Complications of American jet-setters

An article in the New York Times today on campaign financing from abroad raises interesting questions about the 2008 elections. With contributions from abroad already around 15 times higher than they were at this point in the 2004 election cycle, one wonders just how much money the candidates will manage to raise by the time the race really heats up. The details included in the article, such as the fact that overseas contributions still only amount to one per cent of a candidate’s donations, still raise eyebrows about Giuliani’s and other candidates’ trips overseas to charm wealthy Americans abroad. Whom are the candidates really courting in these elections?

Traveling candidates and other jet-setting Americans may be under more scrutiny than they think. A Washington Post article discloses that the Department of Homeland Security is collecting details on air travelers more personal than anyone would have imagined in order to target would-be terrorists. The article presents the basic facts as well as enough details to enrage the reader and grab his attention—such as the notation in one person’s file of a book about marijuana he carried with him. The case against the practice is strengthened over the course of the article, as those interviewed point to the civil liberties upon which this practice may be infringing. This is an investigative article to which one wants to see many follow-up reports.

In such an age of heightened airport security, the story of the MIT student who wore an electronic piece of “art,” a circuit board-like device, to pick up her boyfriend from Logan Airport baffles in its complete lack of common sense. The Boston Globe story on the incident presents it in a relatively unbiased fashion, stating the facts clearly in the lede and describing what took place following the arrest. Quotes from those who know the student—including a swim coach from her home state and a friend at MIT—both suggest that she was somewhat eccentric and that she was no different from her classmates. A reference to the Aquateen Hunger Force ads mistaken for bombs last year in Boston hints at overreaction by the authorities without actually quoting anyone who called the event a gross overreaction.

An article in the Patriot Ledger looks at a much smaller threat: that to businesses of the taxes they have to pay anytime a customer pays with a credit or debit card. The article does a thorough job presenting the problems effects on local businesses, although it might have been a more complete picture to describe how small businesses that are not part of franchises are also affected. The article claims that “mom-and-pop” businesses are being affected, but none of those mentioned are independent, small shops.