Government & Politics

Host David Delk talks with Mark Darienzo and Joana Kirchhoff with Climate Jobs Portland. They discuss the organization's origins and purpose in presenting labor to environmental organization, recognizing the unions need to join in the movement for a renewable, and a sustainable energy economy. Then we talk about community solar, described as providing a chance for Oregonians to invest in solar power even if they individually cannot purchase and install their own solar system. Community Solar is designed to help people work together for the good of the environment and the community.

Host David Delk interviews evolutionary biologist Rob Wallace, author of Big Farms Make Big Flu, Dispatches on Infectious Disease, Agricbusiness, And The Nature of Science. Rob talks about how as we have industrialized animal production, we have also industrialized pathogen production. Pathogens like influenza, Zika, Ebola, Swine and bird flu and more.

He notes that the economic model of industrialized agriculture drives the evolution and spread of deadly pathogens. And asks the question, "How do we get our economy to start speaking to our ecology by which we grow our food?"

Host David Delk talks with Joan Horton, treasurer of Alliance for Democracy - Portland, and board member of national Alliance for Democracy. The topic is the Electoral College and how the national popular vote proposal would end the problem the current system creates - a candidate who does not receive the highest number of popular votes becoming president.

Joan also talks about the Alliance for Democracy and the various campaigns it is involved with, because the Issue is not the issues, it is the system.

Our guest is Nicolas Roux with Friends of the Earth-France. The Trans-Pacific Partnership is now dead but negotiations on the US-European Union corporate trade agreement continues. We talk about what TTIP is, who benefits and who is harmed, and talk about the Investor-State-Dispute-Settlement provisions which create such great damage around the world. We also focus on corporate efforts to extend drug patents and the danger to food safety via the provisions in the TTIP.

Host David Delk talks with Rev. Kate Lore, Social Justice Minister for the First Unitarian Church in Portland. The detrimental effects of the ever increasing economic and social inequalities in the United States today are expressed through Kate Lore's personal experiences as well as scientific studies. Thoughts on what we do to address these issues are presented.

Claire Conner, author of Wrapped In The Flag, speaks at the First Unitarian Church about her new book and her history as the daughter of two original John Birch Society members in Chicago. She talks about being the youngest member at age 13 and how she came to realize the true character of the society, causing her to change into a liberal critic and activist. She warns that the John Birch Society continue to live on in the Tea Party today and other far right organizations and the importance of being united against the far right.

Guest David Hill is a volunteer working with Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility on their program to stop the use of nuclear power. He delivers a modified version of his power point presentation: “Why Not Nuclear? The Case Against Nuclear Power.” He provides a broad overview of how nuclear works (fission vs fusion), the environmental and health dangers of nuclear energy, discussion of Fukushima and the Columbia Generating Station at Hanford and why it needs to be closed down.

Guest Mary Wood, Faculty Director of the University of Oregon Environmental & Natural Resources Law Program, speaks with us about the use of nature trust law to bring us back from the fossil fuel induced environmental tipping point. She notes that our elected leaders as well as our regulatory agencies have been captured by the corrupting influence of the fossil fuel industries. Now we use he third branch of government to protect the environment.

Guest Jamie Partridge, a member of Portland Communities and Postal Workers United and a retired postal worker himself, discusses the efforts of the upper echelons of the US Postal Service to privatize the service and the efforts of communities impacted by such efforts united with postal officers to prevent that from happening.

The Perils of Our Growing Inequality

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston speaks about his newest book, Divided, The Perils of Our Growing Inequality. David was at the First Unitarian Church in May and this is an edited version of his presentation.

First broadcast September 7, 2014

Category: News & Politics

Preview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QAJKE77uxgA