Economy
Universal Basic Income: An Old Idea Whose Time is Near
Economic despair in the face of unimaginable wealth? Scarcity in a reality of plenty? Is there now a case for giving every American a share of a public wealth fund? In what ways might a universal basic income work to
Bacevich: Our Fixation with Trump is Actually a Distraction
“Critics see Trump as an abomination, but he is also one of us.” So says Andrew Bacevich scholar and author of the forthcoming book “Twilight of the American Century.” He explains in this podcast that Trump is one of a
Screwnomics: The Economy Minus Earth and Women
What kind of economics leaves out essential factors? One that is not sustainable. So says Rickey Gard Diamond, author of the new book Screwnomics: How The Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change. She points out
Who Is Trump’s Buddy Emmanuel Macron?
The mainstream left of Europe has largely collapsed. Their national economies are trapped by the European Union. The eloquent English speaking Emmanuel Macron, president of France for just a year, on his April trip to Washington, displayed a public “bromance”
Millions of Jobs Are Disappearing. The Answer? $12,000 for Everyone?!
How radical can you get? Well, Nixon was on board with the idea in 1971. Entrepreneur and author Andrew Yang’s new book is titled The War on Normal People: The Truth About America’s Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income
America First Means China First//Trump’s “Infrastructure Plan” a Gift to Polluters
On the first part, we try to talk with author Dilip Hiro in London about his new article “Donald Trump Offers a Helping Hand to Russia and China,” but the connection most regrettable. If you can bear with the poor
What is the World Bank Doing?/Self-Blame In Economic Difficulty
Their mission is to help the developing world but Bruce Rich, author of the new book Foreclosing the Future reveals they may still be profiting but the World Bank is continuing to worsen poverty and the environment. And on part
The Place for Change: New Governors
All the focus seems to be on the Trump presidency, meanwhile the vast majority of governors in the 50 states are Republican. States have been called the laboratories of democracy. Here’s where we can make a big difference, not just
What America’s Left/Populists Have Won
While the left has had very few actual electoral victories, author Michael Kazin argues it has very effectively changed the nation. The author of “A Godly Hero: William Jennings Bryan,” talks about his book “American Dreamers.” What’s gone right and
Redefining “Smart” in the Smart Machine Age
Millions of jobs will be eliminated because artificial intelligence is smarter than we are in many ways. We humans therefore face a serious and historic new challenge. What must we do to endure? According to our guest, author Edward Hess,
More Than Just Hacking; We’ve Become Like The Soviets
As we are bombarded by endless news about Russian hacking, interfering with our democracy, a more subtle yet equally serious concern is how much we have become like our former enemy. What we value most of all about The United
Tax Policy: the 1% and Racism//Trump a War Criminal Already?
Tax breaks for capital gains are a form of class privilege. So says history of US capitalism professor Julia Ott. It’s better public relations for Southern senators than outright Jim Crow, but taxing capital gains less than ordinary income was
The Top 1% Want Us to Hate Taxes
As Oliver Wendell Holmes observed, “Taxes are the price we pay for civilization.” But today’s greed-driven super-rich are determined to destroy America’s traditional valuing of the common good. If regular people hate taxes, then the top one tenth of one
For-Profit Colleges Maintain Economic Inequality
http://media.blubrry.com/keeping_democracy_alive/dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48358971/LowerEd.mp3At for-profit universities, they’re not admission offices, they’re sales forces. It’s no accident that today for-profit colleges and universities are proliferating. They exist to turn a profit for investors, and that means maintaining a class of low income people. Instead
Malice or Mere Incompetence? Trump vs Dodd-Frank
Do they really intend to destroy the economy and serve the short-term greed of billionaires, or do they just mouth simplistic phrases and really not know what they are doing? We deon’;t really know. The Bannon/Trump Administration is taking aim
Trump Disrupting Disorder: The End of the 20th Century At Last
Aside from the blatant racism, the shocking authoritarianism, and the disregard for the Constitution and laws, President Trump is unwittingly causing the end of a long period of unquestioned world dominance by the USA. According to our guest The Nation
Revolution Where You Live: Solutions from the Bottom Up
She traveled 12,000 miles through 18 states and five Indian reservations to discover what local people are doing to address problems of racism, climate change, and economic inequality. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things in places you would not expect. Author
Right and Left Solution to Trumpism: Municipalization
People are asking: what can we do to fight the new authoritarianism? Our guest argues: “People power need not be confined to a chant.” Keeping decision making close to home is something both right and left can agree on; municipalization
“Right to Work” a Disguised Assault on Freedom
Most of us thought Right to Work was a 20th century scheme to destroy collective bargaining rights. According to Cedric DeLeon, author of The Origins of Right To Work: AntiLabor Democracy in 19th Century Chicago, it started out as a
Scandinavia Got it Right, So Can We
The Vikings were brave explorers and they found wondrous new things. Today Scandinavia holds promise of how America can become happier and more free. George Lakey, author of the new book Viking Economics, talks about struggling toward something rather than
Saving Our Cities: Transforming Urban America
Generally American cites are dumped on: Budgets cut, services eliminated, schools ignored. But 80% of us live in cities and despite the pressure from uncaring financial interests and their politicians, we are close to a tipping point where an urban
Bernie’s TV Ad Creator: Reviving the Democratic Party From the Ashes
It was a disastrous day for Democrats. Senior strategist and media advisor to the Bernie Sanders Campaign Mark Longabaugh (remember that great “America” ad?)talks about opportunities ahead for traditional liberal Democrats. He argues Trump’s victory was less about hate and
Days Before 11/8: Profound Weakness in the Republican Party
Everyone wants it to be over. On November first, the chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party sees real weakness in the Republican Party, despite its projection of powerful anger and hate. Raymond Buckley also fills in the blanks as
Born On Third Base
Oscar Meyer was Chuck Collins’ great grandfather. At age 26, he turned aside his inherited fortune. Why would anybody do that? His new book is called Born on Third Base; A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing
Populism: Where To Now?
Populism has been part of our country’s identity since before the Constitution. It looked like there was a great populist uprising this year. Now, with the scare of Bernie Sanders behind them the corporate-serving Democrats are back to their “happy
Labor Day 2016: Taking Power
The right to organize is a basic human right. So says MIT professor and co-director of the Institute for Work and Employment Tom Kochan. In the face of decades of assaults against workers rights, this election year holds realistic hope
Serfs on a Debt Plantation//Palestine at the Democratic Convention
How do you like paying interest to use your own money? According to Mike Krauss of the Public Banking Institute, it doesn’t have to be that way. We can replace the privately held Federal Reserve system and use the treasury
Democracy at the Democratic Convention?
The divide was deep going into the 2016 Democratic National Convention. How did it end up? Is there real unity now? Bernie Sanders campaign New Hampshire political director Kurt Ehrenberg (Bernie won by 22 points in NH) assesses the week
NH Candidate//The Lawsuit vs the DNC: Democracy Alive?
On the first half, candidate for NH executive council Joshua Bourdon. Beginning at about 28 minutes, Jared Beck lead lawyer for the class action lawsuit alleging the DNC failed to follow its own rules and tilted the nominating process toward
Disruption of Establishment Politics: The Meaning of Brexit
This changes everything. “Britons may have made a short term tactical mistake, but the true error is Europe’s” according to Patrick Lawrence, Salon’s foreign affairs columnist. He adds that Bernie Sanders got it right in saying, “Let’s be clear. the