The Korea Herald

[Jeffrey D. Sachs] America’s ungovernable budget policy

ViewpointsFeb 1, 2011

NEW YORK ― The heart of any government is found in its budget. Politicians can make endless promises, but if the budget doesn’t add up, politics is little more than mere words.The United States is now caught in such a bind. In his recent State of the Union address, President Barack Obama painted a convincing picture of modern, 21st century government. His Republican Party opponents complained that
[Saree Makdisi] Craven ‘leaders’ offer to sell out Palestinian people

ViewpointsFeb 1, 2011

A massive archive of documents leaked to al-Jazeera and Britain’s Guardian newspaper offers irrefutable proof that years of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians have been an empty sham. The papers make clear that the time has come for Palestinians and anyone interested in the cause of justice to abandon the charade of official diplomacy and pursue other, more creative and nonviolent path
[Brian Blase] Repealing new entitlements to reduce deficit

ViewpointsFeb 1, 2011

In his State of the Union address, President Obama said that repealing his health-care law would increase the deficit by $230 billion. While technically true according to Congressional Budget Office estimates, this statement is misleading.In CBO’s own words: “(the) legislation contained a set of provisions ... which CBO and (Joint Committee on Taxation) estimated would have a gross cost of about $
[Kim Seong-kon] Funny car names and awkward titles

ViewpointsFeb 1, 2011

Cultural differences often inspire harmless laughter among individuals. For example, rumors say that the Americans’ favorite car, the Chevy Nova, did not sell in South America because Nova literally means ‘no go’ or ‘doesn’t go’ in Spanish. When GM executives changed the car’s name to the Chevy Caribe, sales increased considerably. This funny anecdote well illustrates the fact that you should thin
[Editorial] Lee and media

EditorialJan 31, 2011

When he faced a high wave of public protests over the U.S. beef import issue in 2008, the just-inaugurated President Lee Myung-bak vowed to enhance “public communication.” The president had a painful recognition that the arrogance from having earned the highest supporting rate in recent elections had quickly turned the people away from the new administration. About the harm of mad cow disease, the
[Editorial] FKI chairman

EditorialJan 31, 2011

The Federation of Korean Industries, the lobbying body for larger businesses, has been virtually headless for the past seven months since its chairman, Cho Suk-rae, 75, of the Hyosung Group, expressed his intent to resign for health reasons. None of the heads of leading corporations is willing to take over. It is ironic that the honorable position that traditionally represented the business world
Welcome policy of checking housing prices

ViewpointsJan 31, 2011

China’s State Council document released on Thursday to further check housing prices reflects the central government’s determination to deflate the property market bubble and stabilize or even lower real estate prices that have been rising for the past few years. Despite the series of measures the government took last year to rein in housing prices, statistics show that the number of houses sold an
Information glitch for bullet-train operation

ViewpointsJan 31, 2011

The suspension of all bullet train service Jan. 17 on JR East’s five shinkansen lines ― Tohoku, Akita, Yamagata, Joetsu and Nagano shinkansen lines ― reminds railways and any organization, for that matter, of the importance of sharing important information among personnel concerned and designing a computer system that can flexibly cope with changing situations. At 8:23 a.m. on that day, a screen o
[Trudy Rubin] Old order finally ending in Mideast

ViewpointsJan 31, 2011

For years, many Middle Easterners have operated on the premise that things could continue as in the past. Arab autocrats assumed they could rule forever, and many Israelis thought they could occupy forever.President George W. Bush tried to explode the status quo by imposing democracy on Iraq from above, but we’ve seen where that led.As of this month, we are entering a new era ― for Arabs and Israe
[Steven Hill] China’s baby steps for democracy

ViewpointsJan 31, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― During the state visit to the United States of Chinese President Hu Jintao, President Barack Obama pressed Hu on human rights. He probably should have asked more about spreading democracy in China, because he might have been surprised by what he heard.In September 2010, Hu gave a speech in Hong Kong in which he called for new thinking about Chinese democracy. He said, “There is
[Meghan Daum] ‘Skins’ MTV episodes pass an ick test

ViewpointsJan 31, 2011

Even if you haven’t watched MTV since Duran Duran broke up, you’ve probably heard of “Skins.” It premiered on Jan. 17 amid a fanfare of anticipation after the Parents Television Council pronounced it “the most dangerous program that has ever been foisted on your children.”The council has demanded a federal investigation as to whether the young actors on the show (ages 15 to 19) are participating i
[Jeb Bush and Newt Gingrich] States should have option of bankruptcy protection

ViewpointsJan 31, 2011

During the 2008 financial crisis, the federal government reacted in a frantic, ad-hoc fashion, tapping taxpayers for bailouts galore, running roughshod over the rights of bondholders and catching the American people unaware and unprepared. In contrast, we still have time to prepare for the looming crisis threatening to engulf California, Illinois, New York and other state governments.The new Congr
[Kavi Chongkittavorn] Can withering Taiwan engage ASEAN?

ViewpointsJan 31, 2011

The mood in Taipei today is of concern and anxiety. Why? The Taiwanese lai bai xing (commoners) feel quite strongly that the world’s soon-to-be largest economy will eventually usurp up their island, known as Taiwan. Indeed, some even believe that growing economic dependency on the mainland is a kiss of death which they cannot avoid. Tourists, brides, students, agricultural and manufactured product
[Editorial] Emissions trading

EditorialJan 30, 2011

The government has hinted at a delay in launching a greenhouse gas emission trading system. A government bill put on public notice last November set the start date on Jan. 1, 2013. The Presidential Committee on Green Growth reported to President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday it would make the bill more flexible regarding the timing of implementation and allocation of emissions permits before submittin
[Editorial] Lessons from Japan

EditorialJan 30, 2011

The decision by Standard & Poor’s to cut Japan’s sovereign credit rating by a notch to AA minus has again highlighted the fiscal mess that the Tokyo government has gotten itself into.Japan’s public debt is expected to hit 204 percent of GDP this year, the world’s highest ratio. The liabilities are forecast to surpass 1,000 trillion yen next year and, according to the International Monetary Fund, c