The laypeople. It is a fascinating notion because every day across the americas citizens continue to engage in the political process. Imaginings they are fighting the old fight coming to win it in ways they have historically done it. Occasionally they will a prevail. But beyond the zone in which they operate there is another reality altogether a and that separate reality altogether is now such a definition that politics is discarded a handmade tile the relevant to at least to the eyes of the media. Let me give you an example. 60 american states have called on the congress of the venice states to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn the 2010 s and Citizens United ruling to allow corporations to spend as they choose in politics. 500 American Communities come a major cities lossy angeles, a tucson have petitioned the their government for the redress of grievances. 35 new venture towns petitioned their congress to overturn the ruling. But yet that story is discussed almost nowhere in our media. I go across the country people say i have no idea there is a Mass Movement in this country involving millions of people seeking to solve the problem of the republic. Why is that . Because our media has decided the only of really interesting thing is the gossip of rich people so the political coverage is that. So it is so little resulting to some of the gossip shows. [laughter] if nancy grace goes after there is no question you will learn more than politics. [laughter] but the basic concept holds. We have done down our political coverage over the last 20 years at a rate that is so alarming that if it happened by force to say we want you to lay off 20,000 employees across the country that has happened. Cleveland to you to shut down from those that happened all over the country including albuquerque, a tucson, the seattle, denver kids a city can this. One significant city that does not have the daily newspaper. Also ann arbor michigan a college tian has no print newspaper. We have hollowed it out and the tbill outlets that have shut down the of Washington Bureau for about one time is calculated as the weekly rate in statehouses the number one complaint i get is not about the tea party or the Labor Movement or the left or the rights that no one is paying attention to them. Statehouse bureaus have shut down and disappeared. City halls are not covered. We literally have gone dark in huge parts of america. The media is failing to do the basic job to provide the information necessary in a democracy. People say we have the internet now. It is a complete fantasy. The internet is a fabulous to will for organizing and sharing information but the number of people making a Sustainable Living doing journalism on the internet is an absurdly small and does not care keep up with the print journalist that you lose some. So we are holding of journalism and at the same time we are flooding in money literally allowing the wealthier people into the country and the most powerful and corporations to pour money into the campaign. We were talking with one of the smartest audiences in dont have to make the connection but when you dumbbell journalism and flood of money from the wealthy and in the to and the most powerful, what do you get . A political discourse defiant by wealth and privilege. As a result of what we discuss in america seriously is how we can do with the problem of hungry people getting too much food stamps or school lunch. Seriously. People laugh. The congress in the United States was debating massive cuts with food a of Supplemental Nutrition Program and they said it should be huge cuts then the democrat said know it should be moderate. That is the range of discourse in america. It is our range of absurdity and it needs to be on the issue after issue the Sunlight Foundation said recently wall street must be upset if we have a Government Shutdown or the dysfunction in washington. My friend last the question why . Why would they be upset . We have the most raging income in the quality of massive redistribution of the wealth corporations given money to what they used to do if it was a capitalist society and the areas to diverge this is the golden age for wealthy and privileged. People are totally upset that they are profoundly angry and a subset of the circumstance of our country. The data on respect for our process it is going in the right direction is overwhelming. Right and left. Every betty. We have been incredibly united country. Real think it is a horrible situation. [laughter] and a the thing to a understand in the book we talk about teapartier vince vince, a progressive defense, occupy, the great mass rallies but we found again and again they were deeply troubled by the fact the very wealthy and powerful people control their fate and control of their fate it ships the jobs away the circumstances they were working three jobs still not making enough money to get by the technician now working as a walmart greeter. People are desperate for different circumstance but the media and politics does not allow them to express an expert by a would tell you in a moment like that it is absolutely time for a new Progressive Reform Movement where people come to gather to say no. The system itself does not work we must amend the constitution and absolutely without question. We need to be like other countries and guarantee the right to say never again the Supreme Court messes with the Voting Rights act and get rid of the Electoral College to a person with the most votes becomes president. [applause] this is what we should be doing if we had at media that covered politics every betty would know that we are. Is happening there is a Popular Uprising which is a beautiful thing. Justice the progressives of 100 yearago won the right to vote of women and to tax corporations literally in a seven year period i have great faith we are no less than our parents and great grandparents we can fix this well have the detailing of the crisis but a call that we dont have to except for has been handed the mass of equality of the media politics that no longer serves democracy. [applause] the founders advised us that freedom could not survive of less individuals were virtuous. With regard to individuals and does not just mean political leaders are politicians but individual citizens and voters have to hold themselves to a higher standard. So the kinds of reforms that john was talking about and the movement he is talking about will occur from a requires that voters see themselves us an educated role to play willing to spend time because that is what the founders understood that required a public to survive. That is what the book implied. Barbara who does written the engaging book what you so beautifully portrayed in the book, what lessons do they have for rising inequality in america . And the america said that is in great danger of decline . They gave for asking the question. [laughter] a publisher last me since the Great Recession started. With the sudden housing crash brought on by mortgage manipulation then to see more victims of the crash. I started looking at people housing, income and the first thing realized the more people iceboat to they were sold for trouble not because of the recent debt mortgage crisis, but because of 40 years during which their income had been stagnating, led declining, insecurity increasing. I am just going to introduce you to a couple of people. Thats represent what was happening. This is a father and son 20 years is a generation. When my husband to god of socalled from someone trying to sell him the s. F. Radio subscription you get off as fast as you can and i hear my husband he is talking and put this person on the telephone and it is a subscription be you could tell he was so clever he told me how i could make sure headed it in did immediately with the introductory rate hike could cancel it. He was so smart and personable. So i called him and he was calling from a call center in indiana. Evansville in indiana. You never know where the place is hour and i have not heard of that. He worked there for about one month and prior to that his last job he had managed the office of a staffing agency. He rounded up people would send out the laborers to work in warehouses. When the crisis hit there was not enough calls to do construction work so the agency closed down. He had worked there for five months. Between those jobs he had no work at all. Won a whole year of unemployment he basically hated and knowing people and that is what he was doing. So i asked him what would you do after that . His answer was only indicative. I want to do what my father did. My dad says i dont know how to stick to anything but i will not spend 20 or 25 years busting my hope to put me on the shift when i get close to my attention that tries to make me quit to bring in somebody younker add half the pay. I talked to him for a while then before you know, if i was off to indiana to see father and son. As soon as i arrived it was a flashback. 1960s. He and his girlfriend just moved into a new place, he was going through the thrifts store and was refinishing very cleverly. And his friends would drop by. Their house was the center almost like in the 60s tuesday cannot make the base and a gay guy will pull a double shift. Those were his friends. Working or not working in those kinds of jobs. But one thing better again referring back to his father will not do what my parents did. They got into trouble for a while. I have to say this was the way his friends would drop in and out seemed like the 60s except one difference. There was nothing baker drop back into. Not like the parents to told us we could do something to go back to. That is what they would go on doing. There was another difference the art work with the computer printing a lot better them that tie dye in the 60s. [laughter] so finally i get to see his father and a base small modest house and his father is is exactly as he described him. That took a lot of fat struggles, a personal struggles. I am a playwright but i tell you the economic story. I have read the nephew to understand the people as individuals. His father works as a manager, a 200 people under him under it a big box chain. I call it big box become as he still works there but he acknowledged his work was very insecure. They put him on the makeshift he was working tanner 12 hours and he is management said he was not getting all the time. He could no longer coach soccer which he loved to do because his schedule did not allow it. Not own the extra time but that they were pushing him to quit before the pension. He had seen other people forced out, that was the problem but he does not get credit but god had helped him in every situation and told him it is the right thing to say. But i am telling you his problem. He wanted to really talk about his son. They were so intertwined. It is not just economics. May be going back to the bible but they were intwined all he could say is michael is so smart. If he would just cut his hair. [laughter] and stick to something. Anything. He could not think that something his friends would do there would have to go to mcdonalds and maybe get promoted to management than maybe his company would hire them. We take a lot of people from mcdonalds they know how to work fast and under pressure and would work at half pay. But michael himself i dont blame him. All of our children are above average and no matter the statistic i cannot blame anybody for trying to do for the child. I would do it to. There is a place for michael but not all of them. The big difference between father and son is the attitudes they took. The father took all the blame on himself. He was 60 now and his what it near his grandchildren. You should see his face when he would talk to his grandchildren. But he went to sell his house to use the money to buy the other house. The house had gone down by 40 percent. So in order to afford the other house he has to take on another mortgage and he knew at 60 he should not do that. But his attitude was coming and i quote some people buy a house and sell it and make a profit. Not to us. He does not say it is that banks that, as the bubble. It is the same about the job. I had a job in the Small Company and they really liked me. But when i thought i would be more secure. But maybe the younger people are at the computer. It was the baby i am not first great because it was still in his mind someone like himself with any smarts at least could send to children to college to retire at modestly and debtfree progress that was such a struggle for him maybe that was he was not just i dont want to give my life to this corporation and. I dont want to buy this stuff they say i should. But yes that is pleasing do your own thing. It is the right they and to say especially when you cannot afford matching furniture either way. But he denied themselves psychologically. But he was smart. He would like to work with other people to be a part of a place but if he got jobs even if you went to college for a couple of years that he was smarter to do because government is subsidizing. If he got some kind of Computer Graphics and other people that i talk to when they got every employed those jobs were transformed into a contract jobs. Now youre alert entrepreneur. So in other words, not only did you not get paid very much but you work hard. So the sun projected himself from feeling like of failure to buy into the company that would kick him out but i dont see that as a wonderful direction for america at either. Now the is to are far from the most desperate that i talk to. Frankly want to tell you about very normal people and the very normal thing happening to them. Middleclass man, of the all use that word but he was middle management and middle income and was holding the line by his fingertips. His son is moving down to the peripheral workingclass comedy insecure workingclass. Down is the very unamerican direction. Were used to people moving up. Not only an american but it is also dangerous because this particular kind of down but the companies were making more money, a more profit that they were returning to shareholders but they were not invested in expanding big box because people did not have money to buy the stuff. Investment profits building up. I will not start the economics now but if you feat down the up escalator you will gradually understand this is a real downhill spiral and it would be impossible to get out. Not only for the people that feel the squeeze put those that dont. It is impossible to bring our country out unless we do something with the war that is waged and with the help to change our democracy and think it is possible to do. I am not 10 as optimistic as he is. But i think we can do it. [applause] is tempting to think when you deal with individual lives that maybe they are the exception. But but to face the economic adversary far different talking about the vast majority of americans, not a minority or let alone a small minority. Opinion polls show for the very first time in our history, the parents say their kids cannot live the lives that the parents have. This gets to the heart. Theyre becoming aware of this. And it suggests maybe there is a foundation that feels something needs to be done. The last of 30 day has written a refitting book how an amazing story and what lessons he feels that duke will cross scandal has to teach us about rising inequality in america. Thank you. For that kind introduction. Youll have to just give me a signal that i reaching my time with that i have the ability to go on as people who have seen me before may no. Also like a casino. There is no windows and no clocks. [laughter] and is also a privilege to be on the panel with john and barbara. Have been on tv with john and he sells himself short. The reason we have hope for political discourse is because of people like john who go on tv reagan to the and are smart about it and informed and make the case passionately and a liquidity. We need more of john and of fox news not just msnbc. [laughter] [applause] let me try to answer the other question. I am playing off of little bit but first if i could have five minutes to respond is something john said about the golden age for wealth and privilege. Spent 17 years on wall street first as the investigative journalist in North Carolina but then it was very satisfying i should have a big party. And have written three books about all street to of which house of cards and money and power house of cards is about the collapse of bear stearns why what happened led to what barbara was talking about and money and power is about Goldman Sachs and how Goldman Sachs was able to maneuver its way brilliantly through the financial crisis to make a killing to become a target for for buddies shanker much of which but to spend time talking about why it truly is that goldman a gem of to talk about the goldman book book, this was before the september 2011 occupy wall street movement. This was april. I wonder why people were not out in the streets protesting and complaining about what has just happened to the previous three years. And really what happened i taken from a very different perspective, barbara is telling the stories of the people who really suffered. But i also want to know what the heck happened on wall street to make this financial crisis so awful and devastating . And why we are not beyond this and still suffer from this in ways that barbara and john eloquently spoke about. As someone who spent 17 years on wall street for better or worse the person whos spent but those who are much better known writers but i spent 17 years. Okay . I really understand wall street. Really understand the way it works. I just be geared it was my duty for the reason i am here on earth is to translate the insanity of wall street for people in america to understand what has happened and why. That is what i devoted myself to. Be veteran not even though about the scandal is seems where i go away from covering wall street it is a part of the same because it populates in record numbers and it is all part of making sure the privileges and the lead to have the material to perpetuate themselves. But also you did not work on wall street 17 years. [laughter] i know what i am talking about. So let me spend a few more minutes. Prayer brett is right for a people to come mortgages they could not afford to and i think people need to take personal responsibility. Frankly a lot are not willing to do that. If you are not intending to pay back the loan that is a serious problem. You have to take personal responsibility but there may be good reasons, maybe people did not understand, i dont buy that so much i have seen lots and lots and lots of documentation about mortgages that was fictitious or the borrowers income or job or bank account if you see that application for the Mortgage Loan if you sign it that i have a free option i will use this money to buy the house and if it works out fine in the fed doesnt i will just walk away. That is what happened. If large numbers. So they bundled those up into securities as investments all over the world because that is what wall street is rewarded to do. People a simple wall street is rewarded to take risks with other peoples money. Every single day. That is why they get big bonuses because they are incentivized to take a big risk with other peoples money. So when they find it wonderful product like a mortgagebacked security to sell them off in pieces all over the world to get the rating agencies to rate them aaa that is what they will do until they can do with any more. With 2004, 2005, 2006 then 2007 they could not so that stopped. That is the beginning about the house of cards. The interesting thing is you put it think that he is bankrupt in every way but of phillippi reform to what it is like to have totally collapse which is what we saw a 2008. You would think that system would be reformed. You would think people would say this is seriously broken and needs to be fixed. It is not working for society, americans, what happened . But bear stearns was bankrupt morally, ethically and financially. But they saved it the federal government in treasury and fed took 30 billion of those assets that jpmorgan did not want to buy to put them on the Balance Sheets of the new york fed and so bear stearns took it to dollars then 10 trading at one hedges 70 per share one year earlier and by the way, yesterday the first written by both hardware of the ides of march taken from shakespeare, yesterday was the sixth anniversary of the collapse of bear stearns. That was the first. That sent the message when the government stepped in for the first time to rescue a securities firm, never happened before everyone that had failed had fallen out of business this is the first time to save it is sent the message loud and clear you are too big to fail we will rescue you and that is the mindset. So Lehman Brothers thinks it is better to do something differently he assumed he would be bailed out. And it turned out he was wrong and that was important but not fatal for writing it was a good thing and they should have let bear stearns fail and all of these firms fail because they were morally and ethically and financially bankrupt and the system should have been reformed but it didnt. Why . Because the said the everybody thinks is publicly controlled organization working for the people is not but owned by the banks. Look cahill owns the bank the big banks own the fed. That is exactly why they failed them out while there has been trillions of dollars pumped to as a top of the pyramid. Why would she asked . This is not a surprise but the flooding and of capital into big banks but this is a golden age of wall street. Why . It does not seem like it. They complain all the time. This is a golden age because after the crisis there is far less competition a Lehman Brothers are bear stearns nobody from Goldman Sachs that competes. Jpmorgan chase paid 20 billion in fines and the ceo got a raise . [laughter] the plug is pulled. [laughter] please start lining up for questions. I will just say there is no competition on wall street firms for what they paid for their raw material, it is free if you have looked at your bank account and a savings account you know, for a fact what you get when you put your money in them. You get virtually free money for interest why would we get our money to them for free . That is another question from the fed infamous there is no competition no raw material costs and the economy is in private improving like it or not. And they will be the beneficiaries of that. I did not talk about the duke book. [laughter] but isnt there but it is part of the circle of life the same part of the system to perpetuate the golden age of wealth and privilege. [applause] wind up at the microphone but it is true the indicators make it look like the economy is improving but that is not true for the 75 . It is important to keep that distinction. Pate is stagnant including people with college degrees. The Economic Indicators do not measure economic wellbeing for the average person. Excellent presentation and i am a psychiatrist for pricey people almost telling the same stories all day long. And i did not vote for george bush but i guess the majority did not either. [laughter] but with his brother as governor you cannot borrow more than 80 of their value of this everybody is ready to move to texas with their greater economy and people tell me they dont feel much suffering at all. Rick perry would make me suffer. [laughter] [applause] also the highest poverty rates and the least health insurance. And the gap between it texas is dramatic if you are pour it is really rough. But the 20 percent of what people need to use that is like asking people to drive the speed limit but not enforce them. They need to be protected by themselves. Or a government bureaucracies is not a Government Spending issue for me but i see things like the dodd frank legislation that does not do a thing to make our economy safer. My point is zero little dose or a smidgen of personal responsibility would be a good thing. [applause] let me just throw in one aspect. Americans have a right to believe their government is watching a lot for them. It is a government formed from us given power by us. The fact of the matter is for our rural midwestern all about personal responsibility i do respect what he is saying but i will tell you that until they get a situation where the exception of the wealthy are prevented from buying a circumstance they can do whatever they want or to have incredible the way to rip people off or reach a reasonable regulatory circumstance i think the first responsibility is with the bankers and the people who have gotten away without prosecution for what they did and in the 1930s Franklin Roosevelt with the u. S. And abroad bankers before the senate. [laughter] [applause] the prosecuted people for this long doing. But yet we do prosecute or induce the penalty for workingclass people. That goes to the point. Even the crisis that you may relate to with the people in the state, 3500 were imprisoned with the savingsandloan crisis but the financial crisis of 2007 and eight were exponentially larger magnitude and not one single banker or a trader has been prosecuted or imprisoned now we see lower people i find it ironic antithetic that the goldman Vice President that was the foot soldier in the army of wall street is what the sec holdup does a great victory to find him a hundred 50,000 and to have that be the big fish is bathetic when did fulled walked off with 500 million a jimmy came on top forded million and no prosecution goes on and on. My question is similar with the business makes the bad deal they write it off and walk away by your earlier comments seemed to hold individuals more responsible. I say both. Bear stearns should have been allowed to go bankrupt bankrupt, leaving a brothers, all of the company financially should have been allowed. It would have been a difficult time it already is and has been an even worse and i recognize that but if you want to fundamentally change the architecture of wall street you have to let the businesses fail but instead and then reestablished as quickly as possible. We have time for two more questions. In terms of a solution of the political deadlock if we need to amend the constitution doesnt that require building through the state house to break through that stage the same process it is almost impossible. That word. Believe me i understand but if we get the kid in barbaras book and get him to decide maybe he could repair his country that is the key. I live in the world i went through polling data all the time. Theyre real and viable i wish politicians could actually follow them. I am not kidding. But they actually look chapels they would know everything that bill says about prosecuting bankers people love the idea and know that everything barbara talks about, people are pretty decent. The disconnect is we dont tell people the grassroots politics happens and it works. We need no more about that paul ryan says on a regular basis than with tens of millions of americans are doing. I just want to emphasize nothing is as impossible. I covered politics for a living and 10 years ago they bush have said he will be the president of the United States . No way. People or things that can happen happen all the time. 100 years ago we did not give women the right to vote for tax corporations or wealthy people without the elected senate but they changed in seven years. If you believe your dramatically weaker than those who live in the gilded cage with the incredible monopoly if you leave you to take on the jokers who were weaker and less capable ben goahead. But the fact is we could build the movement it changes the country. It is not that hard but get rid of the word impossible and go out and do it. [applause] we have time for one more question. Address to the entire panel, my father was a stockbroker and i grew up on the east coast republicans and. And i am the 1 percent and i am in paris standout raged that jamie diamond should not be there. Communication, the fcc fcc, everything from analog to digital and outlets and weirdo longer a National Community as a National Identity of what we are as americans. With their culture and the government and the rich people who buy i the lobbyist and the politicians now controlling how we live and corrupting our ability and there is some movement and i want to be a part of that movement. [applause] if this is 30 years ago someone whod like scalded is some. [laughter] but capitalism is not bad but if people want to make their rich otherwise they moved to france. So we have a lot of economics up until roosevelt and wilson then they said toyed with the economy but with the Great Recession with the Public Works Administration we basically shoved money down the wrong hole. So my question is what happens to labor unions or the Progressive Party and finally the handcuffs were taken off to now put investment money into non borrowing assets with stock realestate, does that give question where is the labor union . We have one minute. [laughter] onehour were the question is less than one minute. I read somebody to explain to the questioning of the union but they cannot now because the pay is so go. There really is a bonafide class war going on we have been thrown into it in such a way. If you can be mobilized by that. The edges shows many the opposite medium to do something about that. [applause] they give for being here and the authors will be signing books and i wish all of you a good day. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] hello everybody. Welcome to the tucson festival of books. I hosted arizona illustrated on pbs here 23 years and then in 2011 started mail business and by own radio show on each week day between noon and one for the boys and have a right to take you for coming out with this particular portion of our books sponsored by the city of tucson and that arizona daily star. Think you for your support. This presentation will last about one hour we will carve out at least 20 minutes for questions so please hold your questions until the final portion per but the conclusion the authors will assign the area it to autograph the books with your fellow audience members turnoff yourself of