The Brian Lehrer Show

Points for Papers

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

The debate about the Senate immigration bill continues even with Congress in recess. We’ll take a close look at the proposed points system for new immigrants: What kind of skills and education will be enough to make the cut and how it works in other countries? Also, the bizarre experience of applying to pre-school and why we have community boards in New York City.

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Point of Order

Demetrios Papademetriou, president and founder of the Migration Policy Institute, talks about the proposed point system in the immigration bill and Jeffrey Reitz, professor of Sociology and R.F. Harney Professor of Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies University of Toronto, talks about the Canadian immigration point system, which has been duplicated in other countries.

What are Community Boards for?

Tom Angotti, director of the Hunter College Center for Community Planning and development, explains what purpose community boards serve and how independent they are from borough politicians.

Pay Disparity and Gender

Kim Gandy, president, National Organization for Women, talks about the Supreme Courts decision on pay disparity.

How Far Would You Go?

Roxana Reid, founder of Smart City Kids and Gabriella Rowe, director of the Mandell School, discuss the extent parents will go through to get their kids into preschool, and Nancy Kolben, executive director, Child Care, Inc. (CCI) talks about the importance of universal pre-K, which she thinks should be the right of every child in New York City.