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Published January 26, 2017
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CRITICS SAY OBAMA STILL PUSHING PRO-UNION AGENDA
DAGEN MCDOWELL: At the same time you have a caterpillar that is adding 1400 jobs in a right to work state like Georgia, possibly non-union jobs, we'll have to wait and see about that, but many people, many democrats will tell you the only kind of good job is a union job and certainly the democrats in an election year need the cash and the clout of unions need more union jobs in the private sector in this company in order to fund those campaigns. Now, and for years to come.
BEN STEIN: Well, the thing is union jobs are jobs whose dues go directly to the Democratic Party, so of course she is going to like unions. Unions by the way are great things, I am the member of 3 unions, I love unions, I love being in my unions. But I have to say it is very hard on the people who are not in unions, we union people tend to soak up all the money and there isn't much for anyone else.
CHARLIE GASPARINO: Ben, I can tell you as a son of a union construction worker, thank God for private unions, what the president is doing here is right on the money, let's delineate ... private sector unions from public sector unions why do people in the private sector unionize, well guess what? Working conditions sucked and they fought back and there is nothing wrong with what he is doing here, he should be applauded. I think conservatives are crazy going after him on a private sector thing, do you know how private union people, blue collar people vote Republican conservative? It's insane.
ADAM LASHINSKY: I disagree with the premise of what you're saying Charles and Charlie Gasparino, my name is Adam Lashinsky and I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak this morning. Well, that's right I happen to agree with what Charlie was saying but nobody has really addressed the question in what you're trying to get us to discuss Charles, which is, is the president's obvious pro-union stance bad for the economy and bad for the jobs and the answer is no. I mean we're overlooking the fact or we haven't stated the fact that jobs growth, well not as good as we would like it to be has vastly improved, unemployment ticking down and I think we should be applauding the president for celebrating any jobs... union jobs, non-union jobs and so on.
NEW WHITE HOUSE BUDGET CALLS TO BOOST SUBSIDIES FOR PLUG-IN CARS
BEN STEIN: Well, there is a long history of government trying to pick winners and subsidize winners in various industries, it almost never works it's a terribly expensive idea , terribly expensive waste of money if Americans want electric cars they will buy them without having to be subsidized. Take $10,000 from a taxi driver or a person working at the K-mart or the Wal-Mart and give it to some yuppie in Berkley who wants to buy an electric car. It just doesn't make any sense at all and the history of the success of these ventures has not been good.
CHARLIE GASPARINO: There would be no problem with that if the yuppies in Berkley were buying these cars. No one is. I'm telling you I go to Whole Foods all the time and there are these little parking spaces that you can charge up your electric car, they are always vacant. This just doesn't work!
DAGEN MCDOWELL: That's a very weird transfer of wealth. It is very strange. But you know how dependent General Motors and these companies are with these incentives; General Motors has tweaked the Volt and has changed the admissions on the car in order to qualify the additional $1500 tax break that you get in the state of California. So their actually changing the car because they want more government money and you also get to drive in the HOV lane.
ADAM LASHINSKY: A lot of things keep me up at night, Charles and this isn't one of them. I really am enjoying our fun with numbers today. So you take a car that has had very few unit sales and you take the salaries of the people who bought them and yes, you might just have a very high salary for those ten or twelve thousand units. All I can say about what the government is doing, what the administration is doing is that it's consistent. This is a good example of if you don't succeed, try, try again. Ben, it's picking winners but it's not like they are saying "this is for the Volt" I mean, this is a public policy measure to support this kind of car and its across the board, we'll see if it works.
CINCINNATI HIGH SCHOOL OFFERING GIFT CARDS TO ENTICE STUDENTS
BEN STEIN: It's heartbreaking. It makes me want to cry that students have to be bribed to go to school; I mean it's so good for them to have an education. If they are brought up without knowing that an education is incredibility good for them and pays for itself many, many times over, it's just heartbreaking. On the other hand maybe they are that ignorant and maybe it is worthwhile to pay them to go to school. We have an incredible crisis within the low income especially non white community about education. I think we might as well try everything, but it breaks my heart that's where we are today.
DAGEN MCDOWELL: It's sad to think that they have to pay these kids to be there. Education has been pointed out, it's a gift. You know it and I know it, but I am about to go all Charles Payne on you I think that it is evidence in some way of the entitlement mentality that has been developing over decades in this country that it's not a privilege to go to school, that you shouldn't jump at the chance that we have to pay people to attend school.
CHARLIE GASPARINO: When I was a kid, I couldn't wait to go to school. I was there first in the morning. I am making that up. I was a horrible student. You know what got me to go to school? Joanne Maggoty, seeing her every day. That's about it, that's the only reason I went to school. Listen, if she is watching I haven't seen her in a long time. I'm sorry Joanne. But I just think it's absurd, I actually can't believe it's happening. Only because, and I can't believe the people in Cincinnati would allow it to happen. It sounds to me like such a waste of money.
ADAM LASHINSKY: Well, I agree with you that parents shouldn't be delighted if their children aren't getting A's if they don't deserve A's and none of us were paid to go to elementary school and so it rubs us all wrong. Let me make a strong statement. We've just been through a period in our countries history where some of our best and brightest people just went and did useless jobs on Wall Street so that they could make as much money as possible. Culturally, it doesn't shock me as the biggest shock in the world that we have this culture where you have to pay somebody to do something and all I'm saying is I agree where Ben started with his one hand on the other hand, if it works then let's do it.
BIG GAINS FROM SMALL STOCKS
ADAM LASHINSKY: Columbia Sportswear Charles. This great apparel wear, a great outdoor company, very inexpensive. It's down a little because of slow and growth. Good opportunity.
BEN STEIN: I like the DFSX. Wizards of wizards of putting together index funds. They are one of the micro caps area. They have done very well this year and I love them.
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