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Show 5 OPINION Holiday greed has good use Wednesday, December 9, 2009 www.dailyutahchronicle.com W inter is my favorite time of year. It's finally cold, it finally snows, and I can finally JONATHAN ski again. On the inversionfree days, there isn't a more DEESING beautiful place on Earth than Utah in the winter. It's also a time to get cozy Senior, International Studies and celebrate some good oldfashioned American greed and locally, and buy a lot. For those planning to complete their avarice. It all starts on Thanksgiving Christmas shopping in one fell when we gather around the table swoop at Wal-Mart, consider to celebrate our love of excess. if your actions will benefit you We take the benefits of our labor whatsoever. You might save a few and turn them into a bountiful dollars on a lawn chair, but your meal, one we could never hope contribution leaves Utah immeto finish. Some would argue that diately for Wal-Mart's internaThanksgiving is about giving tional conglomerate. Buying local thanks and being with family, creates jobs and bolsters Utah's economy. but how do we give thanks? By overindulging. Furthermore, don't hesitate We do the same during Christto indulge yourself or others. mas. Most of us hide behind a veil Save for the few parasites on of altruism and a genuine desire Wall Street and in Detroit, we to give to people, and this might as Americans are producers and be the case. However, the only should thus reward ourselves. reason Christmas works is beAvoid hoarding, as this will only cause people have wants. Desires exacerbate our economic proband greed fuel the holidays. lems. And I love it. This Christmas, don't be Sure, we can celebrate the ashamed of your selfishness or birth of Christ, the blessing of greed. As we return home, we family and the joy of giving, but should appreciate all the aspects we also have to acknowledge of the holidays. In fact, we should what much of the holiday season celebrate what has made this represents: money and greed. country so great. America was As the renowned novelist Ayn built on a desire for something Rand emphasized, selfishness is better. Whether that was a beta virtue. Without it, this country ter government or a better cell could have never succeeded. phone, the result is the same: a We must be careful, in this seabetter quality of life. Without son of unbridled materialism, to the desire for more and better channel our wanting and buying things, we would still be walking into something that might also to school in the snow, uphill both benefit us directly. ways. By this I mean we must buy letters@chronicle.utah.edu "Mestizo Institute faces forced closure" (Michael McFall, Dec. 8, 2009) News Ruby Chacon posted 12.8.09 @ 1:16 P.M. Thanks for your well intended article. It is much appreciated that you wrote about MICA and our rally for Saturday. As Co Director of MICA I do have to make some fundamental corrections. MICA has never existed to save the poor, crime ridden children. We are an assets based organization that support what already exists in the neighborhood. It is very difficult to change perception about us and our neighborhood, this is why we exist. We see and experience the creativity of our youth, the residents, etc. If you come visit us you will witness what we all witness. I invite everyone to unify with us on Saturday to build something beautiful. Thanks again. Ruby Chacon UTA1( LEGISLATURE UTAH 5TubatT3 V1IT14 A In 141CileK. eI)UCA11014 GUT TIMOTHY PARKER/The Daily Utah Chronicle Utah delegates have too much power Competitiveness is nonexistent in primaries E yen though there's still almost a year until Utahns go to the polls for the 2010 elections, there's been plenty in Utah politics lately to make me JOSEPH believe that it will be a big year SIMMONS on Capitol Hill. There's a potential fourth seat opening up in Washington, D.C., Junior, Mass Communication for Utah in the House of Representatives, an ethics reform initiative that could end up on the delegates, win the state. the ballot and last but not least, a To be fair, in the case that no special off-year election for Utah's one candidate is able to secure 6o governor. However, most voters percent of the delegate vote, there probably wouldn't be as excited is a head-to-head primary, but that about the gubernatorial race if typically comes after the delegates they knew that it had already been have eliminated numerous other decided six months before election candidates in rounds of voting. day. Remember Olene Walker? Some Unfortunately, that is exactly of us do, but many of us likely what takes place in Utah and what don't because of the way she was will happen again in 2010. More swept out of contention for realarmingly, if the GOP gets its way, election at the convention in 2004. it could be what happens in most Walker became governor after elections in Utah, with Republican former Gov. Mike Leavitt was apdelegates becoming the most influpointed head of the Environmental ential voting body in state history. Protection Agency for the Bush Theoretically, this wouldn't be administration. As Utah's first the case in the gubernatorial race female governor and a moderate if a legitimate Democratic chalwho was a champion of education, lenger emerged between now Walker had an approval rating of and then, but since that hasn't more than 8o percent during her happened in about two decades, brief time in office. However, the there's no reason to believe that Republican "primary" after the such a scenario is likely. convention featured Jon Huntsman What this means is that the Utah Jr. against Nolan Karras. Thankfully, Huntsman proved gubernatorial election will actually be held May 8, when the Utah to be a very capable governor, but Republican Party meets for the as the people of Utah were not the State Nomination Convention. ones voting at every step, there's As usual, the only people who no way to know if they would have will be voting at that convention elected him. are delegates. Essentially the mesIt's very possible that the GOP sage to candidates is simple: win will move to extend this process to all county candidates as well and even eliminate the possibility of head-to-head primaries if the delegates are divided. The common argument, of course, is that the delegates are the voice of the people, and that winning the delegate vote is tantamount to winning the popular vote. However, according to Article XII of the Utah Republican Party Constitution, "If any precinct fails to elect sufficient delegates to the county convention or state convention, the County Central Committee may designate delegates to the county convention from qualified members residing in the precinct." That means that Utah GOP delegates represent that healthy mix of elected democracy and designated hegemony. It's regrettable that primary elections can get so nasty and expensive, but rather than try to implement new policies and guidelines for primary elections, the GOP would rather eliminate them altogether. In a state where the balance of power leans heavily to the right, deciding who the Republican candidates will be without any real popular vote isn't just wrong, it's dangerous. The Utah Republican Party needs to keep the people of Utah involved in as many steps of the political process as possible. Keeping and revamping the primary election process, both in campaigning and voting, would be a wonderful way to accomplish that. letters@chronicle.utah.edu Sarah posted 12.8.09 @ 2:13 P.M. Thank you for your article and for covering MICA. It means a lot to me that the Chronicle would cover this story. MICA is many things to me - most of all a community where all people are treated equally and with respect. It's also an art institute, a great gallery, one of my favorite coffee houses, and has the best vegetarian sandwich in SLC. I love getting to know the young people who are doing such amazing things, being surrounded by art, and being part of something unique and positive. I'm not Hispanic, and MICA is my home too. Please join us on Saturday and discover the real MICA for yourself. Will posted 12.8.09 @ 2:16 P.M. My experience with MICA has been one of inclusion - I'm not Hispanic and I'm certainly not young, yet I feel as if MICA and Mestizo are home, part of my family. I've seen the success of their programs. I've come to know and respect Ruby and Terry for what they've accomplished. MICA's successes are many, but from my point of view, I am most impressed with the way they mentor the young people who take part in the MICA experience. It is a thing of beauty to see the love and dedication they give these youth. Aside from that, Mestizo has the best dang chicken sandwich in the city. Period! LETTER TO THE EDITOR Parking punishments too strict Editor: Monday night I headed to the Warnock Engineering Building to finish an unnecessary lab report, and I parked between two handicapped spots in the yellow lined area. What a monster I must be for doing that! Well apparently there is an even worse abomination: Another car just so happened to park next to me in one of the handicapped stalls. As I prepared for another sleepless night, I realized my night wasn't so bad after I looked at this adjacent car. He had a sioo ticket for parking there at (drum roll).... 8:24 p.m. What the hell is wrong with these people? Are they really human? Or do they have to pass a nonsentient-organism, non-questioning-commandfollowing test? Why must we live in fear of getting tickets, even after enforcement hours? Is it that the U administration just doesn't care about its students and seems to make its decisions based on pure monetary reasons ignoring what their main source of income needs? Can parking enforcers dominate everything they want, whenever they want? Someone has to address this issue sometime soon. We all should, because it seems these guys are getting more power every day. On the other side of the fence, I'd like to congratulate the Commuter Services building for adding a dedicated Appeals Office, because the previous set up of the serum-injected clerk did not work very well. Erick Vega, Senior, Mechanical Engineering Letters to the editor should be sent to letters@chronicle.utah.edu . Letters should be fewer than iso words and must include the writer's name. Letters from students should also include the writer's major and year in school. Letters from U faculty and staff should include department and title. Letters from alumni should include the year the writer graduated. All other letters must include the sender's name and city of residence. All letters become property of The Daily Utah Chronicle and may be edited for style, length and content. |