Tax Weed? The question of legalizing pot comes up all the time. But if it is legalized some day, should it be taxed? And if so, how much? Then... Larry talks to writer K.C. Cole about her book “Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up"
Health care fight continues: Dem retreat?
The Obama administration is downplaying the importance of a public health option, saying that a government-run insurance plan is not essential to the health care overhaul. The change in position comes as President Obama has struggled to gain support for his health care plan from lawmakers and insurers. A public option would likely be replaced by insurance exchanges and cooperatives that would aim to lower insurance costs and prevent insurers from dropping customers. Larry Mantle finds out what this different stance means for the health care debate.
Guests:
Gail Chaddock, Congressional Correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor
Brad Sherman, Congressman D-27th
Shana Alex Lavarreda, Director of Health Insurance Studies and research scientist at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
Adam Schiff, Congressman D-29th
Iranian opposition party?
Iranian opposition leader Mir Hussein Mousavi has said that he will continue his protest against the country's political leadership through a grassroots movement called "Green Path of Hope". Mousavi hopes that the social movement will be a rallying point to challenge Iran's rulers, but did not lay out a specific strategy. Larry Mantle finds out more about the movement.
Guests:
Borzou Daragahi, Middle East correspondent for the Los Angeles Times
Siamek Kalhor, Host at KIRN 670am Radio Iran LA!, and local Iranian businessman
Taxing marijuana?
Many people believe that marijuana should be legalized and taxed to provide additional revenue for the cash-strapped state of California. But what would justify taxing cannabis? A sin tax would imply that marijuana is harmful, and if medical marijuana is legalized for strictly medicinal purposes, it- like other drugs- could not be taxed. Larry asks listeners to weigh-in on whether legalized pot should be taxed and how a marijuana tax could be justified.
Something incredibly wonderful happens
K.C. Cole's new book traces the life of Frank Oppenheimer. A physicist who worked on creating the atomic bomb with his more celebrated brother Robert Oppenheimer, Frank veered away from physics after the Red Scare. He founded the Exploratorium in San Francisco, a museum dedicated to the wonders of science. In "Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens," Cole draws from letters, documents and interviews to paint a portrait of Oppenheimer. She joins Larry in-studio to talk about the life of Frank Oppenheimer.
Guest:
K.C. Cole, author of “Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens: Frank Oppenheimer and the World He Made Up" (Houghton Mifflin Hardcourt, 2009), and a long-time science writer for the Los Angeles Times. She is currently a professor at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication.