Q&A: BOB EDGAR, Pres./CEO of Common Cause – SCOTT NELSON, Attorney

Written on January 29th, 2010

 

Aired 01/24/10

Has government of, by and for the people perished from the United States?

January 21st, a divided Supreme Court reversed precedent and law, voting 5-4 in Citizens United v. FEC to remove limits on corporate contributions to political campaigns. We'll discuss the decision in the context of money in politics, looking at potential outcomes and possible remedies.

BOB EDGAR is President and CEO of Common Cause, a grassroots advocacy organization working for democracy reform, with nearly 400,000 members and supporters and state chapters in 36 states. Edgar previously served as general secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, the leading U.S. organization in the movement for Christian unity, and before that as president of the Claremont School of Theology. He was elected to the U.S. House in 1974, the first Democrat in 82 years to represent the heavily Republican 7th Congressional District near Philadelphia.

SCOTT NELSON is an attorney at the Public Citizen Litigation Group in Washington, D.C., where he has practiced since August 2001. After graduating with honors from Harvard College, Nelson attended Harvard Law School, and was elected President of the Harvard Law Review in 1983. He then served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Byron White. Nelson represented key Congressional sponsors of McCain-Feingold before the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

http://www.commoncause.org/
http://www.publicintegrity.org/
http://www.citizen.org/
http://www.publicampaign.org/
http://www.thealliancefordemocracy.org/
http://www.movetoamend.org/
http://www.freespeechforpeople.org/

Q&A: JIM WALLIS Founder/President, Sojourners and Author – REDISCOVERING VALUES on Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street: A Moral Compass for the New Economy

Written on January 16th, 2010

 

Aired 01/10/10

JIM WALLIS Founder/President, Sojourners; editor, Sojourners magazine; Author, GOD'S POLITICS; THE GREAT AWAKENING; and his newest, REDISCOVERING VALUES on Wall Street, Main Street, and Your Street: A Moral Compass for the New Economy.

In REDISCOVERING VALUES, JIM WALLIS argues that the worst thing we can do now is to go back to normal. Normal is what got us into this mess. We need a new normal, and this economic crisis is an invitation to discover what that means. Some of the principles he offers for a new normal are...
· Spending money we don't have for things we don't need is a bad foundation for an economy or a family.
· Care for the poor is not just a moral duty, but is critical for the common good.
· A healthy society is a balanced society in which markets, the government, and our communities all play a role.

Q&A: VICKI ROBIN, Author – YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE

Written on February 13th, 2009

 

Aired 02/10/09

I bought this book when it originally came out in 1992. Much of it made profound sense then, at the dawn of the high-tech, Clinton era boom: Notice what really matters. Learn to say enough. Simplify. Choose.

Today as we descend into the deepest financial crisis in over 60 years, its message is no longer a lifestyle choice. For most of us - and ideally for the entire American culture - it is a necessity.

YOUR MONEY OR YOUR LIFE shows readers how to gain control of their money and finally begin to make a life, rather than just make a living.

The new edition contains updated resources and anecdotes and examples particularly relevant today. It tells you how to:
· get out of debt and develop savings
· reorder material priorities and live well for less
· resolve inner conflicts between values and lifestyle
· save the planet while saving money
...and more

www.yourmoneyoryourlife.org

http://victoriaroserobin.blogspot.com/

Q&A: DAVID CAY JOHNSTON – Pulitzer Prize Journalist / Author

Written on January 22nd, 2009

 

Aired 01/20/09

DAVID CAY JOHNSTON, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his innovative coverage of our tax system, retired this year as a investigative reporter for The New York Times. He is the author of PERFECTLY LEGAL: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich--and Cheat Everybody Else and FREE LUNCH: How The Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expenses (and Stick You with the Bill).

DAVID CAY JOHNSTON knows about money, finances, and the economy. More than anything else, he knows about taxes. We'll talk about how we can make the most of the opportunity presented by our current financial catastrophe. Do the bailouts make sense? What could we do that would be smarter, more efficient, more effective - that might work?