Check it out! Our pal Bill Scher has been invited to the the White House. We talk about how that happened, and dig into the Progressive Breakfast.
We also talk to Chris Hellman of the National Priorities Project, whose work has also been used by the White House, as well as the media, to help people see where their tax dollars are going. He’s on a new task force looking at ways to cut the defense budget in order to reduce the deficit.
Iraq war veteran Tyler Boudreau talks about the proposed resolution to bring the war dollars home, and the need to have better conversations about the issue.
According to the National Priorities Project, Northampton spends about $40,000 a day on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now the city is mulling a resolution to bring those dollars home. We talk to activist and pacifist Paki Wieland about the cost of war. We also hear the lowdown about her recent arrest and trial for protesting President Obama’s failure to keep his promise to close Guantanamo, and the differences between how she was treated and how the Tea Partiers were treated.
Northampton City Council President David Narkewicz responds to critics who say that the council should not be taking a stand on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and should stick to local issues. He also talks transparency and trash.