The Glenn Beck Phenomenon

Talk radio has been around for a long time. More recently, talk television has attracted lots of attention and large audiences.

The most successful hosts combine interesting food for thought with a flair for showmanship that keeps their audiences both entertained and engaged.

One rising star in the talk show world is Glenn Beck. With national radio and television shows, Beck’s limited government theme, and sometimes over-the-top rhetoric, are captivating a growing audience.

Beck reminds us that “the American experiment was about freedom. Freedom to be stupid, freedom to fail, freedom to succeed.”

But the rush to all-encompassing government is taking these freedoms away. No need to worry about failure if the nanny state will come to the rescue. Of course, that rescue comes with a multi-trillion dollar price tag that we’ll all end up paying.

If you’re a Glenn Beck fan, then you’ll want to see him in person at his next one-man stage show at Safeco Field in Seattle on Saturday, September 26.

Cascade Policy Institute is chartering buses to take Beck fans from Portland to Seattle and back that day. The reservation deadline is just a few days away. Go to www.CascadePolicy.org or call Nancy at (503) 242-0900 for details. Then get on the bus with other Glenn Beck fans on September 26.

Steve Buckstein is founder and senior policy analyst at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregon’s free market public policy research center.