House GOP retreats on payroll tax cuts. New L.A trash plan makes waves at city hall. Wim Wenders’s “Pina.” An update on the GOP race. Valentine’s Day dates & gifts gone wrong, very, very wrong. The man behind the story of “Hugo.”
House GOP retreats on payroll tax cuts
Yesterday, House Republicans announced they would be abandoning their request that the payroll tax cut could only be extended if it were balanced by cuts in spending. The extension of the payroll tax cut would affect 160 million working Americans, no small part of the electorate.
Polls have shown that since the issue arose in December, the GOP has suffered damage from President Obama’s claim that they would be raising taxes on the middle class. An extension of the cuts would allow for Americans to receive an extra $20 a week in their paychecks through the end of the year.
Beyond stressing the obvious benefits to working Americans, Democrats also criticized the Republicans for the inherent hypocrisy in demanding spending cuts be made to offset the tax extension, and yet never requiring the same cuts in spending to be made in association with George W. Bush’s tax breaks for the wealthy.
The Republican brass in Washington claims that the Democrats are not at all concerned with compromise and that they are playing “political games.” Even though they have acquiesced on the payroll tax cut, the actual negotiations taking place also include unemployment benefits and Medicare’s physician payments. On those two issues, the GOP has not budged from its insistence that there must be a plan in place for how the costs would be recouped.
WEIGH IN:
Are Republicans setting themselves up for further problems with this move? What would the political fallout be if the public sours on their stance once again? Are they conceding too much, or did they simply have no other choice? Could this actually be a strategic ploy to dismantle unemployment benefits? How will Republicans regain ground in an election year?
Guests:
David Mark, Senior Editor for Politico
Sal Russo, Chief Strategist, Tea Party Express in California
New LA trash plan makes waves at city hall
Trash is big business here in Los Angeles and it’s never without controversy. The latest installment in the L.A. trash wars starts this week; the Board of Public Works is holding public hearings on a proposal from the Bureau of Sanitation that would give exclusive contracts to commercial waste hauling companies, and in exchange, the companies would agree to higher standards on recycling. One private waste hauler would serve each of the 11 geographic regions.
The proposal would affect any apartment building that houses more than four families, as well as most businesses. The goal, according to the city, is to get trash haulers to recycle more and help the city achieve “zero waste.” The L.A. Daily News reports that the Board unanimously backed the new waste system.
If Los Angeles also made the move, it would join the ranks of all 34 cities in Orange County, as well as five of the largest cities in the state, said Greg Good, campaign director of Don't Waste L.A. He said an exclusive system provides more accountability to ensure the highest amount of recycling and create fairness.
“On its face, a nonexclusive system sets up a scenario in which the city never knows who, where, when, how trash is being picked up,” Good said. “All you can do is a blunt instrument, like requiring a blue bin. You never know who is driving what trucks. You essentially don’t have the levers of accountability that exists in an exclusive system.”
Environmental groups love the plan. They say it will increase recycling and reduce the number of trucks belching smoke into the already polluted city skies. Labor groups are also applauding the effort. Right now there are dozens of trash hauling companies, small and large, vying for business all over the cities. But if just a couple of the big guys get all the city’s business it’ll be much easier to organize those workers and increase safety standards industry wide.
The business community however is not supporting this move. They say giving exclusive contracts to a couple of companies will force small haulers out of business, and the economic impact report on the new trash plan they released yesterday was not positive. Business groups also say that a city mandated trash hauler cuts down on competition and will increase prices.
“Comparative shopping is the hallmark of what has kept waste hauling rates in Los Angeles so low,” Sean Rossell, Spokesperson of Angelenos for a Clean Environment, said. According to Rossell, opponents of the new plan support zero waste and more ambitious standards, and those can be achieved through a nonexclusive system.
“The city already has a lot of the standards and policies in place right now to oversee the safety. They already have a number of positions that allow them to monitor and check waste facilities,” he said. “They already have the capabilities to go to these sites and make sure that these things are being done right. And they will be able to expand that under a nonexclusive franchise.”
WEIGH IN:
So is this new plan good for the city? Will it cut down on pollution and force companies to recycle more? Or cut down on competition and force companies out of business?
Guests:
Greg Good, Campaign Director, Don't Waste L.A. – a coalition spearheaded by the labor-affiliated Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy
Sean Rossell, Spokesperson, Angelenos for a Clean Environment – comprised of business groups and the Los Angeles County Disposal Association
Wim Wenders’s “Pina”
German director Wim Wenders and choreographer Pina Bausch talked often of making a dance film together. Such a movie would have been the creative culmination of their friendship, which lasted over twenty years. Tragically, however, this was not to be, as Bausch died suddenly in 2009, while preparations for shooting said film were still being made. However, Wenders realized that even though he couldn’t make a film with Bausch, he could make one for her.
In “Pina,” Wenders filmed members of Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal performing choreographies he and Bausch chose together. This footage was supplemented with images and audio files of her life. Furthermore, capitalizing on advances in digital 3D technology, Wenders was able to capture the elastic nature of Bausch’s work, as well as its dramatic range of emotional expression.
WEIGH IN:
What was Wenders trying to convey specifically through the choreographies he chose? What is so fascinating about Bausch’s work? How does the use of 3D enhance the film? Will this lead to a trend in moviemaking?
Guest:
Wim Wenders, director of “Pina,” also an author, photographer, playwright and producer
Santorum surges, Gingrich says he won’t quit, as GOP race heads to Michigan
Depending on the poll you’re looking at, GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum is either tied with Mitt Romney or in the lead. Two surveys released Monday by Gallup and the Pew Research Center show the two contenders in a virtual tie among Republicans nationally. But according to Public Policy Polling’s newest numbers, Santorum has opened up a wide lead, with 39% to Romney’s 24%. Gingrich, for his part, is lagging well behind his GOP rivals and the influential magazine the National Review has called on him to drop out of the race. Gingrich, who’s campaigning in California this week, says he may be down, but he’s not getting out. It’s supposed to be a “lull week” in the Republican presidential race, an 11-day stretch with no primaries, caucuses or debates. But the news from the topsy-turvy campaign trail keeps on coming. Super Tuesday is just around the corner and the upcoming Michigan primary could prove to be pivotal in terms of who will eventually win the nomination to face President Barack Obama in November. What’s behind Santorum’s ongoing surge? Can Romney gain the support he needs to lock down his presumed front-runner status? Should Newt call it quits?
Guests:
Tim Lefever, Chairman of the Board, Capitol Resource Institute (CRI) in Sacramento
Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor, National Review
Rick Tyler, Strategist, Winning our Future (Gingrich Super PAC)
Valentine’s Day dates & gifts gone wrong, very, very wrong
Oh the pressure! It’s Valentine’s Day, which means many of us are feeling that creeping, gnawing, feeling of pink terror. Yeah, yeah, it’s supposed to be all about love and roses. But who hasn’t had a Valentine’s Day from hell? Even for those lucky few in happy relationships, having to prove one’s devotion with flowers or candy or some grand gesture, can be too much. Are those the right flowers? Is that the candy she’s not allergic to? Will French poetry make her swoon or seethe? Everyone’s messed up a time or two – some royally.
WEIGH IN:
What’s your worst V-Day story? Was it a gift that should never have been given? Were you “treated” to a terrible dinner at some fast food joint? Dumped on the pinkest day of the year? Trust us, we’ve been there. So give us a call and share your memories if Valentine’s Day woes.
The man behind the story of “Hugo”
Whether it’s for the stage or the screen, noted writer John Logan has been met with both critical and commercial success. Starting in Chicago as a playwright, his early works dealt with such stories as the Leopold and Loeb case and the Lindbergh baby kidnapping.
After plying his craft in the theater, he turned to film writing in the late 1990s. His first major release was “Any Giving Sunday,” directed by Oliver Stone. His next effort, “Gladiator,” was one of the most popular movies of 2000, and he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He was nominated again in the same category for 2004’s “The Aviator,” directed by Martin Scorsese.
He didn’t completely abandon his stage efforts, and in 2010 his play “Red,” which was about artist Mark Rothko, won six Tony Awards when it made it to Broadway. He just recently teamed up with Martin Scorsese once more on this past year’s movie “Hugo.”
What was it like for Logan to adapt the fantastic story from the page to the big screen? How did his work as a playwright influence his screenwriting career? What’s next on the horizon for Logan, on screen, stage or off?
Guest:
John Logan, Oscar nominated screenwriter for "Hugo." Logan has also written the introduction to the new book Hugo: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Press).