Originally posted by

Jason

Regardless of your intent, the words you write are interpreted specifically for their meaning. You use "rape" and "abortion with a coat hanger" as expressions for disagreement with a political position. This is by no means rare. In fact, many politico activists attack the other side with vindictive language. I often wonder what has happened to the human capacity for logic?

There is a fundamental difference between Republicans and Democrats. One believes that Government can and should be more involved in people's lives, the other does not. But we still don't discuss the really point, do we? America is rapidly becoming a socialist state. Social Security, Income tax, tariffs, government oversight, and the federal reserve system are all socialist entities. Democrats, in general, support them. Republican's, in general, do not. The only political party in the US that philosophically believes in freedom, individual rights and limited constitutional government is the Libertarian Party.

That aside, you have reaffirmed so much of what we see from University Students today, their liberal activist mentality, the Berkeley filthy speech movement which had led to the destruction of the English language, the lack of tact displayed by obnoxious protesters, and the uncouth type of journalism predominate in the US today that is inflammatory for no other reason to be so.

I'm sure this is a learning experience for you. We can only hope that as you mature, enter the work force, become a mother and/or a wife, your perspective broadens.

Signed, disappointed in a University newspaper

I fervently disagree with you on a few points, and totally agree with you on the rest.

I. Berkeley has nothing to do with the death of the English language. In fact, outside of Northern California, the only people who care about Cal Berkeley are 1.) people involved in Academia 2.) students who WANT to be involved in Academia 3.) the cast of College Gameday on ESPN. Oh, and 4.) whatever college happens to have a football team playing Cal that week. And even then, they only care enough to cheer against them and for their team.

Seriously though, bleeding hearted elder youths did not kill the english language and logic. If, somehow, the Berkeley movements of the past (what's at UCB now doesn't qualify for a "movement") can be factored in as a decisive cause, then let me add a few more to the GCFs: radio stations, television, the internet, a general distrust of the purposefully unintelligible jargon that passes for "english" in the practice of law, politics, and nearly any other institution social, political or socio-political who take themselves seriously, anti-intellectualism spurned by said general distrust, anti-intellectualism as a reaction to the often nihilistic philosophies of postmodern thought/media, post-structuralism, Journalism becoming a discipline with its own rules and agenda rather than a method for performing objective observational inquiry (in all sides of politics,) our faltering education systems which have seemed to do their best to ban critical (or creative) thought in favor of fill-in-the-bubble multiple choice tests, the fact that literature hasn't seemed to connect with youth past the age of Dr. Seuss (until Harry Potter...gotta give it up to J.K. for inspiring kids to read,) cartoons without any semblance of logic except for genre conventions (screw Spongebob Squarepants...when my kids turn 9, they're watching Cowboy Bebop with me, and we're having half-hour long discussions over cookies and ice cream after it ends!)

And there are MORE...but I've already spent way more time than is sane to on a hyperbole you threw together without a thought in about two seconds.

II. What's wrong with a liberal activist mentality? Shouldn't people stand up for what they believe in?

First, if you think that Sac State has a '60's style Berkeley mentality, and that's your claim, you've gone coo-coo for cocoa puffs, because 'them days (the English language, here seen butchered, was not caused by ANY University of California influence. No phonemes were harmed in the typing of this sentence) came, then went, and not many here in Sacramento seemed to take them seriously.

There's a vocal minority, sure, holding up signs in protests, but it's usually because they've tried to get their voice heard elsewhere and NO ONE CARES.

So students have to protest on lawns and chant slogans because, if they don't, they're a lot like you and me on this forum right now: having a dialogue that no one with the power to change things will give a damn about. Except maybe you and me.

I'm standing up for student protestors, because ASI, as much as I will pimp them, doesn't know how to involve the local community in getting behind Sac State students. And without energy and enthusiasm, college students can't get on local news for anything more than selling their virginity.

And students do want to see real change, and while so much of academia stays in place with the same wheels spinning, groups of students have what? Four years to be active in their school before they graduate? Let them try to cement change for the better in their world while they have the chance to fight for their values, before they get all tied up in this "real world" people keep telling me exists.

III. Funny, I didn't notice your third to last paragraph until now.

Are you against income tax? If so, what do you propose instead?

Are you for deregulated markets? If so, would you just love to see what happens when people's greed overwhelms EVERY market, not just the housing ones?

NOTE: We probably agree on one thing: namely, that the 600 billion bailout currently planned is a short-sighted solution which will create a larger problem for the value of the dollar, essentially spreading out the loss to every American company, rather than the market that headed us off?/ENDNOTE

During times of market volitility, we left the market de-regulated, and what occured was the Great Depression. What did we use to help bail ourselves out? Socialist policies. Coincidentally, decimated Europe, post-World War II, set up welfare states...more socialist than capitalist, really.

Why? Because capitalism doesn't take well to volitile markets. A little bit of regulation is sometimes necessary. Making sure funds goes into infrastructure are sometimes necessary.

And as we see the divide between the rich and the poor grow larger, and we see consumer confidence fail under the pressure of increasing costs and wages that can't cover inflation rates, where deregulation and globalization are key factors, how do we correct the short-sightedness of voodoo economics?

Well, I don't know.

You tell me, all knowing Libertarian, how the market will correct itself where capital does not otherwise dare tread.

And then fix Zimbabwe.

-Frank

Originally posted by

Jason

Regardless of your intent, the words you write are interpreted specifically for their meaning. You use "rape" and "abortion with a coat hanger" as expressions for disagreement with a political position. This is by no means rare. In fact, many politico activists attack the other side with vindictive language. I often wonder what has happened to the human capacity for logic?

There is a fundamental difference between Republicans and Democrats. One believes that Government can and should be more involved in people's lives, the other does not. But we still don't discuss the really point, do we? America is rapidly becoming a socialist state. Social Security, Income tax, tariffs, government oversight, and the federal reserve system are all socialist entities. Democrats, in general, support them. Republican's, in general, do not. The only political party in the US that philosophically believes in freedom, individual rights and limited constitutional government is the Libertarian Party.

That aside, you have reaffirmed so much of what we see from University Students today, their liberal activist mentality, the Berkeley filthy speech movement which had led to the destruction of the English language, the lack of tact displayed by obnoxious protesters, and the uncouth type of journalism predominate in the US today that is inflammatory for no other reason to be so.

I'm sure this is a learning experience for you. We can only hope that as you mature, enter the work force, become a mother and/or a wife, your perspective broadens.

Signed, disappointed in a University newspaper

Jason,

I would consider the Republican led governmental bailout of failing institutions to be a little bit contradictory to the idea of smaller government, but maybe it's just me. I mean, willing to provide money to keep struggling corporations from going under sounds a tad bit like Corporate Welfare, but I could be wrong here too.

I think the main difference between Republicans and Democrats is who they are willing to help out, not their willingness to spend government money. On one hand the Republicans are willing to help out struggling corporations in hopes that their recovery will trickle down to everyone else, where on the other hand the Democrats are willing to help out struggling people in hopes that getting them on their feet will boost the economy.

Oh well, I guess lowering taxes and giving refunds to people in hopes they would turn around and give it back to the corporations didn't provide the boost they were hoping for. So this time they'll just cut out the Middle Man and give the government money directly to the corporations.