Abby Sunderland's rescue. What is the right age to give a child a cell phone? Next, Arizona weighs denying citizenship to children born in the state to illegal immigrants. Is this constitutional? Later, from payday loans to used car financing, Gary Rivlan discusses how the poor have become the biggest targets of scams.
The logistics of rescuing Abby Sunderland
Last Saturday, a French fishing vessel rescued 16-year-old Abby Sunderland from her destroyed sailboat in the raucous waters of the Indian Ocean. She was found over 2000 miles off the coast of western Australia after having been stranded in the open ocean for days, and her attempt to be the youngest sailor ever to circumnavigate the world was cut short. What goes into coordinating these rescue efforts, how much do they cost, and who is responsible for them?
Guest:
Petty Officer Matthew Schofield, with the Los Angeles/Long Beach office of the Coast Guard
When is it okay to give kids cell phones?
They’re already ubiquitous with teenagers. But what’s the right age to let kids have cell phones? Parents love the security of knowing they can get in touch with their children at any time. But they also have that nagging worry about the potential health hazards from the cell phones’ electromagnetic emissions. What impact does youthful mobile phone ownership have on the development of social skills? To what extent is peer pressure a factor with kids in wanting phones? And can kids really learn independence if their parents are always a ring away? Larry asks KPCC listeners: when is it ok to give cell phones to kids? And how should parents guard against over-use?
Can Arizona stop the children of illegal immigrants from gaining citizenship?
The desert state has been at the center of immigration furor since it passed SB 1070, the country’s strictest anti-illegal immigration bill, last month. Now, Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce plans to introduce a new measure that would deny birth certificates to children born to illegal immigrants. But is this even possible? The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: “all persons, born or naturalized in the United States…are citizens of the United States.” But to Senator Russell Pearce, that is so 1868. Pearce says illegal immigrants have “hijacked” the 14th Amendment – and it’s time for a change. Critics say this is clearly unconstitutional. But Pearce vows to introduce it nonetheless. What’s going on in Arizona? Is there any chance a bill like this could stand up to judicial review?
Guests:
Russell Pearce, Arizona State Senator; sponsor of anti-illegal immigration bill SB 1070, scheduled to go into effect at the end of July
Erwin Chemerinsky, Founding Dean, UCI School of Law
John Eastman, Former Dean and Professor, Chapman Law School
Profiting from poverty: how the working poor became big business
Adding insult to injury, the poor are the most likely to fall prey to scams. In his new book, Broke, USA: From Pawnshop to Poverty, Inc., New York Times writer Gary Rivlin looks at what he calls the “poverty industry.”It used to be just pawn shops that offered short-term cash for the remaining valuables of people who’d fallen on hard times. Today, there’s an explosion of companies that offer payday loans, used car financing, and sub-prime loans to people who are too poor to buy things up front. The result: the poor end up so deep in debt, they can never get out. What, if anything, can be done about predatory lending targeting the disenfranchised?
Guest:
Gary Rivlin, author of Broke, USA: From Pawnshop to Poverty, Inc. – How the Working Poor Became Big Business (Harper)