Archives for March 2009

On Thursday, President Obama held a health care summit at the White House that included lawmakers, health care professionals, insurers and pharmaceutical leaders.  What was the real point of the summit?  What does Obama want to do in reforming our health care system?  What are some market-based alternatives?  Is Obama right in saying that government-run health care will cost less in the long run than the current system does?  What are the obvious and hidden costs of government-run care?  And how are lawmakers viewing this debate?  We ask Grace-Marie Turner, president of the Galen Institute.

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The California Supreme Court is once again deliberating the definition of marriage in the state.  This time, however, justices are deciding whether a state constitutional amendment approved by the voters to restore the traditional definition of marriage is constitutional.  So will this amendment withstand scrutiny by the very court that legalized gay marriage in the first place?  How much does the argument change because the voters approved a constitutional amendment?  What will it mean for our system of government if the court overrules the will of the people?  How do traditional marriage defenders argue against the contention that gay marriage is simply a matter of equality?  And when we we get a decision form the court?  We ask Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel, who argued the 2008 case against gay marriage before the California Supreme Court.

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Just a day after taking office, President Obama ordered the closing of the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  But there has been no decision on what to do with the inmates.  Will they end up in the U.S.?  Why would they raise the risk of terrorism even if they stay locked up for the rest of their lives?  Given our court system, what is the chance some could be set free?  Is is possible some could even be granted asylum?  We ask all these questions and more to Arizona Rep. John Shadegg, the sponsor of new legislation calling for none of the terrorists to be brought to the U.S.

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We have Wednesday’s top news…How is the Obama administration defending its massive budget blueprint?  What tool are Senators McCain and Feingold trying to give President Obama to trim excessive government spending?  What will Thursday’s health care summit accomplish?  What challenge die British Prime Minister Gordon Brown issue to Congress?  What are the top senators on the Judiciary Committee saying about a possible Truth Commission to probe Bush administration activities in the War on Terror?  And what happened on Wall Street today?  We have all the answers as we bring you the biggest stories for Wednesday, March 4, 2009.

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How will President Obama’s approach to the Middle East resemble that of the Bush administration?  What is his plan for keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran?  What chance is there for progress for peace between Israel and Hamas?  How much pressure will Obama place upon both sides to move towards peace?  And what ground work should he seek for Iraq once U.S. forces are gone in less than three years?  We ask Clifford May, president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

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Why do many Congressional Republicans believe the Obama administration has been deceptive about the projections in the new $3.6 trillion budget blueprint? Why do they believe everyone will be paying higher taxes to pay for all the spending – and not just the very rich? Why do they see the budget as a war against small business? What are the Republican ideas for getting out of this economic ditch? And will the Obama budget plan be changed or will Congress give it the stamp of approval? We ask Texas Rep. Kevin Brady, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

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Democrats call the political shots in Washington right now, but that doesn’t mean a lack of friction between the White House and Congress.  President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have managed to frustrate each other in a number of ways – most notably on how much to reach out to Republicans.  So what is behind Pelosi’s refusal to get on board the bipartisan bandwagon?  Does Obama care or is he fine with Pelosi’s tactics as long as he gets results in Congress?  Is this actually good for Obama since he looks good compared to Pelosi’s sharp elbows against the GOP?  What political risks does Pelosi face as a result of her my way or the highway approach?  We ask Newsweek magazine White House Correspondent Holly Bailey.

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Here is the 2nd half of our interview with climatologist Dr. Tim Ball. On Tuesday, he explained why Cap and Trade is nothing but a fancy name for a massive energy tax on the American people. Today he addresses the foundations of the climate change movement. Why do they focus on carbon dioxide as the culprit for alleged global warming when it’s such a tiny percentage of our atmosphere? Why will we soon hear the climate change arguments get more extreme and more outlandish? What is the window of opportunity for the climate change agenda? And what does Dr. Ball make of the argument that harsh winters are actually evidence of global warming because the earth has a fever and is trying to cool itself? We discuss all that and more with Dr. Tim Ball, former professor of climatology at the University of Winnepeg.

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We have Tuesday’s top news… Bernanke defends government intervention in economic crisis…Obama highlights jobs already created by the stimulus plan…Geithner spars with Congressional Republicans over the Obama budget…Obama denies offering to shelve missile defense in Europe in exchange for Russian pressure on Iran to stop building nukes…stocks slightly lower.  It’s all part of the biggest stories for Tuesday, March 3, 2009.

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How long until the markets bottom out?  Where might it bottom out?  What are the indicators for what the economy might do in the near and long term?  Are policies from Washington helping or hurting our recovery?  Why are higher taxes a prescription for a severely stunted economic recovery?  How concerned should we be about all the new spending?  Can China, Japan and others foot the bill for our deficit spending?  We ask Dr. John Rutledge, chairman of Rutledge Capital.

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