Glenn Beck: America's Path to Restoration

Hey, if you listen to the White House, there's nothing else to worry about — the worst is behind us!

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We can stand here today and say, ‘We prevented another depression.’ We broke the back of the recession. The economy that was shrinking by six percent a year ago is now growing by six percent. So, the worst of the storm has passed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Before we went on the air, I saw this on Drudge Report, “Obama’s science czar tells students: We can’t be #1 indefinitely...” Nothing to worry about here. Obama's multi trillion dollar health care plan has passed, the jobs should start pouring in any minute! The New York Times is also giddy about the economy — they ran this headline last week: 'Why So Glum? Numbers Point to a Recovery.'

Really? Has the Times even looked around their own newsroom? It's practically empty. They recently announced another 100 layoffs in the newsroom — which brings that total to what, New York Times? Probably explains why we're getting articles about how great the economy is. Jim from maintenence has taken over the business section at the Times. They also slashed salaries by five percent. Why so glum, New York Times? You've got former New York Times writers who are actually living now on the street. You should read the story about this guy — it’s amazing. He’s a panhandler now, and used to work for the Times.

Then the New York Times built a giant skyscraper. Two words for you New York Times: Government takeover. Every important economic indicator is showing tough times ahead — and it's becoming apparent that something more than just 'growth' will be needed to restore America and stop the bleeding.

Leading economists now say the slump is going to be around for at least two more years. Moody's says America is walking a tightrope and that 'preserving debt affordability at levels consistent with AAA ratings will invariably require fiscal adjustments of a magnitude that, in some cases, will test social cohesion.' Test social cohesion. That's incredible. They also added that 'the severity of the crisis will force governments to make painful choices that expose weaknesses in society.'

I guess Moody's doesn't subscribe to The New York Times. Former Congressional Budget Office head Doug Elmendorf said the nation's fiscal path is simply "unsustainable." Then you have Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who said this last week:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN BERNANKE, FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN: To avoid large and unsustainable budget deficits, the nation will ultimately have to choose among higher taxes, modifications to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, less spending on everything else from education to defense, or some combination of the above… unless we as a nation demonstrate a strong commitment to fiscal responsibility, in the longer run we will have neither financial stability nor healthy economic growth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

That's huge — the Chairman of the Fed telling Americans that they are about to face DRASTIC changes.

So what is Congress doing about it? Nothing. Normally Congress doing nothing is a good thing, because they can't screw up the country. But in this case, we need them to undo the damage they've inflicted on America. Instead, they jam health care through and hope for the best on the economy. They are actually set to miss the April 15 deadline for completing next year's budget —they aren't even considering a draft. They are skipping it to avoid unpopular votes around election time. Look at how stupid they think you are. 'Hey, if we just don't do a tax hike right around election time — we can do it later and nobody will remember!'

America, it's time to make a choice. You have to choose — who is right? Is it Barack 'the worst is behind us' Obama? The New York Times? Or is it the leading economists — Moody's, former CBO directors, and Chairman of the Fed Ben Bernanke who now tell us we are in trouble? But I remind you these are the same people who told us during the housing mess that we were fine. Are those guys right, or is your gut right? You know this is unsustainable and something has to be done. Even our own politicians will admit that they are incapable of doing anything — here is Congressman Tom Perriello:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM PERRIELLO, D-VA.: The only way to keep them out of the cookie jar is to give them no choice. Which is why, whether its balanced budget acts or pay-as-you-go legislation or any of that—it's the only thing. If you don't tie our hands, we will keep stealing

(END VIDEO CLIP)

But this isn't just an American problem — this is a global problem. And what people won't tell you is that it's all about to come undone. We can get healthy; but we need common sense and a spine. All countries have been stealing from the cookie jar. All countries decided massive debt isn't a big deal. We've all pursued bigger government socialization programs. We've all been shipping our jobs to India and China.

I told you months ago to watch Europe. They are ahead of us — they've tried all the things we are embarking on. George Soros is warning that Europe could be on the verge of 'disintegrating' if they don't muster up the political will to survive. Except he's advocating for more bailouts. That’s like telling a cancer patient: 'Smoke some more.'

I also told you that a couple months ago that the far left and the far right — the fringes — are coming out of the woodwork and even gaining power. Greece is on the verge of collapse; billions in bailouts have only delayed the inevitable. The unrest there is growing, and the violence is too. Far left militant guerrilla groups have been launching bomb attacks and the unions have been rioting as well. The far right is gaining power after elections in Hungary. In South Africa, hundreds gave the Nazi salute and waved swastika flags at the funeral of a prominent white supremacist who was murdered.

The world is on the edge, and I believe because of the George Soros' of the world, we are being pushed farther off that edge. There are profound changes coming right around the corner, and the world is about to make the same mistakes that were made in the 1930s.

In the 1960s, we had mutually assured destruction. It was to stop us from bombing each other. We were all afraid of nuclear war. We were afraid the missiles from Russia were going to come over the pole and kill us, and we would have to send our missiles over there, and we’d vaporize each other. Caroll Quigley said in his book that in 1962 the tragedy was global war and the hope was that it would never happen again. What he announced in this book was that they tied all of our economies together, so now if one country was destroyed or would destroy another, they would all collapse. They’d all go down the toilet, and so they would have motivation to stop anybody. And he said in 1962, You’ll never see a world war again. You’ll never see one country go in and obliterate another. It won’t happen.

Gee, think of all the wars that have been fought by us since 1962. Is there any doubt in your mind that we could have finished in Pakistan, we could have finished in Iraq had we unleashed the full might and power of America? Ask yourself the question: 'Why didn't we?' Because we’re all tied together economically.

We are in the eye of the storm — we've just been battered around, and now it's calm — but there is more coming! And the weathermen are telling everyone it's OK to go outside.

The only way to have real hope is to have the truth. When you go to the doctor and he tells you that you have cancer, the doctor doesn't hate you. You have cancer. Don't confuse the truth with hate speech. If you don't believe that doctor, go find another one who engages in the truth. If they want to save you they will tell you the same thing. A correct diagnosis gives you a chance at survival. It's the same thing with the country — radical steps need to be taken.

Will people be willing to sacrifice? Give up entitlements? I don't know. But the good news is, we've done it once before. After America's first bout with progressivism in the early 20th century, we had chemotherapy and we rooted it out. How? Well, there's three ways to fix the mess we are currently in: We can cut spending, raise taxes or print money (which is inflation).

So far all we've tried is tax hikes and inflation. And we've done the complete opposite of cutting spending: We've spent even more. What needs to happen is this: Significant tax cuts, massive budget cuts across the board, and we have to stop devaluing the dollar.

Right now, some viewers are saying, 'Thank God this idiot isn't president — he'd destroy us.' The rest of you are cheering. I just want to warn those of you who are cheering: You may be cheering now, but there is a good chance you won't be when you see this plan we are laying out this week. One thing said about socialism is that everyone's against it until they get some sort of handout from it. Right now about 70 percent of America gets more money in benefits from the government than they pay in. That has to stop. This plan has no sacred cows. Everything is on the table — it's not just the turtle tunnels. Pills for grandma, bombs for defense, you name it.

All week we are going to design a budget unlike anything done in recent memory by government. We'll look at the budget like a business would. Did you know that the GAO is only now figuring out the the Post Office is not a viable business model? A private business would have noticed the billions lost every year a little bit sooner than our government has. And they would attack the problem by making drastic changes, or eliminating it altogether. We are going to look at every budget item, every department, every expense, and start hacking away until we are left with nothing but the bare essentials. This is what businesses and families do during tough times. They look at these three things. We'll be talking to Art Laffer to explain why you can't raise taxes. You'd have to cut the budget. That's what we are going to do this week.

When faced with the option of drastically cutting budgets or drastically raising taxes: Which do you think our current Congress and president will be more likely to do? Gee, I wonder. In the 1930s, as we all know, we were in deep trouble. FDR's idea was massive taxes. At first, he raised it to 63 percent. By the end of the 1930s it was up to 79 percent. He actually tried to get 100 percent of everything above $25,000, but had to settle at 94 percent in 1945.You've got to get the full story on our history at Insider Extreme at Glennbeck.com. Check out our mini documentaries on the progressives. It'll blow your mind.

A recent study by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that to reduce the federal budget deficit to a sustainable three percent of gross domestic product, top rates would have to go from the current 33 percent and 35 percent to 72.4 percent and 76.8 percent..

We know the president isn't exactly a 'fiscal conservative,' so don't hold your breath on massive budget cuts. Instead, the president will say 'this was worse than we thought,' and Joe Biden will encourage the rich to do their patriotic duty and pay up.

As New Jersey found out, when you jack up the taxes, the real wealth leaves. They lost $70 billion in four years. The same will happen to America. We should be doing the exact opposite. We should make America a safe haven for that money. If we do something this dramatic, it will signal to the rest of the world that we want your business here. If we build it, they will come; and all of that money will jumpstart America, and we'll jumpstart the world.

If we don't do it. Someone else will. Anyone who dares to report on this will tell you that this would be risky, unheard of, can't be done — and at best it can't be done politically. Let me spell that out - It can be done, everything can be done in America, if we choose! It can't be done politically because we've been expecting Washington to lead us to sensible answers. It's time for us to lead them to what you would do in your life.

— Watch Glenn Beck weekdays at 5p & 2a ET on Fox News Channel

Last week, Glenn published his updated "Preparedness Quiz" to see how prepared his audience is for a big crisis—and the results are in! Thankfully, not very many of you are "Toast." In fact, most of you could survive a big disaster, and even some of you could survive a nuclear apocalypse—not very many could say that!

If you haven't taken the quiz already, you can take it HERE, and be sure to download Glenn's "Ultimate Preparedness Guide" filled with practical tips on how to keep you and your family safe for a future crisis.


1.7% of Glenn's audience is TOAST! Thankfully, that's very few of you. 

There is little chance you'd survive repairing your kitchen table, not to mention enduring a massive economic crisis or natural disaster. With no money, food, or supplies stocked up, you will have to rely on the altruism of your more-prepared friends and family. But then again, if you can't even navigate to their house without your phone, you may still be TOAST.

13.8% of Glenn's audience could survive a little disaster. 

Congrats on having some of your finances set aside for emergencies... and some useful tools and skills tucked away in case of an emergency. You could potentially endure a "little disaster" of financial hardship. However, if you want to survive a massive financial crisis or natural disaster, you're going to have to start stockpiling some more money and supplies.

68.9% of Glenn's audience could survive a big disaster. 

Congrats on being more prepared than most! You have some investment in precious metals, an emergency fund, some food and supplies stockpiled, and maybe an extra generator. Even though you may not be a "prepper," you have taken steps to prepare for hard times, which will protect you and your loved ones for weeks... even months—which is way better than nothing!

14.7% of Glenn's audience could survive a nuclear apocalypse. 

Congratulations on being one of the few people in this world who could actually survive a nuclear apocalypse! Seriously... there are very few of you. Your bunker is stocked with food, water, and supplies to last you MONTHS. Your silver, gold, and emergency fund will help you cruise in times of financial distress. You can secure more goods because you have learned a bunch of "barter" skills. Congrats on being able to keep yourself and your loved ones safe!

On Monday, Biden exercised his veto powers for the first time to strike down a bill that would ban states from taking ESG into consideration when investing state pension funds. In his veto message, Biden said:

Retirement plan fiduciaries should be able to consider any factor that maximizes financial returns for retirees across the country. That's not controversial — that's common sense.

At the risk of using the loaded word "gaslit," it continues to be the operative word in describing the policies coming out of the Biden White House. It is painfully obvious that ESG itself inhibits investors from "maximizing financial returns." That was never ESG's goal in the first place. Yet Biden said the opposite.

ESG aims to incentivize investors to make "socially conscious" (a.k.a woke) investments, even if they are at odds with the greatest return on investment. It has enabled state governments and investment firms to use their monopoly over the investment space to force companies to choose between adopting their woke ESG standards and losing critical investment. Isn't there a word for that? Extortion? Or modern-day politics?

ESG enables state governments to force companies to choose between adopting their woke ESG standards and losing critical investment.

That is the sole reason why Republicans brought the bill to his desk in the first place: As Glenn said, "ESG poses a clear and present danger to the American way of life, the soul of our nation and every sector of our economy. ESG was never about ROI. It was always about pushing a leftist agenda.

And Biden knows this.

Why would he want to give up something that enables his political party and corporate elites to control and manipulate the political affiliations of their people? Who would want to give up that power? Biden certainly doesn't.

And he didn't.

Instead, he boldly asserts the exact opposite: that ESG itself "maximizes financial returns," relying on the divided American people to debate the policy into oblivion, while he gets exactly what he wants: the retention of power over the American consumer. Dare I say again that "gaslit" is the operative word here?

If one thing is clear, it is that we cannot rely on the federal government to act in the best interests of the American people. However, in this critical moment, the state governments are stepping up to do what the federal government refuses to: protecting the rights of the American consumer.

In a joint resolution led by Florida Governor Ron Desantis, 19 states have pledged “to protect individuals from the ESG movement" at the state level. This is critical.

We cannot rely on the federal government to act in the best interests of the American people.

Florida leads Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming in signing the historic policy agreement among all 19 states, pledging to ban ESG practices within their jurisdictions.

The anti-ESG alliance calls ESG what it is:

A direct threat to the American economy, individual economic freedom, and our way of life, putting investment decisions in the hands of the woke mob to bypass the ballot box and inject political ideology into investment decisions, corporate governance, and the everyday economy.

This alliance takes aim at two specific practices used by left-leaning states to force companies to adopt ESG-approved practices.

First, the alliance promises to protect "taxpayers from ESG influences across state systems."

While other states are using YOUR taxpayer dollars to fund pro-ESG corporations, these states pledge to BAN this practice to ensure "that only financial factors are considered to maximize the return on investment."

The chief factor behind any investment should be determining whether that investment yields the maximum return on their investment. However, many states are using YOUR taxpayer-funded pension and retirement funds to invest in ESG-approved businesses. This not only forces businesses to consider adopting ESG standards in hopes of obtaining investment. Moreover, states are using YOUR taxpayer dollars to fund them! Would you want your government to invest your hard-earned money for partisan purposes?

The anti-ESG alliance is taking the politics out of investment and putting consumer power back in the hands of the American people. These state governments pledged to make investment decisions based solely on maximizing the return on investment, not in using your taxpayer dollars to fund their political agendas.

Second, the alliance promises to protect "citizens from ESG influences in the financial sector."

ESG standards force businesses to consider the political leanings of their customer base. For example, Discover announced they will begin tracking its customers' gun-related purchases. One of the leaders behind this push is Amalgamated Bank, which boasts on their website that their institution "supports sustainable organizations, progressive causes, and social justice." Amalgamated Bank CEO Priscilla Sims Brown said:

We all have to do our part to stop gun violence and it sometimes starts with illegal purchases of guns and ammunition The new code will allow us to fully comply with our duty to report suspicious activity and illegal gun sales to authorities without blocking or impeding legal gun sales.

This virtue signaling at the cost of your privacy is earning both Discover and Amalgamated ESG brownie points.

There are countless stories of Americans, like YOU, getting locked out of their bank accounts, dropped as clients, tracked and targeted, all because their personal political beliefs don't align with big corporations' ESG goals. Their individual privacy and dignity as a consumer aren't worth the risk of lowering the company's ESG score.

That's why the anti-ESG alliance is pledging to protect the residents in their states from this corrupt ESG exploitation. The alliance promised to ban "so-called social Credit Scores' in banking and lending practices aimed to prevent citizens from obtaining financial services like loans, lines of credit, and bank accounts."

They also promised to stop "financial institutions from discriminating against customers for their religious, political, or social beliefs, such as owning a firearm, securing the border, or increasing our energy independence."

In short, they have targeted the political extortion hidden behind the virtuous ESG veil to protect citizens from being discriminated against based on political affiliation.

It's time to step up.

Biden may have struck down the effort to restore the freedom of the American consumer at the federal level. However, these states are taking it upon themselves to do what they ought: to ban practices that threaten the freedoms and privacy of their citizens.

If your state did not joining the anti-ESG alliance, it's time to demand that they step up and do their job to protect you and the rest of your fellow citizens from corrupt ESG practices. As Glenn said, "The conservative movement is best when it moves in unison." We must act and unison and push our states to protect our economic freedom and our way of life.

How prepared are YOU to weather a future crisis? We recently published a brand new quiz so you can find out exactly how prepared you are. Whether you're a "prepper" with a bunker fit for the apocolypse or just want to feel more secure for the future, there is always something more to learn. That's why Glenn wants to give his newsletter subscribers his "Ultimate Preparation Guide," filled with practical tips for building a solid foundation to weather future crises. And let's face it—in our crazy world right now, who couldn't use a bit more peace of mind?

Enter your email below to get "Glenn's Ultimate Preparation Guide" sent straight to your inbox!

Editor's Note: Arizona House Bill HB2770 has since been shut down! AZ Rep. Rachel Jones tweeted that the AZ Freedom Caucus shut down the bill before it could reach the board. It is encouraging to see states stepping to protect the American people from getting one step closer to a Central Bank Digital Currency. Hopefully, Arizona will be a precedent for the other states!

On today's radio broadcast, Glenn warned about dangerous Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) language being smuggled into routine legislation in REPUBLICAN-led states. This is unacceptable, and as Glenn said, we can't let this legislation pass as it now stands.

The legislation being used to smuggle in this CBDC language is the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), a routine piece of legislation passed on the state level that helps standardize commercial and business transactions. However, a new round of UCCs being deliberated RIGHT NOW amongst a swath of Republican-led states anticipate the use of "electronic money." In a public letter sent to the Republican states currently deliberating this legislation, the Pro-Family Legislative Network said this can only refer to the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) under consideration and testing by the Federal Reserve. Biden's Executive Order 14067 issued in March of 2022 started the push for CBDC, and now these states, knowingly or unknowingly, are laying the legislative groundwork for making CBDC a reality.

There is absolutely no reason why Republican-led states should aid in laying the foundation for CBDC, yet 12 of them are deliberating it RIGHT NOW, with one UCC bill already on one GOP governor's desk! We have to act NOW to stop these UCCs in their tracks and demand our lawmakers amend the bills without the "electronic money" language.

If your state is listed below, contact your representative NOW to put an end to CBDC language.

1. North Dakota

North Dakota House Bill HB1082 passed BOTH chambers and is now sitting on Governor Burgum's desk. Burgun has 3 DAYS to veto this bill once it's placed on his desk—if not, it will pass automatically. If you are a North Dakota resident, it is absolutely CRUCIAL that you contact Governor Burgum's office NOW and demand that he veto this bill and re-introduce it without the "electronic money" language.

2. Arizona

Arizona House Bill HB2770 has been SHUT DOWN! See the above editor's note for more details.

Arizona House Bill HB2770 passed the House majority and minority caucuses. Arizona residents, contact your representative's office NOW so that they amend this bill without the "electronic money" language.

3. Arkansas

Arkansas House Bill HB1588 is in committee, and if passed, will head to the House floor. Though the bill is only in its beginning stages, it's important for Arkansas residents to stop this bill in its tracks and amend it without the "electronic money" language.

4. Missouri

Missouri House Bill HB1165 is also in its beginning stages in committee. That means it's important to contact your representative as soon as possible to amend it without the "electronic money" language.

5. Oklahoma

Oklahoma House Bill HB 2776 passed the House Committee and will go to a chamber vote soon. If passed, it will go to the Senate, then the governor's desk. If you are an Indiana resident, contact your representative's office NOW to amend the bill without the "electronic money" language.

6. Indiana

Indiana Senate Bill SB0486 passed the Senate and is headed to the House. Republicans control Indiana's executive office and BOTH chambers of the legislature. There is no excuse for this bill to pass. If you are an Indiana resident, it's vital you contact your representative NOW and demand they amend this bill without the "electronic money" language.

7. Kentucky

Kentucky Senate Bill SB64 passed the Senate and is now being deliberated in the House. If you live in Kentucky, contact your representative's office to amend the bill without the "electronic money" language.

8. Montana

Montana Senate Bill SB370 passed the Senate and was sent to the House on March 3rd. If you are a Montana resident, contact your representative's office NOW so that the bill doesn't without changing the "electronic money" language.

9. Nebraska

Nebraska's Legislative Bill LB94 passed committee and the first floor vote. As Nebraska only has one legislative chamber, this bill is dangerously close to passing the legislature and being sent to the governor's desk. If you are a Nebraska resident, contact your representative's office NOW and demand they amend the bill without the "electronic money" language.

10. New Hampshire

New Hampshire House Bill HB584 is currently in House committee deliberations and has not yet reached the House floor. If you are a New Hampshire resident, contact your representative's office NOW to amend the bill without the "electronic money" language.

11. Tennessee

Tennessee House Bill HB0640 didn't successfully pass the House. However, it was deferred to a Senate committee and has now taken the form of Senate Bill SB0479, which is now in committee. This bill is still alive, and it's important for you, Tennessee residents, to stop it before it reaches the floor! Contact your representative to amend the bill without the "electronic money" language.

12. Texas

Texas House Bill HB5011 was filed and is ready to be taken up by committee. Fellow Texans, let's not let this bill progress any further! Contact your representative and demand they amend the bill without the "electronic money" language.