The Showdown: Jinping vs. Obama

After President Obama’s midterm shellacking, he hit the road for Asia. There is a chance that he could take an even bigger drubbing from his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping.

China has been on a roll, having overtaken America in steel, mobile phones, beer, copper, net foreign assets, exports, fix investment, manufacturing output, energy consumption, car sales, and patent granting.

Now, it is only a matter of time before China surpasses America in other critical categories, including Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The Silk Road is an ambitious plan that takes China's sphere of influence beyond Asia.

We discussed this topic on my show last night, and some felt I was “putting America down.” Make no mistake, we are still number one. However, to rest on our laurels any further would be a colossal misstep. The world is nipping at our heels; we can be quiet for fear of sounding unpatriotic, or we can sound the alarm.

There are aspects of China's economy that was once characteristic of America's economy, and there are things currently with our economy that used to be characteristic of China’s. Let’s be clear, China is all about graft and connections, but America has seen an avalanche of new rules and regulations driving the entrepreneurial spirit underground... or to higher ground.

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The first time we put our economy in neutral was in the 1970s when we owned everything. Japan began exporting Datsuns (small cars) and transistor radios. Yes, there was hysteria about Japan overtaking the United States and it did not happen... I think China learned something from that.

Salute a Vet

Hey baby, what you know good
I'm just gettin' back, but you knew I would
War is hell, when will it end?
When will people start gettin' together again?
Are things really gettin' better, like the newspaper said
What else is new my friend, besides what I read

Can't find no work, can't find no job, my friend
Money is tighter than, it's ever been
Say man, I just don't understand
What's going on across this land
Ah, what's happening brother?
Yeah, what's happening? What's happening my man?

-Marvin Gaye

Happy Veterans Day... we would not be here without you, Our Nation’s Heroes.

On Sunday, Richard Overton, America’s oldest WWll veteran celebrated his 108^thbirthday with a little whiskey and a cigar. Mr. Overton served from 1942 to 1945 in Palau, Iwo Jima, and Guam… my daughter is one- quarter Guamanian and one quarter- Palauan.

We can never forget or take for granted veterans’ sacrifices as they exemplify what America is all about: more than Wall Street, professional athletes, and TV anchors.

It is so easy to wake up each day, and to get involved with our day-to-day stuff that is ultimately trivial compared to all the lives of those who came before us, especially those who have fought, and those who will do so in the future to defend our country in order to allow us to enjoy freedom.

The veteran unemployment rate is coming down, yet it is still too high.

Since September 11, 2001: Unemployment 7.2%

• Women Vets 11.2%
• Men Vets 6.2%

In the meantime, maybe the reason there is such a lack of leadership in Washington, DC is the fading presence of vets in Congress. The 94^th Congress of 1975-76 had 73 vets among its 100 senators and Americans elected 347 vets out of 435 House members to represent them in the 95^th Congress. Those numbers dwindled down to 85 vets in the House and only 19 in the Senate for the 113^th Congress.

This trend is reversing after last week’s midterms that saw newly elected vets:

Senate:

• Joni Ernst
• Tom Cotton
• Dan Sullivan

House:

• Ryan Zinke
• Lee Zeldin
• Steve Russell