.

HAPPY STORY: we knew they were lapdoggies

MSNBC Promo: Look at Our Obsequious Fawning Over Biden!

by Kyle Drennan, 2-3-21

In its latest promo, MSNBC touted two years of sycophantic coverage for Joe Biden on the campaign trail and right up through Inauguration Day. The star of the ad was reporter and reliable Biden fanboy Mike Memoli, who was shown lobbing softballs to the Democrat about his “political future,” coffee-drinking habits, and how it felt to win the White House.

HAPPY STORY: click this.

HAPPY STORY:

CNN ratings plummet 44% in first week since Trump left office

by Phil Shiver, 2-2-21

Left-wing networks CNN and MSNBC relied almost exclusively on anti-Trump content to attract viewership over the past four years and now that the Republican president has exited office, those same networks are witnessing their ratings nosedive at unprecedented levels.

Juicy and lovely.

In the first week since Trump left office, CNN’s ratings during primetime hours (8 p.m. through 10 p.m. EST) plummeted by a whopping 44%, according to Variety Intelligence Platform’s analysis of the viewership data. To determine the changes in viewership, Variety analyzed data across two key metrics — the target news demographic of people ages 25-54 and total audience.

During the same week, MSNBC’s primetime ratings fell as well, though not as sharply as CNN’s. The network’s audience decreased nearly 20% during the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. slots, and fell by 11% during the 9 p.m. slot.

Meanwhile, Fox News saw its primetime ratings decrease only slightly during the 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. slot and not at all at 8 p.m. when “Tucker Carlson Tonight” is broadcast.

The program hit hardest, according to Variety, was “Cuomo Prime Time” airing at 9 p.m., which saw its audience of 25-54 year-olds fall by more than half.

And since we’re here and talking about the Dwarf King, here’s what Brian Stelter says about Fox News. You know. Since his cable channel is doing so incredibly well.

HAPPY STORY: direct from the Happiest State In the Union, Kalifornia.

Local Kroger Stores Close as California ‘Hero Pay’ Ordinance Backfires

by Brad Polombo, 2-2-21

new “Hero Pay” mandate in Long Beach, California has inadvertently cost some frontline grocery workers their jobs. 

“Ralphs and Food 4 Less, both owned by the parent company Kroger, announced Monday that they will be closing 25% of their stores in Long Beach after the city council passed an ordinance requiring companies with over 300 employees nationwide to pay employees an extra $4 per hour,” local news outlet Fox 11 reports. Two stores in the area will be shut down.

A company spokesperson directly cited the city council’s ordinance mandating higher wages as the reason they are closing down. 

Wowzer. Looks like jobs really ARE transportable.

The ordinance was passed with the stated intention of rewarding hard-working grocery store employees who have kept a vital service running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia was a key proponent of the measure and signed it into law. He argues it is justified because grocery store workers “have been on the frontlines of this pandemic and deserve this support.”

This is the standard Leftist bleat.

Similarly, Garcia and other supporters of the mandated wage hike argue that companies are just being selfish by closing down rather than paying their workers more. They point to the fact that Kroger has seen high levels of profit this year.

That’s the key word. MANDATED. But the truth is.  .  .

In truth, whether the company is being selfish and whether it’s really flush with cash (Kroger says these specific stores were already financially struggling) are both beside the point. This mandatory wage hike “honoring heroes” was passed by politicians eager to spend other people’s money and claim the credit. But like any minimum wage law, it was always going to have the unintended consequence of eliminating some jobs altogether.

Notice how sly are the American Media Maggots. This is the part you DON’T hear in their stories.

The minimum wage in Long Beach is already $14 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees. A $4 increase would therefore be $18 an hour, a nearly 30 percent raise for every employee. This amounts to an enormous spike in a grocery store’s labor costs, which are already one of the biggest expenses an enterprise usually faces. 

Anyone familiar with the business already knows that margins in grocery stores are already thin. How’d you like to try to keep up with all the tenuous supply chains in the time of Wuhan-19?

This specific instance of wage mandates backfiring is just one example of a much broader trend. On the national level, the “Fight for $15” movement demanding a $15 federal minimum wage ostensibly seeks to help workers. In reality, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projects that this policy would eliminate 1.3 to 3.7 million jobs. A wealth of economic research similarly shows that minimum wage hikes cause unemployment.

Demorats and Leftists believe it’s the DUTY of all business to lose money when they so decree, for any reason whatsoever. Here’s where business says “fuck off,” as well they should.

HAPPY STORY: If you live in Poland.

Poland proposes social media ‘free speech’ law

by Adam Easton, 1-15-21

Poland’s government has proposed a new law to stop social media platforms deleting content or banning users who do not break Polish laws.

The proposed bill would see social networks fined up to 50 million zloty (£9.8m, $13.4m) for failing to restore deleted posts or accounts.

Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro announced the “freedom of speech protection” bill on Friday.

The law would also establish a “freedom of speech council”.

In America we’re establishing Ministry of Truth “Reality Czars” so that we can restrict your speech as much as humanly possible.

The council would be able to order social networks such as Facebook or Twitter to restore deleted content, or unblock a user’s account following a review, Mr Ziobro said.

Social media users in Poland who had been blocked or had content deleted would be able to complain directly to the platform, which would have to respond within 24 hours.

If a social media company refused to comply with an order, the council would be able to issue a fine of between 50,000 and 50 million zloty.

HAPPY STORY: Biden’s Press Bint isn’t who you think she is.

HAPPY STORY: This is glorious.

Report: West Wing Offices in Joe Biden’s White House Are Occupied Mostly by White People

by Ashley Oliver, 1-27-21

An analysis of West Wing offices thus far handed out to senior advisers demonstrates that President Joe Biden’s innermost circle of aides with prized real estate in the building is mostly white.

Out of 22 offices on the first and second floors, only four offices, including one occupied by Vice President Kamala Harris, are held by nonwhite individuals. The rest — a supermajority of 18 such West Wing offices — are occupied by white people, according to Politico.

The report comes as Biden signed four executive orders on Tuesday focused on “racial equity,” remarking on the day of the signing that “deep racial inequities” exist in America and that “systemic racism” has “plagued our nation for far, far too long.”

Incidentally, of the 13 coveted first-floor offices that were identified, white people occupy 12 of them.

HAPPY STORY: I think I detect something of a trend.

Arizona, Texas, and Iowa Join States Prepping against 2A Assaults by Biden Administration

by Teresa Mull, 1-21-21

Gunpowder Magazine just reported that legislators in Missouri and Arkansas have filed bills to make their states strongholds against inevitable onslaughts the Biden administration is preparing to wage against the Second Amendment.

Missouri has the option to adopt the Second Amendment Preservation Act, and Arkansas lawmakers have been presented with the Second Amendment Liberties Safeguard Act.

Now, three more states have joined their fellow 2A guardians in taking preemptive measures against unconstitutional measures surely to be imposed by Biden and his anti-gun cronies.

Patrick Svitek of the Texas Tribune reports in a Tweet that Gov. Greg Abbott “wants to make TX a ‘2A sanctuary state’ this session ‘so that no gov’t official at any level can come & take your gun away from you despite those ppl who say, ‘Heck yes, we’re gonna take your gun.’ We’re gonna say, ‘Heck no, you cannot take ppl’s guns’ in TX,”

HAPPY STORY: Yes, this would seem to be a trend.

THE RESISTANCE GROWS: Missouri bill would prohibit enforcement of unconstitutional federal gun laws

by Frank Salvato, 2-4-21

Missouri joins the efforts by state legislatures to force the federal government into Constitutional compliance.

The Missouri legislature is advancing legislation that would prohibit state, county, and local law enforcement agencies and departments from enforcing unconstitutional federal gun laws in that state.

Missouri is joining an increasing number of states that are proposing legislation that would see their states employ nullification to rein in a grotesquely overreaching federal government.

The proposed legislation, introduced by State Rep. Jered Taylor (R), would prohibit local law enforcement officers from enforcing federal gun laws. The measure would also include a ban on using federal laws to confiscate people’s firearms.

Taylor’s proposed legislation, which is currently moving its way through the Missouri House, would affect to the enforcement of federal gun crimes that are not also codified as state gun crimes.

The bill would not interfere with federal law enforcement officers from being able to enforce federal laws. But Missouri law enforcement – from state to local levels – would be restricted from facilitating the enforcement of those federal laws.

Then we have to get back into realities inherent in 2021. Starting with this sad but necessary story from LawOfficer.com.

Officer Sicknick was not beaten with a fire extinguisher.

Why does the media continue to lie?

2-2-21

A week after the tragic death of Capital Hill Police Officer Brian Sicknick, Law Officer pointed out the inconsistencies in the media reports—and the warnings from his own family that others should stop making his death “political.” Unfortunately, few listened to us.

Media outlets, politicians, spin artists, and many others keep telling the story that “terrorist Trump supporters” beat Officer Sicknick to death with a fire extinguisher.

HOW DID OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK DIE?

Some even went further and wanted others to believe that President Trump himself was part of the beating. After our initial reports on Sicknick’s tragic death, we were flooded with hatred against law enforcement and against President Trump. Which evidences that despite the family’s request, many could not resist making this tragedy a matter of politics.

So-called “Republican” Joe Walsh continues the lie.

And on top of it all, and again, despite the family’s request, one group in particular exploited Officer Sicknick’s death as a rally cry against the murder of law enforcement—and of course the proverbial “white supremacist violence” that caused it.

The Democratic Party.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that “the perpetrators of Officer Sicknick’s death must be brought to justice” and that “the sacrifice of Officer Sicknick reminds us of our obligation to those we serve: to protect our country from all threats foreign and domestic.”

Drawing a conclusion that even those tasked with investigating the matter cannot yet draw.

And while we do not have the autopsy results yet, sources have advised that there are no indications that Officer Sicknick sustained blunt force trauma. This coincides with what his family said just days after his death, indicating that they believed he may have died from a medical condition. If our suspicion proves correct, then Officer Sicknick’s death was undeniably used as a prop for the sake of politics, and even worse, for the sake of political gain.

Making this matter even more political, federal investigators announced that they are “struggling” to build a murder case against anyone in his death.

This from CNN:

Investigators struggle to build murder case in death of US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick

by Evan Perez, 2-2-21

Investigators are struggling to build a federal murder case regarding fallen US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, vexed by a lack of evidence that could prove someone caused his death as he defended the Capitol during last month’s insurrection.

Authorities have reviewed video and photographs that show Sicknick engaging with rioters amid the siege but have yet to identify a moment in which he suffered his fatal injuries, law enforcement officials familiar with the matter said.

Soon after Sicknick died on January 7, prosecutors in Washington opened a federal murder investigation, dedicating a team inside the US attorney’s office to build out a case, authorities have said.

And this in a federal building that is literally dripping, festooned with cameras. And the Demorats and American Media Maggots keep on with their lies — because it suits their political purposes.

And who is there to push back? No one. Certainly not the Republicans.

You know, the folks who held the Oval Office, House and Senate in 2016 and yet failed to pass the National Voter ID law — which may have saved us from the November 3rd corruptive debacle in the first place. And oh, who, by the way, abjectly failed to make eVerify mandatory in order to screen illegals?

Why? It serves both parties. Demorats get the votes and cheap H1B labor for Big Tech, and the Republicans get the rest of the cheap labor. Plus, they want to be loved.

And this from FishGame.com:

Sweeping Firearms Bill Enters House

U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee has introduced an absolutely sweeping bill numbered HR 127 into the House of Representatives.

Here’s the meat of the bill that deals with many facets of firearms for you to check out.

In general, he Attorney General, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, shall establish a system for licensing the possession of firearms or ammunition in the United States, and for the registration with the Bureau of each firearm present in the United States.

BZ’s Berserk Bobcat Saloon Radio Show, Tuesday, 2-2-21, with Journalist SUSAN KATZ KEATING, and BZ says: “Why I’m Never Voting GOP Again.”

Hour 1: BZ spoke to the incredible journalist SUSAN KATZ KEATING who currently writes for John Solomon’s JustTheNews.com website — and we discussed the state of journalism today, our military, intelligence agencies — and just what is a “21st Century Bedouin With A Go-Bag”?

Hour 2: BZ then spent the rest of the show delineating why he would never again be donating, funding, supporting or voting for the Republican Party ever again — providing numerous examples, most of them of recent origin.

Listen to the show, audio only, on Spreaker. Click on the yellow arrow below.

Listen to “BZ’s BBS, Tuesday, 2-2-21 w/SUSAN KATZ KEATING & Why I’m Leaving The Republican Party” on Spreaker.

If you want to watch on YouTube, click the red arrow below.

Join me, the Bloviating Zeppelin every Tuesday and Thursday night on the SHR Media Network from 11 PM to 1 AM Eastern and 8 PM to 10 PM Pacific, at the Berserk Bobcat Saloon — where the speech is free but the booze is not.

  • Want to listen to all the Berserk Bobcat Saloon archives on SpreakerGo here.
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Thank you one and all for listening, watching and supporting the SHR Media Network: “Conservative Media Done Right.”

BZ