Patt Morrison for Tuesday, 3/23/10

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

1-3 p.m.

 

CALL-IN @ 866-893-5722, 866-893-KPCC; OR JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE ON THE PATT MORRISON BLOG AT KPCC-DOT-ORG

 

 

1:06 – 1:39

OPEN

 

 

1:30 - 1:58:30

Congress pays off Student Loan Bill

As it passed health care reform Congress also revamped student loans to make more money easier to get and to pay back - increasing Pell grants, taking great power and great responsibility from the banks and lending institutions and giving it directly to the colleges, forgiving loans entirely after 20 years and more.  While it sounds good on the surface this student loan reform is not without its controversy and critics, on both sides of the issue.  Free marketers argue that the Obama-inspired legislation will crush private banks that currently offer a big chunk of student loans, and kill loan competition for students.  Student advocates say the bill is nowhere near generous enough to keep pace with the increasing college tuitions. We discuss the basic arithmetic of the student loan bill and what it means to you.

 

Guests:

MAJOR STUDENTS’ RIGHTS ADVOCATE:

Rep. John Garamendi (D-10^th District of California – East Bay, San Francisco area), former Lt. Governor of California and UC Regent

AGAINST THE LEGISLATION, PRO LOAN INDUSTRY:

Jamie Gorelick, Partner at Wilmer-Hale where she is Chair of the Defense, National Security and Government Contracts Practice Group and also the Public Policy and Strategy Practice Group; she was also one of the longest serving Deputy Attorneys General of the United States in the Clinton Administration

 

TBA, representative from America’s Student Loan Providers

 

AGAINST THE LEGISLATION, PRO STUDENTS:

Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org & FastWeb.com

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2:06 – 2:30

Who’s to blame for Cal State’s unprepared freshmen…and what’s the best way to get them up to speed?

It’s no secret that the California’s K – 12 education system is stressed right now; the California State University system is no different. In an effort to better prepare student for college-level work, the CSU approved a controversial policy that requires academically inefficient students to take remedial math and English coursework before beginning their college careers. The “Early Start” program, which starts in 2012, demands that students who fail the already controversial proficiency tests will be forced to take mandatory CSU-Sponsored courses in summer school before they begin their freshman year. Currently about 60% of CSU freshman are not proficient in either subject, or both – even though they met the university’s standards of earning a B average in High School. On top of this, each CSU campus will have to create and finance its Early Start program and will not be reimbursed by the CSU system, which is currently facing a $584 million budget deficit. Patt talks to both sides of the discussion to discover if “Early Start” can right the ship.

 

Guests:

Allison Jones, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Support at California State University

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Kimberly King, assistant professor of clinical psychology at Cal State Los Angeles & a teacher in the Cal State L.A. Summer Bridge Program; vice president of the CSULA chapter of the California Faculty Association

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2:30 – 2:58:30

“No One Would Listen”—how Bernie Madoff got away with it

Just over a year ago, Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty to operating the biggest Ponzi scheme in history.  We hear today from Harry Markopolos – a much less known name, but one central to finally exposing Madoff.  Markopolos spent almost a decade investigating Madoff and warning the SEC that something was up with his investments…he also spent nearly a decade being ignored by securities regulators.  He writes about his crusade in his new book, which chronicles the remarkable ineptitude of the Securities and Exchange Commission— the "regional turf rivalries," lawyers who don't understand the mathematically complex financial products that are traded on the markets, and the commission’s glaringly poor investigative ability..

 

Guest:

Harry Markopolos, former securities industry executive-turned-independent-financial-fraud-investigator who spent nearly a decade on Madoff's trail; author of No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller

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Jonathan Serviss

Producer, Patt Morrison Program

Southern California Public Radio

NPR Affiliate for Los Angeles

89.3 KPCC-FM | 89.1 KUOR-FM | 90.3 KPCV-FM

626.583.5171, office

415.497.2131, mobile

jserviss@kpcc.org / jserviss@scpr.org

www.scpr.org