Blinded by the debate
The naivete of the Texan's editorial staff - and many UT students - about the Clinton-Obama debate is charming, and sad. CNN and the candidates are not interested in The Daily Texan's painstakingly gathered, sincere questions (such as, "Which superhero do you represent?"). It gives me no pleasure to say this, but the candidates are interested in looking good to the television audience, and CNN is interested in staying cozy with the candidates. That's all. The debate will be scripted, with a minimum of real controversy. It's a matter of speculation whether the Democrats ended up giving 10, 20 or even 100 of the 100 lottery tickets to people they haven't already hand-selected. The real genius of the ticket lottery is that now the party has brand new, legitimate contact information, including e-mail addresses, of 50,000 to 60,000 people that they didn't have before and which they can now use for fundraising solicitations for the next decade.
Alan McKendree School of Nursing staff
The time is now
Nick Staha's Feb. 19 column "Education for the soul" hits right on target. Indeed, "How should one live?" is one of the most fundamental questions concerning life.
University education is a time of recreation. In the truest sense of the word, it is a time to reflect on life, its meanings and purpose. To re-create is to make new again. University, in its meaning, is one out of many. College is a time to make whole your life and find meaning to it.
It is better for man to find peace with this soul than to gain the world and lose his soul. Aristotle claims the aim of education is to make the pupil like and dislike what he ought. Besides from learning the technical skills that can bring one to success, (which I interject, is already provided at vocational schools), the primary purpose of a liberal arts education is a moral education. From there, we have conversations with thinkers from the past ages. Questions such as, "How should one live?" "What is the meaning of life?" "Where did we come from?" and "Where are we going?" arise. And that would truly be liberating, because then we can freely reason on these questions.
Daniel Bui Accounting professional program junior
Not a horse race
Adrian Hernandez, in his attempt to belittle Ron Paul's upcoming visit to UT on Saturday, has demonstrated a flawed mindset regarding the election and expressed absolutely baseless opinions regarding the Paul campaign ("The fall of Paul," The Firing Line, Feb. 20). Adrian insinuates that because Paul is unlikely to win the presidency, we should not vote for such an "unelectable" candidate and that Paul should simply drop out.
News flash: The presidential election is not a horse race. The purpose of voting is for us to express our support for a candidate based on mainly his/her stances on the issues. It is NOT about supporting a candidate who we think will win merely because of current polling numbers. Any person, including Adrian, who believes otherwise is a misguided voter.
Adrian makes another fallacy in his argument when he states that Paul should have ran as an independent candidate, thinking that such a move would have boosted his chances of winning. The fact is, the current political system basically discourages any type of third-party presence, and very rarely have there been independents who won major political positions. Paul actually stands a better chance running as a Republican than an Independent because he performed far poorer in his 1988 bid for the presidency running as a Libertarian than in this election.
On a side note, please don't lie about your so-called "respect" for Paul and his views. You're an Obama supporter. Obama and Paul have little in common in terms of their viewpoints.
Jeff Shi Computer science sophomore
Not a horse race II
In response to Adrian Hernandez's firing line "The fall of Paul," he is correct that McCain will take no advice from Paul. However, Paul's purpose in this campaign seems to be to influence future generations of voters, so that if a candidate with similar values runs in future elections, that candidate will have a much larger base of support than if Paul had simply never ran at all.
John Fitzgerald Petroleum engineering senior
Great Gates coverage
Leah Finnegan's editorial literally stopped me in my tracks this morning ("Opening the Gates," Feb 21). I have been in the public relations business for more than 20 years and have been working with top-tier national press for as long as I can remember and cannot remember when I was so touched by a piece. Her editorial truly captured the spirit and intent of the interview.
The Daily Texan team had such a short window with Bill and yet they did an excellent job of capturing the salient parts of the speech and bringing Bill's words and intentions to life. Leah's writing is exquisite, and I am certain, if she chooses to pursue a path of journalism, that she will one day be a formidable player in the top-tier space. Likewise, reporter Maya Srikrishnan and the two photographers were consummate professionals. I was a bit concerned about giving time to the student paper in lieu of a major daily, as it was either The Daily Texan or The Dallas Morning News (we could not do both). I am glad we chose the path we did, and the Texan's performance leads me to completely rethink our outreach strategies going forward! I guess we all learned something yesterday. Good luck to each of the students as they press forward in their careers - you all have bright futures.
Beth Jordan Microsoft Corporate Communications
Debacle denouncement
I'm a random student who is taking one class this semester and not involved with any on-campus activities or organizations ("Debate debacle II," The Firing Line, Feb. 21). I put my name into the drawing and I'll be attending the debate in a few hours by result of "winning" the lottery. To Jamie, here's one example.
Brandon Kraft Sociology senior
More e-week speak
In regards to the Feb. 2 article "Chief execs, physicians, surgeons top list of 300 highest-paying jobs:" As you may or may not know, this week is National Engineering Week, and it is strange how engineers were not on the list of top-paying jobs.
With respect for salaries, engineers can earn as much as many occupations listed in the Department of Labor Statistics report referenced, with less schooling and experience. While I think all these jobs are important to a successful society, none of these careers would be as beneficial without the existence of engineers. Engineers are invaluable to society because they invent machines or processes that improve daily life. Without an electrical engineer to create and expand upon communication technology, the lawyers and chief executives would not have the current capabilities to communicate with clients as easily and efficiently as they do. Mechanical and aerospace engineers, to name a few, create and improve planes that provide pilots with their cushy career. Doctors would not be able to help as many patients without the equipment and products created by a biomedical and chemical engineer. Without an engineer, our quality of life would not be as advanced as it currently is.
Danielle Kamel Chemical engineering senior
Be the first to comment on this article!