Marketplace for Monday, January 19, 2009

Segments From This Episode

• Don’t steal that presidential seal

  by Nancy Marshall-Genzer

  It seems merchandise featuring President-elect Obama is being sold everywhere with the inauguration approaching. But shirts and buttons that feature the presidential seal are illegal under federal law. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

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• Experiment to get best stimulus results

  by Marketplace Staff

  Lawmakers are still debating President-elect Obama's stimulus package and what will work best to boost our economy. Commentator Len Burman says "experimenting" by assigning different "treatments" to different states will help get the best results from the stimulus and maybe even help in the future.

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• Solar incentive opens energy window

  by Sam Eaton

  Financing green projects can be expensive, so cities are rethinking the economic model to fund renewable energy. A pilot project in Berkeley, Calif., will use city bonds to pay for the costs of installing solar panels, with money being recouped later through a surcharge on property taxes. Sam Eaton reports.

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• Some Europeans doubtful about Obama

  Since the presidential election, Europe has been caught up in Obama mania. Many Europeans hope he will be able to turn around the global financial crisis. But, there are doubters. Stephen Beard reports.

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• Obama must manage big expectations

  by Marketplace Staff

  Many people have high hopes that President-elect Obama will be able to fix our nation's biggest problems. Bob Moon speaks with behavioral economist Dan Ariely about how to manage those expectations.

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• China cuts tax to rev up small car sales

  by Scott Tong

  In an effort to boost sagging sales, China is cutting the tax on little cars. The move has Detroit's Big 3 paying close attention because the Chinese buy brands from around the world. Scott Tong reports.

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• Mixed results on business diversity

  by Bob Moon

  Around the turn of the millennium there was a big push at corporations to increase diversity. How far have we come in bringing diversity to the workplace? Bob Moon speaks with diversity consultant Steve Robbins.

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