"David Boren's Letter to America" was first aired on Sunday October 5th 2008. Our Guest was David Boren, President, University of Oklahoma. Our topics included:- His book "A Letter to America" which was published this year - why he felt compelled to write the letter which he has suggested should be marked "urgent."
- His description of the experience he had in interviewing Rhodes Scholar candidates and how that motivated him to write this book.
- He suggests that for the first time in our history, almost 2/3 of Americans no longer believe that our future will be as good or better than our past - Why he thinks that is so and what can be done about it.
- He has suggested the creation on an independent government think tank not affiliated with intelligence organizations, why he has suggested that and what that would do.
- Importance of bipartisanship in the successful functioning of our two-party system
- Why he thinks bipartisanship has diminished so greatly in recent years - how campaign funding could be improved and what it would take to do it
- Seriousness of our ever increasing budget deficits
- Disappearing middle-class and Justice Brandies quote "You can have a democracy and a society sharply divided between the rich and the poor, but you cannot have both for very long." How this can divide between the rich and the poor be narrowed
- Why he thinks the teaching of American government is so important at the University and College level
- Why the relationship between the United States and the Republic of China is so important and how difficult it will be to improve it
- In a finish to his letter to America, what he would like to say about the state of our Country and the need for improvement and change
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