Workers’ Safety and the Gun Lobby (NYT)

leftist commendation earned

The gun lobby is running into a commendable challenge from corporate America.

A Step for Voting Rights (NYT)

democrat base

A new law in Maryland would make eligible to vote all ex-offenders who have completed their sentences and finished parole and probation.

Hong Kong’s Sort of Election (NYT)

soap opera vote recommended

Ten years after the British handed over the islands to the Chinese, it is time to bring universal suffrage to Hong Kong.

Story Time in the Senate (NYT)

spin introduced

The more the administration tries to spin the prosecutor purge, the worse it looks.

The Vanishing Arts at Ground Zero (NYT)

living and arts section editor contributes

No matter how you cut it, the only momentum for the arts at ground zero is the momentum of attrition.

Mountaintop Rescue (NYT)

valleys exaulted

A federal judge has inspired hopes that the destructive nonsense of mountaintop mining can be brought to a halt.

Communication in the Face of Terror (NYT)

usual government agency drill criticized

government is a charity with guns

that's why the NYT wants its guys running it

Five years after the government’s law enforcement and disaster agencies vowed to develop a unified wireless network, the plan is fractured, disjointed and facing a high risk of failure.

Legislating Leadership on Iraq (NYT)

cheering for the left

Victory is no longer an option in Iraq, if it ever was. The only rational objective left is to responsibly organize America’s inevitable exit.

A Death Embellished (NYT)

celebrity death movement hyped into get bush movement

A congressional hearing may be needed to get an independent evaluation of just who pulled the strings to sugar-coat Pat Tillman’s death — a terrible battlefield accident — as an instance of heroism under hostile fire.

In Defense of Day Laborers (NYT)

if it involves public spending on victims of any kind, one favors it, if one is on the left.

One can oppose illegal immigration and still approve of hiring sites, places where laborers can find shade, toilets and a safe place to negotiate jobs with contractors and homeowners.

The Smithsonian Challenge (NYT)

No kidding.

What are they?

As the Smithsonian’s governing board begins to deliberate over choosing a replacement for the ineffective Lawrence Small, we have three suggestions.

Still Trying to House Katrina’s Victims (NYT)

stop trying to house them and they'll finally look for housing themselves.

The victims of Hurricane Katrina should not have to keep paying the price for the Bush administration’s misplaced animosity toward low-income housing.

Letting Go of an Ancient Quarrel (NYT)

al qaeda took over the media, leaving no alternative to peace in ireland.

It took a few centuries, but Ireland’s biggest chasm has been bridged.

The Police and the Spy Unit (NYT)

the police are not there to keep you safe.

they're there to apprehend miscreants.

you are there to keep yourself safe.

that's how damage to your rights is avoided.

New Yorkers expect the Police Department to keep them safe, but not at the cost of their constitutional rights.

Time for Answers (NYT)

there are no questions.

there is only fishing, for something that can be misinterpreted.

In philosophy it's called hyperbolic skepticism.

How do I _really_ know this is a ball of wax? All I see is strictly speaking its front surface at most...

You need moral standing in common usage, to ask moral questions.

There is no license for moral fishing.

The news that Monica Goodling, counsel to the attorney general and liaison to the White House, is invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination takes the United States attorney scandal to a new level.

Mr. Puck’s Good Idea (NYT)

kosher foods

Wolfgang Puck, the universal restaurateur, has decided that his culinary businesses will now use products only from animals raised under strict humane standards.

A Disputed Fee (NYT)

oy

A dispute has been raging between elderly Holocaust victims and Burt Neuborne, a lawyer who helped win a $1.25 billion settlement from Swiss banks, over the size of the fees Mr. Neuborne has requested.

Of Senate Snails and Scriveners (NYT)

modern editorial

The Senate clings to its slo-mo evasion of the campaign finance law’s prompt disclosure duties by burying information for weeks upon weeks in the paperwork era.

The Hamas Conundrum (NYT)

or you could just blow Hamas up

If Hamas wants American aid restored, it must meet the three conditions on ending terrorism, recognizing Israel and accepting past agreements.

Waiting for Freedom, Messing It Up (NYT)

EU socialism rejected

By ADAM MICHNIK

Now that the dream of the European Union is within grasp, Poland and other Eastern European countries have begun to turn their backs on it.

Compassionate Commercialism (NYT)

we read the new york times and vote democrat

By DANIEL GILBERT

What happens to us when greed masquerades as need, when cries for help become casting calls for chumps, when our most noble actions make us patsies?

The Lost Generation (NYT)

too bad if you don't know who the backstreet boys are or who matthew fox is.

If a member of the Backstreet Boys can address a Senate environmental subcommittee, Matthew Fox can address graduating seniors at Columbia College.

Warming Up on Capitol Hill (NYT)

hysteria of the day

Al Gore received a strong welcome from the two Congressional committees that will frame any legislation to deal with the warming threat.

The President’s Prison (NYT)

NYT mentions credibility

The Guantanamo Bay detention camp has profoundly damaged the nation’s credibility as a champion of justice and human rights.

Fairness for Mental Health (NYT)

premium rise results

It looks as if Congress may be ready to require that insurance coverage for mental illness and substance abuse be provided on the same terms as coverage for physical ailments.

Legal Convolutions for Gay Couples (NYT)

nyt readership courted

Gay people who want to protect their families should not have to resort to adult adoptions.

Unwary Investors (NYT)

nyt 401(k) remembered

Investors who fail to take a hard look at the vulnerability of the American economy are courting tremendous risk.

Mr. Spitzer’s Budget Deals (NYT)

spend money, says new york times

New Yorkers would best be served if, by the April 1 deadline, all sides agree to a budget that carries out the governor’s vision of reform.

Foiled by the Gun Lobby (NYT)

new democrat votes wanted

A historic proposal for full representation in the House for the District of Columbia was derailed by a Republican motion to attach a ban on Washington’s legitimate attempts to outlaw firearms in the city limits.

New Coin of the Realm (NYT)

nyt advice ignored

Instead of addressing Venezuela’s serious problems, President Hugo Chávez has settled for more showmanship.

Letter From California: A Hidden Populace in a Vacant Lot (NYT)

weeds overlooked by city boy

By VERYLYN KLINKENBORG

The ground squirrels in this empty lot are colonists, opening new terrain to an expansionist species, developing the site before the human developers can do so.

A Cleaner Food and Drug Agency (NYT)

trading with the enemy prohibited

It is encouraging that the agency has proposed new rules to exclude experts who have significant financial ties to regulated industries from serving on committees that recommend whether a product should be approved.

Focus on the Future in Louisiana (NYT)

run for mayor of new orleans

By deciding not to run for re-election as governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco has done the best thing for a state desperately in need of new ideas.

Chemical Plant Safety (NYT)

everybody is a consumer of chemicals

profits flow through to these consumers when everybody in an industry does the same thing.

Members of Congress have been more worried about currying favor with the chemical industry, a major campaign donor, than with safeguarding their constituents.

The Much-Needed Return of Pay-Go (NYT)

profligate spending is necessary to get democrats reelected.

tax cuts, at the current rates, actually generate new revenue. it might be worth a mention.

The Senate has a chance to restore discipline to the federal budget, a first step in remedying years of damage from profligate tax cuts in the face of immense spending.

Congress’s Challenge on Iraq (NYT)

send a message to the enemy

``keep it up a little longer and you'll win''

the same message that's been sent for four years.

no cost is too high to defeat bush.

The House should vote yes, by an overwhelming, bipartisan margin, to impose benchmarks for political progress on the Iraqi government — and link them to the continued presence of American combat forces.

Tom DeLay Looks Back (NYT)

failure to understand extent of leftist derangement

The rationalization of life’s conflicts as merely a ``failure to communicate'' is Mr. DeLay’s approach to explaining the Republicans’ loss of Congress last year.

Why Is Blackstone Going Public? (NYT)

canaries found to be profit-seeking

If the stock market were a coal mine, Blackstone Group could be the canary.

Russia, Iran and the Bottom Line (NYT)

leftist cynicism detects market forces

Russia has apparently decided that it can do even better financially if it starts pressuring its longtime client Iran to curtail its nuclear appetites.

What People Really Need (NYT)

democrat branches investigating republican branches urged.

Bush derangement syndrome as theory of government.

Congress has the right and the duty to fully investigate the firing of eight United States attorneys, which may have been illegal, and Justice Department officials’ statements to Congress, which may have been untrue.

Students’ Right to Free Speech (NYT)

supreme court as legislature on competing interests, the liberal view

In the ``Bong Hits 4 Jesus'' case, the Supreme Court should reaffirm the pronouncement that students do not shed their right to free speech ``at the schoolhouse gate.''

Statements and Restatements (NYT)

side effects unnoticed

It would be a serious mistake to weaken the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate reform law.

The Disastrous Mr. Mugabe (NYT)

dictator unfriendly to reporters

Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe, seems to have descended into total power-madness.

The Medicaid Documentation Mess (NYT)

univeresal cause of mess not noticed : third party payment

Exaggerated fears that illegal immigrants are fraudulently receiving Medicaid health benefits have led to a crackdown that is preventing American citizens from obtaining legitimate coverage. Congress needs to fix this injustice.

Training Workers for Good Jobs (NYT)

government central planning encouraged

The government should be finding better ways to target skills training to the very best jobs available.

Still Not Fixing the Army Corps (NYT)

take and spend less money

Democrats should put the interests of responsive government ahead of their own and finally fix the Army Corps of Engineers.

It Wasn’t Just a Bad Idea. It May Have Been Against the Law. (NYT)

inarticulateness noted

By ADAM COHEN

The Bush administration has done a terrible job of explaining its decision to fire eight United States attorneys.

Protecting Wages in a Global Economy (NYT)

unemployment payments ensure unemployment endures

the point of a free market is that people stop doing what doesn't work and do something that does work instead.

creative destruction.

if there's no incentive to work, magically people won't work.

Traditional unemployment insurance must be improved before wage insurance — now a pilot program for a small subset of workers, age 50 and older, who lose their jobs to trade competition — is expanded.

More Rights in Egypt, Not Fewer (NYT)

leftists know about perverse side effects! except in their own programs

Constitutional amendments soon to be voted on by Parliament are meant to create a more open, balanced government. They are almost sure to do the opposite.

Taming Fossil Fuels (NYT)

taxes followed by credits for the poor are always good if you want power

Forcing people to pay to pollute would do more than any other known incentive to bring new technologies to commercial scale. That is the task before Congress.

Trade and the Home Front (NYT)

it's time for congress to outlaw union thuggery

It’s time for Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson to use his powers of persuasion to solve the domestic side of the trade problem.

Phony Fraud Charges (NYT)

it's a way of saying that vote fraud is a crime

The accusation that United States attorneys were insufficiently aggressive about voter fraud is a way of saying, without actually saying, that they would not use their offices to help Republicans win elections.

A Huge Hole in Airport Security (NYT)

yesterday's threat

passengers will kill a terrorist, as of 9/11 itself

It remains shockingly easy for airport employees to sneak into secure areas and carry dangerous materials onto a plane without detection.

Relighting Snuffed Candles (NYT)

the democrats are in the majority so it happened, right?

Significant numbers of Republicans voted with Democrats to reverse the erosion of the public’s right to know how its government operates.

The New, Old Leopard (NYT)

global warming proof

The closer and more intently we look at nature, the more species we find, at home and in places like the Heart of Borneo.

Homeowners at Risk (NYT)

taxpayer shakedown proposed

The most plausible relief measures for the millions of American families who are in danger of losing their homes involve federal boosts to existing state and local loan programs.

China’s Sort of Congress (NYT)

left wing opportunity

If the Communist leaders are willing to put aside ideology to continue their remarkable economic boom, why not take another essential step and make China’s National People’s Congress a real legislature?

Immigration Misery (NYT)

guest voter program boosting

As the country waits for Congress and the president to enact immigration reform, the indecency of existing policies is becoming intolerable.

General Pace and Gay Soldiers (NYT)

opinion not permitted

An increasing number of Americans in and out of the military now recognize that the current policy is indefensible.

When Warriors Come Limping Home (NYT)

the part that's broken is run by a union that he cannot fire, thanks to congress

President Bush has a clear responsibility to the nation’s wounded soldiers to fix a shamefully broken system.

The Right to Ban Arms (NYT)

argument from hysteria

A federal appeals court panel decision imperils needed gun controls in jurisdictions around the country at a time when violent crime in many places is once again on the rise.

Politics, Pure and Cynical (NYT)

the only way US attorneys are accountable to voters are by the pleasure of the President.

otherwise everybody is a special prosecutor

The firing of eight United States attorneys looks like a political purge, and President Bush and his White House are in the thick of it.

The Death of Geography? (NYT)

you can't drill in the US

Halliburton’s move to Dubai sends the message that even in the new economy, some of the old rules still apply, including that location matters.

Wrong Turn on Sex Offenders (NYT)

live by TV ratinge, die by TV ratings

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has made New York the latest state to travel down a murky legal road when it comes to the civil commitment of sex offenders.

Sunshine on History (NYT)

hillary's billing records

Approval of an open-government package would be a major boon for the writing of history and for government accountability.

The Perfect Lawn, Mowed and Muted (NYT)

sheep meadow, it's called

We hope a lawsuit will remind the city of the importance of making space for large gatherings where New Yorkers can exercise their right of free speech.

A Bill Democrats Should Like (NYT)

good reason to be against it, if the NYT is for it.

The Bush administration’s new farm bill, one of the more sensible pieces of legislation to emerge from this administration in quite a while, faces its first big Congressional test this week.

The Next Big Health Care Battle (NYT)

money is not health care. money goes to rich doctors and their bureaucrats.

At a time when the nation is pondering how to provide medical coverage to some 47 million uninsured Americans, it is logical and right to start with the country’s nine million uninsured children.

Editorial Notebook: A Time and Place for Grousing (NYT)

ombudsman needed

By ELEANOR RANDOLPH

Although there are many companies that care deeply about customer service, too many consider the consumer complaints desk to be a cost center worthy of cutting.

Another Warning on Warming (NYT)

that's because it's leftist religion

President Bush’s program of voluntary reductions has done little to stop the rise in greenhouse gases generated in this country.

The Failed Attorney General (NYT)

symbol accusation leveled

Perhaps more than anyone in the administration, Alberto Gonzales symbolizes President Bush’s disdain for the separation of powers, civil liberties and the rule of law.

Evangelical Environmentalism (NYT)

droll but lofty planet

The greatest moral issue of our time is our responsibility to the planet and to all its inhabitants.

Shutting Down Fake ‘Prep Schools’ (NYT)

schools uninfluenced by the liberal media

The N.C.A.A. has taken much-needed action against storefront prep schools that inflate transcripts for high school athletes before passing them on to big-time college sports programs.

Too Many Secrets (NYT)

the law is legislative branch

the executive answers to the people

The Supreme Court should reverse the Fourth Circuit’s broad ruling on state secrets and hold the executive branch accountable when it acts outside the law.

Another Grim Week in Iraq (NYT)

anyone who wanted to win the war, though, receives a boost

Anyone who wanted to believe that President Bush was seeking a short-term security push now needs to face up to a far less palatable reality: what is under way is a significant and long-term escalation.

Wearing the Green, and the Pink (NYT)

tradition discovered

For the second year in a row, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be missing the city’s most powerful Irish-American politician: Christine Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, who is a lesbian.

Healthy Cattle and Healthy Humans (NYT)

deck stacked

The F.D.A. must make sure that a new veterinary antibiotic drug — of marginal importance to the cattle industry — will not undercut a drug vital to human medical care.

The Rational Mr. Buffett (NYT)

they're making money and the NYT is not

Warren Buffett’s greatest asset may be his real-world sense, which too many others in the nation’s executive suites seem to lack.

Shutting Out Terrorism’s Victims (NYT)

victims are a favorite

American law currently bars the entry to the United States of some of terrorism’s most abused victims: refugees who have been forced to provide so-called material assistance.

The Bare Minimum (NYT)

why even have them show up for work?

because paying more than the work is worth _to the worker_, and less than the work is worth _to the employer_, is the structural constraint that raises the standard of living of the nation.

with each voluntary (unsubsidized) transaction, both sides profit.

add them up, and the nation's standard of living goes up, the more of them there are.

subsidizing transactions allows work to _reduce_ the nation's standard of living.

that's why.

By SARAH HAMERSMA

Instead of requiring employers to pay a higher minimum wage, and then allowing them to apply for reimbursement through tax subsidies, why not skip the middleman and subsidize the worker directly?

An Unjust Expulsion (NYT)

indian givers

The Cherokee Nation’s decision to revoke the tribal citizenship of about 2,800 descendants of slaves once owned by the tribe is a moral low point in modern Cherokee history.

Super-Sized Tuesday (NYT)

move easter

As many as 19 states — including New York, New Jersey and Illinois — are considering moving their primary elections up to Feb. 5.

Denying Rights in Nigeria (NYT)

nigerian model deplored

Billed as an anti-gay-marriage act, a poisonous piece of legislation making its way through the Nigerian National Assembly is a far-reaching assault on basic human rights.

The Gonzales Eight (NYT)

hate crime

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s claim that eight United States prosecutors were fired for poor performance was always difficult to believe. Now it’s impossible.

Not All Sources Are Equal (NYT)

stress the importance of treason to the nation's interest

By ANTHONY LEWIS

Congress should pass legislation that makes clear the public interest in journalists’ confidentiality but leaves it to judges to weigh that against other social necessities.

Thanks to Mr. Chavez (NYT)

we love leftist dictators

If it takes Hugo Chavez’s demagogy to spur Washington toward more enlightened policies in the Americas, so be it.

The Wider Shame of Walter Reed (NYT)

the left protects helpless victim soldiers

anything other than helpless children is too complicated for propaganda

The president needs to learn that the horrors of the Iraq war can no longer be denied or hidden away.

A Libby Verdict (NYT)

the reason for invading Iraq was that the US as of 9/11 will no longer coinhabit the globe with 11th century governments. Iraq is the second one down.

The trial of I. Lewis Libby Jr. provided some of the clearest evidence yet that this administration did not get duped by faulty intelligence on Iraq.

Casualties of the Budget Wars (NYT)

does not mean there are no queues, which is a necessary part of efficient use or resources.

a certain amount of time is spent in waiting rooms in the best-run system.

By PAUL D. EATON

Some prescriptions on what should be done to make sure our fighting men and women get the care they need.

Manufacturing Misdemeanors (NYT)

poor hardest hit

The New York Police Department has been planting unattended bags in subway stations to see who might take them. It is clearly a poor use of resources.

No Comfort (NYT)

ancient grudges with modern weapons

What part of ``Japanese Army sex slaves'' does Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, have so much trouble understanding and apologizing for?

Free to Vote in Florida (NYT)

guest voter program

Florida is notorious for running elections badly, but its new governor is trying to fix one of the state’s most unjust and undemocratic practices.

The Right to Organize (NYT)

thug empowerment bill supported

If President Bush were truly committed to improving the lives of America’s middle class, he would support legislation that would strengthen the rights of employees to form unions.

Cloudy, With a Chance of Climate Change (NYT)

earth doomed

The Op-Ed page asked four writers from different corners of the globe to report on the erratic weather they’ve been experiencing. Here are their dispatches.

The Must-Do List (NYT)

need a must-do list to get NYT company stock off the floor too

Today we’re offering a list — which, sadly, is hardly exhaustive — of things that need to be done to reverse the unwise and lawless policies of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

A Suddenly Convenient Truth (NYT)

don't like Bush, I think is the point

This Bush administration’s confessions of doubt about a secret nuclear program in North Korea had less to do with a sudden burst of candor than the fact that Pyongyang has agreed to readmit nuclear inspectors.

Ground Zero Victims (NYT)

sort of like welfare

There should also be a fund to compensate those who have been made sick, modeled on the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund.

The Path to Citizenship (NYT)

leftist guest voter program

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez enthusiastically talked up guest-worker programs to the Senate on Wednesday, but pointedly left citizenship off the table.

A Historian’s Valedictory (NYT)

and an unintelligible writer for the NY times

By ROBERT B. SEMPLE JR.

At a lunch organized in his honor in December, Arthur Schlesinger Jr. spoke of “the relevance of history.”

A Pattern of Normal Drought (NYT)

no rain many moons

Climatologists have found a surprisingly detailed record of weather patterns that raises questions about how water is being used in the Southwest.

Locking Up the Ghost of Congress Past (NYT)

criminals tainted

We suggest that Congress hold an in-depth briefing on the Abramoff-Ney downfall — complete with cash-flow charts and poll data on how the scandal has tainted the public’s view of lawmakers.

Overkill (NYT)

backstabbed

The overnight destruction of a man’s career might not be the proudest moment for the advocates of gun rights.

No More Denials, Please (NYT)

paper swan scandal

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should appoint an impartial investigator to get to the bottom of an unfolding scandal in the Justice Department.

The Senate’s Forgotten Iraq Choice (NYT)

chafee presidency bid inexplicably rejected

By LINCOLN D. CHAFEE

We must not sidestep the fact that in October 2002 a sensible alternative to voting for the war did exist, but it was rejected.

A Grand Time for Opera (NYT)

women and the poor hardest hit

The selection of Gerard Mortier as general manager and artistic director of the New York City Opera heralds the opening of a dynamic era for opera at Lincoln Center.

Pain Relief, Step by Step (NYT)

tax policy not informed by idea

The overall message of a scientific statement issued by the American Heart Association this week is that one should use the lowest effective dose of the safest drug for the shortest period of time.

The Jose Padilla Trial (NYT)

criminal trials of German prisoners of war rememebered

Mr. Padilla’s trial has been a reminder of how the president’s policy on prisoners has compromised the judicial process.

After the Sell-Off (NYT)

advice given

Tuesday’s stock market decline could turn out to have been a garden-variety correction. But major market participants would be wise to rethink their assumptions.