is a little overrated. engaging with not just the denisons of washington but with the broader american public is very important to him. while president obama spoke with senate leader harry reid and speaker john boehner by phone on saturday when you see him this week he will be getting by with a little help from his friends ordinary unelected americans. joining us professor of economics at the university of michigan justin wool fers. great to see you. before i ask for your economic analysis i want to pose one question to my colleagues in new york, that is really about the optics of the president going straight forward and straight to the kisser as it were on the bush tax cuts, not really even talking about the fiscal cliff or the debt limit which looms in february or march. as we know there is no real fiscal cliff. it s more of a curve or a mole hill. it s serious and real but not going over the cliff. if there is something of a cliff-like situation, it s playing to the president s
kr cro and washington state s decision to decriminalize washington this month has many believing the nation is abandoning its war on drugs and entering a new phase of passive acceptance. since california passed the first medical marijuana law, 18 states and the district of columbia permit it for medicinal use. rhode island and maine are the next states looking to legalize the drug. the movement reflects an increasing acceptance. half of all americans support legalizing it, up from 31% in 2001. what are the implications regarding legalization both at home and south of the border? and are the new laws in washington and colorado a game changer in mexican-american relations. for the current issue of new