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The claim: Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey wrote a viral report on how America ‘lost its collective mind’.
“Happy Days” actor Scott Baio shared a post on Thursday claiming that Dave Ramsey, the expert in personal finance, had written a long-running conservative essay on American morals.
According to the report, Ramsey apparently said that other countries accept socialism and collapse, while Americans apparently believe that it is a ‘wonderful plan’. The speech also criticized advocates for abortion and affirmative action.
“You can not justify this insanity. We have become a nation that has lost its collective mind, ‘reads the report.
The essay begins with the author reflecting on the mood and the ‘hostility of family and friends’.
“This morning I realized that everything is about to change. “No matter how I vote, no matter what I say, lives will never be the same,” the report said.
Baio’s post has been shared 10,000 times. USA TODAY contacted him for comment.
Ramsey tweeted that he did not write the post
Versions of the essay have been circulating online since July. Although some users have recently re-posted it with the name of Ramsey, no author is posted to older posts.
Ramsey, a national radio host known for his financial advice, tweeted Thursday night that he did not write a viral writer that was circulated online.
“There is a post today in which someone puts my name on it. I did not write it, ” he wrote.
A Ramsey spokesman confirmed that he was referring to the essay in Baio’s viral report.
The Ramsey version of the essay was possibly generated from a message on January 6 by Facebook user Dave Ramsey, who has the same name as the radio presenter but is not the same person. He posted the essay – which so far contains more than 500 shares – but did not declare that he was the author. In fact, as with most versions of it, it says at the bottom of the post: “Copied and pasted. I suggest you do the same!”
USA TODAY contacted him for comment.
Who’s Dave Ramsey?
The other Dave Ramsey presents ‘The Dave Ramsey Show’, a radio program with 14 million weekly listeners. He is “a ” conservative, fiscal and cultural ”, reports Politico in 2018. The financial expert cautiously supported President Donald Trump’s tax reform, according to Politico. He also criticized Senator Elizabeth Warren’s support for universal free public college.
“I do not agree with her. I am a capitalist pig. There is nothing socialist about me,” he said in April 2019.
Although Ramsey’s beliefs are conservative, he has repeatedly criticized politicians on both sides. After Democrat Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Ramsey said people should not rely on the government to solve their problems.
“If you’re a liberal and you think Washington’s going to solve America’s problems, you’re stupid. If you’re conservative and you think Washington’s going to solve America’s problems, you’re stupid. ‘ Ramsey said in November.
Ramsey also made similar remarks according to a December 2018 blog post titled, “Dave Rant: Why Politicians Aren’t Jesus.”
“You have Republicans and Democrats who tell you how they are going to fix your life. And the reason I hate it is: A: it’s a lie and B: It makes you think you can sit and wait for the crazy you life, ‘he said.
Our rating: false
The claim that a man named Dave Ramsey wrote the viral post is FALSE, based on our research. Radio host Dave Ramsey tweeted that there was a viral post falsely attributed to him, and his spokesman confirmed that he was referring to the essay in actor Scott Baio’s viral post. The speech has also been done online for months without a writer.
Our sources for fact checking:
- Dave Ramsey, January 7, tweet
- Dave Ramsey spokesman, January 8, emailed
- Daveramsey.com, “Who is Dave Ramsey?”
- POLITICO, March 11, 2018, “The Financial Whisperer to Trump’s America”
- The Dave Ramsey Show, April 24, 2019, “Dave Ramsey’s Thoughts On Sen. Warren’s Student Loan Solution”
- The Dave Ramsey Show, November 10, “America After the Election … We Need to Talk About It!”
- Daveramsey.com, December 2, 2018, “Dave Rant: Why Politicians Are Not Jesus”
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