During a recent program a caller questioned my support for Julian Assange and Wiki-Leaks. His concerns were, and are valid. We do not want to endanger our men and women in uniform in anyway. My question back to him was simply how do we maintain an open, transparent, and accountable government if we have only information our government deems safe for us to see. Newly elected FL Republican Allan West recently said "we also should be censoring the American news agencies" for doing their jobs and informing the American people. Everyone I talk to claims a great love of transparent and accountable government. Without information how is that possible? For too long Americans have relied on well paid talking heads and ideological mouthpieces to oversee our government's actions. Why, when we have the opportunity to see for ourselves are we so uninterested? Our government has come out and said workers cannot look at the leaked documents and anyone they find may not be suitable for employment. Does it not scare you to death to see how effective corporate and governmental interests have coalesced in smearing Assange? With all the distraction, spin, and smear I am not surprised that most people focused on the sex scandal without any real knowledge what the leaked documents actually say or even who it was that leaked them. Maybe the fourth estate is dead after all.  

Last night, like many Americans, I sat down to watch the hit propaganda series "Undercover Boss." While it is important to understand the CBS premise is purely to entertainment, the reality is it is feel good propaganda designed to make a struggling working class sympathize with the CEO class who has done so much to hold down wages, destroy hard fought benefits, and outsource jobs in order to maximize shareholder wealth. After all, that is their job. Maximize shareholder wealth. The CEO is not paid to worry about the happiness or well being of the worker or their family. It's all about the stocks, the investor class. On one hand it is pure marketing genius. Who doesn't like to see the boss royally screw up? Who doesn't want to be noticed and the work they do appreciated, even if only for a second? On the other hand this program is about   

 

ALPAmember Chuck Martinak talks with Rick Smith about the struggles of the heroes in the air.

Starting Monday September 6, 2010 the Rick Smith Show will be heard Monday-Friday evenings 9pm-Midnight on the FM dial at WIOO 97.9 (Carlisle/Harrisburg) and WEEO 93.9 (Shippensburg/Chambersburg) as well as their sister stations WIOO AM 1000 and WEEO AM 1480. This move will give the program the ability to reach a wider audience and encourage greater participation. The program is in the process of building a studio of its own to provide the Rick Smith Show to ability to reach more stations across the state and the world via the web. The Program will continue its Saturday and Sunday noon-2pm program on WHYL AM 960 as it has continuously for the past 5 years.

Come out and join The Rick Smith Show Saturday August 7th, 2010 at 7:30pm for a screening of the critically acclaimed film Casino Jack and the Unites States of Money.  This film, sponsored by The Rick Smith Show will open your eyes to corruption and backroom dealings that went on in Washington during the Bush years continuing to a lesser extent today.  For a free pair tickets email Rick@thericksmithshow.com or call during show hours.  The Rick Smith Show has sponsored the entire run of Casino Jack so even if you cannot make the Saturday event you can still see it.  For dates and times go to the Carlisle Theatre website.

On Friday July 9^th, 2010 Attorney General and GOP Gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett made another major campaign mistake. That mistake was kicking someone while they are down. As a kid growing up in a big city housing project one of the first rules of the street was not to kick someone while they were down and not hurt someone who is unable to defend themselves. Doing so usually got the offender a good beating by the crowd that generally gathers to watch a good fight, and rightly so. 

Saturday July 24, 2010 from Noon-2pm at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore located at 1302 North 3rd Street in downtown Harrisburg The Rick Smith Show will give you the opportunity to speak out.  Do you think cutting funding for veterans and the state police is worth not taxing smokeless tobacco?  Do you think cutting Head Start, Pre-K Counts, and Education Assistance programs are better than taxing cigars? Do you think cutting higher education and library services is better than closing a loophole that allows multi-state corporations to hide their profits elsewhere?  Do you think cutting funding to the very agency that is charged with overseeing the Marcellus Shale drilling instead of a sane tax on what they extract from our land is a good idea?  Of course not!!!!! Join us and let the legislators know hear your displeasure. 

The Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center has come out with a new ticker to let tax payers know how much they are losing by not enacting a sane severance tax on the natural gas being taken from our lan.  www.pennbpc.org/severance-tax-ticker

AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka sat down with Rick at the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Convention in Pittsburgh to talk safety, jobs, and the future of the nation.  Here is a sample of the interview.  You can hear the rest of the interview Sunday 4-17-2010 during regular show hours, noon-2pm on WHYL AM 960 or right here at the Rick Smith Show website.