Yesterday I posted about Congressman Ron Paul’s plan to declare bankruptcy in the ongoing debt ceiling debate. I took the Dave Ramsey approach to bankruptcy and suggested it probably wasn’t a good idea because it didn’t solve the problem: overspending.

Well, check this out! Less than 24 hours after my initial post, Dave Ramsey answered my question:

Government spending is out of control, isn’t it? It’s so bad that our federal government would have to cut spending by 27% to balance the budget. That’s insane!

The fact is that government can get out of debt the same way you get out of debt. You quit borrowing money. You quit spending. You balance the budget. But to do all of that, you’ll have to make some sacrifices.

When it comes to government, and when it comes to everyone wanting to get their piece of the pie, no one wants to make the sacrifices. So the spending continues, and our country keeps going deeper in debt.

If you’ve listened to The Dave Ramsey Show in recent years, you know government spending is an issue that gets Dave fired up. That was never more obvious than in one of Dave’s passionate rants during a recent show.

Dave has plenty to say on this subject. Hold on for the ride.

There’s audio. Listen to that here.

Yesterday I briefly discussed an incident which erupted between former Cumulus Media audio tech/producer Matt Collins and financial talkshow powerhouse Dave Ramsey in a post entitled, “If you’re going to shoot the king…”

The title stems from a bit of advice I once received from a man far wiser than I upon targeting people of influence. He said, “If you’re going to shoot the king, then you better kill the king.” Basically, if you’re going to target someone influential, then you better be able to take them down. They’ll show no mercy in their retaliation if you don’t.

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… then you better kill the king.” A wise politico once told me that if I ever set someone influential in my sights that I better make sure I take them down. It’s not something I try often, but this bit of advice could have helped fellow Tennessean Matt – of the Collins variety – when he decided to go on the libertarian warpath against popular financial talk show host, Dave Ramsey.

Ramsey, a committed social and fiscal conservative, sometimes waxes political on his financial talkshow. Anyone who’s ever listened to him for any length of time knows pretty much where he stands politically.

Collins claims he got fired last week for tweeting “polite criticisms…” You be the judge:

“Dave Ramsey is discussing foreign policy and he knows not of what he speaks. Stick to $$$ @ramseyshow #daveramsey #tlot #tcot#c4l #yal #tea “

“Dave Ramsey doesn’t understand the concept of “blowback” @ramseyshow #daveramsey #tlot #tcot #c4l #yal #ronpaul #teaparty ”

In the aftermath, he opines:

Now please note that I in no way associated myself with WTN or Cumulus Media, my employer, when I posted these statements. And also note that I did not work for Dave Ramsey, and that I did not have any connection to him or his organization. There have never been any restrictions placed upon me as a political activist while being employed at WTN or standing guidelines as to what can or cannot be said or published by employees. After all it’s a political job, in a political environment, often broadcasting a political product; everyone there has a political opinion. I have never compromised the integrity of, or sabotaged, any show, and I have never harmed any client relationship. I have always sought to make products that WTN broadcasts of higher quality by positively contributing in whatever way I can, even if I take issue with the political subject matter.

According to the Cumulus General Manager apparently Dave saw my Tweets, and was so insulted by the insinuation that anyone would dare to disagree with him, even in a polite way, that he dispatched his staff to actually take the time to research who I was. Granted it was not an impossible task, since I used my real name and personal e-mail address, but it did take at least a minimum amount of effort to intentionally determine my identity. Once he figured out where I was employed, according to the he sent an e-mail to Cumulus Media Nashville and he apparently demanded for me to be fired for disagreeing with him.

While I refrain from gratuitously calling names (even though he often does), describing Dave Ramsey as an egomaniac ruling with an iron fist and without compassion would be considered by many to be an accurate statement. It is commonly discussed that he very often uses strong-arm tactics to achieve his goals in what appears to be a very predatorial manner. Many employees at Cumulus, including management and other on-air talent, despise him and his arrogance. One would think that this is not the best image for someone who likes to be seen as an example among the Christian community. The short story is that Dave Ramsey is a megalomaniac bully who attempts to dominate the lives of everyone around him; my situation is a perfect example. I have heard horror stories about how he treats his employees starting with their wages. Even Dave has discussed on air in the past the firing individuals for fairly minor issues and seeming to take pleasure in it. Dan Miller, an associate of Dave’s who used to have a show on WTN on the topic of employment called “48 Days to the Work You Love” once told me that “Dave routinely pays his employees about half of the going market wage”. Another producer in the industry who had close ties to some of Dave’s operation told me “most people at Dave’s place of employment are expected to work well over 60 hours a week and have multiple jobs –he designs it that way so that when one leaves work for the day they have to have another night and another weekend job”. A few years ago when I was considering applying for a position with Dave’s outfit, I found this to be true.

Anyone who remembers why Collins was removed from the Davidson County GOP would assume he had this coming. Collins’ slash-and-burn tactics do a disservice, both personally and politically.

Read his epistle if you have 30 minutes or so. Any bridge Collins might have been able to build back to WTN has been firebombed in his scathing and rambly missive.