Next week on the Exchange, we begin with a look at the issue of class in this country and why some say that “American dream” of rags to riches is more elusive than ever.  Then, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, as a national conversation begins over base closures; we’ll discuss the possibility of Portsmouth being on that list.  We'll look at the mortgage market and then end week with the debate over the latest iteration of a constitutional amendment on Education Funding.  Join us all next week for the Exchange each morning at 9/and again at 8 pm, here on NHPR!

Once again, lawmakers are looking at bills to increase gambling options in New Hampshire.  With more gaming sites opening up in  Maine and Massachusetts some say that’s a reason to expand here, while opponents say just the opposite.  Meanwhile, Governor Lynch says he’s not willing to “make a bet” on gambling, making the reality of casinos in the Granite State tougher, but not impossible for this cause.

Guests

Blame Jar Jar Binks.

If George Lucas had never created that annoying, slapstick-prone CGI character in The Phantom Menace, history would be different. No amount of "meesa so sorry" can make up for this abomination. And to add insult to injury, Lucas is sending a 3D Jar Jar Binks into theaters on February 10th.

The nuclear industry is celebrating the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission's decision to give the go-ahead for a utility company to build two new nuclear reactors in Georgia, the first license to be granted for a new reactor in the U.S. since 1978. But last year's accident at reactors in Fukushima, Japan, still clouds the future of nuclear power, as does the cost of new power plants.

Southern Co. will build the reactors at its Vogtle site in Georgia, where two older reactors already operate.

There's been no let-up in the debate about the Obama administration's rule requiring most employers to provide prescription birth control to their workers without additional cost.

Here's the rub: The only truly novel part of the plan is the "no cost" bit.

The rule would mean, for the first time, that women won't have to pay a deductible or copayment to get prescription contraceptives.

A federal class action lawsuit has been filed against New Hampshire for failing to take care of people with mental illness.

The suit comes less than a year after the U.S. Department of Justice charged the state with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Plaintiffs want the state to invest in more community services so more people can live independently.

Some lawyers say New Hampshire’s current mental health system is interrupting and in some cases, destroying people’s lives.

Newport resident Mandy D., 22, is confident.

Cutting taxes is part of the DNA of the modern Republican Party. All four of the remaining GOP candidates for president have proposed steep cuts in business and personal taxes, and it sometimes seems like Republicans are competing to show the most enthusiasm for tax cuts.

At a debate last month, former Sen. Rick Santorum said tax cuts were needed to get the economy thriving again — even if they benefit the wealthy.