what? even without a public option, will the reform effort get more poeople insured but mean higher costs? plus, uncle sam looks to take over the student loan business...how that could affect private lenders and why some are not convinced it will mean big savings for students. and...nine years and billions of dollars later...u.s. troops still fighting in afghanistan as more troops may be needed. the high cost of conflict...it's all ahead on this editiion of first business. belau banks and buds will command everybody ahead of poke the market action the dollar seemed continue historic move down and supporting u.s. stock prices and commodity prices almost across-the-board banks and allows now with the federal government fdic bank depository insurance making some noise about possibly having to x its own industry for a bailout of its own due to all the massive bank bill lost. we continue to see a lot of concern about this

bank insurance bond bundling would more more banks failing. another big day for investors as we are expecting a decision on interest rates from the federal reserve on wednesday afternoon. investors are also seen as the federal reserve is more optimistic on prospects of a recovery there more importantly are we going to be looking for clues as to when the federal reserve might began raising interest rates and as we know the timing of that is so critical because of their wants to fight inflation but they don't want to kill off any more coverage. this is a fond how often in house and with the federal reserve is gonna put this project to soak up a massive liquidity injected into the global economy over the past year. sweeping new changes could be coming to the student loan business... the federal government is looking to take it over from private lenders... in hopes of saving billions of dollars. but some in education say these changes don't necessarily add

up to huge savings for students. the overhaul of the student loan business... would mean the federal government would originate all student loans... cutting private lenders out of the process - and saving billions of dollars in fees. the hope is that the government's direct loan program... would be able to offer lower cost loans... with direct loan program.. students going to school.. cutting out middle man basically students say any type of reform is desperately needed. i have friend working full time.. trying to go to school.. only afford 1 class a quarter.. that's unfortunate the congressional budget office says this bill would save 87 billion dollars over 10 yeras.. by originating all student loans through the federal government... the savings would be used to increase pell grants and help keep interest rates on federal loans a little more affordable. i think it'll have an impact on interest rates .. i just don't think it'll have that much of an impact on student level.. save 30 dollars a month.. yeah.. savings.. not going to change their life paula luff.. with the financial aid office at depaul university says the most beneficial change involves pell grants..

that scholarship would be increased to more than 55- hundred next year... and go up every year until reaching 69- hundred in 2019 but luff says another potential changes to the perkins loan program may not be all positive. students that are using perkins loan program.. could be a blow to them under the new legislation, that low cost federal student loan program.. would be expanded to include three times more colleges... but.. the downside.. is that students may not be able to defer the interest on those loans. students who had program before

might not have the the money availale to them and they are taking away subsidy portion... students accrue interset while they are in school paula luff.. grades the overall reform effort a "b" - but it seems many students are ready for even the smallest changes to the current system. i think it's confusing.. in the end students are hurt.. and drop out. the money isn't there at home.. can't get loans at banks... so many things wied conundrum the house of representatives has already passed its version of the student aid and fiscal responsibility act of 2009 - another version is in the process of being drafted in the senate... no word yet on when the senate could vote on its proposal. while there are several versions of health insurance reform on capitol hill, a key senate committee could vote on the latest proposal before the end of the week. the senate finance committee has taken the lead with its $856 billion proposal over 10 years, which

already has attracted more than 500 amendments. the legislation aims to expand health care to all americans by mandating coverage and providing tax breaks for those who may not be able to afford it. the most important issues in healthcare are getting people covered. and getting the system to work better so that we don't waste as much money. i think the public option contributes but it is not by any stretch the single most important factor david culter has worked on health care for years, including helping the clinton white house efforts 15 years ago. and the most recent senate proposal does not include a public option. instead, it expands medicaid with the goal of rooting out waste and fraud. however, some worry that if any government plan forces doctors to accept less money than it costs them to provide the care, it will continue to shift costs to the insured. if a public plan works the same way in reducing costs by cutting what providers are

getting below their costs, its only going to....the problem we current exists with huge cost shifting back to employers so instead of paying 100 percent of a fee they're paying 150 percent of a service because the providers are not getting paid enough. tomorrow on first business, as the latest reform legislation takes shape...a look at spending health care dollars more efficiently. is been nearly impossible for the bears to put to read days together in a role in september that's been the case this week we have drawers back with us over at the cme group and i can see some red on the screen aboard behind you bugboy none of this is involved with equities don't read it we are seeing is really with the dollar currency getting weaker. good morning tom how are you? the dollar just keeps getting weaker and it's been a long-term slide against a few days of a job and it continues to get weaker. a lot of traders thinks that's why the asset classes are going up equities and commodities gold is hitting new highs is handing out their crude oil is coming back. it shouldn't be at these levels this. alive and we think we it has to do with the dollar going down. so how sustainable is that? how much of a house of

cards is that? when it comes to equities? it's hard to say i think it is sustainable because i always measured with the buying was like that in the day compared to the day before and i look at the so-called signs of distribution institutional selling and i not seen any of that. it's as higher volume of today's hot your volume of dates so maybe it's everyone who missed the rally is now starting to pour money into robbins' 2016 will for a while. one of the other ideas that we have pearl bailey is that it does look, the fiscal year for a neutral forum they have been big buyers of this rally and that may begin to break as we move into october and november any system that can be a concern? that can always be because they are reshuffling their portfolios and i never try to predict that i did try to look at the market action and do the same. look for those high-volume selling days if easy to many of those and set with a little bit of trouble. right now last high-volume selling day we saw on september 1st at george what does our and be group over at the cme group.

still to come is it time for employees and their companies to start rethinking their values....why one author thinks so...that's coming up later. but first...the cost of conflict...how much the war in afghanistan is costing us...and how much could more troops cost?

while healthcare and the economy have been in the headlines, the war in afghanistan is about to enter its ninth year. and it comes as the top u-s commander in afghanistan is expected to ask for more troops and equipment just as congress considers a $630 billion defense spending bill. jack amberg is the senior director of veterans programs with the mccormick foundation after spending 26 years in the army. jack is nice to me welcome to

the program. thanks for having me is a pleasure to be here. what are the economics of financial implications should the troop increase proposal come to the white house and be approved eventually? i did until final decisions are maybe one know the exact points but if we look back in history f y 07 was an increase for every 7200 troops to many to wonder increase was 510 million. for the training peace in the train peace means strain of afghan army etc. there was 5.5 billion that was just of 107 that was an increase. some 7000 troops a few years ago with a total price tag of about five and a half billion dollars. best correct. could take as a 40,000 thing you can do the math on how much is going to cost. so this extends not only with military operations but the equipment as well doesn't it? there's a lot that goes along with buying all the stuff. you need a liquid and don't forget the parts. all the transmission fluid those

things have to be included. but you also have a security that to continue to be funded if you have to reconstruction efforts in the foreign aid efforts don't forget the embassy operations and security and so on. finally there is a piece when they come home. the city tour and three of course is p k as these posttraumatic stress disorder and a half to be paid for when i come back home so there's a be a piece. almost as ring is night year as we look at the fiscal 2010 proposal for the defense department with for the first time in a long time actually includes direct in afghanistan spending six turned a 30 billion spending overall return of this for the next screen will split off $1.- 2064771072 here includes a hundred four building for operations 24 billion hit 20 billion for the quick and as the medical expense cost. i have to say $1 billion is a lot but it doesn't sound like a lot considering the sheer number of troops that sold over the long

severity of some of these posttraumatic stress disorders and other problems. if you look at the study done in 2008 they are predicting that at that time was 350,000 troops who came back with p t as d. both estimates are up today up to 49%. but some kind of subject substance abuse substance addiction so all of that factor and if we have $1 billion in there's only tent thousand troops been paid for does only 100,000 if you take that over 15 to 20 years will get our be a non-event prince and see that the p t as deacon was 15 to 20 years and some of them are only suffering symptoms and a significant cost increase in the years of have finally after actual operation at gonna stand is not a u.s. abrogation is a nato obligation in and of the content we have seen the administration pulled back from nato with its plans missile defense program and poland talk

to us about this global risk game that seemed to be going on when nato and the united states pull him back from one operation what asking for more contributions to another. you can call it global risk but i wonder if the global balance because you have a lot of folks who have scan and began for a lot of this stuff. one look at our alliance. the star article 5 of the alliance that was signed what is the role of those military's as that same general was asking for more troops. mommy say that we pull back from poland and chuckles about the of but we promise to put bases in their dear is gonna be impact on their i don't think there would almost as good or bad. but it will be up to the diplomats said they discussed. we appreciate the incisive think it's a much for the years of terrorism. he's with the court

foundation. online items rock band "kiss" teams up with wal-mart....on our website...hear about their latest venture...plus how the band has remained relevant in music and business. and...a former s-e-c chairman discusses rating agencies and why they're coming under the microscope lately...you can find these stories and more on our website...firstbusinessx.com. and straight ahead on the show.... why one author says "business as usual" cannot continue if companies are to survive this recession...that's coming up next.

this great recession has forced many people and companies to rethink and reprioritize their financial lives. the home equity lines are gone, credit card bills are coming due. customers are hanging on by a thread. will marre is the author of "save the world & still be home for dinner." it's nice to me well and to the program. the u.s. economy for better than a generation filled by consumption we have seen the dow back willie do you think that has any legs to with that it will continue to be reduced? i think it's a permanent reduction at some level recent pull the 47 of sense of americans have the things they

need for that doesn't really bode well for more consumption. i think the real opportunity is in a whole new wave of production. that is a huge economic shift because the u.s. economy again for a couple of generations really post-world war two has been built upon a greater degree of consumption year after year. we saw that the report to the test. how does the economy appeared to look if it is built on sustainability in productivity? and how to do about it this way. we have about 4 billion people in the world really want a chance at a decent life. the light and heat in that needs to be provided for them in order to provide that in the way the system board thing we do have to be reinvented every product we make every service will deliver periods of economic opportunity is immense people can see the future. what you mean by sustainability "

mark is a word has gotten a lot of cachet in the week but how you define it? with both the pre phases to first base is really green thinking and corporate social responsibility about the environment can people take that as a do your test the sustainability really came into our thinking of people discovered we can save a lot of money by eliminating waste to look like it really cost saving measure. a third way is up and i called sustainable abundance which is how do we create an abundant world and with that is sustainable and way that maximizes our use of present resources. to resolve the ways of providing a real one. critics may said its a stable of abundance is what got wall street in trouble trying to maximize the credit problem was a mental the last couple of years of we seen this great depression take hold and release financial industry we think the role of credit what kind of impact and does one have on business and how it evolves? i can't access of prayer returned once people have the courage to see the future. right now is really difficult for this picture is murky the other problem mannes our whole world view in whole economic view has been viewed as a way to the eyes of months is a sin of everything. why we are trying to do now is pretty about you sustainability rather than create money by export taking our planet. or exploiting our planet and our people. value is

an interesting work because that's something that is always halts in economy approaches value can be different the parent the pig upon your place in the economy right? crowd of four years we have refocused on volume and affluence mean the same things in now read much more aware of the quality of life or standard of life rather than the standard of living. maybe we ought to be shooting for. what role does this play? what role does the private employers play? being revolutionized right as we speak because for four years we've had business schools say that leadership is all about how you manage assets to produce money. romance and self interest alone is not sufficient to create the kind of innovation that is currently possible in needed to create a future sustainability. it business school have to retool everything in has to be a new model of leadership which is really what my book is about. the book is save the world and still be home for dinner.

but coming up in chart talk and look at one company stock that may never be a high flier again if the federal government takes over the student loan business.

now in the coming weeks the senate is going to be drafting this proposal on student loan reform as the government is looking to take over this business is really going to have a big impact on companies like

sallie mae. s l m the ticker symbol and a new name of the company caught about rising from the ashes. this stain was $4 a share at the height of the credit crisis back in the springtime is basically double since then but relief deadline in you haven't seen a lot of volatility despite this new legislation reported earlier. there's a lot of uncertainty with this company and its stock could take a look at the history back in 2006 and 2007 used to be a high flier began nearly fell off a cliff in late 2007 when these government reform efforts were being made public and basically under these new efforts sally mae his fifties new efforts become law sally mae would not be able to originate any student loans backed by the federal government and that is why the stock is having so much trouble. if it seems like it's flat aligned a lot of uncertainty and you mentioned in the market shareholders are really trying

to figure out what direction the s l m want to go. other this legislation depending go which way and go the government could allow for sallie mae to bid on some contracts to service loans after they have been made by the government. it says it could have a business model for a fee-for-service. we want to hear from you for free comments at first business x. c o m or the boys milk 3126608397. see you online or back here next time. seem smooth and strong to irreversible damage. no different. irreversible loss of enamel. enamel shield enamel loss by forming against acid attack. toothpastes dentists check most. save your enamel. be gone for good. enamel shield. with the rinse.

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