Alan Auerbach Thinks Deficit is Threat to Economic Recovery

National Journal, Dec. 1, 2008 by Alan Auerbach

http://economy.nationaljournal.com/2008/12/is-the-deficit-a-threat-to-a-f.php?rss=1

President-elect Obama faces a very difficult task in his design of fiscal policy, thanks in no small part to the fiscal profligacy of his predecessor. He shouldn’t try to attack the long-term fiscal problem immediately, but he needs to address it soon, in a big way. And it won’t take a line-by-line review of the budget to know where the bodies are buried, with roughly 70 percent of the non-interest federal budget now accounted for by Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Defense.

Jesse Choper Clarifies Religious Groups’ Tax-Exempt Status

San Francisco Chronicle, Nov. 28, 2008 by Matthai Kurvuila
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/28/BAB214BA4E.DTL

The issue was last debated by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1970, according to Jesse Choper, a professor at the UC Berkeley School of Law. Choper said the court acknowledged that the history of tax exemption for churches stretches back to the nation’s beginnings. The court ruled that because tax exemption was a benefit not solely given to religious groups, but included groups like schools and nonprofits, it was fair.

Chris Kutz Wants a Downside Risk to Executive Pay

San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 27, 2008 by Christopher Kutz
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_11089895

It squares with a basic moral conviction that we should help clean up our own messes, not leave them for others. When AIG or Fannie Mae executives parachute away from their dying companies, we’re cleaning up their wreckage. Liability would force managers to account for the risks they take with other people’s money.

Oona Hathaway Blasts Bush for Bypassing Congress on Iraq-U.S. Pact

The Boston Globe, Nov. 26, 2008 by Bill Delahunt and Oona Hathaway
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/11/26/bush_should_include_congress/

Bush’s approach is unwise as a matter of policy and raises serious constitutional concerns. Just as the Iraqi constitution requires international agreements to be approved by Parliament, the US Constitution and precedent require that most international agreements be approved by Congress.

Oona Hathaway Criticizes Iraq-U.S. Status of Forces Pact

The New York Times, Nov. 25, 2008 by Alissa J. Rubin and Campbell Robertson
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/world/middleeast/26iraq.html

“It is, as far as I know, unprecedented in a SOFA,” said Oona Hathaway, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who has criticized the method by which the agreement was negotiated. “When we have active military operations, almost always there is a treaty or some agreement that has been approved by Congress that serves as a basis, and the SOFA just carries out the details.”

Erin Murphy Explains Need for DNA Evidence in Roger Clemens Case

The New York Times, Nov. 25, 2008 by Michael S. Schmidt
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/sports/baseball/25drugs.html?sq=Berkeley&st=cse&scp=8&pagewanted=print

“McNamee handed over the materials, so you don’t need his DNA to link him to them,” said Erin Murphy, a professor of law at University of California, Berkeley, and an expert in forensic evidence. “But you do need his DNA to determine if there is DNA from more than one person” on the items.