Patt Morrison for Wednesday, April 13, 2011

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Wednesday, April 13, 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

 

 

1:06 – 1:30

President Obama unveils the national debt diet—will it shed those unwanted pounds?

Deficit reduction is all the rage, and after years of a lot of talk and little action toward reducing what is now a $14 trillion debt—that eats up a staggering 94% of GDP—both political parties seem ready to take the plunge into the tough choices that must be made.  After narrowly avoiding a government shutdown by agreeing to $38 billion in spending cuts, a drop in the bucket toward reduction of the annual budget deficit, President Obama looked to seize the initiative with his deficit reduction proposals this morning.  Quite similar to the situation that California faces, the president is proposing a plan of shared sacrifice that will call for spending cuts along with tax increases for the richest Americans.  Like Sacramento, Washington D.C. must now grapple with the ideological opposition to any kind of tax increase and any kind of spending cut to entitlements or social safety-net services.  President Obama is offering up the debt diet but will Republicans, and the nation, bite?

 

Guests:

Jenn Psaki, deputy communications director for the White House

SHE CALLS US: 

 

UNCONFIRMED

David Walker, former Comptroller General of the United States & head of the Government Accountability Office in the Bush Administration; founder, president & CEO of the Comeback America Initiative

 

 

 

1:30 - 1:39

OPEN

 

 

1:41:30 – 1:58:30

Should we be worried about inflation?

Some economists say no, some say inflation could be the next big economic crisis and the government should be doing more.  From the vantage point of the average American something seems to be amiss, as prices of commodities, from food to gasoline, are on the rise without any relief in sight. The CEO of Walmart, America's biggest retailer, has stated his concern about the rise in cost of goods like cotton, petroleum and food and warns that inflation "will be serious." Purchasing power is just starting to creep up, but wages are still relatively flat.  Is there cause for concern?

 

Guests:

WE NEED TO WORRY! INFLATION IS A THREAT.

John Ryding, Chief Economist and a founding partner of RDQ Economics.

CALL HIM @

 

NO WE DON’T. THERE IS NO CAUSE FOR CONCERN

Joseph E. Gagnon, Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
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2:06 – 2:30

The couch or a pill:  will therapy soon be easier to swallow?

A therapist who treats a patient with traditional talk therapy (think Freud on the couch) gets reimbursed about $100 from the patient's insurance company. That seems reasonable until we look at the rates therapists charge in Los Angeles. A "client" could be charged as much as $250 to $400 per hour to unlock their childhood fears and become more well-adjusted adults. Now if a therapist decides he would rather prescribe drugs than take his patient down the long and widening road toward self-realization, he can see four patients an hour and earn about $320 from the insurance company (insurance company's pay $80.00 per hour for quick psychological evaluations and drug therapy).  Hmmm...$100 or $320 per hour?  Many psychiatrists are confronted with just such a dilemma. Is a quick-fix for the patient and a quick buck for the doctor a win-win? Is drug therapy the wave of the future?  If so, what does it mean for the future of traditional therapy and will psychological growth only be available to those who can afford it? 

 

Guests:
Steven S. Sharfstein, former president of the American Psychiatric Association and the president and chief executive of Sheppard Pratt Health System, Maryland’s largest behavioral health system
CALL HIM @

 

John Oldham, president-elect of the American Psychiatric Association.  He is based out of Houston at the Menninger Clinic. 

CALL HIM @

 

Gail Wilburn, executive director, Southern California Counseling Center

CALL HER:

• She is a licensed clinician.  Last year, they offered about 400 sessions a week.  This year that number is 600.  They attribute the increase to the loss of government programs and as the result of losing jobs and therefore insurance to cover the cost of mental health services.    
• It is the mission of the Southern California Counseling Center to provide high-quality psychological counseling to those of limited income as well as to offer exceptional training within a supportive environment for Center counselors and supervisors, and to develop and maintain responsive programs meeting the psychological needs of Southern California's multi-cultural community.

 

 

2:30 – 2:39

OPEN

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58:30

The Bond between human beings and other animals

The President and CEO of the Humane Society, Wayne Pacelle, implores humanity to consider a kinship with the rest of the Animal Kingdom in his book, The Bond. He creates a mosaic of the animal world: Life-saving dolphins come to the rescue of human beings about to be eaten by sharks; cattle and other livestock endure the solitude of a box without ever setting foot on soil as they await their slaughter; and Michael Vick confesses the ambivalent feelings toward the canine community that led him to befriend pit bulls and also set them loose at each others’ throats for blood sport. In the final pages, Mr. Pacelle recommends “Fifty Ways To Help Animals:” the first action-item on his list is “reduce your consumption of meat and other animal-based foods.”

 

Guest:

Wayne Pacelle, president & CEO of The Humane Society of the United States; author of The Bond: Our kinship with animals, our call to defend them”

IN STUDIO

 

 

Jonathan Serviss
Senior Producer, Patt Morrison
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