CHARITY, OFFICE COSTS, DRESSY COACH

It is more blessed to give than to receive: Currently, if taxpayers want to deduct their charitable giving, they must itemize their deductions on their federal income-tax return. In lieu of itemizing, about 70 percent of taxpayers take the standard deduction. In his newly proposed reforms, President Bush wants to allow all taxpayers to deduct their charitable gifts including those who opt for the standard deduction. According to Rep. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, the effect will be to "increase charitable giving." Indeed, according to Sara Melendez, president of a coalition of not-for-profit groups, foundations and corporate philanthropy programs, a new study says Bush's plan could raise charitable giving by as much as $14 billion a year. In addition, Melendez says that the plan would give a break to taxpayers who don't currently itemize their charitable giving, "largely low-and middle-income taxpayers."

By the way, a new surplus estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, $5.61 trillion over the next decade, is about $1 trillion higher than CBO's projection from last July. The new figure will add to the substantial momentum already behind tax cuts. -- Washington Update

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Clinton's new office: When Bill and Hillary Clinton departed the White House toting an unprecedented $190,000 worth of gifts from donors (many who are now claiming their gifts were to the White House, not personal gifts for the Clintons), it was assumed they would use the assorted china, flatware, furniture and DVD players to stock their homes in Washington and Chapaqua, N.Y.

It appears, however, the former first family will have another spacious abode to furnish: the president's enormous, taxpayer-funded 8,300-square-foot office in New York City. As the New York Post pointed out, that's four times the size of an average new home.

The office will consume the entire 56th floor of Manhattan's ritzy Carnegie Towers and will cost taxpayers $700,000 a year in rent. That's more than the cost of the other four surviving ex-presidents' offices combined.

No one is arguing that Mr. Clinton should be denied what other ex-presidents have received: lifetime office space at taxpayer expense. As to cost, however, federal law merely stipulates the digs should be "appropriately furnished and equipped."

The question for Clinton is: Appropriate for what?

It's hard to believe he needs 8,300 square feet just to write his memoirs. -- Savannah Morning News

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I recently received a letter from HAROLD KUEHLE, former Cape Girardeau County collector, encouraging donations to the Cape Girardeau Public School Foundation. A list of the 16-member board and the advisory board members was included.

A worthy goal ... to raise money for academics, arts and athletic needs not currently provided for at the new Central High School set to open in the fall of 2002. The foundation will act to equitably distribute donations in the areas of academics, arts and athletics among our kindergartners to our high school seniors.

The executive coordinators are KANDEE METJE and RICH PAYNE (the education Payne), who can be reached at (573) 335-5850 ... or mail checks to the Cape Girardeau Public School Foundation, P.O. Box 399, Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63702-0399. There are several levels of tax-deductible giving, so you may want to get some more information. Kandee or Rich would be happy to answer any and all of your questions.

I mailed my check this week.

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Schuberth moves to top of best-dressed list: Southeast assistant basketball coach Tom Schuberth is currently ranked first nationally on the latest Fashion Power Index for Assistant Coaches compiled by collegeinsider.com.

Schuberth was ranked seventh and fourth before moving to the top spot in the latest listing. Schuberth's wardrobe is extensive! -- SEMO Sports Memo

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The New York Times' error helped demonize Ashcroft: On Christmas Day last year, John Ashcroft received a little present from The New York Times. In its corrections that day, the Times revealed ... that a sampling of comments from Ashcroft, published two days earlier to illustrate his views on key issues, "omitted a heading and thus misstated the context for a quotation about abortion."

In the piece being corrected, the Times had run a quote from Ashcroft ... using the words "On Abortion" as the bald, unadorned rubric:

"The American people and a substantial majority of their elected representatives in Congress want to eliminate this gruesome procedure from our nation's hospitals and clinics."

In fact, as the Times pointed out in its correction, Ashcroft "was referring to the late-term procedure known to critics as partial-birth abortion -- and not abortion in general." ...

I am ... pro-choice. ... I am not against abortion, which I regard as an option that should be available in a free society.

I was shaken when I read the Times report not because I learned that Ashcroft was against abortion -- I knew that already. Unlike many American liberals and conservatives, I do not regard a politician's views on abortion as the bottom line, or the litmus test on which his acceptability depends. ...

I would venture to say that the campaign to halt the confirmation of Ashcroft as attorney general drew its most powerful inspiration from that piece in the Times on Dec. 23. No sooner had the man's words appeared in print -- and egregiously out of context -- than a frisson ran through liberal America. A monster was born that morning, as the Times plopped on our doorsteps. ...

In this case, the Times made ... mistakes that played ... a critical role in shaping public opinion. Only the crude, or the incurably conspiratorial, would suggest that the distortions were deliberate. ...

A more likely explanation rests on the Times' relationship with its sources. In this case, there is no question that the newspaper of record received, swallowed and regurgitated information from the more militant interest groups. -- Tunku Varadarajan, The Wall Street Journal's editorial feature editor

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Quote of the week: Today Sen. Ashcroft and Ted Kennedy -- boy, they got in an argument. They really went at it. Well, sure. Ashcroft doesn't drink. He doesn't smoke. He doesn't even fool around. He's against everything Kennedy stands for. He's like Kennedy's evil twin sitting there! -- Jay Leno, "The Tonight Show"

~Gary Rust is president of Rust Communications.