On March 14, 2013, Viper Alley in suburban Lincolnshire, IL, held a reception and a panel discussion titled: "Obama 2.0: The Road Ahead", sponsored by Chicago's
AM560 The Answer radio station.
The panel was hosted by the AM560 radio host Steve Cochrane, featuring former U.S. Representative, Joe Walsh, Illinois Policy Institute chairman, John Tillman, and talk radio host, Michael Medved. The discussion was split into several parts addressing the questions of President Obama's policy during his second term in the office.
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| Cochrane, Medved, Tillman, Walsh |
The highlights of the conversation are as follows:
On the immigration and the borders - Walsh's priority is to secure the borders before taking any action regarding the immigration reform.
On the Dream Act - Walsh accepts a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants only through a service in the military. Tillman and Medved agree about the positive impact of the Dream Act. Medved added that expelling young, college educated people who lived here since their childhood would be unfair and unwise, since America needs more educated people. Tillman also confirmed that immigration was and is a huge part of the American life and success.
On the money - Cochrane brought up a common believe among middle class Americans that rich people hate poor people. This misconception is slowly eating away the traditional thinking that anyone can succeed and become rich, achieving the American Dream. Another strong point by Cochrane was to fix the tax code so the people can file their taxes in 10 minutes on one piece of paper. Tillman argued that the middle class is being forced into dependence on the government because of taxes. More taxed one pays, less money can be put away for a self-dependence later. Medved was for a simple, flat tax with no loopholes.
On the guns - Tillman pointed out that since the federal government took over the mental health care from the states, the quality of the care dropped significantly allowing the patients to fall through the cracks and have access to firearms. Medved added that the United States has about 1/10 of mental hospital beds comparing to the number in 1950s forcing the hospitals to release patients without a clear plan of a systemic mental care.
On energy - Medved wants the market to dictate which forms of the renewable energy will become a new standard. Artificial government subsidies create too much dependence on hand outs.
On Obamacare - Walsh wants to repeal Obamacare entirely. Tillman pointed out that voters and their representatives should not give up the fight because the options are still on the table. Per Tillman, Obamacare is actually hurting the lower class citizens since it forces employers to limit the work hours to 30 hours a week to avoid the penalties, consequently forcing people to look for another part time job to make up the difference in pay. Medved added that the best way to remove Obamacare is to limit the funding.
On foreign policy - Tillman asked where is the anti-war movement lately? Medved added that Obama's foreign policy exposes a weak president. Walsh pointed out that President Obama hasn't acquired the negotiation skills needed to maneuver in the international politics.
On 2016 presidential candidate - Couple names came up. John Kerry or Joe Biden on the Democratic side. Tillman and Walsh: Scott Walker. Medved: Marco Rubio.
The panel took one question from the audience regarding a fair or consumption tax initiative. Walsh and Medved are for flat tax.
Joe Walsh also announced starting his own radio show on AM560, right after Steve Cochrane's show. Fans had a chance to sign Michael Medved's book.
So that's the short and sweet main points from the event. If you have comments, I'd like to read it. Thanks.
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| Michael Medved signing books. |
