THE AXIS OF EVIL
Bush not eliminating any option in dealing with Iraq (Washington Times, Feb. 14)
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM
Despite the best efforts of Republican leaders in the House, the Shays Meehan bill, which would regulate soft money, passed today. It will not go into effect until the day after the 2002 congressional elections.
Soft money is a loophole in the campaign finance law that passed after Watergate. While current law regulates money to individual candidates, anyone can give any amount of money to a political party. Democrats and Republicans each make about $250 million in soft money every election year. The Shays Meehan bill, if it passes the Senate and Bush does not veto it, will regulate such donations.
News analysis about campaign finance: A bid to change, an uncertain future (NYT Feb. 14)
House passes campaign finance (NYT Feb. 14)
GOP unable to alter campaign bill (Washington Times Feb. 14)
Excerpts from the House debate on campaign finance (NYT Feb. 14)
Daschle promises quick action on campaign finance reform in Senate (NYT Feb. 14)
ENRON
Fixing what Enron broke (Opinion column by Donald Lambro, Washington Times, Feb. 14)
Understanding Enron: A Washington Post Primer
A Washington Post timeline and explanation
A New York Times Primer
Also make sure to check out opinion columns by economist Paul Krugman of The New York Times, who has written extensively on the Enron affair.
THE BUDGET
President Bush unveiled his proposal for a $2.13 trillion budget Feb 4. The budget raises defense spending more than any president since Reagan, and cuts funds for many social programs. It also ties funding to performance - departments labeled inefficient by a government panel face funding cuts. The Pentagon, which the panel also found to be inefficient, will still receive an 11 percent budget increase.
The New York Times
Bush unveils $2.13 trillion budget
Bush budget links dollars to deeds with new ratings
Rise in budget is not enough, general plans to testify (news Feb. 5)
An indefensible military budget (opinion Feb. 7)
An Axis-of-Inefficiency budget (editorial by the NYT staff Feb. 5) - This is an editorial by a retired admiral and the chairman of Business Executives for National Security. They say that President Bush should not throw more money at a Pentagon that cannot spend it efficiently. They say 70 percent of the Pentagonís budget goes to bureaucracy.
Bush's aggressive accounting (editorial by Paul Krugman Feb. 5) -
This is a much harsher and more emotional editorial than the standard NYT staff editorials. It says, among other things, that Bush's military budget increases are for cold-war era equipment not suitable for the kind of modern warfare weíre waging in Afghanistan - in other words, it's wasteful. It also says that Bush uses Enron-like accounting gimmicks to hide the true cost of the budget, and chastises Bush for using funds previously reserved for Social Security and Medicare
The Washington Post
Bush unveils $2.13 trillion budget
Bush proposes defense increases, cuts elsewhere (news story Feb. 5)
Bush to seek deep cuts in domestic programs (news Feb. 3)
For a more conservative perspective, see the Washington Times
Bush Unveils $2.13 trillion budget (news story Feb. 4)
The budget: Bush's other battle (opinion by Donald Lambro)
Maintaining the conservative vision (opinion by Donald Devine)
THE RECESSION AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Many ride out recession in graduate school harbor (NYT, news Jan 24) -
Some graduate schools have received increases as high as 100 percent in the number of applications recieved.
Hard pressed parents fall behind on tuition (NYT, news Feb. 3)
College and money - plastic: handle with care (NYT Jan. 13, payment required)
THE TWINS
Court refuses to hear Twins appeal (Strib Feb. 4) -
Minnesota' s Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal of an injunction that forces the Twins to fulfill their Metrodome lease, all but killing baseball' s contraction plan for this season.
Bud Selig folds; no teams will be cut in 2002 (Star Tribune Feb. 6)
Lumps to you, Mr. Selig But Minnesota won't get any breaks from baseball (Pioneer Press. Feb. 6) -
A sports column by Tom Powers about how Bud Selig vowed to keep fighting for contraction. The column says Selig folded because of the courts' decision only.
Ventura softens stance on Twins (Pioneer Press)
Watkins seeks gold in garbage (Pioneer Press)
Can Donald Watkins really save the Twins? (Star Tribune Jan. 31)
Watkins reply to 'Can Donald Watkins really save the Twins?' (Star Tribune Feb. 6)
Twins suitor Watkins to meet with city officials today (Strib Feb. 6)
Twins cleared, but for how long? (Strib Feb. 5)
