Los Angeles Times - Editorials

Bud, the Belgian beer

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

The American manufacturer will be owned by InBev, and stands to gain considerably from the deal.

Foreign investment in the U.S. has risen sharply this decade, thanks in no small measure to the dollar's weakness relative to other countries' currencies. The latest consequence of overseas firms' growing buying power: The "King of Beers" will soon report to work for a foreign potentate. Belgian brewer InBev is buying Anheuser-Busch Cos. for $52 billion, creating the world's largest producer of malt beverages. Before you cry in your Bud about the loss of another American icon, however, it's worth considering what the company and its employees have to gain (and lose) from the deal.

The greatest Russian of all

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Who's the greatest Russian of all? The answer says more about the people than the historical figure.

If Americans were asked to decide who was the greatest Russian, they might toss out names such as Tolstoy or Tchaikovsky or Peter the Great. Russians are being asked precisely that question, and they can't decide between a czar whose rule was so disastrous that it prompted the Russian Revolution and a psychopathic dictator who killed, exiled or starved millions of his own people.

Don't ban trans fats, disclose them

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A bill that would ban eateries from using them probably won't make Californians any healthier.

Raise your hands above your head and step away from the doughnut. If the California Legislature has its way, such artery-clogging treats will be illegal, at least as they're currently made. Lawmakers this week approved a bill that would ban restaurants and bakeries from using trans fats.

California's dropout count

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A new way of tallying high school dropouts is helpful, even as it reveals a dismal picture.

California finally has a realistic picture of its high-school dropout rate, and it isn't pretty. Close to a fourth of our students fail to graduate, far more than the state has been reporting to the federal government. The number for Latino students rises to 30%, and for African American youngsters, it's nothing less than dismal: 41.6%. The figures make clear that the dropout problem isn't limited to pockets of the state; it is a cloud over all of California that threatens our civic and economic future.

The SEC finally steps in

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

As other regulators hustle to address the economy, the Securities and Exchange Commission needs to better enforce laws already on its books.

The subprime mortgage meltdown has taken a toll on the financial sector, triggering the collapse of one of Wall Street's oldest firms, wild gyrations in the market and a loss of faith by investors in some institutional cornerstones. Yet the most vigorous responses have come from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, not the cop on the beat -- the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Rampart revisited

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A legal victory for three officers is a reminder that much of the scandal remains a costly mystery.

The decision of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a jury award of $15 million to three Los Angeles police officers investigated and prosecuted -- and acquitted -- as part of the Rampart police abuse scandal is a reminder that the aftermath of that wrenching episode is with us still, costing taxpayers years after the events at issue and enriching criminals and cops alike. Given the magnitude of the city's budget troubles these days, that's cause enough for woe.

Fund California's courts

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

A bill that uses a responsible formula to upgrade the state's courts deserves support.

The judicial branch of government needs money too -- to rebuild crumbling courthouses, to ensure jurors' security and comfort, and to keep justice available to Californians accused of crimes or seeking to make their case in civil court. How about issuing $5 billion in bonds that future generations will pay off with their tax dollars? Forget it. We've been down that road too many times already. But the courts have a better idea, and Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) is carrying it in a worthy bill. It deserves to pass.

U.S. lags on food regulation

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Why are other developed nations so far ahead of the U.S. when it comes to regulating food safety?

This isn't the only developed country to have experienced serious problems with food contamination. We've just been extraordinarily lackadaisical when it comes to doing something about it. A new federal report on the common-sense steps taken by Japan, Canada, Ireland and several other nations provides a practical guide to food safety. The only question remaining is: What's taking the United States so long to follow it?

Act like a governor

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

Before Schwarzenegger considers Washington, he should take care of business in Sacramento.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won himself a lot of buzz with his statement Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that he would consider taking a post in a Barack Obama administration, perhaps as a Cabinet member focusing on climate change. It made for interesting chatter, given the fact that our Republican governor has endorsed the Democratic candidate's GOP rival, John McCain. He got a second day's worth of buzz with his follow-up statement that he had no intention of leaving Sacramento before his term is over.

Cover charges

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0700

If Obama's campaign is upset by a magazine satire, what will it do when the real attacks begin?

Let's be frank. People sophisticated enough to read, say, newspaper editorials are smart enough to know that the New Yorker's cover art this week -- portraying Barack Obama as a be-turbaned Muslim and wife Michelle as an Afro-sporting terrorist with an AK-47 across her back -- is a work of satire. But what about the millions of dumb Americans who will think otherwise?