On the show:

First —

Paul Brandus, White House Bureau Chief and founder of the West Wing Report, will give us the latest about about the presidential race and the impact of the latest bad economic news on the campaigns. We’ll also touch on why Obama went to Colombia and whether he was successful.

Then —

Are women politicians in America oppressed or is American politics better left for the boys? The United States is currently tied for 79th in the world with liberal powerhouse Turkmenistan for percentage of women in national government. Who is number 1? Rwanda. Who’s number 3?  Cuba.

To get a clearer picture of where American women stand in The Land of the Free, we’ll talk with Siobhan “Sam” Bennett, President/CEO of She Should Run and Women’s Campaign Fund will join to discuss America’s dismal position in the world for women in politics.

Call in at 617 237 1234 to join the conversation.

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Guest:  David E. Kapell, founder of Kapell Real Estate & Antiques and former mayor of Greenport

Dave Kapell wrote this about the foreclosure crisis:

“THERE are many factors behind the mortgage crisis, but there is only one simple explanation for why we have failed to solve it. Any effort to help homeowners by forgiving some of their loans is said to create a moral hazard, rendering it politically toxic. But without help, homeowners continue to struggle, foreclosures continue to mount and the housing industry continues to drag down the economy.”  From Struggling Owners to Stable Renters, New York Times, January 19, 2011

So, what do we do?? We’ll talk with Dave about his modest proposal…

AND EGYPT! We’ll check in to see what we know tomorrow morning.

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To read more about Dave:

Success Is in the Grapes; From a Scruffy Past, a Winemaking Capital Emerges

Greenport Mayor Kapell learns on the job

East End mayor rehanging his shingle as broker

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While banking executive compensation and profits are up again, tenants living in foreclosed building are just more collateral damage from the 2010 American Banking Ponzi Scheme… except that some have been and continue to fight back…

Steve Meacham of City Life/Vida Urbana (CLVU) tells us about direct street action to keep people in their homes…

Next action is this Sunday – check out the press release below…

—and—

Jim Bleikamp of Dow Jones Radio has been reporting on financial issues for over a decade.  He joins us to talk about the foreclosure crisis…  what is the insider point of view, what actions can progressives take that are effective.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: CONTACT: Russ Davis, (617)-413-0713

October 17, 2010

Massachusetts Working Families to “Welcome” American Banking Association to Boston

Boston— Massachusetts workers, families, and community allies are preparing to “welcome” the American Bankers Association annual convention in Boston on Sunday. The convention is themed “History Happens Here, Be A Part of It” and Massachusetts working families are determined to make history too by standing up to the very bankers who crashed the economy, cost the country 8 million jobs, and have seized 5 million homes through foreclosure.

Participants will demand that banks immediately halt foreclosures in all 50 states and work to keep families in their homes through real mortgage modification, including reduction of principal. This march comes amidst revelations that banks have signed off on nearly 40,000 foreclosures every month without making sure they had a legal right to foreclose on the homes. Meanwhile, Wall Street bankers are expected to pay themselves $144 billion this year.

The rally will feature a skit including a large puppet in a top hat, representing the banks, with an assistant. They will knock on large paper mache doors of homeowners, who will refuse to move.

The rally is part of a larger campaign to hold banks accountable for the devastation they have caused our communities—similar actions will be taking place at bank branches across the country in the coming weeks. Homeowners can visit www.WheresTheNote.com to demand their mortgage note and protect themselves from being foreclosed on by a bank that cannot prove it owns their loan.

WHO: Jobs With Justice, National People’s Action, Northwest Federation of Community Organizations, Alliance to Develop Power, Jobs With Justice, City Life, Pico National Network, Massachusetts Communities Action Network, New England United for Justice, ACCE, SEIU

WHAT: Massachusetts working families demanding bankers end foreclosures and provide real solutions to getting our economy moving again

WHERE: March: 4:30 pm from Copley Sq. to the Hynes Center

Protest: 5-7 pm in front of the Hynes

VISUALS:

• Large top-hat puppet representing the banks, accompanied by pig-nosed assistant, knocking on large paper mache doors of homeowners.
• Large banners and signs

For more information, please visit http://www.massjwj.net/

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To all the worshipers kneeling to the altar of tax cuts…

This means that any tax cuts for new investment may hardly be used. Businesses aren’t suddenly going to invest more money, when they are more concerned about their own balance sheets and those of potential consumers of their goods. And even if they do, their spending is liable to be more of a “cash for clunkers” scenario than something that can help the real economy.

The same goes for any proposed maintenance of the Bush Tax cuts, which would just be pocketed or used to pay down debts on underwater mortgages by consumers. And, in some cases, those who may even be in good financial shape may elect to save money as their confidence is so low in the future of the economy.

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Topic #1: Immigration!!!

Okay, okay, okay – the white folks in AZ are scared of the drug cartels. I GET IT!!!

So why do they think that pissing off the entire Latino population is going to help? The police don’t want it either.

Why don’t they LEGALIZE and regulate the drug industry and put the cartels out of business!!!! And, for those concerned about illegal immigrants from Mexico… don’t you think these people would STAY HOME if things were better? So, why aren’t they better?

Topic #2 Stock market plummets, then shoots up again!!! What the heck happened? What does it mean? What does this mean for my retirement? The global economy? Tom Shafer is a former specialist (trader) on the New York Stock Exchange who was involved with automating the exchange. He’ll explain what happened, how it affects us, talk about the battle over regulation, and what we should expect going forward (do you like roller coasters?).

He just might share his opinions on the border issue too (if we twist his arm).

It’s tax time, and the procrastinators are counting down the hours.  When we’ve sent in our tax returns, we can go back to arguing about whether they should be high or low; progressive or regressive; based on income, sales, property, or unearned income; national, state, or local.  We can argue about the economic impact of the tax system – do higher taxes reduce the pie (conservative belief) or could they actually increase the pie (one example, by creating an incentive for companies to put money back into the business thus fostering innovation).

But, tax systems vary from country to country- not only by the level of tax, but how they are structured.

• Neither Saudi Arabia nor United Arab Emirates have personal income tax.
• In France, large families pay much less in taxes than do couples or single people.
• Mortage interest is deductible in the United States, thus heavily subsidizing home ownership at the detriment of renters or those who own their homes outright.
• There is a church tax in Germany and much of Scandinavia.

How does our tax system reflect our values as a country? What about other countries?

The Samantha Clemens Show: What does a tax system say about a society?

Michael Smerconish: For Me, the Party Is Over.

I think President Obama is earnest, smart, and much more centrist than his tea party caricature suggests. He has never been given a fair chance to succeed by those who openly crow about their desire to see him fail (while somehow congratulating one another on their relative patriotism). I know he was born in America, isn’t a socialist, and doesn’t worship in a mosque. I get that he inherited a minefield. Still, the level of federal spending concerns me. And he never closed the deal with me that health insurance is a right, not a privilege. But I’m not folding the tent on him. Not now. Not with the nation fighting two wars while its economy still teeters on the brink of collapse.

Love your current coverage?  Want to throw out the bills and just start from scratch??  Check this out…

Even those families that enjoy generous insurance now are likely to see the cost of those benefits escalate. The typical price of family coverage now runs about $13,000 a year, but premiums are expected to nearly double, to $24,000, by 2020, according to the Commonwealth Fund. That equals nearly a quarter of the median family income today.

While some employers will continue to contribute the lion’s share of those premiums, there will be less money for employees in the form of raises or bonuses.

Where we could be if prior legislation had been passed….

What Might Have Been - NYT, Feb 26, 2010

What’s on my mind…

• Healthcare  summit – is there a compromise?  should the party that represents only 41% of the country in the senate get to dictate what we get in the country?
• Scott Brown – votes yes on the jobs bill (yea!), says he understands the IRS-hating nut(he said whaaat?), says the stimulus did not create one new job (same old Republican crap…)
• Is the IRS-hating nut a Tea Partier?  A terrorist? Does it matter?
• Health insurance premiums sky-rocketing (well, maybe everyone isn’t so happy with their current insurance…)
• Seems that “we the people” want it both (well, every-which) way – no new taxes, don’t reduce my social programs, cut the deficit programs…

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