Good Politics Radio

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana. He talked about Republican proposals to get the economy moving again.

“I’m Indiana Congressman Mike Pence.

Across the country gas prices and home utility bills are on the rise again. During these difficult economic times, higher energy prices impose a great hardship on families struggling to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the Democrat majority in Congress is embracing a national energy tax that will lead to even higher energy prices and massive job losses for the American people.

President Obama even admitted that under his energy plan, utility rates would ‘necessarily skyrocket.’ If the Democrats’ cap-and-trade bill were to become law, estimates suggest that the average American family would face up to $4,300 a year in extra energy costs and anywhere between 1.8 [million] and 7 million American jobs could be lost.

That’s a heavy price to pay for a plan that will do very little to clean up our environment, since manufacturers will probably ship their plants, and their pollution, to countries with less stringent environmental safeguards. This national energy tax amounts to an economic declaration of war on America’s families, small businesses and family farms. The American people know we can do better.

This past week, House Republicans introduced the American Energy Act. It’s an ‘all of the above’ energy plan that offers energy independence, more jobs and a cleaner environment, without imposing a national energy tax.

The Republican energy plan calls for more domestic exploration for oil and natural gas, a renewed commitment to clean, emissions-free nuclear energy, investments in renewable and alternative energy technologies, and incentives to spur greater conservation among individuals and businesses.

The American Energy Act is the comprehensive energy solution this country desperately needs to achieve energy independence, create good jobs and help our environment.

During these difficult times, the American people don’t want a national energy tax out of Washington, D.C. We want a 21st century answer to our nation’s energy needs. The ‘all of the above’ strategy of the American Energy Act is that answer. For more information about the American Energy Act, log on to http://gop.gov. I’m Mike Pence. Thanks for listening.

President Obama, in his weekly address to the nation calls to our attention the men and women in uniform who are away from home sacrificing time with family to protect our safety and freedom.  He also talks about the progress of health care reform, the Recovery Act, and job creation to ensure that next Thanksgiving will be a brighter day.

“For centuries, in peace and in war, in prosperity and in adversity, Americans have paused at this time of year to gather with loved ones and give thanks for life’s blessings. This week, we carry on this distinctly American tradition.  All across our country, folks are coming together to spend time with family, to catch up with old friends, to cook and enjoy a big dinner – and maybe to watch a little football in between.

As always, we give thanks for the kindness of loved ones, for the joys of the previous year, and for the pride we feel in our communities and country. We keep in our thoughts and prayers the many families marking this Thanksgiving with an empty seat – saved for a son or daughter, or husband or wife, stationed in harm’s way. And we say a special thanks for the sacrifices those men and women in uniform are making for our safety and freedom, and for all those Americans who enrich the lives of our communities through acts of kindness, generosity and service.

But as much as we all have to be thankful for, we also know that this year millions of Americans are facing very difficult economic times. Many have lost jobs in this recession – the worst in generations. Many more are struggling to afford health care premiums and house payments, let alone to save for an education or retirement. Too many are wondering if the dream of a middle class life – that American Dream – is slipping away.  It’s the worry I hear from folks across the country; good, hard-working people doing the best they can for their families – but fearing that their best just isn’t good enough. These are not strangers.  They are our family, our friends, and our neighbors. Their struggles must be our concern. (more…)

Mr. Lowell Fuglie, an American citizen, worked for 17 years based in Dakar, Senegal, as West Africa Regional Representative for the American relief and development agency Church World Service. His mandate during that time was to identify local African partners in West Africa (non-government agencies, church development offices, village associations) and work with them to implement development projects to assist the neediest. He did his own research to discover ways to assist partners. One result was the publication of a book, supported by The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), entitled “Producing Food Without Pesticides: Local solutions to crop pest control in West Africa,” a collection of organic approaches to food production using locally-available resources. His research also led to an interest in the Moringa tree which he read about in a monthly newsletter prepared by ECHO: Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, which referred to the edible leaves of the fast-growing Moringa tree as the most nutritious of all tropical vegetables. When he learned that Moringa was already present in countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa and that its leaves were already a part of the diets of some groups, he wondered why, with such a valuable source of nutrition readily available, there still exists high rates of malnutrition. (more…)

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

Scientists tell us there’s enough coal beneath American soil to power our electrical needs for another hundred years. But at what cost to the climate? Join us for a trip deep into the heart of Texas where business leaders, politicians, activists, religious leaders, and Wall Street investors are coming together to block the expansion of coal fired power plants.

Guests:

Jeff Goodell, Author of Big Coal: The Dirty Secret Behind America’s Energy Future, Contributor to New York Times Magazine and Contributing Editor at Rolling Stone

Laura Miller, Mayor of Dallas, Texas

David Litman, CEO of Texas Business for Clean Air

Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana

Mike Brune, Executive Director of Rainforest Action Network

(clicking on a guest’s name will open their full interview audio file.)

Credits: Music in this program: open- “Hog Potato” by Yonder Mountain String Band, Partners in Music, welcome- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 1- “Working in the Coal Mine” by Devo, Warner Brothers; insert 1- “Dallas Rag” by Stillway and Bonham, courtesy of Stillway and Bonham; break 2- “Paradise” by John Prine, Atlantic Records; bottom of the hour billboard- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 3- “The Tree” by Florida Normal & the Industrial Institute, Document Records; and, “Eclipse” by Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band, Evidence Music; close and credits- “Hog Potato” by Yonder Mountain String Band, Partners in Music.

Funding: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Duration: 55:00 minutes

Click here to listen to this podcast.

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho. He urged Americans to read the Senate version of the health care bill.  He said, “Take a close look at how the bill is funded and who and what it covers and doesn’t cover and how it may impact you and your family.”

“This is Senator Mike Crapo from Idaho. Americans are calling on Congress for health care reform because they can no longer tolerate its skyrocketing cost.

They want us to stop the punishing increases in insurance premiums and health care costs that, year after year, are driving families across this nation to the edge. And, they want us to ensure that they have meaningful access to quality health care. But, when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid finally revealed the 2,074-page bill that has been crafted for weeks now behind closed doors, that’s hardly what we got.

This two-thousand page bill will:

• Drive up the cost of health care insurance and medical care, not down;
• Increase taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars;
• Cut Medicare for senior citizens by hundreds of billions of dollars;
• Grow the federal government by over $2.4 trillion in new spending;
• Push the needy uninsured into a failing Medicaid system;
• Impose a damaging unfunded mandate on our struggling states;
• Leave millions of Americans uninsured; and
• Establish a massive governmental intrusion into management of our health care economy.

This is not true health care reform, and it is not what the American people want. This bill will result in higher premiums and higher health care costs for Americans – period. (more…)

Left, Right and Center is a weekly half-hour radio broadcast and podcast produced by KCRW in Santa Monica.

The panel starts out talking about President Obama’s falling popularity ratings and some turmoil surrounding Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s performance.  There are some calls for his resignation.  The panel talks about the need for jobs creation.  The panel has interesting insights on various aspects of the economic bailouts and manager’s bonuses.

The panelists talk about the book tour that Sarah Palin is on currently.  The panel is split on their judgement of her influence and importance.  Some fear she is essentially dangerous as a political influence and others say she is popular due to her honesty and simplicity.

Lastly, the panel discusses the health care reform debates.  With the time to vote coming soon, the Administration may have to put some pressure on Democrats to be solidly on board.

The participants on the show are Robert Scheer who represents the left, Tony Blankley who represents the right,  Matt Miller, the moderator, who represents the center, and  Arianna Huffington, who represents the progressive blogosphere is away.

At the end of this entertaining show the participants each have a 30 second rant to summarize the issue that each sees as most significant.

Click here to be taken to the Left, Right and Center home page where you can download or listen to the podcast.

Click here to read the Washington Post article about Tim Geithner and partisan politics.

President Obama, in his weekly address to the nation described the progress made during his trip to Asia, and detailed steps the administration is taking to spur job creation.  The President explained how increasing exports to Asia Pacific nations can create hundreds of thousands of jobs in America and described the upcoming jobs forum which will host CEOs, labor unions, economists, and nonprofits.

“Hi.  I’m recording this message from Seoul, South Korea, as I finish up my first presidential trip to Asia.  As we emerge from the worst recession in generations, there is nothing more important than to do everything we can to get our economy moving again and put Americans back to work, and I will go anywhere to pursue that goal.

That’s one of the main reasons I took this trip.  Asia is a region where we now buy more goods and do more trade with than any other place in the world – commerce that supports millions of jobs back home.  It’s also a place where the risk of a nuclear arms race threatens our security, and where extremists plan attacks on America’s soil.  And since this region includes some of the fastest-growing nations, there can be no solution to the challenge of climate change without the cooperation of the Asia Pacific.

With this in mind, I traveled to Asia to open a new era of American engagement.  We made progress with China and Russia in sending a unified message to Iran and North Korea that they must live up to their international obligations and either forsake nuclear weapons or face the consequences.  As the two largest consumers and producers of energy, we developed a host of new clean energy initiatives with China, and our two nations agreed to work toward a successful outcome at the upcoming climate summit in Copenhagen – an outcome that leads to immediate action to reduce carbon pollution.  And I spoke to young men and women at a town hall in Shanghai and across the internet about certain values that we in America believe are universal:  the freedom of worship and speech; the right to access information and choose one’s own leaders.  (more…)

Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Read by Johnny Cash

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln is one of the most famous speeches in American history. Perhaps you memorized parts of it when you were in school. In case you’ve forgotten it, here’s an opportunity for you to refresh your memory and to hear a memorable reading of The Gettysburg Address by Johnny Cash.

Abraham Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pa., on November 19, 1863, some four and a half months after the bitter and decisive Battle of Gettysburg. About 7500 soldiers lost their lives during the three day battle of 160,000 Union and Confederate soldiers in July, 1863.

The main speaker at the event was Edward Everett, a noted orator and politician who received his invitation to speak about 40 days before the event. He prepared a lengthy text and spoke for about 2 hours. The text of his speech is seldom read.

President Lincoln was invited to Gettysburg only about 17 days prior to the event and presided over something akin to a ribbon cutting ceremony. His presence and speech were not a big part of the main event.

President Lincoln wrote the bulk of the text for his speech in Washington, D.C., and then finished editing it after he arrived in Gettysburg. There is an amusing and enduring though false story that Lincoln wrote the speech on the back of an envelope while traveling by train to Gettysburg. In fact, there are early drafts of the speech on his Executive Mansion stationery and there are reports that he worked on the speech further while a guest of David Wills, the attorney who purchased the land for the cemetery and helped organize the event.

The ceremony was attended by approximately 15,000 people, and needless to say, President Lincoln’s two minute, 272 word speech was the most memorable event of the day.

Click here to listen to Johnny Cash’s excellent reading of the address, complete with accompanying music.

Read the text of Lincoln’s famous speech below:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Mr. Lowell Fuglie, an American citizen, worked for 17 years based in Dakar, Senegal, as West Africa Regional Representative for the American relief and development agency Church World Service. His mandate during that time was to identify local African partners in West Africa (non-government agencies, church development offices, village associations) and work with them to implement development projects to assist the neediest.

He did his own research to discover ways to assist partners. One result was the publication of a book, supported by The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), entitled “Producing Food Without Pesticides: Local solutions to crop pest control in West Africa,” a collection of organic approaches to food production using locally-available resources.

His research also led to an interest in the Moringa tree which he read about in a monthly newsletter prepared by ECHO: Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization, which referred to the edible leaves of the fast-growing Moringa tree as the most nutritious of all tropical vegetables. When he learned that Moringa was already present in countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa and that its leaves were already a part of the diets of some groups, he wondered why, with such a valuable source of nutrition readily available, there still exists high rates of malnutrition. (more…)

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Jim Kemp about the the role of the new Jack Kemp Foundation; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the Real Story on 2010 U.S. Senate races; and Colin Hanna of Let Freedom Ring, USA has an American Radio Journal commentary on the folly of trying 9-11 terrorists in civilian court.

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American Radio Journal is produced and distributed by the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc. The Lincoln Institute is a 501c3 non-profit educational foundation based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1993, the mission of the Lincoln Institute is: “To promote the ideals of free market economics, individual liberty, and limited government through the conduct of public opinion research and related educational programs.”

The Lincoln Institute accepts no government money and is completely funded by philanthropic grant making foundations, corporations, and individuals.

To listen to the broadcast click here.

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

We Americans love our chicken! On average, each of us eat some 57 pounds of it a year, along with 14 pounds of turkey. That’s a lot of bird!  So now we know what we’re eating, but do we know what they’re eating? And in what conditions they’re raised?

Maybe we’d rather not know….even though what we don’t know could hurt us. Many scientists, farmers and food analysts are sounding the alarm about the conditions in which we raise these hundreds of millions of birds each year. These overcrowded  birds are fed so many antibiotics to prevent disease that we’re undermining the effectiveness of these same drugs to combat infections in ourselves.   That’s because the few germs that survive these antibiotics go on to become super-bugs, immune to our newest medicines.

There are other ways to raise meat.  Today on A World of Possibilities, “Poultry Pure and Simple.” We’ll hear from turkeys, chickens and the farmers who raise them –as their grandparents did– free-range and free of antibiotics, growth hormones and other additives. We’ll also hear from a supplier of sustainably raised meat — and the founder of a fast food chain that serves only the real deal and finds many customers ready to pay a premium to taste the difference.

Host: Mark Sommer
Senior Producer: Gregg McVicar
Associate Producers: Naihma Deady, Matt Fidler
Production Engineer: Michael Schwartz
Music in this program: “Lundi” – Francois Couture – Disques Boghei Records; “A United Earth I” – Alan Stivell and Youssou N’Dour – Putumayo World Music; “Chicken Wants Corn” – Fiano boyes And The Fortune Tellers – Yellow Dog Records; “Los Pollos” – Lila Downs featuring Gilberto Gutierrez – Manhattan Records; “The Red Rooster” – Howling Wolf – Collecting Records OMP.

This program was funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Duration: 55:00 minutes

To listen to this podcast click here.

Left, Right and Center is a weekly half-hour radio broadcast and podcast produced by KCRW in Santa Monica.

The panel starts out debating Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement that Kahlid Mohammed and 4 other 9/11 conspirators will be prosecuted in New York.  The panel is divided in its opinion on this issue.

The panelists talk about the process President Obama is going through to determine our next steps in the war in Afghanistan.  Again there is an interesting division of opinion.

Lastly, the panel discusses the lack of job creation in our economy and how this may affect future elections.

The participants on the show are Robert Scheer who represents the left, Tony Blankley who represents the right,  Matt Miller, the moderator, who represents the center, and  Arianna Huffington, who represents the progressive blogosphere is away.

At the end of this entertaining show the participants each have a 30 second rant to summarize the issue that each sees as most significant.

Click here to be taken to the Left, Right and Center home page where you can download or listen to the podcast.

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Congressman Mark Kirk of Illinois.   He talked about ways to lower health care costs without raising taxes.

"When I returned home from active duty in
Afghanistan, I dedicated my congressional service to helping families
with health care. We can lower health care costs and provide coverage
for Americans who lack insurance by enacting key reforms that already
help thousands of families in many states.

First, we could start
lowering costs by reining in lawsuits in America. We are the most
litigious country on earth. Lawsuit reforms can save billions in
healthcare costs alone. In New Jersey, without lawsuit reform, it costs
over $5,500 per patient to provide insurance.In
California, with some of the strongest lawsuit reforms, insurance costs
half as much as it does in New Jersey. Congress should enhance the
effective reforms of many states by enacting lawsuit reforms for our
entire country.

Second, Congress should grant the right to each
American to buy coverage from any state in the union – especially if
you find a plan that has a lower cost or is more flexible for your
family or your small business.

Third, we should give states the tools to create their own innovative
reforms that lower healthcare costs. (more...)

President Obama, in his weekly address to the nation looks back at a week where we honored those who serve on Veterans Day, and mourned those we lost at Fort Hood. He discusses the review he has ordered into the Fort Hood incident, and pledges to stand by our servicemen and women, as well as our veterans, as his most profound responsibility.

“This was a week for honoring the extraordinary service and profound sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.

Every fall, we set aside a special day to pay tribute to our veterans. But this year, Veteran’s Day took on even greater poignancy and meaning because of the tragic events at Fort Hood.

On Tuesday, I traveled there to join with the Fort Hood community, the Army, and the friends and families of the victims to honor thirteen of our fellow Americans who died – and the dozens more who were wounded – not on some distant shore, but on a military base at home.

Every man and woman who signs up for military service does so with full knowledge of the dangers that could come – that is part of what makes the service of our troops and veterans so extraordinary. But it’s unthinkable that so many would die in a hail of gunfire on a US Army base in the heart of Texas, and that a fellow service-member could have pulled trigger.

There is an ongoing investigation into this terrible tragedy. That investigation will look at the motives of the alleged gunman, including his views and contacts.  As I said in Fort Hood, I am confident that justice will be done, and I will insist that the full story be told. That is paramount, and I won’t compromise that investigation today by discussing the details of this case. But given the potential warning signs that may have been known prior these shootings, we must uncover what steps – if any – could have been taken to avert this tragedy. (more…)

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Dr. Eric Novack, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at Americans for Prosperity about the next steps in the battle over health care reform; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the first in a two-part series on key 2010 Congressional races; And Col. Frank Ryan, USMC (Ret.) has an American Radio Journal commentary on the need for “selfless sacrifice” to help our economy recover.

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American Radio Journal is produced and distributed by the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research, Inc. The Lincoln Institute is a 501c3 non-profit educational foundation based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Founded in 1993, the mission of the Lincoln Institute is: “To promote the ideals of free market economics, individual liberty, and limited government through the conduct of public opinion research and related educational programs.”

The Lincoln Institute accepts no government money and is completely funded by philanthropic grant making foundations, corporations, and individuals.

To listen to the broadcast click here.

Mark Levine’s Inside Scoop on Washington

Mark Levine debates with Republican strategist Mike Lane.

They talk about the recent elections and their meaning.  Then they talk about health care reform.  Lastly, they talk about Mark’s recent appearances on Fox News.

Click here to listen to this podcast.

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The Inside Scoop is nationally syndicated on the Head-On Radio Network and iTunes. The show can be heard on radio weekdays, 5-6 pm Eastern, and can be seen on television Monday 7-8 pm Eastern.

Since June 2003, Mark Levine has given listeners The Inside Scoop from political players inside the Beltway – news that the Media almost never reports and those in power in the Government do not want you to know about. Mark welcomes all during his talk radio hour, and he particularly values calls from folks who disagree with him.

Visit Radio Inside Scoop.com to access more information and additional podcast shows.

Jacqueline Novogratz is the founder and CEO of Acumen Fund, a non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. Acumen Fund invests patient capital to strengthen and scale business models that effectively serve the poor and champions this approach as an effective complement to traditional aid. Acumen Fund currently manages nearly $40 million in investments in South Asia and East Africa, all focused on delivering affordable healthcare, water, housing and energy to the poor. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi.  He talked about the recent elections across the country, especially the Governor races in New Jersey and Virginia which were won by Republicans.

"Hi, I'm Haley Barbour. It's budget time for a lot of states, and we
governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, are working to balance our
budgets.

"Though the stimulus package spends an incredible amount of money, with some
of it going to state governments, the mandates about how we have to spend much
of that money, plus the severe drop in most states' revenue, mean all
governors are preparing a wide variety of significant spending cuts to balance
our budgets.

"With the federal government it's just the opposite: President Obama's budget
spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much. 

"It's breathtaking: The new Administration's budget for next year alone calls
for a one point two TRILLION dollar deficit ... nearly triple any past federal
deficit. (more...)

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

The mechanistic world view that has dominated Western thinking has much to learn from healthy, well-balanced biological systems, as well as from indigenous cultures that have a symbiotic relationship with their environment. This weeks show was recorded at a major international conference on biocultural diversity held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in April 2008.

Guests:
Rick Step, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Latin American Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, US
Tero Mustonen, and Vyacheslav Shadrin, The Snowchange Cooperative, Finland; Head, Yukaghir Elders Council
Gary Paul Napham, Founder, Renewing Americas Food Traditions, Southwest Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, US
Alejandro Argumendo, Founding Member and Co-Chair, Call of the Earth Steering Committee, Cusco, Peru
Eleanor Sterling, Director, Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, US
Jules Pretty, Professor of Environment and Society, University of Essex, UK

(Click on a guest’s name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits:
Host: Mark Sommer
Senior Producer: Gregg McVicar
Associate Producers: Naihma Deady, Matt Fidler
Production Engineer: Michael Schwartz
Field Engineers: Jon Kalish, Neil Harvey
Music in this program: open – “Cry of the Forest” by Cha-das-ska-dum Which-ta-lum – Soundings of the Planet; “Flametop Green” by Daniel Lanois – Anti Records; “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Yousou N’Dour – Putamayo World Music; “The Sound is Fading” by Robbie Robertson – Capitol Records; “@ Ley” by Gjallarhorn – Vindauga Music Ltd.; “Juju In Those Strings (Big Mind Ambient Remix” by Eccodek – Festival Distribution Inc.

Funding: The Christensen Fund

Duration: 55:00 minutes

To listen to this podcast click here.

Global Water Challenge (GWC) is a diverse coalition of leading organizations providing creative and sustainable solutions for universal access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Our mission is to create a global movement to meet the urgent need for safe water and sanitation by spurring collective awareness and investment in innovation by corporate, public, and nongovernmental actors. Our challenge is provide tools and education to empower people to find their own solutions. (more…)