- How do the Chinese see our economic situation?
- How has trade impacted what multinationals do?
- How has American economic and foreign policy impacted the rest of the world?

Guests include:

Angelina Kwan: Managing Director and COO, Asia Pacific, Cantor-Fitzgerald
The Hon. Mario Mancuso: Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, Former Under Secretary of Commerce

One of the points that host, Dennis McCuistion, addressed was that by-and-large we as a society do not often talk about China when discussing the American credit crisis and corporate governance, although it does impact them. He asked Angelina Kwan for her perspective.

Ms. Kwan believes that,

“The US is China’s best past and present trading partner. China wants a strong dollar. China really thinks that America has a great entrepreneurial spirit and it will get out of the current trade deficit.”

Ms. Kwan states that China will continue to work with the US and not in an adversarial role, but first and foremost as trading partners.

Dennis agrees, “We, the US and China, need each other. China is the largest creditor of the United States. We need to both figure out how they [China] will get paid.”  Angelina Kwan tells us that the US needs to look at how it’s dealing with their dollars and its fiscal policy. China and the US are having serious discussions about China exporting less and the US having less dependency on exports and not relying so heavily on Asia and China.

The guests agree that trade is good for both partners. Mario Mancuso adds,

“A prosperous China is in the best interests of the United Sates and vice versa. Both being prosperous is in the global interest. These are the two largest economies in the world, and we agree on our ultimate objectives. We just can’t figure out how to implement those objectives- that’s the irony.”

He tells us, 95% of our customers are outside the US and if we build a wall, we close competitors out.

“A rules-based trading system is advantageous to competitive parties and the US is the most competitive in the world.”

US consumers benefit with better products at cheaper prices…

“An additional point, I take a backseat to no-one in terms of levying criticism, at the same time I don’t think the final chapter has been written on US economic leadership.”

And a special thank you to the Institute for Excellence in Corporate Governance,University of Texas at Dallas, School of Management, (http://som.utdallas.edu/iecg/) for providing the guests for this 4 part series on Corporate Governance.

Tune in for the rest of the story as continue to talk about things that matter with people who care…

Niki Nicastro McCuistion
Executive Producer/Producer

***

1809 – 11.22.09

This is part two of a two part series on pharmaceutical companies and their relationships with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Our focus is on the efficacy of prescription drugs as well as the cost for the consumer.

Jonathan Emord, attorney & author of The Rise of Tyranny and Dr. Charles B. Simone speak on the truth about the FDA.  An enormous amount of marketing dollars are spent by pharmaceutical companies to market their drugs. Thus,  patients learn to demand certain drugs from their doctors.  The problem with this is that often times over-the-counter drugs (i.e. Aspirin) or nutrients (i.e. fish oil) will have the same effect on one’s lifespan as a prescription drug.

Jonathan Emord has defeated the FDA six times and is well-versed in the issues surrounding the corruption of the United States health care system. At the center of the FDA issue is that of accountability. The checks and balances that are in place for government are non-existent for the FDA.  The FDA Commissioner has the authority to create law (regulations), enforce violations, and judge the violation.  The Commissioner of any independent regulatory committee is virtually all-powerful. This means that 3/4 of the laws that are made are not made by representatives in Congress, but they are in fact made by unelected officials.  And because of the controversial nature of the committee issues and the fragile nature of congressional elections, congressmen will avoid making the tough decisions and instead diplomatically mail a letter to the regulatory committee.

Another key component to concerns about the FDA is the way that economics play a role in FDA approvals and rejections. Simply put, the government has censored information for solely economic reasons.  They further discuss the specifics of how and why they do this and the resulting effect on health care.

To learn more about censorship, Dr. Simone‘s website will provide more information. He will also provide you with the tools to show you what you can do as a consumer to make a difference in these issues.

***

04.05.09 – 1726

Did you ever wonder whether the prescription drugs you pay so much for are really bargains and even more importantly, whether they’re safe? Many of us share this concern, especially since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is supposed to be the regulator which assures that drugs are both safe and effective.

Jonathan W. Emord , Dr. Charles Simone of the Simone Protected Cancer Center and author of Cancer and Nutrition is joined by , author of The Rise of Tyranny. In part one of a two part interview with Dennis C. McCuistion they discuss the effects of politics and bureaucracy on prescription drug costs and safety.

One would think that the FDA would be one of the least corrupt government agencies, as it’s dealing directly with the health and well-being of American citizens. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly well-known that what the FDA approves is often times based more on politics, bureaucracy and economics than health. The concern during recent years is that bureaucrats have been having an enormous amount of influence in what the FDA approves. In fact, the commissioner of the FDA has knowingly allowed unsafe drugs to enter the marketplace, in order to protect the proponents of those drugs so that they don’t suffer economic hardship.

Of the 19 industrialized countries, the United States is #1 in the amount of money we spend on health care and #19 in how much bang we get for our buck. The argument for the increased cost of prescription drugs is that it’s due to the FDA’s strict requirements on research. However, if you look at history you’ll find that members of the FDA have knowingly allowed harmful drugs to hit the market. Simone and Emord expound by giving several examples of times where the Commissioner of the FDA intentionally passed drugs that were undeniably confirmed to be dangerous. They went on to further site instances where the medical reviewers (with political managers above them) required well-respected scientists to rewrite their reports and threatened if they did not. Because of this type of treatment, scientists are required to spend more money to protect themselves, thus the cost of drugs increases.

***

03.29.09 – 1725

• Christopher Kennedy Lawford – Actor, Author and  Public Advocacy Consultant for Caron Treatment Centers; New York Times bestselling author of Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption and Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery
• Kevin Gilliland, Psy.D- Clinical Psychologist and CEO of Innovation 360
• Bill Teuteburg – Interventionist associated with The Caron Foundation and a longer term residential program known as Renaissance.

Christopher Lawford Kennedy begins the discussion on addiction causes by touching on his own experience with addiction, mentioning that he was a highly functional addict and how that played out in his life. He touches on how addiction is psychological, sociological and environmental. He likens his experience to the result of a “perfect storm” of events. He touches on his traumatic childhood, from the divorce of his parents to the brutal assassination of two of his uncles. He mentions that at the beginning his addiction saved his life, “they (drugs) stopped working,” he says, “but they saved my life in the beginning.” Eventually, he says,  the addiction takes over and you’re dancing with an 800 pound gorilla.

Bill Teuteburg discusses the disease and how it  is even more  lethal than many  realize. “It’s not very often that you see alcoholism on a death certificate.  But you will see heart attack, falling off a ladder…” and the actual cause is an addiction.  Bill, now  an activist,  discusses  his personal experience. He has been in recovery from a heroin addiction for 24 years.

Kevin Gilliland touches on addiction as a  a chronic brain disease  and not solely  a moral  or responsibility issue. He discusses the  mixture of genes and environment and that individuals may have different reactions to drugs or alcohol, even in the same family.  “You just don’t know if you are the one that will have one sip and then your brain will be hijacked.” Like Christopher, he emphasizes that addictions may seem to “work”   but then they become a runaway freight train.

The panelists discuss our drinking age,  and if it should be lowered or not. This episode on addiction causes is truly an eye-opening episode that will leave you waiting for Part Two, where each of the panelists discuss what to do about addiction, how to get treatment  and the hope for resolving the problem.

***

1805 – 10.25.09

During this episode of McCuistion Television, Dennis McCuistion discusses the benefits of wellness with his panel of experts.

• Boyd D. Lyles, Jr., M.D. – Founding Director, HeartHealth and Wellness Center
• Jeff Brizzolara, PhD, MBA, MPH, – Chief Operating Officer of Elite Wellness USA
• Todd Whitthorne – President and Chief Operating Officer of  Cooper Concepts, Inc.

There is a decline in people participating in preventative healthcare services. Historically, 15-20% of the population pays attention to wellness; however, 80% of the population takes up the healthcare costs.  The panelists share a common passion for the importance of corporate wellness programs and for preventative methods being more of a focus than traditional healthcare budgets.

Witthorne works with Cooper Concepts, Inc.  The founder, Dr. Ken Cooper, is the Father of Aerobics and he and his staff have been in the business of wellness for years.  The Cooper Center has concluded that for a person to have overall general wellness, they must first change their habits. Witthorne discusses in more detail how the Cooper Center goes about promoting general wellness for their clients.

Panelists agree that if staff wellness programs were implemented, the risk of losing staff hours based on illness and paying deductibles on preventable illnesses would decrease. Companies simply cannot continue to give out double digits in healthcare when general wellness solutions can prevent many illnesses.

***

04.26.09 – 1715

Campbell’s initial research consisted of in-depth lab research focusing on the consumption of animal based foods versus plant based foods and its effect on the rate of disease. In his research, conducted in China, he and his team surveyed 130 villages (6,500 families) taking necessary samples, such as blood and urine, and sited nutrient levels and elements of that nature. They then compared information on their blood health with the rates of disease for 400+ kinds of diseases.

Their findings clearly indicated that to have optimized health, animal products should be eliminated and a strict vegan diet is the healthiest way to prevent disease.

Throughout the course of the interview and Q & A, he continues to compare the China study’s diet with the Mediterranean diet, the myth of animal calcium intake, the role of fat in relation to disease and more.

Following the original airing of this episode, host, Dennis McCuistion tried out the diet to see if it was everything it claimed.  Click here to see his findings on Vegan Benefits to Health.

***

04.19.09 – 1714

Click here to read how Dennis McCuistion applied the principles of this episode in his vegetarian diet experiment.

There is an obvious health problem in the United States.  While, American citizens spend more on health care than any other country, two-thirds of the country is overweight. Greater than 15 million Americans have diabetes, more than 1 million have high cholesterol and half of all Americans have a health problem that requires them to use a prescription drug.  Dr. Campbell sought to discover what, if any, are the changes that could be made to the American diet to better prevent disease. Partnering with Cornell, Oxford and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, Dr. Campbell conducted his study.

The American diet consists of high quantities of protein. However, the findings of The China Study suggest that there are significant vegan benefits to health.  Disease increases when a person consumes more than 10% protein in comparison to his or her daily caloric intake. The average American has a protein consumption of 17-18%  and 70-75% of that is from animal foods. Through Campbell’s research, it became very clear that there is a direct relationship between animal protein intake and disease increase. The findings showed that as soon as animal protein started to show up in the diet, there was an increase in cholesterol, cancer and heart disease.

Dr. Campbell, closes his conversation noting that his intention in his message is not to push an opinion on listeners, but rather to provide information to the public that unfortunately has not been taught. His concern is that the information the public tends to receive is incorrect, therefore consumers cannot make educated choices on healthy diets.  The facts from his study clearly point toward strong vegan benefits to healthy living.

***

04.12.09 – 1713

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

• What do you need to know in order to volunteer or donate?
• What is the purpose of nonprofit organizations?
• What are the tax benefits of filing with non-profit status?

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

Joining Host Dennis McCuistion are:

• Thomas E. Woods JR., PhD, Senior Fellow of Ludwig von Mises Institute and author of Meltdown
• Doug Casey, Investor in The Casey Report

Doug Casey is not a fan of government as it is as he believes it coerces opinions. He feels entrepreneurs would be the better solution to many issues.

Dennis asks: Isn’t this anarchy?

In response, we find that Doug Casey believes that government’s role in a civil society is to protect us from force, inside and outside the bailiwick… and to adjudicate in a fair court system. He asserts that Government is a busy body and power monger and it does not serve a useful purpose

Thomas Woods believes that we need to return to the foundation of the US Constitution and 10th amendment. He believes that too many Think Tanks are chasing a unicorn with their asking for funding to curb spending, etc. and nothing happens. He says of Government that it has a monopoly to tax and that moral principles are abandoned when it comes to government. Government fails on absolute standards of society.

***

1804 – 10.18.09