4A
Thursday, March 25, 2010
COMMENT OF THE DAY »
Max Avery, opinion editor dailyopinion@ou.edu • phone: 325-7630 • fax: 325-6051
OUR VIEW
In response to Our View on allowing parents’ health insurance to cover children until they’re 26.
“Is this the time to be seeking more handouts from the government or is this the time that every american stands up and figures out the solution to his or her problems with the least impact on others? We have become the generation of handouts, bailouts, and a help me with my life mentality. Our parents didn’t have the luxury of staying on their parents insurance till they were 26, why should we?” -cezlax16
We must take back student GUEST COLUMN loans from malignant banks We must exemplify forgiveness
Student loans may become much less complicated thanks to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act that just passed in the U.S. House of Representatives. In the current system of student loans, banks give federally backed loans to students and charge interest; the current rate is 5.6 percent. Essentially, they loan money without risk. The new system is getting rid of the middlemen — the banks. We’ll get our loans from the federal government and pay them back, without for-profit banks sitting in the middle, soaking up risk free interest. This won’t mean more government, just less bank control over our lives. However, it may feel like more government because they’ll be more open about this service they’re doing for us. It may be anathema for those of us jaded by excessive government spending but in this case, eliminating waste from the system means cutting businesses that are profiteering on our education. Everyone but the banks will benefit from this. The government won’t be wasting taxpayer’s
money, the student won’t have such high loans and universities will have more students who can afford loans. The federal government recently bailed out these banks; this after the Federal Reserve has insured them for so long, which has effectively kept them alive. Yet these resurrected banks seem bent on the mantra of spending money to make money, even if they don’t understand what they’re spending their money on. This was the basis of the hedge fund system that allowed banks to make fiscally irresponsible loans, which is a big reason why we’re in this whole economic debacle. This economic mess destroyed the job market, which in turn made it more difficult for recent graduates to get jobs and pay back these 100 percent federally insured loans. It’s as though everything these banks do is going against our interests. Good thing the government is helping us take something back from them.
COMMENT ON THIS COLUMN AT OUDAILY.COM
STAFF CARTOON
and open communication
Whatever one believes about how the understanding of the incident is a prodworld works, one thing remains clear: uct of my own perception. Since that little can be discussed without facing time she has never said much about the necessity of interpersonal relation- how she felt, or why. Many times have ships. Whether these relationships are I wished she would have told me what of an intimate variety or, as in the case she thought, even if it meant saying of many types of work, very thin and some very mean or hateful things. At impersonal, the benefits of open com- least I would have more to go on bemunication and some measure of for- sides my own best guess. giveness are almost ubiquitous. To be fair I did not do as well as I I had an interesting experience in could have with respect to communithis regard over spring break. cating, and with respect to keepMy sister came to visit, and ing my anger in check I failed one evening I had the oppormiserably. There are times tunity to chat with her at great when I am neither a paragon of length over dinner. forgiveness nor extremely adept After a time our discussion at communication. I have a very veered away from business long way to go, especially when and into more personal matit comes to dealing with people ters. My sister was elaboratwho also have trouble with these ing on the necessity of mainnotions. JAMES taining a level head amidst Yet even with such an adthe treacherous seas of her GREEN mission I have found my faith work when she began to talk in notions like forgiveness and about our father and the rough spots, openness suffered a blow after my which have come up between the two friend and I ceased having anything to of them over the years. do with each other, not only because I have always held in high regard of how she behaved but also because I the virtues of both forgiveness and the may well have failed more seriously to desire to be open with one’s thoughts, live up to my own expectations than I but as I sat listening to my sister give have in the past. accounts of various troubling episodes The worst part remains knowing I will both professional and personal I real- likely never learn her side of the story. ized I was listening to someone else I cannot help but think if we had both describe her own long years of learning tried to talk more openly and been less the value of these very virtues. harsh with each other we might have at When the evening was concluded least come away without so many negaand we had said our goodbyes I found tive feelings. I for one would certainly myself feeling much wiser for what have far fewer questions than I do. my sister had to say. However, as I sat What is done is done, but in the end thinking it all over both the loss of my I began to remem- “Given the world in which we friend and the eveber another, far ning I spent chatmore personal — live, particularly with respect to ting with my sister and far less pleas- the growing sense of disunity have taught me a ant — experience people are exhibiting across great deal. Both I had not so long stories exemplify the country, it is vitally imporago which was far the importance of less pleasant to tant we all do our best to both forgiveness and the endure. ability to commuconfront our own problems Not long ago as well as maintain a healthy nicate effectively. I had a very bad Given the world falling-out with a tolerance for others.” in which we live, woman very dear particularly with to me. It all haprespect to the pened because of one argument, some- growing sense of disunity people are thing we can all agree is quite common. exhibiting across the country, it is viWhat was not so common is that it was tally important we all do our best to the first we had ever encountered. both confront our own problems as Even now I do not fully understand well as maintain a healthy tolerance for what happened. I have my guesses others. about it, of course — but therein lies a James Green is a computer science graduate large part of the problem. I tried to talk student. to her about what happened but at alCOMMENT ON THIS COLUMN most every turn she fell silent. As a result, almost my entire AT OUDAILY.COM
A.J. Stafford is a psychology senior.
BREAD WEEK- DAY 4
The week of Feb. 18-25 we asked our readers (you) to vote on topics that piqued your interest. Bread recieved 117 votes; abortion, 59; gay rights, 51; health care, 21; nature, 14; Afghanistan, 9; and Haiti 1.
Because of the overwhelming support for the discussion of bread, every day this week we will have at least one column on, or related to, bread. Thank you for voting.
An in-bread conversation on third party reproduction Bread is a broad topic reaching into many fields of yeast rises in bread but how parents raise their children. study such as international trade, agriculture and dietet- Science is yet again aiding in the simplest of tasks. Refer ics. Whether studied here or abroad, bread quality should to the New York Times article “Building a Baby, With Few be important to all students at OU. Most male undergrads Ground Rules,” for the latest breeding fad, third-party apply themselves to study a broad or two. This occareproduction. sionally leads to breeding. More on that later. Third-party breeding goes something like this: So, bread quality? Woman “A” pays “X” dollars for Woman “B” and For quality bread, pick Panera every time. The resRandom Guy “C” to cough up their reproductive taurant’s bakers and bakestresses arrive at 8 p.m. to goods. Doctor “Y” performs in vitro fertilization — bake bread for the following day. Their shifts usually again, for a fee — and nine months later, Woman end 7 a.m. the following morning. Panera even offers “B” delivers Baby “N.” Custody of the baby is given a calorie chart upon request. to Woman “A,” the orchestrator of this spermalThe Panera in Norman is near Hastings on West square dance, and everyone is happy. Main and 24th Avenue. Try the soup and sandwich Legal complications rise — not unlike good combo. It totals $8.09, plus tax, and comes with a BRYAN bread — when a custody battle emerges between whole wheat baguette (unfortunately, whole wheat HONEYCUTT Woman “A” and Woman “B.” Oh, the distances isn’t tax exempt, yet). When ordering, ask for the traveled for quality bred children. bread bowl and avoid being rude to the waiter or Being well bred, despite Science’s intervention, waitress. is now more important where it concerned domesticated Disrespect, especially to the wait staff, is characteristic animals. Consider that a purebred Bengal (a hybrid domesof bad breeding. It is a fact that fewer and fewer Americans tic cat breed) has a starting cost of $900. Bengal’s are feline’s today are well bred. This is true in spite of the hours spent of superior breeding. On the other hand, cats of inferior breeding in dormitory laundromats and other locales. breeding are up for adoption through Hands Helping Paws The bred quality debate should not take issue with how at the Petsmart on Lloyd Noble.
T=: O@A6=DB6 D6>AN Jamie Hughes Caitlin Harrison Ricky Maranon Lisa Phan Max Avery Michelle Gray Marcin Rutkowski
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Hands Helping Paws is a “nonprofit incorporated organization aimed at reducing and stabilizing unwanted feral cat populations via trap, neuter/spay, and release program in Norman.” Cats adopted through this organization are onefifteenth the cost of the aforementioned Bengal. That’s $60 for you English majors. Panera Bread is hosting a fundraiser, April 22 for Hands Helping Paws. If you tell the cashier or cashieress you are there for HHP between 5:00 and 9:00 pm that night, Panera will donate a percentage of the sales made that night. Hands Helping Paws has a Web site (www.petfinder.com/ shelters/OK252.html) and Facebook page if you are interested in volunteering or otherwise supporting. At the very least, consume quality bread April 22 while helping poorly bred cats find a home. The moral of the story is this: Why spend money for quality breeding when there are so many strays, orphans or otherwise unwanted pets and people in the world. Think of how that money might be spent on better bread! If you decide to adopt, don’t disrespect your pet or child. That too is a sign of bad breeding. Bryan Honeycutt is an English graduate student.
COMMENT ON THIS COLUMN AT OUDAILY.COM
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