The Truth about Rush Limbaugh! - Is Rush Right?
 
The Real Truth! - Is Rush Right?
 
     Below you will see the heading, "Rush Limbaugh's 35 Undeniable Truths - Debunked". Under each "Truth statement", you will see in italics the real truth, as The Expert sees it. Please note: The Expert always gives the facts and only the facts, unless it states, "My opinion", "My belief", or another statement clearly indicating what I am saying is not fact. The Expert NEVER passes off opinions as facts, which is what Rush and many others do. Read and enjoy.

                   Thanks everyone!!

                                         "The Expert"
 


 
Rush Limbaugh's 35 Undeniable Truths - Debunked
 
   1. There is a distinct singular American culture - rugged individualism and self-reliance - which made America great.
          1. This is true. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."

   2. The vast majority of the rich in this country did not inherit their wealth; they earned it. They are the country's achievers, producers, and job creators.

 
News Flash - Up-Dated 12/26/98.  According to Forbes: 
  
104 people on the 1998 Forbes 400 list inherited their fortune. Another 67 people are listed as, "Built up inheritance." They started with a large inheritance and increased their holdings. The list indicates Ted Turner as "self-made", the information  fails to mention he started with a business worth $2 million that he inherited from his dad. A total of 172 people, including Ted Turner, are listed as either inherited their money or they used inherited money for a start. 172 equals 43% of 400, therefore only 57% of those listed did not inherit their money. I do not consider 57% a vast majority. Of the people listed as "self-made" it is almost certain that several of them inherited a large sum of money that is not included in the information on the Forbes list. 
  
Here is the link, check it out yourself.  Forbes 400 list   or  Search Forbes 400 list  Have fun...... 
 
          2. Look at the Forbes 400 Richest Americans List. At least 43% of the people on the list are heirs of previous generations of the wealthy.
     Although they may not have inherited a large quantity of money some of the so called, "self made" people, had a great deal of monetary assistance from wealthy parents or other relatives. The statement, "The vast majority of the rich in this country did not inherit their wealth; they earned it.", is false. "They are the country's achievers, producers, and job creators.", is mostly false. Many of the wealthy live a lavish life style and do little that helps the economy. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
   3. No nation has ever taxed itself into prosperity.
          3. The Expert says, "on this one, Rush is right."
 
   4. Evidence refutes liberalism.
          4. This statement makes no sense. Liberalism is a philosophy the same as Conservatism. The Expert says, "on this one, Rush is wrong."
 
   5. There is no such thing as a New Democrat.
          5. This depends on your definition of a New Democrat and if someone fits the description. I believe there are a number of Democrats who have looked at past mistakes the Democrats made and are rethinking what is best for the America, Edward Kennedy is an example. The Expert says, "on this one, Rush is wrong."
 
   6. The Earth's eco-system is not fragile.
          6. Most scientists believe there are several global wide threats to The Earth's eco-system. The Expert says, "on this one, I feel, Rush is wrong."
 
   7. Character matters; leadership descends from character.
          7. Character does matter, however leadership does not descend from character. Many of the worlds most powerful leaders had very little character. Leadership descends from the ability to take control of a situation, which has nothing to do with character. The Expert says, "on this one, Rush is wrong."
 
   8. The most beautiful thing about a tree is what you do with it after you cut it down.
          8. This is an opinion, not a fact. The Expert says, "on this one, no comment."
 
    9. Ronald Reagan was the greatest president of the twentieth century.
         9. Ronald Reagan was not the greatest president of the twentieth century. By most peoples standards Reagan does not even rank close to being the greatest president of the twentieth century . Please read my article, "The Truth About Reaganomics", for more details. My personal opinion is John Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt and Bill Clinton would rank far above Reagan as greatest twentieth century presidents. The Expert says, "on this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  10. The 1980s was not a decade of greed but a decade of prosperity; it was the longest period of peacetime growth in American history.
News Flash - Up-Dated 1/8/99. 
 
     Bill Clinton is reporting the 90's are the longest period of peacetime growth in American history. Clinton heralded a new report by his Council of Economic Advisers charting the economy's continued growth over the past 93 months as the nation's longest peacetime expansion.
     The economic expansion following the 1982 Reagan recession lasted 92 months, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, which determines changes in the business cycle using a combination of measures of gross domestic product, income, employment and trade.
     The Council of Economic Advisers also reported average family income rose $3,500 from March 1991 to December 1998. New jobs totaled 18.6 million in the same period, with 17.5 million of them created since January 1993 when Clinton took office.
     Today The Labor Department reported to Bill Clinton: A national unemployment rate of 4.3 percent in December, giving 1998 the strongest peacetime labor market in four decades.

         10. The 1980s are considered by most economic experts as a decade of greed. As far as prosperity goes, it depends on if you were a high income person who realized huge gains in income and lower taxes, or one of the 100's of thousands of people who got laid off or could not find work in the 80's.
             From the end of the Reagan recession in about 1983 to the Bush recession in about 1990, is a span of 7 years. The 90's Clinton Expansion which is not over at this time, has lasted 93 months so far. The Expert says, "on this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  11. Abstinence prevents sexually transmitted disease and pregnancy - every time it's tried.
          11. This is true. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."
 
  12. Condoms only work during the school year.
          12. This is false, condoms work anytime they are used properly. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  13. Poverty is not the root ("rut") cause of crime.
          13. Most experts agree poverty contributes to crime. Many people who do not live in poverty engage in all sorts of crimes. The Expert believes the root cause of crime is the criminal intent people are born with. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."
 
  14. There's a simple way to solve the crime problem: obey the law; punish those who do not.
           14. There is no simple way to solve the crime problem. If someone obeys the law it has little effect on others who break the law. In our system lawbreakers are punished. Most of the problem is lack of money to effectively enforce the law, prosecute the law breakers and house the prisoners. The biggest problem is housing the prisoners. The prison system is full, large amounts of money are needed to build new jails and prisons. It is a proven fact, it's very hard for criminals to do crimes when they are in prison or jail.  The Expert says, "We should build more prisons and jails to keep the criminals locked-up and off the streets for a long time. On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  15. If you commit a crime, you are guilty.
          15. If you commit a crime, you would be guilty. Rush seems to be taking a stab at the criminal justice system where criminals are found not guilty due to various reasons when it was evident they did the crime they were accused of.  The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."
 
  16. Women should not be allowed on juries where the accused is a stud.
           16. The constitution does not make any such allowance. If this suggestion was to be fair, then men should not serve on juries if the accused is a beautiful woman. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  17. The way to improve our schools is not more money, but the reintroduction of moral and spiritual values, as well as the four "R's": reading, 'riting, 'rithmatic, and Rush.
          17. Unquestionably the way to improve our schools is to increase funding. Schools do teach moral values, I believe spiritual values should be taught at home. As far as the 4 R's, I would agree with, reading,'riting and 'rithmatic, but Rush should not be a part of the school system. Even though I agree with 3 out of 4 R's, schools already teach reading,'riting and 'rithmatic, so, The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  18. I am not arrogant.
          18. Many people, even some Rush supporters would agree, Rush is arrogant. Look up the definition of arrogant in a dictionary and it sounds like Rush. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  19. My first 35 Undeniable Truths are still undeniably true.
          19. Check the score card at the bottom of this page. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  20. There is a God.
          20. I am unable to prove or disprove this statement. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."
 
  21. There is something wrong when critics say the problem with America is too much religion.
          21. My personal opinion is religious organizations are too deeply involved in politics and are loosing the focus they should have, which is to teach religion. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."

  22. Morality is not defined by individual choice.
          22. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."
 
  23. The only way liberals win national elections is by pretending they're not liberals.
           23. This statement is untrue. Many Democrats who are liberal and publicly support liberal views have been elected in national elections. John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton are three I can think of right off the top of my head. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  24. Feminism was established as to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.
          24. Feminism was established to give women equal rights. In the early 1900's women were not even allowed to vote. I believe feminism applies to all women regardless of their attractiveness. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  25. Follow the money. When somebody says, "It's not the money," it's always the money.
          25. When someone says, "It's not the money", it usually is the money. Republicans are always claiming, "it's not the money", when I know damn good and well it is the money. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."
 
  26. Liberals attempt through judicial activism what they cannot win at the ballot box.
          26. Conservatives use the same tactic. The Expert says, "on this one, Rush is Right."

  27. Using federal dollars as a measure, our cities have not been neglected, but poisoned with welfare dependency funds.
          27. Using federal dollars as a measure, most economic experts conclude funding to cities has been insufficient. Anyone who thinks helping to put food on the tables of families with kids is, "poisoning the cities with welfare dependency funds", should take a closer look around a city and at their own generosity.  The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  28. Progress is not striving for economic justice or fairness, but economic growth.
          28. Progress is economic justice, fairness and growth. Would it be progress if half the people in the United States were wealthy beyond their wildest dreams and the other half of the people were desperately poor. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."
 
  29. Liberals measure compassion by how many people are given welfare. Conservatives measure compassion by how many people no longer need it.
          29. It is my opinion that Liberals measure compassion by a persons willingness to help someone who is less fortunate than them self and conservatives have no compassion. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."

  30. Compassion is no substitute for justice.
          30. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."

 
  31. The culture war is between the winners and those who think they're losers who want to become winners. The losers think the only way they can become winners is by banding together all the losers and then empowering a leader of the losers to make things right for them.
           31. There is no culture war between, "the winners and the losers." Rush seems to be referring to the wealthy who think they deserve to be wealthy simply because they are, and no one else should be wealthy because they don't deserve it. This segment of the population seem to think everyone who is less fortunate than they are, is trying to take away their wealth. NOTE: It is my opinion, Rush is refering to the wealthy as, "The Winners", and everyone else as, "The Losers." The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."

  32. The Los Angeles riots were not caused by the Rodney King verdict. The Los Angeles riots were caused by rioters.
          32. The Los Angeles riots were triggered by the Rodney King Verdict. People didn't just wake up that morning and say, "Hey, let's go riot.", for no reason. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."

  33. You could afford your house without your government - if it weren't for your government.
          33. You could afford your house if you didn't have big businesses ripping you off so they can pay huge saleries to their executives. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is wrong."

  34. Words mean things.
          34. They certainly do. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."

  35. Too many Americans can't laugh at themselves anymore.
          35. This is true and many of them are Republicans. The Expert says, "On this one, Rush is right."
 

  The Score Card!!
Rush is Right - 12
No Comment - 1
The Expert "Feels" Rush is wrong - 1
Rush is Wrong - 21
 
     Rush did worse than I expected. Rush needs to do a lot of work on getting his facts straight. For the record: Previous to this article I had not done any research on how many of Rush Limbaugh's 35 Undeniable Truths were true and how many were false. Rush should do a better job of presenting opinions as opinions and not claim they are facts. Even giving the benefit of the doubt on several of, "Rush Limbaugh's 35 Undeniable Truth's", Rush only scored right slightly more than one third of the time.
     Rush is a prime example of an individual who claims his opinions are facts and spreads disinformation, of course, "That's my opinion."
 
                   Thanks everyone!!!

                                          "The Expert"

 

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