"Many Economists against more Debt: i.e. 'chronic deficits'" (CITS DEBT

**                                                              **
                     W. Curtiss Priest, Ph.D.
          Center for Information, Technology & Society
              466 Pleasant Street Melrose, MA  02176
  E-mail: BMSLIB@MIT.EDU, Voice: 781-662-4044, FAX: 781-662-6882


                        February 11, 2003

                        Public Issue #92:

                         CITS DEBT WATCH


     "Many Economists against more Debt: i.e. 'chronic deficits'"


         Commentary by Dr. W. Curtiss Priest, Director:

The Economic Policy Institute is certainly to be commended for
taking a strong stand on not increasing the deficit and for
providing the support of nearly 500 economists throughout the
U.S. and Internationally.

This kind of solidarity among so many economists has probably
never occurred before in the history of our country.

As you know, our Center has gone on-record against debt, whether
federal deficits or many other categories, for half a decade.

This statement, published in a New York Times advertisement
(text below), severely questions whether deficit-based
stimulus of this fragile economy can be justified.

The answer from these economists is: "No."

Regards,

WCP

**********************************************************************

Previous issues of the CITS DEBT WATCH:
    http://groups.google.com/groups?q=cits+debt+watch&hl=en&scoring=d

**********************************************************************

Below:

1.  Copy of the Economic Policy Institute text
2.  Boston Globe article by Ms. Blanton
3.  Full list of economists by State

From http://epinet.org/stmt/2003/statement_signed.pdf

ECONOMIST'S STATEMENT OPPOSING THE BUSH TAX CUTS Economic growth,
though positive, has not been sufficient to generate jobs and prevent
unemployment from rising. In fact, there are now more than two million
fewer private sector jobs than at the start of the current recession.
Overcapacity, corporate scandals, and uncertainty have and will
continue to weigh down the economy. The tax cut plan proposed by
President Bush is not the answer to these problems. Regardless of how
one views the specifics of the Bush plan, there is wide agreement that
its purpose is a permanent change in the tax structure and not the
creation of jobs and growth in the near-term. The permanent dividend
tax cut, in particular, is not credible as a short-term stimulus. As
tax reform, the dividend tax cut is misdirected in that it targets
individuals rather than corporations, is overly complex, and could be,
but is not, part of a revenue-neutral tax reform effort. Passing these
tax cuts will worsen the long-term budget outlook, adding to the
nation's projected chronic deficits. This fiscal deterioration will
reduce the capacity of the government to finance Social Security and
Medicare benefits as well as investments in schools, health,
infrastructure, and basic research. Moreover, the proposed tax cuts
will generate further inequalities in after-tax income. To be
effective, a stimulus plan should rely on immediate but temporary
spending and tax measures to expand demand, and it should also rely on
immediate but temporary incentives for investment. Such a stimulus
plan would spur growth and jobs in the short term without exacerbating
the long-term budget outlook.

**********************************************************************
Previous issues of the CITS DEBT WATCH:
    http://groups.google.com/groups?q=cits+debt+watch&hl=en&scoring=d

**********************************************************************
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Nobel laureates attack tax plan

Economists, including 10 Nobel laureates, predict drag on growth,
damage to middle class

By Kimberly Blanton, Globe Staff, 2/11/2003

n unusually harsh language, 10 recipients of the Nobel Economics Prize
yesterday derided President Bush's tax-cut proposal, saying it would
fail to give the economy a much-needed short-term boost and would
create ballooning budget deficits that would endanger growth in later
years.

The Nobel laureates, including Daniel McFadden and Joseph Stiglitz,
represent a variety of sometimes contradictory economic views. Most,
however, favor a progressive tax code and an activist, influential
role by the federal government in the economy. Some of the economists
are especially worried that soaring deficits would leave less money
for everything from transportation to Social Security.

The group is seeking to influence public opinion as the Senate
prepares to debate this week a federal budget and a tax plan that
would amount to the most sweeping reshaping of fiscal policy since the
Reagan era. The Nobel laureates were among 450 economists who signed a
statement yesterday objecting to the president's plan.

"The tax cut proposed by President Bush is not the answer" to the
economy's troubles, said their statement, which was coordinated by the
liberal Economic Policy Institute in Washington. The statement is
scheduled to appear today in a full-page advertisement in The New York
Times, whose parent company also owns The Boston Globe.

In a news briefing yesterday, the laureates' strongest language was
used against the president's proposal to end the tax on dividends,
which amounts to about half of the proposed $695 billion tax cut over
10 years.

Franco Modigliani, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who
received the Nobel in 1985, called it "preposterous," while McFadden,
who was awarded a Nobel in 2000, termed it a "weapon of mass
destruction aimed at the middle class."

Primarily, they attacked Bush's controversial plan with economic, not
political, arguments, adding their imprimatur to criticism circulated
by other economists -- some on Wall Street -- that the Bush proposals
do not provide enough direct relief to businesses or middle- and
low-income individuals, who could be counted on to spend money
immediately.

It is widely agreed by economists that some stimulus is needed for an
economy that stalled in third-quarter 2002.

Bush, though, has his own roster of gold-plated economists backing his
plan. Prominent conservative economists, including Martin Feldstein of
Harvard University and Kevin Hassett of the American Enterprise
Institute, met with the president last month in support of his
dividend tax cut. They said it would lower the cost of equity capital
for businesses by making stocks more attractive to investors, spurring
investment.

Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan is expected to endorse
Bush's dividend tax cut today, in a speech before the Senate,
congressional sources and others familiar with his thinking told The
Washington Post.

Milton Friedman, who is a 1976 Nobel recipient, wrote a piece in The
Wall Street Journal that favored the plan because, he said, it would
shrink the government naturally.

The administration has pointed out that its plan would raise the
per-child credit to $1,000, from $600. That, administration officials
said, would favor the middle class.

But McFadden, from the University of California at Berkeley, called
the president's plan "anti-stimulative." It would constrain government
programs and lead to chronic deficits, he said.

While economists generally agree that deficits run up in bad economic
times provide their own stimulus, the critics yesterday said enormous,
long-term deficits under the Bush plan may do more damage, because
programs that benefit average Americans also fuel the economy in the
long term, such as with public works.

If the administration's goal is to encourage business to invest in
plants and equipment, which many analysts view as crucial, investment
tax credits or accelerated depreciation for plants or equipment would
be a more direct way to accomplish that, the economists said. "There
are better ways [than a dividend tax cut] to try to get investment
underway," said Lawrence Klein of the University of Pennsylvania, a
1980 Nobel recipient.

The dividend tax cut, said MIT's Modigliani, "is a preposterous
program. It has only one effect: to make the very rich" richer. It
would not increase stock prices, he said, but would undermine a
progressive US tax system.

Hassett, though, said there are good arguments for a dividend tax cut.
In addition to making stocks more appealing and lowering the cost to
companies that use equity to finance projects, it would discourage
borrowing, which can weaken corporate finances and even lead to
bankruptcy.

Moreover, he said, a dividend tax cut would make the United States,
which has corporate and personal tax rates that are among the highest,
more competitive globally.

"We live in a multinational, competitive environment, and being the
high-tax country is not the smartest strategy in the world," Hassett
said.

Proponents of a dividend-tax cut also say it would benefit American
investors at a time more than half of all households invest in the
stock market.

But Stiglitz, of Columbia University (2001 Nobel prize), said few
investors would gain, because most money invested in stocks is in
401(k)s or other pension plans that are already tax-free.

The plan, Stiglitz said, amounts to an attempt to disguise a
longstanding conservative agenda -- reducing taxes and shrinking
government -- as an economic booster shot.

"Many people on the other side really have an agenda, which is they
want smaller government, and they believe smaller government leads to
a better society in some way," he said.

The more likely outcome, he said, would be continued government
profligacy and ballooning deficits.

"If government misspends money, that's a waste of resources and that's
bad for the economy, just like when the private sector wastes
resources, as it did during the roaring '90s," he said.

Kimberly Blanton can be reached at blanton@globe.com.

This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 2/11/2003. c
Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.
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From http://epinet.org/stmt/2003/econlist_final.html

Economists' Statement Opposing the Bush Tax Cuts

Signers listed by state

Nobel Laureates

George Akerlof University of California - Berkeley

Kenneth J. Arrow Stanford University

Lawrence R. Klein University of Pennsylvania

Daniel L. McFadden University of California - Berkeley

Franco Modigliani Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Douglass C. North Washington University

Paul A. Samuelson Massachusetts Institute of Technology

William F. Sharpe Stanford University

Robert M. Solow Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Joseph Stiglitz Columbia University

AL

Randolph T. Beard Auburn University

AR

Gary Latanich Arkansas State University

CA

Irma Adelman University of California - Berkeley

Robert M. Anderson University of California

Robert K. Arnold Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy

Michael A. Bernstein University of California - San Diego

Daniel L. Blakley University of San Francisco

Clair Brown University of California - Berkeley

Jeremy Bulow Stanford University

Susan B. Carter University of California - Riverside

Menzie D. Chinn University of California - Santa Cruz

Stephen S. Cohen University of California - Berkeley

William S. Comanor University of California - Santa Barbara & Los Angeles

Vincent P. Crawford University of California - San Diego

Al Culver California State University - Chico

James G. Devine Loyola Marymount University

Barry Eichengreen University of California - Berkeley

Sasan Fayazmanesh California State University - Fresno

Robert J. Flanagan Stanford University

Victor R. Fuchs Stanford University

David E. Gallo California State University - Chico

Richard J. Gilbert University of California - Berkeley

Steven M. Goldman University of California - Berkeley

Douglas F. Greer San Jose State University

Gregory Grossman University of California - Berkeley

Terry L. Gustafson California State University - Chico

Steven C. Hackett Humboldt State University

Bronwyn H. Hall University of California - Berkeley

Scott Houser California State University - Fresno

Michael Hutchison University of California - Santa Cruz

Sanford M. Jacoby University of California - Los Angeles

George Jouganatos California State University

Linda Kamas Santa Clara University

David E. Kaun University of California - Santa Cruz

Lori G. Kletzer University of California - Santa Cruz

Mordecai Kurz Stanford University

David L. Landes City College of San Francisco

J. Paul Leigh University of California - Davis

David T. Levine University of California - Berkeley

Stephen Levy Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy

James D. Likens Pomona College

Mark H. Maier Glendale Community College

Donald Mar San Francisco State University

Robert N. Mefford UAW of San Francisco

Gerald M. Meier Stanford University

Edward Miguel University of California, Berkeley

Suleman A. Moosa California State University - Chico

Saeed Mortazavi Humboldt State University

Joanna Moss San Francisco State University

Peggy B. Musgrave University of California - Santa Cruz

G. Alan Myers Santa Fe Workshops

Roger G. Noll Stanford University

Paul Ong University of California - Los Angeles

Pastor Manuel University of California - Santa Cruz

Michael Perelman California State University - Chico

Jeffrey M. Perloff University of California - Berkeley

Marshall Pomer Macroeconomic Policy Institute

John M. Quigley University of California - Berkeley

Michael Reich University of California - Berkeley

Gerard Roland University of California - Berkeley

David Romer University of California - Berkeley

Christina Romer University of California, Berkeley

Daniel Rubinfeld University of California - Berkeley

Allen J. Scott University of California - Los Angeles

Carl Shapiro University of California, Berkeley

Laurence Shute California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Joel Sobel University of California

Michael Storper University of California - Los Angeles

Myra H. Strober Stanford University

Mayo C. Toruno California State University, San Bernardino

Donald Vial California Foundation on the Environment and the Economy

Brian D. Wright University of California - Berkeley

Janet Yellen University of California - Berkeley

Carol Zabin University of California Berkeley

Henry W. Zaretsky Henry W. Zaretsky & Assoc., Inc.

Lyuba Zarsky Global Development and Environment Institute

John Zysman Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy

Rari Bhandari University of California - Berkeley

Deborah L. Garvey Santa Clara University

Kenneth Sokoloff University of California - Los Angeles

Harold A. Forman UFCW

Marcus Alexis Stanford University

CO

Laura M. Argys University of Colorado - Denver

Alexandra Bernasek Colorado State University

Daphne Greenwood Center for Colorado Policy Studies

Charles Howe University of Colorado

Tracy Mott University of Denver

Daniel I. Rees University of Colorado - Denver

Thomas F. Rutherford University of Colorado

CT

Polly R. Allen University of Connecticut

Paul Cantor Norwalk Community College

Jane D'Arista Financial Markets Center

Joyce Jacobsen Wesleyan University

Michael Lovell Wesleyan University

Spencer J. Pack Connecticut College

Gustav Ranis Yale University

Christopher Udry Yale University

DC

Henry Aaron The Brookings Institution

Robert L. Axtell The Brookings Institution

Dean Baker Center for Economic and Policy Research

Jared Bernstein Economic Policy Institute

L. Josh Bivens Economic Policy Institute

Margaret M. Blair Georgetown University Law Center

Ralph C. Bryant The Brookings Institution

Gary Burtless The Brookings Institution

Dallas Burtraw Resources for the Future

William T. Dickens The Brookings Institution

Randall Dodd Financial Policy Forum

Ernie Englander George Washington University

Jeff Faux Economic Policy Institute

William G. Gale The Brookings Institution

Sue Headlee American University

Alan G. Isaac American University

Catherine Langlois Georgetown University

Mark C. Long George Washington University

Charles W. McMillion MBG Information Services

Mieke Meurs American University

Lawrence Mishel Economic Policy Institute

Van Dorn Ooms Committee for Economic Development

Peter R. Orszag The Brookings Institution

Thomas I. Palley Open Society Institute

Adam Posen Institute for International Economics

Alice M. Rivlin The Brookings Institution; New School University

Carol Ann Rogers Georgetown University

Howard Rosen Institute for International Economics

Steven C. Salop Georgetown University Law Center

Isabel V. Sawhill The Brookings Institution

Robert Scott Economic Policy Institute

M.M. Shahjahan PHI Service Company

Stephen J. Silvia American University

Stephen C. Smith George Washington University

William Spriggs National Urban League Institute for Opportunity And Equality

Bernard Wasow The Century Foundation

Sidney Weintraub Center for Strategic and International Studies

Christian E. Weller Economic Policy Institute

Jeffrey Wenger Economic Policy Institute

Jonathan M. Orszag Sebago Associates, Inc.

John Williamson Institute for International Economics

Larry Buron Abt Associates

Max B. Sawicky Economic Policy Institute

William G. Gale Brookings Institution

DE

Laurence Seidman University of Delaware

John Kushman University of Delaware

FL

Mary A. Burke Florida State University & Grinnell College

E. Ray Canterbery Florida State University

Richard D. Coe New College of Florida

Catherine S. Elliott New College of Florida

Jonathan H. Hamilton University of Florida

Douglas Harris Florida State University

Ira Horowitz University of Florida

Ann Horowitz University of Florida

Frederick R. Strobel New College of Florida

Paul Swaim OECD

GA

Richard Fryman University of West Georgia

Robert E. Moore Georgia State University

William C. Schaniel State University of West Georgia

HI

Lawrence W. Boyd University of Hawaii - West Oahu

IA

Bill Ferguson Grinnell College

Mark Montgomery Grinnell College

Bonu Sengupta Grinnell College

Bradley W. Bateman Grinnell College

Janet Seiz Grinnell College

IL

Ron Baiman University of Illinois - Chicago

Steven Cohn Knox College

Sidney Davidson University of Chicago

Robert J. Gordon Northwestern University

Fred Gottheil University of Illinois - Urbana

Walter W. McMahon University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

Bruce D. Meyer Northwestern University

Michael Wallerstein Northwestern University

Burton A. Weisbrod Northwestern University

Robert M. Coen Northwestern University

Timothy N. Cason Purdue University

Teresa Ghilarducci University of Notre Dame

David Hummels Purdue University

Dan Kovenock Purdue University

James C. Moore Purdue University

Brian J. Peterson Manchester College

Samuel Rosenberg Roosevelt University

Martin C. Spechler Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

George M. Von Furstenberg Indiana University

Charles K. Wilber University of Notre Dame

Martin H. Wolfson University of Notre Dame

Esther-Mirjam Sent University of Notre Dame; Netherlands Institute for Advanced
Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences

KS

William A. Barnett University of Kansas

W. Robert Brazelton University of Missouri - Kansas City

Mehrene Larudee University of Kansas

Joshua L. Rosenbloom University of Kansas

Harry G. Shaffer University of Kansas

KY

Gary E. Clayton Northern Kentucky University

John Gilderbloom University of Louisville

Peter B. Meyer The E.P.Systems Group, Inc.

Carl Simkonis Northern Kentucky University

Tom Cate Northern Kentucky University

Carl Simkonis Northern Kentucky University

Gary E. Clayton Northern Kentucky University

 MA

Frank Ackerman Global Development and Environment Institute

Randy Albelda University of Massachusetts - Boston

Alice H. Amsden Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Michael Ash University of Massachusetts - Amherst

M.V. Lee Badgett University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Francis M. Bator Harvard University Kennedy School of Government

Sandy Baum Skidmore College

Olivier Blanchard Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Barry Bluestone Northeastern University

James K Boyce University of Massachusetts Amherst

Ralph Bradburd Williams College

Robert Buchele Smith College

Jim Campen University of Massachusetts - Boston

Jens Christiansen Mount Holyoke College

Alan Clayton-Matthews University of Massachusetts - Boston

David C. Cole Harvard University

James R. Crotty University of Massachusetts

David Danning Massachusetts Teachers Association

Peter Diamond Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Peter B. Doeringer Boston University

James S. Duesenberry Harvard University

David T. Ellwood Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government

Gerald Epstein University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Rashi Fein Harvard University

Franklin M. Fisher Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Diane Flaherty University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Daniel Flores-Guri Skidmore College

Nancy Folbre University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Richard G. Frank Harvard University

Jeffrey Frankel Harvard University

Kevin Gallagher Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts University

Marshall I. Goldman Wellesley College

Neva R. Goodwin Tufts University

Peter Gottschalk Boston College

Jerry R. Green Harvard University

Deborah Haas-Wilson Smith College

Jonathan M. Harris Tufts University

Carol E. Heim University of Massachusetts - Amherst

James Heintz University of Massachusetts

Joni Hersch Harvard Law School

Pascale Joassart University of Massachusetts

J. K. Kapler University of Massachusetts - Boston

Roger T. Kaufman Smith College

Carl Kaysen Massachussets Institute of Technology

Marlene Kim University of Massachusetts - Boston

Kevin Lang Boston University

Robert Z. Lawrence Harvard University

George C. Lodge Harvard Business School

Lisa M. Lynch Tufts University

Catherine Lynde University of Massachusetts - Boston

Arthur MacEwan University of Massachusetts - Boston

Michael Manove Boston University

John A. Miller Wheaton College

Fred Moseley Mount Holyoke College

Richard J. Murnane Harvard Graduate School of Education

Richard A. Musgrave Harvard University

Julie A. Nelson Tufts University

Eva Paus Mount Holyoke College

Karen A. Pfeifer Smith College

Michael J. Piore Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Robert Pollin University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Dani Rodrik Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government

Janis A. Russell University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Bruce R. Scott Harvard Business School

William G. Shepherd University of Massachusetts

Betty Frances Slade Harvard Institute for International Development (ret.)

Mary Huff Stevenson University of Massachusetts - Boston

John R. Stifler University of Massachusetts - Amherst

Peter Temin Massachusetts Institute of Technology

David Terkla University of Massachusetts - Boston

L. C. Thurow Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Christopher Tilly University of Massachusetts - Lowell

Gordon C. Winston Williams College

Gary Yohe Wesleyan University

Andrew Zimbalist Smith College

Roger E. Bolton Williams College

Alan de Brauw Williams College

Pascale Joassart University of Massachusetts - Boston

Lucie Schmidt Williams College

Stephen Sheppard Williams College

Lara Shore-Sheppard Williams College

Karl E. Case Wellesley College

David. T. Ellwood Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government

MD

Katharine Abraham University of Maryland

Alperovitz Gar University of Maryland

Carl F. Christ Johns Hopkins University

Christopher D. Carroll Johns Hopkins University

Jimmy Chan Johns Hopkins University

I. M. Destler University of Maryland

Joseph Froomkin

Joseph E. Harrington, Jr. Johns Hopkins University

Robert G. Lynch Washington College

Louis J. Maccini Johns Hopkins University

Ted R. Miller Pacific Institute for Research & Evaluation

Edward Montgomery University of Maryland

Amy K. Taylor

ME

Rachel Connelly Bowdoin College

Zorina Khan Bowdoin College

Vaishali Mamgain University of Southern Maine

Bruce B. Roberts University of Southern Maine

Tom Tietenberg Colby College

David Vail Bowdoin College

John Fitzgerald Bowdoin College

MI

WilliamJames Adams University of Michigan

David Arsen Michigan State University

Timothy J. Bartik Upjohn Institute

Michael H. Belzer Wayne State University

Peter Berg Michigan State University

Paul N. Courant University of Michigan

David B. Crary Eastern Michigan University

Sheldon Danziger University of Michigan

Ronald C. Fisher Michigan State University

Sherrie A. Kossoudji University of Michigan

Mordechai Kreinin Michigan State University

Margaret C. Levenstein University of Michigan

Jeffrey Mackie-Mason University of Michigan

James P. Morgan University of Michigan

Janet S. Netz University of Michigan

Gregory M. Saltzman Albion College and University of Michigan

A. Allan Schmid Michigan State University

Matthew D. Shapiro University of Michigan

Frank Thompson University of Michigan

Thomas E. Weisskopf University of Michigan

Linda Ewing International Union, UAW

MN

Stephen V. Burks University of Minnesota

Robert J. Kozlowski Macalester College

Ann R. Markuson University of Minnesota

Andrew McLennan University of Minnesota

Amata Miller College of St. Catherine

Vernon W. Ruttan University of Minnesota

James G. Scoville University of Minnesota

Stephen H. Strand Carleton College

Arthur R. Williams Health Care Policy & Research, Mayo Clinic

MO

Steven Fazzari Washington University

Charles Leven Washington University

MS

John R. Conlon University of Mississippi

Marianne T. Hill Mississippi Center for Policy Research

NC

Arthur Benavie University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Patrick Conway University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Helen F. Ladd Duke University

Lawrence Morse North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University

Pamela Nickless University of North Carolina - Asheville

NH

Richard W. England University of New Hampshire

NJ

M. Dutta Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Albert O. Hirschman Institute for Advanced Study

Hilary Sigman Rutgers University

Robert H. Patrick Rutgers University

NM

Melissa Binder University of New Mexico

Samuel Bowles Santa Fe Institute

Gerard Bradley New Mexico Labor Department

David S. Brookshire University of New Mexico

Janie M. Chermak University of New Mexico

NY

Moshe Adler Fiscal Policy Institute

William J. Baumol New York University

Peter Birckmayer SUNY - Empire State College

Lawrence Blume Cornell University

Howard Chernick Hunter College, City University of New York

Paul P. Christensen Hofstra University

Gregory DeFreitas Hofstra University

Ronald G. Ehrenberg Cornell University

Massoud Fazeli Hofstra University

Albert Fishlow Columbia University

Robert H. Frank Cornell University

Irv Garfinkel Columbia University

Devra L. Golbe Hunter College, City University of New York

Ulla Grapard Colgate University

Marjorie Honig Hunter College, City University of New York

Richard Hurd Cornell University

Alfred E. Kahn Cornell University; NERA

Tim Koechlin Vassar College

Douglas Koritz Buffalo State College

Nicholas N. Kozlov Hofstra University

Mark Levinson UNITE

Jay R. Mandle Colgate University

Martin Melkonian Hofstra University

Seymour Melman Columbia University

Thomas R. Michl Colgate University

William Milberg New School University

Jerry Miner Syracuse University

James Parrott Fiscal Policy Institute

Cordelia Reimers Hunter College, City University of New York

Trudi Renwick Fiscal Policy Institute

Frank Roosevelt Sarah Lawrence College

Roy J. Rotheim Skidmore College

Jeffrey D. Sachs Columbia University

Stephen J. Schmidt Union College (Schenectady)

Purvi Sevak City University of New York - Hunter College

Sumitra Shah St. John's University

Timothy M. Smeeding Maxwell School, Syracuse University

Ashok Vora Baruch College, City University of New York

Melvin I. White Brooklyn College, City University of New York

Judith Fields Lehman College - City University of New York

Marcia Freedman Columbia University

Paul Johnson Vassar College

Shirley Johnson Lans Vassar College

Vasilios Petratos C.S.I. - City University of New York

Sangi Park SUNY Stony Brook

Robert Rebelein Vassar College

Jonathan Conning Hunter College, CUNY

William Waller Hobart and William Smith Colleges

OH

Rudy Fichtenbaum Wright State University

Barbara Hopkins Wright State University

Paulette Olson Wright State University

James A. Swaney Wright State University

OR

Eban Goodstein Lewis & Clark College

Linda Young Southern Oregon University

Marjorie S Turner San Diego State University

PA

Earl W. Adams Allegheny College

Behrooz Afraslabi Allegheny College

Lawrence Chimerine Radnor International Consulting, Inc.

John Connor Villanova University

Robert Drago Pennsylvania State University

Christina M. Fong Carnegie Mellon University

Wei Ge Bucknell University

Amy K. Glasmeier Pennsylvania State University

Don Goldstein Allegheny College

Stephen Golub Swarthmore College

Paul A. Heise Lebanon Valley College

Steven Husted University of Pittsburgh

David Kristjanson-Gural Bucknell University

Herbert S. Levine University of Pennsylvania

George Loewenstein Carnegie Mellon University

Geoffrey E. Schneider Bucknell University

Kenneth H. Thomas The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

James Tybout Penn State University

Charles L. Weise Gettysburg College

Nancy E. White Bucknell University

Lonnie Golden Pennsylvania State University - Abington

Jean Shackelford Bucknell University

RI

David N. Weil Brown University

TN

Stephen Buckles Vanderbilt University

Andrea Maneschi Vanderbilt University

Teresa Meyer Waters University of Tennessee

Fred M. Westfield Vanderbilt University

Shelley I. White-Means University of Memphis

TX

Lloyd J. Dumas University of Texas - Dallas

Kenneth Flamm LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin

Donald G. Freeman Sam Houston State University

James K. Galbraith University of Texas, LBJ School of Public Affairs Austin

UT

Gail Blattenberger University of Utah

Kenneth P. Jameson University of Utah

David Kiefer University of Utah

Thomas N. Maloney University of Utah

James M. Rock University of Utah

Norman J. Waitzman University of Utah

VA

Drucilla K. Barker Hollins University

William F. Hellmuth Virginia Commonwealth University

Andrew I. Kohen James Madison University

Darryl Lowry Roanoke College

Glen H. Mitchell

John V. Pepper University of Virginia, Charlottesville

VT

Jeffrey P. Carpenter Middlebury College

Michael P. Claudon Middlebury College

Carolyn Craven Middlebury College

Jonathan Isham Middlebury College

Peter Hans Matthews Middlebury College

Elaine McCrate University of Vermont

Stephanie Seguino University of Vermont

Ross Thomson University of Vermont

WI

Ralph Andreano University of Wisconsin - Madison

Daniel W. Bromley University of Wisconsin

Laura Dresser University of Wisconsin - Madison

Steven Durlauf University of Wisconsin

Arthur S. Goldberger University of Wisconsin

Donald Hausch University of Wisconsin - Madison

Robert Haveman University of Wisconsin, Madison

Donald D. Hester University of Wisconsin

M. Kevin McGee University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

WV

Peter V. Schaeffer West Virginia University

Steven Shuklian Marshall University

International

David Barkin Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana - Unidad Xochimilco

Fikret Ceyhun AEA & URPE

J. Malcolm Dowling Singapore Management University

Lawrence D. Jones University of British Columbia

Laura D'Andrea Tyson London Business School

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selectively convey this copyrighted material to others.

*********

On October 27th, 1998, a new law called The Digital Millennium
Copyright Act was signed (Public Law 105-298).  A copy of the law is
available from the Government Printing Office at:

    http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/useftp.cgi
    ?IPaddress=wais.access.gpo.gov&filename=publ304.105
    &directory=/diskb/wais/data/105_cong_public_laws

This law helps bring the U.S. into uniformity with the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) treaty.

While a lengthy law, it's main orientation is towards "stored
copyrighted materials" and supports the right for libraries and
archives to contain copyrighted materials for non-commercial purposes.
There is a procedure outlined by which a publisher may ask that
material be removed from an archive, but there are no liabilities on
the part of the archive site for the storage of copyrighted materials.
There is a requirement which every archive site should meet (including
the owners of list servers) to provide contact information to the U.S.
Copyright Office of a "designated agent" -- a person whom a copyright
holder can contact.

Further, the Act provides the "subscriber" with certain rights with
respect to maintaining materials with the archive service provider.
In particular, if materials are removed from a site, the subscriber
may notify the archive service with a "counter notification" which
explains why the subscriber believes the material has been removed by
mistake.

This language clearly recognizes the subscriber's 1st Amendment rights
for free speech and provides a remedy should the subscriber believe
his/her free speech rights are being abridged.

It is our opinion that it is extremely unlikely that a copyright
holder will ever contact an archive site's designated agent when
language, as we use, is provided to indicate the "fair use" aspect of
its dissemination and storage.

**********************************************************************

-- 


           W. Curtiss Priest, Director, CITS
      Center for Information, Technology & Society
         466 Pleasant St., Melrose, MA  02176
         Voice: 781-662-4044  BMSLIB@MIT.EDU
      Fax: 781-662-6882 WWW: http://Cybertrails.org