Today on Air Talk Larry will discuss the San Bernardino bankruptcy, which Presidential candidate is the real outsourcer, how the circus coming into town will draw more than just fans, what happens when 20 million directv subscribers suddenly lose their MTV and a chat with Carissa Phelps, author of Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets, One Helping Hand at a Time. Plus, the latest news
Reality check on San Bernardino bankruptcy
San Bernardino has become the third California city to decide to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in the span of about three weeks. This city of about 210,000 people is the second largest city in the country to file for bankruptcy; Stockton, California with a population of almost 300.000 is the largest to seek bankruptcy protection.
Inland Empire economist and Vice President of Economics and Politics, Inc, John Husing, says older cities with strong service unions and declining property values and retail sales are also at risk for filing for Chapter 9.
So, why are municipalities deciding to file for bankruptcy and will other struggling cities follow suit? Was the recession to blame or dysfunction politics? How will the move affect wages, pensions and other entities working with the city?
GUESTS
Patrick J. Morris, Mayor, City of San Bernardino
John Husing, Inland Empire economist and Vice President of Economics and Politics, Inc.
Ms. Karol Denniston, Partner, Schiff Hardin law firm; attorney specializing in bankruptcy law; Denniston played a key role in drafting AB 506 that requires municipalities in California to participate in a neutral evaluation process before filing for bankruptcy
Will the real outsourcer please stand up?
Over the past few months, the Obama campaign has painted Mitt Romney as an outsourcer of jobs. Now, Romney and other Republicans are retaliating in force.
Romney has labeled Obama the “outsourcer-in-chief,” and the Republican National Committee launched a website that claims Obama used taxpayer money as part of the 2009 stimulus package for a variety of companies in other countries, such as Mexico, Denmark and South Korea. Obama is also subject to criticism from the left, as liberals insist he should have circumvented Congress to revise U.S. visa rules and adopt more stringent policies towards China.
The Obama campaign responded with a six-page rebuttal to the Republican website, which stressed the President’s commitment to creating a level playing field for American workers and discouraging corporations from shipping jobs overseas.
Does this Republican argument hold any water? Which candidate is more likely to suffer the slings and arrows of these attacks? What’s the factual evidence on both sides?
GUESTS
Tim Miller, deputy communications director, Republican National Committee
Melanie Roussell, national press secretary, Democratic National Committee
Animal activists hope to stage the greatest protest on earth
Is there anything as magical as the circus? There are daring acrobats, hilarious clowns and often exotic animals. But not everyone is so thrilled by the Greatest Show on Earth.
Tonight, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus arrives for a seven-night run at the Staples Center, followed by a stint at the Citizens Bank Arena in Ontario and the Honda Center in Anaheim.
Animal activists, who have long protested the use of wild animals in circuses, will be out in force tonight.
“In essence circuses are inherently cruel for wild animals, whether it’s Ringling or any other circus,” Catherine Doyle, spokesperson for In Defense of Animals, said. “These animals are separated from their families, brutally trained to perform unnatural tricks, they’re chained, confined to small cages and pens, and transported around the country in cramped train cars and trucks for months at a time.”
Doyle is opposed to any form of circus, saying that the humane treatment of animals cannot be done in those conditions.
“If you cannot meet the animals needs. If you cannot meet their physical, social and psychological needs, you should not hold those animals,” she added.
Circus owners say that the handlers do not mistreat the lions, tigers and elephants in their care, and that handlers are animal lovers who take excellent care of their charges and make their welfare a priority.
“We are very, very proud of our animal care and to have the ability to showcase these animals to families around the country who really can’t see them in any other forum except ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’,” said Stephen Payne, vice president of corporate communications for Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros. Circus.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus raises most of its animals from captivity in their Central Florida compound, according to Payne.
“Unfortunately, this idealized wild that everyone speaks of really no longer exists. Asian elephants are highly endangered, there’s only about 35,000 left in the world. And really the animals at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey are ambassadors for their species,” Payne said.
For her part, Doyle claims it is just a matter of time before the use of wild animals in traveling circuses is banned completely by law.
“There are more than 35 municipalities across the U.S. that now restrict the use of wild animals in circuses in some form. And more cities are looking at the issue including L.A.,” Doyle said.
Can any animal kept for entertainment purposes be said to be well-treated? Should circuses go animal-free? What would become of the wild animals in their care if they did?
GUESTS
Catherine Doyle, spokesperson for In Defense of Animals
Stephen Payne, vice president of corporate communications for Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Cable wars: Viacom and DirecTV battle for hearts & minds
When the clock struck midnight last night, Viacom channels dropped from DirecTV. That means no SpongeBob, Snooki or Jon Stewart for DirecTV customers. Contract negotiations between the two companies have become a public battle. Viacom exploiting celebrities and funny clips from MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon to win over customers’ opinions.
DirecTV spreading its own propaganda with Twitter hashtags such as #DirectvHasMyBack. Facebook postings and tweets are ripe with vitriol against both companies this morning. While disputes between programmers and distributors are becoming common – such as the ongoing feud between Dish and AMC – it’s surprising to see so many major channels pulled from a major distributor. Both could suffer which might be why it’s gotten so ugly so quickly.
Why does public opinion matter in all of this? Is it just to avoid irritating customers? Or could it influence the deal? Could a deal come quicker if customers call those 1-800 numbers? How long might this fight and the Dish-AMC fight last?
GUEST
Andrew Wallenstein, TV Editor, Variety
Carissa Phelps on running away from hopelessness
All odds were against her. At the age of 12, after years of chaotic home life, she was abandoned by her mother to Fresno’s Juvenile Hall. A series of group homes and state facilities followed, along with time on the streets; finally, she became a victim of the child sex trafficking trade, forced into prostitution by a brutal pimp.
Carissa Phelps would have ended up another statistic, but for the intervention of a compassionate few: the math teacher who nurtured her love of numbers, the counselor who encouraged her to value herself — and her own inner strength and determination.
After graduating from UCLA with both a law degree and an MBA, Phelps turned her horrific experience into a beacon of hope for others, dedicating herself to helping victims and survivors of the sex trade escape their situation and rebuild their lives. Phelps’ story may be unique — but it shouldn’t be.
On her hometown:
"I grew up all over California, but in Coalinga, particularly. It was a small town, and we were far from our county eat which was Fresno, about 70 miles. Social services that people maybe would assume were there, were not. Everything got around like in a small town it would."
On abuse she suffered at the hands of her step-father:
"I was really anxious about everything at school. I wanted to turn in my emergency card, and basically it was lost among the chaos, I have 10 brothers and sisters at home, a small home. When I couldn't get it signed, I didn't want to run out to the bus, and my step father basically picked me up and threw me out and I landed pretty much on my face, but caught myself and got scraped up and everyone on the school bus was looking, including the bus driver, who stopped and waited for me to come on the bus."
On the backlash from that incident:
"I was considered a liar and basically told I shouldn't talk, I shouldn't make reports like that and that I was making too big a deal out of it. I wasn't even the one to report it. I just came to school bleeding in the 2nd grade and crying. So it was a teacher who reported it."
How having an abusive parent affected her development:
"You don't have an opportunity to develop trust and I think that's the biggest thing that holds you back throughout your development. When somebody just blows up. and you don't know when they're going to blow up or what they're going to blow up about. You think the world is unpredictable and you're frightened to go forward and to get close to people and that's how I found myself and my siblings. My first reaction oftentimes would be with anger and I would act out in that way when I was a child. The way I saw things around me."
On how she got lured into the sex trade:
"There were various things I would do, but people would take me in to be a nanny. That was as young as 12, I would be watching other people's kids and taking care of them during the day when they wanted to do something else. Or if it was at night if they wanted to party and they wanted to leave their kids with a babysitter I would become the babysitter. Then things started just getting to where people didn't want me to stay with them unless I would do sexual acts. Men were very aggressive and wanted to basically exploit me and eventually sell me to other people."
On how being a victim of sex trafficking affected her:
"I was totally out of my body. I couldn't stay in it. I couldn't stand it. The things that were happening to me I felt like maybe were happening to someone else. Not me. I couldn't function in normal day-to-day life at school or in society because I thought that person who was going to harm me was around the corner. And on the streets they are. They're waiting for you. They're ready to exploit you at every moment when you're a 12-year-old girl"
On the turning point and the person who saved her life:
"I was so fortunate when I was locked up in juvenile hall to meet a man, he was a young man in his early 20s who had been a football star. An amazingly positive person. He was an African-American man. He came into my life and I had a choice to make. It was a conscious choice about whether I was going to trust him and let him into my life and share things with him. He gave me no reasons not to trust him, he was very positive, all the other kids had great things to say about him. That gave me a positive male role model, that allowed me to have healthy relationship now.
On how the man she met in juvenile hall taught her how to trust again:
"I'm always a little bit hesitant and I stayed hesitant in that relationship. I wanted him to see the best sides of me like any kid would. It felt like he was more of a father figure and so I just wanted him to see the best sides of me and always be proud of me. For that reason I maybe didn't share every single thing with him, but I shared almost everything with him."
On how lucky she is to have met the man in juvenile hall:
"It was just totally by the grace of God, there's no reason I should have been there, he should have been there. I was assigned to a boy's program, one of four girls that would ever be assigned to that program. He was there in a leadership role because someone was out sick, so it just all came together at the right moment and it was an opportunity for me."
Weigh In:
What does it take to go from runaway girl to success story? How can communities fight back against child sex trafficking?
Guest:
Carissa Phelps, author of “Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets, One Helping Hand at a Time” (Viking); attorney and youth advocate
Read an excerpt from "Runaway Girl":