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Show I'-- OPINI ON .1 8 FRIDAY 312 Daily Utah Chronicle THE CHRONICLE'S VIEW "CAHftJSMlEK'j Wind power is worth the extra dollar the price of a cup of coffee king-siz- e candy bar, can make a significant and impact on the environment not even realize it. But the ball is now out of students' hands and in the court of the Utah State Board of Regents, which meets today to decide if it will approve a $i per semester student fee to purchase renewable energy. Actually, many students are aware of and in support of the student led campaign to purchase enough wind power each year 2.7 million kilowatt hours of electricity to cut carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 3,000 pounds per year. Hats off to Terra a U environmental group that has worked tirelessly for more than a year to make the purchase a reality. With any hope, the Regents will recognize their efforts and approve the minimal fee increase. Clearly, the benefits outnumber the costs associated with the purchase of wind power. In addition to reducing harmful chemicals emitted into the air by burning fossil fuels to generate electricity, the r purchase would save 6.4 million gallons of water per year a significant amount, considering Utah is still in a drought, even in spite of record snowfall this winter. Another advantage to supplying a portion of the U's exorbitant For wind-powe- 00 SMUJs: mT CitVE TO STFAlslkW Wtt&4 Yti electricity consumption with wind power is that it supports local companies. Either Utah Power or Wasatch Wind (a new wind turbine development in Spanish Fork Canyon) would supply the wind power. This is beneficial for the Utah economy and would potentially provide additional jobs for Utahns. The student fee would also eliminate some of the rising costs of electricity at the U a growing concern for administrators faced with a tight budget. It sends a message to the rest of the state that the U is willing to recognize and help alleviate the negative impact of the 235 million kilowatt hours of electricity it consumes each year. As the largest purchase of wind power in the state the proposed fee increase would generate approximately $60,000 per year it would set the standard for environmental responsiveness and encourage other institutions to follow suit. Besides, when students identify a problem and work together to find a feasible solution to it, their efforts should be recognized. Although the revenues from the appropriated student fees would only cover a small amount of the U's electricity, it is a step in the right direction and will set the stage for further developments in the quest to use other alternative, environmentally friendly forms of energy. CM KoS5 OyrvJs campus $ tWr look uk YovJ A TdtAu ; hue . 1 AsiftJ - s ITAtlAKj 0 m I Jfa yawn Joke. ScmeM, Trr yoiOff1 Lyjy BvtmanI and Q V U 1 FuSW, Mea, TUe WM fush ouu HAS Bur BAtMjJ... Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columns and letters to the editor are strictly the opinions of the author. The forum created on the Opinion Page is one based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Materia! defamatory to an individual or group because of race, ethnic background, religion, creed, gender, appearance or sexual orientation will be edited or will not be published. LETTERS What can ASUU do to better students' lives? more aggressive Give Be more students' fiscally money back to them conservative with students' through more services money in fighting n EDITOR Laws aren't meant to be broken Online Poll Be TO THE tuition inrreasps Actively poll students concerning their needs and wants 18 20 38 8 42 votes 45 votes 87 votes 38 votes Other 16 votes Editor: I am writing because I am deeply concerned by the events that have taken place recently across the country in relation to gay marriage. I am not referring so much to the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision but rather the lengths to which certain city officials and individuals have gone in order to obtain gay marriage certificates. I am surprised that other homosexual individuals and organizations are not more negatively vocal about the matter, considering that what is taking place is direct disrespect for the law, disrespect for those we have elected to create the law, disrespect for those of us who have taken legal steps to help make the law what it is and disrespect for every citizen in this country who believes that order, not chaos, is the true path to freedom. If these individuals desire to have gay marriages, they should follow the steps that have been put into place to change it in their favor (if that is indeed the will of the people) not break the law in broad daylight with no trace of shame for their lawlessness registering across their faces. Extreme actions like these only degrade the moral fiber of our country and are a commentary on what our nation has become. It is no wonder that President Bush has taken a stance on the issue and is now voicing his opinion in favor of a constitutional amendment. This is not a matter of discrimination, bigotry, or hate, as many now law-abidi- try and will undoubtedly continue to try and make it seem. Marriage is an institution that should not be considered so lightly. It is not just about getting benefits. It is not just about living together. It is not even just about two people falling in love. In its true sense, it is about a loving family with the ability to have children, the fabric that holds society together because of a mother and a father raising a child. ...We should face up to the real situation that is taking place here and stand up for what the definition of marriage meant to the framers of the Constitution and for what it should continue to mean for us and for those who will follow. Clark Gunnerson Staff Extracting the true value out of higher education Students should seek to gain knowledge, not economic advantage has often been said that the of higher education is to help students gain the skills necessary to find employment and thus become productive members of society. While it is certainly true that employment is one of the objectives of higher education, it is certainly not the primary one. We often observe students trying hard to "get out" of general education courses or cutting corners with respect to other classes by choosing those courses with minimal homework or reading requirements. Students major in subjects that they think will help them gain a position in the community, irrespective of whether they like the field of study or whether the education they receive provides a sense of orientation to the community in which they live. In democratic capitalistic societies, the sense of financial contribution and the idea of financial success is an overriding concern because providing for oneself and one's family provides a sense of a positive Many political theorists, such as Joseph Schumpater and Judith Sklar, contend that meaningful employment should be the first goal of any democratic society. They argue that without the security of employment, civil society is precluded from attaining other goals that pertain to the good life. In fact, John Rawls argues that those who are advantaged in society should make way for those who are not when the des It self-wort- serts of society arc distributed. Our welfare state has adopted this view and uses all sorts of policies to advantage those who are not on a level playing field. These arguments are hard to refute, especially when unemployment is high or when those who cannot compete with the advantaged are not given a chance to improve. However, there is an underlying principle of undergirded by rational choice theory, which calls attention to the fact that employment, remuneration and possessions are the fundamental desires and goals of our civil society to the exclusion of all others. This view was born in the industrial revolution where in England, expanding markets and incipient capitalism had produced an upheaval in economic thought. In the second half of the 17th century, pamphlets on economic issues, often written by churchmen, argued against the traditional notions of just price, fair wages and controlled interest, and defended, as Joseph Lee wrote in 1656, the "undeniable maxime, that every one by the light of nature and reason will do that which makes for his greatest advantage." Interest, he implied, was predictable, and therefore a firm basis on which to build. These pamphlets argued not only the but also necessity of its ultimate good for the larger polity. As Lee further noted, "The advancement of private persons will self-intere- st self-intere- PLEASE SEND LETTERS instituted to provide William Pinqree Faculty Opinion Columnist be the advantage of the publick." A key element in this reasoning was was that the pursuit of "natural" and trying to regulate it by, say, imposing fixed interest rates was unnatural and doomed to failure. "The supream power," wrote Charles Davenant in 1695, "can do many things, but it cannot alter the Laws of Nature, of which the most original is, That every man should preserve himself." These views of grew in economic theory until they found their ultimate expression in Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. In fact, the free exchange of goods and services (including labor) established by markets is the primary tenet of capitalism. of one is to be balanced against all other self interests, and thus an effective check to factions and special interests will have been created. Thus, the free market is the best way, according to pure capitalists, to provide the good life and the safest society. Governments are self-intere- st self-intere- st Self-intere- st TO THE EDITOR TO a level playing field and distract those who would collude to make the market more rigid and less elastic, but are not authorized to control or regulate the free market itself. There have been many who have criticized capitalism, the most severe critic being Karl Marx, but the verdict of history has recorded that no economic system has created a better vehicle to produce and distribute goods and services to a majority of people than has capitalism. Having said this, however, there arc still flaws in this system that need to be addressed. Welfare liberalism is one approach to correct the system in order that the playing field will be more fair. Fairness as justice captures this attempt. However, welfare liberalism and other economic adjustments or remedies do not address another primary concern of societies that only focus on economic issues. They still are fettered by even if it is the of the less advantaged. One of these flaws is an overemphasis on economic gain and wealth, expressed as self interest, as the primary goal of our civil society, as represented in both the libertarian and welfare liberal view. Education has become captive to this flaw and therefore students look only to the economic value of their education and discount the "weightier matters" when assessing the merit and self-intere- self-intere- st LETTERSCHRONICLE.UTAH.EDU significance of their years spent in college. The primary value of higher education is to teach students to think, to read, to write and to make arguments. Students should realize that knowledge itself is its own reward. Students are not here at this university to be skilled. If students wish to gain a skill, please go to a trade school. Students are here to become educated and this goal should not be truncated with desires to short-circu- it the process by eliminating courses that enhance that goal. Skills of learning how to critically think, how to write grammatically correct sentences, how to read discriminatingly and express oneself cogently carry over to all fields of employment. In addition, these abilities make students better citizens, better voters, better parents and better spouses. William Leach, in his National Book Award work, Land of Desire, wrote, "The good is not in goods.' The good is in justice, mercy, and peace. It is in consistence and integrity, in living according to truth and right. It inheres in men and women and not in things. It is other than the goodness of goods and without it, goods are not good." In other words, that achieves great financial goals without a sense of inner virtue and selfless contribution is without significance. letters chronicle, utah. edu self-intere- st |