MONDAY: National Politics
The race toward the Republican presidential nomination approaches its first real milestone – the Iowa caucus – only a few weeks away…with two real frontrunners, and several other candidates who can influence the race. Our national political reporters – Anna Sale from “It’s a Free Country” and Dave Weigel of Slate will consider the possibilites – and we’ll look at a Trinity college study about how Mormons vote.
TUESDAY: Magazine
Today we hear from UConn president Susan Herbst on tuition hikes, and Uconn economist Steven Lanza about the “CT Economy” publication recently released. And since the war on terror started more than 10 years ago, one question has remained: What should we do with the detainees? We’ll talk with a Captain and professor at the United States Coast Guard Academy, who recently wrote about this challenge in an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle.
WEDNESDAY: Alzheimer’s Disease
As baby boomers age, Alzheimer’s disease could become the nation’s greatest health care crisis. Is there an effective treatment on the horizon? Might the disease be prevented? Will we provide enough funding for Alzheimer’s research, and to care for those stricken by the disease? An in-depth series of reports from station WBUR looks for answers to these questions. We’ll present a special: “Fade to Darkness: The Age of Alzheimers.”
THURSDAY: Ian Ayres
The ratio of the average income of the nation’s richest 1% to the median household income has skyrocketed since 1980 – from 12.5 times the median income to 36 times greater. Yale economist and law professor Ian Ayres wrote a recent New York Times op-ed suggesting that we’ve reached a tipping point. He says it would be bad for our democracy if 1-percenters started making 40 or 50 times as much as the median American, and he proposes that Congress reform our tax law to put the brakes on further inequality – a tax that would limit the after-tax incomes of the 1% club to 36 times the median household income. Ayres says, this will tax the inequality – not the wealth. Join our conversation with Ayers as he calls for an economy where a rising tide really does lift all boats.
FRIDAY: Where We Celebrate the Holiday
As we head into a little Christmas break, we’ll listen back to a few Where We Live segments from Christmas’ past…including one about the Christmas entertainment staple, A Christmas Carol. We’ll also hear from an author who wrote a book on Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays. But we’ll end with the happier side of Christmas: a couple who teaches Santa how to be a good…well, Santa.
