The California DMV is backing down from requiring drivers for “e-hail” services like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar to obtain commercial license plates after a firestorm of criticism. Also, author Steven Brill writes about the way the ACA was written, the way it was implemented, and how it would (or wouldn’t) change America’s healthcare system in his latest book. Then, President Obama will propose to protect 12 million acres of Alaskan wilderness.
DMV suspends commercial license requirement for Uber, Lyft, Sidecar
The California Department of Motor Vehicles is backing down from requiring drivers for “e-hail” services like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar to obtain commercial license plates after a firestorm of criticism. The DMV first brought up the policy in early January, citing a 1935 state law as justification.
But on Friday, the department had a change of mind, saying that the matter is now up for reconsideration. “We jumped the gun, and we shouldn’t have,” a DMV official said in a statement. “The matter requires further review and analysis which the department is undertaking immediately.”
The financial implications would be enormous. E-hail drivers would need commercial insurance, for example, which is more of a hassle to get, particularly when most drivers are just part-timers. Some analysts say the commercial license plate requirement would be a huge roadblock for the e-hail industry. Should e-hail drivers be required to get commercial licenses?
Guests:
Carolyn Said , Business and technology reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle. She covers the so-called “sharing economy” for the paper. She tweets at
William Rouse, general manager of Yellow Cab of Los Angeles and heads the taxi trade group, Taxicab Paratransit Association of California
Sunil Paul, CEO of Sidecar, a “e-hail” company founded in San Francisco, Calif.
'America’s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System'
Since its implementation, the Affordable Care Act, or ‘Obamacare,’ as it’s often called, has likely been the most polarizing and controversial piece of legislation passed. Thus far, the law has withstood a multitude of failed Republican attempts to repeal it and a severely botched rollout of the federal healthcare website. Whether or not the American healthcare system is better or worse off with Obamacare varies depending on who you ask, but many would agree that the U.S. healthcare system is still in need of work. In 2014, America’s total healthcare bill was $3 billion, which is more than the next ten biggest healthcare spending countries combined!
In his new book “America’s Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System,” Steven Brill writes about the way the ACA was written, the way it was implemented, and how it would (or wouldn’t) change America’s healthcare system. Brill had chronicled some of the ways the U.S. healthcare system was being abused in an article he wrote for TIME Magazine in March of 2013 in which he examined medical bills, line by line. In the book, Brill combines his experience as a journalist and writer with his personal stories. In April of 2014, Brill was told he needed open-heart surgery and suddenly went from healthcare critic to a patient in need.
Brill joins AirTalk to discuss his book, his experience, and what has to be done to fix America’s healthcare system.
Guest:
Steven Brill, author of “America’s Bitter Pill” (January 5, 2015 - Random House). He won the 2014 National Magazine Award for Public Service for his article “Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us,” which appeared in TIME Magazine in March of 2013.
Over 12 million acres of Alaskan land to be protected as 'wilderness'
President Obama has proposed designating over 12 million acres of land in Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) as “wilderness,” the highest level of protection that land can get from the federal government. The “wilderness” designation bans development such as drilling, mining, road construction, and construction of permanent structures. If codified into law, the President’s proposal would provide Alaska with over 70 million acres of land protected under the “Wildnerness” designation.
Yet as the land will temporarily gain those protections under the Department of the Interior, the protection cannot be finalized without consent from Congress, and Republicans are already strongly coming out against the President’s announcement. Specifically, the new Chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Republican Senator from Alaska, Lisa Murkowski, has called the announcement “a stunning attack on [Alaska’s] sovereignty and our ability to develop a strong economy that allows us, our children and our grandchildren to thrive.” Due to the new Republican control of both houses of Congress, most observers believe any legislation cementing the designation for that land to fail.
Other groups have fallen in traditional roles. For example, oil and gas groups have decried the President’s announcement, citing potential damage to Alaska’s economy and a bad signal to the rest of the industry, whereas environmental groups have applauded it, positing the protective benefits for ecosystems and endangered species.
What will be the effect of President Obama’s proposal? Where is the balance between protecting the environment and economic growth?
Guests:
Bob King, energy and environment editor for POLITICO
Lori Townsend, News Director, Alaska Public Media, based in Anchorage
Potential GOP presidential hopefuls get face time at weekend events in California & Iowa
It was a big weekend for Republican presidential hopefuls as they hunkered down in Iowa for Congressman Steve King and conservative advocacy group Citizens United’s Freedom Summit, and then here in Palm Desert for the Koch brothers’ annual winter seminar, an invitation-only retreat for potential candidates. Chris Christie, Scott Walker, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Mike Huckabee, Carly Fiorina, Sarah Palin, and Donald Trump all showed up in snowy Iowa to hash out priorities for the GOP agenda, which seemed to deemphasize immigration reform and boost a focus on Common Core.
Then Sunday, Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio were at the Koch seminar in Rancho Mirage to offer similar prescriptions for the middle class but diverge sharply on normalizing relations with Cuba and sanctions on Iran. Perhaps most telling was who did not attend either event, most notably former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who have both hinted at possible runs in 2016. Politicians at both events seemed to be making an effort to play nice and kept attacks largely focused on President Obama rather than one another.
But how are potential candidates differentiating themselves? And how will the GOP agenda evolve over the next year?
Guests:
Tarini Parti, political reporter for POLITICO.
Jonathan Allen, Washington D.C. Bureau Chief for Bloomberg News
Justice, truth and freedom: Brought to you by...science?
For a significant portion of human history, society’s morals were derived from a variety of locations; each civilization had its own unique set of beliefs on important aspects of civic life. As a result, principles of equality and justice were often determined by unscientific beliefs rooted in revelation and tradition. In the book "The Moral Arc," author Michael Shermer contends that though religion was usually expected to keep moral order, it often resulted in some of the worst infringements of human rights the world has ever seen.
Shermer is no stranger to controversy, and as an adjunct professor at Claremont and Chapman Universities, he encourages his students to question what they’ve been told about human morality and how it holds up to scientific analysis. Now, in his newest publication, The Moral Arc, Shermer takes an in-depth look at the concept of an ever-expanding “moral sphere” of humanity that developed shortly after the Enlightenment period. He argues that, since this major paradigm shift, people have become considerate and caring, working harder to extend rights to and improve the living conditions of all people, and even animals.
Shermer joins Larry today to discuss how truth, justice and freedom are all byproducts of a more scientifically-minded society, and looks ahead to what the world of tomorrow can look like if the moral momentum continues.
Guest:
Michael Shermer, author of “The Moral Arc,” and adjunct professor at Claremont Graduate University and Chapman University