Student Publications
University of Houston
151C Communications Bldg
Houston, TX 77204-4015
713.743.5350

©1991-2007
Student Publications,
All rights reserved.

Last modified:

Contact:
ktruitt@uh.edu

Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                        Robyn Morrow             Chris Elliott                        Mark Suarez
                                               John Arterbury       Caitlin Cuppernull

Report card afraid of death and taxes

Harris County Jail: F 

The death of an inmate Thursday at the Harris County jail highlights what the Houston Chronicle recently reported -- the jail is in urgent need of an overhaul.

More than 100 inmates have died in custody of the jail from 2001 to 2006, the Chronicle reported.

The mortality rate was 30 percent higher than Dallas' jail, which contends with a similar number of inmates. More than 70 prisoners have died waiting for a court hearing.

One inmate in 2005 bled for four hours, the Chronicle said, during which a guard refused to render aid.

He died later that day. 

Jails are the first step to establishing guilt, or lack thereof. Conditions that prevent prisoners from safely reaching trial are unacceptable, and greater effort should be made to ensure the welfare of the incarcerated. 

Virginia Legislature: D

Taxes are ubiquitous, but soon residents of Virginia may have to pay an additional one -- a newspaper tax.

The proposed tax would tack on a 1-cent fee to newspapers and some other newsletters. While the amount is trivial, the principle is troublesome.

Certain commodities, such as alcohol, tobacco and lottery tickets, are typically coupled with an excise tax. But taxing a newspaper is not analogous. 

Levying such a tax would only hamper the growth of small community newspapers, which are already experiencing financial strains across the nation. 

Such a fee is a tax on information itself, and information is a vital commodity in a democracy.