The Exchange

We continue our series on New Hampshire’s Immigration Story, with a look at the economics of immigration. We’re offering several perspectives throughout the week. Today we start with Mark Krikorian, who argues that immigration in America, while it helped grow and shape our nation at the turn of the last century, has a largely negative impact on the 21st century economy. 

Guest:

We sit down with New Hampshire Second District Congressman Charlie Bass.   We’ll get his thoughts on some of the major debates on Capitol Hill including the recent vote on a Republican budget as well as the difficulty in getting a Transportation Bill through Congress.and we’ll get Bass’s response to allegations that his campaign conducted what’s called a “push-poll.  

Guests

• Congressman Charles Bass - New Hampshire's 2nd District Congressman

Is there a “Skills Gap” in the Granite State?  Some businesses say their problem is not the lack of jobs, rather it’s the lack of qualified people to fill those jobs, especially in manufacturing.  We’re looking at the reasons behind this and why some say businesses themselves need to step up if they want a well-trained workforce.    

Guests:

Jim Roche: President of the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire.

Fred Kocher: President of the New Hampshire High Technology Council.

Next week on the Exchange, we begin looking at what some are calling a "skills gap” in New Hampshire. Some manufacturers say that despite the economy the jobs are there, what’s missing are the qualified workers to fill them.  Then Second District Congressman Charlie Bass sits down with us and we end the week with a three part series on immigration and the economy both nationally and in the Granite State.   E-mail us at NHPR dot org, and Join us all next week for the Exchange each morning at 9 and again at 8 pm here on NHPR!

Granite Stater, noted international attorney and independent advisor to the Afghan Ministry of Finance, Phillip Walker, gives his forecast for the political and economic future of Afghanistan. Despite the violence, he says civil institutions are beginning to take hold and the economy is growing rapidly. But, he warns, foreign aid must continue to flow into Afghanistan after NATO withdrawal for this progress to continue.

Guest:

We sift through a new study that gives New Hampshire low marks in what it calls “integrity” in State government.  While the report says the Granite state does well in some areas like the Executive and Judicial branches, it failed in others like public access to information and ethics enforcement.  We’ll look at what’s behind this report and how some in New Hampshire are reacting to it. 

Guests

Today we sit down with New Hampshire’s Senior U. S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen.   We’ll talk with her about the most recent budget battles on Capitol Hill, also news on the transportation funding front, as the impasse continues over a new federal highway bill and concerns that the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard could be caught up in the next round of Base Closures.

Guest

• U. S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen

With its two-year anniversary passed, President Obama’s law is still finding its way.  Some parts are in place, but others are very much in play, especially with the challenge to it heard by the U. S. Supreme Court, and some states, including New Hampshire, resisting elements of the law.  We’ll talk with Granite Staters involved in this and see how they are adapting to this new law.

Guests