January 24, 2015 – Archives/Pod Casts Hour 1 – Hour 2 – Hour 3
Hour 1: OPEN DISCUSSION with John J. Higgins and Barb Adams – THE REAL STATE OF THE UNION
CALL 800-259-5791 TO JOIN THE DISCUSSION!
This past Tuesday, President Obama delivered his 2015 State of the Union Address. While more an exercise in public relations and politics than an actual analysis of the country’s condition, a number of points are worth noting.
“The shadow of crisis has passed and the State of the Union is strong.” Perhaps the key line of the president’s speech, some might argue that the effects of the financial crisis and Great Recession are not “over,” as the president indicated. While the economy may be moving into a period of renewed strength, many Americans have yet to feel the effects.
Median family incomes dropped an additional four percent in 2013 according to the Census Bureau, and the American middle class continues to be hard hit by rising prices and stagnant wages. America continues to face significant job market challenges in spite of seemingly improved employment statistics. Many people have given up searching for meaningful employment while others are no longer counted in the unemployment figures. Additionally, higher-paying jobs have been replaced by lower-paying positions.
“The verdict is clear. Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works. And these policies will continue to work as long as politics don’t get in the way.” While there is room for debate as to whether the current economic policies are “working,” Mr. Obama makes a very valid point regarding the current state of politics. Polarization is crippling this country, and we must all work to move beyond the “us versus them” attitude that is rampant everywhere.
During his speech, the President called on Congress to enhance tax credits for education and child care, make community college free for many students, and impose new taxes and fees on high-income earners and large financial institutions. Possible areas of collaboration with Republicans included the president’s calling on Congress to approve a business tax overhaul, major initiatives to repair failing roads and bridges, and granting authority to strike trade deals.
Mr. Obama also vowed to continue to take aggressive action to fight climate change and not back down on changes to the nation’s immigration system.
Regarding national security, the President said the U.S. is supporting “…a moderate opposition in Syria,” however, U.S. forces have not yet begun to train these fighters and Politico reports that Obama’s top national security aides are not all in agreement with the strategy. In addition, Mr. Obama also discussed the move to continue to normalize relations with Cuba, asserting it is time to try a new strategy.
The president also acknowledged that “…for the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over.” According to U.S. News and World Report, the President’s statement is somewhat misleading. “The official combat mission did end by December 2014, according to the schedule he put in place in the spring of 2013, but that has done little to stem combat on the ground. Attacks by the Taliban, including in the capital Kabul, have spiked in recent weeks and prompted Obama to amend the original limits for the planned 9,800 troops who would still be there this month. Roughly 1,000 more U.S. troops are to remain in Afghanistan. And Obama has extended their mandate from solely a training mission to, once again, having the authority to conduct direct action missions against enemy forces on behalf of the Afghans they’re training.”
Then there’s the issue of cybersecurity. Privacy activists are less than pleased with the president’s proposals, especially expanding information sharing between the government and the private sector.
Although healthcare wasn’t a focal point of the President’s address, he did mention several new initiatives and noted that “In the past year alone, about 10 million uninsured Americans finally gained the security of health coverage.”
The President also urged members of both parties to strive for “better politics…where we spend less time drowning in dark money for ads that pull us into the gutter.” The issue of money in politics is huge, and unless this issue is addressed head on, nothing will change.
JOIN BARB & JOHN as they discuss The Real State of the Union.
CALL 800-259-5791 TO JOIN IN THE DISCUSSION!
Hour 2: Jody Berger
Joining Amerika Now during the second hour is author and certified holistic health coach Jody Berger, who will be discussing her book, Misdiagnosed: One Woman’s Tour of-and Escape From-Healthcareland.
When a small symptom led to an expensive medical test and a drastic diagnosis, Jody Berger panicked. She didn’t want a chronic and incurable disease like multiple sclerosis. Who would? She calmed down, made a plan and sought a second opinion. The second doctor offered a different diagnosis. The third doctor came to a third conclusion, the fourth found his way to another and on and on.
As Jody traveled across the American medical landscape, she kept asking questions, and a year and countless tests later, discovered that “M.S.” was nothing more than a gluten sensitivity. Now healthier than ever, Jody will tell her story and offer practical tips on navigating “healthcareland” – a confusing place that can be scarier than the symptoms that start the journey. But it doesn’t have to be.
For anyone who has ever worried about wellness, Misdiagnosed shows that while we can’t always heal, we can always take control.
Jody Berger is a freelance journalist and holistic health coach. She was a reporter for ESPN Magazine for five years and shaped the way it covered extreme sports. In addition, she has freelanced for Self, Teen People, Harper’s Bazaar, and others. Subsequently, she became a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, where she wrote about athletes, coaches, championship dreams, and the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Athens, and Turin. Jody was awarded the prestigious Knight Fellowship at Stanford University, and graduated from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.
For more information, visit www.Jody-Berger.com.
CALL 800-259-5791 TO SPEAK WITH JODY BERGER.
Hour 3: Dr. Mario Martinez
Renowned clinical neuropsychologist, biocognitive science founder, and bestselling author Dr. Mario Martinez joins the show during the final hour to discuss The MindBody Code: How to Change the Beliefs that Limit Your Health, Longevity, and Success.
How many times have you tried to change your belief, behaviors or habits—only to fail once again?
That’s because you assume that it’s a matter of will. But change doesn’t come from the mind alone—it requires a collaborative process joining the mind and the body—in a unique dance that takes into account the cultural context around you.
In The MindBody Code, Dr. Martinez challenges us to embrace a radically new paradigm for health and well-being. You’ll not only 
learn the basics of this fascinating cutting-edge science, but you will also learn to communicate with the body in its own biosymbolic language for results that until this point may have been elusive at best. Martinez will reveal the way our cultural beliefs impact our immune system, the pathway to healing the archetypal wounds of shame, abandonment, and betrayal, and much more.
Dr. Martinez will offer fascinating case studies and practical training in embodying the methodology, illuminating (1) the overt and subtle ways our cultural beliefs impact our immune system—and the pathways to healing the wounds of shame, abandonment, and betrayal; (2) how to break through the ceilings of abundance that limit prosperity and create the “subcultures of wellness” that will help people reach their full potential; and (3) psychospiritual conflicts—getting to the root of challenges often mistaken as psychiatric disorders.
Dr. Mario Martinez is a clinical neuropsychologist who lectures worldwide on the impact of cultural beliefs on health and longevity. His unique approach bridges the fields of psychoneuroimmunology, cultural anthropology, and cultural neuroscience, and is centered on “embodying the methods and living the theory.”
For more information, visit http://www.biocognitive.com/.
CALL 800-259-5791 TO SPEAK WITH Dr. MARIO MARTINEZ.
As the President continued to shine a light on the supposedly brightening domestic picture, it’s difficult to ignore a national debt that has doubled during his administration and continues at unsustainable levels ($483 billion in FY2014).
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