OPINION
Wallowa.com
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
A5
Remembering Rush Limbaugh
ON LIBERTY
Devin Patton
‘Ask not what
your country
can do for you’
P
resident John F. Kennedy’s weighty
exhortation is a vignette of the heart of
American values. With the possibility
of global nuclear war looming, Kennedy, in
his inaugural address, encouraged all Ameri-
cans to embrace their obligation to serve their
fellow countrymen by answering the “call
to bear the burden of a long twilight strug-
gle, year in and year out, ‘rejoicing in hope,
patient in tribulation’ — a struggle against the
common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty,
disease, and war itself.”
Indeed we have many proud moments of
solidarity in our country’s history that have
served to ensure our freedom and liberty. Our
nation’s Founders and many great American
(and non-American) leaders have fought val-
iantly to defend against the rise of limitless
power both at home and abroad. We hold this
truth to be self-evident: that tyranny is evil in
nature and in practice.
While they are a rallying cry for good,
Kennedy’s famous lines have also been
manipulated over the past 60 years by pro-
gressives who weaponized them in an
attempt to brow-beat their fellow Americans
into submission to the party line for the sake
of “duty.”
It becomes increasingly disheartening
to watch our citizenry grow in its cavalier
(or even sinister) attitude toward basic prin-
ciples like “liberty and justice for all.” We
were meant to be, as Kennedy reminded us, a
nation of men and women who pursue good-
ness for the sake of goodness itself, will-
ing to “pay any price, bear any burden,” and
“oppose any foe to assure the survival and
the success of liberty.”
The indifference to our duty to protect
liberty and pursue truth is evidenced by the
widespread idolization of creature comforts
and the neglect of civic duty. We’ve become
entitled and dismissive of our nations values
and the hard-fought battles necessary to real-
ize them.
The problem of laxity is not the most
imminent threat to liberty, however. The
greatest affront to liberty in our nation is
characterized by the megalomania that has
gripped our politicians and those within
the progressive left. Politicians and laypeo-
ple alike have grown more vocal about their
obsession with power; they hold to Marx-
ist ideology and work fervently to strip peo-
ple of their individual rights through legisla-
tion, the judicial system, social blacklisting
and “cancel culture.” These people will stop
at nothing to obtain and exercise power over
those whom they consider obstacles.
The worst part is that many of us believe
that the leaders we elect will be able to cure
our societal woes. Again, Kennedy reminds
us that victory over these “common enemies
of man” will not be achieved within “the
fi rst one hundred days … nor the life of this
administration … nor even perhaps in our
lifetime on this planet.” Kennedy was hum-
ble enough to admit that he did not singularly
hold the key to unlocking a decisive victory
over evil in the world; yet today it seems to
be commonplace to look to the federal gov-
ernment and the offi ce of president as our
personal and national saviors.
Have we forgotten the hundreds of thou-
sands of American citizens sent to internment
camps under Democrat President Franklin D.
Roosevelt? Do we remember Kennedy’s own
Bay of Pigs fi asco and failure to subdue the
Communist forces in Vietnam? What about
our decades-long “war on drugs”? While it
is true that the federal government does play
an important role in protecting the rights of
its citizens, its main focus has never been —
nor should it be — to solve the problems that
face humanity. The responsibility lies with
us.
Government will fail us, and, as the
maxim goes: “the bigger they are, the harder
they fall.” To believe in an infallible gov-
ernment is simply delusional. Our congress-
men and congresswomen, senators, Supreme
Court justices, and the president himself are,
after all, only human. Moreover, those who
think having the “correct” people in positions
of authority will lead to a more just, equitable
society need only look within themselves and
ask how they, on a personal level, are con-
tributing to such a cause. Do you seek to do
justice, love mercy, and protect the rights of
your neighbor, or is this something you’re all
too happy to pass up the chain to those with
more power to effect “real” change?
What will you think when your beloved
politicians, the saviors of our day, fall short?
Worse, what if they succeed in their stated
goals and, by obtaining the support of their
constituents, legislate unto themselves unlim-
ited authority and power to oppress dissent-
ing voices like we’ve seen repeated by totali-
tarian regimes since the dawn of civilization?
The desire for power and godlike status is
built within the human soul; only by self-
denial and the acceptance of duty to a cause
outside of ourselves do we fi nd true freedom.
———
Devin Patton is a third-generation Wal-
lowa County native whose pastimes include
the study of ag economics, history and free
thought.
OTHER VIEWS
Jennifer Ballard
“T
hese are the times that try men’s
souls. The summer soldier and
the sunshine patriot will, in this
crisis, shrink from the service of their coun-
try; but he that stands by it now, deserves
the love and thanks of man and woman.
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;
yet we have this consolation with us, that
the harder the confl ict, the more glorious
the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we
esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that
gives everything its value. Heaven knows
how to put a proper price upon its goods;
and it would be strange indeed if so celes-
tial an article as freedom should not be
highly rated.” — Thomas Paine
This belief, the love of this country and
his love for its citizens, I believe were some
of the driving forces behind Rush Hudson
Limbaugh’s ethos for showing up every day
for 30 years to educate the American peo-
ple. He sacrifi ced everything to protect,
serve and preserve the way of life set forth
by our great Founders and the Founding
Fathers.
Even in the last moments of his life,
when he could have been pursuing his
own personal goals or “bucket list,” Rush
focused like a laser in fi ghting for the every-
day American and our sacred rights and
beliefs.
Background
My background was from a single-par-
ent household run by a mother that worked
split shifts as a waitress to support three
kids in the hellhole now known as the Cali-
fornia Bay Area. I grew up in the ‘60s with
the values of sex, drugs and rock-and-roll.
This, of course, led to a deep-seated need to
expect and feel entitled to all the handouts
that Lyndon Baines Johnson and the Great
Society welfare programs had to offer.
I later, not being able to afford col-
lege, volunteered for the U.S. Air Force.
This taught me respect and responsibility
and supplied me an education as a medi-
cal tech, specializing in microbiology. This
gave me the ability to survive but I still
remained a self-absorbed, self-righteous,
Californicating liberal Democrat.
I pursued a career in the pharmaceuti-
cal engineering fi eld, worked for notable
biotech companies, I was the fi rst woman
brewmaster in the state of Montana. In 1993
at one of the breweries, the owner listened
to the Rush Limbaugh show every day. I
was offended. Rush talked about “femi-na-
zis” and degraded all the beliefs I had been
indoctrinated with.
I then met a man that changed my
beliefs, values and life. This was my late
husband, George Ballard. He taught me
what was truly important and a differ-
ent way to interact with the rest of human-
ity. He taught me to care about and respect
the rights and dignity of others selfl essly.
We started our own Brewery, Rock’N M
Brewing.
We then moved to the most beautiful
place in America, Wallowa County, Oregon,
and I took a job in sales and later as an out-
of-area microbiologist. That caused me to
spend a lot of time listening to talk radio.
While on the road and after on my
own working out of state, my days always
started with tuning in Rush Limbaugh. He
was my remote friend and actually seemed
to care about my well-being. He taught me
the value of limited government, self-reli-
ance and the benefi t of the capitalist sys-
tem. He taught me that the hard work I was
taught in the military would benefi t me
more than expecting others to maintain my
life.
Rush has been a constant companion
that I would schedule every day around. I
devoured every word I heard and employed
all his principles in my everyday life. I
adopted his philosophies and drew my
strength for defending my beliefs and con-
servative principles, using his strength and
wisdom as my backbone.
Conclusion
For the past 20 years and more, the two
people that have had the greatest infl uence
on my life were my husband, George Bal-
lard, and Rush Limbaugh. They provided
the strength that sustained me. In the spring
of 2019, the Lord called my beloved hus-
band home after a four-year battle with can-
cer. I still had Rush as my daily friend that
I could listen to and feel that he was talking
to me.
Then I learned that my beloved favor-
ite MahaRushie had passed. My heart broke
again, almost seeming entirely. I found it
almost impossible to function and still weep
uncontrollably today. I sit here and feel
lonely without my husband, betrayed by a
Democratic Party I once believed in now
controlled by worthless pieces of human
debris that illegally stole the election from
Donald John Trump, and now I was left
alone by the greatest teacher in my entire
life — Rush Hudson Limbaugh.
As I say the Lord’s Prayer and pray for
The Lord to welcome Rush into the glori-
ous kingdom of Heaven, I draw my strength
to survive and continue on, with the prom-
ise to carry on the work of selfl essly help-
ing others and drawing satisfaction from the
knowledge of helping them to achieve their
goals, by teaching them to be self-suffi cient.
I know Rush and George are looking down
and congratulating each other for saving my
lost soul and inspiring another disciple of
Jesus Christ. Thank you, God. Praise Jesus.
———
Jennifer Ballard is a bioengineer and
microbiologist, and a veteran of the U.S. Air
Force.
Are annuities a good alternative to bonds?
LAYIN’ IT
ON THE LINE
Steve Kerby
N
ot long ago, investors counted on
government bonds to be the foun-
dation of a stable retirement. For
many years, bonds were the top choice of
older, more conservative investors within a
few years of retirement.
Now, though, the soon-to-be-retired,
along with those already in retirement,
seek alternatives to bonds. These seniors
seek alternatives to bonds that can provide
them with slow, steady growth without
too much risk. Given the current low bond
yields, there is an understandable move-
ment away from government bonds.
Could annuities be an alternative to
bonds?
Annuities are fi nancial tools that pro-
vide guaranteed streams of predictable
income when you no longer work. Wealth
advisers inexperienced in the distribution
phase of life are sometimes dismissive of
annuities and other safe money products.
Most of the time, that’s because they don’t
understand how annuities work and what a
powerful portfolio component they can be.
However, once a person discovers
more about annuities, they usually want to
include one in their retirement plan.
Can annuities help you achieve diver-
sifi cation in a turbulent economic
environment?
Most investors understand that it’s
not a best practice to put all one’s money
in a single asset. On the other hand, the
idea that one can balance one’s portfolio
through diversifi cation may be a myth.
According to a 2018 report from
Statista, a leading provider of market data,
there were only 5,424 actively traded com-
panies in the U.S. However, in that same
year, there around 8,094 mutual funds.
When you think it, this means that over
8,000 funds were competing for the same
5,424 securities. There’s bound to be some
overlap. How can you know precisely in
which of those 8,000 funds to place your
cash?
The answer to that question, unfortu-
nately, is often determined by what funds
your employer offers in their 401(k) plan.
Out of 8,000 funds, your employer plan
will probably have, at most, 25 or 30
choices.
So, of over 5,000 traded companies and
8,000 different funds, you get only a hand-
ful of options with an employer plan. If
you rely solely on an employer plan for
your retirement, you will very likely sac-
rifi ce diversifi cation and proper asset
allocation.
Bonds might be a choice.
In the past, employees who wanted
to shore up their employer-sponsored
plans often turned to bonds. Treasury and
municipal bonds have repeatedly proven
to be a safer means of achieving growth
while mitigating risk. However, bonds
may become less than ideal if overall
interest rates become volatile.
While they do have some risk, bonds are
typically considered a safe money product.
However, in our current zero-interest envi-
ronment and record-high equities markets,
bonds have lost some of their luster. Inves-
tors concerned about risk but needing gains
are now looking for reasonably safe alter-
natives to bonds.
Could fi xed-index annuities be the
answer?
A fi xed-index annuity (FIA) could be
the solution for risk-averse retirees and
retirees. In a FIA, you give your money
to an insurance company that places those
funds in a general fund. The annuity com-
pany then makes investments designed to
provide the highest possible gains without
unnecessary exposure to risk.
FIAs minimum interest guarantee
means that your principal is protected
from market volatility, something that is
increasingly important as you plan for
retirement. For those comfortable with
Certifi cate of Deposit-like returns, indexed
annuities could be an excellent addition to
the “safe money” part of your portfolio.
However, you should be aware that
an indexed annuity does not take full
advantage of stock market gains. In most
instances, you will not receive dividends,
and something known as the “participa-
tion rate” can limit gains. On the plus side,
though, you will still get a minimum guar-
anteed interest rate depending on your
contract, even if there is a market down-
turn. These products have no exposure to
market risk.
Summing it up: Before making any
decisions with your wealth, you should
consult a qualifi ed retirement and income
specialist. If you’re considering adding
annuities to your retirement mix, do your
research fi rst and talk to a safe money spe-
cialist who understands the product’s pros
and cons.
———
As an avid outdoorsman, Joseph and the
Wallowa area have been a big part of Steve
Kerby’s life since 1964. Steve is a Syndi-
cated Columnists member, a national orga-
nization committed to a fully transparent
approach to money management. With over
50 years in the fi nancial services industry,
Steve specializes and focuses on each indi-
vidual client’s goals. Visit stevekerby.retire-
village.com or call 503-936-3535 for more.