The plan announced by Gen. George Casey, Army chief of staff, to offer greater incentives in an attempt to keep more mid-level officers makes sense amid the current uncertainty over the length of America's war commitments.

Under Casey's plan, some captains would be offered $20,000 to stay on. In addition, the Army also would increase opportunities for officers to attend various graduate schools.

Casey, who noted that leadership development is one of his priorities, said the ability to reduce the exodus of mid-level officers was important as this country faces another decade or so in combat around the world.

The Army must be organized and equipped to deal with that challenge, he said.

Casey said he was not implying that the Iraq or Afghanistan wars would necessarily last for another half-decade. However, he said, building a stable, self-governing Iraq would be what he described as a "long-term proposition."

For the Army, then, the mid-level officers of today are the critical leaders of the years ahead. They are a valuable resource that must be maintained.

The incentives proposed by Casey are a small price to pay for the expertise that will be maintained.

Americans, regardless of their opinions regarding the current conflicts, should be supportive of Casey's goal and means for achieving it.

It won't save the planet, but the new loaner-bicycle program at Slippery Rock University could slow the expansion of parking lots on campus, while at the same time promote a healthier and less energy-intensive lifestyle for students.SRU's program joins loaner bike operations at a handful of other universities in the U.S. and Canada. The granddaddy of free loaner-bike programs is Amsterdam, Holland.Most loaner-bike programs try to refurbish older, often abandoned bikes that are not attractive to thieves. Bikes considered to be out of style, such as 3-speed models, are ideal for rental programs — because thieves prefer higher-end bikes.The Cycling Club at SRU launched the Green Bike Initiative of loaner bicycles in response to some student pressure for more on-campus parking. Preliminary talk by the university administration to pave over an area behind the Rock Apartments for added parking sparked the movement to preserve green space while also promoting bike riding.Launched with a starter fleet of seven bikes, early reviews suggest it's being embraced on the SRU campus. The green bikes have been spotted at various locations on campus, including the library, dorms and the Quad, and as far away as the outskirts of campus and the Giant Eagle.Though not always a viable alternative to a car, loaner bikes can offer quick and easy transportation around campus without adding to the parking woes common to SRU and other colleges.

The Bush Adminstration is proposing a shift in taxes paid by airline companies and corporate jets that would benefit commercial airlines. But corporate jet operators are fighting to block the change.The payments relate to charges that are intended to fund, at least partially, the Federal Aviation Administration for services supporting the domestic aviation system. Under current law, a regular commercial jet flying from New York to Florida pays $2,015 in these taxes, while a corporate jet flying the same route pays just $236.The Bush proposal would equalize those payments somewhat, with the commercial jet paying $1,298 and the corporate jet paying $837.The logic behind the proposed shift is reasonable. A commercial jet requires similar treatment (and associated costs) from the FAA in terms of air-traffic controllers, flight plans, etc., as the private, corporate jet. So why should the corporate jet pay just 10 percent of the taxes for the same flight?It appears to be a matter of commerical airlines — and their passengers — subsidizing corporate jets. And that's wrong.There is no justification for continuing this generous subsidization of corporate jet traffic, whose owners, in nearly all cases, can easily afford to pay the higher tax.Yet, the corporate jet interests are fighting the Bush proposal, lobbying Congress heavily to keep their sweet deal.The National Business Aviation Association trade group, which represents more than 8,000 companies, including NetJets, GM and ExxonMobil, says the impact of the proposed tax shift "is going to be significant." But it's hard to fret over Fortune 500 companies having to pay a few hundred dollars more per flight in taxes for the operation of their fleet of corporate jets.Commercial airlines would save some money with the tax shift, but it is probably not enough to save passengers much money on ticket prices. Still, it's an issue of fairness.Corporate jets should pay something closer to their fair share — and Congress should not bend to pressure from corporate interests.