Friday, December 3, 2010

Blog has moved to lisafritsch.com

Hi-My Blog is now on my website at www.lisafritsch.com   Click Here to Get There

Lisa's Blog Moving Soon

Lisa's blog will be moving over the weekend,  See it here http://lisafritsch.com/wordpress/

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Lisa on Cavuto Today (11/17) at 3pm CT/ 4pm ET

Lisa will be comment on the GM IPO and how the little guy and the taxpayer are being left out in the cold. Tune in to Cavuto on Fox Business Channel

http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/your-world-cavuto/index.html

And, They Didn’t Want a Walmart


I never understood it. Austin Residents huffed and puffed themselves silly over a proposal for a massive super Walmart to be built in their aging and barren community. In a part of town that once thrived with activity, shopping, and restaurants, the little strip between Anderson Lane and Mopac was in need of a network style makeover. Where there was once Bealls, a skating rink, Hooters, and a huge sporting center surrounded by a mall, now, it was a mass of fried food drive through eateries and kids toys.
            So when Walmart stepped in to build one of their largest stores complete with groceries, a garden and automotive center, one would think residents would have been pleased. Au contraire.  Residents and Austinites were indignant and opposed to a greedy company like Walmart taking up space in their community.
            Well, you wouldn’t know they were so offended by the line of people and smiling faces over the .68c per pound turkey, or the .25c per pound navel oranges I saw today. This new Walmart created jobs and could have created more had the community not stifled its development to just products and groceries, smacking down the garden and automotive centers. As a major anchor vendor, new businesses have rented spaces in the shopping center getting traffic moving again in both directions rather than just out of the neighborhood.
            I know I’ll be shopping there. And, I know those same people who thought they were so repulsed by the idea of Walmart will be too.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The 17th Voter


Exactly a week after an “extreme” showing of conservative clout and solidarity, we found out today in Austin that conservative Dan Neil lost his run for the Texas House by a mere sixteen votes. This is one vote more than before the recount.  More stunning is that Mr. Neil still came up short by such razor thin margins after provisional and overseas votes were counted.
If anyone wants to know if their votes matter, this particular election is a billboard for the mantra that every vote counts.  Texas House District 48 is a conservative district with a moderate template. What could have been done differently? Well, for starters, spoiler Ben Easton running as a Libertarian received more than 1500 votes – an eye-popping number considering that Neil lost by only 16 votes.
I’m all for Independent candidates, but, when said candidate has run for the same office numerous times and has not garnered a significant electorate, they should graciously bow out during those clutch elections such as the 2010 race between Neil and Howard. For Easton to throw his hat in the ring this particular time only to steal away precious votes that would have gone to Neil except for the loyalty of close friends and family who threw away the power of their vote to check Easton over Neil, was a wasted opportunity for our district. Surely, Easton would have preferred Neil over Howard himself. I suppose he didn’t find the idea of her being re-elected again repulsive enough to give Neil a better chance. And, that is a shame.  

Friday, September 24, 2010

The New Tea Party Challenge-Stay on Message

The Tea Party has obviously hit a nerve in the political bedrock. First, Karl Rove got in a tizzy over O’Donnell besting the establishment Republican in Delaware. Rove blamed Tea Party candidate O’Donnell for a failure that hasn’t even occurred. We were looking at eight to nine seats in the Senate. We are now looking at seven to eight in my opinion.” Rove said. Then, Bill Clinton accused the Tea Party of wanting to weaken the Government and leave big business unsupervised – maybe Clinton supposes that big business might go wild making profits, manufacturing new ideas, and HIRING people without the Government there to regulate and tax them to death. A few days later, President Obama wants the Tea Party’s expertise in cutting the national debt and creating jobs.

The Tea Party would be wise to avoid these distraction tactics put on by triangulating politicians. There are very simple ways to answer all these critics, particularly Clinton and Obama without taking the bait of getting off message on the heels of the November elections.

To answer Mr. Clinton the Tea Party members certainly want a strong government. Tea Partiers want a Government strong enough to secure our borders, build up our military, and govern based on the Constitution. Where our Government has atrophied and gone astray, the Tea Party would like it to work the muscles of defense and fiscal responsibility again. As it relates to big business, I think most members of the Tea Party are willing to take the risk of big business gone wild.

The Tea Party has no beef with the private sector as Clinton would try and have us believe. Just who does Clinton think the private sector is? It isn’t just Wall Street and big automobile manufacturers and their mogul friends like Warren Buffett and George Soros.

The private sector is your neighborhood eatery just barely scraping by charging for extra salad dressing these days and to-go containers. They are your stay at home moms working Mary Kay or running an on-line business part-time. The private sector is full of Americans struggling to find a business to hire them. The private sector is full of Americans with great ideas hoping to turn a small business into a BIG business someday. Besides this, the Government is doing a fine job all on their own in revolting against the private sector.

In an effort to deflect attention from his responsibility President Obama was next to breathe down the Tea Party’s neck. "The challenge, I think, for the Tea Party movement is to identify specifically, what would you do?" "It's not enough just to say, 'Get control of spending.' I think it's important for you to say, 'You know, I'm willing to cut veterans' benefits,' or, 'I'm willing to cut Medicare or Social Security benefits,' or, 'I'm willing to see these taxes go up.'"

The lady at the town hall last week spoke eloquently for everyone when wondered if she was returning to the days of beans and weenies. “Is this our new reality?” She asked President Obama to answer this most of all and of course he did not. Obama rambled diffusely about having two kids to put through college and how the Government would make it easier for her and others to borrow money to achieve this goal. The problem in this answer is twofold: borrowing money and getting student loan grants for the Government is yet, another overreaching program spending money out of our very own thinning pockets. Secondly, this lady didn’t stand up and ask President Obama for a hand-out. She wanted to know how she would be able to have control over her own destiny – pocketbook – again.

The Tea Party would be wise to sit tight on responding to challenges Clinton and Obama posed. The Tea Party is a philosophical movement designed to restore us back to our small Government roots.

What is so effective about the Tea Party and so very frustrating for the good ol’ boy network of Democrats and Republicans is that the Tea Party is truly a movement of the people. Without a leader to call by name, or, a platform to criticize based on rhetoric, the Tea Party leaves the Democrats and Republicans flat footed in their triangulation efforts. The minute the Tea Party responds to these notions by changing their fundamental platform, they will fall into a political trap of petty finger pointing in place of action.

Obviously the Tea Party is close to accomplishing goals that neither, Democrats or Republicans thought possible: raising money and getting seats. The Tea Party activists and supporters are doing just what they need to do: call Americans back to the safety of our Constitution and shine a light on the Government’s overreaching and over spending hand. Voting values November 2nd will tell Clinton and Obama all they need to know.

Lisa Fritsch is a writer and national television and radio commentator who has appears regularly on Fox News Channel and radio programs all over the country. www.lisafritsch.com

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Who Owns 8/28?

First Published in The American Thinker on August 28, 2010
"Whites don't own Abraham Lincoln and blacks don't own Martin Luther King," says Glenn Beck as he defends his right to rally and restore honor at the same place and on the same date as Martin Luther King's historic "I Have a Dream" speech. That Beck has to say this seems ridiculous in itself, for most of us know that Martin Luther King is an American legend, with cherished monuments and a nationally celebrated holiday honoring his birthday each year. But Beck has to say this because he is white. And sadly, he is addressing the same critics: certain black reverends who never miss an opportunity to exploit race and black history.

The Reverend Al Sharpton, the Reverend Walter Fauntroy, and the Reverend Timothy McDonald have been recently quoted in an uproar over Beck's 828 rally this weekend. They are suggesting that Beck is "hijacking" Dr. King's dream. Says Reverend McDonald, "To use this weekend when we remember that great march on Washington in 1963 as a pretense to give credence to their cause and their agenda is insulting. We were there." Had the hijacking of the dream been a sincere concern for the reverends, they would have had a standing reservation to obtain a permit in order to honor the legacy of Dr. King and the "I Have a Dream" speech that made history on August 28, 1963. But they did not.

Furthermore, Beck has been talking about 828 since the beginning of the year. Why are the reverends only now, the week of, coming out, arms blazing, over the rally when they have known for months that it was planned? The reverends are quite simply embarrassed, bitter, and angry that Glenn Beck is showing them as posers. The truth is, before Glenn Beck planned the rally and selected the date that coincidentally coincides with the date of the "I Have a Dream" speech, no one was even thinking about Martin Luther King on August 28. And certainly, many of us would be stuttering to come up with the year. Yet the reverends will tell you that they "were there." So were hundreds of thousands of others, of every race. But where are they now? And what exactly is the dream that they remember? And oh, how vastly different their dream seems for us today from the visionary and hopeful Dr. King's.

If we want to skip the nonsense and cut to the chase, it all boils down to this. The reverends had no plans on 828 of 2010 to honor the legacy of the "I Have a Dream" speech with a rally, a parade, or any such celebration of the sort, and now a white man is showing them up with a non-political rally honoring servicemen and paying tribute to Dr. King by talking of peace, love of country, and honor. Glenn Beck is doing what they did not have the foresight, the will, or the heart to do. They have not lived up to the dream, and these reverends have not forged ahead in victory and giving justice to the 828 date.

The reverends, having been there, should be standing with Glenn Beck, but they don't, and here is why: Their dreams differ greatly from those of Dr. Martin Luther King. They don't share his vision of peaceful solidarity, equality, and standing hand in hand in unity and love with brothers and sisters of every race. If the reverends shared those dreams, ironically, they would be overjoyed that Beck -- who is white -- is holding a non-political rally of honor on this date. Dr. King's niece, Dr. Alveda King, is standing with Glenn Beck, after all.

So exactly is the dream of the reverends? Their dream is simply to keep fear flowing like a river in black communities. When one listens to them, it is difficult to believe they are remembering the same speech of Dr. King. Did they miss the part of the speech that asks that the black community not have a "distrust of all white people"? The only white people they seem to trust are the ones writing them a check from their latest shakedown. In Dr. King's speech, he lamented that "one hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination." Sadly, today, our communities are being crippled by the bitterness of these reverends. We are being segregated by their own selfish desires of power and control. We are being shackled by their anger and desire for vengeance over the past. They refuse to move forward in love and hope; instead, their muddled logic and twisted pride stifles us all like heavy sand. Today we are crippled by the weight of victimization bestowed up on us by these so-called reverends, who, instead of love, preach malcontent; who, instead of preaching peace, look and find contention and ill will in every act and deed of those who don't bow down to their authority; reverends who, instead of preaching honor, look for the quickest place to lay blame.

If these leaders really want to Honor Dr. King's dream and his legacy, then they will celebrate hand in hand with Glenn Beck and the thousands of Americans projected to turn out to restore honor. They will keep the dream alive by marching ahead and not turning back, as the "I Have a Dream" speech asks of us. This would be a great gift to our children. For our children to see that so many of those dreams have come true is the way towards honor and fulfillment of the whole dream.

For this one moment can these reverends put their bitterness and fear aside and have a moment of solidarity and celebration? Can they honor the victory without continually throwing the struggle in our faces? Can they take a break from race-baiting and divisive politics to enjoy a moment of reverence for the fallen soldier and be grateful for our many freedoms that just 47 years ago went unknown? Can they take the high road just this once and allow us to recognize just how far we have come without nitpicking us to think about how much farther we may have yet to go and who may hold us back? Let us have a moment as a nation to stand together and hear the ringing of freedom, honor, and courage. Let this moment be for Dr. King, our men and women in service, and for "all God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Lisa Fritsch is a writer and national television and radio commentator who has appeared regularly on Fox News Channel and radio programs all over the country. Follow her at www.lisafritsch.com.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Lisa Speaking Monday at the Texas State Capitol

HANDS OFF TEXAS! 8-9-10 Rally at the Capitol

President Barack Obama is coming to Texas to raise money for the Democratic Party with stops in Austin and Dallas on Monday, August 9th. Our response? The biggest Hands Off Texas! rally we’ve held yet at the Texas State Capitol to tell him and his Democrat friends to go home and keep their HANDS OFF TEXAS!

WHEN:
Monday, August 9th, 5:30 p.m.
Rain or shine

WHERE:
Texas State Capitol, South Steps
Austin, Texas

Click Here for more details

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Fox 7 News in Austin Covers the Tea Party

Fox 7 News in Austin did a story on Lisa's appearance at the "Back to Basics" Tea Party on 7/31/10. They did not get any video of the speech but did interviews afterward including seeking comments from the Austin Chapter of the NAACP.

Click Here to see the Story

Images from the Tea Party Rally on 7/31/10





Saturday, July 31, 2010

Lisa Fritsch on 590AM KLBJ 8/2-8/6

Lisa Fritsch will be guest hosting "The Todd & Don Show" at 10am Central Time on 590AM KLBJ from 8/2/10 through 8/16/10. You can tune in to 590AM or listen live via the web or through the 590AM KLBJ iPhone App.

Click here to listen live via the web

Click here to download the iPhone App

Friday, July 30, 2010

Lisa speaking this Saturday at Tea Party Rally

Lisa will be speaking at the Tea Party Rally this Saturday in Austin, Texas. The rally starts at 10am on the steps of the capital. Lisa's topic is "Restoring Faith in America"

BACK TO BASICS: RESTORING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND THE CONSTITUTION

JULY 31, 2010, 10am – 1pm

AUSTIN, TEXAS


1. 10:00 OPENING

2. 10:10 GEORGE WASHINGTON (Mark Collins), La Vernia, TX

Unique Among Nations

3. 10:25 LISA FRITSCH, Talk Radio Host, Austin, TX

Restoring Our Faith in America

4. 10:40 BILL PRESSGROVE, Texas State Director, Independent Caucus Restoration Begins with Education

5. 10:55 GEORGE RODRIGUEZ , San Antonio Tea Party

We’re All Americans

6. 11:10 L. SCOTT SMITH, Author, Corpus Christi, TX

America Unraveling

7. 11:25 MIKE MELENDEZ, Temple, TX

In God We Still Trust

8. 11:40 JAMES IVES, Fort Bend County Tea Party

American Exceptionalism

9. 11:55 ZACH RICKS, Central Texas 9-12 Project

A State of Crisis

10. 12:10 JANET THOMAS, Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas

The Ghost of Amnesty Past

11. 12:25 GREG HOLLOWAY, Austin Tea Party

What does Limited Government Mean to Us?

Lisa's TV appearances

Click on each of the links below to see Lisa's recent television appearances:

On Fox News Channel's "Your World" with host Neil Cavuto, Lisa talks about the NAACP's resolution accusing people who attend Tea Parties of racism (7/13/10)

Lisa Discusses Sen. Harry Reid's Racial Comments on Glenn Beck Show (1/14/10)

Lisa Discusses Sen. Harry Reid's Racial Comments on Glenn Beck Show (1/14/10)

Lisa discusses the terms "African-American" and "black" on the Fox News Channel's "Glenn Beck" program (11/14/09)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Lisa Fritsch on 590AM KLBJ 7/19-7/23

Lisa will be filling in for SGT Sam all next week on 590 KLBJ AM's Morning Show: Catch her from 5:30am to 10:00am Central Time next Monday through Friday (7/19-7/23). Click here to listen live via the web.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Lisa Fritsch on 590AM KLBJ 6/29 and 6/30

Lisa Fritsch on 590 KLBJAM this Tuesday and Wednesday (6/29 and 6/30) from 3pm-6pm CT. Use the link below to listen live.

http://www.590klbj.com/stream/nowstreaming.aspx

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Lisa Fritsch on 590AM KLBJ 6/17 and 6/18

Lisa Fritsch on 590 KLBJAM this Thursday and Friday (6/17 and 6/18) from 3pm-6pm CT. Use the link below to listen live.

http://www.590klbj.com/stream/nowstreaming.aspx

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

No representation without taxation!

From American Thinker on April 15, 2010

No representation without taxation!

M Allen Fritsch
Reverend Jonathan Mayhew coined the phrase "No Taxation Without Representation!" during a sermon in Boston in 1750. This sentiment led to the original Tea Party and helped fuel the American Revolution. The English Bill of Rights required the consent of Parliament prior to the imposition of taxes and the colonists where not represented in Parliament. 260 years later, with tax day upon us, the situation is quite reversed. We Americans are now over represented (in that those representatives want to "help" in every facet of our lives) AND over taxed (to pay for all that help.)
A study recently released by the Tax Policy Center finds that about 47 percent of Americans will pay NO federal income taxes for 2009. In 2007, the top 10% of taxpayers paid over 71% of all personal income taxes according to the National Taxpayers Union.

Ben Franklin said "When the people find that they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic." Given the above, I fear we may be reaching that point. To alleviate the problem, I have a modest proposal. Our progressive friends are always most concerned about "fairness" when it comes to taxation. What could be fairer (and more appealing to progressives), than following the SECULAR golden rule "he who has the gold makes the rules." It is time to link representation WITH taxation. It can be achieved in two steps.

Step One: Make the right to vote in federal elections contingent upon having paid federal income taxes at least once during the previous two years (to match election cycles). The language could easily be modeled after the 26th Amendment : "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall be contingent upon paying federal income taxes at least once in the two years prior to an election."

Implementation of Step One could be fairly simple, when you show up at the polls you have to show your voter registration card and tax return validated by the IRS. The work could easily be done by 12,000 extra IRS agents recently added by the health care bill. With this change, our representatives would truly be motivated to start paying attention to the taxpayer since the taxpayer is the only one who can vote for them. As a bonus, it will motivate citizens that don't pay taxes to step up and do their part in order to participate in the democratic process.

Over time, Step One may not be enough. A clever Congress could rig the income tax code so that everyone pays at least one dollar and we'll be back where we started. Also, is it really fair that someone in the top tax bracket gets the same vote as someone in a lower tax bracket? Fortunately, the federal government's takeover of private industry shows us the way.

Step Two: "What's good for General Motors is good for the country." Since we now "own" GM and other "private" entities we can easily adopt the proxy voting systems used in corporate America for federal elections (in corporate elections each shareholder gets voting power in proportion to shares owned). Each eligible voter would have a total number of votes equal to the dollar amount paid in personal federal income taxes over the previous two years. If you paid $20,000 in taxes you get 20,000 votes. If you paid $200,000 in taxes you get 200,000 votes. Again, what could be fairer?

There will be challenges. We'll need to prevent fraud (especially since the current system has no fraud), and we may need special training for Broward County. We also need to accept the fact that Bill Gates alone may elect the entire Washington State Congressional delegation and Warren Buffett may do the same for Nebraska. All in all, a small price to pay to preserve the Republic and put money back into its rightful place in politics. Power to the Taxpayer!


M Allen Fritsch is an entrepreneur and business owner. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and a former Army officer. He is one of the 53% of Americans that WILL pay federal taxes in 2009.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Lisa Fritsch on 590AM KLBJ Morning Show 4/8

Don't miss Lisa tomorrow morning (Thursday 4/8) on the 590AM KLBJ Morning Show. She'll be on from 6:30am to 10:00am. Use the link below to listen in or tune to 590AM on your radio dial if you are in the Austin area.

http://www.590klbj.com/stream/nowstreaming.aspx

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Lisa Fritsch on 590AM KLBJ Morning Show 4/7

Don't miss Lisa tomorrow morning (Weds) on the 590AM KLBJ Morning Show. She'll be on from 6:30am to 10:00am. Use the link below to listen in or tune to 590AM on your radio dial if you are in the Austin area.

http://www.590klbj.com/stream/nowstreaming.aspx

Monday, March 29, 2010

Lisa Fritsch on Neal Cavuto Monday at 4pm ET

Lisa is scheduled to be interviewed by Neal Cavuto today during "Your World with Neal Cavuto" at 4pm Eastern Time/3pm Central time. The interview will be via satellite from the Fox News affiliate in Austin.

Cap and Fat: a modest proposal to help fight the war on obesity

First Published in The American Thinker on March 29, 2010

Cap and Fat: a modest proposal to help fight the war on obesity

M Allen Fritsch
A specter is haunting American health care - the specter of obesity. Previously a matter of individual concern, it is now a concern for us all. With the passage of health care reform by our glorious leaders, we each have a financial stake in the health (and cost to maintain that health) of our all our fellow citizens, non-citizens, illegal aliens, and non-human companions (San Francisco only).

Obesity (defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of over 30) costs our healthcare system $147B per year. The obese are at major risk for chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, certain forms of cancer, and the inability to fit into skinny jeans. Thus we all share a moral and fiscal duty to reduce our individual and collective "BMI footprints."

Fortunately, the First Lady is curing childhood obesity so the problem is solved for everyone 26 and under (I believe the healthcare bill now defines a child as anyone up to the age of 26). For the rest of the population there is work to do and I have a few modest proposals:

* The President should declare a war on obesity to help ensure the same success that we have had with the war on poverty, the war on drugs, and the war on illegal immigration.

* Immediate conversion to full body scanners at all airports, government offices, and supermarket check-out lines. This will provide the benefit of enhanced security over simple metal detectors and help identify citizens exceeding their BMI footprints.

* The issuance of a scarlet "B" to be worn by all folks exceeding their BMI (special exemptions for the big boned and members of Congress)

If the above actions fail to work then we'll need to be a little more aggressive in reducing the country's BMI footprint. The federal government will need to place a BMI cap on each of us to reduce our collective BMI footprint to say pre-1975 levels.

Those who can reduce their individual BMI footprint (lose weight) on their own will do so (i.e. Rush Limbaugh, the guy from the subway commercial, and all of the Jenny Craig babes). Those who can't reduce on their own can purchase BMI credits AKA "Skinnys" on the open market. "Skinnys" would be sold by the likes of anorexics and fitness nuts (under their BMI caps). For example:

Al Gore could purchase "skinnys" from Nancy Pelosi and Dennis Kucinich to meet his goal

Hillary Clinton could purchase "skinnys" from Condoleeza Rice

Michael Moore could make a purchase of all the "skinnys" from the entire cast of America's Top Model

All of these will only be needed on a temporary basis. As our country continues on its progressive path we are likely to eliminate the obesity problem in a similar fashion as China during the Great Leap Forward, the Ukraine under Stalin, and North Korea today.

M Allen Fritsch is an entrepreneur and business owner. He is a graduate of USMA and former Army officer. He enjoys increasing both his carbon and BMI footprint on a regular basis.

The shocking truth about a fundamental right being denied to 55% of citizens

First Published at The American Thinker March 22, 2010

The shocking truth about a fundamental right being denied to 55% of citizens

M Allen Fritsch
There is a fundamental right being denied 55% of all Americans. This denial costs over 16,000 lives per year, meaning more than 44 of our fellow Americans will die every day that we delay. What should be done in light of these shocking figures?

Using the example set by President Obama and the Congressional Democrats, there is only one answer: Universal Gun Care for every American. Surely a right outlined in the Bill of Rights (2d Amendment) is just as important as a right NOT found the Constitution (Health Care).

Bonus, it should be easier to implement. After all, gun dealers and manufacturers are ready and willing to help solve the problem. Unlike the evil insurance companies, gun dealers don't want to take your weapon away from you when you most need it. Nor will they deny selling you a weapon simply because you haven't purchased one in the past (i.e. a pre-existing condition).

• Conventional estimates state that 45% of all US households own a firearm. This leaves at least 55% of all Americans "uncovered."
• In 2008 there were 16,272 murders in the USA. How many of those could have been prevented if the victims had been able to protect themselves?

My proposal is a modest one:

• Mandate for every American to purchase a gun or be provided one by their employer (children under the age of 26 can share a weapon with their parents)
• Tax credits to offset the cost of purchase (for those making less than $250,000 per year and everyone in Nebraska)
• For those that can't afford it, a grant or subsidy to purchase a weapon (union members can get two weapons subsidized before 2018)
• Funding for a series of community based gun dealers/clinics and firing ranges (especially in under-served urban and rural areas)
• Monthly ammunition benefit so that no one has to choose between feeding their kids, paying the rent, or buying a box of .38 special cartridges

Contact your representative today. The time to act is now.


M Allen Fritsch is an entrepreneur and business owner. He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy and a former Army officer. His household is one of the 45%.