News Roundup - Hour 1
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-10-15/news-roundup-hour-1
Both parties prepare for the final stretch of the midterm campaigns. A federal judge halts the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. And bank foreclosures reach a new high. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
Guests
Michael Duffy
assistant managing editor, TIME magazine.
Janet Hook
Congressional correspondent, The Wall Street Journal.
Chris Cillizza
author of The Fix, a Washington Post politics blog, and managing editor of PostPolitics.com.
News Roundup Video
The Diane Rehm Show (http://88-5.us/dfJ5Fv): The panelists discuss a federal judge's ruling to halt the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy:
The panelists respond to a listener's comment, indicative of many similar comments the show received, revealing discontent with the news that the government won't increase social security benefits in 2011:
Comments
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Thankfully my husband and I no longer have a mortgage, but it has to be a nightmare for millions of families, many who were "fooled" into their mortgages. Now it's clear that the banks didn't follow proper procedures. There hasn't been sufficient discussion on this topic concerning all the families who wanted more detail and wanted to meet with someone (the owner of the mortgage...) to work out a papyment plan, but NO, they couldn't do that. They should have been allowed certain legal procedures before they were forced to move (often moving before the police actually came to evict them but after they saw no way forward any longer after figuratively slamming their heads against the wall).
Social Security COLA's are based on total inflation. In 2009, recipients received about a 5.8 percent increase because the price of gasoline had risen so dramatically by September 2008, the time for measurement. COLA's will not rise again until the third quarter index exceeds the index for third quarter 2008. -- Peggy Kruse, St. Louis
Social Security COLA's are based on the CPI not core inflation. The reason there has been no increase in SS payments for the last two years is because there was a too large increase (5.8%) for 2009.
The constant referance to the economy using buzz words has let people speak about economics enthusiasticaly, but ask them crucial questions and they have few answers, I refer to dianne's comment about core inflation, if she was concerned about food prices why doesn't she discuss the subsidation of the food industry through the farm bill. The rule of seven is in full effect here (that being; hearing something enough(7 from different sources) times makes you believe something wholeheartedly. Ametuers plagerize while professionals steal.
I have heard some comments regarding the inability to determine just who is the holder of mortgages now that the mortgages have been bundled and sold. If the bank processing the mortgage cannot identify the actual holder of the mortgage does this house of cards collapse?
When banks violate the law it's "improper paperwork". If I did that it would be "fraud" and I'd go to jail.
How do I get a deal like that?
Do we need protection from the Big Governement or from Big Business? We have representatives in one of these institutions, and not in the other. The answer will tell you if you're a democrat or a republican. The democrats need to explain this to the public.
I think that the republicans and other reactionaries will find that their no no no policies will not find favor with the majority of the population. The manner in which they sabotaged the health care bill for the interests of the insurance lobbies is a perfect example. The talk of companies pulling out of the market in order to avoid covering children with pre existing conditions means they will have to rely on the government subsidised health care.
Does this indicate a single payer system will evolve by default?
Your panel says that the republicans will not use the results of the coming midterms as a mandate?
They mention the public's short term memory.
What about the panel's memory. Didn't President George W Bush act as if he had a landslide victory in both his elections?
The Republicans will act as if a strong message was sent to Washington that they don't like what the Dems have done.
Contrast that to President Obama's not using his landslide victory to really push all points of his agenda.
Just to confirm what a couple of other listeners have already mentioned - the Social Security increase is tied to the CPI-W which does include costs associated with rent, some medical costs, food, gas, & oil. The law determining the formula for Social Security increases was passed by Congress in 1972. Because of peaking gasoline prices in the 3rd quarter of 2008, Social Security recipients received an unusually large 5.8% increase in benefits for 2009. Gasoline prices subsequently fell, but inflation must now rise above what it was at that point in 2008 for there to be additional Social Security increases. For a thorough explanation, check out this article from factcheck.org (written to explain what happened last year but also pertinent for today's situation.) http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/social-security-cola/ (I was surprised that none of your commentators were familiar with these facts.)
I am sorry as I usually like the Friday New Round-Up. However, your guest are sadly misinformed about the foreclosure crisis issue that has emerged in the last few weeks. First, there have been several documented mistaken foreclosures, including foreclosures of properties which were not subject to any mortgage loan. Second, the lack of proper documentation cuts to the core of property ownership and property rights to a substantial number of residential properties in the US. Third, this issue threatens in the very short term to undermine the financial stability of many major lenders, including Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo. Your guest are about ten days out of date on their analysis and clearly have not reviewed the reporting on this issue in any depth. I am very disappointed. Please have a show on this specific issue asap.