"Even though there was some good economic news today, wages remain flat, and many economists say that because there are not enough jobs workers have to take less pay. President Obama believes the federal government can change that situation, but in five years his theory has not produced results. Big government and high taxation seem to be holding back the private sector and job creation, and the left seems to want it that way. The New York Times blames today's economic insecurity on 'the emphasis on cutting taxes and spending that began in the Reagan years' and complains about 'education cuts.' But America is spending more money on education than any country in the world, taxes have been going up, and we have record debt. The reason there is such a wide gap between the rich and the poor is technology - people who have tech skills will make money, while people who have few skills will struggle. The President's 'nanny state' mentality is not going to change that. American children must master skills in school, but President Obama has done very little to reform the teacher unions to encourage discipline. The primary reason people do not learn is because their parents are chaotic, apathetic, or not around. It all comes back to parenting and discipline in the public schools, money doesn't have much to do with it. President Obama lives in a world of theory and he wants to throw money at everything, but his big government programs are failing."

The Factor invited reactions from Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Eboni Williams. "There are 50-million Americans living in poverty right now," Kucinich said, "and income inequality is not simply an economic and political matter, it's a moral matter. Every able-bodied person should be able to get a job, and if the private sector isn't providing them, the public sector has to." Williams called for massive education reform. "I hate the concept of 'income inequality, I want to talk about opportunity inequality and access inequality. There are people like young urban men who are disproportionately affected by the depressed job market. We need to change the curricula, we need to have kids learning skill sets that can be marketable."

Fox Business anchor Lou Dobbs analyzed the latest job numbers and the drop in unemployment to 7%. "It is getting better," Dobbs said, "and over the past three years we have seen a steady increase in job creation. We're even talking about manufacturing jobs as well as jobs in the service industry. This is still fundamentally a very resilient economy." On the subject of poverty, Dobbs criticized President Obama for talking rather than acting. "This man's been talking about income inequality, while he has had a treasured opportunity to talk about what counts, which is education. It's the great equalizer of our society." The Factor lamented, "There's been no movement to reform the educational system, the teacher unions are still blocking any kind of meaningful reform."

New York Times columnist Gail Collins accuses some Christians, "led by the American Family Association and Fox News's Bill O'Reilly," of encouraging boycotts of stores that don't celebrate the birth of Jesus. The Factor responded thusly: "The only time we get involved with stores is if they forbid their employees to say 'Merry Christmas,' a direct violation of freedom of speech. Ms. Collins has misled her readers before and the Times doesn't seem to mind. We asked her to appear this evening but she is hiding under her desk." Self-described atheist Chris Stedman entered the No Spin Zone with his take on the issue. "This is a society where Christians do benefit from a level of religious privilege," he asserted, "and the government should not endorse one religion over any other. So my feeling on Christmas displays in public spaces is that there should be displays for many different religions and for non-religious philosophies as well."

Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, who is expected to win the Heisman Trophy as America's top college player, has been cleared of a sexual assault charge. Geraldo Rivera analyzed the prosecutor's decision. "I urge Heisman Trophy voters to read the police report," he said. "This is not a case of some woman conjuring up circumstances years after the fact. This woman began complaining almost immediately, she said she had five vodka shots and some men took her to Winston's apartment. She alleges that he assaulted her, she fought him off, and he took her into the bathroom where he finished the act. The cop who interviewed her said she was bruised, and I submit that if this was some nobody the cops would have responded far differently. This woman has been ridiculed, she has dropped out of school. This is an outrage!"

Guys Friday Bernard McGuirk and Greg Gutfeld opined on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie being named "Boss of the Year" by a GQ magazine. "They're trying to say that America needs a boss," Gutfeld said, "somebody who knows business and work. It's time to have a boss instead of a community organizer who has never worked a private job in his life." McGuirk expressed his obvious admiration for Chris Christie. "These end-of-the-year lists are frivolous nonsense, but I do love Governor Christie, who is bringing 'husky' back. He's bigger than life, he has charisma in spades, and these 'smaller-than-life' guys like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz should get out of the way." McGuirk also jested, "The runner-up was Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, so I don't know if it's quite the honor we think it is."

Gutfeld and McGuirk returned to name the week's most ridiculous pinheads. McGuirk went with Joe Biden, who asked a group of women in Japan, "Do your husbands like you working full time?" "He was supposed to talk with them about the impact of women in the workplace," McGuirk said, "not how their husbands feel about their working. Maybe he was trying out a line for when he debates Hillary in 2016." Gutfeld picked The San Francisco Commission on the Environment. "They're banning the release of butterflies at weddings because they say it hurts the indigenous population. My theory is that they're killing jobs for butterflies - what other work are they going to do? Butterflies are just good-looking insects, this is totally 'lookist.'" The Factor went with Denver Post editor Gregory Moore, whose paper will run reviews of marijuana. "The Post is hiring columnists to tell everybody about the best pot. Where are the booze columnists to tell you the best booze to get you falling off your chair?"

Ross Moon, Pratt, KS: "What a cream puff interview with Sarah Palin, O'Reilly. I'm betting she charmed you."

Shirley Ramsey, Anniston, AL: "O'Reilly, thank you for informing Palin that harsh rhetoric toward fellow Republicans will hurt the party. Unless we quit being divided, liberals will control the Senate again next year."

June Jones, Arlington, VA: "Sarah is a hypocrite. She claims she wants the GOP to come together but she is one of its most divisive figures."

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