California is the country’s most populous state. We find out why the Golden State is facing a budget crunch, what voters think of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the reaction to the State Supreme Court’s recent decision on gay marriage, and what is being done about the drought there. Dan Walters , political columnist at the Sacramento Bee , explains what will be the major issues on the minds of California voters in November. He has been reporting on California politics for more than 30 years. States of the Union fact of the week: California is the most populous state of the United States. It’s also the 2nd most populous state in the Americas. São Paolo State, Brazil is the largest.
Find out about The Family, an elite corps of fundamentalist Christianity which has powerful members on both sides of the aisle in Washington, D.C. Journalist Jeff Sharlet ’s new book is The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power . Event : Jeff Sharlet will be speaking and signing books Tuesday, June 3 at 7 pm Park Slope Barnes & Noble 267 7th Avenue (at 6th Street)
In The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart (Houghton Mifflin, 2008), journalist Bill Bishop argues that for all the diversity we have in America, our communities are more polarized than ever. Did you move to your current neighborhood to join a certain group? Comment below!
Battered by gas prices, Americans drove 11 billion miles less in March of this year than they did in March 2007. While some people are turning to public transportation, some are turning to transportation of the two-wheeled kind. Wall Street Journal reporter Jonathan Welsh talks about the spike in scooter sales.
We look into America’s pension and health care crisis, and what it will take for corporations and the government to make good on their promises to workers. Roger Lowenstein ’s new book is While America Aged . Event : Roger Lowenstein will be giving a talk and signing books Wed., May 28 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM At Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus McMahon Hall - Room 109 113 W 60th Street