don't think that's the solution all right thank you very much for coming on the show that was kevin powell author and activist. well you know the mantra of less is more and some people are taking that saying very seriously it's called the tiny house movement and it's a growing trend in the us people are cramming all their earthly possessions into houses the size of some bathrooms no mortgages no foreclosures and no one to answer to have these people found the key to making at through these trying economic times and they did make mansions are the producer meghan lopez introduces us to people who say when it comes to owning a home bigger isn't always better. it was the quintessential american dream get a stable job buy a big house in the suburbs with a white picket fence and fill it with a couple of kids and maybe even a dog but these days the real american dream just may look like this or this or even this it's all part of a growing trend in the u.s. known as the small house movement and it asks americans to do something that is quite an american who live within their means during the reces

kevin powell, whose new book is a collection of essays called barack obama, ronald reagan and the ghosting in which he writes there is no denying each, at his specific time, has been both a catalyst and a lightning rod for the raw nerves of this rocky but grand experiment we call the american democracy. good morning. >> morning. >> why unite these three for the title? >> you look at the last 40, 45 years in american history, there's no denying that ronald reagan, barack obama and dr. king have been some of the most important figures in terms of inspiring, leading to reactions and all kinds of movements in this country. dr. king, the civil rights movement, ronald reagan is the leader of the conservative movement and barack obama, what he has represented the last four or five years as a presidential candidate, including that historical election in 2008 and all the racks to him since then. i don't think there are any other figures in my mind that have had the kind of impact they've had on american history. >> tie in ronald reagan for me. some would say i can see barack obama and dr. king a

>> i was at an election night party that was hosted by the activist and writer kevin powell. and it was somewhere in new york city, and my wife and i attended the event, and the atmosphere was completely electric. i mean, it was like being at a club. it was like being at a party, and it was an election, you know, experience. it was election night sort of viewing of the results. i remember being better and standing next to kevin and watching the monitor and watching the different states reporting, the exit polls reporting, all of the different numbers that were coming in. and for the first time really starting to believe that yes, it could happen, that barack obama could be elected president of the united states. and when the announcement was made when they declared the winner, when they declared president barack obama, i remember just standing there in just a total shock, just looking at the monitor and looking at the various images of people celebrated across the country, feeling the vibration and energy in the room. i mean, people hugging each other. people who don't even k

>> i was at an election night party that was hosted by the various kevin powell and it was summer in new york city in the atmosphere was complete electric. it was like being in the club, a party, but it was an election experience. it was sort of debuting a result. i remember being there and watching the monitor and the different speech reporting the exit polls and reporting all of the different numbers coming in. and for the first time really starting to believe yes, it could happen that barack obama could be elected president of the united states. and when the announcement was made in a declared the winner, with a declared president barack obama, our member standing there in total shock, just looking at the monitor and document the various images of old celebrating across the country, feeling the vibration and energy in the room. i mean, people hugging each other. people that don't even know each other hugging each other. it was really friendly that night cheered and their members spilling out into the streets of new york city and people standing in the middle of the street, praying