| All content taken from The O'Reilly Factor on Fox News Channel. Each weeknight by 6 PM EST a preview of that evening's show will be posted and then updated with additional information the following weekday by noon EST.
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"Pope Francis ignited controversy recently by speaking out against unfettered capitalism and 'the idolatry of money.' The Pope is correct in portraying greed and exploitation as wicked, but the far left is distorting his words to impose 'economic justice,' which is really socialism. Pope Francis opposes that form of tyranny as much as Pope John Paul II did, but the Democratic Party is ready to launch a huge 'social justice' campaign to try and keep power. The far-left Nation magazine recently said 'there can be no doubt that equality of opportunity is explicit in the core Christian doctrine.' Equality of opportunity is a noble goal that will never be reality. That's because the human condition dictates that some people will not do what is necessary to succeed in this world - work hard, be honest, stay sober, and get educated. Some people will not do that and their children will suffer deprivation, no matter how much money the government hands out. Jesus understood that when he said, 'The poor we will always have with us.' The United States provides more opportunity to more people than any other nation that has ever existed, which is why millions of folks want to come here. We have done that by developing a free market system, and even poor people here have material things that most of the world can only dream of. Yet the left wants to tear down the capitalistic structure that has provided vast opportunity. The left doesn't care about the facts, it's all about hating America. To those of us who are sane, the USA is a noble country that provides massive opportunity to those who will work for it."
The Factor asked two religious thinkers about the meaning of the Pope's message. "The Pope is not calling us to an ideology," said Christian writer Jim Wallis, "he's calling us to the way of Jesus. The Gospel of Matthew says that how we treat the least among us is how we treat Christ himself. The Pope is calling for priests around the world to get out of their comfort zones and serve the poor, and he's saying the wealthy have a particular responsibility." Catholic journalist Raymond Arroyo argued that Pope Francis does not favor big government solutions. "The Pope warns about the welfare mentality if the government becomes the means of charity. He wants you and me to be the charitable givers, he doesn't want the government to do that." The Factor concluded that free enterprise is the only way to alleviate poverty: "Capitalism does the most good for the poor because it provides the most opportunity for poor people who will seize it. But the left is saying capitalism is wrong and should be broken down." |
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| Political analysts Larry Sabato and Caitlin Huey-Burns scrutinized polls showing that women favor Hillary Clinton in a hypothetical matchup against Chris Christie. "We live in a polarized era," Sabato said, "and men identify disproportionately with the Republican Party and women identify disproportionately with the Democratic Party. Whoever the Republican nominee is in 2016, we'll have a gender gap that's about the same as in prior elections. Women tend to be more liberal on a wide range of issues." Huey-Burns pointed out that the New Jersey Governor is actually adept at attracting women voters. "Christie has won re-election in a blue state by a wide margin and he has done well among women. His big selling point heading into 2016 is that he is generally more electable than other candidates." |
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| Fox Business anchor Lou Dobbs, author of a new book called "Upheaval," entered the No Spin Zone with some of his prescriptions. "What I suggest when it comes to immigration," he said, "is that we be honest about who is pushing what. 96% of immigrants want to speak English, but that is not what their so-called advocacy groups want and they are the ones with power in Washington. I am simply trying to raise the consciousness of some in Washington and the American public." Dobbs also tackles the scourge of "political correctness" in his book. "When people start talking about 'diversity,'" he said, "it's a means to set quotas. The left wants that and the Republicans are hidebound by political correctness, they're afraid to speak straightforwardly. They're even afraid to bring up the idea that the national motto is 'In God We Trust.'" |
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| Fox News strategic analyst Lt. Col. Ralph Peters evaluated the recent New York Times report that denied any Al Qaeda role in the Benghazi attack that killed four Americans. "This was an effort to take the heat off Hillary Clinton," Peters surmised. "The Times has lost faith in Obama, they're now focused on Hillary as the great hope for 2016. This story reminded me of what you used to read in Pravda, where they take some facts, twist them, leave things out, and leap to their conclusions. This story left out Hillary Clinton, as if she was not even part of this, and they did not mention that we made no effort whatsoever to rescue those people." |
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| Greg Gutfeld and Bernard McGuirk, in their first appearance of the nascent year, made a few predictions for 2014. "There's going to be a shakeup at MSNBC," Gutfeld said, "and the 5 PM hour will now be hosted by a bag of walnuts. Also, CNN's Piers Morgan is going to get really angry about something and it will double his ratings to four people." McGuirk's prediction centered around Bill de Blasio, New York's new mayor."The sale of mace will increase tenfold because of these lunatic 'progressives.' Crime is going to rise and the whole mentality is going to change. Also, Pope Francis will be named Chairman of the Democratic National Committee and Kim Jong Un will execute Dennis Rodman." The Factor added another prediction: "There will not be honest reporting on Obamacare by either side. You'll get propaganda from the left, which likes Obamacare, and the right will make it look as bad as possible." |
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| McGuirk and Gutfeld returned to bestow their "Pinhead of the Year" honors. "I've chosen my good friend Kanye West," McGuirk declared. "Aside from his delusions of grandeur, comparing himself to Jesus, he acts like an angry, thin-skinned spoiled punk." Gutfeld named former comedian Jim Carrey. "You can hate guns all you want, but he mocked the late Charlton Heston. The irony is that Jim Carrey's career is as dead as Charlton Heston." The Factor went with Colorado and Washington voters who legalized the recreational use of marijuana: "Legalization of marijuana will lead to more children sampling the drug, and 20% of American children who try marijuana become addicted to it." |
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Jonathan Zetts, Gaithersburg, MD: "When Melissa Harris-Perry apologoized for making crass remarks about the Romney family, she did it on Twitter. She should have done it on MSNBC."
Brad Rayl, Stoney Creek, NC: "The people on MSNBC remind me of class clowns in school who never said anything good about anybody they disagreed with."
Dr. Bill Touchstone, Flora, MS: "Bill, you are right and Megyn Kelly is wrong. Many employers require drug testing before a person is hired. Entitlement payments from the government should require the same thing." |
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| When you feel a little down, as many of us do after the Christmas rush, make a list of some bad things in your life and some good things. You're likely to find that the good things outweigh the bad, which may well help you feel better. |
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