Profile of Neal Boortz on Famous Like Me

Neal Boortz (born April 6, 1945) is a popular and controversial American talk radio host. His self-given nicknames include: The Talkmaster, Mighty Whitey, The Mouth of the South, America's Rude Awakening and the High Priest of the Church of the Painful Truth.

Life

Boortz was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, but, since his was a military family, he was raised elsewhere, in many locations throughout the country. He was a self-described "marine brat." In his pre-radio life, he was a speech writer for Georgia Governor Lester Maddox. He began his radio career in College Station, Texas in the 1960s at WTAW-AM. Boortz also practiced law from 1977 to 1992. His syndicated show originates from WSB-AM 750 in Atlanta, and currently has about five million listeners nationwide. Boortz also occasionally writes a column on the Internet news/commentary site 'World Net Daily.'

Boortz has a wife named Donna ("She Who Must Be Obeyed", as he calls her on his program), with whom he has one daughter, Laura. Boortz is an avid golfer and aviation enthusiast. He is an accomplished pilot with over 3,000 hours flying as pilot-in-command, and donates time (both as a pilot and fund-raiser) in support of Angel Flight. He holds certifications in commercial flights, single-engine airplanes, lighter-than-air free balloons, and has his instruments rating. Boortz is an ardent supporter of DeKalb Peachtree Airport in Atlanta, Georgia.

Politics and radio

A self-described libertarian, Boortz is often accused of being a "Republican in sheep's clothing." He has recently been described using the term neolibertarian. This refers to his tendency to advocate Republican party platforms, and his frequent (but not exclusive) support of Republican politicians, especially George W. Bush. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks he has supported controversial measures at home, such as the Patriot Act, and an expansionist foreign policy. His tendency to side with liberals and Democrats on social issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, the war on drugs and what he deems broadcast media censorship, is more in line with the traditional views of the United States Libertarian Party; however, he has said that those issues are not of the greatest importance in the current world environment in which terrorism has dominated since the 9/11 attacks of 2001. On the air, and on his website, he admonishes people, "Don't believe anything you read on this web page, or, for that matter, anything you hear on The Neal Boortz Show, unless it is consistent with what you already know to be true, or unless you have taken the time to research the matter to prove its accuracy to your own satisfaction." On numerous occasions Boortz has cautioned his listeners to take no heed nor place any credence in anything he says, as he is merely an “entertainer”.

Among his listeners in the South, Boortz has often caused controversy for his staunch support of gay rights and his negative comments regarding Southerners, Baptists, and Confederate references and images (especially the Confederate flag).

Boortz is the author of a book entitled The Terrible Truth About Liberals. His latest book (co-authored by Georgia Congressman John Linder) entitled The FairTax Book, explains the proposal to implement a national retail sales tax in lieu of the federal income taxes, payroll taxes, estate tax, etc. So far, the book has spent two weeks at the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list, before falling to number two.

Controversial Statements

On an October 13th broadcast of Cox Radio Syndication's The Neal Boortz Show, Boortz made comments supporting the leak of information regarding the New York subway terror warning to a select group of citizens. The New York Daily News described this group as "a select crowd of business and arts executives." The general public was not offically notified about the threat by the Department of Homeland Security until several days later. Boortz declared, "This is as it should be." He went on to describe poor people in the United States as "a drag on society", and people who "sit around all the time waiting for somebody else to take care of them."

His reasoning behind the statement was that, in the event of a cataclysmic catastrophe, the rich would be needed to rebuild society and provide jobs.

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