Deficit panels consider cuts in social services... and elsewhere. TSA vs. flight attendants' union on security checkpoint pat-downs. The FDA campaign's graphic new cigarette warning labels. Debunking food myths.
US deficit panel weighs dramatic fiscal reform
It’s a fight that’s been going on in Washington pretty much since the Great Depression—do we raise taxes or cut spending to deal with the national debt? Washington is projecting $8 trillion in deficits over the next ten years, which will push the nation’s debt up to more than $20 trillion. But in such difficult economic times, cutting Social Security and Medicare are off the table for liberal Democrats. At the same time, conservative Republicans won’t consider tax increases to pay for them. So what’s the answer? The bi-partisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, appointed by President Obama, is now studying some combination of tax increases and cuts to try and close the budget gap. But can a real compromise ever get worked out?
Guests:
Eugene Steuerle, Richard B. Fisher Institute Fellow, The Urban Institute
Henry Aaron, senior fellow in economics studies at the Brookings Institution
Tad DeHaven, budget analyst with the Cato Institute
New TSA security measures aren’t flying with flight crews
Pilots and flight attendants are up in arms about new security procedures recently implemented by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Flight attendant unions are receiving daily calls about “invasive pat-downs” by TSA employees and at least one complaint has been filed. Meanwhile, the president of one of the largest pilot unions is telling his members to avoid the full body scanners, citing health concerns about radiation. Refusing both options, some pilots have been left unfit to fly. What’s your choice - radiation or blue-glove groping? Are these procedures making us safer? Or has airport security reached a new level of absurdity?
Guests:
Erroll Southers, Adjunct Professor and Associate Director of Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events (CREATE) at the University of Southern California. Former Deputy Director of Homeland Security for Gov. Schwarzenegger and former FBI Special Agent. President Obama nominated him to be the Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Kate Hanni, Founder, Coalition for an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights
Cigarette packaging gets graphic
The FDA yesterday announced a dramatic change in cigarette packaging. In an effort to keep young people from forming the habit, cigarette packs will display provocative photos and illustrations, such as an emaciated cancer patient, a diseased lung, or a corpse. The FDA is considering 36 possible labels. Smoking in the US declined significantly between 1965 and 2004, but has flat-lined since. Will the new labels be effective?
Guest:
Stanton Glantz, tobacco control expert, University of California at San Francisco.
The food-mood connection – science vs. myth
Do carbs calm you down? Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac? Conventional wisdom has it that certain foods bring us up or down, clear our brains or make us sleepy, hype kids up or take the edge off pain. Though particular foods do have an effect on the brain's production of neurotransmitters that may influence mood and disposition, many of the "food-mood" links don't pass scientific muster. What does the latest science say about the relationship between the brain and the belly? Does the food on our plate really change how we think and feel?
Guest:
Marni Jameson, syndicated columnist whose article "Food for Thought" appeared in the Los Angeles Times Health section on November 9th. Jameson is the author of The House Always Wins and House of Havoc.