| Korean War veterans: Forgotten no more Jan 3rd 2013, 17:02 I was a teenager at the end of World War II, and I remember how proud we all were of the returning victorious soldiers who paraded through Manhattan. In 1951, I was a private in the Marine Corps, a wounded veteran of three of the most ferocious battles in the Korean War, including Chosin Reservoir. Rather than getting a parade, we returned to San Diego by troopship, were bused to Camp Pendleton and sent home on leave. Read full article >>   |  | Fear not for globalization Jan 3rd 2013, 17:01 By restricting his vision to cross-border trade, money flows and other aspects of the global economy, Robert J. Samuelson concluded that the world is in a period of "deglobalization" ["Can globalization survive?," op-ed, Dec. 31]. But economics is only a small part of globalization. People, ideas, data, music, movies, religion, food, diseases, crime, arms, drugs and more increasingly flow across borders worldwide. Globalization not only continues apace, it thrives. Read full article >>   | | Objections to arming teachers can be easily addressed Jan 3rd 2013, 16:59 Contrary to Thomas A. Shannon's characterization of proposals to arm teachers [letters, Jan. 1], such ideas are not intended to encourage "shootouts" between teachers and "assassins." Rather, the troubled individuals who commit these acts do not want to engage in shootouts; they want to slaughter people in a controlling and dominating situation. It is thus likely that armed teachers (like armed air marshals) would deter such attacks. Read full article >>   | | Hold the high-fives on the debt deal Jan 3rd 2013, 16:58 The Jan. 1 editorial "Small ball" was right on target. The non-solution offered for the "fiscal cliff" problem is a disgrace to all involved. None of the fundamental issues, from the desperate need to come to grips with entitlement costs to the staggering tax evasion associated with "carried interest" to the non-taxability of health-care benefits, is being addressed. Read full article >>   | | Jennifer Rubin: And now there is tax reform Jan 3rd 2013, 14:41 The Republicans have the opportunity, now that they joined in a deal allowing the top marginal rate on individuals to rise, to reset the argument on tax reform. As Douglas Holtz-Eakin writes, "The fiscal-cliff deal makes the 2001 2003 tax laws permanent for 98 percent of taxpayers, patches the AMT permanently, and makes clear that both sides of the aisle have embraced the virtues of lower taxes. That is not to say that all is perfect. The tax code remains in need of a fundamental overhaul to improve its international competitiveness (a lower corporate rate and a move to a territorial tax system), growth incentives, and the appearance of fairness. And the messaging in favor of pro-growth tax policy is in bad need of refurbishment." Read full article >>   | | Jennifer Rubin: Moving forward without Obama Jan 3rd 2013, 13:45 There is a political reality inside the Beltway (e.g., divided government, a president "playing a waiting game on fiscal issues ever since he became president"), but even more important is the economic landscape. The markets on news of a fiscal cliff deal, no matter how half-hearted and flawed, took off. The Post noted, "U.S. markets surged more than 2 percent Wednesday, soaring hours after Congress approved a plan to avoid the 'fiscal cliff' by raising taxes on America's wealthiest households and holding their gains through the day. By the close, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.35 percent, the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index had gained 2.54 percent, and the Nasdaq had shot up 3.07 percent." Read full article >>   | | Jennifer Rubin: Morning Bits Jan 3rd 2013, 12:45 Why we should worry President Obama's Iran policy is a bust. "Iranian officials have instructed residents of Isfahan to leave the city, renewing concerns that a nearby nuclear site could be leaking radioactive material." Read full article >>   | | Jennifer Rubin: Round two of the debt debate, anyone? Jan 2nd 2013, 22:32 Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tees up the next round of fiscal follies with this statement: Now that the House and Senate have acted in a bipartisan way to prevent tax increases on 99 percent of the American people, Democrats now have the opportunity — and the responsibility — to join Republicans in a serious effort to reduce Washington's out-of-control spending. That's a debate the American people want. It's the debate we'll have next. And it's a debate Republicans are ready for. Despite the President's call for more and more Americans to send even more of their paychecks to Washington, the federal government will still have another trillion-dollar deficit this year. But in the upcoming months, we will have the opportunity to put our country back on sound financial footing — and there's no excuse not to seize it. The President claims to want a balanced approach to solve our problems. And now that he has the tax rates he wants, his calls for "balance" mean he must join us in our efforts to achieve meaningful spending and government reform. We have an immediate opportunity to act: the debt ceiling. Washington's credit card has reached its limit again, and the Senate majority must act on legislation early in February — rather than waiting until the last minute, abdicating responsibility and hoping someone else will step in once again to craft a last-minute solution for them. Once the Senate passes bipartisan legislation, we can conference with the House on a solution. But this time the entire Senate must have an opportunity to act. Read full article >> | |
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