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an independent newspaper EDITORIALS
is now flowing to the states, but since, for many, the crisis was less dramatic than had been described, lo- cal school districts are now looking for creative ways to use the money. Let’s hope that they are smarter than those who engineered this boondoggle and that they do not waste taxpayer dollars on programs that can’t be sustained or policies that don’t work. Congress, egged on by its Democratic leaders and the Obama administration, approved $10 billion in new education spending, ostensibly to save hun- dreds of thousands of imperiled teacher jobs. With schools in session, it’s even clearer now than it was then that the numbers were exaggerated and that
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view didn’t jibe with the thrust of Gov. Martin O’Mal- ley’s reelection campaign, which has emphasized Maryland’s success in adding jobs this year as it dug out of the recession. Hence the frantic attempt to air- brush history, which ended in Keystone Kops fash- ion with officials wondering if the offending analysis had been scrubbed from cyberspace for good. It hadn’t. Now the episode features prominently in the campaign ads of Mr. O’Malley’s Republican rival, Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., who is making hay of the fact that — surprise! — Maryland is suffering from eco- nomic travails along with the rest of the country. As in campaigns elsewhere, the questions of job- lessness and job creation have figured prominently in Maryland’s gubernatorial race. Mr. O’Malley (D) has rightly pointed out that Maryland’s jobless rate is significantly below the national average. But he was on thin ice by citing, and seeming to take credit for, the five consecutive months of job creation the state enjoyed this year. As economists have pointed out, the national economic recovery has been fragile and uncertain; woe to the candidate who links his fortunes to an indicator as volatile as the un- employment rate. Still, Mr. Ehrlich has made too much of the slight uptick in Maryland’s joblessness rate in August (to 7.3 percent from 7.1 percent in July) and the brief analysis purged from the state’s Web site. (Posted briefly Aug. 20, it said Maryland’s recovery had “stalled.”) Despite hard times, Maryland has the 13th-lowest percentage of people out of work in the nation; many states with lower rates are sparsely populated places such as the Dakotas and Wyoming. And while joblessness everywhere was much lower in 2006, at the conclusion of Mr. Ehrlich’s four-year term as governor, Maryland was actually lower in the national unemployment rankings — in 16th place — than it is now. Mr. Ehrlich has argued that Mr. O’Malley’s tax in- crease in late 2007, shortly before the recession hit, has undercut small business and crippled hiring. There is little evidence of that; although Maryland has a heavier tax burden than some neighbors, such as Virginia, its economy has performed roughly in line with the region’s and remains healthier than the nation’s as a whole. The state’s strengths — including its proximity to the federal employment engine, a well-educated population and generally good schools — have given it something of a buffer during the downturn. Mr. Ehrlich (who has his own record as a tax rais- er) promises a “fundamental shift in attitude” that will bring the state a windfall of new jobs. His agen- da includes lower taxes (though he won’t say what spending he’d cut to pay for them), a streamlined un- employment insurance system, a focus on building the technology sector and a “complete regulatory re- view” aimed at greasing the wheels of state bureauc- racy for small business and entrepreneurs. Mr. O’Malley has his own jobs agenda, not terribly differ- ent from Mr. Ehrlich’s, that includes tax credits for job creation and small business, an emphasis on so- called green jobs and help for the biotechnology in- dustry. Both reflect the governing philosophies of two middle-of-the-road candidates whose ability to create jobs depends largely on the vacillations of the region’s, and the nation’s, economy.
A Maryland’s
jobs debate What a suppressed report about the state economy does, and doesn’t, reveal
MID A PANICKY exchange of e-mails, Mary- land officials removed a downbeat assess- ment of the state’s economic fortunes that had been posted online in August. The re-
The teacher crisis was overstated, but the funds came anyway. Now what?
o urgent was the supposed need for Con- gress to forestall a catastrophic loss of teacher jobs that the House was called back from its summer recess and money looted from the food stamp program. That money
the measure was in no small part intended to moti- vate the powerful teachers unions for this fall’s mid- term elections. What then to do with the EduJobs money? School
officials in Fairfax County are wrestling with that question amid mounting pressure from teacher rep- resentatives to use the funds for a pay raise. Salaries have been frozen for two years, but board members would be foolish to use these one-time funds for a pay raise that will be baked into all future budgets. What happens when not only this money goes away but so does the rest of the federal stimulus funding? Indeed, it’s that worry about the future that has prompted Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) — wisely, to our mind — to sock away most of the mon- ey for future education needs. In a letter to the state’s local school superintendents, Mr. O’Malley ex- plained that 20 percent of the $179 million allocated
to Maryland would be used to increase 2011 appro- priations for local systems while 80 percent would be substituted for previously appropriated general funds. That subsequent general fund savings would be set aside for 2012 education expenses in an ar- rangement state officials say meets federal require- ments.
Another useful idea was suggested by education
reformers when Congress was debating the bill: Use the money to drive change. States that are consider- ing increased compensation for teachers should in- sist on changes in personnel policies that now re- quire the last hired to be the first fired. Alternatively, they could use the money to reward teachers who work in schools with the biggest challenges. Just be- cause national leaders lacked the spine to put this money to the best use doesn’t mean local leaders can’t show the way.
TOM TOLES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2010
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
dletters@washpost.com
Obama now owns the Afghan war I am an unabashed liberal and rarely agree with
Charles Krauthammer on anything. But the points he made in his column “A mistake worth dying for?” [op-ed, Oct. 1] are well taken. Afghanistan became President Obama’s war when he tripled the size of our forces there. That was a mis- take, as was setting a deadline for withdrawal of our forces. If he had instead immediately ended our in- volvement there, he would have saved countless lives and resources that could have been put to better use. Also, he would have validated the trust placed in him by the Norwegian Nobel Committee members who, as Mr. Krauthammer suggested, were out of their skulls in awarding Mr. Obama that coveted prize. When it comes to war and occupying a foreign
country, it’s a lot easier to get in than to get out. Mr. Obama wants his legacy to be health care and educa- tion. Unfortunately, as George W. Bush’s legacy was a misguided, immoral, illegal war in Iraq, Mr. Obama’s legacy may turn out to be a useless, perpetual war in Afghanistan. God knows what that will cost us in blood and treasure.
GORDONBENNETT, Coatesville, Pa.
Give India points for the Games Regarding Jason Overdorf ’s Oct. 3 Outlook arti-
cle, “The games just started, but India has already lost”:
While Mr. Overdorf correctly pointed out the or-
ganizational failures plaguing the Commonwealth Games, I take issue with his argument that the ability to successfully stage a sports extravaganza is an indicator of India’s viability as a nation. The Soviet Union put on a grand show at the 1980Mos- cow Olympics, yet disintegrated a decade later. The glitz and glamour of a sporting spectacle,
even if successfully staged, can hide a multitude of failures. India’s dance to development will be dif- ferent from China’s march, as democracy, individ- ual rights and independent media do matter in a large and pluralistic society such as India. Note that India’s media have been unsparing in their criticism of the organizers, something unthink- able in the China that is approvingly cited in the article.
So cheer up,Mr. Overdorf, enjoy the Games and rest assured that India will continue on long after you and I have left the planet. KANNANNATARAJAN, Rockville
Strong anti-bullying stance needed Thank you for printing Petula Dvorak’s column
“For bullied gay teens, the world is far from accept- ing” [Metro, Oct. 5]. As recent events have shown, young people face all sorts of challenges when struggling with their identities and sharing who they are. This is a wider societal issue that we cannot ig- nore. We cannot sit back as more young people are harassed and bullied for being who they are, or for who they are perceived to be. Our country needs to take a stronger stance against bullying among young people. Schools need to create stronger anti- bullying policies. We need to create a cultural shift toward acceptance. This shift starts with you and me, by being more accepting, loving others, judging less. But it goes all the way up to our government and to those in power. We need to see a stronger stance from our elected
officials, from our news media, from our teachers and principals: Bullying and harassment are not to be tolerated. It’s time that acceptance is the cultural value we put first. KAYLEYHARRINGTON, Oakland, Calif.
Getting it right on interrogations What happened to Eric Holder’s reforms?
Mr. Shahzad is the would-be Times Square bomber whose efforts in May literally and mer- cifully fizzled, sparing dozens of lives. The case has in many ways been a success for law enforce- ment: Mr. Shahzad was captured within 48 hours of his violent attempt; he provided valu- able intelligence and evidence, according to fed- eral officials; and after pleading guilty to all charges he was sentenced to life without parole on Tuesday — a mere five months after his ar- rest. Forgotten has been the intense debate sur- rounding Mr. Shahzad’s interrogation. The nat- uralized U.S. citizen was initially questioned un- der a public safety exception to Miranda — the case that articulated a suspect’s right to be in- formed of his right to counsel. This exception al- lows law enforcement to glean information to defuse an imminent threat; the Obama adminis- tration has said it believes that window lasts for only a few hours before cases and interrogators are imperiled for violating the suspect’s rights. Soon after the Shahzad arrest, Attorney Gen-
A
eral Eric H. Holder Jr. announced his intention to work with Congress to give the government more flexibility, including additional time for
MANHATTAN FEDERAL courtroom was the stage Tuesday for the anticli- mactic end to United States v. Faisal Shahzad.
non-Miranda questioning and a longer lag time before suspects have to be presented in court. The measure would allow the government to collect important information to disrupt a ter- rorist organization, as well as to avert an imme- diate threat. Mr. Holder wisely stipulated that the proposal would include federal court over- sight to guard against possible abuses. This sensible, measured idea has gone no- where. Initial talks stalled after some House and Senate Democratic leaders feared that Repub- licans would seize on the proposal to ram through conservative initiatives, including a mandate that all terrorism suspects be tried in military commissions. Others worried about alienating the party’s liberal base. Yet others ar- gued that the federal system already provides as much wiggle room as law enforcement needs. This last argument at least deals with the sub- stance of the proposal, but we fear it may prove inadequate in some future case. Experts in lawful and humane interrogations
say that time is essential in building rapport and extracting useful information. Additional time may not have been needed with Mr. Shahzad, who apparently was happy to talk. The same may not be true with the next suspect. This idea deserves to be fleshed out and fully aired, and Mr. Holder should renew his efforts after the midterm elections.
LOCAL OPINIONS 3Join the debate at
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Put wonks aside; let college labels create themselves Regarding the Sept. 24 front-page article
“American University, now home to the ‘Amer- ican wonk’ ”: Colleges’ self-prescribed labels of- ten end up misleading prospec- tive students, and universities should stop trying to label their students with generalized brands. “You can never become some- thing you’re not,” a spokesman for a branding agency said. And yet American University seems to be trying anyway, because they’re endorsing a new “wonk” moniker that many of their stu- dents don’t agree with. The university is forcing this label on itself.
The problem is that prospective students who don’t associate with a college’s brand will imme-
Universities must learn that forced brands are false ones.
diately assume that the school isn’t right for them, while the ones who do will wrongly expect that the brand applies to all current students. The result is an incoming class that is bound for dis- appointment, because the school can’t live up to what the labels promise. In reality, universities such
as American use these labels to mold the future student bodies that they want, not to represent current ones. This kind of artificial label-mak- ing will only create dissatisfied students. The universities must learn that forced brands are false ones. My advice? Let the labels create themselves. EVANVAN TASSELL, Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
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Getting smart about infrastructure
Ezra Klein is on target in “Infrastructure: The best deal in the economy” [Sunday Business, Oct. 3] when he says “there has never been a better moment for America to rebuild its infrastructure — and re- form the way it makes infrastructure decisions go- ing forward.”
At the top of my reform list would be: Let’s get
smart about where our new and refurbished infra- structure goes and about exactly what that infra- structure is. The simplest route is to replace or re- pair existing infrastructure, but that’s not smart. In terms of where: We need to use our infrastructure investment to build compact walkable neighbor- hoods, not automobile-centric sprawl. In terms of what: We need to focus on renewable energy, public transit, bike trails and walking routes, and water and sewer upgrades that support existing and new dense, mixed-use communities. Just returning high- ways to their 1970 mint condition is not the way to invest wisely.
DAVID W. SEARS, Bethesda
The writer is vice chair of the executive committee of the Sierra Club’s Montgomery County Group.
Awaiting the Nationals’ next move
The logical conclusion from James Flack’s refer- ences to the successful Minnesota Twins and Texas Rangers [“Believing in the Nationals,” letters, Oct. 6] is not, as he states, that Washington Nationals fans “gotta have heart,” but that Nationals fans gotta wait until the team moves to another city. TEDHOCHSTADT, Falls Church
Valentine massacre? Drunks did it
Following Robert Linden’s logic that Americans’ use of illegal drugs drives drug violence in Mexico [“Halting Mexico’s drug violence,” letters, Oct. 5], one would assert that those “ultimately responsible for the violence” of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre were Prohibition-era revelers and drunks. PHILIPM. MAGUIRE, Falls Church
Taking our country back from whom? Richard Cohen appears to lament the “angry” Tea
Party rhetoric of “taking our country back” [“When words can kill,” op-ed, Oct. 5]. He asks, “From whom?” In 2004, Howard Dean, in his speech announcing that he was dropping out of the presidential race, said, “You have the power to take our country back.” On Aug. 26, 2008, Hillary Clinton said, “My friends, it is time to take back the country we love.” Now, did Mr. Cohen ask “from whom?” when these Democrats uttered these words? Will the double stan- dards ever cease?
KENNETHCOHEN, Alexandria
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