Neal Boortz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Neal Boortz | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 06 1945 (age 64) Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania |
Neal Boortz (born April 6, 1945), is a popular U.S. libertarian talk radio host based in Atlanta, Georgia. His self-given nicknames include: The Talkmaster, Mighty Whitey, The Mouth of the South, America's Rude Awakening and the High Priest of the Church of the Painful Truth. Boortz is syndicated by Cox Radio and Jones Radio Networks.
Contents |
[edit] Life
Boortz was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania but, since his was a military family, he was raised in many locations throughout the country (most notably, in the small community of Thrall, Texas). He was a self-described "Marine brat," referring to his father's service in the U.S. Marine Corps. In his pre-radio life, he was, among other things, a speech writer for Georgia Governor Lester Maddox. He began his radio career in College Station, Texas in the 1960s at WTAW-AM while attending Texas A&M University.<ref name="bio">More Boortz Bio. Retrieved on 2006-03-08.</ref> Boortz's first Atlanta radio gig was at WRNG (now WCNN) in the 1970's. Boortz also had a weekly TV show on WTCG (now WTBS) during that time period. In the 1980's, his show moved to WGST.
After graduating from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta in 1977, Boortz practiced law in a solo law firm from 1977 to 1992.<ref name="faq">More Boortz FAQ. Retrieved on 2006-03-08.</ref> In 1992, Boortz quit his law practice and signed a full-time contract with WSB-AM to do a daily radio show. In 1999, his show became nationally syndicated through WSB's owner Cox Radio. His syndicated show originates from WSB-AM 750 in Atlanta. Boortz also occasionally writes columns on the Internet news/commentary site Townhall.com. Neal Boortz has a wife named Donna (whom he also calls "She Who Must Be Obeyed," "The Queen," and "My Bride"), and they have one daughter, Laura. Boortz is an avid golfer, a pilot and a motorcycle enthusiast.
[edit] Politics
Neal Boortz is a Libertarian,<ref>Boortz, Neal (2006-10-04). "I'm not a Republican. I'm a card-carrying Libertarian". Boortz.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-05.</ref> although some feel his views are more in line with neolibertarianism philosophy that embraces incrementalism domestically, and a generally interventionist foreign policy based on self-interest, national defense and the expansion of freedom. He sides with liberals on some social issues such as abortion (about which Boortz will not allow phone calls), same-sex marriage, and civil liberties. On the other hand, he agrees with conservatives in advocating less government spending, decreasing corporate regulation, and support for the war in Iraq. He is an advocate for freedom of speech. In line with the traditional views of the Libertarian Party, Boortz supports eliminating the war on drugs, lowering taxes, shrinking the size of government, and emphasizing personal responsibility. For his stances on many of these issues, he is popular among conservative Republicans, who due to their larger numbers in comparison to Libertarians, make up the majority of his listeners and callers. Boortz is perhaps most widely known for his enthusiastic support of the FairTax plan.
Boortz tends to advocate Conservative platforms. Boortz's post-9/11 politics include support for the US-led War on Terror, a more aggressive foreign policy, and the USA Patriot Act. Boortz is also strongly in favor of a crackdown on illegal immigration, including harsh penalties for businesses who employ illegals. These views occasionally put him in conflict with the Libertarian Party. For instance, Justin Raimondo of Antiwar.com has called Boortz a "statist, not a libertarian" and a "liberventionist" and has urged the Libertarian Party to "Boot Boortz".<ref>Raimondo, Justin (2003-11-26). Boot Boortz!. Antiwar.com. Retrieved on 2006-08-16.</ref> Boortz counters that the issues of the greatest importance after the 9/11 attacks are those in which terrorism has dominated.
[edit] 2006 Elections
Prior to the 2006 midterm elections, Boortz opined that perhaps it would be a good thing to have the Republicans lose power in Congress, forcing them to wake up and stop taking their base for granted. Boortz told one disgruntled caller
I am happy about it (the defeat). It's the only way to get these Republicans to wake themselves up and say, 'You have abandoned what you were put in office for.'<ref>Bigg, Matthew (2006-11-09). Talk radio hosts lick election wounds. Reuters. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.</ref>
[edit] Radio personality
The Neal Boortz Show features Boortz, co-producers Royal Marshall and Belinda Skelton, interviewees, and callers. On the air and on his website Boortz admonishes, "Don't believe anything you read on this web page or, for that matter, anything you hear on The Neal Boortz Show unless it is consistent with what you already know to be true, or unless you have taken the time to research the matter to prove its accuracy to your own satisfaction." On numerous occasions Boortz has cautioned his listeners to take no heed nor place any credence in anything he says, as he is merely an "entertainer". As an entertainer, Neal was a 2002 NAB Marconi Radio Awards finalist and Radio & Records NewsTalk Personality of the Year for 2002.<ref>Neal Boortz. Cox Radio Interactive & Cox Radio. Retrieved on 2006-08-16.</ref>
Boortz can frequently be heard criticizing what he terms "government schools," liberals, smokers, the obese, cats, welfare recipients, and many other programs and ideas traditionally supported by democrats. He also creates controversy among conservatives for his refusal to condemn homosexuality or gay marriage (though he only supports gay adoption as a last resort) and for his negative comments regarding Baptists and the biblical story of creation. Additionally, he causes a stir among some Southerners for his frequent jabs at them and at Confederate issues (such as governmental support of the Confederate flag).
[edit] Author
Boortz's first foray into authorship was in 1997 with The Commencement Speech You Need To Hear, in which he delivers his opinions on various topics in the form of a commencement speech he would give to new college graduates, if ever invited to do so. His second book, entitled The Terrible Truth About Liberals, was published in 1998, and contains reprinted material from his first book, along with a significant amount of new material.
His latest book (co-authored by Georgia Congressman John Linder) entitled The FairTax Book, explains the proposal to implement a national retail sales tax in lieu of the federal income taxes, payroll taxes, estate tax, etc. The hardcover version held the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list for the last two weeks of August 2005 and remained in the top ten for seven weeks. The paperback released in May 2006 contains additional information and an afterword. It also spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Neal states that he donates 100% of his royalities from the FairTax book to charity. He has commented on his radio show that he hasn't made once cent from the book. As of July 2006 it is rumored his charitable donatations from book proceeds exceeded one million US dollars.<ref name="boortzbook">Boortz, Neal (2005-09-07). Nealz Nuze. Cox Radio. Retrieved on 2006-08-07.</ref> The book is one of his most frequent topics of discussion and is a common free gift to callers.
Boortz is currently working on his next book, to be entitled Somebody's Gotta Say It. Release date is set for March 1, 2007.
[edit] Controversies
Boortz, as a self-proclaimed radical, independent "entertainer," has dealt with many controversial issues over the years. For example, Boortz sides with a small minority who believe that ADD and ADHD are "medical frauds." Boortz has also received criticism because he refers to homeless people as "urban outdoorsmen."
Boortz controversially refers to public education as "tax payer funded child abuse" and accuses parents of child abuse for sending their children off to government schools.<ref>http://boortz.com/more/boortztionary.html</ref>
Boortz expresses that he is an equal opportunity offender and has made controversial statements about Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Ted Kennedy, former Senator Max Cleland, former Representative Cynthia McKinney.<ref>http://mediamatters.org/items/200604010003</ref><ref>http://mediamatters.org/items/200603310005</ref><ref>http://mediamatters.org/static/pdf/clyburn_boortz.pdf</ref><ref>Boortz, Neal (2006-04-03). Nealz Nuze. Cox Radio. Retrieved on 2006-08-16.</ref> Boortz has also expressed his opinion about the lack of Muslim outrage over certain events in response to rioting over the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy.[1] Boortz has even sparred with Bill O'Reilly, compelling O'Reilly to call him a vicious SOB. The latter incident, which occurred on O'Reilly's own program on May 7, 2003, is discussed in detail at Neal Boortz controversies#Bill O'Reilly.
Boortz has made controversial statements about Muslim extremists, leading to thought and discussions of the alleged silence of the Muslim community over the alleged hijacking of their religion.<ref>Boortz: Say the creed of Islam. Media Matters (2004-08-04). Retrieved on 2006-09-28.</ref> <ref>Boortz: Say the creed of Islam. msunderestimated.com (2006-08-10). Retrieved on 2006-10-02.</ref>
At the height of the Terri Schiavo controversy, Boortz strongly criticized groups that fought against the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube. Unlike many other talk show hosts, Boortz has said that he issues statements inciting thought and debate over the issues at hand.[citation needed] Other Boortzisms can be found on Boortz's website [2].
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
<references/>
[edit] References
- Boortz, Neal, Linder, John (2006). The Fair Tax Book, Paperback, Regan Books. ISBN 0-06-087549-6.
- Boortz, Neal (2001). The Terrible Truth About Liberals, Paperback, Longstreet Press. ISBN 1-56352-685-9.
[edit] External links
- Neal Boortz website
- 750 WSB Radio - Boortz's "home" station
- Cox Radio Syndication
- Various Boortz Webcasts (Live and Delayed)
- Famous faux commencement speech
- Source Watch on Neal Boortz
- Neal Boortz Quotes - Neal Boortz Quotes
- Boortz at Premiere Speakers BureauBoortz at Premiere Speakers Bureau
- Neal Boortz Chapter excerpts (Official publisher web page)
Articles
