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Show OPINION THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1996 "' DEBORAH MATHIS I i COMMENTARY Welfare reform There aren't many people as well suited as Hillary Rodham Clinton to rove the nation, checking up on welfare reform and how it's playing on the ground, and report what she sees and hears to the president of the United Stat es. Not many people would have the time for the job, nor such ready access to service sites and records and beneficiaries and administrators, nor, for sure, the president's attention. Not many have a long personal history of involvement in child welfare issues, which automatically includes poverty, which necessarily means public assistance programs like food stamps, Medicaid and Aid t o Fam i lies with Dep endent Children. Another faction that opposes Mrs. Clinton comprises politicians and policy weavers who may feel threatened that their proud work and hard-earned credentials could be usurped by someone who won her leverage by dint of the altar. This group is known by its " Who e lect e d h er? " battle c ry. The re a re som e regressionists who consider Hillary's prospective involvement in any ponderous matters to be unseemly as woman's work. This clan includes women as well as men - gender separatists whose crossings are confined to meetings of the mind, most notably on the role-assignm ent issue. They want a first lady who tends the garden. One of the stealthiest crew of critics is known by its subtle sneering. These opponents despise Hillary's success, whether achieved by hook or crook, and envy her lush experiences as madam of the White House, world traveler, fashion figure, proud mother, and pioneer on the first lady frontier. And to get it all coincidentally. Yum. According to the last group, Mrs. Clinton is sanctimonious and, at t imes, downright uppity. Truth is, all of the first lady's critics may have a point, with the exception of the Victorians who want Hillary to carry sm elling salts and keep h er wig powdered. Yes, there are things to thumb a nose at about Hillary Clinton, as there are with us all. Still, none of her imperfections and none of our reservations are sufficient to erase the truth about Mrs. C linton's qualifications as a sentinel for welfare reform. What are people afraid of? That she is so bent on spoiling con serva ti ve satisfa ction s that , should s he find the new programs working, she will lie about her discovery? Tell the president kids are suffering when they are improving? Or are they afraid she will find the flaws in the reform effort, report them to her husband, and he will propose changes to fix them ? And what, am ong well-meaning people, would be wrong with that? Oh yeah, it's Hillary. Deborah Mathis is a nationally syndicated columnist PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND DESK PHON E NUMBERS: Editor I.any Baker 586-7751 O.mpus Editor Consulting Sports Editots Jim Robinson 586- 1997 Neil Gardner 586-7753 Brett Jewkes 586-7752 Rick Stupak 865-8045 SnJDENT ST AFF AND D ESK PHONE NUMBERS: Associate Editots • Leah Hartmann 865-8226 • Michelle Clegg 586-7750 Focus Editor JoAnn Lundgreen 586-1992 Opinion Dittetor Laquetta Carpenter 586-7757 Copy Editor Becki Lesser 586-7757 AP Win, Editor Ben Winslow 865-8225 Photo Editor John Guertler 586-7757 Sports Editor Chad Lamb 586-5488 Ans Editots Heather Chilton & Ann Marie Taylor 586-5488 Adve rtising Manager Keli Hiatt 586-7758 Ad Production Facilitator Shelby Price 586-7757 The University Journal is puhl ishcd every M onda y, Wednesday and Friday of the academic year as a puh11catiun of Southern Utah Univ...:rs ity, its 4.k.T'artment of co mmuni~tiun and th..: SUU Student Association. 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I BECKY GILES COMMENTARY -- It's the most wonderful time T he Christmas holiday season is m y favorite season, as it is for many. How can it not be? I love the feeling you get when you are walking outs ide in the fa lling sn ow an d yo u see t h e various houses covered in the outdoor 25 bulb lights. I also love the feeling you get when you get a Christ mas card in the mail from a friend or family member that lives too far to just pick up the phone and call (if I called them as m uch as I'd like to talk to them, I would probably end up living in a cardboard box behind Albertson's or som ething. I also love the feeling of love that s ee ms t o ra diate fro m the s o called "spirit of Christmas." I also love the feeling you get when you walk do wn the mall and see all of the deco rations proclaiming the arrival of the most longed for holiday of the entire year. Not t o mention, I get a good laugh out of watching the crazy people shopping. Although I must admit I was one of those crazy people who did get up and go sh o pping th e day after Thanksgiving, thanks to my two older sisters who dragged me out of my warm be d. At the first store we went to, just seeing the people lined up at the doors to get in reminded me of that all too familiar RC Willey furniture store commercial with the salesmen who argue over who should be the victim to open the doors. It also made me want t o borrow my parents' van and gather my rowdy friends up to drive around Salt La ke t o a ll of the st ores there and shout things at the shoppers. The reaction these halfasleep c razy s hoppers gave t o t he s to res was insan e! I laughed o ut lo ud as I watc he d tw o disgru ntled fathe rs argue over which of t hem was going to get the last Buzz Lightyear toy for their children. I m ust adm it that I had suspected the horrible d is pl ay of c hil d ish greed t h a t plagued th e sh opping days before C h ri stmas, but I had no idea it was so extreme. I don' t even like to shop in July, because I hat e the crowds of people that exist in the st ores, in fact, I hate to shop period. Wh y would I want to shop during the holiday seasons? I guess I do not fi t the stereotypica I woman . You know, all wo men are supposed to like to shop and spend money they do not have wit h plastic cards wit h magnet ic strips on the back. NO THAN K YOU. Now that I have that out of my system I can get back to the topic at hand . Chris tmas. Yes, that special holiday. Yum. Christmas Eve morning, my famil y h as th is tradi t ion o f getting up at 6 a.m. to go and see t~e lights at Temple Square and the n move o n t o eat brea kfast . After brea k fast, we e ither go to ours, my cousins', o r m y Grandma's house for all of us t o exchange presents and pa rticip a t e in the grab-bag wh ere we get t he lamest gifts we can find t o donate and see the reaction of the people who • receives them. Ha, ha. M y parents w ere smart in formu lating t his tradition because then, that evening, all of the kids are tired and they can get the presents under the tree before the wee hours of the morning. Th e n ext m o rni ng a ll of t he kids ge t up bet ween 4 and 5 a. m . t o see what Santa left be h in d . Th en , G ra n dm a gets u p (same ti me frame) and starts taking pictures of everything. Yes, th e re is n ot hin g li ke th e fee l ing of Christmas, an d I am looking forward to it. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Becky Giles is a sophomore communication major. |