In Part Two of a two-part series on community nonprofit organizations, Dennis McCuistion is joined by a panel of experts with experience in the nonprofit sector.
The panelists include:
- Lois G. Lerner, Director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS
- Cynthia B. Nunn, President, Center for Nonprofit Management
- Jan Soifer, Attorney: Lawrence & Soifer LLP
- Teresa A. Wright, Executive Director, Funding Information Center
- Ronnie C. McClure, PhD, CPA, Wealth Management Consultant
In addition to the intrinsic benefits that come from serving in a community nonprofit organization, favorable tax treatment is among the most significant advantages for nonprofit organizations. However, tax forms like the 990 can be tricky to navigate through. The panelists discuss ways to go about making sure that the form is filled out correctly.
After 25 years of a non-revised 990 form, Lerner discusses some of the differences that were implemented in the new 990 form and the reasons why they were implemented. The panelists further the discussion by talking about the differences between the various IRS forms and explain the types of trade associations and other organizations that are typically tax exempt.
After giving some examples of cases where nonprofits were not operating above board, they discuss the types of services that the IRS generously offers all nonprofits. The IRS understands that many times people are just uninformed, so they try to be proactive in providing easy access to the information that is needed.
The panelists end the conversation by discussing various resources that a nonprofit director or board member can reference in order to learn “best practices” for a community nonprofit organization.
***
1708 -01.25.09
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In Part One of a two-part series on community nonprofit organizations, Dennis McCuistion and the panelists take a look at community nonprofit organizations. Specifically, they seek to answer the following questions:
- What do you need to know in order to volunteer or donate?
- What is the purpose of nonprofit organizations?
- What are the tax benefits they are the able to enjoy?
The panelists include:
- Lois G. Lerner, Director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS
- Cynthia B. Nunn, President, Center for Nonprofit Management
- Jan Soifer, Attorney: Lawrence & Soifer LLP
- Teresa A. Wright, Executive Director, Funding Information Center
- Ronnie C. McClure, PhD, CPA, Wealth Management Consultant
Community nonprofit organizations are doing acts of service that are necessary for community growth and advancement. Currently, there are 2 million tax exempt organizations across the country and half of them are charitable.
Lois Lerner, Director of the Exempt Organizations Division of the IRS, spends time with viewers explaining the benefits of the IRS website. She offers an assurance that the IRS does what they can to ensure that each community nonprofit organization has easy access to the tools and resources they need to access government help and to ensure they are operating above board.
In relation to giving to a nonprofit, the panelists address common concerns about giving and how a donor can ensure that their donation is being properly handled and accounted for, citing various websites and resources.
The panelists offer suggestions to community nonprofit organizations as well. They encourage all nonprofits to be fully transparent with information. When the public can see that a nonprofit is transparent, it will lead to more peace of mind for the potential donor, thus benefiting the nonprofit organization and the cause it serves.
***
1707 – 01.18.09
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In 1996 Don Tapscott, co-author of the Paradigm Shift, wrote, The Digital Economy, alerting us of the information highway that would shortly revolutionize how we communicate in every facet of our lives. He spoke of the fundamentally new digital economy, “where the paper trail ends and essential information is instead sent racing at the speed of light across networks.” Tapscott may have been using a crystal ball as we have certainly seen the evidence of this just recently with the Iran elections, and almost everywhere else we turn.
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In the Digital Economy, Tapscott answered the burning top of mind question every forward-looking manager and business person or business owner asks when the fabric of how business as usual changes to business as unusual… “What does the new technology (or other) mean to me and my business?”
We had the unique pleasure of meeting and interviewing Mr. Tapscott just prior to several TV tapings, several years ago. What he had to say then is still relevant today. In his interview Tapscott predicted the future of technology and how it would impact every area of business… from merchandise tracking systems, to how personal data is logged.
He spoke to the newness of technology,
“What’s so new about this economy is the actual heart of everything. The newness of it. There’s a convergence of communication technologies and content and broad public interest databases. These are crashing together and creating new digital media, changing forever how we do business and create wealth and social development. It’s creating a new economic sector that will be the basis for all other sectors. The new information superhighway is a powerhouse…”
Join Dennis McCuistion as he and Don talk about the future…
And as always thank you for joining us as we talk about things that matter with people who care…
Niki Nicastro McCuistion
Executive Producer/producer
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Given the fact of our present high unemployment and an unstable economy, according to some people, the increases in minimum wage will only increase unemployment. Conversely, others believe that those who work for minimum wage are past due from being given a raise- because of the increased costs of living.
Minimum wage came into existence just after World War II, then at 40 Cents an hour. Minimum wage is essentially a law that makes it illegal for firms over a certain revenue point/size to hire anyone at a wage level below the official minimum.
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Joining host, Dennis McCuistion, to discuss the pros and cons of proposed increases are:
- Liana Fox: Economic Analyst with Washington based, Economic Policy Institute
- John P. Greenan: Executive Director of the Central Dallas Community Development Corporation
- Robert Smith: Host of the Acorn Hour Radio Program on KNOW 89.3 FM (Association of the Community Organizations for Reform Now)
- Bob McTeer, PhD – Economist and distinguished Fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis and former President of the Dallas Federal Reserve
Bob McTeer believes that raising the minimum wage may sound good in theory, but in fact some are not employed as a result of it, because firms may not be able to afford hiring them.
John Greenan believes that the minimum wage is low enough that increasing it will not decrease jobs. From his organization’s perspective,
“It’s a moral issue as well. It’s not right [for people] to work full time and not be able to support themselves.”
Join in for a lively discussion that hasn’t changed over the years as to the practicality and morality of minimum wage. Let us know what you think by posting a comment on our website or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/McCuistiontv.
As always thanks for joining us as we talk about things that matter with people who care.
Niki Nicastro McCuistion
Executive Producer/Producer
***
1617
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Corporate Responsibility goes by many terms: Corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business, corporate social performance, etc. In their eagerness to be better corporate citizens and get and keep customers, corporate responsibility is a trend that many companies are taking more seriously. It is basically what a company will do beyond what they must do to satisfy a customer.
And it is looking at more than maximizing shareholder value and leveraging the maximum ‘good” to sustain the company for a future generation of shareholders.
Joining us are Guests:
- Ed Ahnert – ExxonMobil Foundation President (retired); Executive in Residence at SMU Cox School of Business
- Paul Pederson – Price Waterhouse Coopers; Management Consulting Partner (retired)
- Fred Smith, PhD – President and Founder of Competitive Enterprise Institute
Ed Ahnert comments: “You won’t find many maximizing shareholder value or making a lot of money on many corporate mission statements. Corporate responsibility is about creating value for all the stakeholders; from employees to the community it impacts.”
The model Paul Pederson shares outlines the various facets of what Corporate Responsibility involves. It includes, yet is not limited to:
- Corporate Sustainability
- Sustainable Development
- Transparency
- Triple Bottom Line
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Business Ethics
- Corporate Governance
- Corporate Citizenship
- Corporate Responsibility
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He comments: “Corporate Responsibility is an expansion for not just their own- the company’s activities- but the people they buy products from. They want to make sure their own vendors are not violating the law or hurting the reputation of the company. Corporations are more concerned and involved.”
A dissenting voice is heard from Fred Smith, who believes we need to be aware of price and the quality of what our vendors deliver and that they are not operating illegally, but that we cannot and should not “impose our standards and crippling regulations on other countries we trade with. We have no legal responsibility to do so.”
The lively debate continues with viewpoints on many sides of the equation. The outcome: Corporate social responsibility is fast becoming a fact of the American way of doing business.
As always, thank you for joining us, as we talk about things that matter with people who care…
Niki Nicastro McCuistion
Executive producer/ producer
***
1508
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During this installment of McCuistion Television’s episode on the Internet Privacy Condition, Dennis McCuistion is joined by two panelists:
- Dee Smith: CEO, Strategic Insight Group
- Jim Harper, J.D.: Director of Information Policy Studies, CATO
Internet privacy is a thing of the past. By Googling someone or something and by going into cached sites, you can pull back the covers on things that quite possibly the individual may have wanted to keep private. As Dee Smith says, “It’s an early warning sign. There’s an enormous array of credit card information and magazine subscriptions that all have a collected pattern. Privacy is threatened, yet there is a lot of information to help protect you against fraud.”
Jim Harper of CATO says of the Internet privacy condition, “What is privacy? Medical privacy and other is out there. The average person may not find this, but there is a lack of practical obscurity. Records exist. So from Government surveillance to marketing research and identity theft, a Google search can turn up lots of pieces and places. Not one place is definitive and complete. Still, ultimately, the result is a better economy.”
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Today there is a new human condition. The Web makes it very hard to escape your past. Data that is out there is difficult to impossible to retrieve. This information is going to be with you for a very long time. Knowledge is critical and needs to be managed. What one puts out on MySpace today can come back to haunt one and even result in the loss of a potential job. The knowledge intelligence pyramid, talked about by Dee Smith is a critical component of out future personal and marketing strategy.
From top to bottom the Knowledge Intelligence Pyramid, gives data that is critical to know and work with:
Tactical
Operational
Strategic
Specific and focused information
Specific but broad information
Background information.
Knowledge today is indeed power. And the more you know about a prospect or other individual, the more effective you can be.
Thank you for watching this segment on the Internet privacy condition,
Niki McCuistion
Producer
***
1518 – 07.19.09
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When Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor and PBS’ NewsHour Anchor, visited KERA sometime back, we were lucky to catch him for a full hour of intimate conversation, televised of course. Jim shared some of his local story and how he got his start at the studio where it all started… KERA.
This is part two of an intimate conversation with PBS’ NewsHour Anchor, Jim Lehrer…
Dennis McCuistion had the pleasure of interviewing Jim Lehrer. Curious about the PBS NewsHour Anchor’s viewpoint, he asked, “a viewer, seeing all sides of a well-spoken, well thought out perspective, can they then make up their own minds on an issue, if we give them those perspectives?”
In his thoughtful way, Jim responded:
“Absolutely, absolutely right. They don’t need any help from me to tell them what to think, but they do need help from me to provide them with many points of view in a very clean way. And fairness, fairness to ideas as much as to people. On our program someone will come in and say to me, ‘the person who knows the most on this subject is this person and on the other side this person. This person is not as articulate as this person; so it would be unfair to put this person on with this person, they’d mop up the floor with him or her.’
‘So we find a better spokesperson’, Jim says. Now that may sound as if we’re casting a movie. We’re in the fairness to ideas business. That means everything to me. We want people to say; now I understand; now I can decide.”
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Dennis went on to enquire about Jim Lehrer’s interviews with many of the most powerful people on earth. He mentioned an interview Jim had with a recent US President who had lied in that interview regarding a major controversy that had erupted. He asked Jim, with situations like that, how did he keep from being a cynic? Jim believes journalism is an optimistic line of work. He states, “you have to believe in peace if you’re going to moderate a discussion on peace. We as people are capable of solving every problem.” He quips, “I personally solved the Middle East issue at least 40 times.” His style – “I ask and I listen and I can’t judge.”
Dennis asks, “Did you know President Clinton was lying?” Jim says no and goes on to tell us that there had been no leaks; there was no reason to believe differently. “There was no reason, no record, no way to challenge, and I asked the same question seven different ways. He looked me straight in the eye.” The conversation covered the differences in journalism today, which has moved from substance of issues to titillating.
“Dan Rather spoke of this in the segment before,” says Lehrer. “There was a watershed moment during the OJ Simpson trial when CNN went gavel to gavel and said to the American people, ‘this is news- every day, this is news.’ It wasn’t news under the old definitions. Yes, it was news when the murders occurred, yes, it was news… the white Bronco, yes, it was news when the arrest took place, and he was indicted, and Fuhrman, then not news at all until the verdict came in.” He goes on to say, how the huge audience watching affected other news programs and the nightly news as the networks had to compete. Yet a lot of people said, ‘this is not news,’ and they tuned out. ‘THEY’ (CNN) redefined what news was, using entertainment value.”
Several years before this interview, Dennis and I had interviewed several journalists, household names, in Dallas for a charitable event. He (Dennis) had asked if there was bias in the Media, meaning liberal bias. He brought up Bernard Goldberg’s work, Bias, and Goldberg’s accusation of liberal bias in the media. Addressing this, Jim Lehrer answered, “Bias in the media? What is this media? Sounds like a dreaded disease.” He reminded us that there is not just one media; there are scores of those scorpions out there. On PBS’ NewsHour he said, “we don’t do that, do not include me in that group.” The reporters joining us that evening at the event were equally outspoken, Jim himself was very clear, “Like all generalities, a little of this, a little of that. That doesn’t exist on the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, and that’s what concerns me the most.”
Bob Schieffer had replied, “There’s not a liberal bias. Bias is perceived. When people think something is biased they don’t believe it. What we have to do is strive to be credible… That’s the responsibility of a journalist, to try to be fair.”
Dan Rather responded, “I understand why that is said by politicians and others with an agenda. My work stands for itself. I think the public is pretty sophisticated about these charges. They don’t want to know what someone calls you. They want to know what you said on the air.”
Sam Donaldson spoke to this, “I don’t think media is liberal or conservative. George Wills, who’s liberal or conservative, he or I? I don’t buy the premise that media is liberal so we try to advance our causes over conservative causes. It is true that we think our job is to have people explain themselves and tell us what they are going to do tomorrow. We scratch at both parties just as hard.”
And a classic response from Bill Moyers, “Rush Limbaugh is liberal? The Washington Times is liberal? Bill Buckley (was) liberal? McLaughlin is liberal? Donaldson is liberal? I mean come on now, that’s one of the myths that the right wing is perpetrating to keep your eye off what they’re really doing.”
Coming back to the present time, on this program Jim Lehrer continues telling us his philosophy for news and its mandate to be fair. He states that everyone should be heard and that it’s not his place to say who is right and who is wrong. Jim addressed the function of the news and the journalist’s responsibility. “My job on NewsHour doesn’t evoke natural smiles. If you’re talking about a situation in the Middle East, what’s funny about that?” He leaves us with his comments about his writing, now nineteen novels and several plays, and his work. The busy PBS NewsHour Anchor finds time for all he does, “The reason I really want to do this nightly news, I love what I do with my whole heart and soul. I’m fortunate to do what I really want to do. I devote time to do what I really want to do… rather than what someone else wants me to do.”
Thank you Jim Lehrer, for a thoughtful and intimate inside look. Join us for more. And as always, thank you for watching.
Niki Nicastro McCuistion… Producer
***
1522 – 07.12.09
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When Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor and PBS’ NewsHour Anchor, visited KERA sometime back, we were lucky to catch him for a full hour of intimate conversation, televised of course. Jim Lehrer shared some of his local story and how he got his start as PBS’ NewsHour Anchor at the studio where it all started… KERA.
Born in Wichita, Kansas in 1934, Jim received his A.A. from Victoria College, and a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri, before joining the Marine Corps. In 1959, he joined the Dallas Morning News as a reporter, where he stayed until 1966. He tells us he wrote a story about the civil defense organization, that the Dallas Morning News wouldn’t run. So without having another job to go to, a young one at home and one on the way, he walked out. “The real hero of the story is Katie, my wife. She said, Honey, you just come on home.” He landed at the Dallas Times Herald where he stayed for several years and in 1968 became the city editor.
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Then in 1970, came KERA… Bob Wilson, then manager of news and public affairs had this idea for nightly news, and experimental program,
“We didn’t know what we were doing. We started PBS’ NewsHour with the Beatles’, ‘Here Comes the Sun,’ and ended with ‘Oh Happy Day’ as our theme songs. Our thinking, with ‘Here Comes the Sun’ is we’d shed light on the deep dark secrets of Dallas. We did news analysis and opinion on local news. We were diverse before anyone else was, and had Afro-American, a Mexican, and a woman as reporters! Plus an environmental reporter! And we became a factor in Dallas journalism. The Editors quit sitting on stories, all little games they’d played for years, because their reporters would send them over to us. All bets were off. It made it possible for Editors to say, ‘Hey we’ve got to run this story because the kooks at Channel 13 will run it.’”
Jim believes that true journalism provides a forum of all the public news. It provides information for people who want it. “Its role in a democratic society is to provide information to the people so they can make informed decisions, when they vote… We are information gatherers and dispensers.”
In part one of this segment we show clips of an earlier program we produced, Is There Bias in the Media that featured interviews with Jim Lehrer, Bob Schieffer, Dan Rather and Bill Moyers. Dennis McCuistion asked:
What is the most important responsibility of the journalist?
Bob Schieffer answered: To find out the truth. To provide a forum that makes it possible to examine all public issues… To provide information.
Dan Rather: To be accurate and to be fair. The competition right now is unmerciful. It’s tough to survive in difficult times and we have to be accurate.
Bill Moyers: To connect the dots from A to B to C. on what’s on the surface and under the surface.
Jim Lehrer tells us:
“In journalism we go where people can’t go on their own so we can report back to people. … There’s a slippery slope going on, especially in commercial news networks. The competition is so fierce… there’s a ‘we have to have an edge, we have to have an edge.’ Down that road is loss of credibility. The news- is to give information, provide analysis and provide opinion. And the same person cannot do all three. We have to remember what Thomas Jefferson said, ‘If democratic society is going to function you have to have an informed electorate.’ That’s what journalism was created to do, inform the electorate. Simple”
Dennis asks if we are losing an informed electorate. And he asks if he, Lehrer, has been pressured by PBS to dumb down content?
“No, No, No,” answers Lehrer. The program goes on to discuss the ethics of journalism and Neil Postman’s work, Amusing Ourselves to Death, whose premise that we’ve lost putting issues in context, and that because of television we have taken issues and tried to put them into sound bites. So we are amusing ourselves to death. Says Lehrer, “if you have to be entertained, go to the circus. We’re not here to entertain.”
Jim Lehrer has been honored with numerous awards for journalism, including the 1999 National Humanities Medal. He and McNeill were inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, and into the Washington D.C. chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Science. He has won two Emmys and a Fred Friendly First Amendment Award, among others. Mr. Lehrer has served as a moderator for eleven of the nationally televised debates in the last six Presidential elections. He comments, “it is the most difficult, scary, satisfying and exhilarating honor. It’s not a TV show. This is about who’s going to be the next President of the United States and I do not want any voter, any American to say so and so was treated unfairly by Jim Lehrer. It’s not the function of journalism to do a Presidential debate. My job is that of facilitator.”
Tune in… for the rest of the story in this two part series with PBS’ NewsHour Anchor, Jim Lehrer.
Niki Nicastro McCuistion… Producer
***
1511 – 07.05.09
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Why do countries around the world now seem to outstrip the United States in terms of free market philosophies as well as tax issues, from the flat tax to social security? Can the US catch up? During this installment of McCuistion Television, focusing on freedom in America, Dennis McCuistion is joined by three panelists on location at FreedomFest. Discussing the state of freedom in America, Dennis McCuistion is joined by:
- Daniel Mitchell – Senior Fellow at the CATO Institute
- Michelle Muccio – Washington D.C. Representative and Production Associate at The Acton Institute
- Larry Abraham – The late Larry Abraham was the co-founder of PanAmerica Capital Group, Inc. and long-time author and editor of the Insider Report, an international geopolitical investment newsletter with over 10,000 private subscribers, worldwide.
The last twenty-five years of United States history have been successful in leading America towards a smaller government. However, many economists and futurists look with question to the next twenty-five years to determine if, in fact, the trend will continue. There is a rising concern that socialist reforms will begin to take a hold on the free market system that has defined America for centuries.
Panelists discuss the free market system and how the opposing view of making the strong weaker by promoting economic equality is a dangerous approach. History and current affairs have produced clear evidence that the idea of “fair” doesn’t work. Larry Abraham, with his extensive international exposure, expounds on this viewpoint by explaining the international view of America right now.
Wrapping up the conversation on freedom in America, Panelists also discuss the flat tax, social security reform and some of the empirical evidence that supports both. The panelists close the episode on “The State of Freedom in America” with FRTV’s Dennis McCuistion by offering suggestions for viewers to make a difference in these issues today.
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1704 – 07.02.09
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Dennis McCuistion is joined for a second time by Herb Meyer in Part Two of a two-part series on challenges facing culture in America. Meyer is the author of The War Against Progress and the former Vice Chairman of the CIA’s National Intelligence Council during the Reagan Administration. Herb Meyer discusses his suggestions for what should be done in order to save culture in America and Western civilization in general.
He begins the discussion by talking about multiculturalism and its use in education and the media. He explains how the American way has always been to integrate, which is the very thing that has made America great. On the contrary, Europeans are multiculturalists and it has not been good for their society. There needs to be an understanding among Americans, according to Meyer, that what has been done for years (immigrants becoming Americans) is the exact thing that has made us great, and we need to be very careful when we start talking about changing that.
Meyer cautions viewers and offers suggestions referencing the media and education in regards to all three of the challenges culture in America and Western civilization are facing. He continues on to offer feedback on what Americans should be focusing on in politics, education and media. He continues by explaining his views on what should be done in the Islamic world and the war. Reminding viewers of what the war is really about, he cautions the dangerous perspective we will give our children if we do not handle this correctly.
He closes the discussion talking about the education of our children regarding procreation. Having and raising children cannot be seen as an inconvenience, an expense, or harmful to the environment.
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1709 – 02.17.08
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