On this weekly radio address to the nation, President Obama told the American people that we can’t wait for Congress to take action to grow the economy and create jobs, and highlighted the executive actions he took this week to help families save thousands of dollars by refinancing their mortgages, put veterans to work, and lower the cost of student loans.  The President continued to urge Congress to do its part and pass the American Jobs Act now, which will put more money in the pockets of middle class families, create jobs and strengthen our economy right away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ywgtctz2Jqg

“This week, a new economic report confirmed what most Americans already believe to be true: over the past three decades, the middle class has lost ground while the wealthiest few have become even wealthier.  In fact, the average income for the top one percent of Americans has risen almost seven times faster than the income of the average middle class family.  And this has happened during a period where the cost of everything from health care to college has skyrocketed.

Now, in this country, we don’t begrudge anyone wealth or success – we encourage it.  We celebrate it.  But America is better off when everyone has had the chance to get ahead – not just those at the top of the income scale.  The more Americans who prosper, the more America prospers.

Rebuilding an economy where everyone has the chance to succeed will take time.  Our economic problems were decades in the making, and they won’t be solved overnight.  But there are steps we can take right now to put people back to work and restore some of the security that middle-class Americans have lost over the last few decades.

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The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Bobby Schilling of Illinois. Congressman Schilling called on President Obama to support the ‘forgotten 15’ jobs bills that passed the House with bipartisan support, but are stuck in the Democratic-controlled Senate. Part of Republicans’ Plan for America’s Job Creators, the ‘forgotten 15’ represent opportunities to build on recent common ground between the two parties.

“Hello, I’m Congressman Bobby Schilling. I’m a lifelong resident of Illinois, born and raised in Rock Island and now living in Colona, where my wife Christie and I have raised our 10 children. For the last 14 years, we’ve been the proud owners of Saint Giuseppe’s Heavenly Pizza in Moline.

“Actually, my son likes to say he’s still not used to seeing me dressed up after so many years of wearing flour and pizza dough. It was a look I wore with pride – because it was our dream: a small, family-run business. It wasn’t always easy, but it taught me a lot of what I needed to know about how our economy works. And with unemployment in my state – also the president’s home state – at 10 percent, there’s no higher priority than jobs.

“But when I look at things like the ‘stimulus’ policies coming from the White House, I think the folks there could use a few weeks of wearing flour and pizza dough. They need to understand the American small business owner.

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

The panelists begin today’s show by talking about the latest news from Europe that perhaps the worst of  the Greek debt crisis may have been averted.  The panelists debate whether Greece and other European nations will be back in the same situation a few months from now.  Angela Merkel of Germany appears to be the hero of the current negotiations.

Next, the panel talks about the CBO report that shows that the top 1% wage earners in America have increased their earnings faster than other wage earners over the past 30 years.  They discuss whether this income inequality becomes corrosive at some point.

The panelists also talk about the report that backers of President Obama’s campaign have gotten significant donations from lobbyists.  Lastly, they talk about Governor Rick Perry’s announcement that he may skip some of the upcoming debates.

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 Huffington is not available for this show.

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.

White House Week in Review

This week, President Obama announced he’d keep his promise to bring our troops home from Iraq, honored the nation’s top scientists and inventors, embarked on a three day Western swing to urge Congress to pass the American Jobs Act, and announced major new executive actions that will help middle class families in this difficult economy.

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

War has shaped the lives of people in northern Uganda for the past two decades.  Impunity for widespread crimes and grave violations committed during the war is pervasive, and there has been very little victim/community input into top-down plans to implement justice and accountability. Yet sustained peace depends on recreating communal solidarity, building advocacy networks, giving rape survivors, ex-child soldiers and orphans a voice and enabling them to be agents of recovery.  For the last few years, researchers with the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University have been documenting what war-affected communities are doing themselves to acknowledge the violations and move forward as a community –using photography, story-telling, chanting, dancing, songs, theatre, and writing.  What do communities themselves do to rebuild their lives? These communities have much to teach us about accountability, remedy, and addressing the effects of grave violations that for many will play out over a lifetime. We’ll hear from those who have been actively involved in helping communities heal from decades of mass atrocities in northern Uganda

This program was funded by The Compton Foundation

Click here to listen to the podcast.

This week on American Radio Journal: Lowman Henry talks with Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review and Bloomberg View about the enduring front-runner status of GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the Real Story behind the Rick Perry flat tax plan; Adam Tragone of Human Events has an Off the Cuff interview with Washington state Republican Party Chairman Kirby Wilbur; and Dr. Paul Kengor from the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College has an American Radio Journal commentary on the death of Libyian dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

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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.

On this weekly radio address to the nation, President Obama said that the death of Moammar Qadhafi in Libya and the announcement that troops from Iraq will return home by the end of the year are strong reminders that the United States has renewed its leadership in the world.  The role of our brave pilots and crews has given the Libyan people a chance to seek a democratic future for their children, and after a decade of war in Iraq, the United States is moving forward and focusing on strengthening the economy and security at home.  This is why the President is calling on Congress to pass the American Jobs Act to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, give working families a tax break, and put teachers back in our classrooms and cops on the beat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUcB1bUBhwk

“This week, we had two powerful reminders of how we’ve renewed American leadership in the world.  I was proud to announce that—as promised—the rest of our troops in Iraq will come home by the end of this year.  And in Libya, the death of Moammar Qadhafi showed that our role in protecting the Libyan people, and helping them break free from a tyrant, was the right thing to do.

In Iraq, we’ve succeeded in our strategy to end the war.  Last year, I announced the end of our combat mission in Iraq.  We’ve already removed more than 100,000 troops, and Iraqi forces have taken full responsibility for the security of their own country.  Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, the Iraqi people have the chance to forge their own future.  And now the rest of our troops will be home for the holidays.

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The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina. Senator Burr discussed the need for fiscal reforms and common sense leadership.  He outlined the Republican jobs proposal.

“Good morning. I’m Senator Richard Burr from North Carolina, and I’m honored to speak with you today.

For 32 straight months now, unemployment in this country has been over 8%. Thirty-two months — that’s a national record. It’s also a clear indictment of the way we’ve handled the 23 million Americans looking for full-time employment.

Some in Washington, including the President, are suggesting that we simply spend more money. We’ve already tried that – it did not spur job growth then, and it won’t now.

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On this weekly radio address to the nation, President Obama highlighted the landmark trade agreements passed in a bipartisan way this week which will support tens of thousands of American jobs, level the playing field for American workers, and help us meet our goal of doubling our exports.  The President will continue to urge Congress to do more and pass the American Jobs Act so we can grow our economy and create jobs now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CgvaKnGV-g

“I’m here in Detroit visiting workers at a GM plant in the heart of a resurgent American auto industry.  And I brought a guest with me – President Lee of South Korea.

We’re here because this week, Congress passed landmark trade agreements with countries like Korea, and assistance for American workers that will be a big win for our economy.

These trade agreements will support tens of thousands of American jobs.  And we’ll sell more Fords, Chevys and Chryslers abroad stamped with three proud words – “Made in America.”

So it was good to see Congress act in a bipartisan way on something that will help create jobs at a time when millions of Americans are out of work and need them now.

But that’s also why it was so disappointing to see Senate Republicans obstruct the American Jobs Act, even though a majority of Senators voted “yes” to advance this jobs bill.

We can’t afford this lack of action.  And there is no reason for it.  Independent economists say that this jobs bill would give the economy a jumpstart and lead to nearly two million new jobs.  Every idea in that jobs bill is the kind of idea both parties have supported in the past.

The majority of the American people support the proposals in this jobs bill.  And they want action from their elected leaders to create jobs and restore some security for the middle class right now.  You deserve to see your hard work and responsibility rewarded – and you certainly deserve to see it reflected in the folks you send to Washington.

But rather than listen to you and put folks back to work, Republicans in the House spent the past couple days picking partisan ideological fights.  They’re seeing if they can roll back clean air and water protections.  They’re stirring up fights over a woman’s right to make her own health care choices.  They’re not focused on the concrete actions that will put people back to work right now.

Well, we’re going to give them another chance.  We’re going to give them another chance to spend more time worrying about your jobs than keeping theirs.

Next week, I’m urging Members of Congress to vote on putting hundreds of thousands of teachers back in the classroom, cops back on the streets, and firefighters back on the job.

And if they vote “no” on that, they’ll have to tell you why.  They’ll have to tell you why teachers in your community don’t deserve a paycheck again.  They’ll have to tell your kids why they don’t deserve to have their teacher back.  They’ll have to tell you why they’re against commonsense proposals that would help families and strengthen our communities right now.

In the coming weeks, we’ll have them vote on the other parts of the jobs bill – putting construction workers back on the job, rebuilding our roads and bridges; providing tax cuts for small businesses that hire our veterans; making sure that middle-class families don’t see a tax hike next year and that the unemployed and our out-of-work youth have a chance to get back in the workforce and earn their piece of the American Dream.

That’s what’s at stake.  Putting people back to work.  Restoring economic security for the middle class.  Rebuilding an economy where hard work is valued and responsibility is rewarded – an economy that’s built to last.  And I’m going to travel all over the country over the next few weeks so that we can remind Congress that’s their job.  Because there’s still time to create jobs and grow our economy right now.  There’s still time for Congress to do the right thing.  We just need to act.

Thank you.”

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California. Congressman McCarthy discussed areas of common ground with President Obama in Republicans’ Plan for America’s Job Creators. These areas of common ground include free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, which Congress passed this week, and repealing the three percent withholding tax, which the House will vote on later this month.

“Hi, I’m Kevin McCarthy, House majority whip from the Central Valley of California.

“I’m here to talk to you about something you already know: Our country continues to face serious challenges. And while Republicans are working every day to turn our country around, get people working, and restore the American dream, some in Washington continue to cling to the same government ‘stimulus’ strategy that’s led to more debt and fewer jobs. But the American people realize that Washington is not the solution – Washington is the problem.

“You’ve told us that you want accountability and serious leadership. That’s why we’ve said ‘enough is enough.’ We hear you. We get it.

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White House Week in Review

This week, President Obama continued to fight for the proposals in the American Jobs Act that will put folks back to work and grow the economy. The President welcomed the 1985 Chicago Bears and the Tunisian Prime Minister to the White House, traveled to Pittsburgh to convene a meeting of his Jobs Council, attended the Forum on American Latino Heritage and hosted the President of South Korea for an official visit.

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

China today is the most polluted nation on earth. But it’s also on its way to becoming the most environmentally advanced. And it’s no coincidence.  Long seen as the Great Replicator, China is now becoming the Great Innovator in all things environmental. Join us as we explore how the world’s most populous nation is betting that the next economy will not be gray but green.

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

Click here to listen to the podcast.

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

The panelists begin today’s show by talking about the latest jobs report that shows unemployment still at 9.1%  It seems we’re stuck in idle.  The discussion also includes the demonstrations happening on Wall Street.  It may be a good development.  They represent the disparity between those who have lost jobs and health care in this economy and those whose compensation package has been increasing.

Next, the panel talks about Sarah Palin and Chris Christie announcing that they will not run for the Presidency.  It was a good week for Mitt Romney.  They talk about the speech he made this week and implications for his run against President Obama.

Lastly, the panel talks about Steve Jobs, who passed away this week, and his legacy.  They also reference his famous commencement address in 2005 and the biography due to come out in a few weeks.

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 sits in for Huffington.

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 Nick Loris of the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation about the Solyndra bankruptcy; Andy Roth of the Club for Growth has the Real Story behind a possible trade war with China; Adam Tragone of Human Events has an Off the Cuff interview with J. Christian Adams on his new book Injustice: Exposing the Racial Agenda of the Obama Justice Department; And, Dr. Paul Kengor of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College has an American Radio Journal commentary on class envy.

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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.

Our failure to protect and respect innately sacred natural places is a direct reflection of our loss of connection to the land and water that sustain us – and a harbinger of self-destruction. These sacred places are sometimes known only to their ancestral guardians and the peoples that have long revered them. Others are those special places in our own neighborhoods where we go for solace, reflection and refreshment. Today we’ll travel to remote regions of the planet where indigenous peoples safeguard the wellsprings of their – and our – well-being.

This program was funded by The Christensen Fund.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

On this weekly radio address to the nation, President Obama told the American people that it has been nearly three weeks since he sent Congress his jobs bill, and now it is time for Congress to send it back so that it can be signed into law.  Economists agree that the American Jobs Act will spur hiring and boost the economy, and it will give workers and small businesses tax cuts, get construction workers back to work rebuilding our roads and bridges, and put more teachers in classrooms and cops on the streets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8-8pTldXUM

“Hello, everyone.  It’s been almost three weeks since I sent the American Jobs Act to Congress – three weeks since I sent them a bill that would put people back to work and put money in people’s pockets.  This jobs bill is fully paid for.  This jobs bill contains the kinds of proposals that Democrats and Republicans have supported in the past.  And now I want it back.  It is time for Congress to get its act together and pass this jobs bill so I can sign it into law.

Some Republicans in Congress have said that they agree with certain parts of this jobs bill.  If so, it’s time for them to tell me what those proposals are.  And if they’re opposed to this jobs bill, I’d like to know what exactly they’re against.  Are they against putting teachers and police officers and firefighters back on the job?  Are they against hiring construction workers to rebuild our roads and bridges and schools?  Are they against giving tax cuts to virtually every worker and small business in America?

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The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Morgan Griffith of Virginia. Congressman Griffith called on President Obama and the Democratic-led Senate to support bipartisan House proposals that would protect jobs from excessive federal regulations.

“Hello, I’m Morgan Griffith, and I represent the people of Virginia’s Ninth Congressional District. It’s an honor to address you on their behalf.

“For years, excessive regulations have been a source of frustration for businesses trying to stay afloat. Now, with our economy struggling and red tape still piling up, these nuisances have become full-blown government barriers to job creation. According to a recent national survey, nearly seven in ten Americans believe new regulations will result in job losses or higher prices on goods and services. They’re right, on both counts.

“That’s why the Republican majority in the House is focused on lifting the burden of excessive regulations.

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White House Week in Review

This week, President Obama announced reforms to No Child Left Behind, traveled to California to hold a town hall on job growth at LinkedIn, spoke on what the American Jobs Act could mean for America’s schools and gave his third annual Back To School address.