Propositions 57 & 58; Why People Cheat, Gossip, Share and Follow "the Golden Rule"
Propositions 57 & 58
Larry Mantle talks with Brendan Huffman from the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, State Senator Tom McClintock about Proposition 57. Proposition 57 would approve a one-time, $15 billion dollar "Economic Recovery Bond" to help pay off the State's deficit. Regardless of whether or not Proposition 57 is passed by voters, it will only be valid if Proposition 58 passes as well.
Proposition 58 would amend the State Constitution, requiring governors and legislators to pass only balanced budgets in the future, preventing further borrowing by the State to cover deficits. Don Focciano, President of the Ventura County Taxpayers Association and a proponent of Proposition 58, and Joe Armendariz, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association and an opponent of Proposition 58, join Larry to discuss the proposition.
Why People Cheat, Gossip, Share and Follow "the Golden Rule"
Science writer and Skeptic magazine publisher Michael Shermer joins Larry to talk about his new book The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule (Time Books). In it, he explains how humans transformed the moral sentiments displayed in many primate species---shame and trust, for instance---into ethical principles. These show, Dr. Shermer contends, how our morals and ethics are not products of divine origin but rather of our biological heritage and our cultural history.