EDITORIAL
Don’t skip, cancel
classes for rally
A bright banner posted outside the EMU encouraged
students to boycott classes Wednesday. A teacher can
ruled class so his students could attend a rally,
although most opted for other ways to enjoy the sun
shine.
What merits this ban on classes? About 200 student
activists attended a rally in the EMU Courtyard to
protest the “Contract With America* along with the
demolition of the Amazon Housing Complex. Although
no direct correlations were made between Newt
Gingrich and the University's threatened housing com
plex, rally speakers showed their concern about
America's shift to the right and were worried that the
Republican-minded government will endanger critical
social and educational programs.
Student activism is vital fora country that’s supposed
to be based on democracy. Everyone benefits by the
introduction of now ideas in a public forum. The only
way to provoke change is to stand up for what you
believe is right or wrong.
Hut it doesn't make sense to skip class in order to
lobby for education. If students want a better education,
tiies shouldn't neglect what education they already
have,
An employee wouldn't lobby for a raise from his or
her boss by not showing up for work — unless everyone
else was skipping out too. Alone or In small numbers,
he or she would bo out of a job long before reaping any
salary increases
if students want to show the government they're wor
thy of more education dollars, they need to show that
they value what they have and would value more if
given the opportunities. Skipping classes is irresponsi
ble and shows government leaders that students don't
(are about their ( lasses Why should they offer students
more classes to skip?
Classes are expensive and missing class is tike flush
ing money down the toilet. How can students ask for
more money when they're already throwing it away?
There’s no question that this country is facing an edu
cation crisis and something needs to tar done to ensure
the futures of millions of bright students. However,
there are much better ways to got tho government's
attention.
Instead of promoting a campus-wide ban on classes,
try using the dozens of hours between classes to write
or call Congress members. Show them what you've
learned and would you could learn if given tho oppor
tunity.
Organize campaigns in support of education, or what
ever your cause may be. Use the many resources at the
University. Co to class — you could learn something
that may be the key to solving some of the nation's crit
ical problems.
The nation will continue to spend its money on guns
and bombs if students don't prove they're worthy of
more educational dollars Walking out of classes isn't
the answer.
Oregon Daily
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■ OPINION
America needs more than a contract
Brian Womack
The Republicans in Wash
ington have boon working
tirelessly in their efforts to
get the “Contrail With Amoriu"
passed Even with a majority in
tx>th houses, though, not all has
boon peaches and (.roam
First the balanced-budget
amendment was defeated by a
single vote in the Seriate Now
term limits and welfare reform
are under intense attack.
I still hope that as much of the
contract as possible passes I'm
always in favor of streamlining
government, which is exactly
what the contract is attempting
to do.
Yet as much as I support the
Republicans in their efforts, I
realize that many of the prob
lems with this country go far
beyond anything Newt, Hob or
anyone else i an fix w ith legisla
lion.
The problem is where the soul
of the country lies where we
Americans decide what is right
and wrong, where we decide to
draw the line on what is accept
able and what is not
It's at those crucial points that
Americans determine the direc
tion our society w ill go. Those
lines help to define us as a jh»o
ple.
The problem is that we don't
seem to know where that line is
anymore. And the ironic part of
it is tfiat we’re almost proud of
it.
We have fully embraced the
ideas of the 10th-century
philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche
who said that no one has the
right to say one is more right
than someone else Everything is
relative, including morality.
As some of our parents might
have said. “If it feels good, do
it." In fact, the 19fi0s were a
time in America when these
ideas took hold of our culture.
Most Americans don't dis
agree with moral relativism.
Because society is so entrenched
in this way of thinking, many
don't even realise how harmful
these idea* really an*
A society that doesn't know
right from wrong will soon dis
integrate because there is no
moral foundation — members of
a relativistic society i.un justify
pretty muc h whatever they do.
Take crime for instance Using
the relativistic line of thinking,
if a criminal wants to take your
car because he doesn't have one,
who c an really question him?
It's his or her morality The
same goes for everything from
murder or raje* to cheating on a
test
Free societies must have a
standard of right and wrong if
they are to progress.
After the constitutional con
vention. Benjamin Franklin was
asked what kind of government
America would have He
responded. "A republic, if you
i;an keep it."
This founding father rightly
saw that because our country is
founded upon the idea of self
rule, the people have to possess
the morality to allow for society
to hold together Otherwise,
government will have to play an
increasingly larger role in soci
ety.
Bill Bennett points out some
of the ways si* tety has disinte
grated in an interview in the
November issue of USA Today
Magazine He said sinc e 1960,
while the population grew -t l
percent, violent crimes leaped
500 percent, teen-age suicides
tripled. illegitimate births
increased by more than 400 per
cent and the divorce rate dou
bled
Bennett believes one of the
reasons these travesties have
taken place is that "during the
last quart er-centurv. the Ameri
can people Increasingly have
abandoned time-honored moral
c odes The ll.S. is now seeing
the results being played out on
urban streets and in hospitals
and emergency rooms, the
courts, and the classrooms."
Moral relativism doesn’t give
us a “moral code," This begs the
question. Where do we get it?
It lies quite simply in Ameri
ca's religious heritage. From the
foundation of religion does our
moral code arise
Alexis de Tocqueville. the
premier classical liberal of the
tilth century, saw how impor
tant religion was to America, A
native of France, he visited
America in the early part of the
19th century to see how Ameri
ca. a free society, worked and
how liberty could lie preserved.
He was greatly impressed with
America, calling this country
the "most enlightened and free
nation of the earth."
John McCole, assistant profes
sor of history at the University,
says de Tocqueville believed
religion was the most important
institution in America for pre
serving liberty. It provides for
the discipline and the ability for
people to look outside them
selves, which ts important in
keeping a free society free.
He believed religion is an
essential part of America.
"There is no country in the
whole world in which the Chris
tian religion retains a greater
influence over the souls of men
than in America, and there can
be no greater proof of its utility,
and of its conformity of human
nature, than that its influence is
most powerfully over (Ameri
ca!,**
Do we value the "Christian
religion" like we did in the pre
vious century' No. We're so
worried about making sure that
were open-minded in our
approach to religion that our
brains have leaked out. As a
result, our morals have suffered
immensely.
This is not to say that religion
will prevent people from ever
committing wrong acts, but it
will help to discourage them.
So as our society continues to
slide, we must not look only to
Washington for the answers to
fixing the problems,
Society needs to look witnin
and return to our moral founda
tion.
Only then will our society tru
ly be able to return to some of
the order we once had and avert
even further horrors in the
future.
Brian Womack, is a columnist for
the Emerald.