While three House and two Senate health care bills wind their way through committees, amendments trailing like tin-cans on a marriage-mobile, President Obama is quietly working in the background to build a coalition strong enough to pass legislation that will really change the system. The question of the day -- what remains in those bills and where is the public option?
At a time when workers were already on their heels, suffering from record layoffs and salary cuts, it turns out that 2008 was also a record year for employer retaliation cases. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported that employer retaliation claims—brought on when a worker files a complaint and is then fired or punished by the employer—rose 23% in fiscal year ’08. But employer retaliation is hard to prove and even harder to fight against—what can an average employee do?
While executives at AIG and other bailed-out financial firms continued to receive lavish bonuses, President Obama and members of Congress promised that action to cap executive pay was coming. That day appears near: details were leaked today on the plan soon to be put forward by the Obama “pay czar” that would limit cash compensation and move the rest into stock options, which couldn’t be touched for at least five years. Can the plan really control executive pay, and is it too much government intrusion?
Baseball fans in Southern California might be a little spoiled by now, with both the Angels and the Dodgers heading back into the playoffs starting this week—this is the second year in a row that both area teams will be playing for the World Series. While both clubs sputtered to the finish line it’s now a new season with new hope. Is either the Dodgers or Angels more likely to make it to the Series, and could we have a freeway series in our near future?
Music makes the world go round, and sometimes it brings it to a screeching halt. In Nick Hornby’s new novel, “Juliet, Naked” he constructs a love triangle involving a fading rock star, a super fan and his regret filled significant other. Mr. Hornby holds a mirror up to familiar emotions that are apparent when struggling to achieve romantic completion, fending off regret and the inevitable bonds that make us human.
Patt Morrison is known for its innovative discussions of local politics and culture, as well as its presentation of the effects of national and world news on Southern California.
