securities law, tort law, union -- >> larry, let me say this. >> this is very important for people in the stock market. >> bob, let me say this about her. i agree with robert reich that when it comes to sort of rule of law issues, i think she will be fine. in fact, on the second circuit, she has been. what worries me is those 5% of cases as barack obama said, where you have ideological differences. and this is where you look at where she's been overturned at the u.s. supreme court level. she is never on the case with -- on the side of clarence thomas and sam alito and the people i regard as conservatives on the court, the pro business majority. >> robert reich, on matters of unions and labor organizing and employees, some people are criticizing her as always siding with organized labor, and employees not employers. is that a fair criticism? >> i don't think so, at all, larry. again, on some of the anti discrimination suits against employers, she sideded with the employers. most of the readings, most of

the cases i've seen -- >> bob, seriously -- >> you're asking me to name individual cases? i cannot do it. >> all right. >> if i were well-prepared. if this were a case -- if i were before a court right now, i would have those cases in front of me. but look, let me just say this. i have looked at her record in the second circuit in terms of regulatory cases, business cases, securities cases, and she has been right down the middle. in fact, i can't see any ideological spin one way or another. and if she did have an ideological spin, you can bet that conservatives and republicans in congress would have identified it, and they have not. >> bob, what you're saying is very much what i heard about steve breyer, when he was appointed to the court under clinton. he's a centrist, a pro business democrat, and he hasn't been. he has voted straight line with the liberals on the court, and i believe sotomayor will, as well. >> we have to leave it there. we didn't get to the x factor. rob risch is saying no recovery is coming. >> i didn't say exactly that.

>> give me some time next time. >> the stimulus time has failed, bob! >> i'm afraid you're both going to agree on that. we'll have you back soon. and robert reich, i'm glad you're back from your vacation. steve moore, i'm glad you survived las vegas. me too. anyway, dennis kneale, what have you got cooking? do you think sotomayor -- this is your dennis kneale opinion, is a moderate or a big liberal lefty on businesses and market type decisions? is. >> i think if she weren't a big lib rap lefty, she would not have oh gotten the nomination. but that doesn't matter, because she is going to get approved. so my as well brace for it. a lot of times we put a liberal on the court and they end up surprising us. >> could she be a free market capitalist? do you think you'll hear that from her on court? >> no, i don't think she can. just all consumers, all victims. >> thanks. >> and cnbc reports starts right now. tonight on "cnbc reports," the markets jump, are traders

and investors starting to come around, starting to warm up to dennis's big call? >> this horrible, frightening recession is ending now. >> despite the upturn, there are plans in washington that could roll it all back. dennis is a one-man fighting machine tonight against higher taxes. jiffy care. a new plan that could change the way doctors and patients operate. and madoff's new home. tonight, where he'll spend the rest of his life. "cnbc reports" starts right now. good evening, i'm dennis kneale. wow, nice rebound today. you know, all last week, we lost close to 2% and the value of the s&p index of 500 big companies. the fraidie cats' fear isn't over. what i insisted most certainly is. and today we made up the entire week-long dip and then some in a single day. you can say it is because of the company everybody loves to hate. goldman sachs. by now, the queen of doom's day

forecasting meredith whitney put out a positive call and that put the market up. but let's get the real deal. the real deal is this, all right? the real deal is, brace yourself for the p pious backlash. how dare goldman sachs declare a $2 billion profit when it reports tomoow morning -- nine months o, this econo s in crisis. how da goldman pay bonuses to the very people who earned that $2 billioin the black when the1 federal government pumped10 billion into the firm to put it under the t.a.r.p. we fort that the feds forced some strong bas to take that cash, which, by the w goldman has paid back, okay? can't we just be happy for them? what is -- i mean, what's good for goldman is good for america. you want a piece of goldman's success? buy their stock. it's up 70% since january. and it rose another 5% or so today. last time i checked. those goldman bonuses, moreover, they're good for apartment sales in new york. for new car sales, retail sales.

they're good for the taxes paid to the feds. and to the new york city and the states of new jersey and new york. and governments all of tax money they can get. how else to bank roll the obama revolution, a safe gauzy new world where government is always better, no matter what the cost. heck, we'll just make the filthy rich pay for it. it's just that sometimes what the obama posse says is wealthy, it just ain't. and other times, the taxes go way beyond the rich to affect the rest of us, too. like the new yoga tax, all right? a lot of states have been cracking down on yoga instructor schools and forcing them to register. why? to get the $2,500 annual licensing fee. nobody -- no one's safety is threatened by unlicensed yoga teachers, all right? the latest scheme to soak the rich came out in a $550 billion trial balloon floated on page 1 on the "new york times" on

saturday. a new surtax on the wealthy to pay for obama care, on the road to socialized medicine. charlie rang he will is at it again, the new york congressman wants to put a new surtax for people who earn $180,000. but you can bet the bar will go lower. this surtax started at 1%, goes up to 3% or so for the highest earners. now obama swears his health care overhaul will reduce costs. but if it fails to do so, charlie rangel would raise that surtax even more in later years. so the obama posse's plans are now clear. let's put the burden of 45 million uninsured people entirely on the shoulders of 2 million to 4 million wealthy taxpayers. so one earner supports 10 or 20 people who have no insurance. how is that fair? how is that fair? when the top 1% of our earners already pay 40% of all federal income tax?

and the top 5% pay 60% of the whole shebang? how much is too much, guys? how is that fair when the lowest 40% of earners in the u.s. already pay no federal income taxes at all? and how is that fair when chances are, millions of those people who are uninsured are illegal aliens? and a lot of them work under the table and pay no income taxes. now, do we really want to take on responsibility for thy them? forever? and let's put aside the fact that a tax on the wealthy is also a tax on small businesses. a backbone of this economy. 2/3 of all profits at small business are earned by people in that higher tax bracket. and when you make them pay higher taxes, they have less money to pay their employees. even the obama white house knows that tax increases are especially damaging in a recession. they hurt economic growth. that's why bam let bush tax cut stay in place until the end of next year, rather than wipe them

out now. but the "new york times" puts it this buy. with the economy still hobbled and republicans already sharpening their tax attack line, their proposal is perhaps the greatest expression yet of the mandates that democrats believe they won last november. wow. so is that why we elected obama, so he could raise taxes on the rich? i guess after 30 years of the reagan revolution where cutting taxes did indeed fuel growth and increase government revenue, that does indeed amount to a change. a change for the worse. so let's bring in the real deal and talk about it. we've got democratic strategist julie raginski with us and jack berkman and kelly ann conway and michael wolf is a vanity fair critic and cnbc contributor. jack berkman, let me toss this to you. what do you think of that, yet another surcharge on the wealthy to pay for the insurance policies of 45 million people who don't have them. >> and 45 million is not a lot

in a society of 325 million. i think it's a trifleingly small number. i don't even see a crisis. the real deal is 5% of the country or less -- or less -- already pays almost all of the taxes. there already is a concentrated tax burden. now these people like rangel and obama and barn knee frank and all of the rest, they want to make it worse. here's where it's going and here's really the point. the society that barack obama wants is a society where 300 million people -- 300 million people do nothing but eat and sleep and cannot exist without subsidies from others. cannot exist without being paid by the society just so they and their families can live. this is a tragedy. it's a repudiation -- >> julie. >> i must be living in bizarro world, 45 million people who have no access to health care is not considered a crisis. here is the bottom line, we already pay for these people, $1100 per family on average to pay for the people who don't have health care. we already have a surtax.

i prefer to have a consumption tax on soda and other fast food that leads to obesity and health problems. >> julie, wait. do you oppose the idea of a surtax on the wealthy to pay for health care? >> actually, i do. >> we have a liberal here opposing the rangle plan. >> i do believe that obviously -- look, jack and i disagree fundamentally. i think we do need universal coverage. i think 45 million people not having health care is not just a crisis, it's a disgrace. >> why is it a disgrace if it's only a 1/10 of the society. >> you're lucky you have health care. because if you suddenly lost your health care and went to the hospital -- i would have to pay for it. >> i'm not lucky, i earned it. >> go ahead. >> dennis, 10% -- who is this guy? to write off 10% of the population, this is preposterous. >> you can't pay everything, michael. >> let's go to the more fundamental point.

it doesn't work. somebody has to come up with a solution here. how do you fund health care, equitable health care, across the -- across the board? now, let me just say as a small business owner, right now i have been funding it. i would like you people to get involved with funding it. >> yeah, you want me to get involved and pay higher taxes. >> i do indeed want you to do that. >> michael, i have been a small business owner, and i'm on my 15th year, and the fact is small business owners will be disproportionally hit. two out of three businesses live in a household that pays an income of $250,000 or more. and you know, small business owners already have a hard time -- >> no, no -- you're missing the distinction here. it's not the small business owners. it is the business. if we want to improve the economy of this country, we have to take the burden off of these -- >> and put it on -- wait a second? why is obama -- michael, the fact is, you and i have

something in common that barack obama does not. he has never run anything in his life, he doesn't haven entrepreneurial bone in his body and being a community organizer doesn't count. >> wait a minute, all you people do is spout the same thing all of the time! >> all right. let's go to jack a minute guys. jack. >> let me offer this thought. there is no problem. people say health care costs are high. that's like saying real estate is high in the upper east side of new york. we have the best health care system in the world. >> no, no, no. >> we have the best technology. we have the best drugs. >> one at a time, please. >> let me finish my point. health care costs are high. and i'm very glad, because we have the best in the world. i want costs to stay high, because i want us to have the best drugs, i want us to have the best technology. >> wait a second. dennis, i've got to respond to that. because we spend more per capita than any country in health care, and the results do not add up. the results in the western hemisphere, we are not at all in the top ranks. >> oh --

>> it's a misnomer, because in every other market in the world, the prices are controlled artificially. >> canada. >> and you know what, we have better health care is worth paying for. michael wolf, i want to know something from michael wolf. michael, you said you don't have to pay for health re foryour ployees. who is goi to pay for it, michael? you're definitely in that top 1% or 2% of earners. >> individually, i'm willing to pay for it. i would like you to contribute to it also, dennis. i would like to take this burden off of businesses. >> off of businesses. guys, we've got to wrap on that one. remember all that green talk during the campaign. green, green, save the earth, the earth is going to melt like a candle. well it turns out things aren't so green and great in obama land. we react to that next. the greenees say the president is not going fast enough. and on the right today, they had a criticism or two during judge sotomayor's confirmation hearings. the president for the left and right. it will be my turn to weigh in

when we come back. but first, this is a live picture from the federal pen in butler, north carolina. bernie madoff headed that way. we're not sure if it's his final destination. we are sure we'll be back in two minutes. ♪ [ queen ] want your longwear to give you more? well, get on out ofhat department store. no department store longwe gives you so many differenways and into covergirl outlast. last through breakfast lunch andinner. more choices, re shas, more outlast.

president obama pledging to lead world for campaign to turn green. but many green supporters are red with anger these days, saying he's not doing enough. i love this story and i'm taking aim at it tonight. i'm taking aim at going green. chris verhayes is senior editor for these times. it says you are the puff infoundation writing fellow. so your job is a bird that looks like a penguin is that right? >> that is wrong. i'm no longer a writing fellow or a senior editor. i'm washington editor of the nation. >> oh, that would be a lack of you giving an update to our producers. let's talk about this. what do you think about obama?

he's got to be the greenest new president ever in modern american history. you must be thrilled with him. >> well, i'm thrilled we're finally getting to work on the massive problem that's looming, which is catastrophic climate change. the problem is, we're not doing quite enough. i mean the waxman marquet bill that just got passed out of the house, we need a 25 to 40% degrees from 1990 levels. so we are far away from solving this problem. >> do you like chris or christopher? >> chris is good. >> chris i notice this climate change. i notice the green -- owe for the last decade, the planet has not been heating until we changed the label from global warming to climate change. >> when is the last time you interviewed a climate scientist? >> i have no idea. what's that got to do what we're talking about? >> let me ask you a question. would you take stock --

>> is there a question you'll answer? >> yeah. >> what i want to know is, do you think obama is doing a good job or not, because what i read in the "new york times" this weekend, the greens are terribly upset, obama has not been radical enough that we have reduced our emissions 20% while the rest of the world is not reducing theirs. and the greenees are upset about it. why is that? >> i don't know any greenees. i know some people who care about the everything and future environmentists and there is a fissure within the broad community. some people think you have to take what you get through congress, which is wax man marquis, and some think it's so inadequate to the challenge we face, and you have to do better and have to put your foot down and say no. >> right. okay. and you say no, but then nothing passes. but, you know, the entire bill was a bad idea and i'm sorry what passed did pass. not to come on here and just with you there. chris hayes, editor of the

nation, and former puffin foundation fellow. back to the real deal squad. julie, you want a crack at that? >> sure. actually, i do want to know the last time you interviewed a climate scientist, because i have to say the majority -- except for the outlying whack owes, there is a consensus there is global warming. >> if you read the "wall street journal" you will read devastating evidence and the obama administration is covering it up and making sure that -- the epa can't talk about it. >> kim strasel is a conservative columnist, not a nobel prize winner. but listen to me. here's what i'm going to say to you. i am actually very glad that barack obama has acknowledged that we do have a problem. i am very glad that he is taking up the issue of climate change, and i'm very glad we're going to copenhagen in a few months and trying to get a consensus order among the developed nations. >> what about copenhagen? kelly ann, i think the consensus is the u.s. should cut back and

no one else should. what do you think? >> opposite of kyoto, and the kyoto treaty ratification still failed 97 to 0. 0 means not a-okay. even they new then what a ridiculous and outlan dish idea. fast forward, more than a decade, and people realize obama, maybe he is -- raising taxes. again, back to taxes. cap and trade, and what is it? is. >> i have said for years -- >> my favorite -- >> i have said for many years if somebody holds a global warming hearing in january or february, i will believe in global warming. you will notice whether it's cap and trade, climate change, whatever these issues are, they only come up in congress in what months? july, august, september. >> give me a break. >> the reason -- >> can i enter this discussion? as a reasonable man? >> all right. but i make a facetious point. but what that tells you is there an entire cottage industry now

numbering in the billions where people earn a political and an economic licking off this. >> michael, wait. take you to the next topic. cia, all right? some of the white house and democrats need to do -- democrats are screaming about being deceived by the cia for years about classified intelligence matters. you guys after the 9/11 attacks were going to take out al qaeda members and you were going to kill them, and you didn't tell us about it. first of all, we didn't kill anybody, and i wish we had. second of all, cia is doing exactly what it should have done. third, if it would have told congress, it would have leaked on the "new york times" in a heartbeat. michael, why is congress looking backward all of the time to blame and prosecute when we ought to just focus on fixing the economy? >> well, first thing, that's called the law, dennis. you have to obey the law. >> it is not against the law to -- >> in the government, you have to obey the law. the law was -- the law is actually quite straight forward. >> weinberger told me about the law. and i know about this, and you're wrong.

>> dennis, it is about the law. congress needs to be appraised by the cia when they take any kind of action. that is the law. what's the evidence that the vice president cheney broke the law? this is something diane feinstein dreamed? >> no, jacko owe. >> we are actually looking at that if in fact what is alleged is, in fact, he broke the law. >> wait. what? how did he break the law, michael? >> if he instructed the cia -- >> what's the evidence for that? >> if he instructed the cia, and said don't tell congress, this that's probably -- >> the senate -- >> -- breaking the law. >> before you make these allegations on national television, what evidence is there on the table, state it now, that the have happened did what you said? >> that's what an allegation is. the -- here it is. >> well, let's put nancy pelosi under oath. i would love to see that. >> he might have done this. did he do this?

we have an investigation. >> you guys invented this term, move on and don't do it. >> can i tell you, there is a very simple law. if the cia does something, they need to apprise the chairman of the intelligence committees and the leadership of the house. >> every move they make? >> that's the law. >> does congress know about every drum we send in to people with an automated plane? >> policy -- >> i doubt that seriously. >> but also, step back from this. we don't really know what is at issue here. >> that's right. >> which is the other interesting thing. >> they need to then -- >> all right. kelly ann. let's let kelly ann -- or we've got to move to another topic. kelly ann. >> sure. now you want another investigation with more taxpayer dollars to relive the bush-cheney years, because obama owns an economy that has a $1.7 trillion deficit. and almost a trillion dollars that completely failed and so we've got to go back to dick cheney. >> but there is a point that we like --

>> i have to wrap temporarily here. okay? although even julie i think would agree if we could take out an al qaeda guy and shoot him, we should. >> yeah, and i think congress would act if we do. >> next up, the company that perhaps does more for small american businesses than anyone else. and gets the cold shoulder from the government. i say good thing, too. i'll explain why, next. and later, jiffy care, why the future of american health care may be modeleded on a popular oil change operation. good tease, guys. we're back in two minutes. at 155 miles per hour, dy roddick

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d we're walkin'... maki it all a bit easier -- now that's progressive! ♪ >> that's such a good song, even 30, 40 minutes later. we're back with the real deal. and it's a good looking crew tonight. michael -- >> yeah, but what side am i on, dennis? >> good question. i think you're definitely one of those liberals. i want to talk to michael about cit and bailouts. clearly, it's been a trend. and now the little guy needs a little help, and it's not getting a whole lot of help. the government is talking about cit and an aid package. and if you don't know cit, it's a big lender to small business.

but i've got to tell you, michael, enough already with bailing out companies that don't need to be bailed out. there is no systemic risk here. if it fails on its own, let it. what do you say, michael? >> well, i say, what are you talking about, dennis? we're standing here looking into the abyss. continuing to look into the abyss. >> we are nowhere near it. armageddon is behind us, my friend. >> well, you are the only person in america who says armageddon is behind us. >> the stock is up 20%. >> but on the chance that even off chance that you are not right, dennis, i would like to certainly bail out definitely small businesses, which i have a soft spot for. >> oh, gosh, jacko owe small business -- jack, let 'em tie. >> let me ask you this, what is this meltdown, this abyss? let us assume that the government let aig and citibank go under? what would have happened? there would have been no meltdown. what would have happened is the next morning, capital would have

reformed. >> well, you might have missed it, but there already has been a meltdown. >> there would have been smaller, sharper, better managers -- >> jack, it would be easier for people not to interrupt if you keep your bites shorter. >> if you don't think that goldman sachs is doing as well as it did today because of the fact that aig gave them a ton of money -- >> you know what, you don't know a thing about that deal, julie. and i do. the fact is, here's what happened in that case. >> whoa, excuse me. don't tell me anything i don't know about the deal. i certainly do. our taxpayer dollars -- >> goldman was hedged, aig owed goldman $2.5 billion. goldman goes and buys credit swaps on $2.5 billion, and if aig failed, then goldman would have been covered by these other swaps much the federal government decided they didn't want aig to fail. the government didn't bail out goldman sachs. goldman has paid it back. >> the government sold a ton of

warrants that goldman hasn't bought back. >> so what? >> people, let's -- >> let's focus on the fact -- >> michael. >> there has been a meltdown here. there has been a meltdown. we are all involved in it. this network is involved with it. >> so we -- >> everybody is looking at this. we all -- stand here. that is -- >> obama obsession. >> one at a time, please. >> guys, listen. >> kelly ann. >> talking about cit which does give loans to small businesses. however, that would mean the end justifies the means. you kabts keep bailing out everybody who is about to failure. failure is what built this country. you want to talk about success, you talk about failure. start when the kids are young. >> jacko owe. >> there is an economic genius. let's look at this. you've got to look at this. >> michael. >> you've got to look -- >> after jack berkman, michael.

heel, sir. what we used to call at the dog pound. jack, take it. >> recessions are needed, they're healthy and good, and we have to get rid of the weak underbrush of the world. >> michael, there is time now. one last bite, michael. go ahead. >> i think this is an extraordinary conversation. is anyone in touch with what has happened here over the past years? >> all right. yes, i'm extremely in touch. >> no! >> since obama became president, things have gone precipitously south. >> thank you very much for being here. you are all clear, except for mr. wolff who gets to come back and shout at me some more. and there is a lot more ahead tonight on "cnbc reports." coming up, dennis is back to selling us hope. doom sayers, beware. the bears have made their case, now it's dennis's turn. also tonight, jiffy care, a new private health care company modeled on the people who change the oil in your car. this is cnbc reports, and we're back in two minutes.

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that was me doing the gimme gimme versi of sweet caroline. i love that pu meets kneel diamond. we tal about the doom sayers, guys made their reputations by forecasng doom and turning t to be right. meredith whiey is one of the best known doom sayer she called the citigroup collapse and the banking crisis way before the rest of wall street. and an even bleaker doom sayer called the meltdown in september of '0, a full year before the market paekd. and a money manager, dan degan sees as much as a 50% decline in stock prices in the fall and recommends buying nothing in the stock market rightnow. butit's important for investors, for cnbc viewers, to remember that most everyone who goes on air is there to talk

their book. to sell you something. if they see even worse times ahead for the economy, chanc are, they're tryingo sell you instruments that farewell in that kind of downturn. it's why bill gross is down on stocks. they sell a loof bonds. and another thing, wall street is a male-doneatured preserve and men love to play can you top this. sooom sayers like to outdo each other on whose forecast is the most di. it's what they do. and they make their props by being right. and once you've made your rep, you're going to be one of the last who decide we're going to be okay. and yet we are going to be oka and i'm not selli anything. okay. tonight, i am taking aim at one of those perma bear type players now, a forecasting eyore, peter schiff, in 2007 came out with his very pressient book, "crash

proof," how to profit from the economic collapse. he was right then, and still teaching it now, and by the way, has stuff to sell that you can protect you. you oversee stocks in safe harbors like gold which goes up in value when people become more scared about the economy. >> yes, they go up in value, but not because they're listening to me. those things are happening, anyway. gold is going up whether or not i come on television and talk about it. >> and if someone buys gold through your firm, do you make money on it? >> well, anybody that does somebody through my firm, i make money. did you ask these questions about all of the perma bulls on your network day after day, constantly touting stocks? >> you're right. they're trying to sell stuff too. >> i'm a stock broker, i can sell stocks like the other bugu. the difference s i understand reality. when you guys first starred calling me doctor doom on "squawk box," it's reality i'm talking about. and when i wrote the book "crash

proof," not only did i predict what happened, but i predicted exactly what the government would do to try to solve the problem in the name of stimulus. and it's the stimulus that's making things worse. the economy is not going to recover until we stop digs ours noose a deeper economic hole, which is precisely what we're doing. >> how is stimulus making things worse when so far the feds have managed to spend less than a dime on the dollar on that pu y puppy. >> remember, we have already overdosed on government stimulus. we don't want interest rates to be zero. we need interest rates to be much higher. we don't want government to spend more, we want government to spend less. we don't want government bailing out companies that are not viable. they need to fail. >> i'm with you on that. >> in the short run -- remember, whenever you get a government stimulus, the short-term effect -- you know, you get a little boost, you get these green chutes. but the economic soil has been poisoned by the stimulus. those green chutes are going to wither and die. >> right, but peter, you don't really think that interest rates should be higher in an economy that is contracting in its growth, do you? >> absolutely. because we have a shortage of

savings, and we have too much debt. and the thing is, the government has kept interest rates too low for too long. we have to let them go up. >> american savings rates have suddenly ballooned to 6 or 7% or something. >> but government spending is more than offsetting that increase. so our net national savings is not expanding. we need it to expand. you know, if would he take our medicine, we'll have an immediate decline that's sharper than the one we have now. but i can assure you, because of what the government is doing, we're probably going to have an official unemployment rate of better than 15% by the end of obama's first term. if we did the right thing, we would be long on the way to recovery. >> just one last question. when was the last time you were bullish overall? >> i've been bullish on a lot of things the last ten years, and i've been right. i've been bullish on foreign economies, and china, we've invested a lot of money there. i've been bullish on commodities and precious metals. i was bearish on the stock

market in the 1990s and was right. and when i saw the real estate bubble in 2002 and 2003, i began predicting exactly what would happen when the bubble burst. >> you did. >> and it's not my fault i was able to see these problems far enough in advance to warn people about it, but to do something about it. >> got to wrap here. and when you make a major turn and decide that the end of the world is not near, come on my show, and let's break some news. >> i'm not bearish on the whole world. i'm bearish on america, and only because of what we're doing. >> and i'm bullish on america. thank you for being with us. i appreciate it very much. >> okay. >> and seacrest is finally fitting -- got to ring the closing bell of the new york stock exchange last summer, becoming a one-man industry to the tune of $45 million. producers of "american idol" will pay him $15 million a year for the next three years. seacrest's big payday leads off tonight's over-under. and i say this story is overplayed. let's check in with our panel, diane brady, for business week.

michael wolff founder of newser.com. and james altiger. michael, how come when goldman gets a bonus it's a scandal and seacrest gets $45 million and we're happy for him? >> i think one of the things we shouldn't be so happy here, or we should. but the fact of this is -- remember, the whole point about reality shows is that they're cheap to produce. so suddenly, we're ratcheting this up, and reality shows are going become incredibly expensive to produce, and we have to go back to sitcoms. >> ane, do you think this story isoverplayed or under played, die? >> oh, underplayed. really, the guy is on a path to reality tv domination. but the fact is, there are so few business models out there that work, that i think, in fact, "american idol" is a huge success, and this is a guy they

think is a winning farm formula. >> but don't you see the formula gets disrupted if he gets paid too much? >> let's not forget, "american idol" makes a billion dollars in profits. this is only a 1% increase in costs for them. it's not going to make reality tv too expensive. >> diane, i'm sorry to do this, but i've got to put you on the spot. it would be wrong not to. rumors, the linchpin at mcgraw hill going to be put up for sale. what do you have to say about that, besides nothing? >> are you buying? no. all i can say is wha you've heard is bically mcgraw hill is public company. viously, we're in a recession, they have to explore their tions. but what i can say on the editorial side is wee putting out a killer pruct and right now our readership is strong, and things are looking good from where we sit. >> bad use in this context, of the word "killer." docs in a box, joining forces with corporate america, going to start a franchise of health care facilities to treat people with

relatively minor injuries or ailments instead of the people going to the emergency room and running up a huge charge. private sector solution to making health care affordable for everyone. this is an underplayed story, this exactly the stuff obama ought to be investigating. james? >> this is underplayed. ask not a new story. we see this in walgreens and even in target, they are starting to open up medical clinics in the stores. i think 22 targets have medical clinics in them. so i think this is the wave of the future, and you're going to see it a lot more. >> yep. michael? >> absolutely. you know, it's the only thing that makes sense in health care. just pay what it's worth. >> okay. now topic three. diane, you're going to start us off. i've been saying the recession is over for weeks, but what about the he session, yes, he, as in h-e. i didn't write this, but think it's clever. according to numerous recent studies, men are being hurt far more by unemployment than women are. in fact, women will be the key

to helping us climb out of this recession. i say this story is overplayed. diane, if men are getting laid off more, it's because mo men work. >> i think it's underplayed, dennis. >> whoa! >> and you sho there is still a valuable role formacho in the rld of business. i think there is study after study coming out, and the reality is, compani that ignore half the population when filling their senior ranks do so at their peril. women have been pouring into professions for more than a generation now. >> plus that whole women scorned things. james? >> i think we're about to experience the he boom as all these men start new businesses or engage in, you know, risky speculation as the economy wars back after this stimulus. >> this you go, there is some selling of hope, michael. >> i think men are finished, and this is it. i'm grateful for it. let's get supported here. >> talk to ryan seacrest about that. i think he would beg to differ. >> men are not finished. we're going a long way and a lot

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♪ time now to tap what's going on across america. joining us from north carolina is rich rothacker with the "charlotte observer," and lynn sweet for the "chicago sun times" and lauren steffy. let's talk about the 45 million people who don't have insurance. obama wants to put a surtax on people earning $180,000 per year, and other couples making half a million or a million. there will probably be two or three points extra. lynn, you are in d.c. what's the reaction there? >> the reaction here is the senate probably won't pie it.

congressman rangel and harry reid were just high white house a few hours ago. i saw them go in. and what's interesting is, the obama administration, and i find this interesting, assistant doesn't want to say what kind of tax plan they favor. they want congress to come out with a plan and maybe they will bless it or not. but they do not want to have whatever this tax plan will be -- >> they don't want to take the hit on it. lauren, what do you think the people in houston are going to say about this? >> i think this whole thing kind of misses the point. if you want to talk about health care reform, you've got to follow the money, like we say in journalism. follow the money. and the money off flows insurance companies. you've got to start with the insurance companies, and that word, insurance, we heard from anybody in congress or anybody in this administration. >> that's funny, lorin, because i thought you had to start with the trial lawyers and medical malpractice. >> rick, what have you got?

>> anything to do with the health care industry, that's been one of the bright spots so any tinkering that that goes on, is something how we fair in this recession. it's going to be closely watched. >> david, do you think a tax on the rich will happen? it's got to. it's obama. >> it's always fun to think of bill gates squirming, but we're sending the wrong message, because we're acting like we're not spending enough money on health care. the problem is, we don't have enough of a system to accommodate what we are spending already. >> all right. >> matt, quickly, if i may say, that's not the point. the point in this whole exercise is give people more coverage and figure out a way to have a private system work with a little this tubing. >> it's going to be a share of the pain thing for everybody. this is a pr ploy more than anything else? >> actually, it's not sharing the pain with everybody, just sharing with people who earn more than $280 million a year. up next, are homeowners

deliberately making the choice to walk away? lorin, does this sound '80s whe in texas? one thing about this, i have to tell you, a study out just showed that the reason people walk away is because they put no money down. if the banks merely asked for 20% down, they would have eliminated that problem outright. >> absolutely. we saw this here in the '80s, when things were certainly a lot more dire, in many ways, in texas than they are in california now. this becomes basically simple economics. if you have no equity in your home, as you said, you have nothing to lose. eventually, people walk away. the only thing that keeps them from doing that is it's morally irreprehensible doing that. >> someone could come in there, make some money on that trade. can't they? >> we know a thing or two about foreclosed property here in southern california, trying to find these people walking way. there's not a lot of them out there. it's not as easy as all that to pull up your family and move

somewhere else. it's not as big a trend as you thought. there's a lot of bad actors out there. as we shake out the housing bubble, it's inevitable a few people will do it. >> a few bad apples can spoil the whole bunch. i don't care what they say. what's going on for tomorrow, lynn? what are you working on? >> obama had a meeting with jewish writers, mideast policy that obama had some explaining to do with the major leaders from jewish organizations. first time that he met with the influential presence of the jewish organization. i'm working on that. >> little weary of him, aren't they? >> pardon? >> little weary of him. >> yes. >> lauren in houston, what do you have tomorrow? >> coming back to stanford financial, favorite story. duelling receivers we have going on in that case. it's an interesting legal situation that's cropped up between the receivers here in the u.s. and the one that was appointed in antigua and international strife going on there. >> good one, lauren. good for you. rick in charlotte? >> henry paulson will be getting

grilled this week by congress. wait and see sort of more on as bank america turns and what he has to say about that. >> okay, good. upset because he didn't pay the money to buy toxic assets from that plan and the obama administration will use 30 billion of it. finally, dave in l.a., what have you got for tomorrow, babe? >> dennis, with the economy in the toilet, you'll be shocked to discover a lot of phone companies are raising their fees again. tell you which ones. >> david, you get the award for best haircut. nice job. rick, david, lauren, lynn. appreciate you being here. next up, it's the monday battle with those evil bloggers. they may have the keyboard, but i have the sled camera. i am back faster than they can type the sentence i live in my parents' basement.

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got another bitter blogger. this guy calls him the wood shedder and wages an online attack at 11:00 on friday night after i took on another blogger on ibankcoin.com. the reason mr. o'neill is getting evicerated is he refuses to respond to thoughtful bloggers. nice word.

he also complains mr. kneale would rather focus on blogger anonymity. i don't think the markets will fall back down that fall. sudden decline like 30% from already low levels and yet this economy is beginning to rebuild. there's a chance a second quarter could come in a positive gdp growth because better deficits came out last friday but wood man says i have no interest in discussing details, saying, quote, this is all a game. anyone who thinks kneale was wants an insightful conversation is truly an idiot. wood shedder says i am disgusted of what i have become, that i have sold out and now, as he says, cnbc's clown, complete with a big red nose and goofy

shoes. hey now, that's where i draw the line. i wear really nice shoes. despite this, do i regret coming here, wish i could be a pulitzer prize again? it goes to print journalist, babe. i'm on tv now, at cnbc and proud of it. anuncer: what's your cialis ment? whwhen at last we're alone. when we both decide. announcer: today, guys with erectileysfuncon can be ready with another ding option from cialis. cias for daily use is a clinically pren low-dose tablet you takevery d, so you can be ready anytime themom. soelax and take your time. tell your doctor about your medical condition and all medications and ask if you're althy ough