Obama Crosses the Border; State Legislature Makes a Deal
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President Obama talked free trade today in Canada, where the government pays for healthcare. On this rebroadcast of today's To the Point, we find out what his trip was about and hear a debate that's not happening in Washington. Also, in the wee hours of this morning, the logjam broke in Sacramento to the tune of $42 billion. But the fight is not over. Governor Schwarzenegger will have to go back on the campaign trail.
Main Topic
Obama Crosses the Border, Canada's Single-payer Health Plan ()
Barack Obama crossed into Canada today on his first foreign trip as President. But he spent just a few hours and made no public appearances. Canada’s single-payer system is a model for many US healthcare reformers, but some of the major players in Washington have declared that it’s “off the table.”
Guests:
- L. Ian MacDonald: former Head of Public Affairs, Canadian Embassy in the US
- Stephen Clarkson: Professor of Political Economy at the University of Toronto
- Jonathan Riskind: Washington Bureau Chief, Columbus Dispatch
- Noam Levey: Reporter, Los Angeles Times, @NoamLevey
- Alan Cassels: health policy researcher, University of Victoria
- David Gratzer: Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute
Links:
- Obama on healthcare
- MacDonald's article on the asymmetrical nature of the US-Canada relationship
- Clarkson's 'Does North America Exist?: Governing the Continent after NAFTA and 9/11'
- Taube's article on Canada-US relations
- Levey's article on the stimulus bill and healthcare winners, losers
- Cassell's 'World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients'
- Gratzer's 'The Cure: How Capitalism Can Save American Health Care'
Main Topic
California's Budget Madness Comes to a Close...Sorta ()
Twelve billion dollars in tax increases, $15 billion in spending cuts, $11 billion in borrowing? In the wee hours of this morning, despite the knowledge that as a Republican he would face “dire political ramifications,” State Senator Abel Maldonado of Santa Maria finally said, yes, acknowledging that “the ramifications for the people of California are far much greater.” So, you might think it’s all over. After all the wrangling, it’s still possible the state could run out of money. Crucial parts of the $42 billion deal will have to be approved by the voters.
Guests:
- Barbara O'Connor: Director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and Media, California State University Sacramento
- Jon Fleischman: Founder and Publisher, Flash Report, @FlashReport
- David McCuan: Professor of Political Science, Sonoma State University
- Anthony Wright: Executive Director, Health Access California, @healthaccess
- David Pettit: Senior Attorney, Natural Resources Defense Council , @NRDC
- Anthony York: Capitol Weekly, @AnthonyYorkLAT
Links:
Underwriters
Which Way L.A.? is made possible in part by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, and the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation, which supports study and research into policy issues of the Los Angeles region.
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