The U.S. plans on stiffer gun restrictions in border states. Should Southern California become the 51st state? Debating Head Start child education program. You can diagnose, sure, but how’s your bedside manner?
“Fast and Furious” hits a roadblock
Initially meant to use guns as a way of tracking drug cartels which operate across the Mexican/US border, the “Fast and Furious” program has backfired in a big way. The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, which was behind this strategy, is now drawing fire from all sides. The public is up in arms over the disclosure of the fact that, in 2009 and 2010 alone, over hundreds of weapons have been allowed from the US into Mexico illegally. Mexico is furious, as enforcement officials there claim that 90 percent of firearms related to drug trafficking incidents come from the US, leading to over thousands of deaths in the past few years. President Obama has distanced himself from the program, and has promised a Department of Justice investigation. In direct response, the government has imposed regulations on gun sellers in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas which are near the Mexican border to report large, repeated sales of certain semiautomatic rifles with in a five-day span to the same person. How will the US government marry this new plan with protection of the Second Amendment? What is the response of the pro-gun lobby? How much damage has the “Fast and Furious” program done?
Guests:
Dennis Hennigan, Acting President of the Brady Campaign
John Lott, gun rights advocate and author of More Guns, Less Crime: Understanding Crime and Gun Control Laws
California split?
Frustrated with California’s paralyzed legislature, Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone is proposing a plan to split off Riverside, San Bernardino, Orange and 10 other counties from the State to form a new state called South California. The breakaway state would have a part-time legislature, lower taxes, no term limits for lawmakers and would give greater fiscal control to local municipalities. The idea is unlikely to ever take hold but Riverside lawmakers will vote today on whether to support a meeting to discuss the creation of a new state. Is California too big to govern? What do you think of splitting California in two? Would it make the state easier to govern and would it help solve any of California’s intractable budgetary issues?
Guest:
Bob Stern, President of Center for Governmental Studies
After 45 years and billions of dollars, is it time to stop Head Start?
With a fierce fight in Washington over the federal debt, no government-sponsored program is safe or sacred. Even one of LBJ's initiatives that has long sought to help impoverished toddlers must prove its worth. The goal of Head Start is to boost school readiness of low-income children. However, even a large-scale internal study by the Department of Health & Human Services found that by the end of 1st grade Head Start children show few significant differences compared to low-income kids outside the program. Why isn't Head Start more successful? Are the preschools failing, or do weak grade schools degrade the gains children made? What are the shining stars of Head Start doing right? Can their models be replicated? The Obama Administration has announced reforms to make programs compete for funding. Is that the right fix or should it be cut entirely?
Guests:
Ron Herndon, Chairman of the Board, National Head Start Association
Adam Schaeffer, CATO Institute, Title and contact TBD
You can diagnose, sure, but how’s your bedside manner?
Med school could be changing in a very big way. At Virginia Tech Carilion, administrators have started to rely on more than just grades and test scores to determine admission. Additionally, they have instituted the multiple mini interview (M.M.I.), a series of nine unprompted interviews focusing on social skills, ethics and communicative ability. Students get two minutes to read a hypothetical situation taped onto a door. Then, they enter the room and discuss the situation for eight minutes with an interviewer. This process is then repeated eight times. The practice is spreading to other med schools, who rely on it to weed out candidates who only look good on paper. The choice is further buttressed by the trend in healthcare moving from individual experts to a team effort of doctors, specialists, nurses and hospital managers, which will require superb and nuanced communication. Have you ever felt that your doctor could have been more friendly or warm in dealing with you? Does this test detract value from scientific knowledge and surgical skill? What do we really want out of the professionals who keep us healthy and alive?
Guest:
Dr. Charles Prober, Senior Associate Dean, Stanford University School of Medicine
Dr. Carleen Eaton, Founder, Prehealthadvising.com, an admissions consulting company