White House close to a deal with GOP on tax cuts. Getting back on the bike: returning to a sport after a serious injury. Pulling the "parent trigger" at McKinley Elementary. Obama holds a press conference on tax deal.
White House closes deal with GOP on tax cuts
President Obama traded across-the-board Bush era tax cuts and lowered estate taxes for an extension on employment benefits, a 2% decrease in payroll tax, and other measures designed to put money in the pockets of strapped American workers. Critics of the deal worry that compromising on tax cuts sets the stage for a permanent extension of the cuts in the future. On the flip side, the Administration asserts that allowing all tax cuts to expire, including those for the middle class, would put an undue burden on families and cost American jobs. Will this deal help the economy enough to offset the long term revenue loss? And does the deal reflect a weakened Democratic Party willing to bargain too easily?
Guests:
Congressman John Campbell, (R-48), Representing the 48th district in Orange County, which includes Aliso Viejo, Dana Point, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel
Congressman Brad Sherman, (D-27), Representing the 27th district in the San Fernando Valley, which includes Sherman Oaks, Reseda, Northridge, and Porter Ranch; one of five CPAs in the House of Representatives and senior member of the House Committee on Financial Services
Getting back on the bike - injury related fear
It’s a lesson we all remember from childhood: if you fall off your bike, you get back on. But as adults, injuries from exercise are often quite serious. And cyclists, skiers, rock climbers and others can suffer mental scars—even after the physical wounds have healed—from the sudden and complete loss of control involved in a wipe out. In an odd twist on risk perception, sometimes they switch to “safer” sports such as running, in which ironically they can do more debilitating damage to joints and ligaments. Or they become sedentary, which can lead to heart disease and other health problems. So how does one get back on the metaphorical—or literal—bike after a bad crash? And what's the most logical way to access the risks and rewards of exercise?
Guests:
Gina Kolata, medical reporter for the New York Times
Barry Glassner, president of Lewis & Clark College in Portland, sociologist and author of Culture of Fear: Why Americans are Afraid of the Wrong Things
Jordan Rapp, professional Tri-athlete, was nearly killed in a hit-in-run accident on PCH on March 23rd
Pulling the “parent trigger” at McKinley Elementary
A little known law passed in January allows parents in a failing school to force a change. If 51% or more sign a petition it can trigger a forcible transformation of the school either by shutting it down, making it a charter or demanding other radical changes. 1,300 of California’s 10,000 schools are eligible, but McKinley will be the first school to actually receive a formal petition with the demand that a charter school operator take over the school. What does this mean for failing schools across the Southland? Is there any guarantee the charter operator will do better? How will teachers and Compton Unified School District board members deal with the fall out?
Guests:
Adolfo Guzman Lopez, KPCC’s education reporter
Ben Austin, Executive Director of the Parent Revolution; directed the successful campaign to transform Locke High School from the worst high school in Los Angeles into a college preparatory model of reform; former Deputy Mayor under Mayor Richard Riordan (from 2000-2001)
Marty Hittleman, President, California Federation of Teachers