NaplesNews.com
February 16, 2009
By Jenna Buzzacco

Newt Gingrich wanted to be a zoo keeper growing up.

His ultimate career choice, though, may not have been that far off, said longtime friend and broadcaster Neal Boortz.

“This particular zoo had some of the most vicious animals that you would find anywhere,” Boortz said of Gingrich’s time in the United States House of Representatives.

Gingrich, 65, was in Naples as part of the Naples 2009 Town Hall Distinguished Speakers Series, held Monday evening at the Naples Grande Beach Resort. Gingrich served in the House for 20 years, and was elected Speaker of the House in 1995. He served as speaker until 1999.

Gingrich on Monday spoke about the current economic crisis to a crowd of more than a 1,000 people. His hour-long discussion focused on the state of the economy, and what needs to be done to fix it.

“(Our) tradition is simple,” he said. “You can have as big of a dream if you want to work hard.”

Working hard doesn’t mean looking for bailouts, he said. Gingrich has been a strong opponent of the government’s stimulus package, and said Americans would fare better if the money was given directly to them.

In a press conference before the lecture, Gingrich said the most recent bills are “bipartisan steps in the wrong direction.”

Instead, he told audience members, the government should begin to look at ways to make the United States more competitive with China and India. Those steps, he said, can be made by reducing the corporate tax rate and eliminating the capital gain tax.

Gingrich also said the government should focus more on corruption within governmental agencies.

When it came to politics, Gingrich said he was “disappointed so far” with President Barack Obama. That disappointment, he said, stemmed from the most recent stimulus package, and the push to get it through both the House and the Senate without many people being able to read it.

But Gingrich said he had fate in the American people, and believed that if they wanted change, they would get change.

“I am convinced the American people are bigger than their government and if we need real change we’re going to get it,” he said.

Continue Reading