OCR Text |
Show Views&Op inion Monday, April 18, 2011 Page 11 Budget: Reps need an ideological foundation Icontinued from page 10 taxes and waste. For a while it looked like they might actually be making a difference. Republicans started holding firm to the idea that the budget must be cut. There was a deadlock in Washington. And then, the Republicans found a sticking point for Democrats - Planned Parenthood spending. Threatening to take away funding for the organization drove Democrats wild. With the Planned Parenthood threat, Republicans were finally in a position to secure some sort of cutback. They could compromise somewhere else - cut something - so long as Democrats got their beloved Planned Parenthood. And they did! The budget passed is a full $38 billion less than last year's - a 1 percent decrease. To make matters worse, when defense spending is factored into the budget, the budget congress just passed is actually a spending increase of $3.3 billion. And the deficit this year? It will be $1.65 trillion - a full $380 billion increase from 2010. Is the situation hopeless? We can compare the Republican's budget retreat to Obama's broken campaign promises on the left. The man who was to sweep into Washington as an outsider to bring change and hope to a new generation of Americans has become just another gov- ernment crony. In general, ers revolted against the British he has acted much as his Crown, they provided a statepredecessor, doing many of ment of the ideological founthe same things as President dations of that action in the that Senator Obama had critiDeclaration of Independence. cized Bush for. Our nation is defined by a The Washington mire belief that all men are created seems so deep equal, that we that even our are endowed whitest knights "The Washington by our creator with inalienbecome tarrights, nished after but mire seems so able deep that even including life, a few weeks there. Why is our whitest liberty and the this? Who is to pursuit of hapknights become blame? Our piness. politicians have tarnished after How many shown them- but a few weeks Americans selves to be pri- there. Why is think of such marily men of things when thinking about pragmatic con- this? Who is to who they will cern, not ideo- blame?" logical foundavote for? How tion. And this many remempragmatism allows fear-mon- ber the words of the declaragering to get the best of them. tion when they go into the As much as we all like to sit voting booth? Instead, we are back and complain about pol- driven by pragmatic necessiiticians in Washington - those ties - the day-to-day concerns we disagree with for doing we all have. Focusing on such the wrong or foolish things things leads to a people that is and those we do agree with easily misled. We have shortfor not upholding their camterm outlooks. paign promises - our governLet us remember that ment is a representative govthe founders took a stand. They had clear principles ernment and ultimately we, the people, are to blame for and saw the world changing our leaders. to oppose those principles. I believe our leaders are but They pledged their lives, fora symptom of a deep prob- tunes and sacred honor to lem. We, the American peo- the cause. Without these men ple, have lost focus. We are making the decision to stand firm in their ideals, rather a nation with an ideological founding. When the found- than worry about their mate- rial existences alone, America would not have stepped out on her own. Instead of being a pillar of strength for the free civilized world, she would have remained but one of many colonies in the British Empire. Each American must realize that each day he decides how his life is lived: Whether his life is simply about surviving comfortably until tomorrow or about standing firm to principles he knows are true. We each have a sacred responsibility to make our principles clear to ourselves and to live by them. Charles Major is a graduate student studying business. He can be reached at charlesrmajor@gmail.com. FOR THE UTAH CONSERVATION CORPS! www.usu.edu/ucc UtahStateUniversity Deity: Faith is a positive for some Icontinued from page 11 sonal and intervening God. Is belief in such a God rational? I would argue that the answer to this question can be both yes and no. After all, this category encompasses a variety of faithful. For many individuals religion and faith are positive aspects of life. The central philosophies shape a life of selflessness and responsible living. A healthy social life often goes hand in hand with membership in a local religious community. A 2005 National Geographic article investigated groups all around the world who are known for their long and healthy lives. This study took them to places as far as Okinawa, Japan, and as near as Loma Linda, California. However, the characteristics of each of these groups were found to be quite similar. All of the groups studied had, as a defining characteristic, belief in a higher spiritual power of some sort. Other studies have given an account of the benefits resulting from faith and religion. If something adds to your well-being and satisfaction in life, one would be hard pressed to argue it irrational. Unfortunately, the beliefs of individuals or groups often affect others in detrimental ways. This can be seen all throughout history as zealots have used religion as an excuse for violence. Even today there are those who claim to follow an individual such as Jesus Christ, but sound more like Adolph Hitler in their rhetoric. They demean individuals simply because of their race, religion, or whom they choose to love. Faith might also lead an individual to harm themselves. Imagine an individual who refuses medical care based on modern science because they believe faith alone will heal their ailments and dies as a result. In this way, religion and faith become irrational and detrimental to society. To individuals like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris I would say one can indeed be both a person of faith and intelligence. There are indeed ways to find meaning and happiness in life without faith, but this does not exclude faith as being the harmless path to such qualities. However, I would advise those among us who are faithful to acquire independence and self reliance for when prayers seem to go unanswered, and respect and tolerance for those who have beliefs centered around philosophies and answers just as adequate as yours directing their lives. On the surface these beliefs may seem quite absurd to an outsider, but when one is able to look past cultural and differing traditions there are many similarities to be discovered among the world's various religions. The universe is a result of a higher power which is without causation, or the universe spontaneously came into being without causation. Both theories sound pretty irrational, huh? And yet, they are our only options to choose from. Cam Davis is a senior studying political science and religious studies. He can be reached at cam.davis@aggiemail.usu.edu. 930 N. Main Logan, Ut 435-753-9755 1,1/1Nrw. j erricksfinejewelry.carn 1045 1/2 N Main St Suite AlLogan, UT 84341 435-753-7802 |