Now that a fiscal cliff deal has passed, what is the economic future of the U.S.? We'll discuss what the deal means. We'll also consider the recent changes to the Sepulveda Basin wildlife habitat and speak with author Jeremy Dean about why it's so hard to keep a New Year's resolution. All that and more, today on AirTalk.
Nuts, bolts and nuance of the 'Fiscal Cliff' deal & debacle
The freefall over the fiscal cliff only lasted for one day. Late last night, the House of Representatives passed a deal from the Senate to avoid what many economists predicted would be a devastating blow to the stock market, global economy and a United States which is still limping out of recession. In today’s hyper-partisan world of politics, it’s no surprise that it wasn’t easy to get Republicans on board with President Obama’s plan.
However, what might be more interesting is that this issue has exposed rifts within the Republican party itself, thanks mainly to the influence and voting power of the conservative Tea Party. This rift exposed itself even in top Republican leadership, as Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) and Chairman of the Budget Committee Paul Ryan (R-WI) voted for the fiscal deal, while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) voted against it.
But analysts are far more concerned about the looming debt ceiling fight which will take place come February. That’s when the real fireworks are expected to go off between the two parties, and surely within them as well. But what about the average American citizen? Politicians may have won or lost depending on what they wanted from this deal, but it’s the taxpayers of this country who are actually affected by it.
How will this deal affect the middle class? What about those who rely on entitlement programs? And does this deal really add up to make any noticeable dent in the country’s deficit?
Guest:
Dan Gorenstein, Marketplace reporter
Tom McClintock, Republican Congressman representing California’s 4th District and a member of the House Committee on the Budget. The 4th District represents portions of northern California, including Lassen, Butte and Sacramento counties
Adam Schiff
, Democratic Congressman for the 29th District, which includes Alhambra, Altadena, Burbank, Glendale, Griffith Park, Monterey Park, Pasadena, San Gabriel, South Pasadena, Temple CitySpoiler alert, fiscal cliff and artisanal make list of banished words for 2012
Every year brings a new crop of overused cliches, meaningless phrases and words with redirected meanings that somehow enter the zeitgeist and won’t leave. Thirty-eight years ago, Bill Rabe, public relations director at Michigan’s Lake Superior State University, compiled the most egregious examples into the first annual list of "Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness.”
In 1975, the list included "detente," "scenario," "macho," and "meaningful," which, the list’s creators claimed, had “lost all of its meaningfulness.” This year, “bucket list” and “kicking the can down the road” have joined the phrases “trending” among “haters” on the “Twitterverse.” Ditto for “artisanal,” “selfie,” and “spoiler alert.”
We don’t like to “humblebrag,” but we’ve been keen on replacing the overused “fiscal cliff" with the far more apocalyptic “Cliffaggeddon.” What words, phrases and twitterisms are you sooo over? Call in and tell us - YOLO!
Another fiscal cliffhanger coming in February
The Fiscal Cliff isn’t the only budgetary hazard to be concerned about in 2013. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says the Federal Government has reached its 16.4 trillion-dollar borrowing limit.
That means the debt ceiling has to be raised by the end of February or early March, and only by using what Secretary Geithner calls “extraordinary measures” to free up an additional $200 billion. And even that amount will only help cover the federal government’s bills for a few months.
Will more debt hurt already fragile economic growth?Why didn’t the Fiscal Cliff deal resolve this issue? Why does the U.S. Government need to borrow trillions of dollars simply to pay its bills? And why is the actual deadline so nebulous?
Guest:
Curtis Dubay, Senior Policy Analyst, Tax Policy at Heritage Foundation.
Michael Ettlinger, Economist & Vice President, Economic Policy at Center For American Progress
Army Corps Of Engineers clearcuts San Fernando Valley Wildlife Area
San Fernando Valley nature lovers and environmental groups say the Army Corps Of Engineers recently cleared too much vegetation from the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Area. The San Fernando Valley Audubon Society says the Army Corps of Engineers “(L)aid waste to the South Wildlife Reserve in the Sepulveda Basin,” and described the clearing performed by the Corps as “a mechanized blitzkrieg assault.” The Corps says the actions were part of a planned vegetation clearing in the Basin designed to selectively remove some non-native plants and trees. The Corps has agreed to stop further vegetation clearing until they can meet with environmental groups to discuss the plan to clear more vegetation.
Are the local groups overreacting? Shouldn’t the 70-year legacy of brilliant flood control infrastructure exonerate any actions taken by the Army Corps of Engineers, who designed Sepulveda Dam as part of the channelling of the Los Angeles River after devastating floods in 1938? Or have the Feds overreached?
Guests:
Molly Peterson, KPCC Environmental Reporter
Kris Ohlenkamp, conservation chairman of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society
What’s the secret to keeping a New Year’s resolution?
Every year, resolutions are made and broken, promises to take up new hobbies and habits, to break old ones fall by the wayside. In his book, “Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don’t and How to Make Any Change Stick,” Jeremy Dean explores the psychology behind some of our most basic behavior.
Why is it so hard to incorporate simple changes into daily life? Why is it so difficult to break bad habits? Dean’s examination of one of the brain’s most powerful processes is compelling and insightful – and his advice to habit-breakers is especially pertinent as we enter the new year.
Do you have trouble making or breaking habits? What are your plans for keeping your resolutions this year?
Guest:
Jeremy Dean, author of “Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don’t, and How to Make Any Change Stick” (Da Capo/Perseus Books), psychologist, researcher at University College London and founder of the website Psyblog