Patt Morrison for Thursday, May 3, 2012

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, May 3, 2012

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 – 2:00
Air Force pilots refuse orders to fly F-22 Raptors
The F-22 Raptor is the United States Air Force’s newest, most advanced… and most expensive fighter jet in its arsenal. Raptors were designed to incorporate stealth technology to evade enemy radar and are powerful enough to cruise at speeds over mach 1 without the use of afterburners – the only fighter in the world capable of such performance. All of this technology doesn’t come cheap - each of the cutting edge planes has a price tag of $143 million, not counting research and development costs which see that figure ballooning as high as $412 million per unit. The first Raptors were deployed in 2005, but through two ongoing conflicts the Air Force’s 187 F-22’s have not significantly been utilized for missions. Now, a group of top pilots are refusing their assignments to fly Raptors, citing problems with the F-22’s oxygen system during flight. A lack of oxygen can lead to hypoxia, which can cause dizziness, blackouts and fatal crashes. The ongoing problem prompted General William M. Fraser III of Air Combat Command to ground the entire fleet of Raptors for several months in 2011. The penalties for refusing flight orders in the Air Force are severe and can include discharge. Two hundred pilots are qualified to fly the F-22, which are stationed at seven bases across the country, but the Air Force has declined to disclose the exact number of pilots refusing to fly. Should pilots be able to refuse to fly an aircraft they feel is unsafe? How much will it cost taxpayers to fix the Raptor’s technical issues?

Guests: TBA

 

 

2:06 – 2:30

Employers could save $422 billion is they cancel health coverage. Will they?

A new report from the House Ways and Means Committee estimates that small businesses could save $422 billion over 10 years if they dump health coverage in 2014. That’s when a phase of the Affordable Car Act kicks in, during which the federal government will step in to subsidize insurance for anyone earning less than 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Line. It has been central to the health reform debate whether employers would continue to pay for their employees’ health plans, or whether the potential savings would incentivize them to step back and let the federal government fill that role in 2014; on the one hand, the savings sound immense, but on the other, businesses could lose the competitive advantage they may have over another company in terms of their benefits. And companies can still get more “bang for their buck” by offering compensation in the form of good health insurance rather than higher wages. Does this $422 figure change anyone’s mind? If you’re a business-owner, what do you plan to do in light of this new figure? If you’re an employee at a small business, do you like your insurance? Are you interested in what might be offered in 2014?

 

Guests:

Jonathan Gruber, professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the National Bureau of Economic Research’s Program on Health Care; he was a paid consultant to both the Romney and Obama Administrations on health care reform, he helped craft Massachusetts’s universal healthcare law

 

 

 

 

 

2:30 – 2:39  OPEN

 

 

 

 

2:41:30 – 2:58

What can we learn from French food culture to improve American eating habits?

How would your children, nieces, or nephews handle eating French food such as mussels, foie gras, and blue cheese for one meal? How about for an entire year? That was the challenge faced by mother and author Karen Le Billon and her family when she decided to move everyone to her husband’s hometown in northern France for a year. Not only did they handle the challenge, but they were able to cure picky eating, stop snacking, and become healthier eaters altogether to create a family food revolution. Le Billon says the greater test for the family was maintaining their acquired healthy eating habits after moving back to the United States. Consequently, Le Billon is convinced that Americans have a lot to learn from the French approach to cuisine and that we need to rethink the way we feed our children. Join Patt as she chews the fat with the author of “French Kids Eat Everything: How our Family moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters.”

 

Guest:

Karen Le Billon, author of “French Kids Eat Everything: How our Family moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Producer - Patt Morrison
89.3 KPCC - Southern California Public Radio
213.290.4201 – mobile/SMS
474 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA  91105
jarmstrong@kpcc.org