Editorial Roundup: Excerpts From Recent Editorials in Newspapers in the US and Abroad.

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:

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Jan. 11

Watertown (N.Y.) Daily Times, on Ivy League endowment funds:

Yale University has followed Harvard in deciding to use more of their multibillion-dollar endowment funds to help make the Ivy League institutions more affordable.

Yale will increase by 37 percent, to $1.15 billion, what it will spend from its $22.5 billion endowment. The $307 million hike will pay for additional financial aid to help students meet the $45,000 annual cost of tuition, room and board. It will also help fund biomedical and scientific research and make more courses available online. ...

Last month Harvard said it, too, will hike its endowment spending to increase financial aid to low- and middle-income students. Officials said they would boost by $22 million, from 4.3 percent to 5 percent, annual spending from the $35 billion endowment fund. ...

The universities are acting partly in response to congressional pressure, especially from Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for writing tax laws.

Sen. Grassley has pushed for federal legislation requiring colleges and universities to spend a minimum amount of their $340 billion worth of endowments. He views it as a matter of tax fairness since, he argues, American taxpayers, in effect, subsidize tax-exempt endowments and "they deserve public benefit in return." ...

Sen. Grassley credited Yale and Harvard for setting an example "for all well-funded schools to do the same."

But that should be their choice, based on decisions by university officials.

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On the Net: http://www.watertowndailytimes.com

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Jan. 14

The (Jacksonville , N.C.) Daily News on new driver's licenses:

Count yourself lucky if, in the coming months, you find getting a driver's license to be just a pain in the neck. For many people, it may be a total nightmare. An overreaction to reports that North Carolina had become a haven for illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses, combined with an effort to meet the rigid requirements of the federal Real ID Act...

DMV employees in Raleigh will look over documentation that you gave for your driver's license. If everything seems OK to them, they'll send your driver's license through the mail to your residential address. ...

But that may not work fine if you don't get your mail delivered to your home. There are some instances where people pay for a post office box for their residential mail because they're afraid their mail may be stolen or vandals may damage their mail boxes.

That doesn't even take into account those who may call the street or a homeless shelter their home. Not being able to get a driver's license or photo ID could severely limit their ability to get a job and move out of a bad situation. ...

The General Assembly and DMV should rethink the red tape and unreasonable requirements that they're placing on motorists.

Lawmakers could begin by repealing the onerous requirement that licenses be mailed to a residential address.

They return to Raleigh in May, which gives them time to accomplish this task before it takes effect in July.

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On the Net:

http://tinyurl.com/3xp4sn

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Jan. 10

Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News, on doctors using computers to save health care dollars:

It's shocking, when you think about it: While your bank, your employer and much of your life depend on computers to function, your doctor is most likely stuck in the dark ages of communication. ...

The shelves and shelves of paper charts you see in many medical offices are evidence of that. Records that should be stored on a computer are taking up whole rooms and require staff to keep them sorted.

The lack of updated technology hurts the quality of care and contributes to high costs. ...

One big incentive for getting medical offices online is eliminating prescription errors.

Wrong prescriptions and wrong doses are a big problem. Handwriting is often the culprit. If a doctor types the prescription and faxes it to the pharmacy, many potential errors are eliminated. ...

AARP Alaska supports the Alaska e-medicine efforts because the changeover will allow patients to be more engaged in managing their health care. They'll get message reminders, and can maintain diaries of symptoms and side effects, schedule medical appointments online and track their own test results.

There are caveats. Whatever system evolves, patients must be able to control who has access to it. For example, a person who tested HIV-positive might not want his employer or insurer to know that. ...

This effort now needs a big push from the state. State health officials should get behind it and encourage the Legislature to contribute the necessary funding.

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On the Net: http://www.adn.com

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Jan. 13

Southeast Missourian (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), on deer hunting:

The Missouri Department of Conservation's policies for hunting deer try to strike a balance between hunters and those who are affected by the state's deer population, which has stabilized at about 1 million in the past few years.

The department wants enough deer to allow for good hunting, but it also is concerned about the impact deer have on farmers' crops and on motorists who want to avoid running into a deer on the state's highways.

The Conservation Department is holding a series of 16 meetings statewide where hunters will have an opportunity to discuss the possibility of longer hunting seasons, which likely would result in the harvesting of more deer. ...

By the 1940s, Missouri's deer population had dwindled to just a few thousand. There were areas of the state that had no deer population at all. The state began releasing deer where their were none and carefully controlled hunting once deer populations were re-established.

As a result, there is something of a contentious dynamic between hunters who tend to be more successful with a booming deer population and those who are affected negatively by deer. ...

Flowers and shrubs are regularly decimated by the deer, and motorists cite frequent encounters with deer, particularly during the annual rutting season.

To be fair, the Conservation Department should invite nonhunters as well as hunters to its meetings if it wants to get a comprehensive overview of what Missourians think about having a million white-tailed neighbors.

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On the Net:

http://www.semissourian.com/story/1303677.html

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Jan. 15

The Jackson (Tenn.) Sun, on gubernatorial succession:

A panel appointed by Gov. Phil Bredesen to come up with a mechanism for an incapacitated governor to temporarily transfer powers has finally released its findings. Those findings are common sense and worthy of lawmakers' support. They should be voted on and approved as soon as possible.

The problem of gubernatorial succession — the state constitution currently provides no provision for a temporary handoff of power — was vividly highlighted in 2006 when Bredesen was hospitalized for several days. Under the panel's proposal, the speakers of both chambers would be allowed to fill in for the governor if the chief executive is sick or otherwise unable to serve. They would have the option of declining to do so. If both speakers declined to fill the post, succession would pass to the constitutional officers appointed by the legislature. Those officers would not have the option of declining. ...

The panel's recommendations make sense for a number of reasons. Making the speakers first in line ensures that state government will continue to operate smoothly, without an interruption in service. This is especially true since, as legislative leaders, they are, or at least should be, well-versed in all aspects of state government. Allowing them to decline the post also makes sense, since they also carry the responsibility of leading their respective chambers.

Bredesen's panel has done a good job coming up with a workable solution to an important, if little-thought-of problem. The recommendations deserve to be seriously considered and approved by lawmakers this session.

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On the Net:

http://tinyurl.com/36r8mh

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Jan. 14

Texarkana (Texas) Gazette, on gun control:

Current laws puts some limits on gun owners who wish to carry or transport firearms into or across national parks and wildlife refuges.

The guns cannot be readily accessible. In other words, firearms must be unloaded and locked in a case or in the vehicle's trunk.

The rules date from 1983, The National Park Service says that prior to that time, they had a problem with tourists engaging in dangerous impromptu target practice or shooting at wildlife, including bears, snakes, wolves and coyotes.

Well, it seems many in the U.S. Senate wants those rules changed.

Forty-seven senators have signed a letter asking President Bush to repeal the restrictions of firearms and allow tourist to carry guns pretty much as they wish. We suppose that includes being allowed to carry a loaded pistol on their person.

The letter says the rules "infringe on the rights of law-abiding gun owners who wish to transport and carry firearms on or across these lands."

We have to wonder what is behind all of this.

We support the Second Amendment, But it doesn't seem too great a burden to unload a gun and keep it locked up when on public land where hunting and gun sports are not permitted.

In fact, it seems the common sense thing to do.

The senators who signed this letter should explain a bit more about why they are so hot to ease these gun restrictions before the president considers doing so.

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On the Net:

http://tinyurl.com/2wgkrz

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Jan. 13

The Paragould (Ark.) Daily Press, on Arkansas's reputation:

Over the years, Arkansas has taken a lot of ribbing about being well, a bit "rural" is probably the most polite term we can find to describe what people who presume themselves to be sophisticated think of the Natural State.

Similarly, Arkansans, whether native or transplanted, have endured much in the way of scorn for being hillbillies, red-necks and just about every other derisive term available to describe a person living in a rural setting. Even after Bill Clinton took office as the 42nd president of the United States, the jokes and gags continued, even to the extent he got linked to the Beverly Hillbillies in the movie of the same name.

But to those who look down their noses at Arkansas and Arkansans, we have only two things to say:

(a) Hillary Clinton

(b) Mike Huckabee

Mrs. Clinton, the wife of the former president and now a New York senator, has made a very strong showing in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination outside the state where she was First Lady for 12 years, winning the New Hampshire primary election and taking third in the Iowa caucuses. Huckabee, the former governor of the state for 10-1/2 years through the end of 2006, took what is deemed a strong third place in New Hampshire while winning the Iowa caucuses in pursuit of the Republican nomination for president. ...

And if both win, then there will be another president from Arkansas next January.

So we presume all the jokes from what passes in some circles for sophisticated people about that hick state of Arkansas will now cease.

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On the Net: http://www.paragoulddailypress.com/opinion

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Jan. 15

The (Jacksonsonville) Florida Times-Union, on research that claims the poor are getting richer:

The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

That's been repeated so many times that a lot of people may assume it's true.

But it isn't.

The Wall Street Journal, citing recent Treasury Department research, says the precise opposite.

The study compared tax returns of people over age 25 from 1996 to 2005.

Among its findings:

- The income of a very poor person, who works full time, increased 90 percent over the decade, whereas the income of a wealthy person went up just 10 percent.

- Only one group did not fare well - the richest 1 percent. Overall, they lost 25 percent of their income.

- Nearly 60 percent of the richest Americans dropped into lower income groups, replaced by those who previously were below them.

In other words, people start in low-income brackets and, unless they choose the wrong profession, move up the economic ladder as they improve their career skills.

Those on top sometimes become complacent, or maybe make bad decisions, and slip a rung or two.

One more thought:

"The after-inflation median income of all tax filers increased by an impressive 24 percent," the article said.

Generally speaking, everyone is getting richer. But the poor are doing it more rapidly than the affluent.

America truly is the land of opportunity.

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On the Net: http://tinyurl.com/2qutn5

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Jan. 16

The Manila (Phillipines) Times, on tax exemption of oil products:

Finally, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has weighed in its opinion on a proposal to lift the value-added tax (VAT) on oil products.

The world's lender of last resort, which bailed out the Philippines a number of times during external payments difficulties and pushed for the government's removal of the VAT exemption on oil and other products, said undoing this tax reform is anti-poor.

Its voice has cleared the air surrounding a matter that has occasioned much political debate.

We are not saying that the Washington-based lender is the best arbiter in this heated debate, but its relative impartiality has raised the issue above the partisan fray, bringing the matter back to the arena of economic cost-benefit analysis, where it should be rightfully resolved. ...

Proponents of the VAT lifting point out that this would leave more money in the hands of the poor, allowing them to spend this cash on other goods. Extending their logic, higher consumer spending, which is the main growth driver, would render economic expansion intactmore or less.

... Furthermore, we suspect that the indiscriminate grant of diesel discounts may be causing a huge revenue leakage for the government. A breakdown of annual motor vehicle sales in the country would show that the bulk of growth can be traced to commercial vehicles, including diesel-fed models.

Sticker prices of commercial vehicles average close to a million pesos, with diesel-fed models priced higher than gasoline types. So we highly doubt whether the middle class, much less the poor, are buying these models.

In short, we would be providing the wrong incentive if the government again exempts oil products from the VAT. If we really want to help the poorand might as well throw in the middle classthen any incentivebe it a discount or tax exemptionshould be targeted and not granted indiscriminately.

Only then can we prevent government revenue leakage, and truly help those with low incomes to cope with rising fuel prices.

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On the Net:

http://tinyurl.com/yw55w8

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Jan. 16

Ha'aretz (Tel Aviv, Israel), on using greater force:

If Kadima is a party and not a mere accident of circumstances, if it plans to run again in the next elections, it must prove that it intends to fulfill the prime minister's promises. If the prime minister cannot even keep his promise to evacuate settlement outposts, there would seem to be no reason for him to remain in his seat for so much as another day.

To justify his claim that he ought to continue serving as prime minister even after the Winograd Committee publishes its final report, Ehud Olmert must prove that he, more than anyone else, can best advance the diplomatic negotiations. ...

To greet an American president with folk dances or to shoot at Hamas in Gaza, we do not need this government. And to convince anyone that there is a diplomatic momentum that holding elections would disrupt, the government will need to supply concrete proof.

The years pass, the occupation becomes more entrenched, the solution of two states for two peoples becomes less attractive, and the settlers always have the upper hand. The question of whether it is finally permissible to discuss the core issues, or whether we need to wait another 40 years, is merely pulling the wool over the public's eyes. All that remains to be done is to draw the border.

Olmert must prove that he has the courage needed to complete the life-saving operation that Ariel Sharon began. He has no choice but to confront the settlers, first in the outposts and then in the veteran settlements, because every proposal to reach an understanding with them will end up going nowhere. ...

The Amona precedent teaches us that the government needs to use greater force more wisely, not to be afraid. The rebellious state of the settlers that has arisen over the Green Line — whose residents also hold key positions in the army, police, local councils and government ministries, which serve them — is a phenomenon that must be brought to an end. ...

Following the Annapolis conference and George Bush's visit, a bold decision to remove the outposts is needed in order to signal that Israel has a government that stands behind its statements and promises. ... But in any case, there are no more excuses.

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On the Net:

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945079.html

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Jan. 16

Al Ahram (Cairo, Egypyt), on Egyptian-Israeli relations:

Mutual accusations between Egypt and Israel concerning the monitoring of Egyptian-Israeli borders have become common. The Zionist Lobby in Washington continues to point the finger at Egypt in what seems to be a breach of the spirit of the Camp David Accords. ...

Some argue that strains in Egyptian-Israeli relations are due to unusual circumstances — the rise of Israeli hawks or the growing influence of nationalist and religious hardliners on the Arab street. This is an oversimplification which ignores a host of regional and international considerations as well as the long-term rivalries. ...

Countries that might hope to play a major role in the region include Turkey and Iran. History, geography and religious sympathies make that a possibility. But the chances of an Arab country leading the region remain far more plausible. In this region it helps if you are Arab as well as Muslim. Israel has no chance.

Deep down the Israelis know this. Most are not from the region and have no desire to belong to it. To claim that Israel is big on the war on terror and therefore big in the region is just silly. Israel is the problem, not the solution. Yet the Israelis seem to want to reproduce the colonialist past.

Israel has been telling the Bush administration that Egypt is not policing the borders with Israel adequately. Is this how the Israelis hope to assert their regional power? ... Egypt's regional status is home-grown, not imported from abroad. Egypt's strength is in its Arab bonds, an integral part of Egyptian nationalism. ... We can, for example, revive the Egyptian-Saudi-Syrian axis, work hard to make the next Arab summit a success, turn the Arab free trade zone into a customs union, and push national reconciliation in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon.

The more Cairo succeeds in such endeavours the more it will be able to "normalise" ties with Israel which — to put things bluntly — means keeping Israeli expansion at bay.

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On the Net:

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/879/ed.htm

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Jan. 13

The (London) Observer, on free cultural events for the public:

If our opera houses, theatres and concert halls follow the excellent advice of Sir Brian McMaster's arts report and throw open their doors for a week each year for free, some grand spaces will be among the publicly funded institutions welcoming new punters into their gilded foyers. Cultural impresarios have expressed delight at Sir Brian's plan to bring thousands of newcomers into contact with ballet, drama and orchestral music for the first time, and we join them, while sympathising over profit margins if the idea takes off. There is comfort at hand, though, for hard-pressed companies. For those fortunate audiences who have saved on the admission price on Wagner or Stravinsky are surely going to spend more at the bar that night. Trebles all round!

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On the Net:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,2239969,00.html

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Jan. 16

La Repubblica (Rome), on the cancellation of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to a Rome university:

Once the invitation had been sent, and accepted, the meeting was bound to take place. For the students, it would have been a chance to listen directly to the words of a pope who has spent many years in universities, and who remains a professor even if he is the pope. The professors would have had the chance to talk, establish and reiterate the autonomy of teaching and the freedom of research, if they deemed it appropriate and they felt it necessary. The result would have been a public and transparent exchange of opinions, and it would be hard to be scared of this.

It is obvious — or so it should be for everyone — that a university is not and must not be a place closed to the circulation of ideas and experiences.

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On the Net:

http://www.repubblica.it/