Internet sales tax measure advances in the California State Assembly. PBS programs – would you like ads for fries with that? A new Gallup poll on what Americans think about the moral acceptability of certain behaviors and social policies? Opting out of Secure Communities. Update into Giovanni Ramirez arrest for Giants fan beating. Steve Earle - modern day Renaissance man.
California to online retailers – it’s time to collect sales taxes
Online businesses are booming, but consumers in California may soon have one less reason to order their books and iPhones online. On Tuesday, the California state Assembly passed a bill that would require online retailers with a physical presence in the state or that work with brick and mortar stores to add at least a 8.25 percent sales tax to online purchases. Proponents are hoping the measure would bring in $83 million a year in revenue just from Amazon alone and help consolidate California’s broken budget. Businesses with store fronts and inventory are in favor of the bill that passed 47-16. They claim it will help them compete with Internet giants like Amazon. In 2009, then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar bill. Amazon threatened to end relationships with more than 10,000 affiliates in California should the online tax bill pass the state Senate and get the Governor’s signature. Critics of the new initiative fear it would drive businesses out of California. Will you still buy online if the sales tax becomes law?
Guest:
James Nash, Capitol reporter for Bloomberg News
PBS programs – would you like promos with that?
If you’re a fan of public television, chances are you like being able to watch your favorite PBS shows without interruption. But that’s about to change. At the network’s recent annual meeting in Orlando, PBS officials told member stations that starting this fall the science shows “Nature” and “Nova” would contain sponsor spots and promotional breaks within the programs. Currently, these are limited to blocks at the end of each show. As a result, there are sometimes eight minute blocks of ads. Not surprisingly, viewers are apt to flee. The format change is meant to address this serious problem. But will it be enough to save public television? Might the viewer backlash outweigh the projected benefits? Is this consistent with PBS’ mission? And is this the best plan they can come up with?
Guest:
Paula Kerger, President & CEO, PBS
New Gallup poll reveals Americans’ attitudes about morality, behavior and social policies
When experts fail to come up with explanations for election results or opinion polls, they often resort to platitudes like “the U.S. is a divided country.” Just how divided Americans are on moral issues shows up in the annual Gallup poll on Values and Beliefs. Since 2001, the institute asks Americans their opinions on a variety of topics from abortion to gay rights and assisted suicide. This year, results show that Americans find it easier to agree on what they deem morally wrong than on what they think is right. For at least eight in ten adults, extramarital affairs, polygamy, cloning humans and suicide topped the list of unacceptable issues, closely followed by pornography and cloning animals. On the other hand, divorce, the death penalty and gambling, are largely accepted. The top three hot button issues are doctor-assisted suicide, abortion and out-of-wedlock births. Gay and lesbian relations, pornography and premarital sex are less controversial among younger Americans. We’ll discuss the results with Frank Newport, editor of the Gallup Poll, and conduct our own informal poll. Do people become more conservative as they get older? Why or why not?
Guest:
Frank Newport PhD, Editor-in-Chief for the Gallup Poll
Opting out of secure communities
Imagine you are an illegal immigrant and want to report an act of domestic violence. Would you? A federal immigration initiative introduced in 2008 might make you think twice. Under the Secure Communities Program, the identity of anyone arrested -- not just charged and convicted -- is forwarded to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for possible deportation. Critics say the policy was intended to protect communities from dangerous felons -- instead, they say, it's had a chilling effect on immigrant witnesses and victims. Last week, the California State Assembly voted to opt out of the Secure Communities Program, but the feds argue no such opt-out exists. If the measure passes the state senate, California would become the second state after Illinois to say ‘No’ to the Secure Communities Program. AirTalk is asking: Should local and state jurisdictions be able to opt out of federal immigration enforcement? Do you think initiatives like this create tensions with immigrant communities? Who should be and who should not be subjected to the Secure Communities Program?
Guests:
Tim Donnelly, California State Assembly (R- 59), former “Minuteman”
Angela F. Chan, Staff Attorney, Asian Law Caucus which co-sponsored this bill giving local governments the right to opt-out of S-Comm
Update into Giovanni Ramirez arrest for Giants fan beating
Lawyers for Dodgers beating suspect Giovanni Ramirez said Tuesday that the LAPD has the wrong guy in custody. Anthony Brooklier and Jose Romero, now representing Ramirez, are offering more reasons why their client isn’t connected to the brutal attack of Bryan Stow on opening day at Dodger Stadium. They’re saying, among other things, that Ramirez didn’t have a shaved head on the day of the attack, as witnesses have described. Additionally, Ramirez’s lawyers say it’s unlikely charges will ever be filed in the case. But authorities insist Ramirez is still the “prime suspect.” And now, it seems Ramirez is wanted in connection with a gang shooting in Nevada. We’ll get the latest details on the case, including whether Ramirez will take a lie detector test today. Was Ramirez in the wrong place at the wrong time? Did the police make an error, or are they on the right track?
Guest:
Jose Romero, Romero and Associates; attorney for Giovanni Ramirez
Steve Earle - modern day Renaissance man
Artists are routinely reminded to write what they know, and "hard core troubadour" Steve Earle has had the kind of experiences that allows him to tell stories of a hardscrabble life with an honest pen. Earle’s 1986 album, Guitar Town, brought him early success that exacerbated his substance abuse problems - and by the early 90s he had been imprisoned on gun and drug charges. After kicking a heroin addiction in jail, Earle was released in 1994 and began a very productive artistic period, releasing 2 acclaimed albums in an 18-month period. Aside from his day job as a successful musician, his resume also includes turns as an actor, playwright, activist, producer, teacher and satellite radio host. His highest profile gigs have been roles on a pair of incisive HBO shows; Earle played a recovering junkie on The Wire and currently plays a New Orleans busker on Treme. Earle’s recently published first novel, I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive, is filled with a kind of gritty authenticity that only someone who has been to hell and made it back can describe. Does struggle and strife lead to great art? Is there a better way? What are your favorite Steve Earle albums, songs or characters?
Guest:
Steve Earle, musician, actor, playwright, activist and author of the novel I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), and a new album of the same name