Archives

Date

Concern for Credit Card Companies

By Laura Knoy on Monday, March 30, 2009.

The credit card industry is facing some difficult times. On one side defaults have risen to a twenty year high. On the other side, Congress, frustrated with bailouts, high rates and punitive fees, is hoping to pass strict new regulations. We’ll look at how the credit card industry may fare given rough economic times and consumer frustration.

Guests

  • Russ Thibeault, President of Applied Economic Research in Laconia
  • Nessa Feddis, Vice President and Senior Counsel at the American Bankers Association
listen: Windows Media | MP3

What’s Next for the Death Penalty

By Laura Knoy on Sunday, March 29, 2009.

Last week the State House voted to abolish capital punishment for the the second time in a decade. But death penalty opponents still have a hard fight ahead of them: the bill will face a tough time in the Senate and the governor has alluded to vetoing the measure if it reaches his desk. We’ll look at the deep emotions and politics behind this latest vote and what may happen next to the bill.

Guests

  • Arnie Alpert, New Hampshire Program Coordinator for the American Friends Service Committee, and a member of the steering committee of the New Hampshire Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
  • David Hess, Republican state representative from Hooksett, Deputy Republican Leader and author of the original death penalty bill in 1974

We'll also be joined by

listen: Windows Media | MP3

Preempted for Live Coverage of President's Address

By NHPR Staff on Thursday, March 26, 2009.

Today's program on same-sex marriage will be preempted so we may bring you live coverage of President Obama's address on US policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan. NPR's Linda Wertheimer will host; she'll be joined by NPR’s Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving, NPR's Jackie Northam, who's reported extensively from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and NPR Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman.

A Climate Action Plan for New Hampshire

By Laura Knoy on Wednesday, March 25, 2009.

In December 2007, Governor John Lynch established a Climate Change Policy Task Force and asked them to develop a Climate Action Plan for New Hampshire. The report was released on Wednesday. We'll look at the state of New Hampshire’s climate, what the report recommends and how we might act on those recommendations given today’s economic struggles.

Guests

listen: Windows Media | MP3

Medical Marijuana

By Laura Knoy on Tuesday, March 24, 2009.

A new bill would allow severely ill Granite Staters to grow and use marijuana for medical purposes. The bill passed a House Committee last week. Those in favor say it would ease the pain and nausea of suffering patients, but opponents suggest that it could lead to the unwinding of state drug laws. We'll look at the debate.

Guests

  • Karin Eckel, assistant Attorney General at the New Hampshire Department of Justice
  • Matt Simon, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy

We'll also hear from

  • Evelyn Merrick, Democratic state representative from Lancaster and sponsor of a bill to legalize medical marijuana
  • Dr. Eric Voth, chairman of the Institute on Global Drug Policy
listen: Windows Media | MP3

Pay as You Throw

By Laura Knoy on Monday, March 23, 2009.

It was a hot topic in some town meetings this year, as several communities debated whether to make residents pay for trash they throw away. Supporters say it will increase recycling and save towns money, but opponents argue it would be difficult to manage and create minimal benefit. We’ll look at the Pay as You Throw debate.

Guests

  • Don Maurer, supervisor of the solid waste technical assistance section for the Department of Environmental Services
  • Chuck Douglas, former Republican Congressman from the New Hampshire's 2nd District from 1989-1991, and former justice in the New Hampshire court system from 1974-1985
listen: Windows Media | MP3

Bailout Outrage

By Laura Knoy on Sunday, March 22, 2009.

The enormous federal rescue plan for the financial industry passed last fall was meant to ease our economic distress - but is it working? Controversy over the insurance company AIG’s use of bailout money for executive bonuses has Americans boiling mad and wondering if the whole rescue package was worth it in the first place. We'll look at the national bailouts, whether they're working so far and where we go from here.

Guests

  • Dean Spiliotes, New Hampshire based political analyst and author of NHPoliticalcapital.com
  • John Vogel, Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business
  • Tad DeHaven, Budget Policy Analyst for the Cato Institute
listen: Windows Media | MP3

Boosts in Bankruptcies

By Laura Knoy on Thursday, March 19, 2009.

The Federal Bankruptcy Bill of 2005 caused a sharp drop in the number of bankruptcies, but current economic conditions are causing that number to rise once again. In New Hampshire it’s gone up by 32 percent in the past year. We’ll dig into the numbers and into bankruptcy policy, including a hotly-debated proposal to give judges more say on mortgage-related bankruptcies.

Guests

  • Peter Wright, director of Clinical Programs at Franklin Pierce Law School and a bankruptcy attorney representing borrowers
  • Charlie Gallagher, Laconia bankruptcy lawyer specializing in creditor’s rights
  • David Darman, NHPR's business reporter
listen: Windows Media | MP3

Not Keeping The Faith in New Hampshire

By Laura Knoy on Wednesday, March 18, 2009.

A new report says the percentage of people in New Hampshire who say they have no religion or religious identity has grown from 9 in 1990 to 29 percent - double the national average. We’ll look at this trend and why we’ve grown as a state of non-believers. We’ll also explore another fact from the report: the number of people who declare themselves Christian has dropped from 85% in 1990 to 62% today.

Guests

  • Ariela Keysar, associate research professor in the Public Policy Law program at Trinity College and co-author of the latest “American Religious Identification Survey”
  • Michele Dillon, professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire
  • David Lamar Vinsent, executive director of the New Hampshire Council of Churches

We'll also hear from

  • Peter Bonanno, pastor of Grace Capital Church in Pembroke
  • Greg Epsteeen, humanist chaplain at Harvard Cniversity
listen: Windows Media | MP3

What is the Fairest Way to Pay Our Teachers?

By Laura Knoy on Tuesday, March 17, 2009.

It's been an ongoing debate in the Granite State - should teachers be paid by seniority? Level of education? Merit? Or another method? President Obama recently spoke out in favor of merit pay, but opponents say the process is not as simple as it sounds. We’ll debate the pros and cons of merit pay and whether we need to think up a new system for teacher salaries.

Guests

listen: Windows Media | MP3