Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa talks about taking LA into 2011. The GOP flexes its muscle in the ongoing health care repeal debate. Chinese President Hu Jintao and his official state visit to the United States. Are Chinese mothers superior?
Taking Los Angeles into 2011
Arguably one of Los Angeles’ most colorful public figures, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa never seems to miss a ribbon-cutting or photo opp. Now, halfway through his second term, what milestones have we seen him reach? One goal he set when taking office -- to generate 20 percent of the city’s power from renewable resources by the year 2010 – has just been reached. In fact, Los Angeles just retired its last diesel bus, making ours one of the first major transit systems to go green. We’ve just seen a changing of the guard at the LAUSD – what will Dr. John Deasy do to get our schools back on track, a major priority for the mayor? The Federal Transit Administration has just granted long-awaited approval for the Westside Subway Extension, paving the way for another of Villaraigosa’s pet projects, the “subway to the sea.” and he continues to work with the city council to squeeze every last drop of services out of an ever-shrinking budget. As he heads into the final stretch of his last term, what will Mayor V’s priorities be? How will he accomplish his goals?
Guest:
Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles
Can Republicans gut Obama’s health care law?
House Republicans are planning to approve a bill tomorrow that aims to repeal Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act. The move is part political theater given that Democrats still hold a majority in the Senate. But Republicans can still carve into it by challenging the law’s implementation and backing court challenges. Public opinion on the health care reform law is still divided but the latest polls show waning support for repeal. Will the GOP be able to get enough support to tweak the bill to suit their agenda? Can any changes improve the health care situation in America?
Guest:
Michael Cannon, Director of Health Policy Studies at CATO
Jamie Court, President of Consumer Watchdog and author of The Progressive’s Guide to Raising Hell
Chinese President Hu Jintao’s state visit stirs optimism, criticism & protest
Chinese President Hu Jintao begins a three-day state visit today in Washington D.C. Relations between the U.S. and China are at a “critical juncture,” according to the Obama administration, which hopes to deepen its economic and security ties with Asia’s emerging superpower. There’s a laundry list of hot button topics, which might be on the table: China’s control over their currency, the country’s tacit support for North Korea, growing problems with software piracy, normalization of military relations, climate change, energy consumption – and of course, human rights. Distrust lingers on both sides – so what can we hope for from this meeting of superpowers? Will this visit, Jintao’s first during Obama’s tenure, foster greater cooperation? What should the national priorities be in the U.S. relationship with China?
Guest:
Ed Paisley, Vice President for Editorial at the Center for American Progress
Gary Schmitt, Director of Advanced Strategic Studies, American Enterprise Institute (AEI); editor & contributing author, The Rise of China (Encounter Books, 2009)
Susan Shirk, Director, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation and Professor of China and Pacific Relations at University of California San Diego
Are Chinese mothers superior?
In the global race for intellectual capital and academic excellence the US is losing out to China whose students score so much higher than Americans on standardized tests in reading, math and science. These test results reflect a culture of parenting in China where greater emphasis is placed on academic success and parents demand that their children spend time studying to the exclusion of other activities like sports and socializing. Unlike Western parents who try to create a nurturing environment for their children and stress individuality, Chinese parents believe the best way to prepare kids for the future is to arm them with skills and strong work habits. This kind of “extreme parenting” is revealed by Yale law professor and author Amy Chua in her new memoir about Chinese parenting and the difficulty of raising children “the Chinese way” in America. Can a regimen of no play dates, no TV, no computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids? What happens when kids rebel against the demands of the “tiger mother?”
Guest:
Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Penguin Press)