Quotas

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Representative William H. Gray III, the first black majority whip in the history of the House, began his last week in elective politics yesterday by warning Republicans against pushing racial "hot buttons" in next year's presidential election."

As Congress prepares for a showdown this week over the Civil Rights Bill of 1991, it is important to keep in mind precisely what the bill does and does not do.* It does not establish quotas, and no amount of incantation by President Bush can change that fact. In fact the bill, redrawn to incorporate administration objections that led to Bush's veto last year, expressly outlaws the use of quotas in hiring practices.* It does clarify the intent of Congress in a number of previously enacted civil rights bills that have been effectively eviscerated by an activist conservative "Rhenquist Court," which has essentially abandoned the U.S. Supreme Court's role as the protector of the politically powerless.

COME THE NEW YEAR, 30 years of U.S. import quotas end for textiles, and in advance of this big step in trade liberalization, political pressures are rising. U.S. textile-makers say this will kill their already damaged industry, and seek an 11th-hour reprieve. But they've had a decade to prepare, and Washington now should focus on retraining textile workers - not on protecting production of T-shirts and towels from a feared tide of cheap Chinese goods. This is a textbook outcome of the bipartisan U.S. push for free trade: Big long-term benefits - billions of dollars in savings from lower-priced imports - will be dispersed among millions of American consumers, while the short-term job losses will be highly concentrated in such remaining U.S. textile-producing regions as the Carolinas and in other nations uncompetitive with China.

Speaking to U.S. Military Academy graduates at West Point Saturday, President Bush attacked the Democratic version of the civil rights bill that goes before the House of Representatives today by saying, "Regardless of how they dress it up, you can't put a sign on a pig and say it's a horse." In fact you can. But the sign doesn't make the pig a horse.In this case, the president is as guilty of misleading signage as his opponents. The Democratic version is not as he charges "a quota bill" (pig)

The Baltimore City Council yesterday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would force health maintenance organizations to accept more black doctors into citywide health care plans.During a council hearing in November, black city physicians and dentists charged that HMOs routinely discriminate against them. HMO officials denied the allegations.City Council President Lawrence A. Bell III, who sponsored the legislation, said HMOs do not have a diverse enough professional staff and that city workers wanted more choices.

Racial politics: Bush exploits quota issueGive George Bush his due. At least the man's consistent. He wants to be the "environmental president," yet after 30 months in office, his record in environmental matters remains largely rhetorical. He wants to be the "education president," yet he has failed to introduce a single piece of major legislation that seriously speaks to the crisis in American education. So it is really not so surprising that, to quote Congressman Tom McMillen, Bush "wants to be the civil rights president, but he doesn't want to pass the civil rights bill."

NEW YORK - Crude oil had its biggest two-day drop since March 2003 as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries promised yesterday to increase global oil supplies in an effort to prevent high prices from curbing economic growth. Gasoline futures also plummeted as OPEC pledged to boost oil quotas by 2 million barrels a day with a possible increase of 500,000 barrels in August. The move signals that U.S. refiners will have adequate supplies to process into gasoline to meet demand during the summer driving season.

Washington -- There are two lessons, one positive and one negative, that may be drawn from the 1990 election results in a way that will have a significant impact on future campaigns.The first comes from the demonstration by Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina that the affirmative-action issue -- defined by him as "racial quotas" -- is what political operatives call a "silver bullet" that can move a substantial segment of an electorate. The second lesson, taught by Lawton Chiles in winning the governorship of Florida, is that improving the political process itself can be made the foundation of a campaign when the voters are as dissatisfied with the status quo as they are today.

WASHINGTON -- Most Maryland members of the House say they're ready to support a civil rights bill that President Bush says he would veto.The key political issue in the debate over civil rights legislation is quotas: Would the bill crafted by the Democratic majority force employers to hire particular numbers of minorities and women?President Bush says it would and backs an alternative bill. Although Democrats have inserted a ban on quotas in their original bill, HR 1, and made other changes, the White House said it still would "force employers to respond with quotas."

Marne-la-Vallee, France.--In 1992, 500 years after a European named Columbus discovered America, other Europeans will discover Americans named Donald Duck and Goofy here at Euro Disney, 20 miles from Paris. Alas, some French intellectuals say the new theme park will be a ''cultural Chernobyl,'' polluting the glory of La Belle France.It only sounds stupid, and, uh, Mickey Mouse. But culture does count in the games that nations play, especially popular culture. Today's European popular culture offers a glimpse of America's future.