Last week, I met Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and heard him speak at Grove City College. I was really impressed with Justice Thomas’ thoughts and insights. Growing up in Georgia, Thomas was himself a victim of segregation and discrimination and spoke about the pain and hurt that a segregated society inflicted on him. He was passionate about how the Civil Rights Movement had achieved good and necessary outcomes when it caused the United States to eliminate racial segregation and discrimination. Some of his personal heroes are Americans who engaged in the decade’s long struggle to free American slaves and then establish legal equality for all Americans. Justice Thomas is a proponent of equality before the law and “equal opportunity.” These are constitutional principles.

However, Justice Thomas believes that the government run, Great Society, “War on Poverty” programs begun in the 1960s were and are a failed shortcut to “equality of outcomes.” And this sort of government intervention in our lives was clearly not envisioned by our nation’s Founders or expressed in our Founding documents. Tragically, instead of creating equality and success, these government-led efforts have locked many Americans of all backgrounds into hopelessness, dependency and permanent inequality. Thomas believes that millions upon millions of Americans who are dependent would be standing on their own feet by now if they were not held back by failing government programs and the culture of dependency that these programs has created. Further, the way government programs have destroyed American families is just heart breaking. Justice Thomas said that he knows his views are not popular, but that he was not raised to seek popularity. Rather, he was raised and is committed to telling the truth.

I had never met Justice Thomas before and I found him to be kind, courageous, and independent. He also has a penetrating intellect.

On my radio show this past weekend, I talked about our economy and investment strategies with Bob Fragasso (Chairman and CEO of Fragasso Financial Advisors). Bob is concerned that the European debt crisis could lead to a deep recession in Europe and may pull the U.S. back into recession. However, recent political changes in Greece and Italy, with rational conservatives taking power, give Bob hope that Europe may be limping towards a solution. We will see. In the long run, Bob is confident that both our economy and financial markets will “revert to the mean” and thus turn in much better performances in the future.

What will it take for America to be successful in the future? In my view, we must elect leaders who will implement a tough Balanced Budget Amendment, one that caps spending as a percentage of GDP and protects tax payers from huge tax increases. We must also elect leaders who will overturn Obama’s job destroying and economy crushing “healthcare law,” and replace it with real reforms that will lower healthcare costs and increase access to care. And we must elect leaders who will implement tax reforms that return us to prosperity. If we elect leaders with strong Conservative principles, then America will regain its strength, and provide our children and grandchildren with access to the American Dream.

Looking ahead to the 2012 elections, I interviewed two Pennsylvania Republican primary candidates who are running for the opportunity to unseat Democrat Senator Bob Casey in 2012, Marc Scaringi and Steve Welch. Both candidates discussed their backgrounds and strategies for getting our country back on track.

I have no doubt that 2012 will be a tough election year. But as we gear up emotionally and intellectually for this fight to defeat the Democrat Party’s socialist progressives in Washington D.C., we must remember to take time to celebrate faith, family, and life. Consistent with this, I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas and the whole Holiday season!

During the final segment of my show last weekend, Singer Marc Milovats joined me in the studio with some of his Christmas music to promote his upcoming Christmas Show at the Byham Theater, in Pittsburgh. Marc and his cast of singers and dancers will be performing some of the best known and most loved Christmas songs on November 27^th at 7 pm. The show benefits Children’s Hospitals around the country, including Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. If you are looking to spend a festive evening with friends and family, or an opportunity to kick off this Christmas season, please consider attending this event. To buy tickets, go to markmilovats.com or call 412-456-6666. You won’t be disappointed.

Sincerely,

Glen

Glen Meakem is a successful technology entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and conservative talk radio show host, who offers information and insights on how individuals, our states, and our nation can be more successful. Glen’s unique perspective has been shaped by his experiences as founder, chairman and CEO of the B2B internet success Freemarkets Inc – which he founded in 1995, took public in 1999, and sold to Ariba in 2004. In 2006, Glen co-founded Meakem Becker Venture Capital, a firm that invests in early stage start up companies. Concerned about the liberal political agenda that has gripped the United States and his home state of Pennsylvania, Glen launched the radio program, “Glen Meakem on the Weekend” in 2008. Glen served as an officer in the United States Army Reserve and is a veteran of the First Gulf War. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard and his MBA from Harvard Business School. For more information about the Glen Meakem on the Weekend Radio Program, or to read Glen’s blog, please visit http://glenmeakem.com.