The Exchange

We sit down with George Bald, outgoing Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Resources and Economic Development.  Bald announced he’ll retire in November after serving nearly thirteen years as chief advocate for the state’s economy, promoting business development and overseeing travel and tourism, including the state park system. We’ll talk with him about his tenure. 

In a new book, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores how we reach different moral judgments about the same issue. Haidt says we join groups to reinforce these judgments, and this "groupishness" contributed to the survival of our species, but it has also been cause for fierce divisiveness. Haidt says there’s another option: mutual understanding and respect.

Related links:

www.RighteousMind.com to learn more about the book

The presence of the Granite State has already been felt in Tampa -  an address from U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, a speech from Hudson business owner Jack Gilchrist,  and the endorsement of our First in the Nation primary status.  We’ll talk with New Hampshire Republicans attending the convention about their take on major speeches, Mitt Romney’s candidacy, and the GOP platform.

Guests:

Beverly Bruce, State Finance Chair of the Mitt Romney for President campaign in New Hampshire.

One goal of our schools is to prepare young people to become informed and engaged citizens. Yet there is growing concern that students are not being prepared to participate in democracy, to learn from the historical actions of American government, or – critically - to understand the U.S. Constitution. We’ll take a look at efforts to address this here in New Hampshire.

Guests:

New Hampshire's Department of Health and Human Services has faced huge challenges in recent years – deep budget cuts, lawsuits, and, most recently, a crisis involving Exeter Hospital and patients infected with Hepatitis C. Now, its Commissioner NickToumpas must take the scalpel again to his budget, even as need for his agency’s services remains strong. We'll talk to him about that and other challenges in his department.

Guest

Nick Toumpas - Commissioner for the NH Department of Health and Human Services

Today we sit down with iconic food writer and activist Frances Moore Lappé. In the 1970's, Lappé pioneered the idea of conscientious eating with her book “Diet for a Small Planet”. Now forty years later, she says much has changed. There's more awareness of the connections between food, health, and the environment, yet there's also growing world hunger requiring she says a complete global re-think.

Guest