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Author D.J. Waldie on Being a 'Partisan of Suburban Places'

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST

"Lakewood is not really a suburb anymore, it's a particular kind of urban place that looks suburban superficially but which is netted fully in an urban fabric," says author D.J. Waldie who is most famous for writing Holy Land: A Suburban Memoir, set in 1950s Lakewood, California.

Waldie sat down with Reason Magazine Editor in Chief Matt Welch, who also grew up in Lakewood, to talk about city planning and the unique issues affecting suburbia in 2011. For 34 years, Waldie served as the Public Information Officer for the city of Lakewood and still lives in the house he grew up in.

The film rights to Holy Land were bought in late 2010 by actor James Franco for a possible movie.

Waldie is also the author of the book Where We Are Now: Notes from Los Angeles, blogs at KCET.org and is a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times.

Topics include: Why contract cities pinch every penny; the effects of a recession on suburbia; and why residents are leaving California.

Aproximately 10 minutes.

Camera by Paul Detrick, Alex Manning and Tracy Oppenheimer. Edited by Detrick

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LAPD Stands Down on Occupy LA

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST

For days, OccupyLA had been told to evacuate its camp outside Los Angeles City Hall by 12:01 a.m. on Monday, November 28. Throughout Thanksgiving weekend, the deadline approached and tension increased.

When the police-led evacuation didn't happen, the movement moved into the streets where they were met by members of the Los Angeles Police Department armed with batons, helmets, and other riot gear.

Reason.tv spoke with Occupiers and fans of the movement from inside the encampment at City Hall and followed the police developments into the morning. There was no clearing of the Occupy camp this time, but Los Angeles authorities have said they are determined to clear the space sooner or later.

About 3:30 minutes.

Written, shot, and narrated by Paul Detrick.

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Anthony Randazzo Talks Generation Jobless on Freedom Watch

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 00:00:00 EST

Reason's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo appeared on Freedom Watch to discuss how government work projects of the past are increasing unemployment for young people today. Air Date: November 7, 2011.

Approximately 5 minutes.

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Peter Schiff on the Dismal Future of the U.S. Economy

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:00:00 EDT

"We have to cut $1.5 trillion out of this year's budget," says investment advisor, author, and radio host Peter Schiff.

Reason's Nick Gillespie sat down with Schiff at July's FreedomFest in Las Vegas.

Schiff, whose most recent book is How and Economy Grows and Why it Crashes, says that the economic downturn of 2008 is only a mild preview of what's in store for the U.S. economy in the future and predicts much higher unemployment and huge inflation over the next few years. The only way out of this mess, says Schiff, is for the government to get out of the way and let the inevitable market correction occur. "It would be painful to cut spending by that degree," he acknowledges, "but not nearly as painful as it's going to be if we don't cut spending by that degree."

Shot by Jim Epstein and Zach Weissmueller and edited by Zach Weissmueller.

About 5 minutes long.

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Held every July in Las Vegas, FreedomFest is an annual gathering of about 2,000 free-market and libertarian enthusiasts. This year's speakers included Reason's Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch, Sen. Rand Paul, Judge Andrew Napolitano, and scores of others. Reason.tv conducted interviews with more than two dozen speakers, which we'll be releasing over the next several weeks. Our growing playlist can be watched online here.

Reactions to Obama's Jobs Speech 9/8/2011 or, "Two Girls One Job"

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EDT

As President Barack Obama took to the pre-prime-time airwaves to announce his $450 billion jobs program, Reason.tv captured the candid reactions of viewers from all over the Internet.

About 2 minutes. Produced by Paul Detrick. Edited by Sharif Matar.

For more info, and actual ideas that might generate jobs, go here.

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Power to the Entrepreneurs: A conversation with USD law professor Donna Matias

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

At a time when political leaders are talking a lot about the need to create jobs from the top down, Donna Matias is taking more of a bottom-up approach. Matias and her colleagues at the Entrepreneurship Clinic at the University of San Diego Law School provide pro bono legal services to San Diego entrepreneurs.

We sat down with Matias to learn more about how her organization works to help low-income entrepreneurs overcome the regulatory hurdles that so often make it difficult for small businesses to succeed.

Produced by Paul Feine and Alex Manning.

Approximately 3.5 minutes.

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Anthony Randazzo Discusses President Obama's Jobs Plan on Cavuto

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo appeared on Cavuto to discuss President Obama's upcoming jobs plan. Air Date: 8/17/2011.

Approximately 4 minutes.

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Tim Cavanaugh Discusses Unions and the Federal Reserve with Judge Napolitano

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT

Reason columnist and Hit & Run contributor Tim Cavanaugh appeared on Freedom Watch to discusses why union membership is in decline and whether the Federal Reserve will continue to recieve skepticism. Air Date: June 24, 2011.

Approximately 7.16 minutes.

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The Green Regulation Machine: Saving the Planet or Killing Jobs?

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 09:00:00 EDT

When Dwayne Whitney started his trucking business decades ago he had only one truck. Today he has eighteen and 20 employees. But that's about to change.

"The State of California says my trucks are killing people," says Whitney. "What do you say to that?"

In a few years, new air quality regulations approved by the California Air Resources Board will render Whitney's entire fleet illegal.

"New CARB rules are putting me out of business," he says.

CARB claims that diesel particulates, a type of pollution emitted from buses and trucks, contributes to 2,000 premature deaths in California each year. But UCLA epidemiologist Dr. James Enstrom says the number should be closer to zero.

In 2005 Enstrom authored an extensive study that found no relationship between diesel particulates and premature deaths. He says his study, as well as other evidence that agrees with it, have been ignored by an agency bent on passing ever more stringent regulations regardless of their effect on California's economy.

Enstrom blew the whistle on CARB for, among other things, failing to publicize that the lead author of the study that was used to justify the new regulations falsified his education history (he purchased his PhD from an online diploma mill).

But UCLA didn't come to Enstrom's defense. In fact, officials informed him that, after 34 years at the university, he was out of a job.

"The environmental regulation machine in powerful in California," says Adam Kissel of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which is defending Enstrom in the fight to keep his job. "When Dr. Enstrom went up against that machine he was retaliated against."

A hearing that begins on April 4 will determine whether Dr. Enstrom keeps his job, and the final decision rests with UCLA Chancellor Gene Block.

Says Kissel, "If Dr. Enstrom loses his job because he exercised his academic freedom, then it's a message to other researchers that you'd better not rock the boat because you might be next."

Approximately 9 minutes.

"The Green Regulation Machine" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Field Producer: Paul Detrick; Camera: Alex Manning, Hawk Jensen, Josh Swain, Austin Bragg.

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Nick Gillespie Appears on Varney & Company

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST

Reason.tv editor in chief Nick Gillespie appeared as a panelist on Fox Business Network's Varney & Company discussing everything from the public employee protests in Wisconsin to new tablet tech gadgets. Air Date: February 17, 2011.

Approximately 40 minutes.

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Porker of The Month for October 2010: Debbie Wasserman Schultz!

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:40:00 EDT

Reason.tv presents Citizen's Against Government Waste’s Porker of the Month for October 2010: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz!

What do you do when you and your friends in Congress go on a taxpayer funded spending binge, only to see massive unemployment and a floundering economy?

Just say something that sounds good and has zero credibility.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) is CAGW’s October 2010 Porker of the Month for exaggerating the effect of the failed stimulus program, exaggerating jobs numbers, and lying to the American people about the true economic picture.

Congratulations, Debbie!

"Porker of the Month" is written and produced by Austin Bragg. Approximately 1.2 minutes.

For more info on Citizens Against Government Waste and the Porker of The Month, visit cagw.org .

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Union Jobs vs. Children's Lives: Which side are you on?

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 06:00:00 EDT

Congress has passed a $26 billion aid package that is intended to save the jobs of thousands of teachers, nurses, and other public-sector employees. To critics who call the measure a "special interest" bill, President Barack Obama says , "I suppose if America's children and the safety of our communities are your special interest, then it is a special interest bill."

In politics everyone claims to be on the side of the children, but who really is? Pat DeLorenzo is a parent whose daughter suffers from epilepsy. Like roughly 10,000 other epileptic schoolchildren in California, eight-year-old Gianna suffers from the type of prolonged seizures that, without immediate attention, can result in brain damage or death. After witnessing the response of teachers and school nurses to one of his daughter's life-threatening seizures, Pat DeLorenzo now believes that teachers and nurses care more about protecting union jobs than saving epileptic children.

DeLorenzo feared the worst when he receive a call from his daughter's school, informing him that she had suffered a seizure. Gianna survived that day, but DeLorenzo was outraged that school administrators had not given his daughter Diastat, a drug that stops seizures before they do permanent harm and is FDA-approved for use by laypeople. Today many schoolchildren must wait until an ambulance brings them to a hospital before they receive Diastat. That's much too long, says DeLorenzo who supports, SB 1051, a California bill that would allow trained non-medical volunteers to administer Diastat at schools.

Epilepsy advocates like the Epilepsy Foundation and physicians groups like the California Medical Association have lined up to support the bill. Unions representing teachers, nurses, and other public employees have lined up in opposition, claiming the bill would put children in danger. Their solution: hire more school nurses.

"The unions are not on the side of the kids," says DeLorenzo who believes unions are more interested in expanding their ranks than protecting epileptic children.

"It's exactly the opposite," says Gayle McClean, southern section president of the California School Nurses Organization and a member of the California Teachers Association. "We care deeply for children and we want them to receive the most appropriate care and that means they need a licensed medical person caring for them."

Sacramento lawmakers sided with unions and have refused to bring the bill up for a vote. The bill will officially expire on August 31.

"Union Jobs vs. Children's Lives" is written and produced by Ted Balaker. Field Producers: Paul Detrick and Zach Weissmueller; Additional Camera: Austin Bragg, Production Associate: Sam Corcos.

Approximately 7.30 minutes.

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Steven Greenhut on Public Employee Paychecks, Perks and Plunder

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:54:00 EDT

Steven Greenhut, Editor in Chief of CalWatchdog.com and author of the new book, Plunder! How Public Employee Unions are Raiding Treasuries, Controlling Our Lives and Bankrupting the Nation sat down with Reason.tv's Ted Balaker to discuss the widening gap between public and private sector employment.

Approximately 9 minutes. Shot by Alex Manning and Paul Detrick. Edited by Austin Bragg.

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Glenn Beck Cites Reason Magazine on Rising Public Employee Wages

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:45:00 EDT

On February 19, 2010, Glenn Beck cited Reason Magazine's February 2010's cover story Class War by Steven Greenhut on the ballooning cost of pensions and wages for public empolyees.

Approximately 5.22 minutes.

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And watch Reason Saves Cleveland With Drew Carey: How to fix the "Mistake on The Lake" and other once-great American cities, an original six-part documentary series.

More Taxes or More Jobs? California Shows We Can't Have Both

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:30:00 EDT

It's hard to find a politician who isn't eager to "do something" about high unemployment. Turns out California has found one way to save and create certain kinds of jobs—spend like mad and raise taxes.

That job-creation strategy has worked quite well for government-sector workers. Problem is the statewide unemployment rate is still among the highest in the nation, and many private-sector employers are heading to states like Texas, where taxes are lower and regulations are lighter.

"I would love to have companies calling me saying, 'We'd like to move to California, can you help us with that relocation?' I get none of those calls," says business relocation coach Joe Vranich. "The calls I do get are, 'Hello, we want to move out of California, can you help us do that?'"

Vranich says there's no one reason why businesses leave. He calls it "death by a thousand cuts," where job creators get fed up with everything from high taxes to traffic gridlock and legal hassles.

Take Rick and Jack Newcombe, the father-son team that runs Creators Syndicate. A long legal battle with the city of Los Angeles might end up being their company's final cut. The Newcombes say the city arbitrarily stuck the company into a higher tax category and officials are applying the hike retroactively. City officials are demanding $400,000 in back taxes, but Rick Newcombe calls the whole episode "legalized theft," adding that a tax penalty of that size would force the company to lay off 10 employees.

It's ironic that such drama unfolds in a city where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is always doing something—transit projects! green jobs!— he hopes will stimulate the economy. And steep statewide unemployment persists long after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eagerly accepted billions in federal stimulus funds. In fact, the Bush-Obama scatter shot of bailouts, stimuli, and rescue plans has fallen well short of proponents' promises.

Want to create and save jobs? Maybe it's time for politicians to stop doing so much and start undoing some of their worst blunders.

"More Taxes or More Jobs?" is written and produced by Ted Balaker, who also hosts. Camera-Animation: Hawk Jensen; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick; Additional Photography: Alex Manning.

Approximately seven minutes. Scroll down for downloadable iPod, HD and audio versions of this and all our videos.

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Anthony Randazzo Discusses the Jobs Bill on RT's Alyona Show

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 07:25:00 EDT

On March 18, 2010, The Reason Foundation's Director of Economic Research Anthony Randazzo discusses how the new jobs bill may actually leave college graduates without employment, on Russia Today's "The Alyona Show".

Approximately 7:18 minutes.

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Taco Truck Takedown! Why is the LAPD harassing food carts?

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 08:00:00 EST

Taco trucks pull up to curbs and offer LA eaters everything from tofu bowls to Korean barbeque. Customers flock to them, and recently so have police officers. Truck owners report being cited for everything from parking too close to curbs to parking too far away. Sometimes officers shut them down.

Why would law enforcement target taco trucks for nuisance violations?

Turns out nearby restaurants don't like the competition.

"Taco Truck Takedown" is produced by Ted Balaker. The director of photography is Alex Manning, the field producer is Paul Detrick and the production associate is Tannen Wels. Music by Magnatune.

Approximately two-and-a-half minutes.

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Related Reason.tv video: Food Fight: Battle of the Bacon Dogs, featuring Drew Carey and a woman who served 45 days in jail for selling something that is simply delicious.

Obama's Surprising Jobs Program Success

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST

During his first State of the Union address President Obama highlighted the jobs created during his first year in office. And it is clear that the president's policies are putting Americans back to work--especially bankruptcy attorneys, repo men, and government workers.

Written and produced by Ted Balaker. Director of Photography: Alex Manning; Associate Producer: Paul Detrick.

Approximately 40 seconds.

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Nick Gillespie on Fox's Cavuto, 12/8/2009, Talking Jobs & Unemployment

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST

On December 8, 2009, Reason's Nick Gillespie appeared on the Fox Business Channel's Cavuto to discuss President Barack Obama's "jobs summit," stimulus, deficit spending, and related plans to create more employment.

In the long run, we're all dead, said John Maynard Keynes. "But," asks Gillespie, "how do we pay for our funeral?"

Watch this video at Reason's YouTube channel.