Obama renews his push for immigration reform. Do unpaid internships perpetuate inequality? Gingrich, Pawlenty, Romney, Huckabee: is it too soon to talk 2012 GOP candidates? Later, from food and sex to horror movies and abstract art, Paul Bloom tells us how pleasure works.
President Obama renews effort for immigration overhaul
President Obama will give a speech tomorrow in which he is expected to call upon Congress to reform the immigration system, allowing for greater border security and paths to legal status for the estimated 11 million undocumented people living in the United States. If the President’s new push comes after the November elections – when members wouldn’t be facing imminent political risk for supporting it – could immigration overhaul actually pass? How will Republicans—and Democrats—respond to the call?
Guest:
Peter Nicholas, White House correspondent for the Tribune Washington Bureau, which serves the LA Times, Chicago Tribune and other papers
Unpaid internships: Do they perpetuate inequality?
Unpaid internships are all the rage nowadays for students trying to get work experience before looking for a paying job. It looks good on a resume and it provides experience and expertise to students who have neither. In a 2009 survey, the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that more than three-quarters of responding employers preferred candidates “with the kind of relevant work experience gained through an internship.” Do unpaid internships only serve affluent youth who don’t need to make money from a summer job--helping to perpetuate the kind of socio-economic inequality that already exists in society? Or, is this kind of hands-on experience a useful tool in a tight economy?
Guest:
Daniel Akst, public policy fellow at the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College
Too early to talk about Republican candidates for 2012?
Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and Texas Congressman Ron Paul showed up at the Iowa Republican State Convention last weekend to address some of the most powerful GOP conservative activists in the country. They did not say they were running for president in 2012, but it’s a given that potential presidential candidates must appear in Iowa early and often. Over the past year, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour have all visited the state for various events and fundraisers. Even Sarah Palin was there in December for a book signing. Is it too early to start thinking about the Republican candidate for the 2012 presidential election? Who’s your favorite contender?
Guests:
Arnold Steinberg, Political Strategist and Analyst, principally for the Republican Party, adjunct instructor at Pepperdine's School of Public Policy
Jon Fleischman, Southern California Vice Chairman of the State Republican Party
What’s your pleasure?
We crave food and sex like other animals. Yet humans find pleasure in an assortment of unusual ways—why do we like scary movies so much? What’s the appeal of abstract art? And, how can we explain masochism? Paul Bloom explores the ins and outs of satisfaction—sensorial and otherwise—in his book How Pleasure Works, celebrating our desires and fulfillment in a singularly human fashion.
Guest:
Paul Bloom, author of How Pleasure Works: The New Science of Why We Like What We Like (Norton), and Professor, Department of Psychology, Yale University