Fed Proposes New Regulations On Lenders; The Economic Pros And Cons Of The Underground Economy In Southern California; Drop That Big Gulp! San Francisco And The Sugar Surcharge; Generic Drug Safety; EPA Denies Clean Air Waiver Act To Cut Auto Emissions
Fed Proposes New Regulations On Lenders
Responding to the sub-prime lending debacle, the Federal Reserve on Tuesday proposed new lending rules to protect borrowers from fraud and deception. But critics say it's too little too late and that current rules aren't properly enforced. Larry talks with Kurt Eggert, Professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law who just completed his term as a member of the Fed's Consumer Advisory Council about the prospects of better regulating the mortgage market.
The Economic Pros And Cons Of The Underground Economy In Southern California
As part of KPCC's two days of special coverage on Southern California's informal economy, Larry Mantle and guests examine the economic pros and cons of the region's underground economy and analyzes to impact of the informal economy on the Southland's formal economy. Joining Larry are Dan Flaming, President of the Economic Roundtable, and Ruth Milkman, Director of UCLA's Institute for Research in Labor and Employment.
Drop That Big Gulp! San Francisco And The Sugar Surcharge
From the city that gave us the Twinkie defense comes the sugar tax--San Francisco's mayor announced his city will start taxing sodas which have high-fructose corn syrup, the ubiquitous sweetener that's linked to America's obesity problem. Is this a logical step that raises city funds and deters unhealthful behavior, or a case of the nanny state on a sugar high? Larry talks with John Diaz, Editorial Page Editor for the San Francisco Chronicle, and asks KPCCs listeners about San Francisco's sugary surcharge.
Generic Drug Safety
In 2007, the FDA approved a record number of generic drug products. But while generic products are far more affordable than brand name drugs, a recent L.A. Times opinion piece claims that generic drugs come with unpleasant or dangerous side effects. Is there legitimacy to this assertion, or is it merely a reflection of the drug companies' desire to control the market? Larry talks with Bob Temple, Director of the Office of Medical Policy at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Joe Graedon, a pharmacologist and co-author of the syndicated column "The People's Pharmacy," and Gordon Johnson, Vice President of Regulatory Science for the Generic Pharmaceutical Association.
EPA Denies Clean Air Waiver Act To Cut Auto Emissions
The State of California, along with 16 other states, was denied a waiver yesterday that would allow it to regulate CO2 emissions for automobiles. This represents a serious challenge to the Schwarzenegger administration's efforts to reduce green house gases. Larry talks with Senator Barbara Boxer, Tom Cackette, manager of California Air Resources Board's motor vehicle emission control program, and Ann Carlson, Professor of Law and Faculty Director and UCLA's Environmental Law Center about the impact of this EPA recommendation.