Will President Obama raise taxes for middle class Americans? Then, Larry talks with L.A. City Councilman Jose Huizar about his downtown project, "Bringing Back Broadway." And, Larry gets the latest on a new bill that may require tougher regulations on pilot training. Finally, Larry talks about the amount of people that are now working wirelessly.
Up next, middle class tax hike?
After a round of interviews on weekend talk shows, President Obama's top economic advisors left open the possibility of increased income taxes for middle class Americans. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and National Economic Council Director Larry H. Summers refused to rule out the possibility of a middle class tax hike to reconcile the budget deficit, despite Obama's campaign promise not to raise any taxes for those making less than $250,000 per year. Are new taxes in store? Will higher income taxes slow economic recovery?
Guest:
Roberton Williams, Senior Fellow at the Tax Policy Center
Bringing back Broadway
Photos of Broadway in downtown Los Angeles from the 1930s might be mistaken for Times Square of the same era: street cars, throngs of people, posh theaters and clubs. But that was then and this is... the future? City Councilman Jose Huizar is sponsoring the "Bringing Back Broadway" initiative, a ten-year plan to restore 12 historic theaters and bring back the streetcars to LA's historic mainstreet.
Guest:
Jose Huizar, Los Angeles City Council, District 14
Congress moves to boost airline safety standards
A bipartisan bill to bolster airline safety was approved by a House committee Thursday. Prompted by February’s regional airline crash in Buffalo, New York, which killed all 50 people on board, the new measure would strengthen pilot training, screening and professional development requirements. It would also require the FAA to track scientific research on pilot fatigue issues. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says these congressional efforts are “redundant and misguided.” But pilot union leaders and independent safety experts say the new legislation might compel the FAA and airlines to embrace necessary and long demanded safety changes. What really needs to be done to improve airline safety?
Guests:
Roger Cohen, President, Regional Airline Association
Captain Ross Aimer, CEO, Aviation Experts LLC
Captain John Cox, CEO, Safety Operating Systems
Office nomads
Visit any coffee shop and you'll see folks sitting around tapping on laptops and chatting on cell phones. More and more of those people are gainfully employed--and working full time ala latte and muffin. It's the new trend: nomadic working. Wireless technology makes it possible for people to communicate and work anywhere in the world, from coffee shops, to poolside. Is there an economic impact? Surely. But what is it? And what does it mean to the social dynamic of the "workplace"?
Carsten Sorenson, Professor, London School of Economics