How Do We Fix It?

Electile Dysfunction (is), “a terrible pun plus insightful commentary" is how TV host and wit Seth Myers describes" the new book by Professor Alan Dershowitz.

Dershowitz became a professor at Harvard Law when he was 25 years old. In his long and distinguished career, Newsweek described Dershowitz as "the nation's most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer and one of its most distinguished defenders of individual rights." We recorded this episode of "How Do We Fix It?" at his Manhattan home. "Electile Dysfunction" is his 35th book.  

Voters are anxious, frustrated and they feel impotent. In this show we look at the strangest political campaign of our lifetime and what can be done to improve the way we elect Presidents.

We are not alone in facing a threat to our democracy.  "I'm afraid of what's going on in Europe today and what's going in the United States may reflect a trend rather than a pendulum swing," Alan Dershowitz tells us. "A trend toward extremes and we have to fight back."

Jim, Richard and Dershowitz discuss the rise of extremism on the right and left, the threat to free speech on college campuses and the virtue of compromise.

"I think centrist liberals and centrist conservatives have to get together and take back the center and stop the alt right from taking over the Republican Party and the alt left from taking over the Democratic Party," says Professor Dershowitz.

We look at solutions:

- A voter's Presidential checklist. Before voting, weigh where the candidates stand on the most important issues - from who will best protect us from terrorism to who will keep America's economy strong and produce more stability.
- Shortening the nation's extremely long Presidential campaign with one national primary day in June, weeks before the party conventions.
- Reducing the destructive power of the media to hype conflict and obscure the electorate's understanding of vital issues.

- Encouraging free speech and open dialog that is now under threat at leading colleges and universities.

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Too often, migrants and refugees are viewed as "other" - not like us. In recent days Donald Trump Jr. compared the Syrian refugee problem to a bowl of Skittles

In this episode, Leonard Doyle of the International Organization for Migration walks us through the worldwide crisis of tens of millions of displaced people, from families fleeing from war and terrorism to young men and women who overstay their visas in search of a better life.  We look at the definitions of these terms - so often glossed over in our discussions of the crisis.

Using personal stories and speaking from years of experience working with migrants, Leonard makes a powerful case for all of us to see migrants as people like ourselves. This is the first small step we can take in responding immense humanitarian challenge.

"When you say the word 'migrant' people tend to have an image in their head,"  Leonard tells us.  That may be a negative image "because there is so much toxic discourse about them from our quite opportunistic political leaders." 

Established in 1951, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has offices in more than 100 nations and works with governments and non-governmental organizations to promote humane and orderly migration, for the benefit of all.

The movement of peoples from much of Africa, West Asia and The Middle East “is the global phenomenon of our time," says Leonard. "It's kind of the last flick of the globalization monster in a way.  We had free trade in global goods and services. This is the bit they didn't plan very well... But people aren't stupid. They watch television and see a better lifestyle happening somewhere else. We've kind of empowered them with our globalized media and globalized trade."

A summit of world leaders at The United Nations this week put the migrant crisis more firmly on the global agenda. In his address to the U.N. General Assembly, President Obama called the refugee and migrant crisis "a test of our humanity."

This episode also considers the views of voters in the U.S. and other nations who are fearful that the rising numbers of immigrants from nations with distinctly different cultures could lead to lower wages, rising unemployment and higher crime.  Dismissing or marginalizing their concerns can lead to to populist anti-immigrant rage.

Join Richard, Jim and Leonard for a lively and often moving conversation. 

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Get ready for slower economic growth and de-globalization, says investor and writer Ruchir Sharma.

Ruchir invited us to his New York office, where he is the head of emerging markets and chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. He is also the author of "The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in the Post-Crisis World."

Our interview looks at Ruchir's rules for spotting political, economic and social change. They include:

• The depopulation bomb: If the working population shrinks, so does the economy.
• Good versus bad billionaires: Wealth inequality is exploding, but some types of tycoons are viewed very differently than others.
• The curse of the cover story: Ruchir looked at every Time Magazine cover on the economy going back to 1980. If the cover was downbeat the economy grew faster 55% of the time. If it was upbeat, the economy slowed 66% in the following years.
• Why democratic capitalism beats the Chinese brand: Postwar booms in democratic nations were usually stronger and longer than under authoritarian regimes.

"What's very apparent and under-appreciated is the major drop off that we've seen in the world's working age population growth rate," Ruchir tells us. "I think that is a major drag on global economic growth currently."

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On New Year's Eve, journalist and former Parade Editor-in-Chief Janice Kaplan made a promise to herself to be grateful during the coming year and look on the bright side of whatever happens.

As we find out in this episode, it made a big difference to her life. Janice discovered that how she feels has less to do with events than with her own attitude and perspective on life.

Her recent book "The Gratitude Diaries" began after a survey she had done found that 94% of Americans thought people who are grateful live richer lives.  But less than half those surveyed say they practiced gratitude on any regular basis. 

"It struck me that we have this great big gratitude gap," Janice tells us on "How Do We Fix It?" If we change our attitude, she says, "we're going to be a lot happier."

Solutions:

- Say thanks to someone you love. It's easy to forget to appreciate your partner and your family. But the daily practice of saying something positive can transform almost any relationship.
-Gratitude is an attitude, but it's also a daily practice. Each day write down something that you are grateful for.
- Express gratitude at work. Many of us feel unappreciated at work, but we can change that for ourselves and our colleagues.  The start of the work week is a great time to tell fellow workers that they matter to you. 
- At family dinners or when you are putting your kids to sleep at night, ask your kids what they were grateful for today. This can become part of what families do and how they think about their lives.

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How much do you know about money?  Many of us make simple mistakes that cost us hundreds, if not thousands of dollars a year.

According to a recent study by The FINRA Investor Education Foundation, only 37% of Americans have high financial literacy. 29% of 18-34 year-olds with a mortgage have been late with a monthly payment and more than one in four people use high-cost forms of borrowing like pawn shops and payday loans.       And even worse, many of us think we know much more about personal finance than we do.   In this episode we have simple fixes for money mistakes.  Our guest, ABC News Chief Business, Technology and Economics Correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, explains how a few simple steps will improve our chances of staying out debt and avoiding scams.     "One of the things that drives me nuts is the number of charlatans out there who are selling products saying it can't lose it can't fail you're going to make money no matter what, " Rebecca tells us.  "Anyone who tells you that... run in the opposite direction."    Solutions:   - Never use credit cards to borrow money.  Most have very high interest rates. - Understand why compound interest hurts borrowers and helps savers. - Fix it and forget it: How everyday habits automatic saving - putting a small amount of money away each week - can lead to a secure retirement. - How employers can help workers to save money. - Why better financial education should be a priority for schools and colleges.    Useful websites:  Mint Quicken and other websites can help you with a weekly budget. Betterment and Wealthfront are savings and investment sites. Blooomoffers advice about how to improve the rate of return on 401k and other retirement savings funds.

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From "nap-time activists" and mommy bloggers to a "stroller march" on Washington, Moms Clean Air Force is using creative and highly effective ways to advance their cause to get dangerous pollutants out of the air. 

In this "How Do We Fix It?" episode we speak about solutions with the group's National Field Director, Gretchen Dahlkemper, a Pennsylvania mom who became an activist - fired up about the threat to her children's health.  Her daughter has asthma. So for her this campaign is personal. 

"I think the more that we connect the average citizen with their elected officials, the better off our entire system is going to be," says Gretchen. "We have forgotten that we can pick up the phone and call our elected officials."

Moms Clean Air Force fights back against climate change, fossil fuel, methane leaks and other issues that cause health problems. But this movement of mothers is about more than the environment and childrens' health.  It's also a way of revitalizing our democracy. 

"That to me is one of the key solutions to eliminating this huge partisan divide that we're seeing in the country right now," says Gretchen.

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Following on from our recent episodes about high schools and  playdates, this week we explore children's learning, technology and play with three "How DO We Fix It?" guests. 

Science evangelist Ainissa Ramirez explains why all young kids are fascinated by science.  But school often gets in the way of exploration and curiosity. Ainissa explains how parents and other caregivers can spark interest in science.

Psychology professor Abigail Baird shares insights and tips for parents about a healthy balance between computers, mobile devices and children's play.  Toy industry and play consultant Richard Gottlieb has creative and - yes - playful ideas about technology, behavior and learning. 

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The obesity rate is 52% in Brownsville, Texas - far higher than the national average.  Nearly one in three residents has diabetes - three times the rate elsewhere.  Brownsville also has a very high rate of poverty where more half the residents are not covered by health insurance.

This city and other largely hispanic communities along the U.S. - Mexico border are facing a health emergency.

Brownsville decided to tackle the crisis head on, with an innovative mix of public initiatives - including a new farmer's market, many miles of bike lanes, changes to zoning regulations, and a community-wide health challenge. 

Our guest is obstetrician-gynecologist, Rose Gowen, a City Commissioner in Brownsville. We hear her personal story and what Brownsville is doing to transform itself into a more active, prosperous and healthy community.

"We have found here that even in the poorest among us they want to feel better and they want better for their family and they're willing to listen to options and ideas,"  says Rose.

 "The difference that we've made is huge."

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Remember when kids were allowed to play, usually without supervision, when did that change? When did play turn into a playdate?

Today many parents organize playdates. Play is arranged, supervised and has the parental seal of approval. 

"I think we could add more diversity into how our children play with other children,"says our guest, Tamara Mose, Associate Professor of Sociology at Brooklyn College. 

Tamara is the author of the new book "The Playdate: Parents, Children and the New Expectations of Play"  

In this episode we look at how the shift to structured playdates reflects changes in parenting and class.  

"Let's listen to our children's desires," Tamara urges parents. "I think we've lost the ability to do that because we're so afraid of everything our children interacts with.'

We discuss other solutions, including tips for successful playdates and being open a greater range of children from diverse backgrounds.

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The release of nearly 19,000 e-mails from the Democratic National Committee rocked party leaders and forced the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

We look at how this happened, why Russia was probably involved and how many other organizations, businesses and government agencies are at risk of cyber break-ins.

Adam Levin, co-founder of Credit.com and the online security firm IDT911 says the power grid and financial system are at risk.  He warns of a possible "Cyber-geddon."

In this episode of "Fix It Shorts" Adam tells Richard and Jim how all of us can reduce our threat of identity theft and hacking attacks.

Adam Levin is a well-known expert on identity theft and credit and the author of "SWIPED: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers and Identity Thieves."

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