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Show Monday, Nov. 30, 2009 Page 9 Views&Opilli011 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com OurView AboutUS Editor in Chief Patrick Oden A semester in recap News Editor Rachel A. Christensen T he Utah Statesman has undergone a few changes this year, both in design and content. Thus far we've had a very positive response to those changes and we'd like to say thank you to those who have supported us this year. In that light, we'd like to take a look back over the past few months and recap on some of the stories you, the student body, expressed deep interest in. Assistant News Editor Catherine Meidell Features Editor Courtnie Packer Assistant Features Editor Greg Boyles Sports Editor News: Prevalent in the news section this semester was coverage of the 2009 Logan elections. The Statesman took care to ensure students were educated on the various issues discussed by candidates, knew when the candidates' debates took place and knew about the changes in voting venues. We also went to City Hall election night and talked individually to the politicians, asking questions that directly affected USU students. The Statesman encouraged students to get involved in the local election, then tried to give them the tools to educate themselves and participate. Aggie Life: The clear winner here is the story titled "The Battle Between Faith and Homosexuality". Through the experiences of two USU students who chose two different paths, this article examined how individuals with homosexual thoughts and preferences coped as active members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. One of the two individuals chose to not act upon his homosexuality and continued to follow his faith, while the other individual felt he could not be gay and a member of the LDS community and chose to leave the church. This story also examined the LDS church's view on the matter. We, at The Statesman, felt this was a great journalistic piece because it approached a sensitive topic from a variety of angles and began an interesting discussion within the community. Sports: While USU's football team enjoyed its most successful season in years, and the women of USU soccer and basketball both celebrated immense wins over University of Utah, the clear choice here is USU hockey's pair of wins over Eastern Washington. Eastern had beaten USU in every game dating back to a 3-3 tie in the Eccles Ice Arena four seasons ago. But the Aggies demonstrated that what's past is merely prologue, beating the Eagles 2-1 on a Thursday before topping them 6-5 in overtime two nights later. Aggressive hockey is back in town. Conclusion: Pick up The Utah Statesman every Monday, Wednesday and Friday next semester and visit us at www.aggietownsquare.com for continued coverage of your campus and community. Adieu to USU here is a line from a song by the rock group Night Ranger I love that simply states, "I was never much good at goodbye." So true. I have the rather unique disposition of being sentimental while also emotionally detached from the world around me. An argument could be made that this is a pure form of narcissism. It has always been better for me to feel a tinge of loss while leaving town at 4 a.m. then to have a big hugfest as sad Irish ditties play, reminding us that the road we travel might bring us back together again someday. I hate goodbyes. As such, this is my last column. I am scheduled to graduate next week. And while I will not leave Logan until sometime in 2010 - the earlier the better - my bully pulpit will be taken from me Re-Entry Thoughts and given to another old person who will opine on the awkwardness of gaining an education among those who have no idea what a rotary phone is. I am mostly proud of my columns. I mixed in a cynical view of my irrelevant life with what I considered poignant and justified jabs at some of the things that are wrong with my beloved university. I have never understood why people in Utah cannot deal with criticism. Being a contrarian, I have been compelled to purposely insult people just to prove that it not only can happen, but that I cannot be arrested for doing so. Rudeness may be a vice but it is a necessary vice. I am pleased that I got a chance to call out many of the people in power that are inept at their jobs. The main ones among them: the president of this university, the provost, and the dean of HASS - aka, the Three Stooges. Utah State University is a superior educational experience. These three have done their worst to turn this fantastic school into the JetBlue of state colleges. The cutting of services, the poor upkeep of the school, the forced resignations and retirement of key faculty and staff and the dismantling and elimination of classes and majors have lowered morale on this campus to unacceptable depths. If these people cannot sustain the high T Unconventional Wisdom I See ADIEU, page 10 Tim Olsen Assistant Sports Editor Graham Terry Copy Editor Mark Vuong Photo Editors Pete Smithsuth Tyler Larson Rejecting principles in the name of progress he health reform debate has sparked numerous questions about the cost and scope of government involvement in health care. But few members of Congress have bothered to ask what the Constitution has to say on the topic - even though they are sworn to uphold the principles articulated in that document. One reporter dared to ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Oct. 22 where the Constitution grants Congress authority to require individuals to buy health insurance. An obviously annoyed Speaker Pelosi replied: "Are you serious? Are you serious?" It is a very serious matter indeed. The speaker's vexed response reveals the extent to which many of America's intellectual, cultural and political elites have blithely abandoned the principles of America's founding. They see these principles as outdated if not outright defective, with little or no relevance to modern governance. How - and why - did this come to be? It all began 100 years ago as an intellectual project involving mostly of academics and writers. It evolved into a popular reform effort under the banner of "progressivism." Today, it's the foundation of modern liberalism. It's important to understand how deeply the progressive movement has transformed our politics and society - and where, if left unchecked, it will take us. Progressive thinkers sought to "refound" America according to ideas alien to Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton and Madison. Repudiating the Founders' belief in the existence of self-evident truths, Progressives asserted that there are no truths, only relative values. Similarly, they claimed, man enjoys no permanent rights endowed by God, only changing rights held at the indulgence of government. Thus, lacking eternal truths and rights, Americans must be governed by a "living" Constitution, one that endlessly "evolves" and "grows" with the times. The Progressive Movement - first under a Republican president, Theodore Roosevelt, and then a Democratic one, Woodrow Wilson - set forth the platform of modern American liberalism: Progress means a form of government able to engineer a better society, assuring equal outcomes and redistributing wealth. A distant, patronizing welfare state regulates more and more of our economy, politics and society. President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal and President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society were grand steps toward achiev- T ing the progressive platform. Today we see a new, more aggressive move in this direction. Progressives insist that the modern world is so complex and problematic, an activist government is required to manage political life and human affairs. This new liberalism seeks to transform America's constitutional structure of limited government into an increasingly powerful, centralized government focused on social reform. The rise of the modern administrative state, the growth of bureaucracy at every level and the host of benefits the public has come to expect from government all undercut and pervert the American idea of self- government. The result: America is moving ever further away from the nation's original principles and constitutional design. No, progressive ideas have not completely won the day. And in important ways, the progressive liberals have had to adapt to realities defined by the American political tradition. Even so, the dominance of progressive arguments - in our schools and in the public square, as well as in our politics - has significantly weakened the very foundations of American constitutionalism and limited government. That, of course, makes it all the more necessary to defend and recover the ideas of the Founders. To flourish in the 21st century, America doesn't need to redefine or remake itself by rejecting its core principles and in favor of more stylish beliefs. Rather what's needed is a great renewal of the foundational principles that are the true roots of American greatness. We must look to the principles of the American founding. They provide our philosophical grounding, practical wisdom and limitless spirit of self-government and independence. This isn't merely a matter of historical curiosity. In a world of moral confusion, of arbitrary and unlimited government, the founding is our best access to permanent truths. It's our best ground from which to repulse the whole progressive project to remake America. So yes, Mrs. Pelosi, we're serious. Web Editor About letters • Letters should be lim- ited to 400 words. • All letters may be • • • • • Matthew Spalding, the author of this column, is director of the Kenneth B. Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation and the author of "We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future." IN TWE5E HARD ECONOMIC TIMES FOR AMERICA, WE'D 1-1KE. TO GIVE TI-TANKS TO "TI-IE HIGI•IER POWER TWAT EVER SUSTAINS US.— . Karlie Brand shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or email address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. Letters representing groups - or more than one individual - must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters - no exceptions. Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu , or click on www.aggietownsquare.com for more letter guidelines and a box to submit letters. (Link: About Us.) Online poll On cold Logan days, what is your favorite beverage to help you warm up? • Coffee • Tea • Hot chocolate • Apple cider • Whiskey • NyQuill Visit us on the Web at www.aggietown sq uare. com to cast your vote. |