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  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2010-06-18_Vol76_No07_05

Page 5 WESTERN CAROLINIAN June 18, 2010 CAM PIIS VIEWS U.S. Foreign Policy: A Brief Commentary Joshua Farmer|Features Editor The best approach to U.S. Foreign policy in a global economy would have to be economic. The United States account for roughly one quar- ter of the global economy. With that sort of economic clout, our nation can simply and in most cases, lift a finger and other countries respond, However, even though the United States does have eco- nomic clout, we must also set examples for the world through our trade policy and through our actions against other nations. Not only does the United States control a quarter of the world economy, but we also provide military aid, disas- ter assistance and do much of the funding for the World Bank, the WHO and the United Nations (as well as being its permanent home). In my personal opinion, the future of the planet, is going to depend on how well we get along with emerging super- powers (China) and with re- emerging countries such as Russia. However, U.S. For- eign policy cannot be simply one, single type, but rather a combination of many. The United States spends over $274 billion dollars a year in foreign aid. This fig- ure alone constitutes approxi- mately 1.9% of our national budget. When the United States is economically de- pendent on other nations for many of our resources such as power, oil and (Wal-mart! Ha!) we find ourselves in a situation: should we continue an aggressive military policy with so many emergent na- tions on the global stage? Our foreign aid is more than the GDPs of all but 103 nations in the world! In 1914, before the onset of World War 1, the United States practiced a foreign policy called isolationism. Even then, trade ships in the Atlantic were being sunk and effecting a toll on our economy. Our policy did not change much between the end of that war and the onset of World War II after, we practiced something called MAD (mutually assured de- struction). Since that time, as the information age through the world as progressed, the United States global econo- my percentage has shrank. Other nations have joined the nuclear club, and entered into trade agreements with the US such as NAFTA. In 1995, the WTO was formed coinciding with the fall of the Berlin wall. Simultaneously, the European Union was formed in 1993 to take down trade barriers across the con- tinent. With all of these interna- tional organizations promot- ing trade and cohesion, where has diversity in the world disappeared? A person can now log onto a computer and speak English toa Latvian Is Obama Carl Thomas] Contributing Writer There is a scene in the film Superman II where the Man of Steel chooses to give up his powers and be- come mortal for Lois Lane, the woman he loves. A major part of President Obamas attraction, especial- ly to the many young people who voted for him, was his supposed difference from other politicians. To those na- ive worshippers, he seemed so above it all, a super-apo- litical man. co The presidents declining poll numbers reveal the dis- Ulusionment that has begun to sink in among the politi- cally unsophisticated. They are starting to realize that not only is this president not above politics, but that he, in fact, practices the lowest form of the profession known as Chicago-style politics. In a commencement speech to graduating seniors at Kalamazoo Central High School, the president ex- horted, Dont make excuses. Take responsibility not just for your successes, but for your failures as well. ... Its the easiest thing in the world to start looking around for someone to blame. Wise words. Too bad the president doesnt practice what he preached to the grad- uates. In remarks last November when he visited Norfolk, Va., the president said, When | showed up after Inaugura- tion, they had left a big mess on the floor. So I got a mop and I started cleaning up their mess. In fact, he has been spreading the mess around, causing a bigger mess. _ In March, the president said, By any measure, my administration inherited a fis- cal disaster. Repeatedly to the point of denying his own short- comings, the president has blamed the Bush administra- tion for virtually every prob- lem that has confronted him. Seeking to explain the Mas- sachusetts Senate victory of Scott Brown, the president told ABC News last January, People are angry and they are frustrated not just be- cause of whats happened. in the last year or two years, but whats happened over the last eight years. Even the BP oil spill, which he says is his respon- sibility, isnt really, you see. Earlier this month, the presi- dent said, When Interior Secretary Ken Salazar took office .,. he found a Minerals and Management Services agency that had been plagued by corruption for years. The president has blamed the Bush administration for a $1.3 trillion deficit, though his administration and a lib- eral Democrat Congress that keeps spending and borrow- ing money We dont have, created much of i it. The presidents decline in popularity goes beyond blame. He also does not tell the truth. Recall during the debate over government health care his repeated as- surances that if you like the insurance you have, you can keep it. But Politico reports, Part of the health care over- haul due to kick in this Sep- tember could strip more than | million people of their in- surance coverage, violating a key goal of President Barack Obamas reforms. And Politico continued, Employer groups say the ban could essentially wipe out a niche insurance market pick is that the Latvian can that the best decision will not speak English. Can I speak rest in the hands of policies Latvian? This brings me to but the people of the United another point in where U.S. Foreign policy should go. Many nations in the world are beginning to speak English as well as their native languages States itself. In my lifetime, 1 have watched as children went from wanting to play outdoors to wanting to play on their I-phones while they ~ an area in which the United walk with a group. Shall our States lags educationally. So, without trade, our country ; fails, without sending for- | eign aid, our country fails | { and with starting ridiculous _ wars, our country loses face | to China and Russia. To summarize, in 2010 the United States is in an odd po- sition. We were the saviors of | World War I and World War | Il, but should we continue to | practice a policy of if you | mess with me, you'll get | messed with? Or should the United States instead focus | | nesota, and of course we on continuing the trend that is reversing diversity around | the world by jumping on | the bandwagon with all of | these trade organizations and | that many part-time work- ers and retail and restaurant on. And, Depending on how strictly the administra- | tion implements the provi- | them so restrictive that insur- | ance companies would raise | rates to the point they be- | come unaffordable. alliances. Eventually, I feel _ | black umbrella to the cafe presidency failing the public? | drop on the college crowd, country weaken itself through You en foreign aid and amass a larg- er deficit, or shall our country require those weve helped return the favor? This is not a question I can answer though because Of our position in the global economy...a foreign policy based on that would be best. have ess opportunities | Garrison Keillor | Contributing Writer A fine rainy day in Min- | should be discussing regu- | lation of banking and the | credit-default-swap mar- | ket, but something in me | wants to walk under a big for a skinny latte and eaves- | who, despite the lousy job market, seem as ebullient | as ever. employees have come to rely | I live near an art school | where you can learn con- | ceptual sculpture and also on whe ea | near a community college Se ne ORE OMG NU SMSEN | where you can major in outlaw the plans or make | auto body repair, so the cafe | draws all types. Schools | out in a few days and the _ cool winds of freedom are Critics of Obamas health | | blowing, Just the other day reform law predicted exactly | _Lheard a cool young man that, but the president ac- | | talk about maybe heading cused them of misleading the. | public. Wh whom? _ out to California, | -maybe misleading | LAS maybe | San Fran- _ cisco, he wasnt sure. His There is a point in every | | buddy said, How you get- presidency when the public | discerns when a president is succeeding, or whether he is in over his head and is fail- the country to have a fail- ing president, especially this early in his term, but that is a conclusion being reached by more than conservative talk show hosts. It is one now in- creasingly shared by a disap- pointed public. (Cal Thomas is a colum- nist for Tribune Media Ser- vices.) Freshman Fifteen: Pound ll Lex Menz | Staff Writer For some college students, during the summer, they are no longer students. Instead, they are party-hopping, sun- bathing, milkshake-slurping, volleyball-playing, video- game brainwashing young adults whose biggest decision during the day is whether to call it a night at 2:00 a.m. or when Facebook gets old or after the Dr. Who marathon at four on BBCA. However, there are some who continue to be students whether they want to be or not. Kids, wel- come to summer school. In high school, I looked at summer school as a banish- ment zone. There, the ones who slept during Algebra Il or the ones who skipped too many classes gave back to the school by warming a seat during the suppose-to-be joy- ful summer months because of their initial failings and fallbacks during the regular school year. In college, summer school is not so much school as it is summer classes, A student can sign up for a class they did not make the cut in dur- ing the fall or spring or sign up for a few extra hours to make sure he or she gets that degree on time. For the job- less stuck in Cullowhee, it is a way to kill time. For those who commute, it is a pain in the place that goes numb while you sit in class wishing you could be like the ones who did make that golden A on the end of the semes- ter term paper. Fortunately enough, | skipped out on summer school this semester and high tailed it back home. My only work comes from this job where I ship writing assign- ments through the lovely in- vention of email. However, a couple of friends of mine were not so lucky, Mary Kate Roberts, a sophomore, is currently re- siding in a dorm hall for her field class of Human Re- mains Recovery. While she loves the class, after several hours it can be a bit boring. Imagine Cullowhee in the fall and spring when people were actually there. Can you picture it now as a deserted wasteland? I hear crickets, folks, and with Roberts, who has no car, she has a Bar- ney bag of endless hours to kill. Picture if you will Shia Labeoufs character in Dis- turbia. Got it? The problem is figuring out what to do with that free time, Roberts explained. There arent many people here that | know so I dont have many people to talk to or hang out with. The dining hall is very limited in what they serve and how long they are open so that leaves a lot to be desired... The weekends are the worst because the only thing open on campus is the upper dining hall. Luckily, Roberts is cre- ative with how she spends her time, The best way to keep from losing your mind is to make sure that you have lots of things to do with you like books to read, a sketchbook if you draw, movies, hobbies, games, etc. Needless to say, its much better if you have a cat so you can go off-campus every now and then. i | i | | ting there? and Mr. Cool | said, Hitchhike. I was thrilled. Thats Ga ree Ba 16 Gable | how we used to talk back E- es Uns P 2 | in the day, back before col- approaching for President | Obama. It is not good for | lege kids were weighted own with a ton of debt. We talked about stick- ing out our thumbs and escaping from our stolid lives into a beautiful new swashbuckling life, prob- ably out West, out where | people do that sort of thing. havent seen a hitchhiker in. ages, just the occasion- al old guy my age with a cardboard sign (Wounded | Vet. Homeless. Please help. _ God bless you. Have a nice | day.). I wanted to turn to | Mr. Cool and say, Do it, Nik Rutherford is taking English 102 and makes an hour and fifteen minute com- mute every day from home to Cullowhee and back again. Ivs almost not worth it, Rutherford admitted. os went on. ...Ive already been doing it for a week, and Vm already sick of it. Im glad its only one month. Yes, at the end of June, Rutherford, Roberts, and their fellow classmates are free to enjoy the rest of their summer with the other Cata- mounts free to surf, hike, rently living (and driving poten bit og bias roll- _ Grandmas BMW), his par- er coasters. Unit! then, it 18 | ents having cut him loose strange talking to Rutherford, ignoring my calls saying he has a paper to write. My initial reaction is confusion every time! Then I think, oh yeah... summer school! | kid. Dont get old, regret- ting the big adventures you didnt take. But I didnt want to scare him. I was at the cafe last | night and caught a conver- sation between two girls about whether one of them had dated a particular boy or was just hanging out : | with him, an interestin Its weird walking around @ : & ; | piece of semantics. Tex- during the summer because | its like a ghost town, he | ting the boy on a cell phone was what distinguished hang-out from date: She had flashed him a friendly What's up? and he being nearby met her for a dish of ice cream, and they migrat- _ ed to a party at his friends | house and thence to his | grandmas, where he is cur- financially since he quit school to become a writer. There was audible eye- rolling on the word writ- er. She didnt want to date him because he was too screwed up, so it was only a hang-out situation. I wanted to know more about the BMW guy who lived with Grandma think of it! Unconditional love plus a luxury automobile with a perpetual full tank of gas ~~ but the girls drifted away and left me sitting alone, staring into my latte. I live in F. Scott Fitzger- alds old neighborhood, and it seems to me that Dexter Green in Winter Dreams wouldve lost in- terest in the wealthy Judy Jones if there had been cell phones in 1922 and he couldve texted her and hung out with her instead of worshipping her from a distance and making her a symbol of all that is Noble and Beautiful. Hanging out wouldve shown Dexter what a nobody she was and saved him the trouble, of disillusionment. Or Holden Caulfield. A cell phone wouldve made The Catcher in the Rye a denser and funnier book, Holden roaming around, flashing messages to Sally Woodruff and Jane Gal- lagher and Phoebe and Sunny, instead of brooding about who is and who is not a phony. Meanwhile, the bank- ers are scheming to gouge higher interest rates out of the young and naive, while speculating in high-risk realms, while avoiding reg- ulation but counting on the feds to rescue them in time of trouble. This acrobatic act requires the extensive use of lawyers and wizards, which means long meetings and 12-hour workdays and plenty of homework, all in hopes of early retirement at 55 with enough cash to go traveling on and transform yourself from stolid drudge into a beautiful adventurer. But 55 is a little late for transformation. And having money gets in the way of it. Sorry. All you can do is hang out on the periphery of transformation, as I do. The young are swarming like fireflies, flashing messages like mad, and personally I am rooting for the BMW boy who is screwed up (al- ways an asset for a writer) and wants to maybe write a novel about a dropout like himself, which could be a huge best-seller and earn him enough to be able to af- ford a reclusive life in New Hampshire, and those two girls will be telling people for the next 50 years how they used to date him. You just wait and see.

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

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  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2010-06-18
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 12.5"
  • Pages: 10
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
  • Western Carolina University -- Periodicals
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
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  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2010-06-18_Vol76_No07
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  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library