After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series. Podcast #34 marks the beginning of a new series (Part VIII) on "Living in the Future Tense." Today’s podcast (#38) concerns our inability to speak the truth about our $14 trillion national debt. The national debt as a percentage of GDP has historically risen during times of war and depression while being offset by increases in the highest marginal tax rate. Since 1981 the relative debt has increased due to internal policy decisions, rather than external events as before, while the highest marginal tax rate has been reduced.

Forums for a Future: Video

38 - Speaking the Truth and the National Debt

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series. Podcast #34 marks the beginning of a new series (Part VIII) on "Living in the Future Tense." Today’s podcast is part of a three part series on the world summit negotiations to combat climate change. Part 1 in this series, Podcast 35, explains why the proposals of both the US and China at Copenhagen and Cancun were self-serving and why neither could expect the other to agree with them. Part 2 in the series, Podcast 36 provides a rationale for an alternative world standard that is equally fair to both countries. And, Part 3 in the series, Podcast 37, explains why neither the US nor China have been able politically to reach an agreement, and it will provide a means for achieving mutual cooperation.

36 - Part VIII C: Climate Change Summit, Part 2

35 - Part VIII B: Climate Change Summit, Part 1

37 - Part VIII D: Climate Change Summit, Part 3

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series. Podcast #34 marks the beginning of a new series (Part VIII) on "Living in the Future Tense." Today’s episode, Podcast # 34, is the first in the series on: Living in the Future Tense. This series will look at specific examples of exponential changes that are taking life in the Post-Modern Era to the limit. These will be the defining moments for taking America forward (not back). The key concept in today’s podcast is to understand that today is tomorrow: the choices we make to day will be our own future.

34 - Part VIII A: Taking America Forward

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 33, is the fourteenth in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. The key concept in today’s podcast is that the dominate cultural beliefs of the Modern Era have led to economic and political policies that have produced climate change, threatening the capacity of the planet to sustain human life. Immediate fundamental changes in the civic control of the institutions of wealth and power are essential. But, there is a trans-generational communications gap between the new Millennials and the Boomers who form a demographic wall between the Millennials and their future. A joint effort is required between the current Establishment and the youth of today who share a single future. This is the Millennial Challenge.

33 - Part VII N: The Millennial Challenge

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 32, is the thirteenth in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. The key concept in today’s podcast is that the population of the world is approaching the carrying capacity of the planet. Unless we reverse the total impact of economic growth and human behavior to stop destroying the capacity of the planet to sustain life, the result will be the end of human progress in our immediate future. To do so would only require 20% of people to educe their impact by 2% over the next decade, and in each of the next three decades, for an additional 20% to double the effort. The end result would be 80% of the population reducing their overall impact by 16% by the year 2050. We have the knowledge and technology to accomplish this modest goal. The issue is whether we have the political will to do so; it is our choice for our lifetime.

32 - Part VII M: Carrying Capacity of the Planet

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 31, is the 12th in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. The key concept in today’s podcast is that for a surgeon to continue to perform a more expensive and intrusive procedure when a less expensive and intrusive procedure exists, without informing his patients of the alternative, is an approved medical practice according to the review process of the Florida Department of Health.

31 - Part VII L: More Expensive and Invasive Healthcare OK with Florida Department of Health

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 30, is the eleventh in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. The key concept in today’s podcast is that the financial crisis of 2008 -- 2009 has made clear that the economic pirates of the Modern Era have stolen the American dream by subverting, if not destroying, the very promises that shaped the nation. Clearly, it is time to look ahead and to ask what beliefs and values are required to see the future as inviting and hopeful. I suggest there are three old 20th Century concepts that we need to “let go of.” They need to be replaced by 21st Century beliefs that provide an exciting and hopeful future -- it is time to create the American Dream.

30 - Part VII K: Resetting the American Dream

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 29, is the tenth in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. The key concept in today’s podcast is that from the perspective of legal contract doctrine, voluntary retention contracts should be offered to our military personnel, and the self-serving Wall Street financial agreements should be voided.

29 - Part VII J: Stop Loss Wall Street

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 28, is the ninth in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. The key concept in today’s podcast is that we know we have some worn out beliefs. That recognition is what accepting change is all about. There is a need for reconsidering our core economic, social and political beliefs. Many are discouraged because the issues all need to be solved quickly. Yet, the task seems too complicated to be solved at all, let alone quickly. But, conceptually, these challenges are really not that complicated, and we know what the technical solutions are.

28 - Part VII I: Actually, It Is Not Very Complicated

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 26, is the seventh in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. In today's podcast, the key concept is that media has not born witness to what we have done to either to Iraq or to ourselves. A war with no visible pain is a war that should never have been fought. Never again should we let the government or the media keep us in a bubble of isolation to protection us from our personal endorsement of the choice for war.

26 - Part VII G: A War Without Pain

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I have resumed the series. The continuation applies the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 24, is the fifth in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. In today's podcast, the key concept is what is wrong with the current bailout to the financial crisis of 2008-2009, and what needs to be done instead

24 - Part VII E: A Cost/Revenue Neutral Economic Stimulus

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I am now ready to continue the series. The continuation will apply the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I have created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 21, is the second in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. In today's podcast, I suggest globalization is our inescapable new reality. Thus, the issue is how to make globalization work by relinquishing old inappropriate beliefs from the Modern Era and replacing them with new ones that can embrace and contain our new realities.

21 - Part VII B: Economic Globalization

After taking one year off to teach “Forums for a Future” as a university honors course, I am now ready to continue the series. The continuation will apply the concepts developed in the first 16 episodes to an open-end list of contemporary social issues. As a way to get started, I have created a three-part “Review and Transition” (Podcasts 17-19) to provide a brief summary and introduction for those new to the series, and a quick review for the original subscribers. Today’s episode, Podcast # 20, is the first in the open-ended series of positive approaches for addressing the many specific contemporary economic, social and political issues that challenge our capacity for having a future in the 21st Century. In today's podcast, I ask five rhetorical questions. If you answer the questions the way most people do, you should be in favor of the United States adopting a universal health care system.

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Forums for a Future: Video

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