The Dow hit a record high, but will it have much tangible economic impact? We'll discuss the market and the economy. We'll also consider Governor Brown's education budget and what it means for schools in underserved communities. Later, we'll examine the reasons for voter apathy in local elections and talk about Iceland's proposed ban on pornography -- would it be feasibly in the U.S.? All that and more, on AirTalk.
Dow hits record high, but what does that mean to a nation still struggling to recover from recession?
The Dow Jones industrial average reached a record high this morning. The last time it managed to do that was five and a half years ago, just before the Great Recession. It’s huge news for those working on Wall Street, but what does it mean for those of us on Main Street?
The Dow measures the performance of 30 of America’s best-known companies, including General Electric, Chevron, and Wal-Mart, but does it accurately gauge the state of the U.S. economy? Should the average person care?
Guests:
Paddy Hirsch, the Senior Producer of Marketplace Money and the author of “Man versus Markets, Economics explained, plain and simple.”
Christopher Thornberg , economist and founding partner at Beacon Economics in Los Angeles.
Is Governor Brown’s proposed use of Prop 30 tax dollars to fund public education really “just”?
Governor Jerry Brown recently put out a new proposal on how to fund schools across the state. The formula would give all districts a base grant, then add an extra 35 percent of that for each student who is low-income, struggling with English or in foster care. Essentially, inner-city school districts will get more money, while suburban, tonier districts will get less. The new proposal has some critics crying foul.
Is it fair? Should school districts across the state receive the same amount of backing? Is the state penalizing wealthier school districts?
Guests:
Lydia Cano, deputy superintendent of business affairs for the Palos Verdes Unified School District
Alex Alvarez, Chief Administrative Officer of Business Services for Compton Unified School District
Why don’t Angelenos seem to care about local elections?
When it comes to national elections, Hollywood isn’t shy about taking a vocal stand on the issues. But Angelenos have a less engaged reputation when it comes to local politics. With another election day upon us, why are Los Angeles voters so apathetic to politics in their own backyards?
Is it geography? Los Angeles takes up 503 square miles, not counting the sprawl of other local municipalities, which may mean disparate priorities for different areas. Is it the confusion between which civil services are provided by the City of Los Angeles or the county which shares its name? Is it the fragmented media coverage? Could it be the decentralized power of the mayor? Outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa won the office from his predecessor, Jim Hahn, with a mere 34 percent of the electorate in 2005.
How engaged are you in local politics? What would need to change to get you into the voting booth?
Guest:
Raphe Sonenshein, Executive Director of The Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles
Iceland takes a shot at banning porn – could it work in the U.S.?
Technology has increased the availability of information and media as well as accelerating the ability to share it at nearly instantaneous speeds. But for every video of a kitten dancing on a piano keyboard, many more illicit and violent pornographic images are also indiscriminately available to anyone with a computer.
Smart phones and web-enabled tablets have now put anything available on the Internet into our pockets regardless of whether that pocket belongs to a juvenile or an adult. Governments have struggled with how to keep things like violent pornographic images out of the hands of minors, but the island nation of Iceland recently announced bold new initiatives to ban pornography in print and online.
Iceland is not the first nation to try and curtail the proliferation of porn, or other content it deems objectionable. More authoritarian regimes in Iran, North Korea and China have significant restrictions on Internet content, and countries like Britain, Sweden and Denmark ask Internet service providers to block child pornography sites. Australia’s attempt at banning certain sex and terrorist websites failed in 2012 after significant opposition from advocates of Internet freedom. And there lies the challenge - keeping illicit images out of the hands of children is a good thing, but censorship red flags go up when governments start suggesting limits on such a free and open channel as the Internet.
How can society keep information flowing freely while also protecting kids? What lessons might the U.S. apply based on other countries’ attempts at banning porn?
Guests:
Jennie Noll , PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati; Noll has studied the effects of “high-risk Internet behavior” in minors.
Russ Warner , CEO of ContentWatch, maker of the top-rated desktop and mobile web filter Net Nanny (www.netnanny.com). He is an avid blogger with expertise on Internet safety.