There is a new proposal to fund public preschool in California. Should the state expand universal pre-k? California is facing its third dry winter in a row. What type of impact is this having on water issues across the state? Later, would an American king help alleviate some political tension in the US?
Should California expand universal pre-K?
Democrats in the California Senate introduced legislation on Tuesday that would fund public preschool for children in the state. The proposal, backed by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, builds on the transitional kindergarten program that came into effect under the 2010 law that required children to be over the age of five when they enrolled in kindergarten.
Senate Bill 837 would increase the number of kids in the transitional kindergarten by almost triple, to 350,000, and would certainly be costly - current estimates predict that the program would cost $198 million annually, and would reach almost $1 billion by 2019. Is this plan the most cost effective way to offer public kindergarten in the state of California? How will legislator’s find the funds for the bill, and is it worth the extra expenditure? Or are the kids of California getting a service they don’t need?
Guest:
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-6th District (most of Sacramento County). He introduced the bill yesterday
Tim Donnelly, State Assemblyman, R-33rd District (including Apple Valley, Big Bear Lake and Victorville) and gubernatorial candidate
Senate moves jobless-benefits bill to next step
In a bipartisan procedural vote, the U.S. senate agreed to consider a proposal to extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. The vote was 60-37, with 60 votes as the minimum to prolong the benefits.
The extension affects approximately 1.3 million Americans whose benefits expired Dec. 28. It is estimated to cost more than 6 billion dollars. The bill's fate in the House is less certain. However, President Obama is said to have called key Republicans about possibly negotiating spending cuts as a trade. With job numbers trending in a more positive direction, how will that affect the bill? What do you think of a proposed extension?
Guest:
Manu Raju, Senior Congressional Reporter for POLITICO
The rumble over helicopter noise
Spurred by frustration from Los Angeles area residents, California congressmen are advocating for a provision on helicopter noise to be included in a 2014 spending bill.
Last May, the Federal Aviation Administration released a 56-page document analyzing the noise caused by helicopters in the area, but failed to enforce any regulations. The FAA only made recommendations on how the communities could work with helicopter operators.
Residents say efforts to find a viable solution are taking too long, and little agreement is being reached between pilots and residents. Without regulations, neighborhood leaders are concerned the helicopters used by tourists, news media, and the police will continue to fly freely over their homes.
Guests:
Bob Anderson, President of the Los Angeles Area Helicopter Noise Coalition
Chuck Street, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Area Helicopter Operators Association
Third-straight dry winter deepens water worries across California
While the lack of rain this winter may have been easy on California drivers, it was definitely much harder on our water supply.
Officials hoping that the levels of the California River would be replenished after two consecutive years of drought were disappointed, and 2013 set record lows for rainfall all across the state.
With 2014 expected to continue the trend, people are trying desperately to fix the situation any way they can. California water officials are considering an emergency draft declaration, while the California Conference of Catholic Bishops has started asking people to pray for some downpours.
What will California do if these drought conditions continue? What will the economic and environmental impact of the drought be on America’s most fruitful states, and will we be better able to adapt to drought conditions in the future?
Guest:
Peter Gleick, President and Co-founder of The Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security
Paul Betancourt, Partner at VF Farms in Fresno County
RIP, innovators and early adopters: Technology in the age of ubiquity
Sociologist Everett Rogers came up with five stages of technology adoption. A new technology, he says, must first be embraced by a class of daredevil "innovators", followed by the "early adopters" and the cycle of adoption is only complete when a product gets buy-in from the "laggards," or the final hold-outs. Apple, that omnipresent brand name of products seemingly beloved by all, is a good example of that theory.
But does the idea still hold now, when new tech and apps are introduced hourly? In the new book, "Big BanG Disruption," authors Larry Downes and Paul Nunes argue that this inundation has made it tougher than ever for a new product to succeed in the marketplace and they have come up their own theory on tech adoption to accommodate these changes.
Guest:
Larry Downes, co-author of “Big Bang Disruptions: Strategy in the Age of Devastating Innovation (Portfolio Hardcover, 2014). He is also a business consultant. He joins us from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The book was chosen for the inaugural Book Club at CES.
On why America should crown a monarch
With Republicans and Democrats showing no signs of ending the partisan bickering it might be time to daydream about what it would be like if we had a different form of government. Would America be better off if it had a non-partisan figurehead instead of a president?
Back even before American independence, John Adams argued in favor of a "republican monarchy" of laws, lamenting, "We have so many Men of Wealth, of ambitious Spirits, of Intrigue … that incessant Factions will disturb our Peace." Scholar Michael Auslin recently agreed with Mr. Adams and called for a new post in the US government. He argued that "we need a person who can sit above politics and help strengthen our commitment to republican values. We need a king, or something like one."
The idea of having a non-partisan figurehead who can represent the country is not a new idea and many other countries have a similar system. Most people probably don't know that Germany, for instance, has both a prime minister and a president. One is responsible for political issues, the other serves as a role model and represent the country in non-political matters.
Has the US ever considered this type of figurehead? How does it work in other countries? Would adding another non-partisan figure to represent the US help with American unity? Would you support this idea?
Guests:
Michael Auslin, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute
Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University