The memories of the September 11 terrorist attacks continue to haunt our memories to this day.  Although most of us were mere children on that terrible day, we all remember the moment we heard the news, even if we didn’t understand the true ramifications of what had happened.  9/11 remains a touchy and emotional subject with a great many of us. (more…)

As I sit in the lobby of the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C., at the annual conservative gathering of the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC for short, writing this, it is quite obvious that conservatives are back.  Last year’s CPAC, the first one I attended, was dry. (more…)

The idea that education is, itself, a business is obvious to most. Particularly with higher education, you have students, who are the consumers of a good provided by University for the price of tuition. While many institutions like Lehigh are not-for-profit organizations, they still have to play the fundamental game of making sure that revenue covers expenses (and even look to expand the excess reserves within the endowment). (more…)

With the current situation in Wisconsin, it is a good time to look at exactly what unions have become.

A couple of months ago, I covered a piece done on The Daily Show regarding an attempt by the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers Union). Even if you did see the clip or read the article, I recommend going back and taking another look:

http://www.lehighpatriot.com/bmumma/union-mosity/

But moving to the situation at hand in Wisconsin. If you are not familiar with the source of conflict, take a look at the coverage provided by The Wall Street Journal here. As you may have gathered, the role of public sector unions is an extremely heated political issue. According to several sources, the main issue for the public-sector unions, in addition to a cut in benefits, is the right to bargain collectively over benefits (the bill would still allow collective bargaining over salaries).

Public-sector unions are perhaps the best example we have in this country of special interest groups run amok. In general, special interest groups actively promote the agenda of a few to the detriment of the common good. How is this the case for any public-sector union? Well let’s take a look at the actions they can currently take in order to increase their collective wealth:

1. Public-sector workers already have the ability to vote for elected officials, the same ones who bargain with them.

2. They also have the ability to donate significant campaign funds (as they often do) to these elected officials who bargain with them (Note, in the private sector, this is called bribery).

3. They have the right to hold out and strike if the elected officials do not cater to their whims.

Think about that. Imagine if you could vote for the people who set your salary. Imagine if you could “donate” money to them in return. It creates a feedback loop: you elect representatives who negotiate good benefits for you. You return the favor by donating to the campaign and keeping them in office. They increase your benefits again in return. It is a classic case of the inmates running the asylum, and this is all the case before collective bargaining even enters the picture!

Realistically, it’s impossible to dispute the cozy position that public-sector unions have in negotiations. But that only satisfies half of the claim that public-sector unions are a special interest group run amok. The second half is proven by looking at the damage that these unions do to the common good. To do so, let’s look at two facts that are often lost in the political maelstrom surrounding public-sector unions.

1. The government is not a business, it does not create wealth it merely moves wealth around and manages it.

2. The money spent by the government is not original property of the government. It is money granted by the taxpayers of a state in return for essential services being provided.

What does that mean? In short, it means that the government is an intermediary between taxpayers and the people (public-sector workers) that they, the taxpayers, employ. The money to fund public-sector workers comes directly from the state’s taxpayers. Benefits for them come at the detriment of the rest of the state population. While the distinction is lost on mondern liberals, none other than Franklin Roosevelt understood this point. For many of the reasons mentioned above, he stated quite simply: ”The process of collective bargaining, as usually understood, cannot be transplanted into the public service.” Former AFL-CIO chair George Meany said in 1955 that: “It is impossible to bargain collectively with the government.” Both these men were champions for the existence of unions in the private sector. The reason they differ so drastically from the protesters in Wisconsin on the feasibility of public sector unions is simple: they understood the feedback loop and perverse incentives that public sector unions would create. Today’s Democrats and union members have benefited greatly from the feedback loop and they like it the way it is.

Public sector workers should be afforded the same rights and be treated the same as everyone else in the state. Despite the rabid claims from protesters, collective bargaining is not one of those fundamental rights. As we’ve seen from the points above, it is inarguable that public-sector workers already have much more recourse than most in determining their compensation. It has also been shown in many studies that state workers already enjoy benefits well above a comparable worker in the private sector. Pundits are right when they say that the changes proposed in Wisconsin will not solve all of the states fiscal woes. But it is a start, and it is fixing something that never should have existed in the first place.

As a freshman at Lehigh, the first week of real college life is marred with orientation, comprised of awkward handshakes, bizarre skits, and dozens of annoying “socialization” games. In fact, the stomping of the “Lehigh Rumble” and the screams of over caffeinated OLs continues to ring in my ears as I stroll to math class. Many an upperclassman have cringed at the thought of those few never-ending days, where you had to force a casual smile at every turn and act as if you wanted to be best friends with every other member of your class. (more…)

Lehigh University has joined the ranks of sixteen colleges and universities that offer Enterprise Rent-A-Car’s WeCar program. Students have been inundated with advertisements for the service and many have joined the car sharing program, despite its high prices. WeCar offers students older than eighteen the ability to rent a car after completion of an online orientation. Students can rent either a Nissan Cube or Toyota Prius for ten or twelve dollars an hour respectively (plus the unadvertised two dollar rental tax). In addition to the hourly rates, students can choose overnight or full day plans. (more…)

Noam Chomsky is a hypocrite. Immediately, the Noam Chomsky disciple, who I shall from now on refer to as Bob*, will scream, “Prove it!” plus, if anonymous, various expletives. The problem with this claim is that Bob assumes that Noam Chomsky is God. In other words, Noam Chomsky is somehow infallible and thus a speaker of completely objective truth. This is obviously inaccurate, as Noam Chomsky is a human, and thus fallible. Being fallible, Noam Chomsky’s ideas include assumptions that cannot be considered part of an objective truth. While his thoughts may be “informed opinions,” it does not change the fact that whatever he says can never be objective truth. This leads Bob to assume there cannot be any objective truth. Bob is partially correct. (more…)

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.

HEROES OR VILLAINS? IT DEPENDS ON WHO YOU ASK, BUT HERE’S OUR SIDE OF THE STORY.

To be sure, the Patriot has been subject to a great many distinctions throughout its existence. Lehigh professors have said that we produce the best news and commentary at Lehigh. Just last year, a Lehigh administrator accused the Patriot of trying to “tear the [Lehigh] community apart.” Many of the articles published by the Patriot have received both ridicule and praise. Just in the past few years we’ve tried to tackle almost every controversial subject that relates to Lehigh and its students. We can, and will, be a source of controversy both this year and beyond. To be honest, we would not have it any other way.

The Patriot began as an operation run from the dorms (sorry, Residence Halls) of a few Lehigh students back in 2003. Initially, the project was titled “The Vast Right Wing Conspiracy,” in homage to and in mockery of idea that such a conspiracy actually existed. The goal of the VRWC was to serve as a forum for students who felt that the dialogue within Lehigh was limited too severely, specifically due to a left-leaning administration and faculty.

Over time, the group of students who felt a need for such a forum continued to grow, and so did the VRWC. In 2004, The VRWC gained national publicity through a piece on some artwork in Maginnes that displayed President Bush several cabinet members in highly unflattering positions. Fox News, and various other news organizations picked up the story, which provided the VRWC with support a great deal of exposure to alumni and outside organizations. In 2005, the VRWC was rebranded as The Lehigh Patriot, in an effort to become a more inclusive organization on campus.

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“Ignorance, or apathy?” I asked myself just weeks after transferring to Lehigh University, with regard to environmental awareness.  Looking back at the past semester, during which I contrasted Lehigh to my former institution in Vermont, I decided that it was a bit of both, and I thought about who might be to blame: the students, who did not know any better, or the establishment, who failed to take action?

Lehigh: a private, affluent university.  This was made clear to me during orientation, when a tour of the campus brought me past a few of the University police officers. They were riding brand new, ten thousand-dollar Segways. Segways? Of course, I had to ask about these presumably useless vehicles. It is no secret that Lehigh is a campus with steps, and Segways do not climb steps. “To make Lehigh green,” was the response from my orientation leader.  Coming from a school that took great pride in its high environmental rating, I knew what it meant to make a campus “green”, and knew that Segways were not the answer.

So I did what I could. I joined the Green Action Club and attended a few meetings, but it was a disappointment.  There was not one meeting during which I saw more than fifteen faces, and that high number was at the meeting to elect club officers. Even those in the club admitted that they were there for a resume booster. “It’s a small club, so I can probably get a officer position. And it doesn’t really matter if you’re just in a club,” said the kid next to me. That was all he was there for. I asked him what he was going to bring to the club, what he thought we should be doing to green-up the school. He had no ideas. “We recycle,” he said, as if that was even close to enough.

I suggested composting, which I had already looked into. Rathbone and Lower UC separate the food waste before cleaning the dishes, so it would just be a matter of collecting and storing the food. I was told by the current Green Action president that it would be too expensive. Fundraising? “No,” she said. A demonstration, to make environmental problems visible? “No,” she said. Every idea I had was shot down. I suggested making the club bigger—holding the meetings in a more public place would surely attract more people. “No,” she said, “ Maginnes at seven in the evening is fine.” Fine is not enough. But to those in Green Action who were there for their resume, fine was fine.

After that meeting, I saw the members hop into their SUVs to climb the Lehigh mountain. I walked. I always walk. Because when I chose Lehigh, I knew that I was choosing a campus on a mountain. I wonder if my fellow classmates were not aware of this, as many of them see driving as the only way to get around. With all the weaving roads, and one ways, I have proven that it is faster to walk than it is to drive, so I know it is not a matter of time that convinces students to choose gas over calves.

The only other answer I can think of is apathy. At a top ranked business school, I am sure that the oil crisis, and its effect on the economy do not go unnoticed. And yet, our campus continues to be littered with cars: carrying people back and forth to class, carrying people to the dining halls, carrying people to the gym. (Ironic?) Why drive? It is not faster. It is not more efficient. It is not better for the environment.  And wherever you park, you are sure to get a ticket. There is just no reason to drive around the Lehigh campus.

Another major difference that I saw between Lehigh and The University of Vermont was the use of water bottles. I, personally, do not leave my dorm without a reusable water bottle in tow. It is hard to tell what disgusts me more, the trash left behind by the one-time use bottles, or the fact that in the twenty first century, we are still using them. The number of Poland Springs, and Deer Parks, and Fijis I see littered around campus each day is appalling. Not to mention the use of disposable coffee cups. Looking around my environmental studies class, I see students sipping out of paper cups while simultaneously learning about the clear-cutting methods used to produce them. In Vermont, I literally would have been asked to leave class for such ignorant behavior.

“Why,” I ask myself on a daily basis, “do people here not care?” Is it the lack of outdoor activities available, which in turn does not allow people to fully appreciate the environment in which they live? No. Sure, one might argue that there is not skiing from November to April like in Vermont, but that has not yet stopped me from getting outside. I still manage to find places to hike, and enjoy the basic elements of nature. I can still appreciate and revere. Why not the rest of Lehigh?

My blame is directed at Lehigh University, the institution of higher learning, which fails to acknowledge the importance of sustainability. We have English requirements, and math requirements, and social science requirements. What about environmental sufficiency requirements? At a school which takes pride in its near Ivy League standing, all of its students should be well aware of the issues that limit our growth as a people. We should all be taught that whichever direction we decide to take our lives, our paths are all fenced in by our resources – our environment. So, ignorance or apathy? At Lehigh, we certainly have both.