| Chinese investment means opportunity for U.S. workers Dec 28th 2012, 01:10 BEIJING The term "Chinese company" has become a buzzword for some type of seven-headed hydra with links back to the Chinese Communist Party, out to filch trade secrets, infiltrate the homeland and throw Americans out of work. The latest use of the term involves hyperventilation about the successful bid of the U.S. subsidiary of one of the world's biggest auto-parts manufacturers for a Massachusetts firm that makes batteries. Read full article >>   |  | Our states vouch for transparent campaign financing Dec 28th 2012, 01:09 Take it from two United States senators from both sides of the aisle who have decades of experience in public life: Campaign-finance rules have a tremendous impact on the public policy agenda in Congress. Contrary to the popular perception, the prospect of getting — or not getting — a check from an individual or political action committee does not drive the typical decision on Capitol Hill. But decision-making is often colored by the prospect of facing $5 million in anonymous attacks ads if a member of Congress crosses an economically powerful interest. Read full article >>   | | The treatment of mental conditions must start early Dec 28th 2012, 01:09 As a pediatric surgeon, I have spent my career giving children a chance to become healthy adults. When children are struck by serious medical conditions, their loved ones and doctors wrestle to understand what happened and how we can make it better. We use every advantage — research, technology, our understanding of the human body — to help children heal and secure a chance to live out their full potential. Read full article >> | | Editorial Board: Avoid the 'fiscal cliff' Dec 28th 2012, 01:08 ONLY A MONTH ago, there seemed to be ample reason for optimism. November's election results appeared to break the fiscal logjam in Washington, with policymakers buzzing about a big, balanced budget deal. Robust spending on Black Friday portended a healthy holiday season for retailers, indicating, perhaps, that worries about the nation's looming "fiscal cliff" would not sap consumer confidence. Now, with only a handful of days until more than $500 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts begin to kick in, Democrats and Republicans are again at loggerheads — and the country faces a harmful and gratuitous economic shock that would be inflicted by its own leaders. Read full article >>   | | Editorial Board: The 'murder capital' no longer Dec 28th 2012, 01:07 A MORBID end-of-year ritual for local law enforcement officials is the annual tally of people murdered. That 2012 is likely to see historic lows in homicides for the District of Columbia as well as neighboring Prince George's County is clearly welcome news. But as local officials are right to stress, the numbers don't lessen the pain of the lives lost or the need to redouble efforts against crime. Read full article >>   | | Five myths about charitable giving Dec 28th 2012, 00:33 1. Charities are principally dedicated to serving the poor and needy. The term "charity" is associated with helping the poor and downtrodden, but American charities — 1.1 million organizations with $1.5 trillion in annual revenue — make up a large, rapidly growing economic sector that includes health care, higher education, scientific research, social services and the arts. There is incredible diversity among charities, from tiny neighborhood food banks to multi-state hospital chains boasting lavish concierge services and million-dollar salaries for executives. In fact, hospitals are the largest component of the U.S. charitable sector, but they are more likely to be profitable than for-profit hospitals and aren't much more likely to serve the needy. Read full article >>   | | Which county gets to collar the FBI Building? Dec 27th 2012, 23:47 Regarding the Dec. 22 Metro article "Contest for FBI widens in Md.": One of the questions we no longer ask in Washington about the implementation of a program or policy is, "And then what?" So the scrum is on between Prince George's, Montgomery and Fairfax counties for the chance to lure the FBI from the heart of our nation's capital — the very nerve center of the republic — out to the 'burbs and out of the loop. Read full article >>   | | And to all a Happy Solstice! Dec 27th 2012, 23:30 Petula Dvorak's Dec. 25 Metro column, "Christmas for many faiths," was welcome for its advocacy of religious tolerance, especially in this holiday season. But Ms. Dvorak did not mention the most obvious reason for good fellowship: the pre-Christian celebration for centuries in connection with the return of the sun. The Romans called it Saturnalia, and it featured much revelry, but it must have been an even bigger event in Northern Europe, where the sun practically disappears by late December. Read full article >>   | | Propping up historic house museums Dec 27th 2012, 23:29 Regarding the Dec. 23 front-page article "Preserving the future of the past," about the lackluster attendance figures at historic house museums in Virginia and beyond: Here's a concept that is working well for the C&O Canal National Historical Park. In 2007, the Canal Trust founded the Canal Quarters interpretive program, which offers stays of up to three nights so that visitors can experience life as it was lived in any of six original lockhouses, restored in partnership with the National Park Service to various periods in the history of the canal. Read full article >>   | | Jonathan Capehart: Debt-ceiling deja vu Dec 27th 2012, 19:41 As the nation bobs its way in a barrel toward the "fiscal cliff," Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner sent a sobering letter to Congress yesterday. The United States will hit its $16.4 trillion legal borrowing limit on Dec. 31. There are "extraordinary measures" Geithner can take to give the nation $200 billion in headroom, which he said "would last approximately two months." Read full article >>   | | Jonathan Bernstein: Polarization: Is it the districts? Dec 27th 2012, 17:03 Is the source of polarization simple demographics -- in particular, the effects of where Democrats and Republicans live and how that affects congressional representation? That's the case that Nate Silver makes in an important post today about House districts, in which he demonstrates two things: There are far, far, fewer swing House districts now than 20 years ago, and that with the decline of split-ticket voting fewer House districts vote for the candidate from the minority party in that district. Moreover, he shows, as others have, that the effects of gerrymandering are relatively minor in producing now-common lopsided districts. Read full article >> | |
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