Archive for the ‘BLOG’ Category
I am finding myself becoming a workaholic.
It’s funny how I will have someone complain that I havent answered their email, when I get between 200 and 2000 of them a day! (And yes, I do answer them myself!!!!) I have my daily radio talk show to host, my 4 t.v. appearances ( O’Reilly Factor and America Live on Fox News Channel each week and Money Rocks and America’s Nightly Scoreboard on Fox Business Channel each week).
I own and operate The Leslie Marshall Show, co own and operate my husband’s Medical practice, have 2 toddlers and take care of all work under the heading “Domestic Goddess!” I know I know BREATH!
I had promised myself that on Saturday and Sunday’s my cell phone would remain off and that I would not dare head to my computer! But here I am, writing, I mean bloggin 
to you! I just finished 2 letters, 3 phone calls and dont ask how many emails! Oh and let’s not forget facebook, twitter, lunch meetings, speeches, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! In short- I need a day off! So I am going to bid you farewell all of my friends in The Leslie Marshall listening/viewing family! Just for now until Monday morning.
If I can keep my fingers away! (I hear they have 12 step programs for us who cant stop calling, emailing, texting, tweeting…I’m tired just writing this!!! I will miss you but I will be back in just a little over 24 hrs. Forgive me, it’s not that I dont love you, it’s just, well, heck, even God took a day off right?!? LM
PS Hope you’ll support my radio show by becoming a subscriber! Then that will lighten my load a bit! http://www.lesliemarshallshow.com/members
It always amazes me, even though I have been a talk host for 23 years, how we have grown to disagree on such a nasty level in this country. I see cars that say “support our troops” but so many obviously forget what our troops are fighting for: the flag, the constitution, our freedoms. One such freedom as cited in the 1st ammendment is Freedom of Speech.
That doesnt mean your opinion must be in line with what the majority thinks or what the latest polls show is popular, that means we can speak freely, regardless of our opinions. So why are many on facebook, twitter, talk radio, online, etc, so hellbent on hurling insults when someone disagrees with them? What are we barbarians? (or to steal the thunder from the Geico ads- Cavemen?) If you were to read my emails after my television appearances, some might make you physically ill: wishing harm on my children, calling me every name for a woman’s vagina imaginable ( sometimes in the same sentence!) or stating my belief (liberal) is a mental disorder. Why such anger? Hatred? Disrespect for one another? I’m sure Osama bin laden is just sitting back laughing at how America continues to further divide: racially, financially, ethnically, religiously and now politically.
I know it’s corny, but hey, UNITED we stand, DIVIDED we fall. Why cant we ever look at some of our areas of agreement: a) EVERYONE wants the oil to stop flowing – even if we disagree on who is to blame for it, who should clean it up or how. b) EVERYONE wants to put their kids tonite with the confidence they’re safe- even if we disagree on who the bad guys are or how to protect ourselves from them, c) EVERYONE agrees that no one should come here illegally- we just disagree on what to do with those who have arrived, who is to blame and how to punish them…I think you get the point. I’m not here to change your mind, and believe me you wont change mind. So don’t try. Debate? Yes! Like an adult…please?
The next time you send that nasty email, tweet or facebook message- count to ten as my mother would say- that person you’re sending that to is just that- a PERSON- their opinion- is a very tiny piece of them, it belongs to them and they have a constitutional right to it!
Leslie Marshall
I thought I was going to fall down and faint when I heard about the Pope’s personal preacher comparing the critcism of the Catholic Church to the violence suffered by the Jews in the Holocaust. Now I realize he was quoting a letter from a Jewish friend; but none the less, it was irresponsible, inconsiderate and offensive; especially on Good Friday.
The Catholic Church aided Nazi’s in obtaining passports to escape Germany ( as well as trial, imprisonment and perhaps execution) after the Holocaust at the end ( and even during) World War II. The Catholic Church “hid” pedophile priests as they relocated them from parish to parish throughout the U.S. and even the world.
The plight suffered by the Jews in the Holocaust, as well as the 5 million plus additional victims of the Holocaust whether they be handicapped, old, deformed, gypsies, political prisoners, non aryans, jehovah’s witnesses, gays, etc. to name a few, simply cannot be compared with a world pointing their finger at a religious institution that has been hiding pedophiles and refusing to listen to the cries of the hundreds of thousands of victims worldwide for decades.
Are priests so removed from real life by not being married and having children that they simply cannot comprehend the harm done to a child when they are sexually molested? Dont they realize the children have been robbed of their innocence? Their purity? Their virginity? This boggles my mind, because these priests are part of a religion that not only holds life so dear they believe a condom interferes with it’s creation; this is a religion, a church which prohibits pre marital sex, fornication. So how can fornication forced upon a child by an adult, a priest none the less be ignored!?!?!! This forced fornication by the way is rape. These children were powerless. They looked up to these men as representatives of God- for some, the closest thing to God on earth. And doesnt the Pope state he is God’s representative on earth? Would God turn his back on children who cry out for justice day and night?!?
There are some that say the Pope must address these issues. There are some that say the Pope must answer to why he ignored more than one letter, when he was John Ratzenberg, regarding a priest who allegedly molested more than 200 deaf boys in Wisconsin. The Pope must address why priests who are accused of such crimes are simply forgiven and moved and are not given up to law enforcement authorities. And where is the outrage among Catholics!?!! There are some who say this Pope must step down. Some who believe this Pope’s anti semitism is clear; from his being taught as a member of the Hitler youth, to the honoring of a man who denies the Holocaust and now this, this comparison with the Holocaust.
What violent act/s have been brought upon the church or this pope!?! What violent act/acts have been brought upon the Priests who are pedophiles for that matter!?!! The only violence is upon the victims, the children, who in being sexually abused, were physically, mentally and emotionally abused. These priests robbed them of their souls, their hopes, often their faith in God. They brought in confusion about their sexuality; their ability to be intimate, to form strong emotional bonds, to have children of their own. In my mind, what these priests have done is worse than murder. And that is what the Holocaust was. A systematic murder, a mass ethnic cleansing of Europe by Adolf Hitler and his willing participants, his willing “Catholic” Nazi’s.
The church has apologized for not doing enough during the Holocaust- but it never apologized for remaining silent and turning it’s head. It never apologized for helping aid in anti semitism by teaching for centuries that the Jews murdered Jesus. (Who by the way wouldnt be anyone’s saviour had he not been crucified) The church hasnt apologized to the victims or their families for the betrayal or for the abuse, and now today, rather than apologize for their remarks, for their offensive comparison of the Catholic churchs’ being critized to the violence against the Jews in the Holocaust, during the week of Passover!
I say the Pope needs to speak to these issues or step down. I say the Catholics throughout the world need to cry out to their religious leaders to right this wrong. I say they must do this, or you all must stop putting money in their baskets. And speaking of money- the next time you’re at the Vatican, ask them to melt some of that gold to pay the victim’s for all the church has put them through, or at least by the people of Mexico and Calcutta condoms.
Leslie Marshall
Now I’ve been on the radio over 22 years and I am syndicated for the second time around. My articles have been published in reputable places like “US News & World Report” and I’m seen on national television nearly everyday, definitely every other. Believe it or not, perhaps because I live in Los Angeles; home to the Hollywood types and dozens upon dozens of stars, I had given up on that 15 seconds.
FINANCIAL REFORM FINALLY AT AMERICA’S DOORSTEP
Real reform of the Industry that led to the collapse of our Economy is perhaps right around the corner. This week the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved the most sweeping overhaul of financial regulations since the Great Depression, in hopes of preventing a similar crisis.
In order for this reform to become reality, the bill would still have to go through the Senate and be signed into law by the President. But this is by far the closest Americans have been to getting real financial reform from the conditions that caused the Recession.
Here are some highlights of the bill that passed the House:
1. Americans no longer would be responsible for bailouts, other large financial firms would. This would be done by breaking up large financial firms if their size poses a major risk to the economy, as well as seizing and dismantling such firms if they’re about to go bankrupt. A new $150-billion fund, paid for by the financial industry, would cover the costs of any government takeovers.
2. The bill also would create a powerful new agency to protect consumers in the financial marketplace. It would outlaw many predatory and abusive mortgage practices and for the first time regulate hedge funds and private pools of capital.
3. Company shareholders would get a nonbinding vote on executive compensation. This would do a lot to prevent CEOs from getting giant bonuses when they actually lose the company money. (Which happened on multiple occasions leading up the Financial Meltdown).
4. The bill would make other major changes to federal oversight of the financial system, including imposing new requirements on credit rating agencies and the trading of complex securities known as derivatives.
5. The Bill would create a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency. The new agency would have the power to write rules for a variety of financial activities involving loans or credit, to monitor large banks for compliance and to ban products and business practices it deemed unfair, deceptive or abusive.The agency would take over from the Federal Reserve the ability to write consumer protection rules and from banking regulators the authority to monitor financial firms for compliance with those rules.It’s one of several ways the Fed would lose power under the legislation. Lawmakers have sharply criticized the central bank’s performance leading up to the crisis. Under the bill, the Fed’s emergency lending authority would be decreased and it would face congressional audits of more of its activities. But the Fed would gain a new role in regulating large firms deemed to be a potential risk to the economy.Consumer and public interest groups support creating the agency, citing the failure of the Fed and other regulators to rein in subprime mortgages.
The President of Consumers Union, Jim Guest, hit the nail on the head: “We need an aggressive watchdog in Washington that looks out for the best interests of consumers. This agency would crack down on lenders and banks that abuse their customers and it would provide information consumers need to make informed financial decisions.”
Large financial firms have fought aggressively against creating the agency; which doesn’t come as a surprise since it would no longer allow them to receive taxpayer bailouts. Any bailouts would be on their own dime and the dime of their fellow Giant Financial Firms.
Of course politics will play into whether or not the bill gets signed into law. House Democrats said the new regulations would reverse years of lax oversight under President Bush that let risky Wall Street behavior shatter the economy.
Perhaps the most damning blow to the Republican Party is that not a single Republican Congressman or Congresswoman voted in favor of the financial reform bill. There are also the giant financial lobbying firms that are trying to kill the bill before it can be passed through the Senate. The Senate bill differs in some key areas, and action there lags behind the House, making legislation unlikely to reach the president before early next year. President Obama urged Congress to “act as quickly as possible.” In the meantime, the House has sent a clear message that can be summed up nicely by Nancy Pelosi, “We are sending a clear message to Wall Street: The party is over. Never again will reckless behavior on the part of a few threaten fiscal stability of our people.”
Mark “Marky Mark” Grimaldi
Executive Producer
The Leslie Marshall Show
“The Only True Democracy In Talk Radio – Of, For and By You The People.”
www.lesliemarshallshow.com
Since this is Thanksgiving weekend, rather than talk politics, which will be my next blog, I decided to talk about what I’m thankful for.
Now before you log off and think I’m being sappy, give me a chance here. Throughout most of my life, and I’m not that old yet (!), I have heard people say: “To your health,” “At least you’ve got your health…,” “Happy, healthy and wise,” …I think you get the point. Well, this year, I’m really happy for my health. Or, I should say, I appreciate having my health. We all know as we age, the back doesnt bend as quickly, and the aches and pains become more apparent….but then there are more serious issues.
I recently lost my Aunt Marilyn to lung cancer- although she was near 80, that was young considering her brother, my grandfather, and even her parents lived well into their 90′s. (Watch our conservatives- Leslie Marshall’s got a long life span ahead! haha!) Just two weeks later, on my mother’s side of the family, my Uncle Leon died of brain cancer. Just months ago her was fine- and then, while having dinner with friends, dropped to the floor. When the doctor said he had brain cancer, and that an operation could give him a 50-50 chance, surely we all thought he would survive after 3 of them!
When they sent him home with hospice care experts tell you it could be months, what they didnt tell us and didnt know is that it would be a few days. So I have stood by the funerals, burials, memorial services of 2 in my family. And I must admit- which is bizarre- but I think we all do it…who is next? When will it be? Then my mind starts to wander into when will I die? Will I see my children grow up? Marry? Have children? How will I die? Will it be slow? painful? Will I die in my sleep like my Dad did?
Being a pessimist, it is hard to have the Pollyanna view of life- that “live each day like it’s your last” however true it may ring for me is harder in my “glass half empty” philosophy of life. Most of us suffer many losses in life- parents, grandparents, pets- and as we get older- friends- and for some of us, like myself, our own children. These past weeks I have been ill. I had the flu, then a cough, a sore throat, lost my voice ( which is pretty bad for a talk host!) and then got walking pneumonia. When I thought I had turned the corner, I got sick again- I wont make you sick with the details. Even as I write this- I’m still not 100%- but all of this is small in comparison with the health issues so many people are afflicted with throughout the world- and of course, this is small in the grand scheme of life- my life- your life- anyone’s life- I’m sure on my deathbed I wont be thinking: “wow- I wonder how come my flu lasted so long in 2009?!” And before I close, I have a confession to make: One the 2nd part of a 3 part series on The O’Reilly Factor in which Bill interviewed Sarah Palin, Bill had me on after the interview to discuss my opinion of Ms Palin and her reponses to his questions. Of the hundreds of emails, or should I clarify and say “hate mails,” a few, usually from a femal would say something like :”you dont like Sarah Palin because you’re jealous!”
Well to be honest, there were years in my life, where a woman who was doing better than me professionally, was more attractive, thinner, etc. would make me jealous- to be honest. BUT…..I can honestly and truly say, (and it feels good!) that I am happy in my life now. I must be honest again- I fear saying that- often when I have expressed to the world “I’m Happy” bad things have happened like : losing a job, my father dying or finding out my son had a terminal illness…….but for the first time in a long time- without sounding sappy again or even conceited- I’m happy being me- being Leslie Marshall.
I dont aspire to be Oprah, Sarah Palin or any other female who makes more money, has a bigger career. I am truly blessed to do what I love, to have a radio show that continues to grow in a bad economy; to be asked to be on television on programs that are so highly rated and respected as “The O’Reilly Factor,” to have 2 healthy children, a good marriage to a supportive man whom I love, an incredible team who believes in me and my show, a roof over my head and ….well…my health- physically, emotionally and mentally. So to conclude- here’s saying Happy Thanksgiving to all of you- be thankful for what you’ve got- dont mourn what you’ve loss too long or you’ll miss the living you’ve got to do- because none of us know for how long that will be.
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As a caller on Leslie’s show exhibited this week, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the Public Option and Single Payer. Some of this is natural. Some is intentional. Lobbying firms for the Giant Health Insurance Companies hope for confusion and misinformation to dominate what should be a conversation on real reform.
The truth is, even if President Obama wanted single payer, it would never be able to happen from the Health Care Bills in the House and Senate now. Separate bills would have to be introduced into the House and Senate and would have to be voted on. So some people’s boogie man theory on the Public Option somehow transforming into Single Payer is legally impossible. Anyone who reads, writes or just plain understands bills in the House or Senate can tell you that.
The Public Option would compete with Private Health Insurance Plans, not eliminate them. Imagine if you have three grocery stores in your city, and they all conspire to raise the cost of bread. Say bread was a dollar a loaf, and the grocery store made a 90 cent profit from that. Then say all three grocery stores agreed to raise it to three dollars a loaf. Even though the bread is the same (or getting worse if we’re comparing it to health care), you have no choice but to pay more for it. Then every year the three grocery stores conspire to raise the cost of bread. $4.00 dollars the next year, $5.00 the year after that, $6.00 the next year (all while the bread is getting worse). Then all of a sudden, a fourth grocery store comes along who is not conspiring with the others. They charge $1.00 a loaf, and still make a healthy 90 cent profit. Eventually word gets out, and Capitalism and competition come into effect. People start shopping at the fourth grocer to buy the $1.00 bread because they’re no longer getting ripped off. Sure enough, the other grocers (due to competition), have to stop ripping people off. They now charge between $1.00 and $2.00 dollars per loaf, and still make a profit between 90 cents and $1.90. So they’re forced to make their prices fair, or raise the quality of the product if they’re going to keep raising the price. This makes the market fair for the customer again, all while still allowing the businesses to make profits. But doesn’t allow them to conspire to rip people off and take advantage of them. That, in short, is what the Public Option is. It is not single payer; single payer would be only Government run Health Care. A Public Option would be just like having another company out there that you could buy insurance from. So now instead of having say three options like Cigna, Blue Cross and Wellpoint. You’d have Cigna, Blue Cross, Wellpoint and a Public Option plan. It will help to stop Health Insurance costs from rising every single year, which they have done in this country for decades now. The prices are going up, even thought the actual care is getting worse. The quality of health care for millions of Americans insured through commercial or public plans has stopped improving for the first time in more than a decade, according to an industry accreditation group’s report issued two weeks ago. Don’t take my word for it, check out the physical proof: http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/22/news/economy/healthcare_insurers_reportcard/index.htm?postversion=2009102211So Americans are paying more for Health Care, even though it is getting worse. You cannot argue with that, it is a hard fact. Despite us Americans paying by far the most for Health Care anywhere in the world, we have the 37th best care, according to independent non-partisan reports. Again, here is the hard proof that cannot be argued with: http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html The bottom line is, if we do nothing, the Healthcare companies have no reason to stop charging us more and more every year, for care that is actually getting worse. Mark “Marky Mark” Grimaldi
Executive Producer
The Leslie Marshall Show
“The Only True Democracy In Talk Radio: Of, For and By The People“
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In 1992 I was the youngest person ever to be nationally syndicated at that time. I replaced Tom Snyder at Daynet on the ABC Radio Network. I was also quite young. At that time, women like Sally Jessy Raphael and Myrna Lamb hosted national shows on the radio, but they only gave advice. I was hired to discuss, debate and share my opinion on issues. I also was able to move back to the east coast, where I am originally from, to the Big Apple. I was thrilled.
Although I was a talk host since the late 80’s, I wasn’t as involved in politics. It wasn’t until this young Governor from Arkansas was running for President that I was really paying attention. And he got my attention. His name was William Jefferson Clinton.
After his successful election to the Presidency, his wife, the current Secretary of State, Hilary Rodham Clinton was boldly designing a plan to reform our health care system. Sound a bit familiar? In the early 90’s, in the first term as President, Bill Clinton did a very smart thing. He invited all the talk hosts in America to come to the white house, to meet with him, Hilary, Donna Shalala the Health & Human Services Secretary at that time, George Stephanopolous, Leon Panetta, etc. This was to give us an opportunity to hear about the plan, the goals and to ask questions on behalf of our listeners, the American public. Additionally, Katie Couric, Joan Lunden, Wolf Blitzer were all on hand to provide that information to their T.V. viewing audiences on NBC, ABC and CNN as well.
It was an exciting time in the early 90’s. The economy was good. We were at peace. We weren’t living in a post 9/11 world and we weren’t engaged in a war on terror. The polls showed that America wanted reformation; unfortunately Americans proved how fickle they were when within months, the tide of opinion turned and the lobbyists stepped in with their checkbooks.
Now if I were talking about health care reform I might start singing the words to “Déjà vu.” But I’m not. I’m talking about President Bill Clinton and more specifically my meeting with him; then and now.
Bill Clinton was the first President I had ever met and the first I had ever interviewed at that time in my career. I was in a long line of folks lined up for our interview with him at the White House. At the time, my show aired weeknights 10pm-1am eastern, so there wasn’t time for me to fly back to New York to host my program. The White House knew that and accommodated me. There I was, along with my (buddy Gil Gross who was doing the same shift, but for CBS), hosting my show on the White House lawn, in the rain, with secret service types holding an umbrella over me and delivering my diet cokes. From the window above me I could hear Chelsea playing “Pearl Jam” on her stereo. It was surreal.
What was more surreal was meeting President Clinton earlier that day. I knew he was the leader of the free world, I knew he was a Rhodes Scholar, I knew his I.Q. was higher than mine and I knew he was one of the most dynamic speakers I had ever heard. In short, I knew of his greatness. What I didn’t know, was what it was like to touch the hand of greatness. President Clinton has an ability to make you feel like you are the only person in the room when he shakes your hand, looks into your eyes and says hello. When I shook his hand, (and I kid you not), I could feel the energy flow through him. That man has an ora of greatness, an ora of success that is undebatable. I remember a very well known conservative talk show host who said to me later “you just can’t hate the guy.” When I interviewed him regarding health care, it was obvious he was passionate about this cause and very supportive of his wife’s efforts. I felt that he genuinely cared for the American people and that he was going to make a difference. And he certainly did.
Last weekend I was invited to a luncheon where President Clinton would be speaking. This time it was regarding the Clinton Foundation and the nation of Pakistan. Again, I waited in line to shake his hand; to touch greatness for a second time in my life. Prior to the luncheon, some of us had to provide a brief bio on ourselves, which I did. When my turn came to meet the former President, to shake his hand and to have my photo taken with him; I said to him: “Hello Mr. President. I am sure you don’t remember, but I met and interviewed you at the White House in 1992 on the subject of health care.” He smiled, shook my hand and the cameraman did his thing. As I was about to leave, the President pulled me in and said: “Leslie, I don’t remember meeting you; but I know you interviewed me. See they gave me a sheet with people’s bios on it and yours was the last one I read before I got out of the car. So Leslie Marshall met and interviewed me at the white house in 1992 was fresh on my mind. So no, I didn’t remember, but yes, I know and now that I see you, you do look familiar to me.” Later in the day I along with others was allowed to talk privately with the President regarding the problem of obesity in American children, education for boys and girls in Muslim countries, medication/supplies reaching countries where AIDS continues to be an epidemic, etc.
After his speech and the luncheon, President Clinton came over to me and said “Good to see you again Leslie.” My husband leaned in and said “He remembered your name.” I told my husband “no, he read my name tag.” My husband pointed to my dress and I noticed that I hadn’t put my name tag on. President Clinton did remember my name. Like I said, he has the ability to make you feel like you’re the only person in the room.
Both prior to and after the luncheon; I shared my experience with family, friends, listeners on my radio show and my friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter. Of course I received endless comments including words like “cigars,” “blue dresses,” “roaming hands, “impeached,” etc.
Whether you are a Democrat or Republican, whether you love or hate Bill Clinton, you cannot deny the great he has done for America and the world; and still does. I heard that President Clinton once said that he wanted to do as much post President as Jimmy Carter has. Well I think Bill Clinton has either equaled or surpassed former President Carter.
If you read the two books President Clinton has authored or do some research into what he has done his life time as President, Governor and even when he was not a political figure; most of us would be lucky to accomplish one percent of his achievements.
A man once told me that he had a photo taken with President Nixon and kept it framed on the wall in his home. He said friends and family gave him a hard time about it and were perplexed because not only was he a Democrat, but Nixon was impeached, resigned and known primarily for Watergate. His response to them was: “He was the President of the United States.”
So for those of you that like to remember President Clinton for his mistakes rather than his merits…just remember, if someone offered you the opportunity to meet him, to have a photo with him, to shake his hand, you would. Not only because he was President, not only because he and his foundation are literally saving lives in Africa, teaching American children a new way to eat, a new way to live or that his presence in North Korea helped to release two American hostages; no, because he was a great President, he is a great mean and you would be able to experience what touching greatness is like.
Leslie Marshall
The Leslie Marshall Show
“The Only True Democracy in Talk Radio – Of For And By The People”
www.lesliemarshallshow.com
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