My brother David and I have long supported the principles that help societies prosper. I have actively done so for nearly 50 years, as has my brother for more than 40.In recent years, we have stepped up our efforts to deal with the enormous threats to the future well-being of the people of this country. This has prompted some extreme criticism. From the White House to fringe bloggers, we are now b

Since 2003, the California Chamber of Commerce has published an annual hit list of bills it labels job killers. The list has included legislation to protect consumers, workers and the environment and to raise revenue to fund public services or support middle- and working-class families.No politician ― Democrat or Republican ― wants to be known as someone who kills jobs, so many of them will avoid

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan ― As the war grinds toward its endgame, and administration officials debate how fast to draw down troops and whether to talk to the Taliban, I got a startling earful on both subjects ― from one of Afghanistan’s most powerful and controversial leaders, Ahmed Wali Karzai, President Hamid Karzai’s younger brother.I interviewed AWK, as he is known, in his two-story office behind

The wage levels of national public servants have been determined based on recommendations by the National Personnel Authority every year since 1948. The system makes up for the restrictions imposed on government workers’ basic labor rights, including the right to strike.Without the NPA’s recommendations, the Kan administration plans to reduce the wages of national public servants. It aims to use t

Northeast Asia, namely China, Japan and the two Koreas, has been engaged in brisk top-level meetings since last weekend to address the increasingly complex issues involving the region. While North Korean leader Kim Jong-il was touring China, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao discussed security, trade and disaster control in a sum

Forcible demolitions will not stop unless local government leaders are made to realize that they have to pay a price for exploiting land to earn revenue. The amended regulations on requisition and compensation for State-owned land took effect on Jan. 21, but only a few local land and resources officials have been punished. The central government, therefore, has to take some strict measures to ensu

It does not seem a very wise move that a group of South Korean lawmakers would visit one of the Kuril islands, the subject of a long-standing territorial dispute between Russia and Japan, as part of their campaign to manifest Korea’s sovereignty over Dokdo islands in the East Sea. First of all, there is little similarity between Dokdo and any of the four islands which have been under Russian juris

President Obama’s recent speech in El Paso, Texas, addressing America’s broken immigration policy was very disappointing to immigrant advocates, the Latino community and anyone concerned about human rights.He offered only a vague assessment of the issue, and ignored calls by leading Latino politicians, most notably Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Illinois, to use his executive powers to take decisive actio

The newest slumlord in Los Angeles is a pillar of German capitalism. Earlier this month, the city attorney’s office filed suit against Deutsche Bank, the world’s fourth-largest bank, for letting many of the more than 2,000 L.A. homes it has foreclosed on descend into squalor and decay.A yearlong city investigation of the properties on which Deutsche Bank foreclosed turned up tenants compelled to l

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is visiting China again, accompanied by his top economic officials. It is the reclusive and ailing leader’s third visit to China in a short span of one year, with the previous two visits made in May and August last year. Kim’s frequent visits to China indicate Pyongyang has made little progress in tackling its deepening economic, political and social problems. The p

The government has launched an investigation into the allegations that U.S. Forces Korea buried tons of Agent Orange at Camp Carrol in Waegwan, about 30 km north of Daegu, in 1978. The Ministry of Environment sent an inspection team to the camp area Friday to verify whether the claims, put forward by three U.S. veterans who served at the military base, are true. The three veterans told a U.S. TV s