Where We Live - Political Podcast

WWL: Capitol Roundtable

John Dankosky — Fri, 07 May 2010 09:02:53 -0500

05/07/2010 - The 2010 State Legislative Session has come to an end. It saw begging, borrowing, budget battles, bats, and a bit of buck-passing. The $19-billion dollar budget avoids tax hikes and deep cuts to social services. It includes what Governor Rell calls a “comprehensive” and bi-partisan jobs bill. It closes a $700 million dollar deficit for the next fiscal year – and doesn’t cut state aid to cities and towns. So, what’s not to like? Well, legislative Republicans say it doesn’t do anything to address big structural deficits in the coming years. Economists say it doesn’t do enough to make structural changes and spur economic growth. Many complain the deal is full of “gimmicks” and relies too heavily on borrowing and finger-crossing, as we await an economic recovery, and more federal aid. Today, Where We Live, our reporters roundtable takes a look back at what got done, what got left out, and what’s next after Jodi Rell’s last session as Governor. And, we’ll talk to Democratic and Republican lawmakers.

Episode Audio

49:00 minutes (23.53 MB)
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WWL: Money Morals

John Dankosky — Thu, 06 May 2010 09:21:26 -0500

05/06/2010 - As the Senate votes on amendments to the financial reform bill, Yale is hosting a conference about Money and Morals. These two events seem intertwined, at a time when Americans struggle with questions about whether banks – or borrowers – should be bailed out. Whether tighter regulations will curb the natural inclination of business to avoid regulation and whether we’re now paying the bill for the economic excesses of our past. Today, where we live, Benjamin Friedman of Harvard University joins us. He’s keynote speaker at the Yale Divinity School conference, “Money and Morals After the Crash” We’ll also hear from Senator Christopher Dodd, as his massive financial reform bill undergoes reforms of its own – before coming to a vote.

Episode Audio

48:59 minutes (23.52 MB)
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Where We Vote: Oz Griebel

John Dankosky — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:47:37 -0500

04/30/2010 - Oz Griebel's spent the last decade working on developing the Greater Hartford region. Now he's running for Governor. As part of our continuing Where We Vote series, we'll bring in the Republican and talk to him about his vision for the state. He's one of many running for the top office, touting his experience in the business sector and talking about new ways to add jobs. He's also spent time working on transportation issues. We'll talk with him about his ideas for rail and higways in Connecticut. You can join the conversation. Leave your comments here.

Episode Audio

48:58 minutes (23.51 MB)
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WWL: The Disappearing Center

John Dankosky — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:22:13 -0500

04/21/2010 - We usually hear about political polarization as a stumbling block to good governance and progress, but coming up on Where We Live, we’ll ask: can political polarization actually serve to strengthen democracy? Alan Abramowitz is a political scientist who argues that the real divide in American society is not between the left and the right, but between those citizens who are engaged in the political process and those who are not. Polarization, Abramowitz argues, increases the public’s interest in politics and presents clear choices to voters. He’ll join us on Wednesday to talk about his book, The Disappearing Center: Engaged Citizens, Polarization, And American Democracy. Leave your questions and comments below.

Episode Audio

47:57 minutes (23.02 MB)
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WWL: Children of Incarcerated Parents

John Dankosky — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:24:31 -0600

04/20/2010 - One out of fifteen black children has a parent in prison, compared to one in one hundred eleven white children. That’s just one of many shocking statistics you’ll find when you start looking into the problem of children with parents behind bars. For instance: About half of all children with incarcerated parents are under ten years old. The research on how having a parent in prison affects their children isn’t clear… but many worry that for these younger kids - that might mean developmental and social delays. Today Where We Live – a child in need of a parent. Families who are ashamed to reach out for support because of social stigmas. We’ll explore what we do know about children of the incarcerated nationally and here in Connecticut. We’ll look at what is available for support, what works and doesn’t, and how legislation might help to prevent children of the incarcerated from becoming incarcerated themselves. This program originally aired on 1/26/10.

Episode Audio

42:09 minutes (20.24 MB)
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WWL: Recognizing Genocide

John Dankosky — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 09:13:04 -0500

04/15/2010 - 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks 95 years ago – an event some call the first genocide of the 20th century. The word – genocide – has been a difficult social and political issue for Turks and Armenians, US politicians and academics. The House Foreign Affairs committee recently passed a resolution to condemn the killings as genocide…an act not supported by the Obama administration…even though during his campaign, President Obama promised to officially use the loaded word. Today, where we live, we’ll explore the historical events and the political significance of the term “genocide”. And we’ll get the latest on the tragic plane crash in Poland – a crash that has it’s roots in another mass killing. Local commemoration taking place on Saturday, April 24 at the State Capitol, 10AM.

Episode Audio

48:57 minutes (23.5 MB)
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WWL: NASA, We Have a Problem

John Dankosky — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 09:27:39 -0500

04/14/2010 - On this, the 40th anniversary of Apollo 13, President Obama prepares for tomorrow’s big Florida Space Summit. Obama’s proposed NASA budget will likely require drastic changes at the agency, and tomorrow he’ll lay out his plan and make the argument for it. Today we’ll talk NASA, space exploration, and the space sciences. As the shuttle program comes to an end, what should we do next? SHOULD we be sending people back to the Moon? Should we be aiming for Mars? And what are we doing? What interesting, inspiring things is NASA up to right now? What mind-blowing missions and technologies does it have in the works? And where does the commercial space industry fit into all of this? This episode was produced by Jonathan McNicol.

Episode Audio

48:59 minutes (23.52 MB)
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Where We Vote: Kevin Lembo

John Dankosky — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:28:29 -0500

04/13/2010 - Kevin Lembo heads the Office of the Healthcare Advocate for the State of Connecticut, but he’s exploring the possibility of a new office: Lieutenant Governor. Right now, Kevin Lembo is the only Democrat seeking the job—and maybe that’s because when people think of Lieutenant Governors, they often think parades and ribbon cuttings. But Lembo says that’s not the job he wants. He hopes to play a central role in restructuring how state government works. Today, Where We Live, we talk with Lembo about what that means as we continue our Where We Vote series. You can join the conversation--leave your questions and comments below.

Episode Audio

49:00 minutes (23.53 MB)
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Where We Vote: Tom Foley

John Dankosky — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 09:38:32 -0500

04/09/2010 - A millionaire businessman from Greenwich is leading the field of candidates for Governor. And, it's Tom Foley. This week's Rasmussen Report Poll has Foley leading fellow Greenwich resident Ned Lamont 44 to 37 percent--taking over the lead since the last poll in February. Foley's candidacy got off to a strange start-he had originally planned to jump into the Senate race. But now, he's put out what he calls a "Plan Forward for Connecticut" which focuses on job creation and cutting state government. Today, we continue our Where We Vote series with Tom Foley. Leave your quesitons and comments below.

Episode Audio

49:01 minutes (23.53 MB)
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WWL: Irvin Muchnick

John Dankosky — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:07:41 -0500

04/07/2010 - Today on Where We Live, we'll talk with Irvin Muchnick. He’s author of a new book, Chris & Nancy: The True Story of the Benoit Murder-Suicide and Pro Wrestling's Cocktail of Death. We’ll talk with him about the professional wrestling industry and the 2010 race for Connecituct's senate seat.

Episode Audio

15:35 minutes (7.49 MB)
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