WSJ Update

Some interesting pieces in the Wall Street Journal today that are not on OpinionJournal.com.

First, Hillary Clinton has an editorial on "bestsourcing" -- programs and business issues she would like to tackle to eliminate outsourcing of labor to India and other countries. She does have some good points -- such as mere salary savings does not equal actual cost savings -- but ultimately her prescription ends up being a cure that is worse than the disease. What is it? Bigger government and more government involvement in industry: "we need a strategy that focuses on critical areas -- innovation, new job creation, workforce development, connectivity expansion, and collaboration between industry, academia, labor and government. We have to equip businesses and workers to become even more competitive, further develop the digital economy, and work to end trade and tax practices which undermine competitiveness."

Honestly, this type of thing sorts itself out because the types of jobs allegedly being lost to outsourcing are ones with workers who are eminently retrainable within their companies or can find other service-type jobs elsewhere.

NEXT, Zell Miller. The outgoing Georgia Senator, and one of the few old-line Democrats remaining in politics, blasts Democratic kowtowing to the various elites and interest groups that form the party. He also fires a nice shot at John-John: "when it comes to taxes and services, you'd be pressed to find anyone more opposed to the interests of middle-class Americans than John Kerry. Except maybe John Edwards. Both voted against tax relief for married couples, tax relief for families with children, and tax relief for small businesses. Now Mr. Kerry wants to raise taxes on hundreds of thousands of small-business owners and millions of individuals. He claims to be for working people, but I don't understand how small businesses can create jobs if they've got to send more money to Washington instead of keeping it to hire workers."

And finally, Prof. Ezra Suleiman of Princeton believes that Chirac and Schroeder will pay a price for their actions viz. the EU and the Iraq War -- less influence and much less trust from "allies."