10 Apr 98: The Justice Department has notified Ken Starr, prosecutor in the Whitewater case, that one of his critical witnesses, David Hale, must be investigated. The Justice Department alleges that Mr. Hale was influenced by Richard Mellon Scaife. This accusation of witness tampering is remarkable since witness tampering by President Clinton and his cronies may have been occurring on a wide-spread basis, with financial deals and inappropriate jobs benefiting such critical witnesses as Monica Lewinsky and Web Hubbell.
09 Apr 98: The major tobacco firms have pulled out of the tobacco settlement that has been rattling around in congress for the last few months. RJR Nabisco chairman, Steven Goldstone announced the policy in a speech at the National Press Club. He said that his company would begin aggressively advertising cigarettes and fighting for their position in court. Senator John McCain, R-Arizona reacted saying, "The public demands action, with or without the industry's support." President Clinton delivered a veiled threat, calling the industry's position a "big mistake." Goldstone pointed out, "I have a business to run…so we will continue to manage our business in the most responsible and competitive way we can." Rush Limbaugh, on his radio program asked the question, "If tobacco is so bad, why don't we just ban it?" The issue is indeed a complex one with health issues and freedom issues in the balance. Although cigarettes are addictive and likely cause lung cancer, it is also the right of individuals to take up the habit - as the substance has not been made illegal. Until it has been made illegal, American individuals and companies should not be coerced through various means to commit themselves to agreements that are patently not in their best interests.
08 Apr 98: An internal audit conducted by the IRS, dated 30 September 1997, shows that using merely the name and social security number and address of individuals nearly anyone can get the income and tax information on nearly anyone else. This, of course, brings to light a security and privacy issue. With minimal information an important part of a person's private life could be dug up by anyone bearing a grudge. Such information could be used by creditors or even by scam artists looking for targets with high incomes from interest or savings that could be plundered. The IRS is much in need of reform in many areas. This area would seem to be the most pressing.
07 Apr 98: Pediatricians at a meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Atlanta are encouraging parents to use "time outs" and positive reinforcement rather than spanking when children misbehave. An associated study shows that 90 percent of parents actually use spanking as a tool to raise their children and 59 percent of pediatricians reported supporting the practice. It is thought by many that spanking children can make them more aggressive. However, there has never been a study to correlate this notion. In fact, common sense would argue against it. Children allowed to run rampant, testing the limits and finding that there is not a physical limit are likely to be more aggressive in forcing the envelope even further and attempt to enforce their will on others.
06 Apr 98: President Clinton is banning 58 types of imported guns. His political move seems designed to take advantage of the tragedy to infringe on American gun rights. The Second Amendment was written into the constitution by the founding fathers to give individuals the ability to prevent the government from usurping other rights. In order for individuals to have this power, they must have access to assault weapons, etc. These weapons should, of course, be kept out of the hands of children and criminals. To avoid such tragedies as the Jonesboro massacre it would be best to punish individuals who allow such weapons to fall into the hands of minors not to restrict ownership by those who have a legitimate right to possess and use these weapons.
