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Cap Exorbitant NBC News Salaries! (GE took TARP funds & performance sucks)
Rush Limbaugh .com ^ | 2/16/09 | The Maha

Posted on 02/16/2009 4:46:24 PM PST by Libloather

Cap Exorbitant NBC News Salaries!
February 16, 2009

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Here's Mark in Norfolk, Virginia, as we go back to the phones. Well, not "go back." We're just starting. Mark, it's great to have you here. It's nice to have on you at EIB Network, sir. Hello.

CALLER: Thank you, Rush. Thanks for manning the EIB chair on this holiday.

RUSH: Thank you, sir.

CALLER: Question. You know in general, Rush, looking at NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, do you know roughly how much the talking heads make in income a year?

RUSH: Well, yeah. I can guesstimate it, based on the famous faces that you know. You want to know the numbers?

CALLER: Yeah, roughly.

RUSH: Well, just a wild guess. Brian Williams, ten million. Chris Matthews, five or six million.

CALLER: The reason why I say that, Rush, is that I believe -- if my recollection is correct -- that in the first round of TARP money, those particular networks, of course, are owned by GE. I believe that GE took taxpayer money, took TARP money, and if that's the case, Rush, why are taxpayers...?

RUSH: Wait a second. Whoa, whoa, whoa. I just can't go on speculation here. I just can't, because GE's not a bank, and only banks got it.

CALLER: Well, yeah, but see, remember that about 55% of GE's revenue comes from GE Capital.

RUSH: Oh, yeah!

CALLER: It comes from the financial side.

RUSH Oooooooooooooooh m'yeah!

CALLER: They make lots and lots of loans.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: They have lots and lots of money outstanding.

RUSH: That had totally slipped my mind out there. You are right.

CALLER: Well, my question is, if that's the case, Rush, why are taxpayers being asked to subsidize these exorbitant salaries? Can't these people give some back? Can't they do with less? Why are we as taxpayers subsidizing them --

RUSH: Yeah, because --

CALLER: -- especially when their ratings are going down?

RUSH: This is an excellent observation by Mark in Norfolk, Virginia. I think there should be a cap on the salaries.

CALLER: Totally.

RUSH: Brian Williams ought to not be able to make more than a million and a half.

CALLER: Five hundred thousand dollars.

RUSH: Well, that's the bonus. That's the bonus.

CALLER: But his ratings are going down, so obviously they're not doing their job.

RUSH: Well, actually that's not true. Brian, NBC Nightly News, had a pretty good week.

CALLER: Ah. How about MSNBC?

RUSH: Well, now, that's a different thing. For that, we're talking pure Thomas Crapper.

CALLER: Uh-huh.

RUSH: Since there's no Bush to lambaste, and of course --

CALLER: Right.

RUSH: -- they're trying to replace Bush with me, but I'm not an unlikable, dislikable, hate figure.

CALLER: (laughs) Yes.

RUSH: I mean, they just can't gin up all this hatred for me because I have too many members of the audience here who know the truth. I mean, I'm loved and adored by all those who regularly listen, like you.

CALLER: Yes.

RUSH: And there's nobody in the media could say anything about me to those of you who know me that's going to change your opinion of me.

CALLER: That's very true, Rush. One more question, if I might, if I may.

RUSH: Yes, yes.

CALLER: I know this number is tossed around able to say but I like to see it a little differently, and that is the Porkulus bill. We know that eventually it's going to be paid back by income taxpayers. Social Security is not going to pay it back. It's going to come from the income tax. I would love to know how much broken down this is going to cost each taxpayer. Not each person in the country, but how much this adds up to per income taxpayer. It would be rather illuminating.

RUSH: Well, I've seen some numbers of what the share is.

CALLER: I think per household. I've seen per person, but I mean per income payer, because as you know people there are not that many people in this country anymore that actually pay income tax.

RUSH: Right. Well, no, no, no. There's still quite a few, but it's a dwindling number, and --

CALLER: It is.

RUSH: -- it's been made even less, even smaller by the Porkulus bill.

CALLER: Yes.

RUSH: I think your question, however, is flawed.

CALLER: Really?

RUSH: (laughs) You really expect any of this to be paid back?

CALLER: Well, somebody, perhaps my children or my grandchildren.

RUSH: Nobody is going to be able to pay it back! Their tax rates are going sky-high, no question about it, but they're not going to anything back because these clowns are not going to stop spending it.

CALLER: Good point.

RUSH: I saw something over the weekend. I've gotta researcher this for myself to see if this is true, but supposedly, the combined obligations of the United States government, not just the national debt.

CALLER: Fifty-five trillion.

RUSH: It's larger than the combined GDP of the rest of the world.

CALLER: I saw that.

RUSH: What we owe is larger than the combined GDP of the other nations in the world!

CALLER: When you the Social Security implied indebtedness and whatnot, I think that's true.

RUSH: No question about it. Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, all of these things.

CALLER: Mmm-hmm. All the bailouts.

RUSH: And we're just going to continue to print money. It's the only way they're going to be able to pay for these things. At some point... At some point, it's going to implode.

CALLER: Yeah, I think inflating our way out of it is the only hope that they are looking for. That's the only way.

RUSH: Yeah. Well, guess who gets creamed with that?

CALLER: Everybody who has any kind of savings.

RUSH: Yeah, everybody.

CALLER: Yeah.

RUSH: Whether they got savings or not. Your income is less.

CALLER: Yes.

RUSH: Prices of everything goes up. Now, inflation's, that's --

CALLER: Calm right now. It's under control now.

RUSH: (chuckling)

CALLER: But a year from now, two years from now, watch out.

RUSH: Yeah, inflation is under control.

CALLER: For now.

RUSH: Yeah.

CALLER: For now. (laughs)

RUSH: Right.

CALLER: Give it a year.

RUSH: I'm looking at all these price drops out there on day-to-day things.

CALLER: Yeah.

RUSH: Cars are coming down a little bit. Let's see. Gasoline's down.

CALLER: Then, of course, homes. Real estate.

RUSH: (interruption) Electronics? Well, that's just because people like me buy the expensive stuff, Snerdley, in electronics, making it affordable for the rest of you.

CALLER: (laughs)

RUSH: I had somebody pitch me... I was told, for example, just six months ago, my audio-video guys said, "You've got a state-of-the-art rear projector for your 16-foot screen in my media room. There's only one other projector like this in a customer's home in the country. It's in California."

So I get an e-mail from these guys. "Guess what? There's a new projector out, five times the resolution. It goes beyond 1080p. The manufacturer wants to bring it to your house and demo it, and they wouldn't waste their time on that if it weren't noticeable to your eye."

Now, I have one of only two projectors already supposedly state-of-the-art in homes in the country today. And already, already they're coming back at me to get this new thing into production, because if I don't buy it, who will? And then the price will never get down to ten or twelve thousand from the current 180!


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: nbc; news; salaries; tarp
Well, yeah, but see, remember that about 55% of GE's revenue comes from GE Capital.

Caller of the day...

1 posted on 02/16/2009 4:46:24 PM PST by Libloather
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To: Libloather

But some animals are more equal than others.


2 posted on 02/16/2009 4:49:56 PM PST by screaminsunshine (f)
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To: Libloather

Call your elected official and have them push it.


3 posted on 02/16/2009 4:52:04 PM PST by cp124 (The government junkie can't live without the fix.)
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To: Libloather
But only bankers are evil.

While we are at it. Multimillion dollar/year salary sports stars play in expensive stadiums built by taxpayers. They also have a monopoly enforced by the government. Their salaries should be capped also...

4 posted on 02/16/2009 4:52:13 PM PST by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: Libloather

Brilliant catch by the Caller of the Day, but there is a fundamental problem here.

Income caps, like taxes, are for Republicans and working people only. Laws don’t apply to democrat party politicians like Brian Williams, Chris Matthews, Chris Dodd, or that slimy weasel Secretary of the treasury.


5 posted on 02/16/2009 4:52:44 PM PST by FormerACLUmember (NOW)
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To: 2banana

Auto execs are also “evil.” TV propagandists for Obama are not evil.


6 posted on 02/16/2009 4:53:48 PM PST by Frantzie (Boycott GE - they own NBC, MSNBC, CNBC & Universal. Boycott Disney - they own ABC)
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To: Libloather

Heard this this morning, I thot the caller had a brilliant observation.


7 posted on 02/16/2009 4:56:38 PM PST by Attention Surplus Disorder (Mr. Bernanke, have you started working on your book about the second GREATER depression?")
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To: Libloather
"NBC’s Todd: ‘We’re Going To Have To Give The Taliban A Role In Afghanistan’"


8 posted on 02/16/2009 5:04:14 PM PST by Diogenesis (Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?)
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To: Attention Surplus Disorder

Ditto!


9 posted on 02/16/2009 5:04:20 PM PST by John 3_19-21 ('Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.")
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To: John 3_19-21

GE became a bank holding company in order to qualify for TARP funds. So Congress and Obama now run NBC, MSNBC and CNBC and should impose the same salary limits on them.


10 posted on 02/16/2009 5:13:00 PM PST by Oldexpat (Drill Here, Drill There..we must drill everywhere.)
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To: Oldexpat
"GE became a bank holding company in order to qualify for TARP funds. So Congress and Obama now run NBC, MSNBC and CNBC and should impose the same salary limits on them."

And should use them to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Fairness Doctrine.

11 posted on 02/16/2009 5:18:53 PM PST by Natural Law
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To: screaminsunshine

Gorelick, Johnson, Raines soaked up millions from Freddie-Fannie. THAT was OK.


12 posted on 02/16/2009 5:39:31 PM PST by SERKIT ("Blazing Saddles" explains it all.....)
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To: Oldexpat

I would be happy if someone, anyone in the MSMS would have the moral, ethical, national, etc. conviction to run with this story.

Can you be a cynic and an optimist at the same time?

Strange days indeed!


13 posted on 02/16/2009 5:54:55 PM PST by John 3_19-21 ('Who controls the past, controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.")
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To: All

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2136635/posts
“Are you looking for a job?”

Note: This thread is updated on a regular basis.


14 posted on 02/16/2009 7:54:23 PM PST by Cindy
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To: aflaak

ping


15 posted on 02/16/2009 8:23:05 PM PST by r-q-tek86 (The U.S. Constitution may be flawed, but it's a whole lot better than what we have now)
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To: Libloather

Now the CEO of GE the facists lib is on Obama’s economy advisory team!!! How much was his salary and bonus?


16 posted on 02/17/2009 8:21:51 AM PST by thirst4truth (www.Believer.com)
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