World Events, Minimum Wage, Greenhouses, Food Waste

Three World Events that Matter (begins at 1:05) Guest: Quinn Mecham, PhD, BYU Political Science Professor BYU political science professor Quinn Mecham says there's been a general decline in democracy globally over the last several years, but during his monthly visit to our show he highlights a new democratically-elected government in Myanmar/Burma as a possible success. Mecham says the recent conviction of South African president Jacob Zuma by the country's highest court for inappropriate spending of public dollars on his residence is an example of the "horizontal accountability" of democracy working. Democracies work best when there's vertical accountability from the people to their leader and horizontal accountability between branches of government like the the president and the court system. Mecham's third event worth taking a closer look at this month is the new UN-backed government Libya, which has Western nations hopeful the war-torn country could be on the path to stability. Who Benefits From a $15 Minimum Wage? (begins at 23:13) Guest: Ken Jacobs, Chair of the Center for Labor Research and Education at the University of California, Berkeley So far in 2016, two states - California and New York - have passed laws gradually boosting their minimum wages to $15 in the coming years. They’ll have the highest minimum wage rates in the nation, by a long shot, and twice the federal minimum of $7.25. Since this is new territory for state wages, it’s unclear just what the effect will be on workers and businesses. Opponents fear forcing companies to pay higher wages for employees at the bottom of the pay scale mean layoffs and price increases. Supporters say the raises will lift low-income earners out of poverty. Jacobs says the stereotype of minimum wage earners as teens and college students working in fast food and retail is wrong.  Making Greenhouses More "Green" (begins at 39:24) Guest: Stacy Adams, Instructor of Horticulture and Greenhouse Management at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Russ Finch, Crea