I’ve long thought that municipalities were off base in trying to hold gun manufacturers liable for gun crimes. So have the courts, which rule in favor of the manufacturers. But I’m uneasy with Congress passing a bill — which President Bush plans to sign — that shields gun manufacturers from most of these lawsuits. I realize that some gun-control groups are trying to use the courts to accomplish their goals. But access to courts is a fundamental right that shouldn’t be denied lightly — and not as a result of campaign contributions and intimidation by the National Rifle Association.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
FYI: Daniel Henninger argues in Friday’s Wall Street Journal that Bush needs to "reforge the broken links to the two sources of his power — his people and his party," and he offers the following four-step plan to regain Bush’s mojo: Withdraw the Harriet Miers nomination and replace her with Judge Edith Jones. Go to Baghdad to rally America’s GIs and rally the Iraqi people. Nail the Alan Greenspan succession. Embrace an across-the-board spending sequester.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Senators ensured Wednesday that the national minimum wage will remain at $5.15 — where it has been stuck since 1997.
This Associated Press article summed up the opposing arguments:
“Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., said it was ‘absolutely unconscionable’ that in the same period that Congress has denied a minimum wage increase, lawmakers have voted themselves seven pay raises worth $28,000.
“But Republican opponents, echoing the arguments of business groups, said higher minimum wages can work against the poor if they force small businesses to cut payrolls or go out of business.”
What do you think?
Posted by Melissa Cooley
The Other Views feature on Friday’s Opinion pages excerpts an editorial from Al-Ahram Weekly in Cairo, Egypt. In its entirety, the editorial is a sobering primer on what the Arab world views as the United States’ numerous sins, from its long support of “a racist state founded on a religious basis” to its having gone to war in Iraq “on the basis of a lie.” Clearly, Karen Hughes has her work cut out for her.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
People usually go to concerts because they like the act. But 18 people had seats at Thursday’s U2 concert at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C., because they like Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, enough to donate $1,500 each (or $2,500 a couple) to his campaign fund; the $160 seats were in Koch Industries’ box at the arena. The Irish rockers have distanced themselves from the political fundraising being done at their concerts. But Chuck Knapp, Tiahrt’s spokesman, said Thursday that Tiahrt has met with Bono and appreciates what the singer is trying to do on issues such as AIDS in Africa and world poverty. “They do share some of the same goals,” Knapp said. He also noted: “We won’t be doing any fundraisers at the Eminem concert.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Those Kansans eager to see a tax imposed on sex businesses or their goods and services shouldn’t hold their breath that the Legislature will oblige. Testimony before a legislative committee this week underscored how tricky such taxation can be, both logistically and constitutionally. Do you tax certain products and services? Do you tax certain businesses? And if a 10 percent excise tax would generate only $1 million a year in state revenue, it hardly seems worth the bureaucratic hassle and costs of the inevitable legal battle.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
