A vote for free trade
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio da Silva has some advice for the Obama administration about protectionism: Don’t do it. “Lula,” as da Silva is known, is coming to the U.S. for a visit and told The Wall Street Journal nations that have been free traders should resist the urge to set up trade barriers because of faltering economies. “Protectionism can seem beneficial at first, but in the long term it wounds countries, above all the poor countries, which need to sell their goods to the rich countries in the global economy,” he said.
That Lula, who governs mostly as a leftist, plans to use part of his visit to push for a proposed U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement that would benefit a competitor in the U.S. market says a lot about his belief in the overall good that results from trade. Lula is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama, but he needs to take his pro-trade message to Congress, where majority Democrats under pressure from organized labor have the Colombia trade deal and others on hold.
Drew who?
He’s no Willie Stark, but Drew Edmondson seems to be going populist in a big way. Will it help him in his quest to be the next governor? That he needs some help is shown by a new poll in which 35 percent of those surveyed said they’ve never heard of the state’s long-time attorney general. That’s a better recognition rate than his potential rival for the Democratic nomination, Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, but worse by 10 percentage points than GOP front-runner Mary Fallin. Edmondson’s visibility may have risen with his recent attacks on the state Department of Health over the cause of an E. coli outbreak in Locust Grove last summer. With his ongoing lawsuit against and outrage toward the poultry industry, Edmondson is ramping up the populist thing that sometimes makes a difference in elections but sometimes leads to disenchantment with the message and the messenger.
Can’t vouch for it
One under-reported feature in the $410 billion catch-all spending bill being debated in the U.S. Senate is a provision that would eliminate the District of Columbia’s school voucher program. The experimental program currently serves 1,900 children of low-income families, providing $7,500 “opportunity scholarships” to attend private schools instead of the public schools, which in the nation’s capital are notoriously poor.
Majority Democrats say cutting the program would save $14 million a year, which is laughable in a $410-billion bill that increases spending 8 percent over last year. The real reason the program is under attack is because the teachers’ unions feel threatened by voucher programs that let poor kids escape crummy public schools.
If the provision survives it would be a shame. Vouchers might not be the answer everywhere. But in D.C., where the unions’ lowest-common-denominator thinking consigns too many children to lives with limited opportunity, the program is immensely popular and seems like the least official Washington, which sends a lot of its children to private schools, could do.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan doesn’t think vouchers are the ultimate answer, but he recently told the Associated Press it doesn’t make sense “to take kids out of a school where they’re happy and safe and satisfied and learning” — a memo congressional Democrats apparently didn’t get.
A fur piece
What’s a PETA-loving liberal to do? Just as the warm glow of Barack Obama’s election reached its zenith, many of his black supporters at the inauguration were keeping themselves warm by wearing fur coats. Seems fur is making a comeback after years of being demonized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and its celebrity supporters. The fur industry says fur is a traditional symbol of status, luxury and beauty, but warmth and practicality are two key reasons for its popularity. Fur is particularly popular in the Chicago area, from whence Barack Obama ran for president. Blacks are “disproportionately big fur buyers,” the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Michelle Obama doesn’t wear fur, but we doubt she’d advocate pelting red paint on those who do, some of whom are her husband’s biggest supporters.
To tell the truth
First off, there’s no truth to the rumor the Truth Commission started by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, to look into the Bush administration’s treatment of terror suspects, died for lack of interest. The commission indeed met, and though there was hardly anyone in the audience, at the press tables or on the dais to ask questions, Leahy of Vermont apparently will press on, Captain Ahab-like, in his pursuit of truth.
The chairman of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee crafted the commission to investigate alleged trampling of the Constitution and human rights during the Bush years. But the idea suffered a torpedo hit amidships, just below the water line, when President Barack Obama said he was more interested in looking ahead than looking behind.
As a result, the commission’s first meeting was an enactment of an oft-considered experiment: Suppose they called a hearing and nobody came? As The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank reported, even a bunch of demonstrators in hoods and orange jumpsuits got bored and left before the session ended. Sometimes, the truth hurts.
A special salute by Thunder
Kudos to fans of the Oklahoma City Thunder for their support of our men and women in the military.
The team held Military Appreciation Night on Wednesday for the game against the Washington Wizards. The invocation was delivered by a military chaplain. The honorary captains and game ball presenters were the children of parents on active duty. Fans were given the opportunity to buy Thunder gear and souvenirs to be sent in a military care package.
And, team sponsors and season-ticket holders were asked to donate their seats so active members of the armed forces could use them – about 1,800 tickets were made available. Well done by all involved.
‘Sir Tedward’
Ailing Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy has been chosen to receive an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced it during his address to a joint session of Congress, citing Kennedy’s role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland and work on health care and education.
Honorary knighthoods are given to recognize special achievement, and most go to British citizens. Kennedy joins a group of less than 100 Americans to receive the honor since the queen took the throne in 1952, including presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Actually, the honorary title doesn’t call for Kennedy to be addressed as “sir,” as Brown did in his speech to Congress. Still, it’s a gracious gesture from a people known for such things.
‘Sir Tedward’
Ailing Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy has been chosen to receive an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced it during his address to a joint session of Congress, citing Kennedy’s role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland and work on health care and education.
Honorary knighthoods are given to recognize special achievement, and most go to British citizens. Kennedy joins a group of less than 100 Americans to receive the honor since the queen took the throne in 1952, including presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Actually, the honorary title doesn’t call for Kennedy to be addressed as “sir,” as Brown did in his speech to Congress. Still, it’s a gracious gesture from a people known for such things.
Having it both ways
We’ve long observed how obsessed liberals are with hypocrisy, while noting that their own variety seems exempt from self-evaluation and that the word “hypocrisy” is often inaccurately applied when the word “inconsistent” is more apt. The literal meaning of hypocrisy is “actor” - portraying oneself as something he’s not. We found a trace of hypocrisy and a ton of inconsistency in a recent letter-to-the-editor submission. A clip-art note at the end, in green type, urged the receiver not to print the email if at all possible. We presume this is to save trees and ink. Yet the writer wanted his letter printed in a newspaper, using paper and ink. Not to mention electricity.
