The rising price of everything. Debating Measure L – as in how should our L-ibraries be funded? The rising GOP star behind multiple anti-illegal immigration bills. 65 years old and nothing saved for retirement? Black Swan director Darren Oronofsky. Hans Zimmer – the journeyman film score composer.
Attention U.S. shoppers – the price of everything is about to go up
Well, except housing prices in Southern California, which fell to the lowest level since 2009 last month. But in the coming months, retail analysts say consumers will be paying more for everything from clothing and coffee to washing machines and Velveeta cheese. That’s because the cost of materials is on the rise. Cotton hit an all-time high of $1.90 per pound – that’s twice the price from a year ago. Copper costs a lot more than a pretty penny, hitting its highest level in about four decades. Prices for corn, sugar, wheat and meat are also soaring. Leather, polyester and synthetic materials have also jumped, so chaps and spandex leotards will hit wallets harder by fall. During the recession, many manufacturers and retailers absorbed the creeping costs of commodities out of concern that shoppers wouldn’t fork out the extra cash while the economy was so fragile. But now many big companies like Kraft say they’re going to have to start passing the costs on to consumers. Economists say the increases may result in higher inflation. Will consumers push back? If profits are squeezed, will employers be less likely to hire?
Guests:
Andrew Fieldhouse, federal budget policy analyst, Economic Policy Institute
Chris Thornberg, Principal, Beacon Economics
Debating Measure L – as in how should our L-ibraries be funded?
Due to budget constraints, Mayor Villaraigosa cut two days a week from many Los Angeles libraries last year. Measure L would mandate that a higher percentage of the city's property tax revenue go towards libraries over a four year period. The hope is to restore services at regional libraries to 6 days a week and eventually 7, without raiding taxes. A broad coalition of teachers, librarians, religious and civic leaders supports the measure. Opponents such as the LA Police Protective League are concerned that funding will be taken from public safety programs. They also argue that the city has the power to return funding to the library without a ballot measure. Is Measure L the right way to restore funding to L.A.’s libraries?
Guest:
Tyree Wieder, President of the Board of Library Commissioners
Kristi Sandoval, Director, Los Angeles Police Protective League
Rising GOP star behind multiple anti-illegal immigration bills
Wherever there’s a fight to curb illegal immigration in the U.S. you’re likely to encounter one man: Kris Kobach. The Ivy league-educated, Constitutional law expert has made a political name for himself by drafting, sponsoring, or defending nearly every piece of anti-illegal immigration legislation in the last decade including Arizona’s controversial SB 1070 and bills to end birthright citizenship. At last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Kobach laid out a seven-point plan for “attrition through enforcement.” It was even suggested that Kobach may be in a future CPAC presidential straw poll. As the newly elected Kansas Secretary of State, Kobach wants to require voters to show photo IDs at the polls. Critics – and there are many – say Kobach’s election fraud bill is too drastic and his stance on illegal immigration is a “legal jihad.” But there’s no denying Kobach’s growing influence. What drives him? Is Kobach’s state-by-state approach, the only way to end the federal stalemate over immigration reform? What’s next on his agenda?
Guest:
Kris Kobach, Kansas Secretary of State; Constitutional law expert and Former Law Professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC); Former Counsel to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft
65 years old and nothing saved for retirement – now what?
More than a third of Americans have no retirement savings, according to a new Harris Poll of 2,151 adults. That’s a whopping 34%, up from 30% in 2009. Not surprisingly, people between the ages of 18 and 33 are the least likely to have a nest egg set aside and 53% of them don’t. Nearly a third of folks between the ages of 34 and 45 and one quarter between the ages of 46 to 64, have also neglected to tuck anything away. Some of us just haven’t gotten around to it, but most workers say they can’t afford to save for the future. But the future will be here before we know it and relying on social security alone, is a frightening proposition. What’s your plan? Do you have any cash set aside? Do you know how much you should save for your golden years? Do 401k plans still make sense?
Guest:
Chris Farrell, Economics Editor for Marketplace Money
Black Swan and the pursuit of artistic perfection
Can utter devotion to one's art - and a crazy mother - lead to insanity? This is the issue tormenting ballerina Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman, in the Oscar nominated film "Black Swan." If you can't access the passion trapped below the discipline of your craft, how do you achieve the perfect, emotionally compelling and authentic performance? You get drunk, take drugs and make out with Mila Kunis, duh! Whatever the secret Natalie Portman has found it in this role. Her performance in "Black Swan" won her a SAG and Golden Globe Award for Best Actress as well as an Oscar nomination. Black Swan has received 5 Academy nominations including Best Actress for Portman, Best Director (Darren Aronofsky), Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Editing. Larry sits down with director Darren Aronofsky to find out if they still put lambs wool in point shoes.
Guest:
Darren Aronofsky, Director of Black Swan. Also directed The Wrestler, Requiem for A Dream and Pi.
Hans Zimmer – the journeyman film score composer
German-born musician Hans Zimmer is one of the most accomplished film composers of all time, with a collection of awards on his shelf and over 100 movies to his credit - including such acclaimed scores as “The Lion King,” “Gladiator,” and “The Dark Knight.” Zimmer has been nominated for another Academy Award for his score to last summer’s mind-expanding blockbuster, “Inception,” for which the composer went so far as visiting the French National Archives in order to sample one note from Edith Piaf’s song “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien,” and then using technology to compress and expand that motif to reflect the plot’s multi-leveled action. What is your favorite Hans Zimmer film score? How does a film’s music enhance or hinder what is happening on-screen?
Guest:
Hans Zimmer, Oscar-winning, Grammy-winning German film score composer and music producer. Zimmer is nominated for an Academy Award for the film score of Inception. For nearly three decades he has composed music for over 100 films including The Lion King, Gladiator, and The Dark Knight. Some of his recent works are Frost/Nixon (2008), Angels & Demons (2009), Sherlock Holmes (2009) and Megamind (2010). He has received four Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, a Classical BRIT Award, and an Academy Award.