Good Politics Radio

On his weekly radio address to the nation, President Obama said that he expects Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress to find common ground as Congress focuses on a short term budget next week.  The President will consider any serious ideas to reduce the deficit, regardless of which party proposes them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-gBtuMJPLE

“Over the last month, I’ve been traveling the country, talking to Americans about how we can out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build the rest of the world. Doing that will require a government that lives within its means, and cuts whatever spending we can afford to do without.  But it will also require investing in our nation’s future – training and educating our workers; increasing our commitment to research and technology; building new roads and bridges, high-speed rail and high-speed internet.

In cities and towns throughout America, I’ve seen the benefits of these investments.  The schools and colleges of Oregon are providing Intel – the state’s largest private employer – with a steady stream of highly-educated workers and engineers.  At Parkville Middle School outside of Baltimore, engineering is the most popular subject, thanks to outstanding teachers who are inspiring students to focus on their math and science skills.

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The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Rob Portman of Ohio. He talked about the fact that American families realize that it is necessary to manage personal debt and deficits, but our Congress does not seem to understand the lesson.

“I’m Rob Portman. I am proud to represent the people of Ohio as a new United States Senator. What I heard in my travels to every county in Ohio over the past couple of years, and what I continue to hear across our state, is a deep concern over jobs and the future of our economy. There is an understandable frustration with Washington’s failure to address even the most basic problems.

“People are looking for leadership to help create jobs and opportunity and instead what they see is the same, tired political responses. We were told two years ago this month that the way to grow the economy was through bigger government, more spending, and more borrowing. The Stimulus plan ended up costing over a trillion dollars when you include the interest on the money that had to be borrowed to pay for it. It was a grand experiment that failed. It not only failed to produce new jobs, an economic boost the Obama Administration promised, the trillion dollar price tag, combined with higher levels of spending across government, added up to a record deficit again this year and a national debt that is now dangerously close to the size of the entire U.S. economy. This growing red ink is hurting the economy today and mortgaging the future for our kids and grandkids.

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

The panel began the show by talking about the developments in the Mideast.  The panel generally agrees that they are happy to see the changes coming about there.  To the suggestions that the U.S. should intervene, the panel believes that the U.S. should not do so in this case.  The suggestion is that the events are analogous to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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.  Christia Freeland is sitting in for Arianna today.

They talk also about the Wisconsin Assembly passing the legislation that Governor Walker wishes.  The legislation will now be sent on to the Wisconsin Senate which is missing 14 Democratic members.  The Senate does not have a quorum to be able to vote on the issue.  This may be a prelude to the discussions that will follow and will lead up to the 2012 national elections concerning debt and deficits.

The panel also discusses the Defense of Marriage Act which the Administration recently took away support for.

Lastly, they look ahead to next week when it is possible that there will be a shutdown of the Federal Government due to lack of a new budget or action on the Continuing Resolution.

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.

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Brett Healy of the MacIver Institute for Public Policy in Madison, Wisconsin about the epic battle between Governor Scott Walker and public employee unions; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the Real Story on the possibility of a federal government shutdown; And, Col. Frank Ryan, USMC (Ret.) has an American Radio Journal commentary on why congressional spending cuts are not enough to turn around the U.S. economy.

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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.

Organic agriculture has grown up.  A once-marginal movement of plucky and slightly eccentric home gardeners has bloomed into mega-farms that ship around the world selling at premium prices.  In this program we’ll examine both ends of the organic industry food chain — a mid-size organic farming family and the world’s largest organic food retailer.  We’ll see what growing mainstream has done for – and to — organic farmers, and what remains to be done to give farmers and consumers the sustainable food system we urgently need.

This program is funded by listeners like you.

Click here to listen to this podcast.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker appeared on Fox News Sunday to talk about the legislative conflict in Wisconsin.  In an effort to raise awareness about the cost of public sector employee benefits today Governor Walker’s office released the following fact sheet.

·In 2001 taxpayers contributed $423 million dollars to state employee health insurance premiums, while in 2011 taxpayers contributed more than $1 billion dollars. In 2011, state employees paid $64 million toward their health insurance, or about 5.6% of the total cost. (ETF Health Care Analysis)

·From 2001 to 2010 taxpayers spent more than $8 billion dollars on state employee health care coverage—over the same period of time state employees contributed about $398 million. (ETF Health Care Analysis)

·Public employers contributed almost $1.37 billion to the state’s pension fund in 2009, while employees contributed about $8 million, or about 0.6%. (LFB paper 84 Wisconsin Retirement System, Table 28) (more…)

On his weekly radio address to the nation, President Obama said that the United States needs the best trained and best skilled workforce in the world to win the global competition for new jobs and industries.  Over the next ten years, nearly half of all new jobs will require education beyond high school.  This is why his administration has made education a top priority, enacting reforms like “Race to the Top,” working to make college more affordable, revitalizing community colleges, and launching a nationwide initiative to connect graduates to the businesses that need their skills.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Muco-mnC3g

“I’m speaking to you from just outside Portland, Oregon where I’m visiting Intel, a company that helped pioneer the digital age.  I just came from a tour of an assembly line where highly-skilled technicians are building microprocessors that run everything from desktop computers to smartphones.

But these workers aren’t just manufacturing high-tech computer chips.  They’re showing us how America will win the future.

For decades, Intel has led the world in developing new technologies.  But even as global competition has intensified, this company has invested, built, and hired in America.  Three-quarters of Intel’s products are made by American workers.  And as the company expands operations in Oregon and builds a new plant in Arizona, it plans to hire another 4,000 people this year.

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The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Tom Price of Georgia. He highlighted the new majority’s effort to free our economy from the shackles of big government and skyrocketing debt that are creating the economic uncertainty that economists say makes it harder to create jobs.

“Hello, I’m Congressman Tom Price and I have the privilege of working for the people of Georgia’s Sixth Congressional District. In addition to serving as the Chairman of the House Policy Committee, I’m a member of the House Budget Committee.“And by now you’ve probably heard a lot of talk coming out of Washington about a so-called budget battle. We’ve even got some Democrats who run Washington threatening to shut down the government instead of listening to the American people and cutting spending. Right now, our focus should be creating jobs and getting our economy moving again.

“After all, the President promised that this would be the year that he got serious about the deficits and the debt hurting our economy. Instead, he started out by asking Congress to raise the debt limit, without any commitment to cutting spending at the same time. In his State of the Union address, he called for more ineffective ‘stimulus’ spending. And this week he submitted a budget for the next fiscal year that destroys jobs by spending too much, and borrowing too much, and taxing too much.

“Listen to economists, listen to the folks who create jobs in this country, and you’ll hear that we need to end Washington’s spending binge to reduce uncertainty, to boost confidence, and to encourage private investment in our economy. To help create a better environment for job creation in America, the spending binge has got to stop. Now with the support of Republican governors and our reform-minded colleagues in the Senate, the new House majority is working hard toward that goal.

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

The panel began the show by talking about the demonstrating going on at the capital in Wisconsin over the legislation pending to strip several unions of their collective bargaining rights in an effort to achieve a balanced state budget.  Robert believes that this will be bad for middle class workers.  Tony points out that the rise in contribution to health care and pension to 12% is not unreasonable, since it is still less than what is contributed on average in the private sector.  Matt says that the provision to strip the collective bargaining feature is what is the real conflict.  Robert points out that the Federal government could find a way to bail out state governments who need it.  The debate over this issue goes on longer than planned.

The panel talks briefly about the budget cuts in the discretionary budget remaining.  Congress seemed to act in a bipartisan manner.

Finally, they talk about the crisis in Bahrain which could affect our Navy fleet in the middle east.

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.  Arianna is away today.

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.

Muriel met Cheryl Wills at an event hosted by the United African Congress, Give them a Hand Foundation and the Islamic Cultural Centre, New York, and speaks with her about her work at New York 1 News and her book, DIE FREE!.

Cheryl Wills has been with NY1 News since its launch in 1992 and is one of the station’s most recognizable journalists for breaking news and special coverage. Wills is also a popular and engaging public speaker and has appeared before audiences across the country. She is also a blogger for the Huffington Post.

As a television journalist, Cheryl Wills has been a reliable guide through everything from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to moderating televised discussions about the presidency of Barack Obama. She has received numerous awards for her work including New York Press Club and AP Awards, the YMCA National Black Achievers in Industry Award, and the Carl T. Rowan Leadership in Media Award as part of the 25th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Awards. In 2010, McDonald’s honored Wills as a broadcasting legend during a regional ad campaign. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from New York College of Health Professions in May of 2005.. Read More

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This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry gets a status report on the U.S. economy from Dr. William Dunkelberg, chief economist for the National Federation of Independent Businesses; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the Real Story on the proposed Obama budget; and Dr. Paul Kengor from the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College has an Amerian Radio Journal commentary on Ronald Reagan’s conversion from confused Democrat to conservative Republican.

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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.

These days we think of electric vehicles as futuristic inventions, coming our way just a little before commercial flights to the moon. But actually, they preceded the infernal combustion engine by more than half a century. Now, as we choke on the exhaust, we turn once more to electricity. Only this time, the momentum is building not in Detroit but in Shanghai, Hong Kong, and California.

This program is brought to you by The Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Host: Mark Sommer
Senior Producer: Gregg McVicar
Associate Producers: Naihma Deady, Matt Fidler
Production Engineer: Michael Schwartz

Music in this program: “Chant duRossignol – Poeme symphonique pour orchestre” – Igor Stravinsky – Radio Netherlands Music; “A United Earth I” – Alan Stivell and Youssou N’Dour – Putumayo World Music; “Drive My Car” – Jim Moray – Gottdiscs; “Electric Car” – They Might Be Giants – Disney Sound; “Electric Avenue” – Eddy Grant – Rhino / Wea; “Out Of The Bluez” – Seven Octaves – KMT Records.

Duration: 55 minutes

Click here to listen to the podcast.

On his weekly radio address to the nation, President Obama used his weekly address to preview his budget saying that it will help the government live within its means, while still investing in the future.  In addition to stripping out waste, his budget includes a freeze on annual domestic spending over the next five years—even for programs he cares deeply about—which will reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIEh5m65J2c

A few months ago, I received a letter from a woman named Brenda Breece.  I wanted to share her story because it speaks to what a lot of families are going through – and it offers a good example of the kind of responsibility that’s needed in Washington right now.

Brenda is a mom and a special-ed teacher from Missouri.  Her husband, David, was employed at the local Chrysler plant for nearly four decades.  They’ve worked hard their whole lives.  But like a lot of folks, they’ve taken some hits over the past few years.  When the Chrysler plant closed, David had to take early retirement.  His pension helps, but it’s half of what he earned before.  Meanwhile, because of budget cuts, Brenda has had to buy school supplies for her students out of her own pocket – because it’s her job and she cares about those kids.

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The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah. He talked about trillion dollar debts and out of control spending.  He said that the Congress should receive the President’s new budget and that the debates over particular features of the budget will begin.

“Good morning. I’m Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah.

Last week, the nation, and the world, celebrated the centennial of President Ronald Reagan’s birth.

Ronald Reagan once told Americans that they faced a time for choosing. The choice then was between the constitutional liberty of free men and women, and a future of higher taxes, bigger government and less opportunity for families and businesses.Last fall, American citizens again had a choice to make. Would they ratify the agenda of trillion-dollar deficits and an out-of-control debt that the president imposed on the nation? Or would they reaffirm constitutional principles of limited government and free enterprise unhindered by excessive taxation and burdensome regulation?

The American people made their choice in electing historic numbers of conservative Republicans to Congress and in sweeping victories at the state and local level.

Now it is a time for President Obama to choose.

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This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with David Kreutzer of the Heritage Foundation about policy changes which would lead to lower gasoline prices; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the Real Story behind the latest developments in the ongoing battle over health care reform; And Colin Hanna has an American Radio Journal commentary on where Tea partiers stand on national defense.

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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.

If necessity is the mother of invention, there’s certainly plenty of necessity to go around these days. But are we doing all we can to incubate the innovations we most urgently need? We’ll learn about how to harness our collective genius to address our most urgent needs, and about new threats that could derail our best efforts.

This program was funded by listeners like you.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

On his weekly radio address to the nation, President Obama said America can prosper and win the future by supporting innovation, education, and infrastructure.  This past week, the President highlighted how students and researchers at Penn State University are poised lead the way on innovation and job creation through their work on energy efficiency.  In the coming week, he will visit Marquette, Michigan, where high-speed broadband infrastructure is connecting a small town to the larger world.  And on Monday, he will talk to the Chamber of Commerce about how if we make America the best place to do business, then businesses should make their mark on America by setting up shop in America, hiring American workers, and paying good wages.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xqZ7xSVc0yo

This week, we received a report on jobs and unemployment that told us we’re continuing to move in the right direction.  But we need to get there faster.  In the short-term, the bipartisan tax cut we passed in December will give an added boost to job creation and economic growth.  This is a tax cut that is already making Americans’ paychecks a little bigger and giving businesses more incentive to invest and hire.

But ultimately, our true measure of progress has to be whether every American who wants a job can find one; whether the jobs available pay well and offer good benefits; whether people in this country can still achieve the American Dream for themselves and their children.  That’s the progress we’re after.

To get there, we have to realize that in today’s global, competitive economy, the best jobs and newest industries will take root in the countries with the most skilled workers, the strongest commitment to research and technology, and the fastest ways to move people, goods, and information.  To win the future, America needs to out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build the rest of the world.

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The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by House Republican Conference Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas. He highlights the new majority’s commitment to creating a better environment for job growth by ending Washington’s spending binge and reducing uncertainty for those who create jobs.

“Hi, I’m Congressman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, and I serve as Chairman of the House Republican Conference.

“Now down here in Texas, we have a saying: ‘when you’re digging a deep hole for yourself, stop digging.’
“Now this isn’t a rule the powers-that-be in Washington have been willing to follow, and because of that American workers are clearly paying the price.

“Under President Obama’s economic policies, we’ve seen not only our first, but our second trillion dollar deficit in our nation’s history, and we are well on our way to our third.

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

The panel used the whole show to talk about the recent events in Egypt .  Bob said that he embraces the changes and energy of the situation.  Arianna said that she finds the events exhilarating, that it’s a celebration of the human spirit.  At the same time she finds it heart wrenching to see what’s happening so some of the people.  Tony said that he is hesitant to trust his interpretation of the events and that we need to be guarded in or expectations.  Matt said that he is at a loss to know what will happen.

This lively show touches on numerous issues including the attacks on journalists, the reactions in Israel, Yemen, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, and the implications for U.S. foreign policy.

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.

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

Like “Made in Japan” a generation ago, the “Made in China” label has long been viewed by Americans as a low-cost, low quality knock-off of a costly original designed and manufactured in more advanced nations. But these days the meaning of that label is changing. China is transforming itself from the world’s factory into the world’s laboratory. That’s creating vast new opportunities for green innovation. But it’s also posing new challenges for nations like the United States where much of that innovation first began.Today on A World of Possibilities, “Better Together?” Two leading Chinese entrepreneurial innovators in renewable energy ask why the nation that pioneered many such technologies is now so slow to respond to the vast green opportunities emerging in the next economy.

This program is brought to you by The Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Click here to listen to the podcast.