Business & Economy

Rock critic Ed Ward on the troubles of shopping in Berlin.

Part Two of the interview with journalists Donald Barlett and James Stelle. Their reports from the front pages of the "Philadelphia Inquirer" later became the book "America: What went Wrong"; it was a bestseller for eight months, and added fuel to the fire of the 1992 Election. Their new book of investigative reporting is "America: Who Really Pays the Taxes?" (Simon & Schuster).

Journalists Donald Barlett and James Steele. Their reports from the front pages of the "Philadelphia Inquirer" later became the book "America: What went Wrong"; it was a bestseller for eight months, and added fuel to the fire of the 1992 Election. Their new book of investigative reporting is "America: Who Really Pays the Taxes?" (Simon & Schuster). They argue the middle class has been soaked by the current tax system; that the same dollar earned by a neighborhood grocer is taxed more than if it was earned by a foreign corporation doing business here.

Author John Cavanagh. Cavanagh is a Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington D.C. He is the co-author with Richard Barnet, of "Global Dreams: Imperial Corporations & the New World Order" (Simon & Schuster), which examines the growth of multi-national corporations. They profile five of the world's most powerful corporations, and show how they are less accountable to public authorities, are paving the way for future political conflict, and are "stimulating political and social disintegration".

James Fallows is the Washington editor of "The Atlantic Monthly." He has a new book, "Looking at the Sun," (Pantheon) to be published in February about the Asian economy. He's written a three part series of articles drawn from the book in the Atlantic (the last one appears in the Jan 94 issue).

Former president of Harvard Derek Bok. In his new book, "The Cost of Talent: How Executives and Professionals Are Paid and How It Affects America" (Free Press), BOK argues that the rich shouldn't be so much richer. He says that huge salary gaps result in social and economic losses, "jeopardiz[ing] democracy by weakening faith in the economic system". Bok was the president of Harvard University from 1971 to 1991. He has written five other books.

Writer Dagobero Gilb. His new book of short stories, "Magic of Blood" (University of New Mexico Press), offers fiction from the Chicano and Anglo working-class worlds of America's southwest. GILB's prosaic realism has been called by one critic, "the most lethal kind of fiction a Chicano can write".

Journalist Stan Sesser, who details the successful marketing of American cigarettes in Asian countries in a New Yorker article, (September 6, 1993). Sesser claims the continent of Asia consumes half the world's cigarettes. Of particular interest to American tobacco firms is China -- despite explicit laws prohibiting the sale or advertising of foreign cigarettes -- because three hundred million people smoke (more people than the entire population of the United States).

Kumin's latest collection of essays and stories on living on a New Hampshire farm is called "Women, Animals and Vegetables." She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1973, and is Poet Laureate of New Hampshire. She has published ten volumes of poetry, as well as collections of stories and essays.

Hog farmer and writer Mary Elizabeth Fricke (Frick-EE). Her new book is, "Dino, Godzilla and the Pigs: My Life On Our Missouri Hog Farm." (Soho Press). The Fricke's farm was flooded, just as this book was coming out. Marty will talk with Fricke about how they and the farm are doing. Fricke's book describes the intricacies of farm work, like cutting the teeth and tails of piglets, and driving a monster tractor with sixteen gears. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Peter Kinder, from Kinder, Lydenberg, Domini & Co., Inc., a firm that provides social research on U.S. Corporations to investment professionals. He's just co-written the new book, "Investing for Good: Making Money While Being Socially Responsible." (HarperBusiness).

Executive Vice President of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, Max Richtman. Terry will talk with him about how Clinton's budget proposal will impact Social Security and Medicare. Richtman is critical of Clinton's plan to raise the tax on Social Security benefits.

Linguist Geoffrey Linguists considers the use of language in the business world. He says its fractured, list-based nature can be traced back to the ever ubiquitous slide presentation software, where narrative holds little sway.

Peter Schweizer, author of "Friendly Spies: How America's Allies are Using Economic Espionage to Steal our Secrets." He is a consultant for "NBC News," and has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post.

Economics correspondent for CBS This Morning Robert Krulwich discusses President Clinton's economic plan. A former NPR correspondent, he's best known for making money matters interesting and accessible.

Journalist Phillip Longman specializes in politics and public policy. He'll talk with Terry about President Clinton's proposal to a impose higher-income tax on Social Security benefits for individuals with incomes over $25,000 and couples over $32,000. Longman is the author of "Born to Pay: The New Politics of Aging in America."

Co-founder of the working women's advocacy group, "9 to 5," Karen Nussbaum. She helped found the group 20 years ago. Guest host Marty Moss-Coane will talk with her about the the changing role of women in the workplace in the last twenty years, and concerns like childcare.

Sociologist and research associate at the Institute for the Study of Social Change, Elliott Currie. He has a new book, "Reckoning: Drugs, the Cities, and the American Future." He believes that effective drug control depends on curtailing poverty and improving the economy in inner cities.

NPR commentator and political analyst Kevin Phillips. He's known for his ability to tap into the mood of American voters and forecast what's to come: in 1969 he predicted the conservative era with his book, "The Emerging Republican Majority." His 1992 book, "The Politics of Rich and Poor," was described as the "founding document" of the 1992 Presidential campaign. He has a new book, "Boiling Point: Democrats, Republicans, and The Decline of Middle-Class Prosperity."

Loach was a member of the British "Free Cinema Movement" of the '50s -- which was committed to dealing with issues of the working class and lower-class of British society -- and he was a pioneer of the doc-drama of the '60s. His film "Cathy Come Home," about a homeless mother, aired on the BBC, created a scandal, and forced a public debate about the homeless in London. His latest film "Riff-Raff," about construction workers, is his first comedy.