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Show The Signpost Editorial Editor in Chief: Maria Villasenor Phone: 626-7121 The Signpost editorial board Embrace individuality, diversity At The Signpost, when we sit down to write a Viewpoint, our goal is to write a piece with which every editor of our staff agrees. After all, the heading reads," The Signpost editorial board." But writing these editorials is not a communal activity - we do not take turns writing sentences in an effort to make the article more well-rounded and representative. One person writes and the others concur. Last Thursday, members of the staff discussed possible topics to write about for the forthcoming Viewpoint: No one agrees on music piracy, no one agrees on religion and graduation is played out. "How about an article on how pretty flowers are?" one staffer suggested in jest. We scratched that idea, too, because not everyone agreed. Although the staff was joking, in Viewpoints, individual opinions are often sacrificed to find an issue that all editors support. However, this compromise cannot be placed into the classroom where the personal opinion is meant to be valued. In university settings and elsewhere, the loss of individuality for the sake of diversity has swiftly become a problem. We are encouraged to muffle our opinions, generalize our religions and stow away our creeds. In doing so, we stray further from diversity and draw closer to conformity-a place where we've watered down our individuality so much that we look and act just like our neighbor and, therefore, drive diversity into extinction. Some professors prohibit writing papers on religion; it's too divisive. Others discourage touchy topics like abortion, homosexuality and euthanasia; they're too controversial. So students settle for writing about subjects less passionate, less relevant, less offensive to the skeptic, the cynic, the naysayer. Opinions (and viewpoints) are suppressed to satisfy the status quo, and beliefs are equalized so the balance doesn't bend one way or the other. We're asked to believe what we believe in private, but please, not in public. Logic like that puts individuality on the endangered species list. Pride in cultures, religions, ethnicities and traditions are often seen as offensive. In other words, love for one thing is seen as hate for another. Individuality and diversity must co-exist. Eliminate one andyou have ethnocentrism, racism and nationalism. Eliminate the other and you have conformity, neutrality and confidentiality. Only by living our beliefs fully can we accomplish individuality, and only by respecting others' beliefs fully can we accomplish diversity. So stand for something. If you're Catholic, wear the crucifix with confidence. If you're Mexican, wave the flag with fervor. If you're LDS, choose the right. If you're democrat, don the donkey. But don't live behind closed doors. Live out loud. Settling for secrecy only limits diversity and drives us farther from the Utopian ideals hoped for by those who tell us, "Shh - keep that to yourself. We don't want to offend anybody." Not everybody will agree. That truth is universal. We've known that since the day in our childhood when we first cried, "That's not fair!" We have differences of opinion. We disagree about the origins of life, the motives for war, the legitimacy of laws. But we can't let the existence of diversity discourage us from expressing our individuality. Nor can we let the love for individuality overpower the need for diversity. Does everybody agree? Prices at pump will bring out best in America It seems everybody alive has an From the Right opinion about rising gasoline prices; that includes every major news network, By Jared Hardy newspaper and online media source that columnist | The Signpost exists. Many of these articles have made front page headlines and the questions asked and conclusions drawn are as not sustain our needs. For those of you diverse as the people behind the stories. who believe there will be no oil in the Regardless of the political affiliation future, you need to realize the use of of the reporters, the American people fossil fuels will be far more expensive are a tempered yet demanding creed. than more advanced fuels and they We have enforced energy policies will be left by the wayside long before intended to help preserve resources, reserves run out. including forests, animal life and the The most relevant idea in all of this April is Fair Housing Month, the perfect time to examine some of the more sobering global ecosystem^ for decades. Truly, is the resilience of the American people realities of housing in America the United States'is a large country and'our self-correcting economy. The As Hurricane Katrina demonstrated, incidents of housing discrimination still abound. and there is room for the democratsoutcome of new challenges will be The homeownership divide between blacks and whites is strikingly wide. And housing has to successfully try to preserve the the need for technologically superior become less and less affordable in most major metropolitan areas. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, while sources of energy that are infinitely The reported incidents of housing discrimination increased significantly - 8.6 percent - republicans have successfully thwarted renewable. As with the outcome of any from 2003 to 2004, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance. The number of cases reported adoption of the Kyoto protocol. conceivable demand, our economy of to state, federal and nonprofit agencies climbed from 25,148 in 2003 to 27319 in 2004. But last year, the number of incidents dropped slightly, with 26,092 reported complaints in 2005. The irony is that amidst the name- ideas is up to task and will be on the In late March, the National Urban Leagues report, "The State of Black America 2006," calling, and the political implications leading edge of the development of found that 50 percent of blacks own their homes compared to 70 percent of whites. of standing behind what seems to be new sources of energy. A major reason for this disparity is racial segregation, says Lance Freeman, assistant conflicting ideas, the United States It is already evident America and professor of Urban Planning at Columbia University. Many middle-class and home-owning could benefit from the way things are most of the world will use nuclear blacks live in neighborhoods that are overwhelmingly black, where poverty rates are higher going. It is apparent ANWR oil would technology as an energy stepping stone and where amenities and services are lower than for middle-class, home-owning whites, give us relatively immediate economic to the future. As energy prices increase, Freeman says. relief, but that does not change the fact it will put pressure on the world This, he says, reduces the chances of blacks to build equity with their properties, and it that someday this finite resource will economy to utilize nuclear technology impedes wealth creation. By Brian Gilmore, Knight Ridder Tribune: Unfair practices hinder dream of homeownership for minorities Because many black homebuyers are turned away when trying to borrow from conventional lenders, they are often susceptible to predatory lenders. These high rates make it difficult for many blacks to meet their mortgage payments. Predatory lending is rampant in minority communities. Blacks and Hispanics are disproportionately represented in the sub-prime home-finance market, which means they are paying several more percentage points in interest than what their white counterparts pay. As a nation, we lose more than an estimated $9 billion per year because of predatory loans, according to the Center for Responsible Lending. State and municipal legislatures all across the country are passing laws and ordinances to try to address this serious housing issue. Likewise, the issue of affordable housing is in need of immediate attention and reform. As gentrification continues to skyrocket in many major metropolitan areas, the costs of rental properties are increasing and homeownership is becoming more and more out of reach for many Americans. On average, it costs more than three times the federal minimum wage - or $15.78 per hour - to pay for a two-bedroom apartment in America, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. And even in families that rent and have two full-time minimum-wage earners, 81 percent of them live in counties where a two-bedroom apartment at the Fair Market Rent is unaffordable, according to the housing coalition. The dream of homeownership is part of the American dream. Let's not allow it to fall to ruins. The ^-^ A Weber State University weoer oiate umversny Signpost Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor Sports Editor Copy Editor Features Editor Entertainment Editor Business Editor Photo Editor Graphics Editor Online Editor Advertising Manager Office Manager Advisor Distribution Publisher Signpost Fax Marfa Villaseftor Jason Staley Cory Duclos Jon McBride Bryan Magafia Jesica Medellin David Fairchild Lynn Wilde Tricia Gerrard Brady Leaver James Gabrielsen Brandy Lee Georgia Edwards Allison Hess Austin Adams Dr. Randy Scott 626-7121 626-7614 626-7655 626-7983 626-7659 626-7621 626-7105 626-7624 626-6358 626-7661 626-6358 626-6359 626-7974 626-7499 626-7974 626-6464 626-74O1 - The Signpost is published every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during the semester. Subscription Is $9 a semester. The first copy of The Signpost Is free, each additional copy is $.5O. - The Signpost is a student publication, written, edited and drafted by Weber State University students. Student fees partially fund the printing of this publication. Opinions or positions voiced are not necessarily endorsed by the university. • The S/gnposf welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must Include name, address, telephone number and the writer's signature. Anonymous letters will not be printed. • The Signpost reserves the right to edit letters for reasons of space and libel and also reserves the right to refuse to print any letter. Letters should not exceed 350 words. Bring letters to the editorial office In room 69 In the Stewart Library, mall to: The Signpost, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah 84408-2110. first, and then other resources as they become available and cost-effective. This need for change is yet another catalyst that will spur American creativity, enhance the enormous enterprise of intellectual trade, and could build up the production markets found within our own borders. The production and export buildup that might occur within the United States would be driven by the fact that some forms of renewable energy will be reliant on a capable and efficient farming system, like the one found here. ' """ ' Ultimately, Vfew poTifXcal figures will suffer for the pain we feel- today, but the gas issue is not political, it is economic. The philosophical shift democrats are hoping for is highly unlikely, especially over the issue of gasoline. The facts are too upliftingforsuch a shift; the American economy is larger and stronger than ever and the American people know it. The people also understand this is still a land of opportunity and the future is bright. If we allow ourselves a chance, we can and will succeed in big ways within the global market; all we need is the vision and patience to make it happen. Letters to the Editor Mandatory cattle electronic I.D. is unconstitutional We can't give up freedom for a little safety! The USA is the most diseasefree country in the world. Our state veterinarians do a very good job to control, track and stop livestock disease at the state borders. Our veterinarians should be responsible to track the origins of all imported meat in our state. All imported meat must be electronically certified before entering our state. We do not need the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) tracking in the U.S. I have a Nevada cattle ranch. When I get ready to sell my cattle to a feedlot, I must get a health inspection that certifies that the veterinarian and I guarantee they are healthy. I can't guarantee they won't get sick in the feedlot if co-mingled with other sick cattle, or in the packinghouse if meat is co-mingled with imported meat. Agribusiness wants a scapegoat to protect them from liability if an epidemic does break out. NAIS can arbitrarily fine me $1,000 per day for each animal if I don't sign up. If you have 10 head, it would be $10,000 a day. The effect of the program is the transfer of the control of private property to the government, while forcing the property owner to pay the cost of the transfer with no due process of law. The fourth amendment secures to us protection against unreasonable searches and seizures in our persons, houses, papers and effects. If they force us to register our property and animals, we do not own them; they control our private information and us. It is illegal to seize that information. The experts have checked this law and find it in violation of State and Federal constitutions. It is an absolute law with excessive fines and punishment with no appeal. Livestock people can be fined for small record-keeping mistakes, loss of car tags and livestock containment. There will be thousands of special agents checking for violations. The world already accepts American meat products as having the highest safety standards. (We do not need NASI for our exporting.) It is most obvious that big agribusiness and USDA would sell out the freedom of America for a little more profit for manufactured meats and by-products. The export is already anxious for all of the hides. Each state has received 14.3 million dollars in grant money from the USDA to fund applications from the states to register premises with the NAIS. It would be embarrassing for our national and state associates to sign up for this program. The NAIS strikes at the foundation of the basic principles of our custom, culture and God-given rights of life, liberty and property. - Bert Smith, Ruby Valley, Nev. 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