Patt Morrison for Monday, 4/25/2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, April 25, 2011

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

 

1:00 – 1:30

OPEN

 

1:30 – 2:00

Prison problems: gender-issues behind bars

As the philosophy of sex identity progresses and continues to gain traction with the world, the two gender system that we’ve lived by has become increasingly a topic of debate. However, with society becoming more tolerant, in part due to the constantly shifting definitions of masculine and feminine, the LGBT community has been able to open many doors for people living an alternative lifestyle. But not all doors open. Prisoners, a segment of the population locked away into traditionally bi-gendered complexes, are currently being exposed to an upswing in transgender politics. In the late 1990s a court verdict was reached that would provide transgender prisoners with continued hormone treatments, and the issue has been expanded into the question of a prisoner’s right to receive state funded sex-reassignment therapy, including surgery. Should the state pay for an elective operation? And what other types of issues do transgendered prisoners face?

 

Guests:

To be determined.

 

 

2:00 – 2:30
Congress agrees: more tax cuts for U.S. corporations!
There isn't consensus on much in Congress these days, but one thing both parties seem to agree on is that the corporate tax rate should be reduced.  House Republicans want to it lowered to 25%--it's currently at 35%.  The Obama Administration and many Democrats want it reduced as well, but not by as much. The proposed cut comes at a time when U.S. corporations are doing better than ever. In 2010, Hewlett-Packard, for example, reported $11 billion in profit in 2010. Its CEO made $24 million, but the company paid $2.2 billion in taxes—a 20% rate that’s well below 35%.  Big corporations hire professionals to find loopholes which can wind up saving millions in taxes. Some argue that the corporate tax cut will make U.S. corporations more competitive and level the playing field for smaller business that don't have the resources to employee tax attorneys to find loopholes. Is a lower corporate tax rate good for U.S. business and thus good for the economy? Will a corporate tax cut trickle down and benefit all Americans, or will it result in the need to make up government revenue elsewhere, such as cuts to Medicare or Social Security?

Guests:
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash)
ON TAPE 

UNCONFIRMED- DO NOT PROMOTE THESE GUESTS
Business Roundtable
Robert McIntyre, director Citizens for Tax Justice

 

2:30 – 2:40

OPEN

 

2:40 – 3:00

Hurt feelings really do hurt, but, hey, they may also help

When speaking of emotional pain, we often use the language of physical pain. “Burned” by a friend, “crushed” by a family member, or “heartbroken” over a lover—we all talk this way, and researchers are now finding that we have every right to do so. What they’ve found is that the same part of our brain that processes physical pain also processes emotional pain—in fact, our brain may scarcely make a distinction between the two. One recent study among many now coming out found that acetaminophen actually made study participants less sensitive to social rejection. But hurt feelings, researchers suspect, may hurt for a good reason. They may motivate us to get up and get back into the game—make up with an estranged lover, reconcile with an aggrieved family member, find a new friend. What does this tell us about how to treat emotional pain. Do we take it more seriously, or less seriously? Is Tylenol all we really need?

 

Guests:

Geoff MacDonald, PhD, associate professor of Psychology, University of Toronto
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C. Nathan DeWall, assistant professor of psychology, University of Kentucky
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