EDITORIAL Editorial voices from newspapers across the country
Editorial voices from newspapers across the United States:
The Courier
Findlay, Ohio
The nation’s opioid problem is a complicated one that will take a long time to solve. Unfortunately, that means many more people will likely overdose and die.
One pending bill, though, could drastically reduce the supply of dangerous drugs and, in turn, slow the death toll.
Congress should act now, not later, to approve the Synthetic Trafficking & Overdose Prevention Act, or STOP Act. It would, among other things, require the U.S. Postal Service to collect advanced electronic data on incoming packages in the same fashion that private mail carriers like UPS and FedEx have been doing since 2002.
The lack of such data on packaging has allowed large amounts of fentanyl and other synthetic opioids to be shipped into the United States without detection. Those drugs have killed thousands.
An investigation found that in the dozen-plus years after 9/11, the Postal Service did nothing to recognize and prepare for the increase in international mail, and, today, 318 million international packages enter the United States annually with little to no screening from customs officials.
That means fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger than heroin, is flowing freely, killing thousands.
The Cape Cod (Mass.) Times
We hate to be the skunk at the garden party, but why are so many people celebrating the news that Boston is among the 20 finalists for hosting Amazon’s second headquarters, a mega-campus that would attract 50,000 new jobs? Are they nuts?
Boston’s infrastructure, including its roads and mass transportation system, cannot even handle current traffic loads. How can the city possibly accommodate 50,000 new recruits, many of whom will come with family members from other parts of the state and country?
If Amazon wanted to inject new life and business into struggling communities, it should have selected Detroit or St. Louis or even Worcester, Mass. Boston is booming. Let’s spread the wealth to those who most need it.
While we will of course root for the home team, we think Amazon will disqualify Boston when it discovers its shortcomings, most notably among them its poor mass transit system, its narrow and congested roads, and its exorbitant cost of living.
As a matter of fact, economists are predicting that the 50,000 jobs averaging $100,000 per year will further raise the price of housing in Boston and the cost of living in general, already one of the highest in the country.
So while Massachusetts would be in line for $1.3 billion in tax revenue over 20 years, it’s time to calculate the costs of welcoming Amazon to our commonwealth.
The Niagara (N.Y.) Gazette
President Trump has called it the worst trade deal in the history of this country.
If the United States can’t get a better agreement, the Trump administration has promised to terminate the pact. Supporters say a threatened withdrawal of the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) could result in a staggering loss of jobs and a costly slowdown in the economies of the three partners, the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than ever, there’s a need for compromise and candor on all sides instead of tough talk. Too much is at stake.
What should the United States be striving for at this point? After all, Canada is our largest trading partner. One important issue is how the U.S. auto industry would be impacted by any changes to the current agreement. Under the present NAFTA rules, at least 62 percent of the components in a car or light truck made in the region must be from North America to be able to enter the marketplace tariff-free.
If Americans have any doubts about the effect of walking away from NAFTA, they need only to look closer at the record. With Canada, the United States has experienced a $1 billion trade surplus in agriculture goods alone. Although the president hasn’t mentioned it, there’s another reason why the president might fear leaving NAFTA.
There’s justifiable fear that such a move could adversely impact the rather vibrant stock market, a stiff price to pay, especially as our midterm elections approach.