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Opinion: In today’s pages: Obama online, border order and bonus shmonus

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Should teachers be immune from the prospect of layoffs even in a dire economy? That’s the question tackled by two writers at the top of the Op-Ed page today. David Tokofsky, a consultant with Associated Administrators Los Angeles and former Los Angeles school board member, says the district should, ‘fire people up, not fire them.’ Larry Sand, a veteran Los Angeles teacher, takes issue with that position:

In Los Angeles, we have some of the highest-paid teachers in the U.S. -- most of whom have a world-class health plan in a state whose economy is falling apart, where the unemployment rate tops 10% and whose citizens are already among the most taxed in the country -- whining about the possibility that a few jobs may be lost.

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Timothy Garton Ash notes that when President Obama attends the G-20 meeting next week, he’ll be in Europe. But Europe, a poor partner in solving the global economic crisis, will be missing on the leadership front:

Europe’s response to the biggest financial and economic crisis in 50 years has been weak and divided. China and the U.S. have launched massive stimulus packages. By comparison, Europe has brought peanuts to the table.

Rounding out the page is a tongue-in-cheek piece by New York writer John Kennedy that posits a novel question: why not give bonuses and exceptional reviews to workers who have destroyed their companies and the economy too? Really, why not?

Over in the Editorial stack, the board applauds Obama’s online Q & A , noting that the public’s questions may be as significant as the president’s answers when it comes to gauging America’s mood. The board also support’s Obama’s move to beef up border security to prevent Mexico’s drug war from spilling into the U.S. It’s a good first step, but other initiatives and reforms -- particularly ones relating to drug addiction here in the U.S. -- need to follow. Lastly, the Times takes aim at the hypocritical partisanship of Republicans who voted against the superbly qualified Elena Kagan, dean of Harvard Law School, for position as solicitor general.

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