Radio America Online News Bureau

The economy took a beating in 2008 and we are still feeling the impact.  Capitalism also took a beating, as the free markets were assigned blame for the meltdown from politicians here in Washington and by many people around the country.  So as government tries to severely regulate Wall Street, should we be worried about the future of capitalism, or will the system thrive despite these additional hurdles?  We ask Brian Wesbury, former chief economist for the Joint Economic Committee.  He is also the author of “It’s Not as Bad as You Think”.

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The vast majority of Americans favor small government and a free-market system, but increasingly the big government agenda wins the day.  How have liberals managed to accomplish their goals despite being in a distinct minority?  How have liberals built a much more effective alliance to achieve their goals?  We ask Arthur Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute and author of “The Battle”.

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Government has been been growing by leaps and bounds in the past couple of years, and it just continues a pattern that dates back almost 80 years.  What were the big triggers for the onslaught of federal spending and regulation leading up to the efforts we are seeing today?  How did big government advocates get the upper hand after Republicans and Democrats successfully ran as small-government supporters in the 1980s and 1990s?  And can conservatives really change the big government agenda that’s been implemented to this point?  We ask William Voegeli, author of “Never Enough: America’s Limitless Welfare State”.

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Are Americans lazy when it comes to protecting our freedoms?  Are we too willing to cede liberties to an aggressive government?  How pervasive is the effort to control how we think about a variety of key issues?  How is it that Americans have become afraid to fail and therefore don’t even try difficult things as much?  A new collection of essays addresses these issues and many others.  And we talk with Adam Bellow, the editor of “New Threats to Freedom”.

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For decades, developing nations looked to American democracy and capitalism as the basis on which to build their societies.  But now rising nations think they’ve found a better role model – China.  What about the Chinese system appeals to aspiring governments?  What lessons from the Soviet collapse have China taken to heart?  And why is China very vulnerable to internal failure despite its incredible growth in recent years?  We ask Stefan Halper, a veteran of the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations and author of “The Beijing Consensus”.

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The Taliban is a radical group that used to control much of Afghanistan.  After being routed early in the war, its forces remain a major obstacle to long-term security in the country.  Jere Van Dyk of CBS News got an inside glimpse of this group the hard way – as a Taliban prisoner for more than 40 days.  How was he abducted?  What did he learn about the Taliban?  And why did his captors let him go?  Jere Van Dyk is here to tell his story, which is chronicled in the new book “Captive”.

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Exploding tuition rates are forcing college students to take out massive student loans that leave young adults deep in debt upon graduation.  But with no tuition relief in sight, what are some ways to lower the cost of college?  Radio America’s Jasen Sokol gets some advice.

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Earlier this year, Congress gave the government authority over the student loan industry as part of the “fixes” to the health care bill.  But will the surging debt, greater government spending and plans to forgive greater portions of student loan debt combine to burst an already existing bubble in student loans?  Radio America’s Jasen Sokol has the story.

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The cost of four years in college has exploded in recent years, and the amount of student loan debt has jumped up as a result.  Radio America’s Jasen Sokol examines the predicament this places on college students now and for many years to come.

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Conservative activist and political adviser Ralph Reed joins us to discuss the Elena Kagan Supreme Court nomination.  How should Republican senators target their questions?  What issues could cause the most controversy?  Will Kagan actually say anything?  What type of justice does President Obama really want?  We also get the scoop on Reed’s upcoming political novel which centers on a contentious Supreme Court nomination.

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