Editorials
Thursday, January 2, 1997
East-West Center must be
spared from ax
THE East-West Center survived last year's federal budget ax, although its funding was severely cut, from $26 million to $10 million. But as the saying goes, political battles are never ended, and the center is again fighting for survival.
The federal Office of Management and Budget has issued preliminary guidelines calling for gradual reduction in the center's funding - from the current $10 million to $7 million in 1998, $4 million in 1999 and $1 million in 2000. This is the agency that prepares the Clinton administration's budget proposals.
The proposed reductions won't necessarily happen - nor should they. As Karen Knudsen, a center spokeswoman, recalled, the same thing happened last year. Congress appropriated $10 million despite a similar phase-down proposal from the administration. But you never know.
Fortunately, the East-West Center still has some dedicated supporters in Congress - the Hawaii delegation, of course, but others as well. A letter to President Clinton urging him to restore the institution's budget was signed by, among others, Republican Reps. Christopher Smith of New Jersey and Doug Bereuter of Nebraska. Smith heads the International Operations and Human Rights subcommittee, Bereuter the Asia and Pacific subcommittee of the House International Relations Committee.
In addition to the congressional appeal, the center's alumni association has launched a letter-writing campaign. The center has 45,000 alumni, many of them in prominent positions in government and education in the Asia-Pacific region. Support from private foundations has been crucial.
The letter from members of Congress, which was suggested by Hawaii Rep. Neil Abercrombie, said, "As a respected and trusted national institution with an international reach into Asia and the Pacific, the center is invaluable. At the current funding level it is certainly a very cost-effective asset to the United States." Very true. The center is a unique national asset.
In a trillion-dollar federal budget, the amount of money sought by the East-West Center is small. Yet its contributions to U.S. relations with Asia and Pacific nations are significant, far beyond its cost. The center takes full advantage of Hawaii's mid-Pacific setting to bring scholars and public figures from the region together for discussion and research.
The good will and understanding that have been produced by these exchanges over three decades are of incalculable value, to Hawaii and the nation. The East-West Center must not be allowed to die.
Murder rates down
IT'S something encouraging to remember 1996 for: a reduction in the number of murders in most major American cities. That includes Honolulu, which had 29 murders, down from 38 in 1995. Even with the reductions, the numbers of murders are still huge, and far higher than in cities in other industrialized countries. American cities are still plagued by the proliferation of guns and drugs. Until that ends, the cities have no hope of becoming reasonably safe.
Still, the trend is in the right direction. Now we have to figure out how to keep it that way.
A safe New Year’s
THANKS in part to drizzly weather, Honolulu experienced a safe New Year's Eve. The precipitation dampened the festivities and reduced the danger of fire, which was particularly fortunate in view of the vast numbers of fireworks that were set off.
With thousands of people setting off fireworks, the police have an impossible task of law enforcement on top of their other responsibilities. The answer is a tougher law, with particular emphasis on penalties for illegal sales. But few Hawaii politicians are willing to face up to that need.
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Rupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
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