Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.issues From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: issues Thu, May 28 1992 Date: Thu, 28 May 92 05:21:26 EDT Message-ID: 05-28 0000 DECISIONLINE: Issues & Debate USA TODAY Update May 28, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network Here are some of the issues and topics being debated across the nation Thursday morning in USA TODAY: Haiti; Taxes; Warming. TODAY'S DEBATE -: USA TODAY'S OPINION: President Bush's plan to force Haitian refugees back into the clutches of their oppressors is a painful policy for a nation of immigrants to adopt. It also is plain wrong. ... Bush should change course quickly. He should grant Haitians asylum until democracy is restored. To hasten that day, he should tighten the trade embargo that so far has left Haiti's ruling class unscathed. Too many goods still seep through from Europe and elsewhere - particularly oil shipments crucial to the oligarchs' continued survival. Bush should press the Europeans to join the embargo and extend it to bar oil. ... Bush also should start building international consensus, beginning with the Organization of American States, for more stringent action if sanctions fail. Instead, he contemplates a smaller step: increasing the pressure on Haiti by banning from USA ports foreign ships that do business in Haiti. ... Haiti's problems are too severe and too entrenched for easy solution. But its proximity makes those problems our own. Surely we can find a better way to solve them than by turning our backs. OTHER VIEW: George J. Terwilliger III, deputy attorney general of the United States: Since the coup that ousted Haiti's democratically elected president, over 35,000 Haitians in mostly unseaworthy boats have been rescued by the Coast Guard and brought to our Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. There, they were allowed to make claims for political asylum, even though most could not establish a legitimate claim under U.S. law. Recently, however, it became clear that Guantanamo had become a magnet, attracting ever-increasing numbers of Haitians to put to sea. In the seven weeks April 1-May 20, over 17,000 were rescued by the Coast Guard. By last week, Guantanamo had reached capacity and the Coast Guard was unable to rescue all the boats that had put to sea. ... Far from turning his back on the Haitians, the president continues to take steps to help them. ... The president continues to explore all available options to return democratic government to Haiti. ... The president's policy is not only morally right, it is the wisest response to a difficult situation. VOICES ACROSS THE NATION ON SALES TAX ON MAIL-ORDER SHOPPING: PIERCE CITY, Mo., Julie Johnson, 29, city clerk: No, because it is convenient to shop by catalog. You are not talking a lot of extra money. I normally purchase clothes and jewelry and have them shipped directly to me. I usually order out of Chicago or somewhere because I can't find it where I live. BRANDON, Miss., Harry W. Clark, 75, retired consultant: No, it would not. I buy because of the item. However, the paperwork that would result among the states would make it very complicated for the catalog houses. All of the states have different sales taxes. For the catalog houses, that would be very cumbersome. PORCUPINE, S.D., JoAnn Tall, 39, community activist: I don't feel like this will affect me. I live on a reservation. We buy our clothes in Nebraska in a border town south of the reservation and also in Rapid City where there are taxes on clothing. It would be the same because we are used to paying taxes. ROCKLEDGE, Fla., Annie Price, 52, homemaker: It would probably hinder me if I had to pay sales taxes. The merchandise is expensive enough. I do a lot of ordering from Penney's and Spiegel. You already have to pay shipping charges as well as other charges. BERKELY, Calif., Eugene Chan, 21, student: Call a spade a spade. If they are going to raise taxes, raise national income taxes. Congress and state legislatures need to coordinate their efforts to balance the budget. I order clothes, music and art supplies. I would think twice about ordering through the mail. TOPIC - GLOBAL WARMING: Michael R. Deland, chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, was interviewed by USA TODAY's editorial board and news staff. IS THE THREAT OF GLOBAL WARMING IMMINENT? I don't think anyone knows. What I do know is that if we continue to pour carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere to the degree that we are now that the world will warm. What we don't know is what will be the rate or the magnitude of that change. The course that the United States has adopted is one that makes sense. AND WHAT IS THAT? Let's take action now, but let's do so in a measured fashion without a sense of imminent catastrophe. Let's take periodic review of the state of the science, the state of technological development, and adjust one way or another. Clearly you're not going to let emissions increase. It just becomes a question as to how fast it needs to be done, but I know the scientists can't tell you. WHAT DOES THE PRESIDENT WANT FROM THIS SUMMIT? The president feels strongly the best way to protect the environment at home or around the world is through a market-based approach that is dependent on growing economies. We've demonstrated that over the past 20 years. While we've ratcheted back on pollution, whether it be sulfur dioxide down by 26%, particulates down by 60%, our economy grew by over 50%. Issues & Debate Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. 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