Battle Lines Drawn:  What the Furor Over the San Bernardino Shooter’s IPhone Means For You
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At first glance, the headlines read like the card from a boxing pay-per-view event, or the next WrestleMania:

Apple Vs. The FBI

Privacy Vs. National Security

Private Enterprise Vs. The Federal Government

To many, these battles, especially the last two, have been in place for years, if not decades.   But for those of us looking at the current headlines, (OK….the ones that DON’T involve Donald, Hillary, et al), these can be traced to the events of December 2, 2015.

On that day, two shooters attached the annual holiday party for the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health, where one of them had worked.   In total, 14 people (and the two shooters) were killed and 22 others injured in one of worst mass shootings in U.S. history.

Soon after, more information about the shooters became public, most importantly the revelation of their infatuation with extremist terrorist organizations, a link that instantly transformed the incident into what President Obama declared an “act of terror”, the worst such attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.

Observers had noted that they frequently talked with each other about pulling off such attacks. But when reports emerged that they were purportedly in touch with other terrorists, including ones that were already targets of U.S. investigation, that’s when things were taken to the next level.

While both of the shooters’ personal phones were destroyed in their fatal shootout with police, one of their work phones, an Apple IPhone 5c, was discovered, completely intact.  FBI investigators had attempted to unlock the phone to recover potentially critical information about who they talked to, when, and what, if any bigger plans may be in place.  When they were unable to do so, due to the phone’s advanced security features, they asked Apple to grant access.  When Apple declined, due to not wanting to undermine the security features of their products and customers, the FBI took the matter to court.

The case has set off a firestorm of controversy across the country, setting in place the battle lines noted above in the arena of public perception. The people who feel that Apple should absolutely allow access to this one particular phone, in order to possibly prevent further San Bernardino shootings (or worse) down the road can argue their side just as fervently as the ones who see Apple’s doing so as a slippery slope that would not only blur the lines of just what IS the right circumstance for the tech giant to unlock one of its own devices, but also allow hackers from around the world to see that yes, this CAN be done.   (And who KNOWS where that could lead?)

Which begs the critical question:  Which side is right?

On this edition of “The Raja Show”, Raja, himself the CEO and founder of a tech firm, will discuss the controversy from his perspective, and provide insights into the pressure that Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, is facing in his position.   Plus, we’ll talk with Ed Black, the President and CEO of the Computer and Communications Industry Association in Washington D.C., and one of the country’s leading experts when it comes to the role that technology plays in our society, as well as the challenges the industry faces in its interaction with government.  Ed will discuss the controversy from the industry’s perspective, and the ramifications facing Apple and other tech companies down the road pending the outcome of the case.

There are still more questions than answers facing Apple and the FBI in the case, and the more basic these questions seem, the more complex the answers actually are.    Raja and Ed Black will do their part to shed some light on the situation on this show.

Making Taxes Less Taxing:   How Listening to Dave Wilke’s Advice Will Help You Get Ready For April 18th
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(Yes.  April 18th….the official deadline to file last year’s federal taxes…remember that the IRS gives us ALL a break this year.)

Raise your hand if you’ve already done your taxes for 2015.

Actually, if you’re pretty sure you’re getting money BACK with this year’s return, you may already have gritted your teeth, knuckled down and done the dirty deed.   Anything to get that sweet, sweet, tax return check into your hands ASAP, right?

But if you’re in the “not yet” column, or, worse yet, in the “Yeah, I’m gonna wait until April 17th!” column, then this edition of “The Raja Show” is for you.

Raja will be talking with Dave Wilke, Founder and Managing Partner of Wilke and Associates CPA,, and Western Pennsylvania’s  go-to voice when it comes to making sure you get the most (literally) out of your tax processes, whether or not you are filing as an individual or a business or (gasp!) BOTH!  And as those who have listened to Dave on our show, or American Entrepreneur Radio before that, or who have followed his extensive work with the Small Business Development Center at Duquesne University can attest, Dave is also an expert in making sure that you and your business are covered the whole year round, providing guidance every step of the way for people who

want to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to tax preparation.

On this show, Dave will have some exclusive tips for listeners of “The Raja Show” on the things you need to know before you file this year.  Ask any of his extensive list of clientele, and they’ll tell you what you’ll find out by listening to this show:  Dave has NEVER steered them wrong when it comes to reliable, feasible, actionable tax planning and preparation advice.

Anatomy Of A Budget:  Why Business Should Be the Benchmark For Government To Attain When It Comes To Laying Out the Fiscal Playbook
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Budgeting.

Few, if any, of us, LIKE doing it.  It can be very dry.  Very painstaking.  And for a number of us, whose reality lies far afield of the expectations we we set when we budget, very disconcerting.

But it’s a necessary evil. And even though there are resources in place to help you along,  wrapping your head around an effective budgeting strategy can still be a struggle.

But still, you make ti happen.   In a household, you sit down with your significant other and make the necessary adjustments to get yourselves in as good a position as you can be in, given your current circumstances.   In a business, you sit down with your C-Suite, your finance team, and/or your board of directors and do the same.

But what if you were a government entity?   What if you or your team is tasked with crafting an ideal budget, and you get extreme pushback from an entire sector of people whose approval you need to make your proposed budget a reality, pushback to the point where, if they don’t agree with what you propose, then what you propose DOES NOT HAPPEN?  And what if, downstream of that, you get FURTHER grief from an even larger group of people (your constituents) who have to often feel the brunt of the result of your budget, and have no say in how your budget is laid out in the first place, aside from picking you to be the one to do it in the first place?

In the State of Pennsylvania, (home state of “The Raja Show“) budget has been the key buzzword in 2016.  In the State Capitol of Harrisburg, Governor Tom Wolf has faced unprecedented gridlock, as there was almost no formal resolution of the State budget for fiscal year 2015-2016, a time period that had been more than halfway lapsed, by the time that he was to lay out his proposed budget for 2016-2017.

Budget stalemates are nothing new to the Keystone State, but the continuation and escalation of such gridlock is doing nothing but stoke the fires of mistrust and doubt in the State’s elected leadership in the hearts and minds of its citizenry. And they provide fuel to the State’s watchdog punditry on both sides of the aisle, experts who know there is an effective solution that lies somewhere in the vast middle.

One such watchdog, which has been keeping tabs on the goings on in Harrisburg for almost 30 years, is the Commonwealth Foundation for Policy Alternatives, based in Harrisburg.  They have been the undisputed champion when it comes to mapping out the feasibility of such common sense initiatives like privatization of the State’s liquor stores and turnpike, and increased school choice for parents, factoring in charter schools and school vouchers to go along with standard public and private education options.

For almost half of its existence,since taking over as President of the Foundation in 2002, the man who has been the public face of the Commonwealth Foundation, Matt Brouillette, has worked tirelessly to right the wrongs he sees in the way that Pennsylvania does business.  And unlike many critics who will be the first ones to call out the problems without providing any semblance of a solution, Matt comes to the table with facts, figures, and real world case studies, courtesy of a top-shelf research and support staff, that back up every word he says.

On this edition of “The Raja Show”, Matt will join Raja to say some of those words, about the State of the State Budget, the current issues with education in the State of Pennsylvania, and the other line items that are currently grinding the gears of the leading watchdog in Harrisburg.   While this show is an obvious must for Pennsylvania residents proper, it’s also a must for anybody OUTSIDE of PA who wants a first-hand education in what to do, and what NOT to do, when operating and overseeing public policy in state government.

Investing in a Cure:  How the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Business Approach Has (Literally) Helped Save Lives
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Over the past few decades, medical charities supporting everything from cancer research to AIDS to heart disease, among many others, have become BIG business in the United States. As in “billions of dollars” big.  And through very public initiatives such as the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS  to the mass-market co-branding of the Susan G Komen For the Cure (think of all the pink you see when watching an NFL game in October), these charities have done a very effective job in weaving their message into the public consciousness.

But what about a charity that has taken “big business” to a whole new level, simply by acting like one?

Ever since ts inception in 1955, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, through its 80-plus chapters throughout the United States (including its home base in Bethesda, Maryland), have worked tirelessly to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis, which the Foundation classifies as “a life-threatening, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and progressively limits the ability to breathe”.   The disease, for which there is no cure, currently impacts over 30,000 people in the U.S.

In 1989, Foundation scientists initiated the first breakthrough in this process, by discovering the gene that causes this disease.   But in the years after that, despite their best efforts, little headway was made when it came to actually finding a cure.  In 1999, however, the Foundation made an unprecedented decision by taking the venture capital route, eschewing academic research grants as their primary path to find a cure, in favor of investing millions of dollars into private drug companies charged with helping create drugs that help treat the disease.

Since that initial investment, the results have been phenomenal for the foundation, on two fronts.   First, their investments have led to the creation of two drugs, Kalydeco and Orkambi, that have received the approval of the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as a means to treat patients with Cystic Fibrosis.  And secondly, in the Fall of 2014, the Foundation sold the rights to future royalties of the drugs for over $3 billion, a record intake for any charity organization in the history of the U.S.

Other charities have taken notice of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s successes, and every year, the percentage of their resources that many of these charities invest in private companies steadily increases.

In addition to the Foundation’s successes as an ad hoc venture capital firm, they have also done an exceptional job in another undertaking that is seemingly more and more difficult:  engaging young people to take action for a good cause.

On this edition of The Raja Show, Raja takes a look at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s unique business model, as well as the strides the organization has made in engaging youth, especially in Western Pennslyvania.  We’ll welcome Mary Pat Joseph, the Executive Director of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Western Pennsylvania Chapter , to talk about what is being done in the Pittsburgh area to raise awareness for Cystic Fibrosis. In addition, she will be joined by Joerose Tharakan and Anne Marie Brnardic, two members of the Foundation’s “Finest 50″, young Pittsburgh professionals who have dedicated themselves to raising awareness for this incredible organization.

For anybody in our listening audience who appreciates the value of charity, and putting your efforts and resources into the mission of giving back (especially with regard to an organization boasting such an “outside the box” business model), this show is a MUST for you.