Tag Archives: brian lehrer

Following the money

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During the 2008 presidential race a number of sites, like FiveThirtyEight.com and OpenSecrets.org, looked at the data behind election results and political contributions. The answer is always to follow the money and other projects are now building on those sites’ pioneering work.

In New York City, the politics site Gotham Gazette is launching Councilpedia. Founder Gail Robinson discusses the project on MediaShift’s Idea Lab:

Councilpedia will provide information about New York’s 51 City Council members and two citywide elected officials, including their campaign finance information, the bills they introduced, and the groups they gave “member items” — the parlance here for pork or earmarks. (Our third citywide elected official — the mayor — only takes contributions from one person: his billionaire self.)

Our main source for much of the raw data will be the New York Campaign Finance Board. By most accounts, the city has a model campaign finance law, and the board gets as much information into the hands of the public as it can. That said, the lists of donors often seem to be little more than an undifferentiated list of unfamiliar names.

Councilpedia is a recipient of support from the Knight News Challenge, which funds innovative ideas in journalism.

Statistician Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight.com is building on its 2008 work by ranking the most contested Senate races in the country by aggregating polling data. The latest rankings are quite preliminary since many candidates have not yet filed, so fundraising data hasn’t yet been added in.

WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show today spoke with Micah Sifry of Tech President, a blog covering how politicians are using the Web. He’s currently leading an effort to increase transparency in government called Demand Question Time.

To go more in-depth on these issues, join OpenSecrets.org on Thursday, 3/4 for an online chat to address the issue of money in politics and whether or not it’s been affected by the recession.

How would you design health care reform?

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Now that health care reform has passed the House and is on its way to becoming reality, what are the choices that legislators are having to make to get the deal done? A game from American Public Media, Budget Hero, was designed for the 2008 election cycle, but has added elements that include more options for health care reform and other current issues. What would you add or cut to lower the national deficit?

Your Web browser software doesn’t support frames, but you can visit The Budget Hero at http://budgethero.publicradio.org/widget/widget.php?refid=apm.

For some background on the debate to help you make your choices, check out today’s health care debrief conversation with Newsweek editor Jonathan Alter on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show.

Entertainment on a budget

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For many, the splurges on fancy dinners, trips to exotic locations, and expensive concerts are more and more limited due to the economy. But people still need to have some fun. So what are service providers doing to make entertainment more affordable?

Drive-in movies all but disappeared from the American landscape in the 80’s and 90’s, and a whole generation has missed out on the kitsch culture of the drive-in, experiencing it only through, well, movies and television that featured the drive-in. Could it make a comeback?

Robert Smith reports on NPR’s Morning Edition about cheap thrills at one drive-in theater – but it’s one of the few remaining in use in the U.S.

“My daughters are already asleep in the back seat. But that’s one of the beauties of a cheap thrill. If I had paid the $121 per seat for The Little Mermaid on Broadway, I’d be prying those cute eyes open right now. As it is, I can tilt the seat back and chill.”

In New York City, the ultimate local amusement park of days past was Coney Island, which has fallen into disrepair in recent years. But as WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show reports, redevelopment plans are gaining support and could bring low-cost entertainment back to Brooklyn.

Another cheap treat is a trend that started a while ago in cities around the U.S. – gourmet cupcakes. As a guest on Marketplace’s Whiteboard video blog, actress Aisha Tyler (of “24”, “CSI”, etc), suggested giving away 9,000 cupcakes to boost the economy.

Tyler’s idea single-handedly takes on the baking industry:

“By going out and spending some $36,000 on cupcakes, Aisha is juicing the economy in a significant way. For a start, whatever bake shop she patronizes will be very happy to have her business: maybe the staff will get a pay rise (they’ll certainly feel more secure with an order like that); maybe the shop will go out and hire some new people. The profits from the sale might go to placing some ads in the local papers (heaven knows they need the cash) or perhaps to refurbish the store or buy some new signage or equipment.”

On a somewhat smaller (but more realistic) scale, a secret cupcake peddler in San Francisco is creating her own cottage industry, making office workers excited for Wednesdays, as Amanda Dyer for KALW reports.

What are some free or cheap things you and your family are choosing over pricey treats in the current economic climate?

Going Public

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Will a publicly-financed health care system be a further burden on the economy, or can President Obama get a bill passed that doesn’t increase the federal deficit?

President Obama discusses his health care reform initiative, bipartisanship and deadlines in an exclusive interview with NewsHour’s Jim Lehrer.
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The MediaBistro blog FishbowlDC reported that Lehrer was also doing his part to make a child feel better — by inviting a 17-year-old leukemia patient to a NewsHour taping.

At WNYC, a different Lehrer — Brian Lehrer of The Brian Lehrer Show — also focuses on health care reform and spoke with New York Congressman Charlie Rangel about whether he thinks a health care bill will be passed before Congress’ August recess.

But lobbyists are still at the center of the game. Marketplace looks at how any public plan could affect private insurers and drug companies, along with the people who pitch for them.