Good Politics Radio

Majed was born and grew up in Jerusalem-Palestine. He has a Bachelor Degree in Archaeology and History from Birzeit University in Palestine and currently he is a graduate student in Archaeology and Anthropology at Hunter College in New York City. Also, he is a visual artist who is specialized in Islamic Art- Arabic calligraphy, Arabesque and Islamic Decorations, Ceramics, and Photography. He has participated in several art exhibitions and workshops in Palestine and the United States. Currently He is teaching Arabic Calligraphy at the United Nations. (more…)

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

What sense does it make when fresh strawberries grown in Pennsylvania are trucked westward to grace San Francisco fruit salads while California strawberries are shipped eastward to garnish New York desserts? Join us as we hop aboard the movement to buy and eat locally produced food, boosting the fortunes of local farmers and reducing our carbon footprints in the process.

Guests:
Jessica Prentice, Food Activist and Author
Diana Endicott, Kansas Farmer, Owner of Rainbow Farms
Patty Cantrell, Entrepreneurial Agricultural Director for the Michigan Land Use Institute
Alisa Smith, Co-Author of 100 Mile Diet: Local Eating for Global Change
Anthony Flaccavento, Creator Appalachian Sustainable Development
(Click on a guest’s name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits: Music in this program: open- “A Small Farm in Kentucky” by John Anderson, KOCH Records; welcome- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Youssou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; bridge 1- “Folk Vibe #1″ by Tananas, ATO Records; break 1- “The Farm” by Jefferson Airplane, BMG Music; break 2- “Sweet Potato” by Celia, Love-O-Rama Records; bottom of the hour billboard- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Youssou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 3- “Farm” by Immigration Movers, courtesy of Immigration Movers; close and credits- “A Small Farm in Kentucky” by John Anderson, KOCH Records. Distribution: WFMT Radio Network, Chicago. Marketing: Creative PR, Los Angeles.

Funding: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Duration: 55:00 minutes

Click here to listen to this podcast.

In his weekly address President Barack Obama reiterated his call for comprehensive reforms to the financial system including commonsense rules of the road and a Consumer Financial Protection Agency that will advocate for everyday Americans. The President also urged the Senate to remain strong and resist the pressure of those who wish to preserve the status quo.

“On Monday, the Banking Committee of the United States Senate will debate a proposal to address the abuse and excess that led to the worst financial crisis in generations.  These reforms are essential.  As I’ve urged over the past year, we need common-sense rules that will our allow markets to function fairly and freely while reining in the worst practices of the financial industry.  That’s the central lesson of this crisis.  And we fail to heed that lesson at our peril.

Of course, there were many causes of the economic turmoil that ripped through our country over the past two years.  But it was a crisis that began in our financial system.  Large banks engaged in reckless financial speculation without regard for the consequences – and without tough oversight.  Financial firms invented and sold complicated financial products to escape scrutiny and conceal enormous risks.  And there were some who engaged in the rampant exploitation of consumers to turn a quick profit no matter who was hurt in the process.

Now, I have long been a vigorous defender of free markets.  And I believe we need a strong and vibrant financial sector so that businesses can get loans; families can afford mortgages; entrepreneurs can find the capital to start a new company, sell a new product, offer a new service.  But what we have seen over the past two years is that without reasonable and clear rules to check abuse and protect families, markets don’t function freely.  In fact, it was just the opposite.  In the absence of such rules, our financial markets spun out of control, credit markets froze, and our economy nearly plummeted into a second Great Depression.

That’s why financial reform is so necessary.  And after months of bipartisan work, Senator Chris Dodd and his committee have offered a strong foundation for reform, in line with the proposal I previously laid out, and in line with the reform bill passed by the House. (more…)

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Eric O’Keefe of the Sam Adams Alliance about their new study on the TEA party movement entitled The Early Adopters: Reading the Tea Leaves; John Gizzi of Human Events has the latest on the special election in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District; and Col. Frank Ryan, USMC (Ret.) has an American Radio Journal commentary on why the national debt has become a national security issue.

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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.

Renewable Republicans! Conserving conservatives! Across this country where oil has been king, a new breeze is rising, carrying with it currents of economic and political change. Oil is heading out and wind is blowing in. So jump in the truck for a ride to the plains where wind is the new power.

Guests:
Tracee Bentley, Gregg Emick, Ron Lehr, John Neilsen

Credits: Music in this program: open- “Le Vent Nous Portera” by Noir Desir, Hemisphere Music; welcome- “A United Earth” by Alan Stivell with Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 1-”They Call the Wind Mariah” by Harve Presnell, MCA Records; break 2-”Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan, Columbia Records; Bottom of the Hour Billboard-”A United Earth “ by Alan Stivell with Yousou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 3-”They Call the Wind Mariah” by Harve Presnell, MCA Records; close and credits-”Le Vent Nous Portera” by Noir Desir, Hemisphere Music.

Funding: The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

Duration: 55:00 minutes

To listen to this podcast click here.

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio. He talked about the House vote on health care legislation.

“Hello, I’m House Republican Leader John Boehner.

“I’m speaking to you from the Capitol, where in a matter of hours, the House of Representatives will vote on health care legislation sure to have a drastic effect on our economy and our lives.

“It was here fourteen months ago that President Obama took the oath of office with a promise to govern from the center. Republicans stood ready to work with our new president and find common ground to address the issues Americans care about.

“Unfortunately, President Obama and Democrats in Washington chose a partisan path and a costly, big-government agenda.

“The trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ isn’t working as struggling families continue to ask: ‘where are the jobs?’ And taxpayers’ hard-earned money is being spent so fast that two trillion dollars has been added to the national debt on President Obama’s watch.

“Now Democrats want the federal government to take over health care, which represents one-sixth of our economy.

“From the beginning, the one thing the American people wanted out of health care reform was lower costs. That’s why Republicans proposed a bill based on common-sense reforms that, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, would reduce premiums for families and small businesses by up to 10 percent. Our bill achieves these goals without cutting Medicare or raising taxes. All of the details are available at HealthCare.GOP.gov. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Congressman Parker Griffith of Alabama. He talked about the upcoming battles in the House over health care.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Parker Griffith, and I have the great privilege to represent Alabama’s 5th Congressional District. In the next 10 days, Democrats in Washington will try and jam through a massive government takeover of healthcare. It would raise taxes, slash Medicare benefits and destroy American jobs.

It would put federal bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions that should be made by patients and doctors. And it must be stopped.
The American people have said loudly and clearly that they do not want this job-killing government takeover of care. They want us to start over with a clean sheet of paper and a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses.

But President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuse to listen to the American people. For them, healthcare reform has become less about the best reforms and more about what best fits their ‘Washington knows best’ mentality – less about helping patients and more about scoring political points.

This is no idle observation. I’ve witnessed it firsthand.

You see, two Januarys ago, I was sworn into office as an independent, conservative Democrat. But like so many Americans, I became increasingly concerned that the policies being pushed by Democrats in Washington were dangerous for our country and out of step with our values. (more…)

In his weekly address President Barack Obama said that Congress owes the country an up-or-down vote on health reform and he described how more American families will have more control over their health care this year after health reform passes.

“This week, I asked Congress to schedule a final vote on reform that will give families and businesses more control over their health care by holding insurance companies more accountable.  This comes after nearly a year of debate, as well as a seven hour summit with Democrats and Republicans where we had a public and substantive discussion on health care.  Since then, I’ve said that I’m willing to incorporate some ideas offered by Republicans, and we’re eliminating special provisions that had no place in health care reform.

Now, despite all the progress and improvements we’ve made, Republicans in Congress insist that the only acceptable course on health care is to start over.  But you know what?  The insurance companies aren’t starting over.  I just met with some of them on Thursday and they couldn’t give me a straight answer as to why they keep arbitrarily and massively raising premiums – by as much as 60% in states like Illinois.  If we do not act, they will continue to do this.  They will continue to drop people’s coverage when they need it.  They will continue to refuse coverage based on pre-existing conditions.  These practices will continue.

That’s why we must act now.  That’s why the United States Congress owes the American people an up-or-down vote on health insurance reform.

The proposal we’ve put forward would end the worst practices of the insurance industry, lower costs for millions of Americans, and give uninsured individuals and small businesses the same kind of choice of private health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves.  And while it will take a few years to fully implement these reforms, there are numerous protections and benefits that would start to take effect this year.  (more…)