Thursday, October 2, 1997
Thumbs up/Thumbs Down
The most
generous guy we know
Thumbs up to Ted Turner for promising to donate $1 billion to
the United Nations. (That’s roughly one-third of his net worth!)
The founder of CNN and vice chairman of Time Warner, Inc., stunned
the audience at a recent U.N. Association dinner with his
pledge.
He says it’s important for wealthy people to share their fortune
"when the world is just awash with money." Turner hopes his
donation, which is earmarked for nonadministrative programs, will
encourage others to support the United Nations and its
programs.
Your request is reasonable
Some members of Congress want a pay raise, which will go into
effect in the following term. A cost-of-living adjustment of $3,072
will be added to the yearly salaries of Congressmen, federal and
appellate court judges, and executive branch officers.
We wouldn’t be the first to propose that lawmakers give
themselves raises, but they earn the money they make as public
servants. Their pay is not extraordinarily high, so the raises are
not outrageous. And these officials have gone without a pay
increase in several years.
If you make
a mistake, then fix it
Thumbs down to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for turning
taxpayers’ lives upside down for the past several years. Acting IRS
Commissioner Michael P. Dolan issued an apology last week for
having harassed many taxpayers.
In order to make amends for past wrongdoing, Dolan has promised
to reform the agency’s practices. The IRS and private
tax-preparation specialists will help resolve taxpayer grievances.
There are no more quotas on how much to collect and there are
tougher guidelines on seizing taxpayers’ homes.
Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
represents a majority opinion of the Daily Bruin Editorial
Board. Send suggestions or topic ideas to
thumbs@media.ucla.edu.