The Week

■ The New York Times has come out foursquare against indexing income tax rates, which is to say, has obliquely endorsed bracket creep—the liberal equivalent of the invisible hand. If the idea is not premature, why not a constitutional amendment to require bracket creep?

■ In the interests of guaranteeing a black congressional seat in the Georgia delegation, the state legislature had proposed to redraw the Fifth District (now represented by a white Democrat) to increase the percentage of its black population from 50 to 57. But black activists said, no, it should be 69 per cent black, because black voter turnout is low. The Justice Department compromised on 65 per cent. Meanwhile, the state primaries, and maybe even the general elections, will be delayed, since the Justice Department ruled that candidates needed time to campaign. And the only reason anyone besides black office-seekers is putting up with it is that if black voters are concentrated in one district, the chances of electing Republicans and conservative Democrats from the remaining districts become that much greater.

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■ The New York Times has come out foursquare against indexing income tax rates, which is to say, has obliquely endorsed bracket creep—the liberal equivalent of the invisible hand. If the idea is not premature, why not a constitutional amendment to require bracket creep?

■ In the interests of guaranteeing a black congressional seat in the Georgia delegation, the state legislature had proposed to redraw the Fifth District (now represented by a white Democrat) to increase the percentage of its black population from 50 to 57. But black activists said, no, it should be 69 per cent black, because black voter turnout is low. The Justice Department compromised on 65 per cent. Meanwhile, the state primaries, and maybe even the general elections, will be delayed, since the Justice Department ruled that candidates needed time to campaign. And the only reason anyone besides black office-seekers is putting up with it is that if black voters are concentrated in one district, the chances of electing Republicans and conservative Democrats from the remaining districts become that much greater.