(crossposted from http://www.ldnetwork.tv

Note: Show is on Tuesday this week, 2/17 8:30 PM CST

Shane and Jonathan welcome author Adam Shepard to the show to talk about his book, Scratch Beginnings. From the book’s description:

Adam Shepard graduated from college in the summer of 2006 feeling disillusioned by the apathy he saw around him and incensed after reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s famous works Nickel and Dimed and Bait and Switch—books that gave him a feeling of hopelessness over the state of the working class in America. Eager to see if he could make something out of nothing, he set out to prove wrong Ehrenreich’s theory that those who start at the bottom stay at the bottom, and to see if the American Dream can still be a reality.

Shepard’s plan was simple. Carrying only a sleeping bag, the clothes on his back, and $25 in cash, and restricted from using previous contacts or relying on his college education, he set out for a randomly selected city with one objective: work his way out of homelessness and into a life that would give him the opportunity for success. His goal was to have, after one year, $2,500, a working automobile, and a furnished apartment.

But from the start, things didn’t go as smoothly as Shepard had planned. Working his way up from a Charleston, South Carolina homeless shelter proved to be more difficult than he anticipated, with pressure to take low-paying, exploitive jobs from labor companies, and a job market that didn’t respond with enthusiasm to homeless applicants. Shepard even began donating plasma to make fast cash. To his surprise, he found himself depending most on fellow shelter residents for inspiration and advice.

Earnest, passionate, and hard to put down, Scratch Beginnings is a story that will not only inspire readers, but will also remind them that success can come to anyone who is willing to work hard—and that America is still one of the most hopeful and inspiring countries in the world.

Show Links:

http://www.scratchbeginnings.com

(cross posted from The LD Network)

When President Obama ran for president, he ran on few solid issues or theories. He promised “Change” and told us to have “Hope”. Whether I liked the few policies he talked about or not, I had to hand it to him, he ran a great campaign. He was the right candidate at the right time with the right rhetoric. The press has swooned over Obama, repeating his calls for “Change” and “Hope”, while glossing over his lack of experience among other faults. No one could exactly call Obama a champion for gay rights, or a real sincere sounding voice for women’s rights, or a real stickler to keeping religion out of politics. The press didn’t call him out, but we at the Libertarian Dime did.

And now we have his presidency, a time for “Hope” and “Change” so goes the rhetoric. However, on the day after Obama was elected, I began telling people how disappointing he was going to be for those who either were looking for a far left agenda and/or the promise of change. For those on the right, I predicted Obama would “disappoint” them in the sense, that Obama will be far more centrist than the right was “hoping” for. I think on all counts I’ve been correct.

Obama has not been as liberal as some thought he would be. He has reached out to Republicans, he has increased the Faith Based Initiative programs, he has already put off for now allowing gays into the military, and in a moment of real symbolism, he waited until the day after the anniversary of Roe v Wade to overturn the “Mexico City Policy” that Republican presidents have enacted. When it came down to a stimulus package, those on the left were disappointed in the amount of “tax cuts” (I put that in quotes because there were no tax cuts in the bill, just tax credits). Some were disappointed that family planning funding was so easily cast aside to appease Republicans.

As for “Hope” and “Change”, well, Obama has failed to deliver either. From the first day of his presidency, he has been using the language of fear to ram the stimulus bill through Congress. When he speaks of the economy, he doesn’t talk about “Hope”, but instead tells everyone he can that unless we do “something” now, that the economy will become a catastrophe. Instead of inspiring Americans or educating Americans on how to deal with the recession, instead of talking about the great things that can come out of recessions, Obama has relied on fear, same as the Bush administration, to convince Americans to support his policies.

The Patriot Act was passed by using fear. The debacle known as TARP was passed by scaring everyone. Obama (and the Democrats) have not brought “change”. We’ve had eight years of encouraging people to buy by going into debt, eight years of budget busting spending, and eight years of “hit you over the head with it” fear mongering that has done little but expand the scope and power of government. Maybe the beneficiaries under Obama have different names, but from this libertarian’s seat, it all blends into the same non-change, non-hopeful blur.