Skip to main content

tv   The Dylan Ratigan Show  MSNBC  January 17, 2012 1:00pm-2:00pm PST

1:00 pm
i like that. >> please. how are you? >> i'm good. >> are you having a good time on the west coast? >> it's beautiful. isn't turkey supposed to be beautiful? >> stunning. absolutely stunning. you got it. have you not been? >> no. i'd like to go. >> you should. >> maybe my next vacation. >> for the moment, the show starts now. >> that's it. good tuesday afternoon to you from sunny southern california. i am dylan ratigan. we are thrilled to be out west where we're about to launch our 30 million jobs tour tomorrow in silicon valley. more details shortly, but we begin with the greedy bastard behavior that's behind the jobs crisis and the nightmare that is the u.s. housing market and the
1:01 pm
golden state out here, ground zero for both of these problems. 3 points higher on unemployment rate in california. this does not account for the underemployed and those no longer counted at all. housing is no way to live. california, the third highest number of foreclosures in america. they are expected to jump nationally. more foreclosures this year, by 25%. but remember, this is not simply a foreclosure crisis. even americans who can afford their mortgage payments are still stuck in their homes because they owe more than they can fetch for their properties. home prices nationally have dropped by more than a third since the start of the crisis. here in california, it's worse. any talk of a recovery simply not true. in fact, prices in california have dropped another 6% in just the past year. so where's the leadership?
1:02 pm
where are the handcuffs for those who continue to cheat the system with their greedy bastard behavior at the expense of the american homeowner? joining us is john taylor, president of the national community reinvestment center. and real estate and finance professor susan walker. john, walk us through what you see as the greatest tragedy or harm that is being done as a result of the current situation. >> well, number one, i think you're right, dylan. we are far from out of the woods by any stretch. the number of foreclosures that will continue to happen here in the state of california, but nationwide, is going to continue to grow. there's estimates of 10 million more foreclosures. a study came out saying there's ten million vacant and abandoned housing. all this undermines the housing
1:03 pm
industry and property values. property values nationwide have continued to decline. last year they went down 5.4%. in california, it's almost 6%. after another year. so all that equity and that lost value and devaluation of property, you mentioned nationwide properties one in five are under water. here in california it's one in three e. unless we deal with the foreclosures, it's going to continue to promote unemployment. really make it difficult for us to see any type of economic regeneration in this nation. it's critical that we address this. >> professor, there have been a variety of plans, state plans. interested whether you can steer us to the principles or actual plans you have seen that could
1:04 pm
steer us into a room where you could move towards resolution. >> resolution is going to require the fundamentals be on the right side. it's possible that the overall economy's growth will bring us in this year to bottoming and to recovery. that said, just as i agree with john, we're going to see an increase in foreclosures and the danger there is that we could have another vicious cycle. even if it's just for the short run of prices falling under water. more people fore closing. that said, part of the solution will be rentership. and rentership is up. there's increased demand for that. we need to see some of these properties that are abandoned put into the hands of responsible people who will put
1:05 pm
them out into the market. >> one thing that strikes me, john, in addition to everything we have discussed, we are in the 21st century. one of the signatures of this time is adaptability. the ability to move. the ability to be entrepreneurial and pursue new ideas and new solutions. and i'm interested as to how big of a barrier. forget being forclosed on. they can afford the mortgage, but how diminishing to the adaptive characteristics of our economy is this housing trap right now? >> i actually think you're hitting on what is a major challenge for us in this country. the fact that people are sitting in homes that are -- forget if
1:06 pm
they are under water. under water means your mortgage is greater than the value of the house. but let's say your mortgage has dropped $40,000. that's money that you would have used as a down payment for another house. it's money you would have used to move. it's money you would have used to start a business perhaps. or send a child to college. for all the reasons to make improvements. there's so many businesses that are connected to the growth of equity in a home that have now disappeared. for people who are paying their mortgages on time, they are simply sitting there as the economy continues -- as home prices continue to decline, there's a lot of folks, and i'm one of them. i would love to sit here and tell you we're about to turn the corner. but i realize i'm far from the street i need to turn. there simply -- we haven't hit
1:07 pm
the bottom on property values. only nine states outs of the 50 realize any type of value increase in homeownership. we're a long way from that. until that begins to happen, we're not just going to build the equity for the possibility of people to use that equity for other purposes and stimulate all sorts of industries. it has that contagion effect. >> professor, as everybody knows by now, the american taxpayer at its peak put up $30 trillion to support the current banking apparatus. we pushed trillions into that system on the belief and argument that doing so will facilitate more lending and perpetuate the potential growth for this economy. why have we not seen more of a response in the actual main street economy, not just in housing, but around housing and
1:08 pm
the housing economy in exchange for the the trillions of dollars that have been asked of us to support the lenders? >> part of the problem is that while we had a huge decrease in lending standards, we today ratcheted up lending standards so people who could get loans in the 1990s with slight blemish records are unable to get loans despite the fact mortgages are at a historical low. getting the mortgages is very difficult. that's part of our problem. and more generally, there's consumer confidence issues. there's unemployment. we need to turn that corner on consumer confidence, and we need to make people more able to buy when they want to buy. >> have either of you seen or have in your heads a policy precipitation that might help to accelerate resolving some of this? susan, i'll start with you. >> yes.
1:09 pm
there are no end, but what's required first of all is for the major lenders to see the turning of this market. and perhaps some putting their feet to the fire to make it possible for that market to turn by lending conditions. >> john, the same question. >> i'd add no more lending or supporting or even access to the fed window for any banks. without the explicit requirement that if we're helping you, you're reinvesting in americans. you're reinvesting in consumers and taxpayers and businesses. we just got to make that part of the ve knack lar. as the government gets engaged in keeping the banks afloat, that they are also reinvesting in america. the major thing also, dylan, is we have to deal with the foreclosure problem.
1:10 pm
people have -- all americans should stop pointing fingers at each other. we all know what happened. this was a lending system that was able to do a bunch of bad things. make loans to people that shouldn't have been made. it got a lot of people into trouble. that's ancient history. we can point fingers if we want, but we need to stabilize the housing industry. make sure people get into the kind of moirrtgages they it shod have gotten into. if we don't consider principle reductions, all the folks under water, they are looking at walking away from their home or just don't know what to do. that's not going to help our situation. and deal with the vacant and abandoned properties. hud has a program. there's a perfect opportunity for us to refinance all these mortgages out of the realm of facing foreclosure. we have to deal with the
1:11 pm
foreclosures. deal with the vacant properties. and make sure they are reinvesting in neighborhoods and communities. >> thank you both for giving us some insight today. i appreciate it. susan wachter and john taylor, thanks guys. moving forward here. make no mistake. the housing crisis is directly tied to the unemployment crisis in this country. or if you don't have a job, you cannot make your payments. not to mention one of the big reasons folks can't find work is because they can't sell their homes if they need to relocate for that new job. as you surely know by now, we're about to launch our 30 million jobs tour tomorrow from a true cradle of innovation. we'll talk problems, but more importantly, solutions to encourage investment in america and american people. and to connect the dots on housing and the bank sters. head over to our website to get
1:12 pm
a sense of the ways that add up to a lack of investment. still ahead, 50 states, one common cause, get money out. the latest group of americans standing up to demand that we take at least corporate money out of d.c. also ahead, only our resident skeptic could be skeptical of all the skeptics out there. trust me. it will all make sense. first, rocky for president. no not that one. meet the candidate you may not have heard about. next. wake up!
1:13 pm
that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm. for half the calories plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. have asked yours truly to teach you about treating frequent heartburn. 'cause i know a thing or two about eatin'. if you're one of those folks who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... well that's like checking on your burgers after they're burnt! [ male announcer ] treat your frequent heartburn by blocking the acid with prilosec otc. and don't get heartburn in the first place! [ male announcer ] one pill a day. 24 hours. zero heartburn. block the acid with prilosec otc, and don't get heartburn in the first place. available at walmart.
1:14 pm
we have to thank you for the advice on phillips' caplets. magnesium, right? you bet! phillips' caplets use magnesium. works more naturally than stimulant laxatives... for gentle relief of occasional constipation. can i get an autograph? [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. it's this... the etrade pro platform. fast. beautiful. totally customizable. finds top performing stocks -- in three clicks. quickly scans the market for new trading ideas. it can even match options strategies to your goals and lets you see the potential risk and reward. and, it also comes with a dedicated elite service team. got it? get it. good. introducing new etrade pro elite. ♪
1:15 pm
1:16 pm
we all know mitt, newt, and rick, but how about rocky? the former mayor of salt lake city is also running for president of the united states and doing so under a new third political party that he helped establish. the justice party. his primary message, end the corruption in washington and a government sold to the highest bidder so that america can have the debate it deserves. sound familiar? with us now, presidential candidate rocky anderson, the former mayor of salt lake. welcome to the program. >> it's a real pleasure. >> before we get into the issues, how is it going? >> it's going great. the reason is our message resinates with everybody. across partisan boundaries.
1:17 pm
i don't think there's anybody in this country that hasn't absolutely had it with the corrupting influence of money in our government. >> so if you were to become president of the united states, what would you do about it? >> the first thing i would do is call for a constitutional amendment. alert the people of this country as to how this has come about. how devastating it has been with the greatest economic disparity in this country since the 1920s. we're truly living in a new guilded age. and how we got to that point, it has been the result of corruption. it's been the result of blatant bribery by those who have the money. and there is a solution. it's a constitutional amendment to overturn the citizens united case. >> why is it that the current president hasn't assumed? >> he's a beneficiary. and so are they. both parties helped create the
1:18 pm
system. they both thrive on it. they both help sustain this corrupt system. there's no way to break out of it. the republican parties are lying to the american people and can't tell them the truth. they are so locked into this system of utter corruption. >> i just looked at your issues. you would split up the too big to fail banks. cut defense spending. tax incentives for hiring in the united states. why is it these issues aren't now? why does is require a third party. >> neither of these parties will assume these positions because they run entirely counter to those with who they are on retainer. these folks in congress are acting as if they are the paid
1:19 pm
hired guns for those with the money. it's all against the public interest in this country. every policy failure can be tied to that corrupting influence of money. you just have to follow the money. the failure -- we're the only country in the industrial lietzed world that doesn't provide a central health care for every citizen. we paid more than twice as much on average per capita in our health care system than the rest of the industrialized world. we get mediocreout comes and we don't provide universal care like every other country. why is that? the corrupting influence of money from the insurance industries. same with high drug prices and the money from the pharmaceutical industries. look at the military industrial complex and the waste in our military budget. we know why that is. why do these congress people and
1:20 pm
the white house support continued funding for these wasteful programs like the f-22 for instance. we have republicans and democrats alike fighting for continued funding for these programs because there are contractors spread out, and these it contractors know what they are doing. they get sub contractors for the f-22 in 44 states so all these folks will fight to take the bacon back home to their states or districts. it's so counter to all of our interests. and the utter failure to provide the essential international leadership on climate change. we'll never see that from the republican or democratic party because of the influence of the fossil fuel industries. >> my final question for you. are you concerned -- how do you reconcile the spoiler effect of anybody who posters themselves
1:21 pm
as a third party, whether it's a spoiler for the president or his opponent? >> that's such a great question. i was pondering that for a long time. because from my point of view, we should never do harm to our country. but i came to the conclusion, and i think this is absolutely fundamental. if we vote for a republican or democrat in this race, we're simply moving the players around, but keeping the system in place. if we want to change the system, we need a new paradigm. we need new people who are going to commit to represent the public interest. that's exactly why we're doing what we're doing in this race. >> you certainly are speaking my language. i suspect a lot of folks who watch this program. i wish you the best of luck. if nothing else, in provoking this debate to sound more like the conversation you and i just h had. it's a pleasure to meet you. thank you so much. >> thank you. real pleasure. >> rocky anderson running for
1:22 pm
president of the united states under the justice party. former mayor of salt lake city. turning now to the leader of the two-party pack on the right. mitt romney opening up today about how much he pays in taxes. >> what's the effective rate? probably closer to the 15% rate because the last ten years, my income comes overwhelmingly from investments made in the past rather than ordinary income. >> the latest poll from "the washington post" and abc shows romney has twice the support of his nearest republican competitor. there's no race here other than the race to the bottom that r k rocky anderson was just describing. let's bring in the panel. susan del percio and jimmy williams. rocky certainly speaks a wrong rhetoric. what's the tolerance for any third party to engage in this context?
1:23 pm
i know it tends to be dismissed, but at the same time, ross perot got 20% of the vote. >> what mayor and ore son just talked about was a pop laws message. if you go back and look at the history of all third party candidacies, they were populous messages. remember ross perot the giant sucking sound? every single one ran on a populous platform. they all did -- this is the first i have ever heard of this guy. that's kind of sad in a pathetic sort of statement on our current politics. but i think he probably would do decently well if he had money and people knew about him. >> it's interesting, susan and karen, regardless of a given political kapd, do you get the sense that the presidential debate is getting more pressure to focus on talking about these
1:24 pm
things? >> susan? >> not yet. we may see it if you seed enough of an outrage saying none of the above when you get into the republican nominee versus president obama. but just to step back. i don't think you're going to see real change in the parts. not until we have more than a third party. we need a third, fourth, and fifth party to break it up. otherwise, it's going to be the two against the third party and they will gang up against them. >> i want to point out one bright spot from the perspective of process in terms of having the debate we deserve. if you look at what was accomplished in wisconsin when they have collected the million signatures they need for the recall. the people have said we're not just going to brush this under the rug and move on. we're going to -- we have demands of this governor and these republican members of the legislature. and we're not going to just take no for an answer. i think it's very impressive. the guy only won by over a
1:25 pm
million votes. it's the kind of activism and it's a lot of hard work on the part of a lot of people. it's the kind of activism that we have to be prepared to engage in if we really want the debate that we deserve. we have to do the work. >> and take action. that was an action. they wanted to recall somebody. it gave people a reason to focus around a purpose. >> that's a wonderful point. and very well made. the panel stays. we thank mayor anderson for his visit today. coming up, we all know money talks in washington. but how can that be if corporations aren't people? the latest partners in our push to silence some of the special interest money.
1:26 pm
i refer to her as "that woman with the great gums." as tonya's dentist i know healthy gums are the foundation for her healthy smile. tonya knows that too, so she uses crest-pro health clinical gum protection toothpaste. it helps eliminate plaque at the gum line. helping prevent gingivitis. it's even clinically proven to help reverse it in just four weeks. and it protects these other areas dentists check most. healthy smiles are built on healthy gums. crest pro-health clinical gum protection.
1:27 pm
nyquil (stuffy): just reading whatyour label.ing? wait! you relieve nasal congestion? tylenol: sure. don't you? tylenol (another bottle): hmmm...no... nyquil (stuffy): dude! anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't.
1:28 pm
as we approach the anniversary of the citizens
1:29 pm
united ruling, a new movement to declare only people are people. imagine that. corporations are not people. today common cause, a nonpartisan government watchdog, launched their it drive for a national referendum calling on congress to pass an amendment overturning the supreme court ruling. now they are also in the middle of a huge push against jerry mandering, particularly in new york, along with redistricting. joining us now is a man that not anl understanding the importance of both movements but has reformed the primary system in california. lieutenant governor of california, it's nice to see you. >> great to talk to you. >> i want to move beyond the money in politics issue and take advantage of your expertise on the issues of gerrymandering and primary reform. while money in politics may be
1:30 pm
the most glaring challenge, it's not our only challenge. lay out how the system distorts our intent beyond money. >> first of all, you're right. money is a problem in politics. there's three things in politics. number one is money. number two and three, i can't remember. in california, also the election process is in important. redistricting is very important. we passed it in california. they drew the lines for the people of this great shat. the way we had it in the past, we had the majority party, or majority politicians get into a smoke-filled room, draw the lines, and you add that with the open primary. i wrote the open primary in california. all i wanted was to have the top two vote getters go off in the general election, which to me,
1:31 pm
will allow our elected officials in california and hopefully one of these days throughout our country to be reasonable, to be open minded, and to be pragmatic so they can govern the people they were elected by. >> lieutenant governor, i agree with what you did with regard to the citizens commission on redrawing the lines. dylan, you talk about this in your book about the gerry mand eri ering. but how did you decide with the commission who exactly the commissioners were and how do we know for a fact -- i'm not disregarding what you have done. how do we know for a fact they drew fair lines? we do know you have had members from the california delegation that have been there forever and are retiring. how do we know they are not making partisan decisions out in the open now? >> there's always going to be partisan decisions everywhere. you can try to get it out, but ten years ago, we had
1:32 pm
politicians in california writing $20,000 checks to the person that was drawing the lines so they can keep their district. we said, enough is enough. we need to reform the system. so what did we do? we got democrats, republicans, independents. we put diversity panel together and said go draw the lines. make it better than what we had before in the past. and guess what? i'm not saying i'm doing cart wheels over the redistricting process, but it's a lot better than what we had before. it's a step in the right direction for california. jimmy, you couple that with an open primary, and there's going to be reform. there's going to be change. no more of this hard right and hard left. we're going to put people that are going to govern california. i believe america needs that across the country. >> susan, go ahead. >> i'm curious. here in new york, i have been involved in two redistricting processes. i have seen something there i have never seen before. you see members of congress hiring lobbyists/consultants to
1:33 pm
speak to the legislature to make sure their congressional lines stay in place. it's the opposite of what we usually talk about. the thing is they are still going affluence. but does many have any influence in your redistricting process? you say you have democrats and republicans coming in, but is it really that pure? >> i believe so. i think we had a good process this year in this great state of ours in california. we had, once again, republicans and democrats. we had people who very knowledgeab knowledgeable of the process in the past. i believe they sat in a room. they went throughout the state of california. they had, you know, hundreds of hearings. they met with everybody across the state. allowed the people to give input. and then they came up with the lines. some folks didn't like one line and some didn't like the other. but it was better than the past. $20,000, members of the congressional delegation in my state was given to the person drawing the lines. that's absurd.
1:34 pm
that's no longer in place. so it was a step in the right direction with what we did in our great state. >> karen, go ahead. >> one of the things i'm most concerned about is the elect rat and turnout. how do we make sure more people are participating in the process? that goes into money in the system. people spend money to go after the same votes. how do you see this new process impacting actual turnout and access to the polls so that more people are actually being brought into the process? particularly, in california, which is so diverse. >> sure. first of all, we don't have these districts that we call the ribbons of shame anymore. the districts that pick up a dot over here. you have one small city of about 80,000 people with two or three or four congressmen divided. i think more people will participate because we have
1:35 pm
communities of interest. you couple that with the open primary system. we have a little over three million of them. they can now vote in a primary election. you couple that together and we're on our way. you start reforming the money issue, which i think is a big problem. hopefully we can get politicians to govern this great state of ours. >> and the real point that you bring home for us, the same way karen brought it home so well in the last segment by noting the success of the petition and the collection of the movement in wisconsin, you were able to pass redistricting legislation in california. this is not an idea or a concept. it's something you have done. you have been able to push to the open primary. the point is, this can be achieved. wouldn't you say? >> absolutely. i can tell you this. when we did the open primary in
1:36 pm
california, there was money coming from all over the place. you know, because you have the elects who want to keep their seats. they didn't think it was going to pass. we ran a great campaign in the state and it barely passed, but the people of california said we're tired. we're tired of the bickering. a republican fights a democrat. a democrat fights a republican. we pay the bills. no one gets anything accomplished. and i'm seeing it in our country today. >> that is correct. thank you for teaching us and for giving us a little bit of hope just in the context of actually getting things done, as karen did as well today. karen can, susan, jimmy, a pleasure. we'll turn to a more significant issue than our political situation. space gas. i've worked hard to build my family.
1:37 pm
1:38 pm
and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of
1:39 pm
frequent urges and leaks day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. if you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, stop taking vesicare and get emergency help. tell your doctor right away if you have severe abdominal pain, or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision, so use caution while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects are dry mouth, constipation, and indigestion. i've worked hard to get to where i am... and i've got better places to go than always going to the bathroom. so take charge of your symptoms by talking to your doctor and go to vesicare.com for a free trial offer. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, if your car is totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. liberty mutual auto insurance.
1:40 pm
sgrnchts. have you wonder about the dangerous possibilities that occur from an astronaut with flach lance? tight spaces, flammable gases. deadly farts. another sign corporations aren't people. nasa was worried about this as well going back to the '60s. a set of studies have been revealed that show that scientists went o to great lengths to study the impact of different space diets on human methane production. some of the scientists thought it could cause an explosion. obviously, it didn't. but if nothing else, at least astronauts do appreciate the dietary breakthroughs that came from these experiences. it's hard enough to try to hold
1:41 pm
it in through a date, let alone a trip to the moon and back. next our skeptic with a message to fellow skeptics. life has never been so good. you name it...i've hooked it. but there's one... one that's always eluded me. thought i had it in the blizzard of '93. ha! never even came close. sometimes, i actually think it's mocking me. [ engine revs ] what?! quattro!!!!! ♪ i had[ designer ]eeling enough of just covering up my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. i decided enough is enough. ♪ [ spa lady ] i started enbrel. it's clinically proven to provide clearer skin. [ rv guy ] enbrel may not work for everyone -- and may not clear you completely, but for many, it gets skin clearer fast, within 2 months,
1:42 pm
and keeps it clearer up to 9 months. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal, events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. if you've had enough, ask your dermatologist about enbrel. take the privileged investing tools of wall street and make them simple, intuitive, and available to all. distill all that data. make information instinctual, visual. introducing trade architect, td ameritrade's empowering web-based trading platform.
1:43 pm
take control of your portfolio today. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up $600 when you open an account.
1:44 pm
we have to thank you for the advice on phillips' caplets. magnesium, right? you bet! phillips' caplets use magnesium. works more naturally than stimulant laxatives... for gentle relief of occasional constipation. can i get an autograph? [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. our breaking it down today. why life has never been so goods, my friends. there's massive unemployment, environmental problems, wealth inequality, world hunger.
1:45 pm
but according to to our next guest, who by the way is the resident skeptic, thing its have never been better. michael shermer is there. i'm conservatiskeptical. i'm going to be the skeptic today. so upward mobility is down compared to western europe. wealth inequality is up compared to this it country's history. unemployment is at high levels. poverty rs the highest level in the history of the census. how do you look at that data set and tell me things are better? >> we have to look at the long-term trends. so compared to 500 years ago, all of us are much wealthier than we have ever been. the annual average income was
1:46 pm
just a fraction of what it is today. you and i make almost double in real dollars what our parents made. just by virtue of the whole tide rising from more economic exchange with more countries. even though there's dips, the curve goes like a saw tooth. it's on the way up. compared to 10,000 years ago, everybody lived in dirt poverty. we're all wealthier. the problem is we have short-term memories. we only notice the immediate. and we also have something called loss aversion. losses hurt twice as much as gains feel good. we pay more attention to potential losses than gains. . we notice the dips down much more than we notice the long, steady climb up. and so that's what grabs our attention. then the media focuses on the
1:47 pm
bad news because that's what sells. the good news is a long, slow trend doesn't make breaking headlines. >> it's the best today it's been in the past 500 years, that would be a credible statement? >> absolutely. more of the stuff we like. more products. there was 50,000 new products introduced last year alone. we notice from the bar code, they have to keep expanding the number of bars and numbers because there's more products being introduced. more freedom and liberty and travel and internet exchange. more opportunities for all of us. on the downside of the ledger of things not as bad as they used to be. crime rate has plummeted.
1:48 pm
their focused pocketed crimes, the average american is not killing each other over the average european. you and i have a chance, a smaller chance. >> when you look at the averages, everything makes sense. but to borrow a phrase, if you hot spot it, there are clusters of people, and we talked about this yesterday with the incarceration of black men, who appear to be suffering tremendously. we were talking about how there are more black men in prison than we had slaves in 1850. how do you reconcile some of the atrocious data silos that represent unique problems in unique communities with your narrative? >> overall, death penalty is not
1:49 pm
existent in europe. even though we have the death penalty here, they almost never implement it. the overall trend is when this country there are over 200 crimes you could be put to death for. thievery, burglary, now there's only two crimes. first-degree homicide and treason against the state. it's better on that regard. now, is there still racism in police forces? probably. there's probably certain racial targeting that goes on. but even so, the crimes against blacks are much better than they were 50 years ago. lynchings are unheard of. rapes are down. child abuse is down.
1:50 pm
spousal murder is down. this is almost unheard of now. cruelty of animals is disappearing rapidly. all of these are spinoffs of the civil rights movement. these are extensions. we're becoming more human and empathetem pa thetic. >> i was reading in the notes that you attribute a lot of this positive trend to the enhanced connectivity we all share and awareness that we in california are more aware of egypt and more aware of china and south africa or south america. how does that factor in? >> there's three things that have lead to the decline of violence. a powerful state that monopolizes violence. commerce and trade, any opportunity you have to exchange with other people, you're less
1:51 pm
likely to kill them. if you're making my cars and computers, why would i bomb you? we can buy it much cheaper than we can invade and spend on armies. the third is openness. open governments that are in communication with each other. international peace keeping groups. international organizations which you're supposed to talk to each other before you invade. and look what happened. we jumped on him. 200 years ago, this happened all the time. the great powers in europe were at war with each other pretty much every year all the time. now this almost never happens. because the transparency of being connected with each other. so globally, of course, the global village is here with the internet. it makes it much harder to keep secrets. >> i want to show people the magazines. the way you're talking, you may have to change the title.
1:52 pm
>> i am optimistic, but you're correct to say, there are still problems. in africa and our own country. >> wonderful. we could all use that point of view. thank you so much. the book "the mind of the market." still ahead, we'll try to console the paccer nation. [ female announcer ] experience dual-action power, with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only listerine® that gets teeth two shades whiter and makes tooth enamel two times stronger. get dual-action listerine® whitening rinse. building whiter, stronger teeth. whee wheeeeeeeeeeeee! listewheeeeeeeeeeee! rinse. whee whee wheeeeeeeeeeee-he-he-heeeeee! whee whee wheeeeeeeeeeee!
1:53 pm
pure adrenaline. whee whee wheeeeeeeeeeee! everything you love about geico, now mobile. download the new geico app today. whee wheeeeeeeeeeee-he-he-heeeeee! the sleep number bed. the magic of this bed is that you're sleeping on something that conforms to your individual shape. you can adjust it to whatever your needs are. so whatever you feel like, the sleep number bed's going to provide it for you. and now, the company that redefined sleep is redefining memory foam. save $400 on our all-new memory foam bed. and at our white sale, stock up and save on our exclusive bedding collection. only at the sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699. but think about your heart. 2% has over half the saturated fat of whole milk. want to cut back on fat and not compromise on taste? try smart balance fat free milk. it's what you'd expect from the folks at smart balance.
1:54 pm
1:55 pm
our still reeling cheese
1:56 pm
head is here with a daily rant. >> dylan, every now and then we see a glimmer of hope that the american public can score one against the "greedy bastards." one glimmer occurred last week. back in november, i told you about a blatant case of corporate welfare run amok in a place we might not expect to find it. sports. sports leagues have one of the most anticonsumer devices i have ever seen. they are called sports blackouts. if a stadium hasn't sold out a couple days before the game, the league can tell local broadcasters not to air the game. forget taxpayers pay for the stadium, gave tax breaks to the owners. the owners get to take the games away. in these difficult times, people can't afford high ticket prices. stadiums don't sell out, and presto. no game on tv. if you're unemployed, in a town like cincinnati and buffalo and
1:57 pm
can't afford a ticket to the game, you go home to watch it on tv only to find out the game has been blacked out. you helped pay for the stadium, but you can't watch the game. it's beyond unfair. now all that is bad enough, but it gets worse. the federal government helps prop up the blackout system. in the 1970s, the sports leagues lobbied the fcc to establish the rule. the rule says if the league orders a blackout, sports fans cannot get the game through cable or satellite. in other words, the federal government makes sure that when a sports league orders a blackout, the fan has absolutely, positively, no way to get that game. talk about corporate welfare run amok. i told you a few weeks ago we can do something about it. i mentioned a nonprofit group that some friends of mine and i cofounded. we drafted a legal petition to the fcc that called for
1:58 pm
eliminating the sports blackout rule. and legendary groups joined us including public knowledge, national consumers league, and league of fans. well, folks, late last week in response to our petition, the fcc decided to open a formal proceeding to consider eliminating the sports blackout rule. for the first time in almost four decades, a rule designed by a few is going to get a good, hard look by the public. if you're a sports fan, check out our website to join our effort. if you're not a sports fan, take from this turn of events the simple truth that consumers, citizens, folks with passion can make a difference. after all if we can get corporate welfare out of sports, make we can get money out of politics. >> wonderful news, david. quickly. how do you ensure they are not just indulging you and you can get something done here?
1:59 pm
>> well, it's going to take time and effort and numbers. we're set. we have 30,000 people signed up around the country. we're going to get a lot more. we're going to take them to the fcc so they can express their views that the federal government shouldn't be in the business of keeping sports from fans. >> i love it. i couldn't help but notice in a very well-presented and articulate sporting rant that there was a particular, i'm a 49ers fan. the 49ers benefitted from a lot of turnovers against the new orleans saints. but there seemed to be a lot of turnovers from another team last weekend. is it ringing any bells? >> dylan, all i can say it that i'm a loyal fan and i will not say anything bad about the packers on television. it was a tough game. i was looking forward to e meeting your 49ers in a playoff. it will have to wait until next year. >> here comes the gold rush.

142 Views

info Stream Only

Uploaded by TV Archive on