Students treated unfairly

Dear UWM Post,

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American patriotism is a wonderful thing. I, in fact, consider myself to be an American patriot. I am proud to be a part of the great experiment our forefathers began over 230 years ago, and cherish the freedom, democracy and liberty that were bestowed upon me simply by being a citizen.

I am also cautious not to be blind to things our nation does that may be reprehensible. These things may not have been done by Americans themselves, but rather by the government we have elected. That point should be recognized first and foremost – the government, not necessarily the people, make the mistakes.

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Last fall Wisconsinites decided by a 55 percent to 45 percent vote to endorse the death penalty. While some may think that some of the support for this had to do with an emotional reaction towards the horrific crimes that Steven Avery was convicted of around the time of the election, I voted for it because I believe the death penalty has basis in sound rational principles.

The question posed to myself and other voters was essentially: Is capital punishment in principle just? When we think of the concept of justice what most readily comes to mind is the picture of a pair of balancing scales.

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What comes to mind when you’re asked questions about people like Karl Marx, Joseph Stalin or maybe even Vladimir Lenin? I know the first thing that would come to my mind is thoughts about Marxism and socialism and how they were very bad forms of governing throughout history. So if we are taught to believe that these leaders were bad people in our history classes, then it would only make sense to believe that people who share the same beliefs as these leaders can’t very well be trusted. So in accepting this philosophy, why would anyone support a person like that in our country?

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It always makes me mad to hear someone say people who commit suicide are cowards or categorically say suicide is “the weak thing to do.” Rather, it’s cowardly to deride people who can’t defend themselves (in this case because they’re dead), especially if the accusers haven’t experienced anything that would make them consider killing themselves. Above all, it’s useless because it’s impossible to know a person’s dying thoughts.

It is of no use to universally condemn suicide since people kill themselves for such a variety of reasons. Killing another person in cold blood is cowardly, but people have the right to decide for themselves what they do with their body and their life, including ending that life.

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The actions of King Middle School in Portland, Maine are completely appalling. A policy recently passed this month that would allow middle school students, ages 11-14, to receive a full range of contraceptives from the school health center without parental consent.

Students must have parental permission to use the health center, but under state law such treatment as birth control is confidential, allowing students to decide whether or not to inform parents.

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I have never understood the logic behind hunting for sport. The only time that I have ever considered it excusable to kill an animal is if you are starving and are left with no other option. Killing them so that you can have a new wall decoration is by far the most disgusting thing that I can think of.

Hunters love to say that if they did not kill these animals, the population would explode to an uncontrollable level and would either starve, kill each other or invade designated human territories.

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Last week President Bush controversially vetoed a bill that would have expanded the already huge State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP).

This bill, originally designed to provide healthcare coverage for children in poverty-stricken homes, was modified by Senate Democrats so that it would cover a larger base of children. The problem here lies in the fact that the new bill presented to Bush dramatically increased the minimum eligibility limit for household income to qualify for the plan.

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