♪ ♪ >> business news from the capital region. this is "washington business report," with abc 7 national correspopondent rebecca cooper. >> thanks for joining us for a first look at business and finance and how it affecects you. coming u up today should an employer pay foror workers to fit, lose weight, or stop smoking? our top experts s say yes. and a week with busy ups and downs for the market experts s weigh in with what to expect for the year ahead, and ways t to invevest wisely. the first, theoungederal worker who went t on to serve in the alexexandria city council then as mayor, and has spent more than two decades in congress. anan. not at the u.s.s. capol, bubut in

the ighborhood where the young republican tned to macwrite got his star-- d ray, , at the popular saintlmo plus coff shop. -- saint elmo's coffee shop. we talked about his cononviction that the constituent cacan wield enormous influence. jim moran, this is officially your last day as a member ofof congress, january 2. have youou been kicked out of your office space? we are at saint elmo's cafe. this is perfect. this is where you got started in del ray. tell us about what it feels like. do you feel like you are presiding over your own funeral doing all these interviews after 35 years in public service? >> it has b been a nice victory lap of sorts. i am caught in a number of lifetime legacy award things. it has been gratifying. everybody who said they voted

for meme 35 years actulyid, i would -- i would have 100% electoral victories. everyo has been vevery nice about it. >> every time i talk to you, you are enormously frustrated by the current state of congress. how badly broken is it? can we fix it? like say can be fixed and it has to be fixed. -- >> it can be fixed and it has to be fixed. this country has to function. >> but will it? that's the problem is, congress is doing exactly what coconstituents want it to do which is nothing. a lot of people have voted for members ofongress because they did not want them to get anything done. they sort of want a dysfunctional congress, because they do not feel that this government represents their interests. fortunately, we have too many people with that objective in mind, to just say no to

everything. like that is a very good point.t. the way the system is working now, you do not get to debate and fully discuss the sues to decide wheer or not we should have fewer laws, smaller government. it is all gridlock, and not even debate. >>art of that is the way congress is structured. you have the rules committee, as you well know, rebecca. the best amdments are not allowed the floor. you often have closed rules. you can only vovote up or down, a lot of times. the most important taxes and the like.e. the amendments that would fix it, that would pass with fe times the vote, are not allowed on the floor, because there are many people who want that kind of partisanshihip. it helps to raise money. it helps to create a more divivisive electorate. it is helpful to some people to

have a polarized congress and a polarized electorate. it is down to some peoeople in the media. >> word to this beginning -- where do you point to this beginning? do you trace it to fundraising? do you trace it toto the calendar, wherere legislators are less often in washington? others point to the media and say it was so shrill. what do you point to? >> the answer is all of the above. i was in congress in the 1990's, when we get a lot of things done. notwithshstanding the so-called ngrich congress which i think did change t things -- it took a while, but there was aivot to nationalize in congressional elections. over time, we have taken away the ability of individual members of congresess to deliver anything further district. the only way to get elected is to run on national issues, to be

able to attract money from outside. and we have a media that benefits from this kind of polarizazation that is taking place. you have an echo chamber government. on t the right, you have fox news and hate radio, i call it. onhe left, you have msnbc, and to somome extent public radio. >> i am stilill lening things about you. i thght i knew everything. the church news press, you told them you were shy. they had the same reaction i did, which was, shy? you said, you were so shy whenn you first ran for office, your kids were mortified because you fainted twice when you had to do public speaking. >> i froze. i memorize my speech. i could see it was not going over.

there was a red cross volunteer group. they used the smelling salts. they fainted a second time. the second time, i remember goinaughter with her hands over her ears and my son with his head between his knees, wanting to be swallowed up into the earth. the second group that asked me to spe was firefighters. i was so nervous that i started talking out smoke alarms and so on. the firefighters, i could see they were talking to each other. what is he talking about? know, i am laying out oaa stretcher. >> if somebody came to you, a small businessman or a person with a local concern, and they said, how cacan i influence congress -- the process is changed so much. what would you tell them are the

ways you can still be effective innfluencing federal legislation. -- federal legislation? >> people have far more influence than they realize. number one, do your homework so you know what you are talking about. people come to see me for an issue, and it is clear i know more about the issue than they do. it is not effective. secondly, speak out within the neighborod. then try to express yourself in letters to the editor. write the letters to members of congress. and if you are a constituent write letters. most eleed officials understand that it is not just the majority of people who vote for them who keep them in office. what really matters is the intensity of the people who are

going to be engaged. those people who feel iensely about issues make an enormous difference. those are the ones you have to watch. it is not the people who sit on the sidelines most of the time and may or may not vote at election time. it is the people who get engaged. those are the people you need to watch. and you need to be conscious of what they are thinking a and what they are caring abouout. >> thanknk youor joining us on "washington business report." coming up, should the boss be paying to help folks lose weight and stop smoking?

>> it is time for the small business spotlight

many small businessessave a tough time devoting the right time and rources to employee wellness, either it be health, education and coaching, helping employees lose weight, or helping them stop smoking. it i is tough to decide how mu of a an investment to make. joining us to discuss wellllness in the workplaces even dale at mh m -- joining u us are experts on wellnlness in theorkplace. ethan you are a good mentor in teacaching other how to do this, and yoyou practicee w what you preach. let us start with why it important to tea wellness, not just offer health h insurance. q, rebca. there are three primary reasons wellness is important to an organization. foremost, a wellness strategy helps s improve health tcomes for r participants in their health plan. that helps the business from a cost perspective. 75% of the costs are treated to chronic illnesses, any of whi can be prevented.

the second factor is, it relatetes employee health and well-being. for a a business or organization, thatat translates to productivity. the costs related to reduced productivity from weless are multiples the actual health care expenses themselves. the third reason is to improve employee retention and employee morell. > he e -- and employee morale.. >> he is talkiking about keeping up productivity and engaged emoyees, rucing costs. >>e want to make sure we are attracting the best tent. if we can prorovide really s strong wellness programss and preventatitive maintenan programs for theheir health, we are going to attract and keep great. i work with so many small businesses across the region. theyre in a talent w. this is a huge stregegic advante they can offer. >> you a not saying everyone has to have a treadmill at their desk and two-hour lunchreak to go to the cal gym and exercise.

you are saying there are realllly productive ways you can get this dodone. >> there are five principles to organizations developing a wellness strategy. the first is backing up the tone athe top. the executives have to buy into it. these are not hr projects. the executive tm has to be on board. >> when i see ceo's do the weight loss strategy, it seems to catch fire with everyone. >> if executes are willing to do that, t staff want to jump on board. otheher things that can strong influee e the how of these programs are making sure you have the right partners. midsize and large businesses,s, you can have brokers as well as carriers, l of which have skin in the game. carriers do not want health care costs to incase. you play to thorganizations' strengths. leadership has to decididwhat makes sense. >> marissa, weigh in on what you

think the ceo can do to fluence why everyone would engage in this. it canan be tricky talalking to people about their health, their weight, their smoking habits. >> i am the ceo of a company ththat had a lot of employees. feel that all leadership is always under the microscope, the way we conduct ourselves. that includes not just what goes inside thehe o office, but what goes on outside the office. >> do you approach peoplee individually, or just try to set the tone for the entiroffice? you really have to wk a fineine. that is an hr issue. you cann wait into their personal life. ---- wade into their personal life. but we need to sethe tone for the whole company and the emoyee as well. the information experts, when we were in ouour last office space we picked it bec it was next to the gym, off the trail, and we had showers and there. >> i used a bike to my old job

cnn, cause we had great shower facilitieies. talk aut how you praice what u preach at your own company. >> we e have taken i ito the point of the intrusiveveness or tential drawbabacks of a wellness strategy, takina carrot-bed approroacach. we havmonetary incentives rr peoplehat are gettingg phicals completeted on an anannual basis. we first implemented a a $200 a year monetary incenve. numbers nt from 30% of people getting physicals to over 70% o of people getting physicals. we payay a few h hundred dollars a year for people t to do weit management programs. we reduce the e cost of medicatitions for chronic illnesses. we have implemented telemedicine to reduce the co-pay, as well as increase the acceptability for participatioin our proam. >> we ve to wrap, but overall it is working. good tips for the nenew year. a healthy way for small businesses t to get going g on the right track. during thihis commercial break, we are going toe dusting off the crtal ball. he bught in the best to offer

business predictions for 2015.

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hurry! it's your last chance. this offer ends january 17th. call the verizon center for customers with disabilities at 800.974.6006 tty/v >> welcomeme back. it is time for the roundtable. tw of the best will be looking into their cryst ball to prict the economic outlook for 2015. it was a rough year for the dow. investors who so far love lower gas pres sent the market lower, panicking when the pricice of a barrel of crude fell below $50. there were encouraging job numbers on friday b but paychecks are not keeping pace.

wages rein flat. that is not good news for a sumer confidence to gain steam. what is hot and what is not i in is new economic year? at the roundtable, two regulars. nathan is named by the washington busess journal for his power 100 list. anand larry glassman was picked by "washingtonian magazazine" as one of the region's totop financial advisors. is it a buy or sell year? >> thanks for askiking t button -- the blunt question. there are three big elemenents. two are brand-new and did not exist a year ago. congress -- we are likely to see some things pa. i do not know if they will be vetoed or not, but they are likely to pass. the send thing is s the price of oioil and what that is doing. we will talklk about abo that. the third thing is ththe value of the dollar that is having an enormous impacact on lot of o cocompanies around our country a the world. >> you could take ch of those

three thingsgs and say there is goodod and bad within them. get backo theasic question. ifif someone walks into your office and says, am i buying or selling, what are you telling th? >> we are remaining diversrsified.d. congress, oil, and the dollar ve oh positive and negative effects. unlike 2008, when it was all negative, all these things changing can have a positive impact on certain parts of our economy. >> you are the venture capitalist. tell ushereo buy y and where to sell. >> cl -- sell europe. i think e germans are going to have theirehman brorothers moment with grace. think greece is going to o be out of t the euro. i am a big buyer on the united states. i thk the u.s. econo -- i think oil is gng to be a great thing to thehe american nsumer. the saudi's in particular are trying tdrive the u.s. oil industry bacunderground, like

they did when they drove the price down to $20 a barre20 or so years ago. the big story is how it w will lay out. i believe that t if congress behaves it, and we do not have another shutdown fight this cocould turn out to be a great year forhe u.s. ecomy. >> i am from oklahoma. i knknow the cost of drilling. that below $50 a brel worries me for the region i grew up in. theyre taking a hit already. what i worry about the ripple effect on the national enomy if oil prices go too low. isn't more of a withan a loss? >> it is not that low oil prices have a ripipple effect in the economy. low oil prices say something serious about whahat professials believe we are going to see as far as growth in the u.s. an abroad. >> theres confidedence because they like seeing extra money in theiwallets.

>> when investors believe that ere is not enough grorowth, that china, emerging markets, and others will not be growing, willll not be manufacturing, they are not going to bid up oil. >> the u. economy, most of i it is dven by consumption. about 10% is driven by exportsts. oil prices are going down for one or two reasons. there is too much oil because of deflation ieurope, china slslowing down, you pants terrible demographicscs. or it is going to be gre for the u.s. economy because consnsumerwill be ablele to o drive the world.d. it i is an open ququestion. it readydy for lots of volatility. the long u.s. dollars and u.s. assets. >> he said youou gave a green light for the year ahead to the u.s. economy. i gave a yellow light. i feel like there are precautionary flags. i include things like china's slowdown. where do you see that in the year ahead? >> i look at sentiment.

eryone says the united states is the place to be and people hate your area -- hateurope. we consider that. if you are a eurean companany exporting to the u.s., j just now a positive cause they are receiving more currency as the dollar rises, and their energy costs are plummeting it such a positive for them. having said that, ifou own certain mutual funds or investments that have currency risk to them, t that came completely off james. >> we have about -- offset gains. >> wages are still stagnanant. >> you have new home construction that is notoing on. where is the concer is it the wages being flat? people are still reluctant to get too deeply -- >> and lower energy pres will certainly help costco, target, and walmart. people are not buying homes because oil is down.

>> we are going to have 2% to 3% gdp growth, but still have problems with income distbution and inequality. it is the way it is now. >> diversify. we do not know exactly what is going happen.i agrevolatility is here to stay >> thank you. we will be right back.

>> we have just enough time for a pop quiz i want to sign out b saying what you think is the best sector for growtwth in 2 2015,nd which has stororm clouds ahead. >> internet t of things. cyber securirity. poised for growth. hate exports right now. bothered a lot by e doar. >> low oil, strong dollar - -- love the tral industry, global travel. if i don't say energy, it is the states d dependent on energy. >> join us next week f for ashington business report." [captioned bthe nationonal captioning institute which is responsible f for its caption content and accu

quick this week on "government matters" -- >> the system is transforming the way humans interact with vast amountsts of unstructured data, often referred to as a data. >> watson has a new job at the department of veterans affairs improving lives of injured service members. >> this is an arms race. china, russia, multiple nations are developing more intelligent armed drones. >> mordrones, more problems. when does artificial intelligence begin to do more harm than good? >> this is supported by every president and congress for a quarter-century. one member of congress -- not one member of congress has ever seen one piece of the program. i would like the pentagon to release information.