The case against austerity: A conversation with David Cay Johnston
At last month's World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, austerity was repeated like a mantra by bankers, economists and politicians. The idea that governments, like families, must cut back when income declines is so entrenched in the public discourse that few in public office or the media are willing to challenge it. Yet the austerity mantra ignores the basic economic principle that "spending equals income and income equals spending." Cutting spending means income will fall, yet in this election year, our leaders continue to push for firing teachers, firefighters, government clerks and others without heeding the consequences on our economy.
Gary Okhiro is professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University, and receipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Studies Association. He is known for his writing, teaching, and institution building in Asian American Studies. In this interview with APA Compass' Andrew Yeh, Professor Okihiro speaks about the post September 11th environment, the bullying of APAs, and the unexpected influence of Hawaiians on the mainland.
Washington State payout for alleged violations in public records laws have increased from six hundred thousand dollars in 2006 to nearly one point seven million dollars last year.
While the state attorney general attributes the increased payouts to people gaming the system, the Washington Coalition for Open Government says that the way to reduce these costs is for the state to simply comply with the law.
KBOO’s Joe Meyer spoke with the Coalition President Toby Nixon for details.
National media outlets have jumped on a story out of Seattle claiming that the American Civil Liberties Union is trying to force libraries to allow access to online pornography. But a quick investigation by KBOO reporters found that this is actually not the case at all.
The A-C-L-U lawsuit referenced in the media reports is actually five years old.It deals with an overly broad filter imposed by certain libraries in central Washington that prevents access to legitimate websites such as Youtube, art galleries or academic websites.
After extensive backlash, the Susan G. Komen For The Cure breast cancer organization has reversed its decision to withdraw grant funds to planned parenthood.
Oregon is a major beneficiary of federal dollars to pick up the pace of forest restoration work on national forestland.Twenty-three projects nationwide, thirteen new and ten already under way, have been approved for funding.The three local projects total more than six million dollars.The announcement was made on Thursday by Tom Vilsack, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
In collaboration with Oregon news service, KBOO’s Dan Johnson reports: <click below>
Marvin Simmons and Bill Bires of Northwest Vets for Peace discuss Marvin's recent three-month visit to Vietnam. They'll also talk about the "Survival Guilt" used to diagnose PTSD. And, if there is time, they will look at veterans reintegrating back into society.
