A18


EZ


RE


KLMNO ABCDE


ANINDEPENDENTNEWSPAPER EDITORIALS


Losing out in Latin America President Obama has no good reasons for stalling on trade deals with Colombia and Panama.


Colombia and Panama? Alas, the administration’s answer still appears to be “not yet.” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs announced Friday that the presidentwould not be submitting the Colom- bia or Panama free-trade deals to Congress any- time soon, ostensibly because they don’t com- mand majority support. This is getting ridiculous. Both of these Latin


A


American countries, longtime friends of the Unit- edStates—ina regionwhere it’snot always easy to be America’s friend — made tariff-slashing agree- ments with the Bush administration in late 2006. Thereafter, the deals languished because of objec- tions fromtheDemocratic Congress. In the case of Panama, the ostensible concerns were the pres- ence of the alleged killer of an American soldier in Panama’s national legislature and the lack of transparency in the country’s banking and corpo- rate-registry sectors. With a new government in


A backfire in Belarus


An attempt to cultivate ‘Europe’s last dictator’ ends badly.


F


ORSEVERALyears,diplomats intheEuro- peanUnionhavenourishedthenotionthat Belarusan President Alexander Lukashen- ko, long known as “Europe’s last dictator,”


could be teased away fromhis alliancewithRussia and induced to lead his country toward genuine independence and democracy. On Sunday night, that project blew up in Minsk’s Independence Square. Tensof thousandsofBelarusanshadgatheredto


protest apresidential electionthat appears tohave been stolen by Mr. Lukashenko. Though polls showed the 16-year incumbent had the support of less than 40 percent of citizens, the president proclaimed that he had won 79.6 percent of the votes in a competition with nine challengers. An official observationmissionfromtheOrganization of Security and Cooperation in Europe saw plenty of ballot-stuffing; the vote count, it said, was “bad and very bad in almost half of all observed polling stations.” The opposition protest was the largest ever


staged against Mr. Lukashenko — a sign that the country may finally have had enough of his Soviet-style regime. But then his security forces moved in. They attacked the protesters, beating many and arresting several hundred. Opposition activists, journalists and evenartists inother parts of the city were rounded up. ByMonday, seven of the nine opposition presidential candidates were reported arrested; one, Vladimir Neklyayev, was missing after having been beaten unconscious. In a single stroke,Mr. Lukashenko thus spelled


the end of efforts by the European Union and the United States to cultivate him. A $3.6 billion package of European aid he was offered in ex- change for holding a free and fair election will surely be scrapped. The Obama administration, which recently struck a deal with the regime to remove its stockpile of highly enriched uranium,


t last, theObama administrationhas cut a dealwith SouthKorea, paving theway for congressional approval of a long- stalled free-trade agreement with that crucial Asian ally. Now, what about


power inPanamaCity since July 2009, those issues have been addressed. All that remains is to take advantage of newopportunities forU.S. exports in a small country with which the United States already enjoys a $4.5 billion annual trade surplus. As for Colombia, free trade would also be


lopsided in favor of the United States. Colombia already enjoys duty-free access to the U.S.market under existing laws benefiting Andean nations threatened by drug traffic. The trade agreement would give U.S. exporters similarly free access to Colombia’s market. The argument against con- gressional approval has been Colombia’s purport- ed neglect of human rights, specifically for trade unionists. In truth, though the record is not perfect, there has been dramatic improvement across theboardonhumanrights inColombiaover thepastdecade.Only27unionmembershavebeen killed in Colombia this year—in contrast to 196 in 2002—and it is not clear that theywere killed for political reasons.Meanwhile,homicides ingeneral have fallen from nearly 29,000 in 2002 to under 11,500 this year. The Obama administration, however, has con-


tinued to drag its heels on Colombia and Panama free trade, in deference to U.S. labor unions—for whom the very phrase “free trade” seems to be anathema, regardless of the economic merits of any particular deal. Meanwhile, Colombia has approved free-trade agreements with the Europe- anUnion andCanada, putting theUnited States at a competitive disadvantage — and raising the question of why the United States, but not these democratic powers, should scruple about trading with Colombia. Indeed,Colombia is in danger of losing its usual


preferences in theUnited States; theymay lapse at the end of this year amid partisan wrangling in Congress over extraneous trade matters. Recent floods have killed 300 Colombians, left 2 million homeless and caused $5 billion in damage, adding a humanitarian argument to the already convinc- ing economic and strategic case for stronger U.S.-Colombian ties. The Obama administration, supposedly intent on boosting exports and the domestic jobs they create,must stop equivocating and add Panama and Colombia to its free-trade priorities in the newCongress.


TOMTOLES


TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2010


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR dletters@washpost.com


Whose weasel words on taxes? I read Kathleen Parker’s Dec. 19 column, “Wash-


ington’s weasel words,” with great interest. But I was concerned, even alarmed, at her parable about taxes, featuring Joe,whois$100in the holeandspends like a drunken fool, andMary, who could give five bucks to help Joe but does not want to. The parable concludes that Joe would just go deeper into debt if Mary gave him money.Ms. Parker appears to be an apologist forMary not giving to Joe—ormaybe even to Tiny Tim. Clearly, the hapless Joe represents the federal


government,andself-righteousMary epitomizes the wealthy taxpayer. This parable weasels out of telling the whole story. As I recall, Joe gaveMary billions of dollars in tax cuts in 2001 and 2003. Joe rescued Mary in theWall Street bailout of 2008, giving her a healthy bonus instead of unemployment.Mary’s oil stock enjoyed incredible profits for most of the decade, because Joe did not release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve that could have brought down record gasoline prices. Also, Mary’s portfolio in defense-related companies went sky- high, thanks to Joe starting wars in 2001 and 2003. Mary has gotten richer over the years, while Joe


has gone deeper into debt. It would seem that Joe spends like a drunken fool because Mary and her lobbyists profit from it. Is it really that unfair to ask Mary to pay her fair share to Joe, given all the benefits he has given her?


David B. Miller, Arlington l


Deriding the argument for increasing taxes on


the super-wealthy,Kathleen Parker wrote, “Allowing wealthier Americans to keep the amount of money they are now getting isn’t adding to the debt.” True enough, but that was not anybody’s argument for increasing those taxes; the argument was that the increase would lower the debt. She added: “Blaming the rich for Washington’s


problems is a distortion by dishonest brokers.” In all mywonkishreadingsandlistenings about this topic, no one has blamed the rich; blame has fallen solely on the legislators who opposed that tax increase. Proponents of the increase did not argue that the rich were being greedy; they argued that opponents were being ideologically rigid. In her column, Ms. Parker assailed carefully


crafted language about deficits and taxes that blurs the truth. Her own carefully crafted language blurred truths into strawarguments. Edward M. Cohen, Arlington l


Kathleen Parker used an analogy to make her


point about “language distortion” regarding the Democrats and the deficit. “Every analogy limps,” a teacher once assured


me, and I found that Ms. Parker’s analogy limped badly, adding to the distortion she deplores. In developing her analogy, she framedthe issue in such a way that the government’s debt becomes “anoth- er’s debt.” I thought it was “our” debt. Robert Stewart, Chantilly


The Gilbert Arenas I’ll miss I’ve been a partial season ticketholder forWash-


ingtonWizardsgamesformorethan 15 years, butmy favorite memory of Gilbert Arenas, traded to the Orlando Magic last week [Sports, Dec. 19], comes from a Washington Mystics game that I attended about four years ago. It was breast cancer awareness night, and fans had been given a pink baseball cap to recognize the occasion. At halftime,Mr. Arenas, who was in attendance,


issued an appropriately harsh statement in which it condemned the repression and said itwould not accept the election results as legitimate. Mr.Lukashenko,whohasbeentryingtoplay the


West and Russia against each other,may now feel he can find succor inMoscow, which declared his crackdown “an internal matter for Belarus.” But Westerngovernments shouldensure thathepays a price for his behavior. Sanctions against Mr. Lukashenko and key associates should be reinstat- ed and strengthened, with special attention for


Off limits Who gave the keys to city-owned buildings to the D.C. Democratic State Committee? N


O ONE WOULD think it okay for the Republican Party to hold a partisan can- didates’ debate in the Capitol rotunda. Democratswouldknowbetter thantouse


Dirksen office space to stuff party fundraising envelopes.The linebetweenproperuse of govern- ment resources and party politics is pretty clear. Except, it seems, in the District of Columbia. Here, one-party rule has resulted in such


coziness between government and party officials that the use of District facilities for partisan events apparently has become business as usual. Lastweek, for example, theD.C.Democratic State Committee held a forum in the old Council Chambers at the District-owned building at One


3Join the debate at washingtonpost.com/localopinions LOCAL OPINIONS


A bad trip saved by a good Samaritan — on the Metro Recently, we flew to Vermont to attend a


friend’s memorial service and visit with his family. The return trip to Reagan National Airport was delayed by several hours. By the time we finally boarded a Metro train, it was close to 10:30 p.m.Wewereexhausted.Oneof us, Ernie, had a suitcase and a briefcase to carry. During the transfer to the Red Line, Ernie inadvertently left his briefcase behind. By the time he realized this, we had boarded the Red Line train, and the briefcase was a solo passen- ger on the Yellow Line. We thought that the briefcase, which held


Ernie’s wallet with credit cards, driver’s license, Medicare and Blue Cross cards, newsound-can- celing earphones, iPod, cellphone and other goodies, would soon have a new“owner.” We started making a list of all the items, and


we were nearly to the Rockville Metro station when Toni decided to call Ernie’s cellphone just in case. A young woman answered and identi- fied herself as Lily. She said she had the briefcase, that she was at the Gallery Place station, and that she would wait for us. The return trip to Gallery Place from Shady Grove took time. When we arrived and met Lily, she had been waiting for about an hour and a half. We hugged her and thanked her.We offered her a reward, but she refused, saying that she was happy to return something lost to its owner. Although we were exhausted, that moment


restored us and our faith in people. Lily demon- strated to us that goodness is still alive and well, and that performing a charitable act is its own reward.Merry Christmas and thank you, Lily. Ernie and Toni Marquez, Montgomery Village


Judiciary Square for candidates seeking an at- large city council seat soon to be vacant. The committee is charged under theD.C. charterwith appointing a replacement for Kwame Brown (D) — elected chairman of the D.C. Council — until a special election is held in the spring. No one can quarrel with the desire to open up the process to the public — but in a government building? It’s indefensible; D.C. law naturally prohibits the use of District government resources for campaign- related activities. What’s most troubling is that no one seems to


bat an eye at the practice.Howelse to explain the brazenness of the party to showcase on its Web site a picture ofmembers seated at a table in the


John A. Wilson Building stuffing invitations to the party’s annual Kennedys King Gala? A Demo- cratic Party official said the party sought permis- sion through proper government channels and that it’s not unusual for the party to use public facilities. The D.C. Republican Committee has finally


taken umbrage at the practice and has filed a formal complaint with the Office of Campaign Finance. The agency will determine whether to launch a preliminary investigation. It shouldn’t have to come to that;Mayor-elect Vincent C.Gray (D) and Mr. Brown should make clear that this misuse of government resourceswill endimmedi- ately.


ABCDE


EUGENE MEYER, 1875-1959 • PHILIP L. GRAHAM, 1915-1963 KATHARINE GRAHAM, 1917-2001


BOISFEUILLET JONES JR., Chairman KATHARINE WEYMOUTH, Publisher and Chief Executive Officer News pages:


MARCUS W. BRAUCHLI Executive Editor


RAJU NARISETTI, Managing Editor ELIZABETH SPAYD, Managing Editor


SHIRLEY CARSWELL Deputy Managing Editor


Editorial and opinion pages: FRED HIATT


Deputy Editorial Page Editor Business and advertising:


STEPHEN P. HILLS, President and General Manager KENNETH R. BABBY, Chief Revenue Officer/GM, Digital


Vice Presidents


ROGER ANDELIN....................................................................................Technology BENJAMIN C. BRADLEE...............................................................................At Large USHA CHAUDHARY .............................................................Finance & Admin/CFO JAMES W. COLEY JR............................................................................... Production L. WAYNE CONNELL ..................................................................Human Resources LEONARD DOWNIE JR. ...............................................................................At Large WENDY EVANS ......................................................................................Advertising GREGG J. FERNANDES ..........................................................................Circulation JOHN B. KENNEDY ........................................................................................Labor ERIC N. LIEBERMAN....................................................................................Counsel CHRISTOPHER MA..............................................................................Development STEVE STUP.................................................................................Digital Advertising


The Washington Post Company: 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 (202) 334-6000 DONALD E. GRAHAM, Chairman of the Board


Editorial Page Editor JACKSON DIEHL


CLARIFICATION A Dec. 16 editorial referred to Rep. Randy


Neugebauer (R-Tex.) as the incoming chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees mortgage fi- nance entities FannieMae and FreddieMac. While Mr. Neugebauer’s subcommittee has general over- sight responsibilities, the subcommittee with spe- cific jurisdiction over Fannie and Freddie will be chaired in the next Congress by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.)


dLetters can be sent to letters@washpost.com. Submissions must be exclusive to The Post and should include the writer’s address and day and evening telephone numbers.


those involved in Sunday’s events. The episode may also offer President Obama a


chance to explore whether the “reset” of U.S.- Russian relations can be extended to Belarus. For its own reasons, theKremlin despisesMr. Lukash- enko, and the Russian media it controls have cynically campaigned for the opposition. This would be a good time to challenge the government of Vladimir Putin to give up its imperialist ambi- tions in the region and cooperate in isolating a regime that is overdue for change.


began to make his way toward the Wizards locker room as fans came flocking toward him to get him to sign their hats. I watched asMr. Arenas stood there for the entire halftime, patiently signing each hat. That’s the big-hearted, lovable Gilbert Arenas that many of usWashington fans will remember. Roger S. Glass, Washington


A roundabout way to Rosslyn I have been ridingMetroBus since I moved to the


area in 1967, but I have never had a trip like I did last Wednesday. I boarded a 5A bus at Dulles Interna- tional Airport at about 6:25 p.m.; my intended destination was the Rosslyn Metro station. But the bus driver missed the exit from Interstate 66 to Lee Highway and continued past Rosslyn onto Virginia Route 110, where he yelled, “Don’t worry, I am going back.” The driver turned off Route 110 into the grounds


of the Iwo JimaMemorial, where he circled around, unable to find hisway to theMetro station, and then pulled back onto Route 110. We waited for several minutes at the intersection while he tried to cross the highway and head back to Rosslyn. Finally, he turned south on the highway to Crystal City, crossed the 14th Street Bridge and continued on to L’Enfant Plaza, where he stopped the bus at about 7:45 p.m. I don’t know whether he was returning to Rosslyn, but I left the busandtookMetrorail back to Virginia. David Monahan, Falls Church


No puppies in Santa’s sack I thought that Betsy Karasik, in her otherwise


excellent Dec. 18 op-ed on acquiring pets from sheltersandrescueorganizations,wasgoing towarn people about buying anyone a puppy for Christmas. This is probably the worst time of year to acquire a dog: heightened activity around the holiday, loose decorations and food around the house, and inclem- entweather thatmakes house-training difficult.Any other time, when full attention can be paid to the newmember of the family, would be better. Sheila L. Cohen, Chevy Chase


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56