[ OUR OPINION ]
School of Public Health
a vital asset for Hawaii and UHIF the heightened potential for biological terrorism isn't enough to signal the importance of strong public health capabilities, the general well-being of Hawaii's people through prevention and education should be. It is commendable, then, that the University of Hawaii is committed to rejuvenating its School of Public Health.
THE ISSUE The university pledges to revive the program that was closed three years ago.
The school had been an unappreciated asset to the university and the state. Before it was dismantled in 1999, the school had suffered years of neglect, weakened by budget cuts and inattention by university administrators that eventually led to prospects of its losing accreditation. The new regime at UH has recognized the value and necessity of public health education with the announcement this week that the program will be rebuilt and that the accreditation process already has begun.
Accreditation is essential to receiving the wealth of government and private funds being made available in light of threats to public health after Sept. 11. University officials have adopted a "business model" for the program's operation, acknowledging that research grants, contracts and donations are crucial to its support, having seen how dwindling state appropriations led to its decline.
A bioterrorism bill recently approved by Congress will provide $1.5 billion to local public health agencies to mount defenses against biological attacks, and $2 billion has been authorized for infectious disease research and for training public health workers.
Public health issues, however, go beyond terrorism. Hawaii's recent bout with dengue fever, for example, highlights the need for comprehensive public health services and people properly educated to deal with such outbreaks. Public health education prepares workers for a range of services from routine health care to treatment in natural disasters. They work in the realms of epidemiology, environment, human development, health education and information, work safety and nutrition, among others.
The School of Public Health had provided instruction for students in Hawaii and across the Pacific, focusing on tropical diseases and illnesses prevalent in the region. Its renewal will lend a distinguished element to the whole of the university's ambitious plans for a medical complex.
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Compromise needed
on estate tax reformELECTION-year politics has interfered with meaningful efforts to change inheritance taxes to protect family farms and businesses without creating a windfall for the super wealthy. Increases in assets exempt from the tax are scheduled during the next eight years, and Congress has plenty of time to fashion a fair compromise beyond then. Outright repeal would benefit those who least need it.
THE ISSUE The U.S. Senate has rejected a bill, passed by the House, to permanently repeal the federal estate tax.
Rep. Neil Abercrombie joined Republicans last week in agreeing to repeal what they call the "death tax," while Rep. Patsy Mink cast a dissenting vote. However, the Democratic-controlled Senate, with Senators Inouye and Akaka voting with the majority, rejected the bill for a permanent repeal on Thursday.
In enacting last year's $1.35 trillion tax cut, Congress approved gradual increases in the value of assets exempt from the tax until 2010, at which point the tax will be entirely repealed, but only for one year. After that, the estate tax would be restored to 2001 levels.
A greater percentage of Hawaii businesses are affected by the tax than on the mainland because of the state's higher property values. However, few estates are actually taxed -- somewhat more than 2 percent in Hawaii, slightly less than that on the mainland. This year, any estate with assets of less than $1 million is exempt. A plan to increase that threshold to $3 million next year and $3.5 million in 2009 and beyond was rejected by those insisting on a total repeal.
Two years ago, President Clinton vetoed a repeal that had been approved by the Republican Congress. He said the bill would have threatened the nation's budget surplus while giving the richest families an average tax cut of $7 million each. Congressional analysts say elimination of the tax would cost the government $25 billion in 2011 and $56 billion in 2012, just as baby boomers prepare to enroll in retirement programs. That is not the time to grant favors to the rich.
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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, Editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
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