Making Sen$e

Widening the Experiential: Jaron Lanier Explains Virtual Reality

June 18, 2013

Widening the Experiential: Jaron Lanier Explains Virtual Reality

Over 20 Percent Youth Joblessness and Still No Apprenticeships?
June 7, 2013
Controversial economist Robert Lerman has been around the world to see his favorite youth unemployment fix in action and believes in it more strongly than ever.
'Economics Is Not a Morality Play': Paul Krugman on Managing Financial Crisis
June 6, 2013
Should we have let foundering financial firms fail in 2008? Economics correspondent Paul Solman sits down with economist Paul Krugman to discuss the provocative bestseller "The Great Deformation" by David Stockman and the government's role in mediating economic meltdowns.
Paul Krugman on Why David Stockman Is a Crank
June 6, 2013
In the last round of our Stockman-Krugman debates, the New York Times columnist and Nobel economist explains why he thinks the author of "The Great Deformation" is an anachronism and has it wrong on 19th century America.
Why David Stockman Yearns for 19th Century America
June 6, 2013
David Stockman harbors fond remembrances of things past -- a 19th-century American economy that, he says, worked far better than today's, with one notable exception.
Krugman Says Forget Debt, Help the Unemployed
June 5, 2013
Nobel economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman offers what he would do to fix our economic system.
Former Reagan Budget Director Argues Against Bailouts, for Financial Discipline
June 4, 2013
In "The Great Deformation," David Stockman, former budget director under President Reagan, makes an argument against government economic intervention. Economics correspondent Paul Solman interviews Stockman on why he believes the U.S. bailout of banks after the 2008 financial meltdown perpetuates an unfair economic system.
How High Is African-American Unemployment and Is It Going Down?
May 24, 2013
A look at the jobs data for African-Americans reveals a story of deep distress, especially for the young. Paul Solman answers a reader’s question about unemployment for blacks and offers some chilling statistics.
Treasury Secretary Lew on Long-Term Unemployment, Party Divide on Spending Cuts
May 8, 2013
In a conversation with economics correspondent Paul Solman, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew addresses jobs and economic growth -- issues paramount to most Americans -- as well the political fight over automatic spending cuts, the implementation of Dodd-Frank and reform on Wall Street.
The Pros and Cons of Being a Jobless Single Dad for 711 Days
May 3, 2013
With only a slight improvement in April job numbers, Paul Solman talks with one of the 4 million Americans still unemployed, 55-year-old software developer and single dad Geoffrey Weglarz.
A Boom in Entrepreneurship, Self-Employment Among Late Bloomers
April 22, 2013
Are mature entrepreneurs on the rise? Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks to older workers who decided to pursue their own business dreams later in life.
Private Investors Put Money on Decreasing Teen Recidivism Rate
April 9, 2013
Rikers Island prison houses 88,000 inmates a year, many of whom are repeat offenders. In an effort to decrease the teen recidivism rate, high finance and do-good innovation have made an unlikely partnership. Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores a new way to fund government social services through private investment.
Is Globalization Wiping Out the American Surfboard Industry?
March 21, 2013
Economic correspondent Paul Solman reports on an American-born product hit hard by globalization: the surfboard. In Southern California, U.S.-based manufacturers fear they will soon be wiped out by competing, foreign companies due to discrepancies in labor costs and duty taxes.
Colleges and Universities See Graying Workforce Holding On to Coveted Positions
March 18, 2013
In academia, many professors remain working and teaching long past traditional retirement age, leaving younger potential professors shut out from highly coveted full-time, tenured positions. As part of a series on older workers, economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on how institutions are negotiating with aging faculty.
Remembering the Businessman Who Took a Chance on Ex-Cons
March 4, 2013
Paul Solman remembers John Neu, a businessman who took chances on convicted criminals by hiring them at his recycling company, WeRecycle.
Solving for Solvency: A Menu for Closing Social Security's Long-Term Budget Gap
Jan. 16, 2013
Social Security expert “Ask Larry” Kotlikoff thinks America is broke, and Social Security is one of the key reasons. Vice President Biden’s former economic advisor, Jared Bernstein, disagrees. Bernstein offers a menu of options that could fully close the 75-year Social Security solvency gap and do so in a balanced way.
Barney Frank's Plans for the Future
Jan. 3, 2013
In an exit interview that aired Dec. 26, economic correspondent Paul Solman spoke with Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who retired from Congress at the end of his term in January 2013. In the last of our series of interview outtakes with Frank, Paul Solman asks him what he plans to do in the future.
Manufacturer Vita Needle Finds Investment in Older Workers Turns a Big Profit
Jan. 2, 2013
The average age of Vita Needle's workers is 74 years old, and that's no accident. The manufacturing company has intentionally hired seniors -- a decision that has increased profits and benefited older workers who often have a harder time finding a job. Paul Solman reports on their unique model for doing business.
Life Insights from a 100-Year-Old Manufacturing Worker
Jan. 2, 2013
While reporting on needle and tubing manufacturing firm Vita Needle in Needham, Mass., the NewsHour team met longtime manufacturing worker Rosa Finnegan, who, at 100 years old, still punches in five days a week and has no plans to retire.
Barney Frank: How Smart Is Congress?
Jan. 2, 2013
In an exit interview that aired on PBS NewsHour Dec. 26, economic correspondent Paul Solman spoke with Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who plans to retire from Congress at the end of his term in January 2013.Watch this outtake in which Solman asks Rep. Frank about the intelligence of Congress members.
'Tis the Season, But Should We Save or Spend? A Holiday Money Conundrum
Dec. 20, 2012
Is saving money during the holidays smart or Scrooge-ish? Is shopping a way of forging social bonds and expressing your freedom or is it giving in to crass commercialism? Following the lessons of some "economist Christmas carols," economics correspondent Paul Solman weighs the economic and social theories of both sides.
Lawmakers Consider Cutting Tax Deductions to Bring Down the Deficit
Dec. 10, 2012
While tax breaks are popular, their future may be limited. Congressional leaders are deliberating on how they can increase revenue in order to bring down the deficit, and deductions may be on the chopping block. Paul Solman explores write-offs for charitable donations, mortgage interest and state and local taxes.
How Fine Print on Your Bills Helps Big Companies in Taking More of Your Money
Nov. 28, 2012
Cell phone bills are up 30 percent since 2009. So are cable television bills. Big companies are inserting tiny fees that add up to a lot and their profits do not reflect market competition. In fact, quite the opposite. Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks to David Cay Johnston about what's in the fine print on your bills.
What's 'The Fine Print' Hidden in Your Paycheck?
Nov. 28, 2012
Paul Solman talks to David Cay Johnston about his book, "The Fine Print." Here is an extra clip about a tax trick Johnston calls "one of the biggest scandals in America." It involves how giant companies are pocketing state income taxes withheld from your paycheck.
America's Historical Struggle With Debt and the Role of Federal Government
Nov. 27, 2012
Between paying now or paying later, Americans have just about always preferred debt to taxes. Paul Solman talks to Simon Johnson of the MIT Sloan School of Management about his new book "White House Burning," which chronicles the history -- including the whys and whererfores, virtues and vices -- of U.S. debt.
No Laughing Matter: A Look at the European Debt Crisis Through Cartoons
Nov. 22, 2012
Lee Buchheit, a lawyer who helped mastermind Greece's debt restructuring earlier this year, and investor Hans Humes explain the wrangling behind-the-scenes of Europe's debt crises to economics correspondent Paul Solman, all with a little help from some cartoonists.

1
2
3
4

Interactive: The Retirement Crisis Is Real

June 12, 2013

More people are working well past traditional retirement age. Is retirement as we know it a thing of the past? How long are we likely to work?

Reinventing Old Age: The Good We Do When We Work Forever

June 12, 2013

Reinventing Old Age: The Good We Do When We Work Forever

How Big a Boost Do Working Seniors Give the Economy?

June 12, 2013

How Big a Boost Do Working Seniors Give the Economy?

Why the Government Should Be Paying You for Your Information

June 11, 2013

What if government paid for the information it collected on its citizens? Jaron Lanier, widely regarded as the father of virtual reality and the author of "Who Owns the Future?", suggests that would be one step toward balancing the exploitative nature of the free technology that's making society more unequal.