The Daily Show had a classic correspondent piece on Monday. Assif Mandvi takes a look at the hypocritical practices of the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers Union) in Nevada. In a way that only the Daily Show can, the clip highlights a UFCW attempt to rally against Walmart for their “oppressive” labor policies. However, the focus soon shifts when Assif finds out that the picketers are temporary employees hired by the union and receiving minimum wage and no benefits to picket in 107 degree heat.

See the clip here:

While the Daily Show makes light of the situation, there are important issues at play. The hypocrisy of the union’s leadership shows how unions have evolved to become identical to the organizations they claim to fight, and brings up the question: “how do you protect the individual against more powerful entities in society?”

Liberals claim the answer to be two-fold: government regulations and unions. However, both fail for the same reason. In each case, there is a monopoly that gives either the government or the union power over the people due to the extreme cost imposed of searching for an alternate good. A public school teacher must be in a union. Should the union start to adopt policies that he or she doesn’t appreciate, the teacher must switch not just his or her job, but switch their field of expertise. Quite simply, it is infeasible.

Similarly, our government holds us so that we are reliant on its services. The only option otherwise is to leave the country, quite obviously an expensive maneuver. To leave requires liquidation of assets, access to another country, and a similar switch in jobs. As such, a government can create policies that are not popular. While voter recourse still exists, the expansion of the government bureaucracy here has left little that elected officials can do, while more and more of the laws on our books are enforced by lifetime bureaucrats who ultimately answer to no one.

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the role of Corporations in this argument. Liberals love to blame the “Big Business” for all of societies woes. But corporations do not suffer from the aforementioned flaws that unions and government face. With few exceptions, corporations face competition both for sales and for employees. While competition doesn’t provide a complete protection for the individual, it is much easier to buy a different car, shop at a different store or work for a different company than it is to shed the burden of a union or a government which becomes oppressive.

Unfortunately the Supreme Court long ago threw away the one protection afforded to citizens against government when it discarded the 10th amendment, which would have created a competitive “free market” environment amongst the states. Ultimately, we need to look for new solutions to ensure that an individual can flourish in society. Concealed monopolies such as our government and unions certainly are not the answer.

Downsizing Ad

On Thursday, September 16th, the CATO Institute ran advertisements in the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal criticizing the President of failing to cut expenditures as promised, and outlining areas that should be cut. While some programs were beating the same war-drum that has been occurring for generations, there are some unique ideas presented:

Education Subsidies
Federal Worker Pay
Farm Subsidies
Energy Subsidies
Military Overreach
Government-Run Healthcare
Transportation Programs
Drug War
Housing Subsidies
Social Security

What areas do you feel deserve the ax?

If so, now is the best time! We will be having our first meeting of the semester tomorrow, Tuesday 9/7/2010 in STEPS Room 290 at 4:10pm. We have plenty of roles available within the club, whether your interest is writing, editing, graphic design, web design, or even just getting the feel for opinion on campus. If you are interested in any or all of those areas, please join us! If you cannot attend the meeting, just send us an e-mail at: editor@lehighpatriot.com, and we’ll be in touch!

Just the facts:

As you embed yourself into Lehigh’s social scene, you will encounter many beverages along the way. Here’s a look at ten of the more popular beverages you’ll see around Lehigh. While we cannot condone going against the current drinking age statute, we can educate you should you choose to ignore such an archaic and ignorant law. Without further ado, here are your top ten Lehigh beverages:

10. Root Beer – Beverages don’t have to be alcoholic! For the teetotalers in the crowd, slamming back a few Barq’s is a great way to relax. The supple taste of a good can of Root Beer is often tough to beat after a tough day of classes. Added benefit – it is the only item on this list you can find at the dining halls!

9. Wine in a bag - While your parents may not agree, there is only one way to drink wine, and that is from a bag. Though the wine bag suffers from an aversion to sharp objects, “slapping the bag” is an iconic college moment that shouldn’t be missed.

8. Natural (Natty) Ice - While the oft-rejected cousin of Natty Light can’t top the charts due to a lack of consumption, but that in no way devalues it. Natty Ice boast a much higher ABV (alcohol by volume) than Natty Light, resulting in you having to drink less of this admittedly unsavory beverage.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF WHERE YOU WILL BE RESIDING FOR THE NEXT 4 PLUS YEARS

I made my first trip to Lehigh as a high school junior. I was traveling with my parents and we arrived on campus from the road that goes over the mountain. It’s the way that the website encourages, probably to prevent parents and potential students from getting lost on some scary street in South Bethlehem, and because it’s a nice view. Although, I can remember thinking that it didn’t look very nice to me at the time. My first glimpse of Bethlehem was of the old dilapidated steel mill. I remember thinking that it looked like a dump and that it made the town look like a dump. I couldn’t imagine why anyone would be drawn to an environment of post-industrial waste. That was my first impression of the place.

Judging from my own ignorance I had as a first-year, I assume many of you freshman have no real idea of what kind of town Bethlehem is, or where it’s been and where it’s going. I’m certain many of you have heard stories from friends and relatives who have gone here, but to truly understand a place is to live there. Rising and sleeping every day and night in the same locale gives one a sense of home that many at Lehigh soon come to appreciate and feel for themselves. There’s plenty to know, see, and visit in this city of the Lehigh Valley.

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Even though the 2010-2011 school year is just beginning, Student Senate has been hard at work preparing for a productive year. The executive board has been planning and organizing all summer and is very excited to get the ball rolling. In the past few years, Senate has accomplished a lot and Senate hopes to continue this success. Improvements have been seen in safety on campus, transportation, and relations with Bethlehem residents. These topics along with others are always prevalent in the discussions that Senate has and the activities that Senate helps bring to campus.

In just a few weeks, Senate will have the fall retreat in which the main planning for the year takes place. This is the time when the Campus Life Improvement Projects are discussed and chosen and when the Standing Committees make their goals. The retreat is a great time for bonding between Senators and is an extremely productive and important time. The retreat sets the tone for the rest of the year and the executive board has been working hard to make sure that the retreat is extremely worthwhile.

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Four unique trips to take through campus, without the admission office spin.

Fountain Tour

The Lehigh fountain tour is great way to end a Friday night after finishing your homework. Touring the fountains themselves are self-explanatory, so we will cover some of the fascinating details about the buildings associated with Lehigh’s five fountains.

1. Alumni Memorial – Alumni Memorial is probably the most beautiful building on Lehigh’s campus. The upper levels are reserved for administrators, and the ground level is used to woo prospective students. Current students can enjoy the Alumni Memorial by making regular trips to the basement to visit to the registrar and the bursar, two of my favorite pastimes.

2. Packard Laboratories – In typical Lehigh fashion, Packard has ground-level entrances on the first, second, and third floors. Staircases in Packard seem to end arbitrarily, so if you are trying to climb to the roof or the sixth floor, it may take some time.

3. Chandler Ulman – Architecture students will live in this building, which is ironic given the building’s design. Add-ons to the original design have made this building a veritable maze structurally, and room numbers don’t help matters.

4. Wilbur Powerhouse – The home of IBE, IPD, and Design Arts workshops is an interesting building, filled with Macs and plenty of open space. Amongst other attractions is a secret doorway into the Design Arts area.

5. Campus Square – Yes, juniors and seniors have: single bedrooms, air-conditioning, good dining establishments nearby, AND a fountain. End your fountain tour by taking a hike up the hill to your cramped, sweltering room with your passed out roommate.

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Lehigh University is well-known for its strong academic programs in engineering and business and is often ranked as one of the best in these respective fields. Notably, Lehigh was once the number one school for accounting and earned the number eight position for its graduate engineering programs. Of course, an important tradition at Lehigh University is the ease with which students may cross between majors or change schools with almost no red tape. This means that there is plenty of room to try different programs at Lehigh as well as the opportunity to change your mind with minor or even no consequences! Of course, if you are happy with your current academic program and find something else you enjoy, you could do both! However, sometimes this doesn’t work out and you could be forced to choose between two or more things you love. What should you do? What can you do? At Lehigh, we have a solution to such a problem.

Various departments have come together to offer interdisciplinary or other special educational programs which offer students a greater breadth of education than a traditional degree program. Lehigh offers many of these programs for just about every combination one can imagine, ranging from full-on degree programs to exceptional out of classroom experiences. No matter what they are, all offer a unique and exciting academic experience. There are tons of excellent programs avail¬able to Lehigh students, but here are just a few:

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THE LEHIGH VALLEY HAS A LOT TO OFFER, IF YOU KNOW THE RIGHT PLACES TO LOOK

As a student of Lehigh University, you are now officially a citizen of Bethlehem and more broadly the Lehigh Valley. The Lehigh Valley is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania roughly 15 minutes from New Jersey and two hours from New York. Bethlehem is the central city of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area including Allentown and Easton. Most often, the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton conglomerate goes by the Lehigh Valley or ABE as the region airport is titled. This region is similar to most the suburban United States, meaning you need a car to get anywhere. That means if you want to leave Bethlehem, you most likely will have to bum a ride off an upperclassmen, unless you find a good spot to hide your car. However, Bethlehem is still a city, and that means you still have to worry about crime. My advice: don’t carry your valuables alone at night, and use common sense.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FIRST YEAR AT LEHIGH, WHETHER IT’S AT THE LIBRARY OR ON THE HILL

Orientation

It’s more scheduled than regular college life and you have a lot less freedom, but overall it can be a good transition. Some might have a tough time adjusting to the lack of air conditioning, while others might writhe at the close quarters, especially for those lucky fresh­man in M&M. Orientation itself can be a lot of walk­ing, especially getting used to the trek from your dorm down to Campus Square and back up again. The get-to-know-you games can be repetitive but you might come out of it with at least a few recognizable faces, which can be helpful during your first few weeks on campus.

Food

Coffee, you will definitely need it throughout the year. I don’t know how some people live without it. The best Coffee on campus can be found at Starbucks in Campus Square or at Baker’s Junction in Upper UC. Also, if all you eat is fried/fatty foods from the dining halls you will notice that you feel like crap. The endless stairs at Lehigh can help keep you in shape, but they don’t work miracles. If you resist French fry two-a-days and go for the scarce offerings of fruit and vegetables at the din­ing halls you will be thanking yourself later, especially with the added alcohol calories you will be carrying on select Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The Patriot recommends taking a piece of fruit back to your dorm as a free, late-night snack.

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