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Cato Daily Dispatch for July 21, 2003

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(Links to outside sources were active as of the date of this dispatch; however, not all news sources maintain links to current stories indefinitely. Some links also may require registration.)

Senator Decries Inaction over Social Security

In his latest column in the Chicago Sun-Times, Robert Novak writes about the lack of movement in the White House regarding Social Security reform, describing a letter written last week by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) about his dissatisfaction with the inaction over Social Security:

"When a copy of the letter arrived at the White House last week, there was consternation rather than jubilation--mainly because it calls on President Bush to do something well beyond present plans. 'It is time for this Congress and this president to solve the problems plaguing Social Security,' the letter declares. 'Inaction is no longer an option.'"

In "Back to the Domestic Agenda: Don't Forget Social Security," Michael Tanner, director of health and welfare studies, writes, "Social Security reform cannot be allowed to languish. Every two-year election cycle that we delay adds an additional $320 billion to the cost of reform. No one pretends it will be easy, but we have seen that President Bush is not easily deterred. If he is prepared to bring his resolution and determination to Social Security reform, he will, once more, be able to drag along a reluctant Congress."

Hatch Legislation to Overturn D.C. Gun Ban Riles Some

"Months before Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) introduced legislation to repeal the District's 27-year-old handgun ban, two gun rights groups were trying to get the law struck down in U.S. District Court," reports The Washington Post.

"But instead of working together, the Cato Institute and the National Rifle Association have filed separate lawsuits against the gun ban and have disagreed with each other's legal tactics."

In a July 17 news release, Senior Fellow Bob Levy, one of the attorneys involved in a lawsuit challenging the handgun ban, says that the Hatch bill is an attempt to derail the lawsuit.

"Hatch and the National Rifle Association (NRA) have acted to prevent the Supreme Court from deciding whether the Second Amendment secures an individual right to keep and bear arms," writes Levy. "Yes, the rights of D.C. residents can be vindicated by either legislation or litigation. But there's no question that a narrow bill aimed at the D.C. Code would have negligible impact on gun owners' rights when contrasted with an unambiguous pronouncement, applicable across the nation, from the U.S. Supreme Court."

Patriot Act Report Alleges Civil Liberties Violations

"A report by internal investigators at the Justice Department has identified dozens of recent cases in which department employees have been accused of serious civil rights and civil liberties violations involving enforcement of the sweeping federal antiterrorism law known as the USA Patriot Act," according to The New York Times.

"The inspector general's report, which was presented to Congress last week and is awaiting public release, is likely to raise new concern among lawmakers about whether the Justice Department can police itself when its employees are accused of violating the rights of Muslim and Arab immigrants and others swept up in terrorism investigations under the 2001 law."

In "Upholding Liberty in America," Cato President Ed Crane and Chairman William Niskanen write of the dangers anti-terrorist laws pose to basic liberties.

"Under no circumstances should an American be held captive in the US indefinitely, with no charges filed and no legal representation afforded," Crane and Niskanen write. "Yet this has happened under the Patriot law. And now there is talk of a Patriot II. James Buchanan, the Nobel laureate, argues that governments will acquire more power when the opportunity arises. History shows this to be true, and the Patriot law reflects it. Today, with the war on terrorism, the opportunities for the state to expand are ubiquitous."

Jonathan Block, editor, jblock@cato.org