A Boost for Mothers

Wednesday, September 13, 2000; Page A34

THE FINAL weeks of a Congress are notorious for the mischief often done by election-minded members who use the clock and the confusion to sneak or force into law provisions that could not withstand normal scrutiny. But sometimes the end-of-session chaos provides an opportunity to do good as well. The Senate has been presented with such an opportunity by a vote in the House last week.

The Truth About D.C. General

Wednesday, September 13, 2000; Page A34

HOSPITAL WORKERS, patients and some residents have reacted with fear and outrage to the announcement that D.C. General Hospital is to be restructured and downsized. Critics have portrayed the conversion in the harshest racial and class terms. Poor people "are going to be dying in their homes and on the streets," one hospital emergency deparment nurse told The Post. How close is that prediction to the truth?

Selling Violence to Children

Wednesday, September 13, 2000; Page A34

WHEN IT COMES to children, movies and violence, it's always been hard to tell whether the H stands for Hollywood or Hypocrisy. You have the studios and recording companies piously invoking their cultural integrity and First Amendment rights as they peddle stuff with no discernible redeeming virtues. You have the movie theater chains pretending they can't control the teens who buy tickets to PG-rated films at the multiplex and then stroll in to watch R-rated movies. And you have the politicians, like Al Gore, whose sensibilities on the matter seem to depend on whether the day is devoted primarily to soliciting money from the moguls or votes from everyone else.

Today's D.C. Primary

Tuesday, September 12, 2000; Page A34

VOTERS ACROSS the District have an opportunity to cast ballots today. In Wards 2, 4, 7 and 8, where four council members are seeking reelection, Democrats have ballot choices. But residents citywide also have cause to vote. At-large incumbents Harold Brazil (D) and Carol Schwartz (R), running unopposed, are seeking renomination. The Statehood Green and Umoja parties are also fielding candidates in uncontested races. And voters, if they wish, have the privilege of writing in the name of a candidate in the blank space and punching that voting position.

U.N. Confusion

Tuesday, September 12, 2000; Page A34

. . . Before They Drive Home

Monday, September 11, 2000; Page A22

FOR NO GOOD reason, some basic road safety measures that Congress ought to enact without hesitation may be in trouble. Conferees meet to work out a transportation appropriations bill, possibly this week, with important decisions on drunk driving and trucking regulations still unresolved. Why are the proposals--which could save hundreds of lives every year--in jeopardy? Certainly not on their merits; when it comes to road safety, too many key lawmakers operate under the influence of lobbyists.

The Paradox Of Prosperity

Monday, September 11, 2000; Page A23

The Clinton-Gore Third Way--a. k. a. the Have It Both Ways--has outdone itself of late. Only three weeks ago at the Democratic convention, Al Gore laced his address with populist attacks on big oil, big pharmaceutical firms, big HMOs and big tobacco. But last Wednesday, at his economic speech in Cleveland, Gore praised "American business, the engine of our economic growth." The concern for "working families," driven home just two days earlier in the candidate's Labor Day sprint around America, was replaced with a new emphasis on the middle classes. What next?

Up the Ante on Pakistan

Monday, September 11, 2000; Page A23

While bitter enemies from Ireland to Israel are bowing to the dictates of peace and economic development, the threat of war in South Asia continues to loom large. The economy of Pakistan is sinking, yet the focus of the military leadership remains stronger than ever on Kashmir. Pakistan's junta continues to concentrate all its resources on funding and fueling terrorism in Kashmir on the one hand, while on the other dashing domestic hopes for a return to a democratic and secular society.

Endgame on the Hill . . .

Monday, September 11, 2000; Page A22

THIS HAS been not just an unproductive but an unusual Congress in that the minority and majority roles have been reversed. The Democrats, led by the president, have set most of the agenda. The Republicans have spent most of their time playing defense, trying to block Democratic proposals--having not that many of their own--without appearing obstructionist.

Gathering Storm in Serbia?

Monday, September 11, 2000; Page A22

SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC'S crackdown on political opposition in Serbia intensifies. On Aug. 25, Ivan Stambolic, a former president of Serbia under the old Communist Yugoslav federation and a longstanding rival of Mr. Milosevic, disappeared, apparently whisked off the street by kidnappers while out on his usual morning jog. Mr. Milosevic's army high command has ordered human rights activist Natasa Kandic to stand trial. Independent journalist Miroslav Filipovic has been sentenced to seven years in jail. Otpor, the student movement, reports stepped-up arrests of its members and increased demonization by state-run media. Last week police raided its headquarters, seizing computers and documents.