Mr. President:  The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have started … yet again.  

Someone once likened talking to the Israelis as trying to agree on the division of

a pizza with a man who keeps gobbling it down.  Others have described the

Israelis as wanting talks without end and the Palestinians as wanting an end

without talks.  There is much wry humor, all indicative of a political impasse.  

Israel is not uncomfortable with the present situation — though the world is

becoming less sympathetic to it — and the Palestinians are marginalized.  Not

much chance of a breakthrough, particularly when the Palestinians themselves

are divided, and Israel has installed 500,000 illegal settlers on Palestinian land

since the peace process first began.  In South Africa’s case, it took severe

sanctions before the apartheid regime was brought to its knees.  Nothing like

that is even close to the horizon.

The economy continues to sputter — better step on the gas before it stalls.  We

have labor flexibility which means it is easy to fire people — doesn’t cost as much

as, say in Europe.  On the positive side it means firms are not afraid to hire when

the economy begins to turn.  Unfortunately, the churning loses experienced

workers, and can be harmful in the long-term.  It also causes unnecessary misery

among those affected, often aggravated by inadequate unemployment

compensation.  Monday is Labor Day and a reminder that our labor laws certainly

need a second look.  As unions are gutted, there is no one to defend ordinary

workers against abuse.  Rates of workplace injury are rising, and income disparity

between rich and poor has increased to the point where it is the highest among

developed countries.

The best known measure of inequality is the Gini Index.  Ours is 40.8 compared to

the Scandinavian countries and Japan at around 25.  We are easily beaten by

Hungary (26.9), the Czech Republic (25.4), and of course the major European

countries.  Worse still, even Pakistan (30.6) and India (36.8) fare better!  So, what

has happened to our once relatively egalitarian society?  As Wilkinson and

Pickett have pointed out in their book, The Spirit Level, unequal societies have

greater social dysfunction.  Sadly, our  crime statistics and incarceration rates are

a textbook example.

There is much to be done and no one is doing it.

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