Here's what newspapers around the nation are saying:
The New York Times
MAN-MADE GASES: The evidence mounted last week that man-made gases are causing deterioration of the Earth's atmosphere. First came news that a U.N. scientific panel believes it has found, for the first time, evidence that human activities are indeed causing a much-debated warming of the globe. Then came the announcement from the World Meteorological Organization that a worrisome hole in the Earth's protective ozone shield appears to be getting ever larger . . . . There are great uncertainties in how much the temperature will rise and how great any damage might be. But the case for being concerned about global warming is getting stronger. That makes it especially distressing that committees in the House and Senate are slashing funds for programs aimed at protecting the global environment. It is perverse that, as the evidence of global atmospheric harm gets stronger, the political response to mitigating it gets progressively weaker.
The Atlanta Constitution
COVER MAN: With publication of his book "My American Journey," Colin Powell has turned up on more magazine covers this month than Princess Di or Cindy Crawford. All of this publicity suddenly has turned Powell into a popular candidate for the presidency. The only problem is that the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has not declared himself a candidate nor said whether he would run as a Republican or an independent. For the good of American politics, Powell ought to pronounce himself a Republican and a candidate. The retired general could strengthen the GOP by challenging the stranglehold clamped on it by extreme conservatives.
The Washington Post
HIDDEN SUPPORT: The federal sugar and peanut programs are written in such a way that they barely show up in the budget. That's on purpose. The government doesn't support the price of these candy-bar commodities by making payments to producers, as with grain or cotton. Rather, it uses its power to limit imports, production and supply to exact higher prices at the grocery store. The public is made to support the producers not through higher prices but at the checkout counter. Critics have been trying to kill or weaken the programs for years . . . . This year, given the supposed opposition of the new Republican majority to just such regulatory programs, the critics were thought to stand a better chance. Guess again. Last week the (Republican leadership) - Speaker Newt Gingrich, Majority Leader Richard Armey and whip Tom DeLay - (intervened) and sugar and peanuts seem likely to again to find a home in the budget bill. Who, except perhaps consumers of sugar and peanuts, will be the losers of that?
The Dallas Morning News
SERVICE PROGRAM: Congress is set to approve more than $7 billion in defense spending that the Clinton administration did not request, and in some cases does not want. Yet Capitol Hill also is gearing up to kill the president's most prized domestic program, AmeriCorps. . . . AmeriCorps should not be on the budget-cutting chopping block. Republican lawmakers are rushing to close down a good program they claim is too expensive and inefficient. Not true. After only a year in operation, the national service program has produced benefits that are clear and measurable - far beyond the program's $376 million cost. AmeriCorps stands on its own merit. Unwanted B-2 bombers do not.