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(10/01/09 12:00am)
Let me start by saying that Kyle Franko's article "Real futbol
is better than American football" was terrific. Well, except the
end of it — when he commented about the "British" soccer team and
its fans. Before I progress, I would like to say that Franko has
more soccer — from here on out referred to as "football" —
knowledge than most people I know. He could easily talk and write
about football as well as some of my fellow Englishmen. But, as an
Englishman I feel compelled to make a few pointers and correct a
couple of mistakes. To begin with, I want to make a little
historical side note: "Britain" never won the World Cup in '66.
England did. And a little geopolitical note: Britain is a unitary
state. England is one of four countries in Britain, along with
Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. England and Britain are two
different things. When it comes to football, if you say "Britain"
in reference to any of these four countries while in the U.K., you
would have had a bottle smashed over your head before you realized
your mistake. Now I'm sure that in the author's eyes it would be
very "cool" for the U.S. to beat England in the World Cup, but I
really don't see it happening. The U.S. has failed to beat England
since '93 and England has outscored them 35-8 in all encounters.
England has also only lost twice in the last two years under Fabio
Capello, to France and Spain away. The U.S. lost to Mexico 5-0 in
New Jersey just a few months ago. Quite frankly, when it comes to
football, the English national team is different gravy. The fact
is, England's second — even some third string — players would
immediately command the place in any club over the vast majority of
USA's first team. England has at least seven of the greatest
positional players in the world of football. I challenge the
author or anyone else to find a better center back pairing than
John Terry and Rio Ferdinand or a better central midfielder pairing
than Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. And don't even get me
started on Wayne Rooney. If Franko can find me a team on Earth that
would not benefit from having any one of these players in their
squad, I will happily wear the Stars and Stripes come next summer
and leave the Three Lions in the closet. The fans of any national
side that boasted such world class players as those above would
definitely be confident in their nation's chances come World Cup
time. Nevertheless, the author was correct when he said that
England usually shoots itself in the foot when it comes to major
competitions. For the fact is, every year England hasn't played to
its best. But then why do we Englishmen always tell you "how great"
we are? Well, it's quite simple: It's because we are great. Not
just as a team, but as a footballing nation. Now we never say that
we are going to win the World Cup; we merely say that we have a
very good chance of doing so. And that's because we always do. As I
said before, we have an incredible team. We also have a great
record despite not playing to our full potential. England is one of
the most consistent World Cup performers since its establishment.
They are also the 4th top nation in the world on average since
1970. Where is the U.S.? They are 48th, behind Iraq (45th) and Iran
(29th). But, as a means to move on, I can agree on at least some
things Franko said. You can show up for a World Cup match but you
will not "witness one of the world's supreme sporting events;" you
will be witnessing the world's supreme sporting events. The 2006
Super Bowl had 91 million viewers. The 2006 World Cup final alone
had near 700 million watchers worldwide. Here I will reiterate one
of the author's points: real football is better than American
football. To conclude, while Franko may be dreaming of how "cool"
it would be for the U.S. to beat England in the World Cup come next
summer, I will be legitimately cheering on my home nation just as I
always have — with a quiet confidence. The year 2010 is England's
greatest chance, our greatest chance in 44 years. Jo'burg here we
come. Note to the author: Next time, leave the "British" comments
aside. Stephen Beeston is a School of Arts and Sciences senior
majoring in English.
(10/01/09 12:00am)
Everyone hates sitting in class with their laptop waiting to
receive some trace of a wireless signal. Whether you are trying to
get to a link your professor is talking about, or you are just
bored out of your mind and trying to play an addicting game, it is
always irritating to find out that RU Wireless does not work in
some buildings around the University campuses. Never fear, the
Office of Information Technology is here to continue implementing
wireless access in more classrooms. OIT began arranging for more
wireless Internet in residential common areas and expanded access
in classroom buildings throughout the summer. Some of the buildings
that now have wireless are Scott Hall on the College Avenue campus,
Tillet Hall on Livingston campus and Hickman Hall on Douglass
campus. Although students will still have issues getting wireless
service in the upper levels of Scott Hall, it is still better than
nothing. OIT gets laurels for their efforts to help make getting RU
Wireless more convenient for students. When you are able to connect
to Sakai or Facebook during class, you now know whom to thank.
(09/30/09 12:00am)
While in elementary school, the board game "Girl Talk" became
popular among my friends and me. The game, more or less a version
of the ever-popular truth or dare, revolved around the collection
of cards from categories marked "marriage," "career," "children and
"special moments," and included blazingly red "zit" stickers that
were to be placed on your face if you decided that performing a
stunt or confessing an intimate secret was not for you. Sound
silly? Well, it is. The concept of the phrase "Girl Talk" also
conjures up an image of the type of gossiping that takes place in
venues such as the powder room or late night slumber parties. The
phrase does not, however, seem to be an accurate portrayal of the
meaningful discourse that took place between both male and female
students on Sept. 28 at the "Girls Like Us" event sponsored by the
Douglass Governing Council with the help of numerous and diverse
cosponsors.
(09/29/09 12:00am)
This year, the Rutgers University Student Assembly is taking the
unprecedented step to unite student representatives of all the
different campus and professional councils by organizing a retreat
for its representatives at "Happiness Is Camping," an organization
that uses proceeds to provide free camping and other opportunities
for children afflicted with cancer. But while RUSA is attempting to
unite the student body, others are questioning the validity of the
retreat and its ability to serve its purpose. In his column in
Monday's edition of The Daily Targum, Ben West, chairman of the
University Affairs Committee, argued that the retreat was
unnecessary because of its high price tag and lack of guarantee to
achieve the desired result: helping elected representatives serve
their constituents.
(09/28/09 12:00am)
President Barack Obama continues to pitch his reckless and
unrealistic health care initiative to the public. "Big Brother"
Obama wants Congress to pass a bill quickly, before Congress and
the public to understand the plan.A proposed government-imposed
health care program will cost U.S. taxpayers about $1 trillion over
10 years, and the Medicare system will suffer cuts of $500
billion.Thirteen million illegal aliens will access Obama's health
care system because many of them have driver's licenses and forged
social security cards, and Obama's health care package does not
include verification of citizenship.Obama says he will have to live
with his program, but it is the American people who will have to
endure the harmful impact on our health care system. About 80
percent of the American people are satisfied with the best health
care system in the world.Any changes will be implemented in 2013,
well after the 2012 election. Is this timetable designed to give
Obama the opportunity to be reelected before a failed health care
program is implemented?Some European countries and Canada embarked
on socialized health care, and they have endured long waiting times
for services and reductions in the quality of care due to
inadequate numbers of doctors, nurses and hospitals. We could
suffer the same fate. Donald A. Moskowitz is a
Londonderry, N.H., resident.
(09/28/09 12:00am)
While sitting in a meeting last week, I checked my Facebook page
only to find something peculiar: My news feed was filled with the
exact same status, "Kanye West is an asshole." My first reaction
was obviously to find out what he could possibly have said or done
to gain so much attention — rappers are well known for their
dramatic escapades. But after thinking for a moment, I realized …
who cares? This is the man who said, "I will go down as the voice
of this generation, of this decade." Nevermind his ignorance — a
generation is longer than a decade — I must concur with Stephen
Colbert that Kanye is barely the voice of his own soundtrack! He
makes the guy who stands outside the Rutgers Student Center
screaming about judgment seem reasonable. Regardless, Kanye is
simply the pawn of a more disturbing issue: entertainment culture.
Since the dawn of civilization mankind revered its leaders first
and foremost; yet, if I may use an analogy, many members of our
society would rather worship our jugglers than our kings. For
instance, if I asked you who played the Joker in the last "Batman"
movie, would you know? Of course; Heath Ledger's performance was
brilliant! But how many of us know the name of our Congressman, his
vote record or his policy platforms? Furthermore, how many watched
the Emmys compared to President Barack Obama's recent health care
speech? Our priorities seem quite clear. This unquenchable thirst
for entertainment transcends into our very essence of being. Let's
take football for example — a touchy subject, I know. Many readers
can talk ad nauseam about their favorite teams and even quote
statistics. Sometimes team preference can even deteriorate into
tenuous relationships, especially after a few drinks. Yet I see
more passion for the Scarlet Knights on a daily basis than I have
ever seen for stopping the genocide in Darfur. Do you know where
Darfur is? America has become saturated with materialistic
postmodernism, and this has both individual and societal
implications. Individually we have become miserable
existentialists. Life always seems to be a competition in which we
can never win enough, especially in a world where you don't know
your own meaning and thus create one out of thin air or simply
never take time to care. Moreover, as a society we have become
ignorant. Rather than taking a few minutes out of each day to
become socially aware, we instead pleasure and drink ourselves into
oblivion. Furthermore, both the government and business elites cash
checks daily thanks to our ignorance. Rather than actually talk
about the issues, politicians treat us like children by feeding us
pithy one-liners. Rather than adhering to honest business
practices, corporations thrive on what we don't know in order to
get rich.There are those of you who have chosen personal happiness
as your philosophy of life. While I disagree with your priorities,
I can at least admire your consistency. However, this article is
directed to those who are not yet willing to admit such a
self-centered lifestyle but whose priorities are clearly in sync
with the concept. My only advice: Personally, I am not satisfied
with a culture that believes simply going to class or work and then
drinking over the weekend with the possibility of getting laid is
an acceptable, let alone praiseworthy, lifestyle. There is more to
life than instant gratification. Socrates' timeless adage is true:
The unexamined life is truly not worth living. The next time you're
walking to a house party, ask yourself this radical question: Why?
The next time Britney Spears is on TV for a new publicity stunt, I
encourage you to turn it off. Where are the revolutionary Martin
Luther King Jr.'s of our generation? Who is today's Einstein? These
are the men and women we should model our lives after, people who
dedicate themselves to excellence and improving humanity. If your
role model is an entertainer then I truly feel sorry for your low
self-worth. Entertainers deserve neither your adoration nor
attention. Though I may not know you, I nonetheless believe you
have far more potential.Some may read this article and have
feelings of both agreement and contempt. Please forgive my
preachiness; I write this article not for the sake of judgment but
for collective action. I am just as guilty as the next. I too enjoy
going out and can never get enough of Jon Stewart. I am not asking
you to forego all entertainment; as such an attempt would be
preposterous. Instead, I only ask that you think for yourselves and
pursue a purpose that is loftier than perpetual entertainment. All
of us need to relax sometimes, but never allow your indulgence of
entertainment to exceed the amount of time you put toward
meaningful endeavors. Hundreds of millions of people around the
world live on less than $1 per day; we have a lot of work to
do. Lonnie Affrime is a School of Arts and Sciences senior majoring
in political science. He is the president of the University's
Roosevelt Institute. He welcomes feedback at
laffrime@eden.rutgers.edu.
(09/27/09 12:00am)
Similar to America, Honduras is a country consisting of hard
working people that need jobs to support themselves and their
families. Unfortunately, while there are labor laws and regulations
in Honduras, they are not as widely enforced when a company
violates the legislation. Over the course of the last 10 years
there have been two major textile factories suddenly closed down
without informing its workers in advance. Not only were these
workers not given any notice of the closure, they had been on
vacation for Christmas for the immediate decision. Despite labor
laws, these workers were not given any severance pay or
compensation for sick days that had not been used as legislation
entitles them to. The University of Washington has begun a campaign
to make adjustments to these events. The University is indirectly
involved in these shutdowns in that the majority of the production
in these factories is done for Nike, which is also a significant
amount of apparel made for the University of Washington. Hugger de
Honduras, a plant that produced Nike products as a majority,
abruptly shut down on Jan. 19, 2009. Of the 1,200 hard-working
people that were employed at the factory, none of them received any
terminal compensation that the Honduran laws state. To understand
the complete economic toll these workers have taken, the Honduran
Ministry of Labor has calculated that the compensation owed exceeds
$1,000,000.Vision Tex, another primary contractor of Nike products,
also unexpectedly closed down recently without notifying its
workers. The difference between the two factories is that the
workers of Vision Tex were engaging in a campaign to have their
labor union recognized by the company. Before the official shut
down of the factory, the company fired the union's secretary
general, president, vice president and treasurer. This firing spree
followed with a complete shutdown of the company, and comparably to
Hugger de Honduras, no compensatory pay was given to any of the
workers. The money that the workers are entitled to totals about
$560,000. While Vision Tex was not disclosed as a factory that
produced apparel for the University of Washington, Hugger de
Honduras had produced a significant amount of apparel for the
school. As the workers from the two factories are relying on the
liquidation of the plants' remaining machinery and assets for their
compensatory pay, workers rights activists at the University are
pushing for full compensation for the workers. Rutgers also has a
large contract with Nike for much of our apparel as well. In a
drive to get fairness for these employees, we at Rutgers University
should help in the campaign to push Nike to pay the severance that
the workers never received. They have worked hard to produce for
Nike and deserve this compensation that they are legally obligated
to receive. To begin this push, the Rutgers Labor Association will
be having a general meeting to discuss further strategies in order
to give justice and fairness to the workers in Honduras and to
start this new campaign. There will be a general meeting for the
campaign on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. in Scott Hall. All
interested are invited to attend. Laura Barrett is a School of Arts
and Sciences junior majoring in labor studies and employment
relations. She is also the Rutgers Labor Association
treasurer.
(09/23/09 12:00am)
The "Zeitgeist" column normally causes me to scratch my head,
roll my eyes or groan aloud. Sometimes all three at once.
Yesterday, the column, "Health care reform in dire condition," did
not disappoint. I found faults and fallacies in nearly all the
author's arguments.
(09/22/09 12:00am)
Despite the fact that swine flu, or influenza H1N1, has become a
worldwide pandemic that tends to target those under 25 years of
age, University students need to relax and take the following
prescription: chill pills.Allow me to re-educate you. Every year
roughly between the months of November to April is flu season.
During these months, the latest strain of influenza tends to infect
people at a peak rate. Influenza, or "flu" for short, goes though
constant genetic variations. Over time, the changes in the genetic
makeup behind the flu virus can accumulate, causing the overall
structure and function of the flu virus to change. Thus, the flu
virus can change yearly, and as a result, a new vaccine is required
yearly to help fight off the season's strain of
influenza.Unfortunately for all of humanity, this year's seasonal
flu virus is a bit tougher than previous strains.H1N1 is the result
of genetic components from birds, pigs and humans. In a very rare
phenomenon, four different strains of influenza attacked the same
target, got mashed up through a process called reassortment, and
the result in an extremely virulent, extremely contagious version
of the flu. You know if you have the swine flu if you have the
following symptoms: fever above 100OF, coughing, sore throat,
sometimes runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue,
diarrhea and vomiting.What does this mean to people in the United
States? at the University? It means we need to change our lifestyle
habits and practices to accommodate for this new challenge. Fellow
students, please commit to doing the following:Wash your hands. By
doing so, one helps to slow down the spread of viruses and
bacteria. The eyes, nose and throat are prime areas for virus entry
into the body and hands tend to contact these areas commonly. What
this means is that if I see another person not wash their hands
after using the bathroom at the campus center, a trashcan might
come flying.Use common sense. If someone nearby sneezes, rubs their
nose and mouth with their hand, then approaches you with a
handshake, you have my approval to back away in disgust and perhaps
even run. Kidding aside, be polite but be firm in how you deal with
others, especially if you suspect that people in your environment
are sick.Stay home if you get sick. Currently, the supported
protocol to follow if you believe you have come down with the flu
is to stay home for 24 hours to allow the fever to pass. Rest and
get fluids. Use acetaminophen or ibuprofen to handle the fever.
Afterwards, it is safe for you to return to your normal schedule.
But please, I beg of you, do not come into class with a fever, even
if you have three exams to take or you want to make it to the
Jack's Mannequin concert on the 21 for the sake of those around
you, their well being and yours, especially if you get them sick
and they know it.Keep the immune system strong. Get enough sleep,
try to eat every day and in a timely manner and listen to your
body. I'm a student and I've pulled the all-nighters, eaten so
poorly that one would think I was raised in a developing Third
World nation, and I've disregarded my tired and hungry body to
pursue other necessities, such as rock banding or catching the
"House" marathon on TV. I've been there and I know, but this is not
the time for that type of living.Get vaccinated — and early. Do
this for both the season flu as well as the novel H1N1 flu strain.
The latter vaccine will be given by the University free of charge
sometime in late October. Pay attention to e-mails for more
information.If you do get sick, you can go see a doctor. You may be
tested, and if the results come back positive there are drugs that
can assist to reduce the symptoms and increase recovery time
against H1N1. However, this is not necessary. Your body will be
able to fight off the virus on its own. I want to stress this
because our nation's hospitals are usually thinly staffed, and with
the oncoming outbreak, hospitalization should be sought in response
to a flu-related complication. But even with the slightest
indication that your condition is worsening, go see a doctor
immediately.
(09/22/09 12:00am)
Oh, Rutgers transportation system…how you suck. With your 35,000
students and jerky stops, you are the shining moment to my every
morning. I watch you carefully as you approach from afar and pray,
just pray, that you may grant me entrance so that I may make it to
class on time. Your numbing screech pierces my brain as you jerk to
a stop several yards from a throng of eagerly awaiting
students. Oh, Rutgers transportation system. Your doors gently
swing open revealing an inconceivable number of bodies, each
intimately close to the next. Although one could hear his neighbors
blink, no one makes a move toward your open doors. As I slowly step
forward from the streets, pondering if just one more person could
fit, your doors slam shut just grazing my nose. I stand, amazed, as
your engines roar back to life. I look at the faces and random
appendages pressed up hard on the glass as you glide further and
further in to the horizon toward Busch campus. Why! Why, oh Rutgers
transportation system, would you stop and open your doors? Why
would you mock us with false hopes when you are inexorably filled?
You are heartless. Oh, Rutgers transportation system. I finally
board an H bus just in time to completely miss class. I move deeper
into your mobile cavern, eyeing each possible seat. I gracefully
pass each open seat in search for one that would leave me the least
scarred. Alas, your seats are filling like a cup during a monsoon.
All seems lost and then I spot you — a potential seat next to a
cute girl. I sit down amazed at my luck as you turn to me and
smile. I look up and meet your eyes, horrified, but it's too
late. Oh, girl with the distractingly large mole on your face. I
sit silently, uncomfortably aware that I am being watched. Although
you shut your eyes, your mole stares at me with vicious intent. I
attempt to escape the situation by drowning my reality with music.
All is successful until I arrive at the realization that your mole
is so large it could eat me. Its gravitation draws me in closer,
simultaneously misaligning the planets. Although horrified, I want
to poke it. It beckons me to explore its potentially inhabitable
surface. I want to set sail from the old world into the unknown,
land on its shores. Explore the wilderness and colonize the new
world, all that is your mole, in the name of humanity, but I
digress. As I shift in my seat, disturbed by my thoughts, I realize
that I should have stood…Oh, Rutgers transportation system. I yearn
for the day when your seats are open and beautiful college girls
roam your aisles, sprinkling me with flowers as I enter. I seek the
day when I can travel from Busch to College Avenue — a distance of
no more than 4 miles — in less than an hour. I dream about
effortless transportation as I sleep. I'll just keep waiting for
the third week of the semester when 33,000 students realize they
don't need to go to class and still do kinda-sorta all right.
(09/21/09 12:00am)
Having followed the ward issue in New Brunswick and having
disagreed with the position Empower Our Neighborhoods has taken, I
am pleased to know that there is another group, Unite New
Brunswick, representing the voice of University students. I am also
disappointed to see that recent editorials have misrepresented the
views of both groups and the facts surrounding the issue.
(09/21/09 12:00am)
I am writing in response to an article entitled "Faculty
diversity not on par with student demographics." First, I want to
applaud your staff for writing about this important issue. It is
good to know that our student journalists are so deeply engaged
with the core issues related to University governance. Second, I
want to thank the author for calling upon me to comment.
(09/20/09 12:00am)
In Wednesday's edition of The Daily Targum, Jenna Greenfield
offered her thoughts on race in American society in her article,
"Racism alive in a new form." What troubles the author is that
"some black people refuse to let go of racism that plagued their
ancestors, channeling their resentment toward white citizens in
what is easily identified as racism." She believes that although
there are still a couple of racists in America, "we have risen
above the … issue of unequal rights and undeserved discrimination,
[so] we should collectively dissolve our differences and focus on
the grounds of our shared humanity."
(09/15/09 12:00am)
It seems as though American society cannot completely eradicate
feelings of racism, a skewed worldview with roots that can be
traced back to the very founding of the nation. Even in the early
1500s, European settlers felt a distinct sense of supremacy over
the Native Americans who had inhabited the Americas largely via the
Bering Straight years prior to the European expeditions. Jumping
approximately 350 years later in American history submerges one
directly into the sweat of the Civil War — an imbroglio between
citizens of a nation teetering on the edge of tearing apart — with
the issue of enslaving black Americans a heated contributing
factor.
(09/15/09 12:00am)
In a recent editorial that ran on Sept. 13, The Daily Targum
staff argued that what you write or post on personal Web sites is
protected by the First Amendment right to free speech and, as such,
"it is unfair for people to hold what you write on your personal
Web sites against you, especially because it is not a professional
site. If it has nothing to do with a job then there should be no
penalization for your opinion on a certain matter." While the
Targum may have good intentions, this idea is simply wrong. It is
well within the rights of every person, company and even government
to hold what you freely say or do against you, especially when
these actions are done in public, which the Internet is. Social
networking sites are no more private than notes passed between
classmates. At any point in time that note can be picked up by
someone else and read, shared and copied for all to see. Free
speech, including on the Internet, is a guaranteed right of every
person, but it does not guarantee that what you say or do is in the
right or that you can't be held accountable for such. For example,
one cannot yell "fire" in a crowded theatre or "bomb" on an
airplane and expect to be protected by freedom of speech. As well,
defamation of any kind can and will be held against those who
freely choose to do so. This is not to say that people shouldn't
express their opinions, but there's no reason that those opinions
can't be held against them in court, at a job interview or in
public office. Anyone making an opinion on a matter should be able
to defend it. Otherwise they shouldn't be making an opinion at
all.Similarly, whether one chooses to post, for example, racist,
anti-Semitic or hateful comments online or in a public park makes
no difference to those who hear or read them. Those kinds of
opinions simply aren't acceptable in today's world, and if the one
who said these things happens to be a public figure or a student
looking for a job, he will likely be held accountable for those
opinions and could lose his job for them.The Targum noted "judges,
certain civil servants and journalists … have to be able to do
their jobs objectively and should not compromise that objectivity.
They can lose their credibility if they do. But to think they do
not have an opinion on a certain topic is unfair." While this is
true and it is unfair to think they do not have an opinion on a
certain topic, that opinion should be held to themselves and to
their personal, non-public circle of friends. A judge who has
expressed strong personal opinions about abortion should probably
not reside over an abortion rights case. Likewise, a reporter who
openly supports one side of an issue should probably be the last to
cover said issue. This is extremely important, as personal opinions
can sometimes weigh so heavily on a story that journalistic
integrity comes into question. Opinions made in public should be
left to those on either side of the conflict, with the reporter as
neutral presenting both sides.As for those who post on Facebook,
Myspace or Twitter and claim that due to their privacy settings all
their information and opinions are protected, they are sadly
mistaken. It needs to be made clear: Everything posted on the
Internet is available to the public, even things you wish to keep
private. The American Civil Liberties Union recently made a
Facebook quiz application to drive that point home. With each
question in the ACLU's privacy quiz, you're shown that everything
on your profile and your friends' profiles, privacy protected or
not, is available to them — though of course, the ACLU is a trusted
organization with a privacy policy that won't use this information,
unlike the thousands of other quiz developers. Thus, it behooves
our generation to realize that the Internet is not divided into
personal, locked diaries for us all to use. Everything we say or do
on it is public. We are all accountable for our actions, good or
bad, and our actions on the Internet are no exception. Ehud Cohen
is a School of Engineering sophomore majoring in computer
engineering.
(09/14/09 12:00am)
This letter is in response to the article titled "Democracy,
choice, second ballot offers that," which ran in The Daily Targum
on Sept. 11, 2009, in which the author alleges that Empower Our
Neighborhoods is acting undemocratically by taking legal action
against the city government's illegal petition for an expanded
at-large council.
(09/14/09 12:00am)
Former University Senator Candice Greaux's proposal to extend
the add/drop period came as a pleasant surprise for me. Though I
love the University enough to have come back for another degree, I
do live in fear of how the "RU Screw" will affect my efforts to
obtain an education. Miss Greaux's attempt to make things easier
for students should be lauded.
(09/13/09 12:00am)
President Barack Obama was correct in his basic assumption about
health care reform. He said in his Sept. 9 speech to Congress,
"Tonight, I return to speak to all of you about an issue that
is central to [our] future — and that is the issue of
health care." There are two main problems with health care in the
United States. The first is spiraling costs, which many people and
companies cannot afford, and the second issue is the lack of
portability. In other words, all those who receive health insurance
from employers will lose that insurance if they change jobs or lose
their jobs. There are many reasons why costs have
skyrocketed in health care. The first is simple. The quality of
care in America has improved, and it makes sense that costs would
rise, as well. But there are other causes of unaffordable insurance
costs, and they are not as intrinsic as the correlation between
costs and quality. One of the most important reasons for the
increasing costs is that Americans are not able to purchase
insurance from other states. Congress should pass legislation to
remove this barrier. This would allow New Jersey citizens to buy
insurance from North Dakota and someone from North Dakota to buy
insurance from Hawaii. The point is that each state has very
limited choices, and when there is limited supply, prices go up.
Conversely, if Americans have all fifty states to choose from,
costs would go down. This one small proposal would cost the federal
government no money, would not expand entitlements and, most
importantly, would lower the cost of health insurance.Tort
reform, or medical malpractice reform, would also lower the costs
of health insurance. Everyone has heard stories about frivolous
lawsuits, which bring in millions of dollars. While those who
successfully sue doctors and hospitals might be better off
financially, the majority of Americans are left with a higher bill.
Quite simply, somebody has to pay for the lawsuits. Doctors get
paid by their patients, and if doctors' costs go up, then so do
patients'. Congress should pass a bill that restricts unnecessary
lawsuits, and that would cap fees for tort lawyers. Unfortunately,
the current Washington establishment would never pass such a bill,
because tort lawyers are a powerful interest group — the sort of
interest group President Obama promised he would not allow to
control Washington. But it is universally accepted that such a tort
reform bill would decrease costs for individuals.Lastly,
our portability problem is a symptom of a misguided policy that
grants tax exemption to employers who purchase health insurance for
their employees but gives no exemptions for individuals to purchase
insurance on their own. As a result, the entire apparatus of health
care is tied to employers and not to individuals. This has many
unpleasant consequences. It penalizes people who want to switch
careers or jobs. It makes it nearly impossible to maintain the same
insurance while switching jobs. Since people are not paying for
their own insurance, they are not as frugal as they otherwise might
be. How many patients who have employer-based insurance ask their
doctors how much a certain procedure will cost? I would guess that
the number is quite small. Whenever I inform people that I
am opposed to a government takeover of the insurance market, they
begin to inform me about all the travesties and injustices. I
agree, the system is broken and needs to be fixed. More government,
though, is no fix at all. A health care industry run through
government fiat will be inefficient and will raise costs, according
to the Congressional Budget Office. Instead of increasing the size
and scope of government, I argue for free market reforms that will
lower costs and increase portability. Noah Glyn is a School
of Arts and Sciences sophomore majoring in economics.
(09/13/09 12:00am)
This letter is in response to the drivel of articles covering
the so-called controversy concerning the extramarital affair of
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.
(09/10/09 12:00am)
For months now we have been hearing a slew of key points and
buzzwords from Empower Our Neighborhoods about the upcoming ballot
question asking to divide the city into wards: "representation,"
"democracy," "will of the people," "empowerment," "diversity," and,
of course, "change." These are things that all governments should
embody.
