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A Quick Look at Bloomberg News's Opinion Section for March 2, 2012

Do no evil? Well, some of us would settle for "share no evil." "The only Web
company that is also a verb has run into the language barrier," report the
View editors. "How do you say 'Google privacy policy' in French? (It’s
'regles de confidentialite Google.' Thanks, Google Translate.) Google
Inc.’s new privacy policy, which took effect March 1, is in general a
praiseworthy effort. But it has won only faint applause, especially in
Europe. This may have less to do with Google specifically than with privacy
generally, and with the differing European and American definitions of the
term. At its base this is a philosophical dispute, which is oddly
encouraging: All everyone has to do is figure out the least disruptive way
to disagree and move on." [2]Link.
Links:
2. http://bloom.bg/ypa62G

The editors aren't the only ones concerned about the digital intrusion into
the personal sphere. Here's View columnist Stephen L. Carter: "If you’ve
suspected lately that your family’s mobile-phone bill is driven entirely by
your 15-year- old, you are probably right. A recent Nielsen report shows
that children aged 13 to 17 average an astonishing 3,417 text messages a
month -- some 45 percent of all text messages ... But those who look at this
data and worry that young people are over-texting may be asking the wrong
question. The more pertinent concern may be not the amount, but the
function. Many observers argue that the social world of teenagers and even
young adults is nowadays largely constituted by text messaging." [3]Link.
Links:
3. http://bloom.bg/A8kskw

There's been a lot of chatter recently that the economy, historically, does
better under Democratic presidents than under Republicans, which led
columnist Michael Kinsley to break out the Microsoft Excel. "The spreadsheet
says that, over the past half-century, the unemployment rate has fallen
under Democratic presidents and risen under Republicans," Kinsley reports.
"Which party’s presidents have done better with the most important
statistic, which is GDP -- basically the size of the economy? Incredibly,
it’s a tie! Republicans win on lower taxes -- no surprise there -- but lower
spending (the stat I’d been dreading) goes to the Democrats. Put it all
together and neither party has anything like a monopoly on economic virtue.
[4]Link.
Links:
4. http://bloom.bg/wUroKb

"Stockton, California, which is heading toward the first steps of Chapter 9
bankruptcy, is described as a crime-wracked wretch designated by Forbes
magazine as the most miserable city in America," writes op-ed contributor
Steven Greenhut. "But it would be wrong to believe that the troubles in the
city of almost 300,000 residents in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley are
not necessarily a sign of things to come in more upscale municipalities
across the state ... In cities as affluent and diverse as San Jose and San
Diego, municipal finances are hitting the wall, driven by unsustainable
pension debt and health-care promises made to government workers during more
flush economic times." For more on the increasing dross in the Golden State:
[5]link.
Links:
5. http://bloom.bg/A47sgi

Also, the editors preview this weekend's Russian election; columnist
Jonathan Weil inspects accounting shenanigans in Japan; and columnist
Jonathan Alter explodes the myths of the Keystone XL pipeline's supporters.

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And check out our editors' blog, [7]The Ticker.
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