"Money in America with Randall Turner" Radio Show

Sworn into office on January 20, 2009 for his second term as Pennsylvania’s 50th elected Auditor General, Jack Wagner brings 25 years of public service to his role as the Commonwealth’s independent fiscal watchdog. Wagner identified job retention and growth, fiscal responsibility, public safety and reform of the government as his administration’s top priorities. “Improving the performance of government so that it improves the quality of life for all Pennsylvanians is my mission,” Wagner said. Before he was elected Auditor General, Jack Wagner had represented Allegheny County as a State Senator since May, 1994. He served in the leadership of the State Senate and as the Democratic Chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee. He also served on the Appropriations; Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness; Rules and Executive Nominations; and Policy Committees. Wagner was a member of the Pittsburgh City Council for 10 years, representing all city neighborhoods. He was born and reared in the Beechview neighborhood. He was Pittsburgh City Council's President from 1990-93. After graduating from South Hills High School in Pittsburgh, Wagner was employed by Duquesne Light Company in various capacities, and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers for five years. While employed by Duquesne Light Company, Wagner enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and served from 1966 to 1968. Wagner received a Purple Heart and other military commendations while serving in the Vietnam War in 1967. Following his military service, Wagner graduated from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Safety Management in 1974. While a studentat IUP, Wagner worked as a paramedic with Citizens Ambulance Service. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from IUP for service to the community and the University in 1994. He serves on the boards of the Senator John Heinz History Center, the Obediah Cole Foundation for Prostate Cancer, the Veterans Leadership Program, the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Sharing and Caring, Inc., and World War II Veterans of Allegheny County Memorial Fund, Inc. He is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, German American National Congress, Italian Sons and Daughters of America, Knights of Equity, Ancient Order of Hibernians, Lions Club, Elks Club, and Moose Club. Wagner also belongs to the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans Institute, and Veterans Political Action Committee. He received the Veteran of the Year award from the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program and the Outstanding Legislator Award from the Pennsylvania Veterans of Foreign Wars. He also received the Clarion Young Democrats John Shropshire Award. In the fall of 2008, Wagner was awarded with a life-time, honorary membership to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Wagner is a member of St. Catherine of Siena Church in Beechview, where he lives with his wife, Nancy, and children, Luke and Sara. Jack is a bad golfer.

Randall and Dan talk about Dan's article, "Are U.S. Multinationals to Blame for High Unemployment?" Daniel Griswold is director of the Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C, and the author of the new Cato book, Mad about Trade: Why Main Street America Should Embrace Globalization. Since joining Cato in 1997, Mr. Griswold has authored major studies on globalization, trade, and immigration. He's written articles for major newspapers, appeared on CNBC, C-SPAN, CNN, PBS, and Fox News, and testified before House and Senate committees. Earlier in his career, Mr. Griswold was editorial page editor of a daily newspaper, the Colorado Springs Gazette, and a congressional press secretary. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and a diploma in economics and a master's degree in the Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics.

Charlie received his B.A. in English from the College of Wooster and an M.A. in Mass Communication from Bowling Green State University. In addition, Charlie has done doctoral course work in Mass Communication. Former radio broadcaster, television newscaster, and member of the Ohio House of Representatives, 82 and 80th districts. See his blog www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

http://therestoreadreamfoundation.org/default.aspx Alex Cortes is the Chairman of Restore the Dream Foundation, a non-profit 501c4 organization committed to restoring the American Dream through limited government, free markets, and individual liberty. Cortes also serves as the spokesperson for DeFundIt.org, the Foundation's first initiative that is advocating for the de-funding of ObamaCare as the most immediate solution to effectively defeating the law before repealing and replacing it.

“Leading America’s 2nd Emancipation” Apostle Claver – Bio/Intro Apostle Claver is the founder and chairman of RagingElephants.org – an organization dedicated to leading “America’s 2nd Emancipation” by bringing diversity to the Conservative movement. Raging Elephants challenges voters of color to reconsider their party affiliation and vote their values. Apostle is an animated, inspirational speaker who thrills audiences all across America. He has appeared or been featured on the Sean Hannity Show, John Gibson Show, Mancow Show, CNN, Fox News and TV, radio and print media across the nation. Apostle Claver also conducts Raging Elephants Boot Camps throughout the nation - a program that unfolds a remarkable plan to promote liberty through educating American voters. The training presents compelling data to emphasize the demographic crisis facing the Republican Party and teaches the steps of his proven, winning strategy to strength the Conservative movement through racial diversity.

Monty Pelerin's background includes academic degrees from Duke University (AB), the University of Chicago (MBA) and Syracuse University (PhD) all in finance and economics. At Chicago, he was fortunate to have classes from Milton Friedman, George Stigler and Ronald Coase. He knew Merton Miller. All of these gentlemen subsequently became Nobel Laureates in Economics. His early career was in the corporate world where he served as Chief Financial Officer for a few companies. Later in life he went back to school for the doctorate degree and then taught for about 10 years at the college and graduate level. He enjoyed the classroom, but disliked the bureaucracy and dealing with too many peers who were educated beyond their levels of competence. He retired early and have supported myself primarily as an investor. Monty Pelerin is an avid reader, investor and reasonably decent golfer (or used to be). He was exposed to both Keynesian and Monetarist economics in formal training and became an Austrian economist on my own. In his opinion, it is the only "school" of economics that makes any sense. In September of 2009 he started a website: Monty Pelerin's World at www.economicnoise.com. Since its inception, he has put up almost 1,500 posts. The posts deal primarily with economics, politics and investing. The name Monty Pelerin is a pseudonym derived from the Mont Pelerin Society founded by Friedrich Hayek after WWII. Hayek saw a need for a forum for like-minded individuals who believed in Classical Liberalism. At the time, government planning and control dominated economic and political thought. The Mont Pelerin Society was composed of friends of freedom from around the world. Ludwig von Mises and Milton Friedman were original members. More information on Mont Pelerin can be obtained from my site or the internet. He have no connection with the Society other than a coincidence of philosophy. He uses Friedrich Hayek as an gravatar in honor of his enormous contributions to classical liberalism. A photo of Hayek is attached. Here are the full articles published on American Thinker (http://www.americanthinker.com/) Articles By Monty Pelerin The Coming Political Upheaval Put Uncle Sam on an Allowance Jekyll and Hyde Government Why the Democratic Party Cannot Survive Bernanke's Cowardice Has Sealed Our Fate Red vs. Blue: Bloods vs. Crips Obama: Not Moses, Merely Elmer Gantry A Depression May Be Our Best Hope Keynes as 'Useful Idiot' The Divine Right of Government Desperate Economic Action Ahead? Inflation: The Last Gasp of the Obama Economic Crisis Our Patrick Henry Moment Is Here Repent -- The End Is Near Worse than a Depression The End of Democratic Socialism Political Fatal Conceit The Keynesian Fraud Obama the Entrepreneurship Expert Obama's Ides-of-March Moment is Near The Economic Crisis Is Only a Symptom Health Care Reform Vaporizes Obama Presidency 2010 Will Be Worse Obama's Vote-Buying Dilemma Why Obamanomics Will Not Improve the Economy

Monty Pelerin's background includes academic degrees from Duke University (AB), the University of Chicago (MBA) and Syracuse University (PhD) all in finance and economics. At Chicago, he was fortunate to have classes from Milton Friedman, George Stigler and Ronald Coase. He knew Merton Miller. All of these gentlemen subsequently became Nobel Laureates in Economics. His early career was in the corporate world where he served as Chief Financial Officer for a few companies. Later in life he went back to school for the doctorate degree and then taught for about 10 years at the college and graduate level. He enjoyed the classroom, but disliked the bureaucracy and dealing with too many peers who were educated beyond their levels of competence. He retired early and have supported myself primarily as an investor. Monty Pelerin is an avid reader, investor and reasonably decent golfer (or used to be). He was exposed to both Keynesian and Monetarist economics in formal training and became an Austrian economist on my own. In his opinion, it is the only "school" of economics that makes any sense. In September of 2009 he started a website: Monty Pelerin's World at www.economicnoise.com. Since its inception, he has put up almost 1,500 posts. The posts deal primarily with economics, politics and investing. The name Monty Pelerin is a pseudonym derived from the Mont Pelerin Society founded by Friedrich Hayek after WWII. Hayek saw a need for a forum for like-minded individuals who believed in Classical Liberalism. At the time, government planning and control dominated economic and political thought. The Mont Pelerin Society was composed of friends of freedom from around the world. Ludwig von Mises and Milton Friedman were original members. More information on Mont Pelerin can be obtained from my site or the internet. He have no connection with the Society other than a coincidence of philosophy. He uses Friedrich Hayek as an gravatar in honor of his enormous contributions to classical liberalism. A photo of Hayek is attached. Here are the full articles published on American Thinker (http://www.americanthinker.com/) Articles By Monty Pelerin The Coming Political Upheaval Put Uncle Sam on an Allowance Jekyll and Hyde Government Why the Democratic Party Cannot Survive Bernanke's Cowardice Has Sealed Our Fate Red vs. Blue: Bloods vs. Crips Obama: Not Moses, Merely Elmer Gantry A Depression May Be Our Best Hope Keynes as 'Useful Idiot' The Divine Right of Government Desperate Economic Action Ahead? Inflation: The Last Gasp of the Obama Economic Crisis Our Patrick Henry Moment Is Here Repent -- The End Is Near Worse than a Depression The End of Democratic Socialism Political Fatal Conceit The Keynesian Fraud Obama the Entrepreneurship Expert Obama's Ides-of-March Moment is Near The Economic Crisis Is Only a Symptom Health Care Reform Vaporizes Obama Presidency 2010 Will Be Worse Obama's Vote-Buying Dilemma Why Obamanomics Will Not Improve the Economy

Bill Wilson, AS ’75, is a conservative opposed to what he sees as a government that is way too big and is spending way too much money for all the wrong reasons. As president of Americans for Limited Government, a nonprofit advocacy group in Fairfax, Va., the former political science major says he takes issue with the actions of both political parties. Wilson says he disliked many of George W. Bush’s policies, including the Patriot Act and the Medicare prescription drug program, and supported neither Barack Obama nor John McCain in the 2008 presidential race. But now, with Obama in the White House, Wilson and his organization have what The New York Times called in a recent article about him “a fully satisfying target.” Like many other conservative groups, Americans for Limited Government has gained momentum since 2008 through opposition to President Obama’s policies. It has established a strong online presence, including a website, GetLiberty.org, and daily email messages to more than 90,000 conservative individuals and bloggers. Because politics is, in Wilson’s words, “a full-body contact sport,” he says the confrontational style of many of his messages is designed to get attention for his limited-government ideology. “To some degree, the old terms [such as ‘conservative’] are no longer really descriptive,” he says. “We advocate more adherence to what we see as a traditional view of the Constitution. In that sense, our goal is more restoration than conserving.” Americans for Limited Government has about 18 staff members and an annual budget of $4 million. Howard Rich, a New York real estate executive who funds many conservative causes, is a major supporter. Spending, taxes and the scope and reach of government are among the hot-button issues that raise the hackles of Wilson, who earlier in his career worked for organizations supporting such issues as right-to-work laws, term limits and school choice. “Governments feel a need to justify themselves, so what you end up with are policies that justify government initiatives,” Wilson says. “The problem is that the money the government spends comes out of the private sector or from debt servicing.” Part of the solution, he says, is a return to small localized and sustainable communities, where members have a more direct say in what goes on. “Creating sustainable communities is what it is all about,” he says. “This is an American experiment, and it has the potential to unite liberals and conservatives.” Wilson’s involvement in the political fray continues a recent flurry of high-profile political activities by alumni, including Vice President Joe Biden; Steve Schmidt and David Plouffe, who led the 2008 presidential campaigns for McCain and Obama, respectively; and recently elected New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. “One of the positive aspects about the University of Delaware and the state of Delaware is that you have a chance to move up and try things that aren’t available in a larger, less intimate setting,” says Wilson, who cites the influence of James R. Soles, now Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Relations, on his own passion for politics. “To have all of those alums involved at those levels, the school has to provide an environment that generates people who are inquisitive and always ready to learn.”

Tad DeHaven is a budget analyst on federal and state budget issues for the Cato Institute. Previously he was a deputy director of the Indiana Office of Management and Budget and a policy analyst with the National Taxpayers Union. DeHaven also worked as a budget policy advisor to Senators Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Tom Coburn (R-OK). His articles have been published in the Washington Post, Washington Times, and National Review.

The Environmental Protection Agency's carbon regulation push continues, but apprently abusing the clean-air laws of the 1970s to achieve goals Congress rejected isn't enough. Late last week, teh EPA made an unprecedented move to punish Texas for being the one state with the temerity to challenge its methods. Kathleen Hartnett White is Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Director, Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment She joined the Texas Public Policy Foundation in January 2008. She is a Distinguished Senior Fellow-in-Residence and Director of the Armstrong Center for Energy & the Environment. Prior to joining the Foundation, White served a six-year term as Chairman and Commissioner of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). With regulatory jurisdiction over air quality, water quality, water rights & utilities, storage and disposal of waste, TCEQ’s staff of 3000, annual budget of over $600 million and 16 regional offices make it the second largest environmental regulatory agency in the world after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Philip M. Scherer, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Continental 1. Phil is a longtime enthusiastic and committed supporter of the Continental 1 trade, travel and tourism corridor. Since joining the organization in June of 2010, Phil has become the voice of Continental 1, reaching out to many groups and through meetings of stakeholders. He has had extensive involvement in management, cross-border, and economic issues during his career at Niagara University in Lewiston, New York, where he was a Professor of Economics. Phil also servedas Department Chair, MBA Director, and Interim Dean at Niagara.

Thomas W. Young CLU, ChFC, RFC, CSA Tom is a life time resident of Western PA and has a wife, Theresa and one daughter Sarah. Tom started in the financial services industry in 1976, and is the founder and President of 1st Consultants, Inc. He is also the Professional speaker for Financial Curves, Inc. Tom is a financial strategist who uses time value concepts and lost opportunity cost evaluations to help clients maximize the time value of money and benefits associated with insurance and financial products. Tom is a professional speaker, a published author, and a radio personality on 1230/1460 WBVP/WMBA in Beaver Falls, PA. His radio show is called, "The Financial Coach for Seniors". Tom earned the 2010 Beaver County Times Best of the Valley Readers' Choice Award for best Financial Planner. He has been recognized by Pittsburgh Magazine as a Top-Scoring Wealth Manager. Tom has been named 2004 Business Man of the Year by the National Republican Congressional Committee's Business Advisory Council and is also the recipient of the 2004 Ronald Reagan Gold Medal Award.  Tom has also earned several professional designations such as Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), Registered Financial Consultant (RFC), and Certified Senior Advisor (CSA). Along with these designations, Tom is also a former National Field Trainer for LEAP™ Systems, Inc. He is a member of the National Ethics Bureau. He has served on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross - Beaver Chapter and the Beaver Area Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Beaver, Rochester, and Beaver County Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Knights of Columbus. Tom is also a member of the prestigious "MDRT" (Million Dollar Round Table). He has earned Court of the Table and Top of the Table; distinguishing himself within the industry through their superior performance by producing at a level three times that of MDRT membership requirements. Achieving membership in MDRT's Court of the Table is a career milestone attained only by those who have demonstrated exceptional professional knowledge, client service and ethical conduct. Million Dollar Round Table's Top of the Table is an exclusive forum for the world's most successful life insurance and financial services professionals.  As a Certified Life Coach, Tom works as an overall financial coach for his clients. Tom has also been certified as a Human Behavior Consultant. Tom is a charter member of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors as well as a member of the Society of Financial Service Professionals.

The author is a proud citizen of the United States and the son of a career Air Force Colonel. He has degrees in electrical engineering and business administration, and spent most of his career in high-tech. He decided to stand up, make a difference, and remain silent no more. The ever-increasing and perpetual debts have converted a free people into little more than bonded servants laboring for a new form of subjugation called central banking. The inability or unwillingness of Congress to solve any of the problems facing our nation, plus the increasingly obvious distortions and half-truths perpetuated by mass media, are the reasons the author decided some 20 years ago to turn off the TV and start on his own path of discovery. This approach proved to be fruitful. In total, that research spanned over 1,000 books and tens of thousands of articles, videos, and web searches. The book is the result of that journey. You can obtain the benefits of 20 years research in a couple of hours.

Kirk MacKenzie is a proud citizen of the United States and the son of a career Air Force Colonel. He has degrees in electrical engineering and business administration, and spent most of his career in high-tech. He decided to stand up, make a difference, and remain silent no more. The ever-increasing and perpetual debts have converted a free people into little more than bonded servants laboring for a new form of subjugation called central banking. The inability or unwillingness of Congress to solve any of the problems facing our nation, plus the increasingly obvious distortions and half-truths perpetuated by mass media, are the reasons the author decided some 20 years ago to turn off the TV and start on his own path of discovery. This approach proved to be fruitful. In total, that research spanned over 1,000 books and tens of thousands of articles, videos, and web searches. The book is the result of that journey. You can obtain the benefits of 20 years research in a couple of hours.

Timothy Sandefur Principal Attorney, National Litigation Center, Author "The Right To Earn a Living" Timothy Sandefur is a Principal Attorney at the Pacific Legal Foundation. As the lead attorney in the Foundation’s Economic Liberty Project, he works to protect businesses against abusive government regulation. He also works to prevent the abuse of eminent domain, having litigated important eminent domain cases in California, Missouri, and elsewhere, and having filed briefs in many significant eminent domain cases, including Kelo v. New London. He is the author of two books, Cornerstone of Liberty: Property Rights in 21st Century America and The Right to Earn A Living: Economic Freedom And The Law, as well as some 40 scholarly articles on subjects ranging from eminent domain and economic liberty to copyright, evolution and creationism, and the legal issues of slavery and the Civil War. His articles have appeared in Liberty, National Review Online, The Claremont Review of Books, Forbes Online, The San Francisco Chronicle, Regulation, and The Washington Times, among other places. He is an adjunct professor of law at the McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento. In February, 2006, he became one of the youngest attorneys ever featured on the cover of California Lawyer magazine. He is a frequent guest on radio and television programs, including The Armstrong and Getty Show, the Jim Lehrer News Hour, and NPR’s This American Life. Sandefur is a graduate of Chapman University School of Law and Hillsdale College.

Lance Izumi Koret Senior Fellow in Education Studies Senior Director, Education Studies Lance T. Izumi, J.D. is Koret Senior Fellow and Senior Director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI), California’s premier free-market public-policy think tank based in San Francisco and Sacramento. He is the co-author of the groundbreaking book Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice (San Francisco, CA: Pacific Research Institute, 2007), which has been praised by publications such as The Wall Street Journal and Education Week. He is co-executive producer of the award-winning 2009 PRI full-length film documentary Not as Good As You Think: The Myth of the Middle Class School, which is based on his 2007 book. The film has been broadcast multiple times on PBS. He also appears in Academy Award-winning director Davis Guggenheim’s major 2010 education film documentary Waiting for Superman, which was voted best U.S. documentary at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. In 2008, The New York Times selected Lance Izumi to be one of its online contributors on the presidential race and education issues. In 2009, The New York Times posted “Sweden’s Choice,” a video op-ed which he wrote and narrated and which has garnered critical praise. He is also the co-author of the book Free to Learn: Lessons from Model Charter Schools (San Francisco, CA: Pacific Research Institute 2005), which has been used as a guidebook for creating high-performing charter schools in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. 

 Lance Izumi is the author/co-author of numerous major PRI studies, including the "California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators" (1997, 2000, 2003 and 2007 editions), "Failing our Future: The Holes in California’s School Accountability System and How to Fix Them" (2006), "Putting Education to the Test: A Value-Added Model for California" (2004). "They Have Overcome: High-Poverty, High-Performing Schools in California" (2002), "Facing the Classroom Challenge: Teacher Quality and Teacher Training in California’s Schools of Education" (2001), and "Developing and Implementing Academic Standards" (1999). Lance Izumi is a member of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation with nearly 3 million students. He served two one-year terms as president of the Board of Governors from 2008 through 2009, and in 2010 he received an award recognizing his leadership and service. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger initially appointed him to the Board in 2004 and re-appointed him in 2009. 

 In 2008, the United States Army appointed Lance Izumi to its Los Angeles/Southern California Advisory Board Executive Committee. In that capacity, he assists the Army with its community outreach, image enhancement, and recruiting efforts.
 In 2010, the Army’s Sacramento Recruiting Battalion named him president of its grassroots advisory council. In 2007, Lance Izumi was named to the California Advisory Committee of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. In 2003, United States secretary of education Rod Paige appointed him to the Teacher Assistance Corps, a task force of experts assigned to review state teacher quality plans as they relate to the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

 He also served a five-year term as a commissioner on the California Postsecondary Education Commission, the state’s higher education coordinating body. Lance Izumi is the co-editor of two books: Teacher Quality (Hoover Institution Press and Pacific Research Institute, 2002) and School Reform: The Critical Issues (Hoover Institution Press and Pacific Research Institute, 2001). 

For ten years, he was a regular contributor to the "Perspectives" opinion series on KQED-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in San Francisco. Prior to going into the think-tank world, Lance Izumi served as chief speechwriter and director of writing and research for California Governor George Deukmejian. He also served in the administration of President Ronald Reagan as speechwriter to United States Attorney General Edwin Meese III. Lance Izumi served as a commissioned officer, holding the rank of captain, in the California State Military Reserve, the state defense force that assists the California National Guard. He was attached to the Public Affairs Office at CSMR Headquarters in Sacramento. During his service, Mr. Izumi was awarded the commendation medal and the achievement ribbon.

 Lance Izumi received his juris doctorate from the University of Southern California School of Law and his master of arts in political science from the University of California at Davis. He received his bachelor of arts in economics and history from the University of California at Los Angeles. Related publications: * Not as Good as You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice * Putting Education to the Test: A Value-Added Model for Education * The California Education Report Card: 2003 * California Index of Leading Education Indicators: 2000 Edition * California Education Report Card: Index of Leading Education Indicators, 4th Edition * Free to Learn: Lessons from Model Charter Schools * Failing Our Future: The Holes in California's School Accountability System and How to Fix Them * To Serve and Educate: A Handbook for School Board Members

Randall talks with Karen Gray about "The CCSD Machine" - School district active on all fronts to get, keep and control public money. Karen Gray is an education researcher at NPRI and has been with the Institute since June 2008. Karen has an associate's degree in legal assistance from the Community College of Southern Nevada (now the College of Southern Nevada). Prior to joining NPRI, Karen spent 17 years as a parent in the Clark County School District, serving on various district committees and parent groups. As an independent education advocate and paralegal, Karen assisted parents and attorneys in advocating for students with school district administration and the board of trustees and in special-education legal proceedings. As part of her efforts to promote open government, Karen regularly monitored the Clark County school board, lobbied for transparency legislation and pursued public-records litigation. Some of Karen's publications include: Publications : Commentaries AG readies bid for subpoena powers over public bodies The CCSD machine The super-secret superintendent search Nevada schools' billion-dollar blind spot A response to Attorney General Masto Yes, the AG deserves criticism on open-meeting law AG ducks open-meeting law responsibilities ‘It makes us all look ridiculous’ Playing favorites

Randy Turner from Money In America speaks with education policy analyst, James Golsan,at the Texas Public Policy Foundation about the state of education in the U.S. James joined the Foundation’s Center for Education Policy in October 2010 and contributes to the following issues: K-12 education growth; higher education spending; and increasing spending transparency across academia. Prior to joining the Foundation, James completed his Master’s of Arts degree in English at Texas Tech University. Recently, his article, “The Detective as Superhero: A Note on Robert Parker’s Spenser”, was published in the Spring 2010 edition of South Central Review Journal for Literary Criticism. After completing high school in Bryan, TX, James received his B.S. in Radio-Television-Film and his B.A. in English at the University of Texas at Austin. James currently resides in Austin, and enjoys sports, live music, and writing in his free time. -------------- Area of expertise: education - specifically higher education, although K-12 is part of his research agenda.

Christian Tharp, CMT and Chief Technical Analyst for, “The Adam Mesh Trading Group.” Christian Tharp, CMT, is an expert stock market coach who has helped thousands of beginner and advanced investors around the world take control of their financial futures. His Certified Market Technician (CMT) designation substantiates him as an expert in areas such as the technical analysis of stock trends, market indicators, cycles, system testing, Elliot Wave principles, Candlestick charting, analyzing financial trends and behaviors, portfolio strategies, and forecasting future price movements.After more than ten years of trading and four years of coaching students how to make money in the stock market, Christian’s straightforward approach to simple, systematic trading has made him a much sought-after coach. He only accepts students who are truly serious about making money in the stock market, regardless of the current market conditions. As a result of his dynamic coaching, students learn how to strategically assess buy signals and market entry timing, establishment and management of stop losses, and how to employ a simple and disciplined trading approach that creates profits. Christian’s passion for, and expertise in the market, coupled with his unique delivery skills, has resulted in thousands of successful trades acknowledged through the ongoing accolades from students. Before joining the Adam Mesh Trading Group, Christian’s portfolio of professional achievements included real estate sales and investments as well as ownership of several successful business ventures. Christian is currently a chartered member of the Market Technicians Association (MTA) and a member of the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

John Gaetani I want to thank all of those who supported me, helped me, and voted for me. I am very disappointed with the results of this election. It was a real learning experience. I know I was the best person for the Office of State Comptroller but when you don't have the financial resources to run a media driven campaign it is v...ery difficult to win. I will leave this FB page up for a little while longer. Thank you all. * Binghamton University '82 Accounting * Broome Community College '79 Business Administration * NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities June 2001 to February 2008 Associate Auditor and Associate Internal Auditor Albany, New York Performed limited fiscal reviews of the non-profit providers that OMRDD authorized to provide services to persons with developmental disabilities. Performed audits of OMRDD functions, financial systems, time keeping systems, programs, and other internal operations. * NYS Department of Transportation November 1991 to June 2001 Senior Accountant Albany, New York Had a variety of duties. Was the assistant supervisor for the unit that set up appropriations cost centers for DOT projects on the accounting system. Supervised 16 people in a unit that processed contract and consultant payments. Reviewed payment vouchers for special contracts and grants. Worked in the general accounting unit in charge of reconciling DOT's accounting system to the Comptroller's accounting records. Worked on a project for Y2K to automate the contract and consultant payment system. * NYS Department of Transportation March 1987 to November 1991 Senior Internal Auditor Albany, New York Assisted the lead auditor in performing internal audits of DOT programs, functions, financial systems, and operations. Also, worked on special assignments and investigations. Eventually worked up to a lead auditor role. * NYS Department of Labor February 1983 to March 1987 Senior Auditor Syracuse, New York Performed audits and past due filings reviews of employers for the the Unemployment Insurance Office. Also, collected past due unemployment insurance contributions which included executing warrants and liens on employers property. * Perfection Oil Company, Inc. August 1982 to February 1983 Bookkeeper Athens, Pennsylvania Responsible for recording the sales of six company owned gas stations. Also, assisted the assistant general manager in charge of those gas stations with the management of them. * Show More (2)