Our new BillOReilly.com poll question asks: Have you been hurt by the recession? And so far most folks say they have. We'll give you the final results on Monday.
So the question then becomes: How much should the federal government help Americans in distress?
We know "The Factor" audience contains many Americans who are extremely self-reliant, and we preach that message here. Depending on government people or anybody else for your well-being is a losing proposition.
But there are Americans who simply cannot help themselves: kids, older folks, people who get sick, the mentally handicapped. And the nobility of this country is that we help people in need.
Enter the massive federal stimulus spending bill designed to fight the frightening recession. Some Americans object to it on ideological grounds. Others don't trust the feds to effectively distribute the money. And still others believe in Social Darwinism: every man for himself, or woman as the case may be.
"Talking Points" believes the government must step in and provide some temporary relief. The domino effect of massive unemployment is simply too destructive. Too many Americans will go down.
But as we stated Wednesday, there is far too much social engineering in the stimulus package. It is not nearly disciplined enough. The left wants to use the massive spending bill to drastically increase entitlements and to shift the nation away from fossil fuels.
Those things may be worthy, but should not be part of a recession-busting plan. Those are down the road issues. The attempt to bolster a nanny state, engage in social engineering and attack global warming are all separate deals. And to use the recession to advance those causes on the taxpayers' dime is flat out dishonest.
That's one of the reasons all the Republican Congresspeople voted against the package, and we hope the Senate will now strip the bill of all theoretical spending. Warming research will not bust the recession.
"Talking Points" believes that many Americans are rapidly losing faith in the political system because it is full of deceit like this. Combine the ideological wars with gross incompetence — like wasting more than a billion bucks in the wake of Hurricane Katrina — and you have an explosive situation building.
President Obama is rolling the dice with his future right now. He must blunt the recession to succeed. So for self-preservation, he must insist the money allocated go for jobs and the stability of the financial system, not for a liberal utopian vision.
And that's "The Memo."
Pinheads & Patriots
Actor Sylvester Stallone is also a restaurant investor, and at a press conference about that, he was asked about me, your humble correspondent.
Click here to watch "Pinheads & Patriots"!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SYLVESTER STALLONE, ACTOR: Bill, Bill O'Reilly? Bill, you're the man. You're amazing. No, but seriously, the next president, Bill.
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Obviously, Mr. Stallone is a patriot for saying that, as is "Adrian, yo," and "cuff and link." You know "cuff and link" if you know "Rocky."
The pinhead tonight is a bit complicated. First, take a look at this video by Beyonce.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEYONCE, SINGER (SINGING): Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it. If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it. Don't be mad once you see that he want it. If you liked it, then you should have put a ring on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OK. Now, an Obama impersonator is using that concept on the Net, and millions are tuning in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (SINGING): If you voted for me, change is on the way, know it. If you voted for me, change is on the way, know it. If you didn't, get up with it, cause I'm staying, homie. If you voted for me, change is on the way, know it. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Definitely a pinhead, no question.
— You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Pinheads & Patriots" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to: oreilly@foxnews.com
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