The Story

Lani Roberts teaches philosophy at Oregon State University. She wrestles with everyday problems of right and wrong, and happens to believe that it is okay to lie to the unwelcome person knocking on her door. Yet she loves the ideal of truthfulness, and in fact reminds Dick that the word 'philosophy' means 'the love of wisdom.' 

School authorities in Birmingham have a couple of numbers that underline the effects of this recession in very stark terms. Officials estimate that there are more than 3,000 homeless children who attend city schools. That would mean that more than twenty percent of the children who attend Birmingham city schools are living in shelters, in hotels or with relatives. That's what happened to LaWanda Tanniehill and her two boys.

Except when it isn't. We check in with Julia Trigg Crawford who is fighting the TransCanada Corporation as it lays pipe for the XL Pipeline.  When Julia started her fight, less than a year ago, she was sure she could stop the company from digging up the land she’d inherited from her family. But the digging has begun – in spite of ongoing litigation.  

Even before the economy started to slide, Adrian Moreno was engaged in an experiment to get by on much less. He moved his family to a vacant lot on the far outskirts of San Diego within earshot of the Mexican border. At first, they lived in a tepee. When that didn't work out, Adrian built a house on the property for about $10,000. Also in this episode, another in our series of listener stories about when politics became personal.