OCR Text |
Show FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2011 E conomy continued from front needs more stimulus now than ever before. Norris said he was pleased to announce that the government administration created a plan to extend the benefit of low-interest rates to those who need it the most. "Mortgage rates now are among the lowest we've ever seen," Norris said. He said a lot of people have refinanced their homes, but the people who need the most help can't refinance. This plan, Norris said, will help them to refinance and make payments easier due to the lower interest rates. Norris said a lot of the suffering he mentioned was of people who bought homes that they couldn't afford, and he said it did not feel right to help people like that. He mentioned a per- Trafficking continued from front son who bought a house and refinanced it a few times and was being paid $100,000 a year by lenders. He said this person just walked away. He also said lending standards were reduced, and paperwork was messed up so they couldn't foreclose. He explained that mortgage companies are trying to find solutions to stop these situations from reoccurring. Norris said public distrust of the government is very high in America. "People don't think the government can do what is right," he said. In a past poll, Norris said that public trust for the government was only 10 percent. He said it was at 20 percent during the 1980s economic crisis. "I think an attitude of joint sacrifice would be wel- Mt, 39TH ANNUAL PARK CITY 110) '11'; ,,.rga get ;21 pit le NOVEMBER 4, 5 & 6 "One of the best ski swaps in the country." - SKI Magazine Basin Recreation Field House (NewPark) Center Drive, Kimball Junction (off 1-80) dmission: Sale Hourso Friday night, 8pmSatu rday, Oam-6pm Sunday, Oam-2pm 5 THE SIGNPOST Friday ni&ht, $10 (under 12 free) p roceeds benefit the Park City Saturday, (under 12 free) Ski Team. Sunday Villimm , Equipment Check-In & Pick-Up EoCIteskin.: October 31-November 3 , Jans Mt. Outfitters at Park Avenue and Cole Sport at Park Avenue F14 riday, 4e ovember N,, 3pm-7Pi n Basin Recreation RN-House MitaiSunday, November 64 3pm-5pm Basin RecreW"Fie e: 0 mmission0Sk Great Selection of New & Used Ski & Snowboard Equipment & Clothing For more information, call (435) 649.8749 or visit www.parkcityskiswap.com . come to this country" Norris said. He said he longs to hear someone say they love the country, want to help it and are proud to pay taxes. In this case, he said public trust may rise if the right attitude was present. "If government is a bad thing, then raising taxes is horrid," Norris said. "People think it is better to do that than to pay taxes," Norris said, "better than what the government can do to provide the most basic of government services." Norris said he wants to see an attitude of pragmatism rather than an ideology "We need to pick tax changes that will have the most economic benefit, even if that means people who have political power would have to pay," he said. He said he wants to see the economy allocate capital wisely. Using the words of Winston Churchill, he said, "Markets are the absolute worst ways to allocate capital, and when you ask governments to do it, they don't do it well." He said ill-considered regulations can make things a lot worse in relation to markets. Many of Norris's ideas and solutions sparked a lot of questions from the audience, and every question was answered by Norris. One big question he answered was on the tax issue. He said he believes that rates should be lowered, and the many deductions should be gotten rid of. Norris said, "I believe the biggest break we should get is the mortgage tax deduction." on how to prevent human sex-trafficking in the area. "Human sex-trafficking is a human rights issue that needs to be stopped," Alvarado said. Sex-traffickers take girls from Nepal and cross the border into India. The border between Nepal and India is an open border, which means the use of a visa is not needed to cross the border. The Red Thread has many bordercontrol units that line the border of India and Nepal, which on average saves up to 800 girls every month. Each border-control unit has a former sextrafficking victim present to help identify possible sex-trafficking victims. This movement raises money by selling red bracelets to bring awareness to the sex-trafficking problem. Members hire sex-trafficking victims in Nepal to weave the red bracelets being sold all around the world. "Each bracelet is $3," Bierwolf said. "$2 goes to the border units, and $1 goes to the girl that made the bracelet." Kimberly Anderson, a senior majoring in political science, felt a direct impact of the sex-trafficking industry when her friend was trafficked from the Philippines to Japan. "I think sex-trafficking is about an attitude to- wards women," Anderson said. "When you explore women issues - domestic violence, sex-trafficking, rape, sexual assault, unequal pay for women - no matter where you look, this is an overall attitude of women worldwide, and I want to change people's attitudes." Anyone who would like more information on the Red Thread Movement or to purchase a bracelet can contact Bierwolf at redthreadweber@yahoo.com or visit the Red Thread website at www. redthreadmovement.org. Comment on this story at wsusignpost. corn. Buddies needs members Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com . PHOTO BY CRYSTAL CHARRIERE I THE SIGNPOST Bellfstotl JEWELRY _ (Since 1973) Wow... What a Selection!!! More rings than all the Ogden stores combined 3585 Harrison Blvd. Ogden UT www.BellistonJewelry.com ir Tit griwn Looking for an exhilarating career path? I Want to stay feelitig yotiligi? Looking to make a difference? LOOK NO FURTHER! A Career in Student Affairs might be for yotig AN. oin Weber State's Student I Affairs at a Luncheon On Monday, October 31st at 12:00 Noon in Student Union room 404 and come find out why _ ;00" having a career in Student Affairs ROCKS! Best Buddies' volunteers decorate cookies and chat at their monthly meeting. This month's activity was a Halloween party, though few were in attendance. By Laurie Reiner news reporter I The Signpost To celebrate Halloween, the Best Buddies organization planned a party for their monthly activity, but attendance was low. The nine in attendance spent the time talking and decorating cookies. Best Buddies currently has eight college students paired with disabled buddies. The organization matches students with people with mental disabilities to create lasting friendships. Four others are in the process of registering, but the organization is looking for more volunteers. Melinda Taggart decided to try Best Buddies for the first time at the Halloween event. She works at the Community Involvement Center and often hears about these kinds of events. "I'm having a blast," Taggart said at the event. "I wanted to volunteer for a while. I think I will (join)." The club is fairly new, and most members have not been involved for long. Kelsey Langston, director of Best Buddies, is still in her first year of the position after transferring to Weber State University from Snow College. "I want to make a difference," she said. "I went to an Indiana conference and I fell in love with the program." To become a "buddy," students take a survey online to match them with a person with disabilities. They then become buddies with the person they are most compatible with. The students contact their buddies at least once a week and have an activity at least twice a month. They can do anything from going to see a movie to just watching sports. The whole organization has an event at least once a month. "They brag about all the cool stuff they've done," Langston said. Langston said one of the benefits of volunteering in the club is learning empathy for their disabled buddies. "(Students) learn patience and how to put themselves aside," Langston said. "They learn how to walk in someone else's shoes." Some of the pairs have been buddies since they joined back in junior high. Langston talks to her buddy, Simon, every day. The members of Best Buddies are learning skills that help them in life. Many of the disabled members have jobs, which is why most of the Best Buddies events take place after 5 p.m., when they get off from work. One of the new initia- facebook. tives Best Buddies is doing is trying to stop people from using the word "retarded." The cause is called "Spread the Word to End the Word." "It hurts their feelings," Langston said. "They know it's not a nice word." Best Buddies' next event is a fundraiser to raise money for activities. Some of the buddies have never done things such as snowboarding. The organization is trying to raise money so they can buy passes to take them on more expensive outings. Langston said Best Buddies needs more volunteers. They are especially looking for people to be regular buddies. They also need volunteers who can come to certain events and fill in for people who can't come. "We also want to spread awareness," Langston said. "They're there, people who will help them out and be that one person that stands up for them." She said they especially want people to look past the disability and see the person. "Don't see the person as 'that Down syndrome kid,' but as Tom, who has Down syndrome," Langston said. Comment on this story at wsusignpost.com . Say HELLO to us on facebook. SigriPba WEBER STATE UNIVE0.5177 |