Editorial Roundup: Excerpts From Recent Editorials
The Associated PressExcerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad:
March 15
Loveland (Colo.) Daily Reporter-Herald on why change in credit rules is a positive step:
There's a justice in overdraft protection fees: Those who are careless in their spending pay penalties that support banking services for the rest of the population, services such as free checking.
But where's the justice in allowing someone who doesn't have enough money to buy that $4 cup of coffee to put it on his debit card anyway?
The Federal Reserve wants to rein in that kind of spending/fee structure. Beginning July 1, banks will not be allowed to charge overdraft fees without first getting permission from customers. It's not clear who would choose to be charged $30 extra for the privilege of overdrawing his account to buy something he can't afford. But there are plenty of Americans who are happy to have that kind of buying power.
Bank of America has announced that this summer, it simply will no longer allow debit card purchases to go through if there isn't enough money in the account. The transaction would be rejected, as it should be.
Such policies might force only a small change in consumer habits, but a small step toward sanity is a positive sign.
The downside of this is that bank customers who have grown used to the benefits — thanks to the minority of customers responsible for the vast majority of overdrafts — might find themselves paying a little more for bank services.
Likely, banks still will compete for the good customers. Here's hoping that responsible consumers can be rewarded for their behavior.
On the Net:
http://www.reporterherald.com
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March 16
Chicago Sun-Times on health care reform:
Congress seems likely to wheel in health care reform from an interminable stay in the waiting room and bring it to a final vote in the House of Representatives. As they do, lawmakers should take several points to heart:
_ If the legislation fails to draw a single Republican vote, so be it. The GOP has made clear its goal is to kill reform. But millions of working Americans can't get affordable health insurance. Millions more are shut out because of a past illness or worry about being dropped if their medical bills soar. This debate has gone on long enough.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell warned that the Democrats can forget about future bipartisan cooperation if they push through health care reform on their own.
As if the GOP has shown a hint of bipartisan spirit since getting spooked by the Tea Party crowd.
_ Although some Democrats are wavering for fear of being punished at the polls in the fall, we suspect a vote for health care will serve them well. Americans will appreciate the benefits of reform — and a Congress brave enough to go for it. But, in any event, this is no time to play it safe. History will remember those who stood for what is right.
_ The bill — a culmination of drawn-out legislative haggling — is flawed in many ways, including its restrictions on abortion funding. But the only alternative is no bill at all. Lawmakers should not let the bill's shortcomings deter them.
_ Maintaining the status quo would be financially irresponsible as health care costs continue to soar. In Illinois, health insurance premiums are expected to rise this year by as much as 60 percent. The current reforms don't do enough to curb costs, but they are a start. ...
As health care reform has languished in the waiting room, we can't help but think of the millions of unlucky Americans -- uninsured or underinsured — who have already waited too long.
On the Net:
http://www.suntimes.com
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March 14
The Buffalo (N.Y.) News on the Iraq election:
Whatever becomes of Iraq — and it remains unknown — it is impossible not to be profoundly impressed by a citizenry that defies mortal threats to do something as ordinary, to us, as vote in an election. Yet that is what Iraqis have done more than once recently, including the recent national elections.
Insurgents lobbed hand grenades at voters. They bombed a voting place. In Baghdad, a family that had just lost a relative to an explosion walked to their polling place. Regardless of anyone's feelings about this war, it is impossible not to be moved by such displays.
The results of the voting are still being tallied, more chaotically than anyone would like, but preliminary results showed voting was close. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was leading in two provinces, while a secular challenger appeared to be drawing Sunni support north of Baghdad.
Much is on the line, including the degree to which Iran may be able to influence its former enemy as American troops prepare to leave the country, seven years after invading. Yet it was plain that the usual concerns of democratic voting — security, jobs, services — were taking a back seat to sectarian issues surrounding the nation's Baathist history. That suggests that Iraq has a long way to go before it ever settles into any kind of normal existence.
But it has the first thing that a democratic nation requires: citizens who understand the value of their votes; everyday people who will risk even death to influence the direction of their country, to the point in Iraq of proudly displaying the iconic purple finger ink that marks them publicly as having voted.
In a country — ours — where we take voting for granted and have even become lackadaisical about the franchise, that ought to be an inspiration.
On the Web:
http://www.buffalonews.com
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March 16
The Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star on the U.S. Postal Service:
Congress should allow the U.S. Postal Service to take appropriate cost-cutting actions — including elimination of Saturday delivery and closure of specific low-volume postal facilities — to protect its core mission of providing universal service to Americans.
The Journal Star editorial board takes that stance with considerable empathy for the pressures facing the Postal Service.
After all, we're also in the business of delivering print on paper to homes and we regularly use the Postal Service for daily newspaper delivery in a variety of areas outside of Lincoln. Further, we recently launched a weekly saturation shared-mail product that reaches nearly every home in Lincoln. This product, too, is delivered by the Postal Service.
Although some believe that the Postal Service receives generous federal subsidies, it has been required by law since 1982 to cover its costs. Postal Service revenue comes not from taxes, but from the sale of stamps, mail products and service. It receives only a yearly appropriation to provide free absentee ballots to overseas military personnel.
The mission of providing universal mail service is challenging. The Postal Service uses everything from helicopters to hovercraft to subways to deliver the mail. In the Grand Canyon, the best transportation option happens to be the mule. ...
Postal Service officials also need latitude from Congress to take other steps that are sure to be unpopular, such as closing some post offices. Of the 32,000 post offices the agency operates, 26,000 of them lose money.
Other possibilities for bringing costs into line with revenue include work force reduction and development of new product lines.
There's little doubt that the cuts will disrupt traditions and habits. Other businesses will be forced to adapt.
The Postal Service is still a vital part of the national economy, used daily by businesses and consumers alike. Millions of Americans depend on it.
But the Postal Service must change its operations to reflect the needs of the 21st century to ensure that it can continue to fulfill its core mission without placing a greater burden on taxpayers.
On the Net:
http://www.journalstar.com
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March 15
The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C., on loggerhead sea turtle protection:
To such an inoffensive and impressive creature as the loggerhead sea turtle, it must seem as if the world — particularly man's world — conspires against it. Now the reptiles, found along our North Carolina coast, may gain a measure of well-merited protection.
The federal government recommended an endangered-species listing for loggerheads in U.S. waters. A principal effect would be that the fishing industry would have to take greater care not to harm them.
Ah, say hard-pressed commercial fishermen — we're endangered too. And they are. But their main foe is the fished-out stocks of more and more food-fish species, not sea turtle protections.
Along the Atlantic coast, beach-front residents and specialized sea turtle hospitals, including one on Topsail Island, care deeply about, and for, these majestic animals, many of which are maimed or killed by fishing gear. If an "endangered" designation can help loggerheads survive, bring it on, and faster than turtle-speed.
On the Net:
http://www.newsobserver.com
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March 13
The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette on Nigeria's Muslim-Christian unrest:
Another Muslim-Christian massacre happened in Nigeria — continuing a grotesque pattern that has recurred intermittently for two centuries.
Muslim herders in the hills reportedly swooped down on three Christian villages, hacking people with machetes, torching homes, killing everyone who didn't flee fast enough. Even babies were chopped to death. The toll was estimated at 500. More than 400 victims were buried in a single mass grave. The attack allegedly was in reprisal for a January massacre in which Christians killed 300 Muslims.
Year after year, decade after decade, such attacks and riots have marred Nigeria — mostly along a central fault-line between the Christian south and Muslim north. The land is racked by what sociologists call religious tribalism.
Several upheavals have erupted after fundamentalist evangelists attempted to convert Muslim villagers. Tension worsened after some northern states adopted Sharia law, which requires chopping off hands and feet, and execution by stoning. In 2001, about 1,000 died in rioting that flared after a Christian woman walked through a Muslim procession.
Nigeria's government has conducted community meetings to create tolerance and coexistence, without success.
Perhaps the only cure for this tragedy is one that works in Cyprus. During the 1960s, Muslim Turks and Christian Greeks on the Mediterranean island plunged into similar tribal bloodshed. The United Nations sent peacekeeper troops to guard a 112-mile truce line between the warring camps. Subsequent efforts to end hostility between the ethnic groups have failed, so the blue-helmeted soldiers remain on patrol, four decades later.
On the Net:
http://www.wvgazette.com
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March 16
The Hartford (Conn.) Courant on Israel's decision to built homes on disputed territory:
The announcement by Israel's interior ministry that 1,600 new homes will be built in East Jerusalem on territory claimed by the Palestinians — an announcement made while Vice President Joe Biden was visiting — could not have been an accident. The timing was such that it had to be a deliberate slap in the face to an old friend.
The damage was mitigated somewhat by apologies from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who expressed "regret over the unfortunate timing" and said that ground wouldn't be broken on the project for several years. Perhaps that will allow time for an Israeli government to reverse course on its provocative housing expansion policy, but that's a slim hope.
The way the message about the East Jerusalem housing was delivered was humiliating for the United States. It weakened the position of Palestinian leaders willing to negotiate with Israel. The announcement of new housing inflamed anti-Israel passions in the Arab world.
Biden was right, in response, to condemn the construction project. With each new apartment complex and settlement built by Israel on land claimed by the Palestinians, the chances for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian problem grow dimmer.
George Mitchell, President Barack Obama's special envoy on Mideast peace, had been scheduled to go to Jerusalem to see if he could get talks going again. But the State Department wouldn't promise, saying, "This is a fluid situation." Fluid and icy. Not a good climate for peace.
On the Net:
http://www.courant.com
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March 15
Los Angeles Times on oil company price-gouging:
A few years ago, when SUVs still ruled American roads and gasoline prices were skyrocketing, consumers and politicians howled that oil companies were guilty of price-gouging because they refused to increase refinery capacity; the companies responded that it would be crazy to build more refineries to meet a spike in demand that was probably temporary. Now the other shoe has dropped: Demand has fallen through the floor, and oil companies are shutting down refineries as a result. And once again, consumer groups are accusing them of price-gouging.
It's pretty hard to sympathize with Big Oil, but is there any winning this blame game?
High gas prices spark more public outrage than price hikes in any other commodity, even food. Although electric car technology is improving, consumers have few transportation alternatives, so it's tough to respond quickly to higher prices by changing behavior. Expensive gas hits low-income people particularly hard and is a key driver of inflation, which hurts everybody. So the anger directed at oil companies is understandable. It's just that the political responses are usually wrongheaded.
Today's problem isn't so much high prices, which have fallen since 2008. It's that actions by oil companies may be preventing them from dropping as much as they should. The combination of the recession and improved fuel efficiency has greatly reduced demand, and major refiners are considering cutbacks, according to a report by Times staff writer Ronald D. White. ...
Every business makes cutbacks when demand for its products or services falls. We could avoid such market responses from oil companies by nationalizing them or subsidizing gasoline, but that hasn't worked well in the countries that have tried it. Rather than getting mad at the oil giants for exhibiting rational behavior, we should focus on being less reliant on them.
On the Net:
http://www.latimes.com
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March 16
The Times, London on a World Cup without David Beckham:
No England footballer has ever played in four World Cups. It is a distinction that David Beckham looked certain to achieve at this summer's tournament in South Africa. But a cruel Achilles tendon injury, sustained while playing for AC Milan ... has again derailed Beckham's World Cup dreams.
Beckham has always been an easy target for critics. Not content with courting celebrity, he also married one. Style makeovers and fashion shoots have been almost as frequent as his tattoos.
But Beckham has proved himself to be anything but a show pony. Now 34, he has been at the top of the game for 16 years. He won more England caps (115) than any other outfielder, captained his country a record 59 times and won the Premiership six times with Manchester United. The foppish floppy-haired prodigy gave way to the hardened veteran. But his discipline and pursuit of excellence remained constant.
The paradox of Beckham's career is that fame caused him to be underrated rather than overrated. The plainspoken, working-class roots of English football are instinctively suspicious of glamour and the pursuit of fun. But Beckham proved that style and substance can and do coexist. In doing so, he has made a significant contribution to society as well as English football.
His absent right boot presents an immediate problem for the World Cup campaign. One teammate correctly pointed out that a Beckham cross is the equivalent of beating four players. Though he was no longer an automatic selection, he remained our most technically accomplished player. Now England must get used to life without him, we will quickly learn just how good he was.
On the Net:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk
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March 15
Khaleej Times, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on a new U.S./Russia nuclear disarmament treaty:
It appears the U.S. and Russia are within striking distance of a new nuclear disarmament treaty. Although this is still not an ideal situation and we are nowhere close to a totally nuke-free world, this may be a huge step forward in that direction. During his trip to Europe last year, President Barack Obama had passionately pitched for his vision of a nuclear weapons free world.His historic speech in Prague at the height of his global popularity was perhaps closest to any U.S. leader ever came to the ideal of total disarmament.
More importantly, Obama managed to persuade the Russians to follow suit and agree to significantly scaling down of their nuclear weapons to a minimal level too. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, with whom the young U.S. president has quickly established an easy rapport, has responded positively to Washington's overtures.
The two leaders have been in constant touch and been reviewing negotiations to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (Start), which expired last December, with a new treaty. Officials in Washington and Moscow suggest that broad contours of the proposed agreement have already been hammered out and a draft agreement could be ready for signatures "soon." ...
The U.S. is hosting a nuclear non-proliferation summit in Washington in April and it's likely to push for a new, more effective treaty to check proliferation of nuclear weapons. Almost inevitably, Iran and its contentious nuclear program are going to be in the spotlight once again. However, no solution is going to work if it leaves out Israel, the real elephant in the room. The goal of "total disarmament for a safer world" will work only when all countries, big and small, embrace it.
On the Net:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com
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March 14
The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, on anti-whaling activists:
Should Japan pick up the gauntlet thrown down by anti-whaling activists? It might feel good, but to do so would mean falling for a provocation.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, which operates from Australia, is really an annoying bunch of people.
The Japan Coast Guard has arrested a member of the anti-whaling group, which has been trying to disrupt Japan's whaling activities for research purposes.
Peter Bethune, a New Zealander, was arrested on suspicion of "vessel invasion" after he boarded without permission a Japanese ship conducting a whale hunt in the Antarctic Ocean.
Japan has every right to take legal action against such a violation. But it would be detrimental to the nation's interests if the action is used to turn this activist into a hero and drum up anti-whaling sentiment aimed at Japan in many countries.
The whaling debate should focus on how to use and protect marine resources based on scientific theories and evidence. It could get sidetracked if issues concerning cultures and values emerge as major flash points. ...
Instead of reacting emotionally to Sea Shepherd's antics, Japan should make a cool-headed effort to find a solution to this dispute. ...
What is most important for Japan's handling of this issue is to make tenacious efforts for an international agreement at the International Whaling Commission. ...
On the Net:
http://www.asahi.com
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March 15
The Australian, Sydney, on Australia-Japan relations:
The Prime Minister, like Barack Obama, knows that leaders need to stick close to home when the heat is on. Just as the U.S. president is reassessing the time he can afford to be away from home in the midst of dramas overs his health reforms, so Kevin Rudd has ruled out a trip to Washington in April to attend a nuclear non-proliferation meeting. The Prime Minister has upset the Japanese in so doing, but it would be poor politics for him to play the statesman offshore as he faces important debates on tax, health and spending in the lead up to the budget.
Even so, Rudd cannot afford to offend the Japanese and must immediately address diplomatic tensions. ...
Japan is a hugely important ally in the region, yet the Rudd government continues to strike the wrong note in what should be a bedrock partnership. The recent visit by the new Japanese Foreign Minister, Katsuya Okada, to Australia, while successful, did not quell the resentment building within the Japanese government over whaling. During that visit, officials on both sides sought to minimize the gulf between the two countries over the issue. Yet Australia's threat to take Japan to the International Court of Justice over its whaling has irritated Tokyo. It has also been provoked by comments from Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who in January criticized Japanese whaling officials for hiring Australian spotter planes to track activists and blamed both parties for a collision that wrecked the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's speedboat.
Australia has long been opposed to commercial whaling but Labor upped the ante at the 2007 election in a move that promised strong action against Japan and helped shore up Labor's green credentials among younger voters in particular. Now Australia is looking increasingly isolated, with the issue testing our relationship with Japan just when, as foreign editor Greg Sheridan wrote recently, we "should be straining every sinew to maximize influence and support" in Tokyo.
Japan's disappointment at Australia's absence from the nuclear talks is not the real problem here. Whaling is, and Rudd might need to consider whether this is one policy area where he should look to his global rather than his domestic constituency.
On the Net:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au