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Show Romney would ruin Republican race M itt Romney is a lot of things: a highly successful! businessman, a faithful family man and the smooth operator who singlehandedly saved the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics from being an international embarrassment. However, to his everlasting shame, Romney is not President of the United States and no matter how many times he tries he will never be Commander in Chief — but don't tell him that. Romney seems to be under the impression that the old adage of "third time's the charm" will prove true in his case, as he considers another presidential run. According to The New York Times, Romney spoke recently at the Republican National Committee's winter meeting in San Diego and indicated that he was "giving some serious consideration to the future," and since then has continued to give signals that he is intending to make another run for president. He outlined a campaign strategy that would focus on lifting people out of poverty, providing economic opportunities for all Americans and making the world a safer place. Romney also made it a point to suggest he would be a different candidate, which — thanks to his rather prolific flip-flopping history — is the one thing we can certainly count on. The problem with Romney is that he has an extremely short memory and seems to think that the American public suffers from the same affliction. However most Americans do share one common bond with the Republican Party.They — like the elephants who serve as the GOP's symbol — never forget.This quality of the American public will ultimately prove to be Romney's undoing should he decide to throw his well worn hat into the ring of fire for a third time. Romney would like to reinvent himself as a man of the people who is sensitive to the plight of the poor. But the problem is everyone will remember his infamous comment that 47 percent of the country is dependent on the government. The truly damaging thing about his comment was not only that it alienated at least 47 percent of potential voters, but also that it was recorded on video for future generations. If he does decide to run on the poverty platform, his ill-advised comment will continue to haunt him. On top of that debacle, he also said during his 2012 campaign that he was "not concerned about the very poor" because of our nation's welfare system. Romney may have been able talk his way out of his on and off again support for abortion during his previous run, but convincing the public that he is suddenly an advocate for the poor may very well be an impossible task. Of course the whole poverty platform is a non-issue if he doesn't win the Republican nomination, and the odds may be even further stacked against him this time around than the last. In 2012 Romney pulled off a near miracle by convincing a predominantly Evangelical Republican voting base to look past the fact that he is Mormon and grudgingly elect him as the nominee despite the fact that many Evangelicals don't consider Mormons to be Christians. But his victory was mostly due to the fact he was running against the likes of the former Domino's pizza magnate Herman Cain, whose 9-9-9 tax plan likely came off the back of a pizza box, and the tongue twisted Texan Rick Perry — just to name a few. This time around, Romney would stand to face stiffer competition including former Governor of Florida Jeb Bush whose last name practically makes him Republican royalty. Perhaps the worst part of Romney running again is the damage he will inflict on the Republican nomination process by creating a divide when Republicans should be focused on coalescing around one candidate. Early indications have Romney's previous donors and supporters split on whether they would support him for a third time. The Republican Party is in serious danger of losing the White House for a third consecutive time, and the last thing they need is another vicious and divisive nomination process. If Romney manages to convince himself that he can reinvent his image and channel his inner Ronald Reagan, the likelihood is it will only result in being a third straight charm for Democrats. letters@chronicle.utah.edu POP A SQUAT IN THE STUDENT LIFE CENTER SATIRE t is 2015, and many students on campus have set goals for the new year. A lot of students would like to do better academically, take more credit hours, finish their degree, nail interviews, land internships and begin their careers. However, students are also setting new fitness goals this year. Students want to lose weight, gain muscle and exercise more. With the grand opening of the Student Life Center, these goals will be much easier to reach. Students who utilize the facility will save time commuting to fitness centers and no longer pay monthly gym membership fees. Given the high volume of students entering the new facility, fitness culture is growing on campus. People are bonding over exercise. The basketball courts have become a high traffic area for guys and girls alike. "I love playing pick-up basketball games. I get to bust out my new Nikes and look good while I stand up against the wall waiting to play' said Jon Travels, a sophomore in sedentary studies. "I don't really get in much because I'm not very good. Plus, I wouldn't want to embarrass myself in front of the girls that sit on the couches and watch us through the glass." Pretending to play basketball isn't the only popular activity at the new fitness center. Lily Sitz, a sophomore in the Honors College, said she also enjoyed the amenities available in the facility. "The couches are super comfy' Sitz said, adding that just being in the gym is helping her to get fit in the new year. The weight lifting area has also become a popular hangout for students. There are lots of weight sets for students to share. "My buddies and I love to lift together:' said Luke Squat, a freshman in bro training. "We just bring out every set of weights and watch them while we cheer on the one guy who's actually deadlifting. It's super rewarding:' Ladies love lifting as well. Mary Press, a senior in Netflix history, said she uses the weight circuit everyday. "My friends and I use each machine together," Press said. "That way one of us can lift while everyone keeps them updated on the newest tweets and Instagram posts. It's a really good system." Those who aren't interested in lifting can still find ways to stay fit in the new facility. Many students are building strength and improving their flexibility by taking yoga classes in the Canyon Studios. Don Daug, a mountain man masquerading as a U student, said he loves yoga. "I get to show off my Lululemon yoga mat and Nike leggings every time I go," Daug said. "I love it." Many students may be using the new facility, but professors, faculty and staff are taking advantage as well. Professor Tre D. Mill, who teaches Intro to Learning, has also taken to utilizing the Student Life Center. "Yeah it's a nice place:' Mill said. "But those kids really do stand around a lot:' letters@chronicle.utah.edu 10 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015 } Low oil prices aren't worth the environment costs T his weekend, as I fueled up my '97 Honda Accord with gas at an astonishingly low $1.90 a gallon, I could not help but notice all the smiling faces around me at the pump. I've also noticed that public transit has gotten a lot less crowded over the past few weeks. I was able to snag my own table on the FrontRunner (quite the coveted commodity) every single day last week. Fewer people seem to be riding public transit because, for those who don't have a student ID or a pre-paid UTA pass, driving has become cheaper than riding. While I can certainly recognize and appreciate the short-term benefits of low-priced petroleum, such as extra cash in my pocket and more spacious seating on the train, the looming long-term consequences of this recent trend are troublesome. First, let's examine why the price of oil has fallen so sharply. While there are many factors that influence oil prices, the current situation boils down to a decreased global demand and a surplus supply. Asian and European economies, which had been boosting the demand, and thus jacking up the price of oil for the past few years, have slowed down. Consumption in Europe has also decreased due to improved energy efficiency standards while the United States and Canada have upped domestic exploitation of shale and tar sands oil, respectively. Consequentially, both countries have been importing less crude oil, contributing to the shrinking global demand. When the demand drops, as it has, production usually dips in response, but Saudi Arabia has actually increased production, at drastically lower profit margins. They have done so because the lower prices hurt U.S., Russian and Middle-Eastern competitors far more than they hurt Saudi producers. Geopolitics aside, this mad-dog race to the bottom of the proverbial oil barrel will only proliferate our climate change problems. The global "carbon budget" is the amount of carbon that can be burned before global warming exceeds 35.6° Fahrenheit, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which is composed of the world's top climate scientists. If we block our carbon budget we will surpass an irreversible natural tipping point that will drastically alter the climate — and thus life on Earth — as we know it. If the environmental and climatic consequences were taken into consideration, the price of oil would be astronomically high. When petroleum prices were peaking in previous years, everyone seemed to recognize a need for alternative energy sources. However, rather than committing to the commercial development of sustainable energy sources, U.S. companies labored to extract and produce an even dirtier, more environmentally hazardous kind of oil in the form of shale. Rather than realizing the petroleum race is going to lead us straight off the climatic cliff, our nation's top energy producers injected shale like it was a steroid and kept on running. Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia has a lot more in the tank than we do, and they will undoubtedly win this race if we keep playing by the petroleum-premised set of rules. In that case, we would all lose. We had an opportunity to break free of this crazy competition when oil prices were sky high, and now that they are dismally or delightfully low, depending on how you look at it, we have another chance at becoming sustainably energy independent. The price of shale can't compete with the current market price of oil. Sure, U.S. companies can keep fracking as they pray for a global petroleum price hike that will make shale competitive again, but is that really a smart business model? A frack and a prayer might be enough to make a buck or two eventually, but it won't provide us with the economic, energy and climatic stability that we so desperately desire. The profitability of renewables is, like shale, dependent on the current market price of oil, and so there is not much incentive for big energy producers to go green in this economy. However, if producers can look beyond this month, this year and even this decade, as I believe they should, then they will recognize that renewable energy is going to be the only viable, and ultimately the only profitable, form of energy in the future. Even if the planet doesn't burn up before we run out of oil — though I am convinced that it will — the indisputable fact of the matter is that all oil wells will eventually run dry. The sooner that U.S. energy producers are able to make a break from the oppressive, anxiety-inducing volatility of OPEC's tyrannical reign on oil, the more we will all profit in the long run. letters@chronicle.utah.edu 11 |
