The New Capital ShowTM with Leo Gold is progressive talk radio with a mission. The New Capital Show covers politics, environment, economics, business, science, religion, and philosophy. LISTEN Thursdays 3pm CST on Pacifica KPFT 90.1 Houston. Replays are available below with each show. 
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Reluctant Shoppers
The Wall Street Journal claims that "reluctant shoppers" are holding back the United States economy because they refuse to unholster their wallets and spend, spend, spend like it was, well, like it was yesterday! Leo disagrees: the only thing holding back the economy is what has always held back the economy - bad investments being chosen over good ones.
LEO GOLD
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Healthcare Reform
Leo finally decides to address healthcare reform head-on, as the government does the same thing. Leo finds similarities in the failure of private banking intermediaries to do their jobs and the failure of private healthcare intermediaries to do their jobs. If the intermediaries can't successfully intermediate at a national level and achieve their stated purpose, why are they entitled to support? In the new economy, Leo notes a new report from McKinsey & Company that finds the largest gains to be made in energy efficiency are in...energy efficiency.
Seats at the Table
New Capital Show debuts at its new time, 3pm CST Thursdays, catch it live at www.kpft.org or podcast here. Lots of people shouting for a seat at the table to have a voice in how new capital will be raised and how it will be allocated. Funny, these are the very same people who caused the gigantic, and now catastrophic, shift in capital raising and allocation over the past few decades. All countries need a healthy balance between private and public projects, and capital is raised and allocated differently for both of these. How could we have gotten so out of balance?
Recycling Update
Harry Hayes, Director of Houston Solid Waste, joins us by phone to talk about progress with the new single stream pilot program. Director Hayes says it's a clear success, already in 10,000 households, with plans to reach an additional 50,000 of Houston's 375,000 households. But between the lines, it sounds like the program is struggling to find funding. Why is recycling expected to earn its keep? No other municipal program is.
Hunger In America
Sasha Abramsky visits to discuss his new book Breadline USA and highlight the growing number of working poor who are struggling to put food on their tables. Leo notes that an investment banker friend of his believes that "everyone benefited" from the Reagan revolution, but Sasha begs to differ. While the legislative agenda on global emissions, health, and others has a better chance now, it will have setbacks, as it's having right now. Leo also recommends Niall Ferguson's new documentary The Ascent of Money.
READ: Breadline USA
WATCH: The Ascent of Money
Progress in the Storm
Unemployment ratchets sharply higher in May, and critical legislation continues to get watered down in Congress by politicians on the take. Florida shuts down summer school for lack of funding - what a country! Right wingers grow more shrill the more they are opposed. Still, progress is occurring as the nation goes through a big readjustment. Even suburban developers are starting to put in organic farms as their centerpiece. Take a break and a trip and enjoy yourself at Howell's Canoe rental and the newly renovated Sengelmann Hall.
Homeownership: good or bad?
Leo hosts John Wasik, author of The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome, and they discuss home ownership, sprawling urban communities, and the results of rampant Federal highway funding. Leo reveals the answer to his Risk Capacity Quiz. Also some news, including the the Sears Tower's plan for wind turbines and the situation in Iran, with agreement with Tom Friedman: help Iran by launching a green revolution here; $70 barrel of oil only goes into the hands of the oppressors.
READ: John Wasik's The Cul-De-Sac Syndrome
LINK: Leo's Tweets
Leo Tweets
Follow Leo on twitter where he gives regular, less than casual views on today's economic condition, progressive observations, and some tweets on life in general. Also, on today's show, San Francisco passes mandatory recycling to improve an already terrific program, Obama introduces financial reform legislation, and Leo gives his Risk Capacity Quiz. Want to take it yourself? You can here.
LINK: Leo Gold on Twitter
Crowding Out
Leo discusses the use of vast amounts of capital for, at best, highly questionable projects like more resorts in the Nevada desert and stadiums on the North Texas plain. With huge deficits facing the US and a constrained capital account, why did we make the choices that we did over the past decades? One thing is for sure, and that is it won't be easy to undo overnight.