Crisis in the Catholic Church; LA's Traffic and Budget Woes
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Mayor Villaraigosa says that if the Department of Water and Power can't raise its rates, Los Angeles might go bankrupt. We get the latest in that long-running dispute and ask whether more drivers would give up their cars if public transit were more "user-friendly." On our rebroadcast of today's To the Point, America's healthcare debate caused a schism between Roman Catholic bishops and 59,000 nuns. In Europe, the sex-abuse scandal has reached into the Vatican. What's the role of priestly celibacy? Is there a crisis of confidence in all-male authority?
Banner image: Cardinal Sean Brady (L), Primate of All Ireland and Archbishop hands a copy of the Pope Benedict XVI's pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland to a child at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, Northern Ireland, on March 20, 2010. Photo: Peter Muhly/AFP/Getty Images
Main Topic
Sex Abuse, Celibacy and Politics in the Roman Catholic Church ()
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops supports universal healthcare, but took a stand against the Senate bill on the grounds that it might allow federal money to subsidize abortions. It turned out that many pro-life members of Congress were listening to other voices. Some 59,000 Catholic nuns, 600 Catholic hospitals and 1400 Catholic nursing homes all endorsed the bill that President Obama signed into law today.
Guests:
- Simone Campbell: Executive Director, Network, @sr_simone
- Lisa Miller: Religion Editor and Reporter, Newsweek
- Garry O'Sullivan: Editor, Irish Catholic
- Diarmaid MacCulloch: Professor of the History of the Church, Oxford University
- Thomas Rausch: Professor of Catholic Theology, Loyola Marymount University
Links:
- Pope Benedict's pastoral letter to the people of Ireland
- Cardinal of Vienna on celibacy, sexual abuse
- Miller's article on Pope Benedict's response to the Church scandal in Ireland
- O'Sullivan's article on sexual abuse, need for 'total reformation'
- MacCulloch's 'Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years'
Making News
Mayor Says without Electricity Rate Increase, It's Lights Out! ()
Mayor Villaraigosa has been pushing for higher electricity rates to help the Department of Water and Power convert to renewable energy. Some city council members are skeptical. Today, in a briefing paper, the Mayor issued a warning: if the rates don't go up, Los Angeles might go bankrupt.
Guests:
- Matt Szabo: Deputy Chief of Staff, Mayor Villaraigosa
Links:
Main Topic
Public Transportation in a Time of Budget Cuts ()
Los Angeles Times business columnist David Lazarus doesn't ride public transit to work every day but, in today's paper, he wrote that he would — if it were more "user-friendly." After a week of trying it while his car was in the shop, he says, "it's almost as if dozens of entities" in the regional network "are conspiring to make the system as unwelcoming as possible."
Guests:
- David Lazarus: Columnist, Los Angeles Times
- Marc Littman: Deputy Executive Officer for Public Relations, Metro, @I_405
- Erin Steva: Transportation Advocate, CalPRIG
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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