Keep It Pithy Part 1

KEEP IT PITHY.

by Bill O'Reilly.

INTRODUCTION

First up: Call me clairvoyant, but I know what you're thinking. Another book from O'Reilly? We have to read yet another book from this guy? Let me quickly say that this book is not mandatory. This is not something completely different like my works of history. No, Keep It Pithy is a literary highlight reel that may help you in your life. I really hope it does.

Over the past twenty years, I have written millions of words. "Bloviating" doesn't even begin to cover it. Eleven bestsellers, thousands of newspaper columns, a daily talking points memo on television, and so on. On my tombstone I want these words inscribed: "He finally stopped talking."

Many publishers have asked me to simply reprint my past stuff. I've always said no. That's because some of what I've written is obsolete. Dated. Not relevant to anything anymore. That happens because life pa.s.ses quickly and seasons change, to say the least. What was fascinating five years ago may be very boring right now.

But some of what I've put down on paper is worth another look, especially my predictions about the age of Barack Obama. Back when I wrote the book Culture Warrior, I knew little about the man. And what I wrote in Culture Warrior had nothing to do with him as a human being. But it did have to do with his mind-set and how his secular-progressive (S-P) point of view was gaining steam in America. Looking back, I see that I am nearly an oracle in this area. It's interesting to read today what I saw in the fictional future that I created years ago. It's also somewhat frightening.

In this book we look back but we also update everything, allowing you to incorporate some of the views I've stated into your own lives should you choose to do that. The only way things will get better in America is for sane people to win the debate. Keep It Pithy will help you do that, and it will also clarify things that may be perplexing you at this moment. As usual, I will be blunt and, I hope, entertaining at the same time.

It is especially important for younger Americans to understand what the deuce is happening in their country and how to deal with it so that they can prosper and help America at the same time. Fortunately, I think I have accomplished that in my own life, and I want to impart some guidance so that you can do the same thing. The opening headline is obvious: Keep it pithy! We'll tell you exactly why in the pages of this book.

It continues to amaze me that so many of you want to hear and read what I have to say. It's really the ultimate compliment, and I take your interest very seriously. I would never want to let you down in any way. I owe you honesty, clarity, and my best work. I think this book will reflect that. Please let me know by email if it does not.

Finally, I owe a big thanks to my pal Charles Flowers, who has helped me compile the book. You may have seen the name. Flowers has worked with me from the beginning of my literary career and coauth.o.r.ed the book Kids Are Americans, Too. Charles is an interesting story. A southerner with a liberal sensibility about life, he is an educator and a man of letters. He and I are about as opposite as two Americans can get. But we both share a pa.s.sion for the traditions of the country and for problem solving. And I think over the years I have somewhat convinced Charles that the no spin, pithy approach to disseminating information is the way to go. He can't admit that to his salon-type friends because they'd stone him. However, Charles has reaped other rewards among my fans. They love him at Peppino's, one of the best Italian restaurants on the planet.

In this book, Charles and I have selected some of my best stuff and have presented it in a way that is designed to help your life. It is another journey that we hope you will enjoy. And one final thing: Please keep in mind that in order to move forward, you have to look backward. We all must understand what has happened in our lives, in the country, and in society in order not to repeat mistakes and, most important, so that we can find the most moral path to happiness and prosperity.

Life is short. No time to waste. Here now-the pith!

State of the Union

CHAPTER ONE

JUST AS I PREDICTED AND LONG BEFORE WE HEARD OF PRESIDENT OBAMA

The Growing Success of the Progressive Agenda

Back in 2006, I had fun imagining in my book Culture Warrior a future State of the Union speech by a U.S. president named Gloria Hernandez. Here's a summary of that imaginary pol's goals and philosophies:

A sharing of the wealth by targeting the affluent for most of the government's revenue ... lax school discipline on American children to promote their so-called liberties ... naked hostility to religious values and their expression in public ... a "one-world" approach to foreign relations that would prevent the U.S. government from imposing a policy that would benefit America first ... a touchy-feely vision of our society that places individual self-expression and rights over self-sacrifice and adult responsibility.

Did I get it right? Well, I made one serious mistake. I imagined that this would be the platform of a president elected in 2020. Looked at a calendar lately?

The brilliant men who forged the Const.i.tution understood that Americans should have the opportunity to pursue happiness without much government interference. They also believed for both moral and practical reasons that the greater good must always take precedence over individual selfishness.

(photo credit 1.1)

The S-P notion that the U.S. government has the right to seize private property (which is exactly what the estate tax achieves, for example, but under stealth wording), or redistribute legally earned income from the affluent to the poor, runs counter to the founding spirit of America in every way.

Look at the evidence. The United States became the strongest nation on earth because individuals working their b.u.t.ts off created a unified powerhouse.

Right now our national slogan is "The more you make, the more we take. And we're not even going to watch how we spend it."

Throwing our tax dollars away has become the new national pastime, replacing baseball!

Usually, as I've noted in the introduction, I'm not likely to disagree all that much with what I've opined in the past. Exceptions are notable, and I will note them. Most of these quotes from my writings will require no explanation. My core values have not fundamentally changed.

Too late now!

In fact ...

Politicians will argue-as many have on my program-that the government needs your money. This is a lie. There is more than enough tax revenue available today to pay for the armed forces, roads, police, and other vital services without looting the take-home pay of working Americans. No, the reason our taxes are so punitive is right there in front of you: obvious and arrogant wastefulness in government-run programs. Forget the $400 toilet seats in the Pentagon budget-peanuts. The real killing waste is in programs that do not work.

(I then noted the "horrific failure" of Clinton's $30 billion drug war and the $200 billion his administration threw at public education, to no great effect.)

I could give you hundreds of examples of ridiculous government waste, but that would take a whole other book. Right now, I have enough on my hands trying to write this one. But you can trust me on this: The tax situation in this country is brutal, including the fact that your elected representatives and their opponents are using ent.i.tlements to buy votes. That includes Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Listen very carefully when pols talk about these hot-b.u.t.ton programs. Are they making sense, or are they pandering? You have to decide. The bottom line is that few government programs are run effectively or with discipline. What we call "waste" or "pork" is reelection insurance to our leaders. Besides, the prevailing wisdom is that there will always be more tax money coming in, so don't sweat it. Is it time for another tea party like the one given in honor of King George III in Boston Harbor? I'll meet you at the water's edge....