Today, we check in on the fiscal cliff situation in the final days of negotiation. We'll also look forward, to the future of the NFL in Los Angeles, and back, on the biggest failures and flops of 2012. Later, discussion of credit score dating, gun permit mapping, and extraterrestrial life.
Fiscal cliffhanger: What’s the holdup?
With only five days to go before ‘Cliffaggeddon,’ President Barack Obama cut his holiday short and flew back to the capitol to try to broker a deal. But Republicans and Democrats in congress seem to be as far apart as ever.
Last week, House speaker John Boehner handed the ball off to the Senate, admitting he didn’t have the GOP votes to pass his ‘Plan B’ proposal. Christmas came and went, with the Capitol deserted and no viable solution in sight. House members are still in their districts, waiting to be summoned back to D.C. for their input - but the call hasn’t come. What happens if and when we go over the cliff? Taxpayers face an increase across all income levels; the long-term unemployed will see an abrupt end to their federal unemployment benefits; spending cuts will kick in, putting federal programs, national defense and jobs on the chopping block.
Why are both sides willing to risk financial disaster? Who’s really holding up the negotiations? Can any middle ground be found here? Will agreement be reached before the Times Square ball drops on December 31st?
Guests:
Tom McClintock, Republican Congressman representing California’s 4th District and a member of the House Committee on the Budget
Xavier Becerra, Democratic Congressman representing California's 34th District and a member of the House Ways and Means Committee
Next year’s big story: will the NFL come to LA?
Everyone in Los Angeles was excited to see a new ownership team take over the Dodgers in 2012, so looking forward to 2013, all eyes are on the NFL. L.A. has been without a football team since the Raiders moved back to Oakland in 1995. The L.A. region has made numerous moves to bring the NFL back to town.
This year, the City Council approved a deal with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) to build the proposed Farmers Field in downtown L.A., while billionaire Ed Roski’s proposal to build the stadium in the City of Industry remained “shovel ready.” Pasadena changed a city ordinance to offer a temporary residence to an NFL team at the Rose Bowl. Now AEG is up for sale, and there’s still a key ingredient missing here: an NFL team.
Hopefully, 2013 will be the year we find out which NFL team wants to go Hollywood. Teams can apply to make that move on January 1, 2013. Has the NFL been missed in Los Angeles? Are the USC and UCLA programs enough to quench our thirst for football? Do you have environmental concerns with the new $315 million 76,00-seat downtown stadium? KPCC’s Brian Watt looks into his crystal football to see what’s ahead for the southland’s NFL fans.
Guest:
Brian Watt, KPCC Reporter
Is your credit score a dating deal breaker?
Having trouble finding a date for New Year’s? Could your credit score be the problem? That’s the lament (or triumph) of some singles on the prowl, who say a bad credit score is increasingly seen as a dating deal breaker. One financial analyst says credit scores are the new dating equivalent of a sexually transmitted disease test.
The credit score is derived from a formula that accounts for outstanding debt and payment histories and in recent years it’s become increasingly ubiquitous. It’s now used to determine credit, housing loan approval, and in 42 states, it can even be considered as part of a job applicant’s file.
The trend has spawned websites such as creditscoredating.com and datemycreditscore.com. Some joke about it, but financial planners say it’s serious. A partner with a bad credit score can prevent a couple from buying a home, drive up rent for an apartment application, or make the difference between high or low cell phone bills or car insurance rates. Do you consider your date’s credit score when dating?
Guest:
Karen Blumenthal, writer of The Wall Street Journal's Getting Going column; author of The Wall Street Journal Guide to Starting Your Financial Life and Grande Expectations: A Year in the Life of Starbucks' Stock.
Do you have a right to know who’s packing heat in your neighborhood?
The Journal News, a newspaper based in White Plains, NY, attracted attention recently for its online publication of the names and addresses of people with permits to own guns living in Westchester and Rockland counties. The interactive map pinpoints homes where one or more residents are licensed to own a handgun – a pistol or revolver.
The map doesn’t track ownership of long guns, like shotguns and rifles, and only marks homes where someone is licensed to own a gun – they may not actually own a gun, and there is no way to track unlicensed gun owners. The story received a lot of criticism, with many people calling the map an extreme violation of privacy, and some comparing the list to a sex offender registry. Critics also worry that the information makes residents more vulnerable, although they debate whether those with or without guns are in more danger. One blogger retaliated by publishing the names, addresses and home phone numbers of the Journal News’ staff.
By New York state law, gun permit records are public information -- the Journal News used technology to aggregate the records on a convenient Google map and publish them widely.
Should gun permit information be readily accessible? Is the map useful even if it can’t track unlicensed gun owners, or long gun owners? Knowing who in your neighborhood is permitted to own a handgun may seem useful, but is it dangerous to also note which homes don’t have guns? Is publishing this public information online a violation of privacy?
Biggest failures and flops of 2012
While it’s nice to look at who came out on top at the end of the year, it’s also worthwhile to remember the losers. Besides, we learn from our mistakes right? (Or at least learn to laugh at them.)
From pop culture to entertainment to politics, nothing is off limits. Take your pick: General Petraeus’s sex scandal, or the box office disaster that was “The Oogieloves.” And don’t forget Rupert Sanders, after having an affair with Kristen Stewart, or Rupert Murdoch, who has been deemed unfit to rule his media empire. The list goes on and on.
Who do you think ended 2012 with egg on his or her face? What companies came out with products that just didn’t cut it for you…or anyone? Which politicians lost their dignity along with the vote this year? Give us a call and let us know your “favorite” failure or flop of 2012.
Guest:
Mary McNamara, television critic for the Los Angeles Times
Life on another planet not far, far away...maybe
Sci-fi fans, a planet similar to Earth may be closer than we could have ever imagined. An international team of scientists has determined that Tau Ceti, the star that is most similar to our Sun and closest to the Earth, may have a habitable planet in its orbit.
The planet, which is five times the size of Earth, lies in Tau Ceti’s “habitable zone.” That means that the distance of the planet from the star allows for temperatures to be at a level which would allow for life like we see on Earth. Of course, that doesn’t take into account for the increased gravity. This system is 12 light years away, which in the grand scheme of things is equivalent to a few blocks in the city which is the Universe.
While those jumping ahead may wish to see this as a potential outpost for colonization, scientists are expected to use this discovery as a way of perfecting planetary detection in the future. What else is on the horizon out there? What is the likelihood that this new planet has life on it? How did the scientists find it in the first place?
Guest:
Charles Beichman, Executive Director of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at the California Institute of Technology