I don't usually consider Facebook posts to be worthy of transplanting to a (cough cough) professional blog like this one, but I'm making an exception for an FB thread about a Washington Post story.

The article focused on Georgetown University sophomore who has advertised for a personal assistant who would handle tasks "such as organizing his closet, dropping him off and picking him up from work, scheduling haircuts, putting gas in the car and taking it in for service, managing his electronic accounts and doing laundry (although the assistant will be paid only for the time spent loading, unloading and folding clothes, not the entire laundry cycle)." The pay: $10-$12 an hour.

One response was whimsical: "Just this morning I told my mom I needed a PA. She laughed at me. Then [she] saw this article on Facebook and told me about it." (Oh, oh, Parent On Social Media Alert!) But the Facebooker who introduced the subject considered the student's quest  "the most egregious of all insults."

 I weighed in ...

Matthew Continetti, associate editor of the Weekly Standard, gets the Op-Ed page rolling this morning by accusing President Obama of being organized labor's Santa Claus. The First Community Organizer may believe that unionization helps lift workers into the middle class, Continetti writes, but the numbers don't support that argument:

Speaking of a unionized workforce, columnist Tim Rutten urges the state Senate to waive some California environmental rules to let developer Ed Roski Jr. build a football stadium in the City of Industry. Why?

Alllll-righty then. Closing out the page, Anna Husarska, senior policy advisor at the International Rescue Committee, laments the "huge human cost" of the Taliban's operations in Pakistan's Swat Valley and the government's counteroffensive. The image above is an illustration of the psychic toll; it's a drawing by a schoolgirl in the Swat Valley named Sheema.

On the other half of the opinion pages, the Times editorial board blasts the L.A. Department of Water and Power for the fabulous parting gifts it's planning to shower on departing chief H. David Nahai. We like how Nahai defied union leaders (the Opinion page's méchants du jour) to bring in more renewable power from outside the district, but we still don't see the need to pay him his salary for the rest of the year:

The board also says the Federal Trade Commission's new guidelines for online advertisers could put too much scrutiny on bloggers and amateur product reviewers. And it warns that the Supreme Court's review of a case involving the giant cross in California's Mojave National Preserve threatens to "blow a gaping hole" in the 1st Amendment's wall between church and state.

-- Jon Healey

Today's editorial page casts a wary eye on former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, whose candidacy for governor of California has been shaken by revelations that she didn't register to vote until she was 46 years old, and only became a Republican two years ago. Is someone so seemingly apathetic about politics the best choice to govern what may be the most ungovernable state in the union?

With all due respect to the French culture minister, who said U.S. efforts to prosecute filmmaker Roman Polanski revealed the face of a "scary America," we on the Times editorial board think it's time the 76-year-old fugitive was brought to justice. Polanski's defenders ignore the simple fact that he fled the country while facing charges of raping a 13-year-old girl. Even for successful movie directors, that's not OK.

The editorial page also weighs in on plans to upgrade the sagging waterfront in San Pedro, which the Harbor Commission will consider today. There's much to like in the proposal, but something not to like as well: Plans to build terminals for cruise ships adjacent to San Pedro's only public beach. We think commissioners should proceed with the overall plan, but table the outer harbor cruise berths.

On the Op-Ed side, columnist Jonah Goldberg questions whether President Obama is living up to his centrist campaign rhetoric on the war in Afghanistan. While running for office, Obama tried to out-hawk Republican Sen. John McCain when it came to the war, but as the conflict becomes less popular he seems to be reconsidering. "What seemed like principled centrism in 2008 might simply be exposed as left-wing expediency in 2009."

Professor Christopher Layne and journalist Benjamin Schwarz ponder the waning of the Pax Americana, the post-war bargain in which the United States spent overwhelmingly on its military in order to secure world peace -- a practice that given current fiscal conditions is no longer sustainable. The result will likely be de-globalization as countries move more aggressively to pursue their financial and security interests.

Finally, civil rights lawyer Constance L. Rice bemoans the resignation of the head of the L.A. Unified School District's construction division, who was apparently forced out by district politics. The independent construction division was created to avoid more disasters like the spectacularly expensive Belmont Learning Center, and the increasing political interference doesn't bode well for the future.

Cartoon: Ed Stein / Newspaper Enterprise Assn.

-- Dan Turner

Should California teachers be evaluated based on their students' performance on test scores? That's the subject of dueling pro vs. con commentaries on today's Op-Ed page. On the pro side is state Board of Education President Ted Mitchell, who says California must change a law forbidding such evaluations if it is to qualify for millions of dollars in federal funds, and that the system would help school districts reward exceptional teaching and weed out instructors who can't make the grade. On the con side is former LAUSD teacher Walt Gardner, who points out that teachers in low-performing schools are often dealing with kids from very poor families who are dealing with pressures that make learning a serious challenge, and expecting teachers to overcome such obstacles on their own is unrealistic.

Meanwhile, physicist Frank von Hippel aims to debunk claims from the nuclear-power industry that reprocessing nuclear waste is a solution to our problems with storing the highly radioactive materials. Not only is it extremely expensive, it fails to reduce the stream of long-lived nuclear waste and provides access to weapons material that could fall into dangerous hands.

Today's editorial page notes the one-year anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Bros. by pointing out that the $700-billion federal bailout that followed helped prop up the nation's financial system, and without it the economy would undoubtedly be in worse shape than it is. Nonetheless, now that the economy is on the rebound, "it's time for the administration and the Federal Reserve to lay out a strategy for pulling the government out of the financial industry."

The Times also weighs in on prospective furloughs or layoffs for city employees, who in tough financial times may be sacrificed in order to keep alive Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's ambition to keep hiring more police officers. Though that seems unfair, it's the right thing to do for Los Angeles.

And we give a boost to a package of state bills aimed at fighting animal cruelty, including a ban on puppy mills, a crackdown on dogfighting (thanks Michael Vick!), and a measure mocked by the governor to forbid docking (cutting off) the tails of cattle.

Photo by Seth Perlman / AP

Threats and intimidation enliven the Op-Ed page, courtesy of two former Los Angeles Times scribes who've gone on to pen books.

Miriam Pawel details how the United Farm Workers switched from backing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to increase Central Valley water supplies to opposing it. Backed by the Change to Win union coalition, Pawel writes, the UFW established a $1 million fund to campaign against Schwarzenegger's water bonds in a "clumsy attempt at political blackmail." And Michael Krikorian recounts how five LAPD officers came to train four handguns and a shotgun at him and his girlfriend's son on a recent night in Hancock Park.

The Opinion Manufacturing Division also offers two takes on President Obama's speech Tuesday to students. Columnist Tim Rutten gushes about the speech and the president's Q&A session with a group of Virginia high-schoolers, then urges Obama to take the same approach and tone -- speaking plainly and personally but without condescension -- tonight in his speech to Congress about healthcare. The editorial board, meanwhile, frames the controversy that led up to the speech in the context of "what historian Richard Hofstadter called the 'paranoid style in American politics,' an ancient, exasperating form of discourse."

The board also urges the state Fair Political Practices Commission to adopt a proposed set of rules limiting how public agencies may use taxpayer funds in support of ballot measures, bond issues and other Election Day causes. And it urges the Los Angeles City Council to settle the dispute over the city controller's power to audit functions within the city attorney's office:

City Controller Wendy Greuel and City Atty. Carmen Trutanich have accomplished something remarkable. They have given new life to a dispute between their predecessors that should have expired when the new term started July 1. Each made a campaign issue of cooperating to resolve the case of City of Los Angeles vs. Laura Chick, but each now claims the other is not cooperating. It's as if the contentious ghosts of termed-out politicians refused to leave and now possess the bodies of the new officeholders.

Credit: William Brown, TMS

-- Jon Healey

Cue the ominous soundtrack and over-earnest narration. No, really -- this is a terrible story:

Whole enraging, armed-revolt-inspiring article from the New York Times here.

Or, if you're into the whole brevity thing, here's a short version of the NY Times' story: In this recession, when individual credit scores are likely to take major hits, more companies are using credit histories as a quick way to whittle down growing pools of applicants, thereby perpetuating a vicious cycle -- and few states are doing anything about it.

Before you get overcome with rage, realize that the NY Times provides zero statistics to prove this problem is really an epidemic, relying instead individual anecdotes from down-on-their-luck Juan Ochoas and job counselors. It's certainly not enough evidence to provide the groundwork for legislating more restrictions on the hiring and firing decisions of private companies, a move that certainly wouldn't help their efforts to grow and power economic recovery. Besides, I'm inclined to think their heartless human resources departments know better than the part of my brain given to populist sympathizing what red flags on a background check indicate potentially risky behavior in the future.

But really, these kind of despairing credit-check job rejection represent the kind of insensitivity that inspires the masses to grab the pitchforks, light the torches and storm the bastille -- or worse, vote for John Edwards and watch Lou Dobbs. The same goes for the board-room suits that freeze salaries or lay off workers while handing their executives handsome bonuses. It's greedy, tone deaf and sinful to the point that there ought to be a circle of hell set aside for those who practice it. But it shouldn't be illegal, and the offending businesses may want to consider improving their public image.

What are your thoughts? Should the feds and state governments curtail such such seemingly irrelevant pre-employment credit checks, or should laissez faire economic principals prevail? Take our poll, leave a comment or both.

With state officials discussing the early release of 27,000 inmates, the editorial board takes a closer look at California's broken prison system in the wake of the abduction and slaying of Lily Burk. The board traces much of the mess in the current prison system to Jessica's Law, Megan's Law and other emotion-driven pieces of legislature that trap criminals so they can't ever escape the vicious cycle or recidivism.

The board also weighs in again on the Employee Free Choice Act, this time on the elimination of the contentious card check provision. The card check would have tipped the balance of power in favor of unions and away from employers, who hold the advantage today. Neither should have the upper hand, the board says. Instead, workers should be able to decide whether to unionize with as little pressure from either side as possible:

Meanwhile, the op-ed page discusses healthcare from a Canadian perspective, sex bans in nursing homes, and beer in the White House.

First, physician and health policy analyst Michael M. Rachlis gives his Canadian perspective on the U.S. healthcare reform debate, arguing that his country's system hasn't been studied enough by U.S. policymakers. His comparisons are not pretty: All Canadians have health insurance, 46 million Americans do not. Canadians pay no co-pays, health problems bankrupt more than 1 million Americans each year.

Next, psychologist and author Ira Rosofsky ponders whether sex should be banned in nursing homes (is that even legal?). He concludes that one's sex life should never be restricted, but frequently are in nursing homes because of a lack of privacy. He calls for that policy to change.

Finally, columnist Gregory Rodriguez analyzes last Thursday's "beer summit" at the White House and thinks the idea of resolving intra-national conflict -- even something as big as race -- over a few beers just might be the way to go. We'll drink to that.

Photo: Vice President Joe Biden, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley and President Barack Obama share a brewski (or in Biden's case, a pseudo-brewski) at the White House on July 30. Credit: Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images

Adidas Group, Nike Inc. and Gap Inc. introduced a joint letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday asking her to restore democracy in Honduras, adding that they will not take sides on this issue. The non-partisan stance is a bit of a facade, though, as the letter goes on to state that the companies find it "necessary in this case to join with the President of the United States, the governments of countries throughout the Americas, the Organization of American States, the UN General Assembly and the European Union in calling for the restoration of democracy in Honduras." That puts them pretty squarely on the side of President Manuel Zelaya. While they didn't come right out and say, "We support President Zelaya's return to Honduras," everyone else on that list has.

How to restore democracy is besides the point, the companies say, they just want it restored.  Still, Lynda Yanz, executive director of Maquila Solidarity Network (a labor and women's rights organization who worked with them on the letter), said just getting these manufacturers who make products in Honduras to come out publicly and make a statement is a big deal, and required finesse. The matter is delicate and the letter used careful language to make clear the companies do not support a particular person, but support democracy, civil liberties and labor rights. Nike, adidas and a labor rights group working on the same issue? That is a big deal, too.

Yanz said the Hondurans who work in the factories have faced political pressure to join pro-coup demonstrations, as much of the private sector in Honduras favors the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti. The companies and labor group believes they are standing up for these workers' rights.

Other companies that manufacture products in Honduras have kept quiet. Yanz mentioned Hanes, Gildan, and Russell Athletic, which have factories in the country, among them.

"They say, 'We of course are in favor of democracy,' but we don't find that sufficient or acceptable," Yanz said. "We want to push more brands to play a positive role."

 In the meantime, Secretary of State Clinton has a lot of sportswear on her side.

--Catherine Lyons

Photo: A police helmet sits on a fence in front of a military outpost at El Paraiso, Honduras. As the negotiations drag on, ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya has ensconced his government-in-exile in the Nicaraguan town of Ocotal, near the Honduran border, along with hundreds of supporters camped out in shelters. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

The Rehabilitating Healthcare series continues on the editorial page; this week's installment focuses on rationing. The current system rations care based on income, which leaves the poorer folks out to dry while properly insured Americans fare well. The Times' editorial notes that most people have no qualms with the system, though, because it prevents the government from determining what care you get. Critics of Obama's healthcare proposal are hostile to such government rationing. Here is the board's response:

On the Op-Ed page, ccontributing editor Sara Catania offers an up close and personal look at home foreclosures in Los Angeles. Catania talks to five people who have sought legal help after hitting rock bottom in recent days.

Also in Op-Ed land, NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr reflects on legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite and what made him as successful as he was in turning any story into national news. His conclusion? Everyone trusted Uncle Walter:

The simple answer, but maybe too simple, is that Cronkite inspired trust. In a couple of polls he was designated the most trusted man in America. His baritone voice with its Midwest cadence, the impression he gave of being unawed by all the big shots he had to deal with, his never losing touch with his audience -- all these factors placed him in a unique role. And he felt its weight. Asked to run for public office, Cronkite reportedly said he could not step down from his anchor post.

Photo: For-sale signs line a residential street in Adelanto, Calif., in the Mojave Desert (Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images).

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republicans in the Legislature are playing hardball with their Democratic counterparts: No new taxes, balance the budget with cuts and -- as Schwarzenegger ordered earlier today -- force state employees to take a third monthly furlough day, further reducing their pay. According to The Times' article, thousands of public employees plan to show up in Sacramento today to protest the additional pay cut.

The third imposed furlough day opens a deeper divide in one of the more drawn-out battles of this year's budgeting process: the one pitting public-employee unions and their Democratic allies in the Legislature against Schwarzenegger and state Republicans, who seemed to have rekindled their relationship after the May 19 special election. It's a topic being debated in this week's Dust-Up exchange between Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. and John Tanner, executive director of SEIU Local 721, which represents tens of thousands of government employees in Los Angeles County (their third and final exchange, in which they mull ideas to preserve state services in this budget crisis without reducing pay or laying off workers, will be posted later today). In the comments board for Monday's Dust-Up installment, several readers have come down on the side of Schwarzenegger and the GOP, posting comments similar the one left by "Pete":

Photo: Service Employees International Union protest Schwarzenegger's proposed furloughs and state employee pay cuts Tuesday, June 30 (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)