Marketplace 2/21/2005

NEWSCAST STORIES

* From Washington: The Bush Administration's latest budget proposal cuts many domestic programs. This being President's Day, we thought we'd take a look at the budget for the President's own house...
* From Beirut: One week after the bombing that killed former prime minister Rafic Hariri, nothing is quite back to normal in Beirut.
* From New York: Many people fantasize about working less so they can spend more time with their families. But some worry about career advancement if they cut back on their hours.
* From Los Angeles: The business world will be watching a Houston courtroom closely this week. That's where key rulings are expected in two major trials involving energy companies.
* From Seattle: With its former CFO on his way to jail, the Boeing Company is now trying to put an ethics scandal involving the Air Force deep in the history books. The aircraft maker and defense contractor is working hard to make sure the black eye heals as soon as possible.
* From New Delhi: Former presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush Sr are on a fund-raising tour for tsunami victims. It is their first trip to the tsunami hit region since current President George W. Bush asked them to head up the U.S. tsunami relief effort.

FEATURES
Listen to this storyFixing the system
Social Security is like the weather these days: Everybody's talking about it, but nobody's actually doing anything about it. Investment advisor and regular Marketplace commentator Gabriel Wisdom says it's time for Congress to step up to the plate and do something about the retirement system.
Listen to this storyPresidents and the economy - a bad match?
It's Presidents Day, so let's talk about presidents -- and the economy. Presidential elections are often decided by the nation's economic situation. But it's also an old axiom that presidents don't have much control over the economy. So are presidents just economic bystanders? Historian Richard Shenkman says not always. He says presidents can really screw up the economy -- by making bad decisions.
http://www.publicradio.org/tools/media/player/marketplace/morning_report/2005/02/21_mktmorn1050