The Exchange

With the focus on Europe’s economic woes and China’s clout, it’s easy to overlook that our nation’s largest geographic border, Canada, is also our largest trading partner.  Although, it works well most of the time, there are some tensions, like  over duty-free status, controversial energy projects, and imbalances in tourism traffic.  We’ll look at how these issues affect the bottom dollar in both countries. 

Guests

Even though the Housing Market seems to be stabilizing, foreclosures are still a major problem.  Some homeowners, who have tried to negotiate with banks are now going to court, saying they’ve not been able to get any clarity.  Meanwhile,  Lenders say they are making efforts, as they still are wading through an unprecedented number of troubled mortgages.  We'll look how foreclosures are fairing in the Granite State.

Guests

When the recession began, Americans started pinching their pennies and repaying debt, causing some to speculate that consumers might permanently abandon their free-spending ways.  But now, Americans are again loosening their purse-strings. We’ll  look at how and why our saving habits change and how these variations affect the larger economy. 

Guests

A new book by liberal commentator Chris Hayes examines the widespread institutional failures over the last ten years…from government to Wall Street to the Catholic Church to major league baseball.  Hayes says this “lost decade” has led the public to distrust anyone in authority…and he points blame at a fundamental cherished  American ideal:  the meritocracy.

Recruitment from other countries is a rising trend in Higher Education as a way to diversify campuses and bring in money to financially strapped institutions.  It’s also become a big business, raising questions about the way in which students are brought in.  We take a look at this practice and how it’s evolving here in the Granite State.

Guests

Renting property can be tricky business.  Landlords hand their apartments and houses –at least for a time – over to virtual strangers.  And tenants have no real control over such matters as broken fixtures and dilapidated buildings.  At times, these two groups can be at odds, leading to disputes that end up in court proceedings.

This week, a highly-politicized bill titled the “Paycheck Fairness Act”, died in the U.S. Senate.   The bill was aimed at the so-called “wage gap”, between men and women.   It would have given workers greater legal rights, if they found evidence of pay disparities between male and female employees.   Republicans voted against the measure, saying it would have encouraged a flood of workplace lawsuits, while Democrats called the bill an important tool aimed at closing the divide between men’s and women’s paychecks.   We'll look at that, also what might cause this gap?

Since the Claremont decision of the mid 90s, New Hampshire has debated the locus of authority and responsibility in funding our K-12 public schools. Over 80 proposed amendments have seen their way to a vote in state legislative chambers over the past several years. Last year marked the first time any such amendment passed the house and the senate passed a version of its own. The two chambers failed to reconcile their differences, however, and the issue was tabled.