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Show ™ DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE O PINION www.dailyutahchronicle.com Thursday, January 26, 2006 Being hateful doesn't solve immigration problems Editor: I am writing in response to Kenny Williams' letter ("Those who don't oppose illegal immigration are evil," Jan. 24). I am very disappointed and disgusted at the hatred and loathing expressed by Williams. What he—and many Americans—fails to acknowledge is that these illegal aliens are people, too. Those who argue on Williams' side of this ^debate often try to portray these immigrants as inferior, no-good and/or immoral. The problem with this overgeneralization is that these people are not coming to America with tfce intention to "invade our land...(rape) taxpayers...(destroy) -our language and culture, .(overpopulate) our cities and (take) our jobs" and so on. They are coming here seeking a better way of life—something that we Americans hold so dearly and advocate so •vehemently. . And while there are bad apples ,among them, just as there are bad apples among regular Americans, -a vast majority of them are simply trying to improve their lives. They are seeking better jobs, higher living standards and, more often than not, they have a family to feed as well. It is illegal to enter this country without a visa/permit/etc, and I'm not saying we should ignore the problem, or even welcome all immigrants with open arms. But degrading these people and hissing fire at them, as Williams does, is hypocritical, immoral and isn't going to help solve anything. Think of this, Williams: If the tables were turned, and Mexico were the rich country and America the poor one, the movement of immigrants would be exactly reversed I'd even bet my life that many of those out there who hold such contemptuous opinions of illegal immigrants would certainly be among those headed south to find better work and better living standards, if things got really tough here at home. So let's be careful and not so judgmental about this difficult problem. It's not going to get us anywhere that we, as Americans, want to be. Sam Sutton vi Get some new blood in Senior, Political Science Ugets money from the Legislature ' Editor: - Jay Richards recently wrote about how the Utah Legislature and Utah conservatives in general "love to meddle in other people's affairs, particularly those of U students" ("Leave our campus alone!," Jan. •24). He talks about how the U is "an autonomous creature" that should be allowed "to make (its) own decisions." , Funny, but last time I checked, a substantial portion of our funding •came from conservative Utahns via the State Legislature. I think that, since our budget comes largely from state tax dollars, those who are paying for the university ought to have some say in how it is run. If this were a private institution (with significantly higher tuition as a result of not being subsidized with state tax money), then Richards could get away with saying the U is autonomous. The fact that this article was even published in the Chrony speaks to the ignorance of the paper's editors. I think there are better ways to make the argument Richards is trying to make, but to say that the Legislature should have no say in what happens here is silly. Jacob Tripp Graduate Student, Medical Informatics : Americans become millionaires through frugality and investment Editor: Everyone would like to become a . millionaire overnight as presented in Patrick Muir's account ("The -Wannabe Millionaire," Jan. 20). However, that is not how the "average" millionaire in the United States becomes a millionaire. Recent studies, such as the one cited in The Millionaire Next Door, have shown us that the average American millionaire does not have a gimmick or idea that has earned him or her money. The average millionaire has invested the resources he or she has into education, a home, or a small ^business or the stock market. One common trait found among average millionaires is avoiding consumer debt, especially credit cards. This often means being more frugal and doing without things such as new cars and expensive clothing. Although this portrait of the average millionaire's success is not as glamorous as inventing a kitchen item, it is the truth. However unexciting as this type of millionaire is, it is attainable to become such a millionaire, and the U can help you get there. The U offers a variety of classes that prepare students to stay out of debt, buy homes and invest their earnings. Students should not be concerned about inventing the next big thing. They should prepare themselves for a lifetime of building wealth by taking advantage of the classes the U offers. Beth Hunsaker Gam Ihe Associated Students of the University Utah is ramping up for this spring's elections, and that means going over all the elections rules. One of these rules restricts potential - v,-/; campaigns from contacting students whom they do not already know and asking them to work on or be a part of their campaign. Many in ASUU have expressed frustration with this rule, saying that it makes it too difficult for them to recruit people to l their campaigns. :• Yet this could be a fantastic opportunity for ASUU to open itself up to the rest of campus. Rather than forcing individual campaigns to recruit fresh blood to ASUU, why don't the current, non-campaigning members . ; of the administration work on recruiting •^students to be in ASUU, regardless of the party? That way, every campaign would have a pool of potential candidates legally recruited hi a non-partisan manner. *-^*Sr Sure, there are "Elections are coming"" ads around campus, but does the average student know that he or she is more than welcome to walk into ASUU and find out ?about running for an Assembly or Senate position? The fact is that ASUU is more of a social club than a real student, government. When it comes time for elections, people who already work in ASUU prepare to run, and they ask their friends to run with them—re-, gardless of their actual qualifications. 'A >; Although they may complain that they can't of ASUU is with the constituent^ represent. Shouldn't repre^p|, sentatrye hi department than in ASUUitselft But the job isn't entirely up to ASUUi dents who want to make a difference at the:••*<>* U, and.in theircollegeTKpart'iciilar, rie^d to J : approach ASUU about running for office. : ^ g . Logically, some of the best candidates v ^ f i i are probably involved-in other aVenuesx»f-J aA campus life—student advisory committees,^ G for example. ASUU outsiders, such as stii^ *g: dent leaders in the Bennion Center and the^' J LDS Institute of Religion, could be far more,VJ qualified than someone who just happened;/*?* to join Freshman CounciFa few years ago. -^ Instead of whining about these rules,?1;1 ?*}?}*^ ASUU's prospective candidates should take^J advantage of this opportunity to broaden,-^vi the scope of the typical party candidate-^ ^ and thereby create a better, more represent?? tative student government at the U. '/^^^ Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Utah Chronicle Editorial Board. Editorial columns and letters to I tor arc strictly the opinions or the author. The forum created on the Opinion Page is one1 based on vigorous debate, while at the same time demanding tolerance and respect. Material 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. All letters to the editor will now be published online at www.dailyutahchronicle.com. Letters that the editor deems best represent those received will be printed in the newspaper ,;. . .;'.; rf Faculty, Family and Consumer Studies Support the LGBT community ' Tri Delta contributes to U greek system Editor: The Tri Delta sorority has been an important part of the greek system at the U since 1932. It participates in many excellent phil. anthropic events and adds much ; to the greek, university and local communities. It has been successful at making an impact despite its medium size. We believe it is wrong that its charter is in question. The greek system at Utah is going through a transformation, and as a result, TVi Delta should be given time to raise < its membership numbers. A harsh punishment when it has done nothing wrong is simply not appropriate. ask students other.than those whom t h e ^ i . know due to campaign restrictions, t b e y ^ ^ could widen their pool by working harder /* to attract students to ASUU in general, not just to individual campaigns^ '..".".Il'.'l ASUU needs to open itself up and of the "good old boy" mentality.," cause people have attended some meetings1 ^ for a board doesn't mean, that they're good ''-itii at their classes o r i h ^ t ^ j e y ; ^ ^ ^ ar^rtjun'g^; ^' The support of all of our chapters is behind the Tti Delta sorority. We hope that those who have made this decision will think carefully about it, and review it with the best interests in mind of not only your national sorority, but the current and future students you will affect. Nick Macey, President, Beta Theta Pi Chase Harlin, President, Pi Kappa Alpha Jane Boyer, President, Delta Gamma Nate Bullen, President, Sigma Chi Allison Van Vooren, President, Theta NuXi Editor's Note: This letter was sent to the Delta Delta Delta sorority headquarters. Editor: Utah is being damaged by Sen. Buttars' hayseed statements on evolution and his cruel and hurtful remarks about gays and lesbians. As a straight male, I find his comment about a supposed "homosexual rulebook" that "targets your kids" an insult to my intelligence. There is no such book. It only exists in the mind of Sen. Buttars, who is attempting to demonize a small minority of good people for political ends. How brave of you, Sen. Buttars! I have talked to many of those associated with the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Salt Lake City, and we have nothing to fear from these folks. Chill out—your hormones will not change direction because you shook hands with a gay person. Whatever happened to putting a little love, understanding and acceptance in our hearts rather than issuing statements that sound as though they were mined from a Nazi propaganda pamphlet? We must all ask: What good have Sen, Buttars' ignorant statements done for the image of the state of Utah? And, is this the picture we want to present to the world? The world, by the way, is watching from Park City today at the film festival. Rather than this negative image, what if prominent Utah citizens raised the money for the building of a million-dollar GLBT community center? (They have, an inadequate, rented place now.) If this gesture of good will and tolerance became reality, it would reverberate around the world. Imagine the positive headJLines^ , Imagine the praise!,. i-,r. </ i n tu I know I'm a foolish dreamer, tjut I can see Larry Miller, a good man who stumbled on the "Brokeback. Mountain" trail, as one of the people at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. . Roger E. Carrier Local Resident Be someone's hero Donating blood is the socially responsible thing to do I am a hero. I have saved lives. I have donated blood. On Jan. 18,1 received a call from the Associated Regional Uni- versity Pathologists informing me vthat I could save a life if I donated blood. Naturally, I went right over. ' ARUP estimates that 60 percent < of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, but less than five percent do. Five percent of the U.S. population is providing blood for -the 33 percent of the population that is in need of that blood. One would almost assume these were voting statistics, not statistics of those willing to save lives. The need for blood is real and, anyone who is older than 18 and in f :<•• good health can help fill this need. The donation of one person can be used to save the lives of three people—and one out of every three people will need a blood transfusion sometime in their life. Blood and platelet donations are used to save the lives of accident victims, premature infants and people affected by brain aneurisms. Blood and platelet donations make surgery possible for those in need of bone marrow transplants, organ transplants and knee or hip replacements. Cancer patients have the greatest need for the blood donated to ARUP. With one-in-three odds and the frequency of the above afflic- Clayton Norlen tions, either you or someone you know will need blood at some point. Is that not reason enough to donate? ARUP meets the blood needs of four Utah hospitals. ARUP must receive, on average, 7$ pints of blood and 25 donations of platelets a day to meet the demands of these hospitals. That means that at least 100 individuals need to make a donation every day. Blood can be donated every 56 days, and platelets can be donated once a week, with a maximum of 24 tunes a year. In addition to meeting the needs of the hospital, ARUP also needs to worry about meeting the needs of specific blood types. All blood types are needed, but those of you with Onegative blood are in higher demand because your blood can be given to anyone in need. ARUP visits the Union and the LDS Institute of Religion frequently, but if they are to meet their quota, you need to donate. You also have the option of visiting their office jn Research Park. .,,,• ,. , . ,, ,.,,, Concerned about the -time -it^ill take out of your busy schedule? The actual donation takes about 10 minutes, but plan for 30 to 45 for paperwork and snack time. In the.end, you could save up to three people with 30 minutes of your time and a pint of your blood. We do not need to leap over tall buildings to be heroes; we do not need to be firefighters or police officers. We just have to take the time to donate blood. Next time you see an ARUP flyer saying that blood donations are taking place, stop in and save a life. letters@chroniQle.utah.edu |