Charlie’s Blog

Hello Charlie,
I have been a fan for years. I Tivo World News every night and it is the last thing I watch before I go to sleep. I look forward to your sign-off every night.
Now to business. I came across something that you might find interesting. See below:
Subject: The Ultimate Bail Out plan… Makes perfect sense, not a joke!
The best bailout plan I’ve seen so far. How do we get this to the right people?
“We Deserve It Dividend”
I’m against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG. Instead, I’m in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in a “We Deserve It Dividend”! To make the math simple, let’s assume there are 200,000,000 bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+. Our population is about 301,000,000 ± counting every man, woman and child – so 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up.
Divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billion and that equals 425,000.00. My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a We Deserve It Dividend. Of course, it would NOT be tax free. So let’s assume a tax rate of 30%. SO ……. Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes. That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam. But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket. A husband and wife has $595,000.00.
What would you do with $297,500.00 or $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved. Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads. Put away money for college – it’ll be there. Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs. Buy a new car – create jobs. Invest in the market – capital drives growth.
Pay for your parent’s medical insurance – health care improves. Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else. Remember this is for every adult US Citizen 18+ including the folks who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company that is cutting back, and of course for those serving in our Armed Forces. If we’re going to re-distribute wealth let’s really do it…instead of trickling out a puny $1000.00 (“vote buy”) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.
If we’re going to do an $85 billion bailout, let’s bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+! As for AIG – liquidate it. Sell off its parts. Let American General go back to being American General. Sell off the real estate. Let the private sectorbargain hunters cut it up and clean it up. Here’s my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn’t.
Sure it’s a crazy idea that can “never work.” But can you imagine the Coast-To-Coast Block Party! How do you spell Economic Boom? I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC. And remember, The Family plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.
Ahhh…I feel so much better getting that off my chest. What is your opinion?
Regards,
Angela

Dear Charlie
I am watching you on tv right now and must say you sicken me. I have been a fan of yours for years and your smug comment “is sara hurting the mccain ticket?” had me in disgust. You should take your job a little more seriously. YOU impact others and how you ASK the questions and you sooo set the tone. The country is questioning her ability now. How can the country questions Her ablity when some are ready to vote for Obama? I pray that before each interview you examin your power to influence. Becareful on how you use your publicity your power. I am so discussed with the media. Your JOB is to bring us the news … not make it.
Do your job ….

Charlie,
I have just now been able to even speak to you after your condescending interview with Sarah Palin. I used to watch GMA everyday and you were doing the same thing on there to Diane. I don’t know how she stood working with you. I don’t watch that show or your evening news anymore because of you. I am surprised too because I thought I heard once that you have a wife and maybe daughters. Also, your negative press on McCain/Palin is ridiculous. And tell George to stop with the insults of Sarah too. She will do great and you all can just continue to play the popularity game with your View watchers and Oprah lovers. Can you tell that I’ve had it? Shame.
Patty
Mt Juliet, TN

Charles Gibson,,,,,,I am so very disappointed in you and A.B.C. I use to think that you were far and balanced. But you are not. You as well as your colleagues are hiding the truth of why Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and people like Barney Franks, Senator Dodd have blocked any kind of reform in the past few years. I consider this a cover-up and outright shoddy unethical journalism on your part and on the part of A.B.C. and people like George. You really need to look into yourself and see how by keeping this quiet you have allowed this problem to grow.

Charlie,
Don’t listen to the nuts ranting against the media. ABC News has been my favorite station ever since I first tuned into Peter Jennings and saw a rational, straight-forward, un-biased approach to reporting the news. I am happy to say you are continuing that tradition and I continue to watch ABC News over all stations for my news.

Charlie,
If Mrs. Palin is being trained for the upcoming debate, I’m pretty sure she or they are just touching the subjects of the interview, and we know she is a fast copier,is the knowledge she’s accumulating would be enough to do the job she’s applying for, or is she just going to B.S. her way out all through the administration.
Raffi

Welcome back. And thanks for trying to get us as much information as possible about this economic debacle that is going on. It is extremely difficult for most of us to understand how problems on Wall Street affect the rest of the country.

Charlie, hope to see you in Michigan! I’d like to see you do a report on exposing the details about the ‘pork barrels’ added on to this $700 Billion Bail Out deal. I think the american people would like and have a right to know the names of the people who submitted these items and why they were allowed to be tacked on. Who were the people on the committee that even allowed such garbage to be accepted? Doesn’t anybody in Washington have the backbone to stand up to these people and tell them “NO!” that we will not have any of this hogwash! This is disgrace to the american people. I wonder what Peter Jennings would have to say about all this! I miss him dearly.
byw…I think Palin was picked only because she is a female.
Keep up the good work Charlie!!

Are you going to mention Obama’s Acorn
Raid or will this be swept under the rug?

Charles Gibson,
I thought that the media is suppose to be unbias. Not only you, as the others in the media as well, are so disrespectful and unprofessional and just hateful. Whether you agree or not you should be respectful, balanced and fair. Playing got-cha is childish and looking down your nose to Gov. Palin was a disgrace. I remember growing up with just the three networks, abc, nbc and cbs. That was good tv, respectable news reporters, now my family and I can’t watch abc, nbc or cbs, the shows are trash and the news broadcast is , I know thing’s change, but it should be change for the better not for the worse. I not going to even get started on hollywood. we the joe six packs, have allowed the powerful liberal media and powerful liberal hollywood, powerful liberal government to change what America was to what it shouldn’t be. I hope the joe six packs can do something and I pray it’s not to late.

Charlie,
It seems to me that the majority of readers (and our political candidates) are caught up in, and appear to completely believe, the soundbites floating around today. Unfortunately, neither candidate, in my opinion has clearly stepped out and provided a solid, logical or systematic aproach to address the major issues facing us this election year. In fact, it appears to me that since their respective conventions, each candidate is practically tripping over each other to present the other candidate’s position, while simultaneously stressing that their apponent has it “all wrong”.
More recently, both candidates have suggested that a potential solution to the current economic meltdown can be addressed by having the government buy up all the bad mortgages, (which should never have been granted in the first place by responsible money managers, or accepted by responsible consumers). They have both suggested that the government should re-value these martgages, lower the interest rate and try to keep these home buyers in their homes while paying off their debts. Then sell them back to the debt markets.
Well, I believe they each got it partially right. Yes, I believe the government needed to step in and help out. Unfortunately, it jabs a knife into the back of all responsible consumers who didn’t overspend beyond their means and paid off, or continue paying on their debts. This is the WRONG MESSAGE.
Why not suggest leaving the value of the note alone, reducing the interest rate to a resonable level, (reflective of today’s economy), and extending the life of the mortgage, to say 40, 50 or 60 years. This is not totally unheard of in cultures where multi-generational families live under one roof. In fact many families in the US have recently re-discovered this option in view of their current economic misfortune. This would have a much better long-term effect on the economy and accomplish the desired goals of keeping the home buyer in their home and not penalizing the people who were more responsible money managers and borrowers.
Charlie – I’d like to hear you pose these questions to the candidates and economic pundits.

Charlie, thanks for your many years of trying, and for the most part successfully delivering the news to our living rooms in a sensible, comfortable manner. I strongly believe that both Obama and McCain have the “good of the American people” at heart. Whichever is elected president, has the most challenging tasks any newly elected president has ever had to face in my lifetime and I will soon be 62. In 1966 I took an oath as an inductee into the USMC that in essence can be interpreted as “I will defend to my own death, the right for any American citizen to say whatever they want to say”. I have taken that oath seriously throughout my life and career. Even so, I just don’t have to agree with what they say. My point is, that I wish every voter would just sit down on Nov. 4. Digesting any and all of what they have personally taken the time to learn about each candidate, and mark their ballot. The ballots will not have any headlines. The ballots will not have any slanderous comments next to any names. Each voter’s completed ballot will speak volumes over and above all the nonsense that has plagued this election’s campaign from both parties. I strongly believe that you have had all of our interest at heart and that you have attempted to give us the information that we need to make our decisions. Thanks again, and best of luck to you.

Charlie -
What are your thoughts on “The War On Drugs” these days?
Remember in the seventies and eighties when it was an important political issue? These days nobody seems to want to talk about it. Not the candidates, not the media, absolutely nobody.
Why is that Charlie?
Right now the Army is looking at cases of soldiers coming home and committing murder, and trying to identify what these cases all might have in common.
I wonder if alcohol might have been involved in all of them?
These days our “young men” tend to think drinking to excess makes them more “manly” but unfortunately, many of them cannot handle their emotions when they get too drunk.
Still – Cindy McCain is Chairwoman of a company that sells over a quarter million cases of Budweiser per year, and if you look at her company’s website, she sells a liquor product which is actually called “Jekyl and Hyde.” That is really the name of one of the alcoholic drinks her company pushes – to who? What kind of mature and discerning drinker asks for “Jekyl and Hyde?”
Alcohol does not just kill people on the highways, it also fuels people into alcoholic and homicidal rages.
I bet all of these soldiers were drinking or drunk – but I’m just guessing. The media would never blame the alcohol industry, too much advertising money in jeapordy. No, they will profile fine wines, or micro-brews as something we can all aspire to indulge in, but they will never tell the truth about what mass consumption of alcohol does to fuel violence in our culture.
All soldiers get routine drug testing, so I doulbt these GI’s were high on weed.
Marijuana is a much safer alternative to beer or hard liquor, by the way, but because it is so easy to grow, there is little money in it for big corporations. Best keep it illegal! Otherwise Cindy McCain might not make so much money.
There is an organization of Law Enforcement professionals, Charlie, called Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Think of it Charlie! Cops, Judges and Prison Administrators – all of whom have seen the terrible unintended consequenses of the war on drugs, who are against prohibition.
The recent kidnapping of an innocent young boy in Nevada is just the latest wake-up call. Prohibition does not work, and it leads to violence and increased criminal behavior, not less.
I hope you will think about this Charlie, and have a great day.

Charlie,
“COLOR DUE MATTER”
I wander what’s Your, Dianne and George Stephatonopoulos take on this?
My two cents opinion on this election, Senator John McCain and Senator Sarah Palin campaign managers are to be blamed. They didn’t do a good job demonstrating a truth Republican Party portrait with advertising / campaigns sings and logos. The GOP is traditionally represented under “RED COLORS” during the entire campaign.
“It’s too late for last minutes campaign changes”. All published, posted and advertized Senator McCain campaign logos (COUNTRY FIRST) & (McCAIN-PALIN) almost mimic Senator Obama-Biden logo’s (CHANGE WE NEED) & (OBAMA-BIDEN) Democrat Party traditional “BLUE COLORS”. You could see it for yourself on any of the podium both candidates used on television and rallies. With that been said! In my opinion, I think it’s made a profound impact how Republican voter’s make their vote count and significantly mislead Republican & Swing voters to lean more to the Democratic Party “BLUE COLORS”.
Bottom line, coming Tuesday evening all eyes will be glued to Television, witnessing all 50 states tracking chart changing RED or BLUE. But I will always wonder why the McCain campaign didn’t use the traditional GOP “RED COLOR”). My though perhaps will be, because we’re at war and we know what “RED” represent.
I know this might not be possible for everyone, but I’m convinced “COLORS” changed my view as to how I’m voting this time. Go Figure!!!
V/r
Andre

Charlie, I’ve been doing TV for 25 years and NOW nothing amazes me anymore. Dan Harris does the ultimate fluff piece on “civility” and what commercial do I see coming out of the news? An “excluxive” Serena Williams GMA interview. That is just sweet, isn’t it? I guess civility doesn’t really matter, does it as long as you can get the “Exclusive”? AND, on your website there are gazillion photos and stories and blogs about Serena,Kanye and Joe Wilson. News? There is no news anymore, it’s reaction. Murrow would be proud, huh? Yeah, it’s time to retire isn’t it?

Dear Mr. Gibson,
Being of the same age group, I feel that we have be together for ever. May you enjoy retirement as much as I have enjoyed seeing you all these years. You will be missed. Be happy, healthy and enjoy every moment. Thank you.

Charlie:
Thank you for the open, honest way in which you delivered the news, good or bad. You ALWAYS look as though you loved what you were doing. You are easy going, kind, but direct when you need to be. You will be missed each night.
Have a wonderful retirement and know that you will always be welcomed into our home.
God Bless you Charlie Gibson
By the way, you now need to register to vote, my daughters (12 & 8) want to be sure you will be voting now that you won’t be covering the politicians. (Yes, they love you and see you almost every night.)
Thank you