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12-52 Money in Politics and Oregon Initiative System Pt 2

Election fairness advocates Lloyd Marbet and Dan Meek discuss the effects of the November election on election processes in Oregon, with a look at the growing role of money in the political system and the initiative process. Why are Oregon elections the second most expensive in the nation? They review how the limits in Oregon Measure 47 would effect Oregon elections if they were enforced and talk about how Democrats have undermined the initiative process, most recently with rule changes written by the Oregon Secretary of State.

First broadcast 12-24-12

12-51 Money in Politics and Oregon Initiative System

Election fairness advocates Lloyd Marbet and Dan Meek discuss the effects of the November election on election processes in Oregon, with a look at the growing role of money in the political system and the initiative process. Why are Oregon elections the second most expensive in the nation? They review how the limits in Oregon Measure 47 would effect Oregon elections if they were enforced and talk about how Democrats have undermined the initiative process, most recently with rule changes written by the Oregon Secretary of State.

First broadcast 12-16-12

12-50 Paid Sick Day and Wage Theft Campaigns

Host David Delk talks with Lisa Frack with Family Forward Oregon about the campaign to get paid sick day benefits for all workers. Approximately 41% of private-sector workers do not a earn paid sick day benefit. Following that, he talks with Marco Mejia with Portland Jobs with Justice about their campaign to end wage theft, the practice on the part of many employers not to pay at least minimum wage, overtime, tips, all hours worked, etc.

First broadcast on 12-10-12.

12-49 Transit as an Environmental Justice Issue

Hector Osuna w/OPAL Environmental Justice advocates on transit issues in Portland. Through a video which he produced, featuring our second guest Adela Maza, he shows how budget and operating decisions made by the unelected TriMet board of directors affects those who are public transit dependent. Adela stars in the video which is included in the program

First broadcast on 12-2-12.

12-48 Oregon Working Families Party - the minor party with major possibilities

Guest Sami Alloy, organizer with the Oregon Working Families Party (OWFP), made a short video on the student debt problem which we view during the show. The OWFP addresses this problem with their "Pay It Forward" which is described in some detail as are other party campaigns including the efforts to form an Oregon State Bank and county and municipal level public banks. Another party campaign involves assistance to small farmers via the hoped for creation of agi-bonds.

First broadcast on 11-25-12

12-47 B the Media

Amanda Eckerson, cofounder of B Media Collective, talks about why it is important to decease the influence of corporate media by the People producing their own media, telling their own stories in their own words. B Media Collective's objective is to build media skills on the part of organizer. Program includes short video produced by B Media on the one year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street and a Remix of main street media. B Media helps "create a People's history."

First broadcast 11-18-12

12-46 Ending the Great Recession with Public Banking

Guest Ellen Hodgson Brown, author of The Web of Debt and founder of the Public Banking Institute, discusses the advantages of public banking in the United States and around the world. She reviews how money is created, how the Federal Reserve was created, various types of public banks and how their are structured, why some nations have escaped the Great Recession, how America could save its postal service, how public banking institution could be used as a land bank to address the under-water property and foreclosure problems.

First broadcast 11-11-12

12-45 "Entitlements" under Obama v Romney-Ryan

Host David Delk's guest is Linda DeLucia of the Oregon Alliance for Retired Americans. She examines Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security under both President Obama and how these programs would be affected by a Romney-Ryan presidential administration. Useful information on how the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has affected the programs. Linda explains the $716 billion savings under Obamacare and how the savings are achieved. Linda asks the question "Is the Romney-Ryan Plan Good For You?

First broadcast 11-3-12

12-44 Capitalism of the Olympic Games

Jules Boykoff, Assoc. Professor of Political Science at Pacific University, discusses the recent London Summer Olympics in terms of what he calls Celebration Capitalism. He also talks about the origins of the International Olympic Committee, costs for host cities (both economic and political), who sponsors and benefits from the games, the opposition which develops, media response to that opposition, the militarization of public spaces including the concept of “Total Policing.”

First broadcast 10-28-12

12-43  Austerity - attack of the 2% in America and around the world

Guests Nicholas Caleb (government Professor at Concordia University in Portland) and Mike Losier (Media Spokesperson with Portland Action Lab) identify what austerity economic policy is, how it represents attacks on the services and functions of government around the world, how people have responded in Europe and the United States.  Lastly, they discuss efforts in the United States, specifically in Portland, to develop consciousness about austerity as a policy program of the elite and how we,the people, mobilize in opposition

First broadcast 10-21-12.

12-42 Health Care Reform advances in Oregon

Guest Jesse O-Brien (Health Care Advocate with OSPIRG, Oregon State Public Interest Research Group) describes the advances Oregon has made to implement the provisions of the Obama Affordable Care Act.  These advances were in fact authorized by the Oregon legislature prior to the passage of the Act and include health care exchanges and coordinated care groups.  Jess also discusses how these steps could work with a single payer health care system and notes that while OSPIRG has not advocated for such a system, it would work to make such a system work for Oregon if it were implemented. 

First broadcast 10-14-12

12-41 TransPacific Partnership and "Free Trade"

Guest Elizabeth Swager is Asst Director of Oregon Fair Trade Campaign. She talks about her role in the enactment of Portland Oregon's sweat-free procurement ordinance, designed to protect foreign factory workers. She goes on to review past "free-trade agreements" (NAFTA, Panama, Columbia and So Korea) and their effects on American jobs losses, tax havens and challenges to laws and regulations as a result of investor protection clauses. The TransPacific Partnership is then discussed as as NAFTA on Steroids. Agreement is being negotiated in super secrecy and talks about the leaked chapter which give as a look at how corporate-driven the agreement is. Show includes a petition calling for transparency in the TPP negotiations.

First broadcast date:  Oct. 7, 2012 

12-40 So Rich, So Poor

Host David Delk talks with Rev. Kate Lore, Social Justice Minister for the First Unitarian Church in Portland.  The detrimental effects of the ever increasing economic and social inequalities in the United States today are expressed through Kate Lore's personal experiences as well as scientific studies.  Thoughts on what we do to address these issues are presented.

First broadcast Sept. 30, 2012
12-39 Restorative Justice

The criminal justice system separately the victim and the offender. The state assumes the interests of the victim, thereby not allowing the victim a seat at the table except as victim. And for the offender, the state never asks that he/she admit fault and responsibility for the harms done. Restorative justice seeks to make the victim an active part in addressing the harm and encourages the offender to accept their responsibility for the harms caused by their actions.

Guest Gina Ronning, with the Insight Development Group and Pacific Green Party, advocates for the use of restorative justice in parallel with the criminal justice system. And explains how the people involved as both victim and offender are "healed" in the process.

First Broadcast on Sept. 23, 2012
12-38 Struggles in Columbia - GM workers on hunger strike

Fired GM factory workers in Columbia have started a hunger strike. We interview Portland labor activist Paige Shell-Spurling on the why they have taken this action, how this is related to the US auto industry bail-out, and how this fits into a larger picture of conflict between workers and the global corporate elite. Includes suggestions on what we as citizens can do.

First Broadcast on Sept. 16, 2012
12-37 Fossil Fuel problem; Clean Energy Contracts solution

Host David Delk interviews Dan Serres of Columbia Riverkeeper and Judy Barnes with Oregonians for Renewable Energy Policy.  Climate change is fueled by the use of fossil fuels.  Dan talks about that problem, specifically plans for export of coal and liquified natural gas; Judy talks about how we keep fossil fuels in the ground, specifically by the use of Clean Energy Contracts, formerly known as Feed-In Tariffs, in the state of Oregon.

First Broadcast on Sept. 9, 2012
12-36 Water Fluoridation

Portland OR is the largest city in American without fluoridated water. Suddenly there is a powerful push to change that. We talk with two representatives from Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water about the origins of the push, the dangers of fluoridation and how people should response in order to show opposition to the plan.

First Broadcast on Sept. 2, 2012

12-35 Ending corporate personhood with a constitution amendment

David Cobb, chief organizer with Move to Amend (movetoamend.org), speaks on the need to amend the US Constitution to eliminate corporate personhood and the court made doctrine that money is speech.

First broadcast on August 26, 2012

12-34 Drones at war and as a threat to civil liberties

Host David Delk talks with Jason Kafoury, an organizer with the Oregon Progressive Party (OPP), about the use of drones in war making and their growing threat to civil liberties in the United States. Jason is a Portland lawyer who intends to ask the Portland City Council to ban the use of drones within the city by both public and private entities. We also discuss the OPP campaign against surveillance cameras in Old Town Portland.

First broadcast on

12-33 Free Trade As A Corporate Project

Host David Delk interviews Lewis & Clark Economics Professor Marty Hart-Landsberg on "free trade agreements" and corporate globalization, which Marty refers to as a corporate political project. He notes the false assumptions which most economists make - assumptions which allow them to paint rosy pictures of the effects of "free trade" agreement when the real world consequences harm the environment, labor and democracy. In particular the details of the TransPacific Partnership (TPP)are explored, especially as revealed by the So Korea/US Trade Agreement. Notes that the TPP does not need to be improved, it needs to be rejected.

First broadcast on  

12-32 Growing Inequality as a Capitalist Problem

Inequality is growing in America and around the world. The inequality problem will be solved when we look at the system, rather than looking just at passing new laws. Having said that, we do need new laws and regulations to move income and wealth as that is how wealth has continued to move to the top. But new laws and regulations is not sufficient. Our guest is economics professor, Marty Hart-Landsberg, from Lewis & Clark College (Portland OR)

First broadcast on  

12-31 Campaign Finance Reform, Citizens United and Lost Opportunities

David Delk interviews Portland public interest attorney Dan Meek who authored Measures 46 & 47 to institute campaign finance limitations on contributions and expenditures in Oregon. We discuss the current status of those measures, the impact Citizens United as had in Oregon and the nation, how the Democrats missed opportunities to negate Citizens United and why, and look at prospects for democracy moving forward.

First broadcast April 8, 2012; rebroadcast July 28, 2012