President Bush’s Proposed Guest Worker Program; The Tax-By-Mile Plan; Oil-For-Food Scandal; ESPN: Creating An Empire
President Bush’s Proposed Guest Worker Program
President Bush is working towards giving temporary work permits to millions of immigrants who have come to the US seeking work. Bush has made it a priority to pass immigration reform in his second term, committing to his proposed temporary worker plan in a meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox. He will have to deal with Congress, which has varying perspectives on the guest worker idea. Experts Thomas Tancredo, Republican Congressman from Colorado’s sixth congressional district, and Jeff Flake, Republican Congressman for Arizona’s sixth congressional district join Larry to discuss the issue.
The Tax-By-Mile Plan
The newly appointed Director of California’s Department of Motor Vehicles supports eliminating the gas tax and replacing it with a tax-by-mile program. Such a change could bring in more revenue to the state, but may eliminate an incentive for California drivers to buy fuel-efficient cars. Experts Dan Sperling, Professor of Engineering and Environmental Policy, and Director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, and David Forkenbrock, Director of the University of Iowa’s Public Policy Center join Host Larry Mantle to discuss the controversial proposal.
Oil-For-Food Scandal
A Senate panel has found that the amount of corruption that occurred within the United Nation's oil-for-food program with Iraq was much bigger than originally thought. Over two hundred individuals and groups have been accused of taking kickbacks, including a UN official. This has fueled speculation that the program was corrupt at the core. In an effort to maintain its integrity, the United Nations has begun an internal investigation of the allegations. Edward Mortimer, advisor to Kofi Annan, and Mark Blitz, chair of the Claremont McKenna College Government Department, join host Larry Mantle to discuss the issue.
ESPN: Creating An Empire
Larry Mantle talks with Stuart Evey, the man responsible for the launch of ESPN in the late 1970s. His new book is called Creating an Empire: The No-Holds Barred Story of Power, Ego, Money, and Vision that Transformed a Culture.